volunteers as friends {and other blessings}
// May 16th, 2012 // No Comments » // Leadership
ten years ago i could never have imagined the scene that played out this past sunday.
while in los angeles, i had dinner with bethany. we ate caprese flatbread, and chicken cobb salad, and i had my very first taste of pinkberry, and when the meal was over, i walked her home and paused in deep gratitude for the friendship god had given.
ten years ago, i met bethany, a young 15 year-old who had recently moved to chicago and found her way to my children’s ministry classroom. she volunteered to lead a preschool small group, and lead the large group time. she was an energetic, super-mature, friendly teenager trying to find her way in a new high school and new church.
because of her outgoing personality and curiosity for the world, she quickly made friends and become a leader of all-sorts. i watched weekend after weekend as she led and taught children and invited her new friends to volunteer alongside her. she challenged our curriculum, helped write new music, and brought endless hours of laughter to our team as she tried on funny costumes and props. she was a delight to lead!
but, you never really know when you’re in the middle of leading volunteers {especially student volunteers} if you’re providing meaning or true community in any sense. you hope you’re not taking advantage, or simply filling spots with able bodies. you trust you’re doing your best, and that the volunteer experience will grow a person’s faith.
and then, last sunday while visiting LA, bethany showed me around her apartment and her neighborhood, and told me about her job and new church, and as we sat at dinner talking about the pain of being child-less {me} and single {her} in the church, i realized the joy of leading her as a young teenager had in fact turned out to be a gift to me.
back then, i rejoiced when she showed up on time and memorized her script.
today, i rejoice as she asks first about my faith and listens to my stories.
leading student volunteers is, of course, worth the effort. they teach children in bold ways, and they are leaders, and creatives, and artists in every sense of the word.
and yet, for all the years, blood, sweat, and tears we pour into volunteers giving them all we’ve got, we sometimes forget to open our eyes to see the blessings they give to us.
today, tomorrow, and this weekend open your eyes to the goodness god gives through your very own volunteers. they are a blessing from him to you.
volunteers are a gift. especially when they turn into friends.
rock harbor church {in pictures}
// May 13th, 2012 // No Comments » // DCC Gathering
this week, i’m blogging from The Gathering an event hosted by David C Cook, and taking place at Rock Harbor Church in Costa Mesa, California.
while at the event, i took a whole heap of pictures from Rock Harbor’s children’s ministry rooms, which are really tremendous. i absolutely love the value placed on children’s artwork {there were places to create and display art everywhere} and the value of simplicity expressed in design, color choices, and lack of clutter. enjoy!
Entrance to Kids’ Classrooms
Registration & Information Area
Early Childhood Classroom called “The Playhouse”
Chalkboards along the walls for children’s drawings
Hallway Board for parents to pick up take-home papers
Art Board inside classrooms for children’s artwork
Nursery Classroom – love the color on the floor
5th Grade Classroom
Preschool Classroom
Preschool Classroom
Preschool Art Area
Elementary Large Group Room
Elementary Prayer / Quiet Response Area
Bible Story Timeline {on Chalkboard}
Elementary Small Group – Love the sign!
Elementary Art Area
the gathering {session 3}
// May 11th, 2012 // 1 Comment » // DCC Gathering
final morning at The Gathering. session 3 included an interview with dr. gregg jantz. {the founder of The Center for Counseling and Health Resources.
i’m a big fan of counseling and therapy, and wished we invited professionals into our faith communities more often to share their wisdom and practices. their work could profoundly affect our ministry to families. amen?
i appreciated the speaker’s approach, his thoughts sparked a further thought for me {for a future blog post} on the distinction between pastoral care and professional care. as leaders and pastors, we often walk that line so carefully that it can be hard to know the right moment to refer a child or family to professional care. we want to care for them, but often their situations are beyond our experiences and education. let’s be quick to refer families to professionals. what do you think?
of course, i had hoped this session would include a few words about loving & serving {non} traditional families, but hey, i’m a little obsessed with the topic, so what can i say?
the gathering {workshop 1}
// May 10th, 2012 // 3 Comments » // DCC Gathering
seriously. if you ever have a chance to attend a workshop with matt guevara, do it! it’s fun & educational. and, today’s session on storytelling was no different.
i actually first met matt years ago during a conference at elmbrook church. what now feels like an eternity ago, i attended a session he taught on children & digital teaching methods {before any of us even knew what digital teaching meant}.
the class was so inspiring and helpful that years later while working on the conspire conference, i tasked my sister with finding matt and inviting him to teach the same workshop. she worked overtime tracking him down, he led a stellar workshop, and the rest is history.
today, matt spoke on storytelling, and shared 4 ways to tell stories: collaboratively, visually, dramatically, and theologically. the reminders were great, and the emphasis on using visual images and learning to draw was super inspiring. i’m planning to follow up with a resource matt mentioned: austin kleon’s Steal Like an Artist.
oh! the giveaways keep coming! {don’t forget to enter this one, too!} i’ve got a copy of the big god story to give to you. leave a comment with your best tip for storytelling. one book + one winner + a whole heap of great storytelling tips = a good day!
congrats, frank tan–you’re the winner of the big god story!
the gathering {session 2}
// May 10th, 2012 // 10 Comments » // DCC Gathering
good morning from The Gathering in costa mesa. i’m blogging the event so if you’d like, you can search “DCC Gathering” in the nifty search box to find all the posts.
my mind is thinking about the President’s comments yesterday on gay marriage, and honestly, this morning i’m grateful for his words. this will help accelerate our conversation in children’s ministry on how we serve and love all families. we needed something like this to get our conversations going, and help us feel the urgency in serving the modern family. until now, we’ve had occasional conversations here and there, but the President’s words change everything. and for that, i’m grateful.
this morning’s session led by michelle anthony focused on the Gospel–all of it’s messiness and complexity, that it’s a story to be lived not a speech to be memorized.
and, i’m thinking about the {non} traditional families in our churches who are looking for us to live out a super messy gospel. for us, living out the gospel with love, and care, and understanding, and a listening ear is how we might best proclaim jesus’ good news to all.
Michelle Anthony’s Session Notes
also! i’ve got a copy of michelle’s yet-to-be-released book dreaming of more for the next generation. leave a one-sentence comment describing your dream for the next gen. i’ll choose one winner to receive the book. good luck!
congrats, matt norman — you’ve won michelle’s new book! 
the gathering {opening session}
// May 10th, 2012 // No Comments » // DCC Gathering
after a lovely few days at CYNKC, i’m now in costa mesa for the gathering.
The Gathering is the premiere event focusing on spiritual formation and family ministry. With limited seating to allow for great conversations, you won’t want to miss this exciting opportunity to network and collaborate with other ministry leaders and gain practical insights for your church.
The Gathering is a chance to be collaborative, focused on philosophy with experiential learning opportunities, hearing from professional ministry leaders in the area of family ministry and spiritual formation, while being invited into a transformative ministry time to spiritually nourish the leaders who attend. This is a fresh opportunity to experience ministry and not just talk about it, while being refreshed for the next season ahead.
i’m thrilled to be on the blogging team with jonathan, lindsey & greg.
also! if you’re not in sunny CA, follow the event’s live blog here! {updated by matt}
opening session: chris brown – senior pastor at north coast church.
chris spoke on Mark 5 {my current favorite story, if we’re allowed to pick favorites!} — the story of the woman touching jesus to be healed.
my most favorite part of the story is verse 26: the woman had suffered a great deal and spent all that she had..i love the woman and identify with her when she goes to jesus for healing as if he were her last resort. she’d already seen the doctors, and spent all her money. she went to jesus as her last chance. not her first. i love that. the biblical story filled with ordinary-just-like-us people who go to jesus when nothing else has worked out. and, in return he heals her, because of her faith. that’s insane. i love jesus.
CYNKC pictures {monday}
// May 8th, 2012 // No Comments » // CYNKC
Brian McLaren speaking on
“Christian Faith (and) the Next Generation”
early morning exhibitor set-up
finally meeting the lovely mary hawes in person!
spotted!
what matters now books for sale!
prepping for tomorrow’s panel with michael novelli
first session
planning dinner with panel members
this week {CYNKC & the Gathering}
// May 7th, 2012 // 1 Comment » // cm what matters now, Training
Children, Youth and A New Kind of Christianity
on monday & tuesday, i’ll be participating in Children, Youth and A New Kind of Christianity. we’ve been planning CYKNC for a year and dreaming about how we might bring together an innovative group of children’s and youth leaders to redefine ministry.
Something is happening in the church. A new kind of Christianity is taking root and growing across the globe. New forms of ministry, worship, and community are emerging. Questions are being asked. And change is happening.
But amidst these changes and shifts, children and youth are being left behind. Innovative approaches to ministry with adults are emerging around the world, but little critical reflection and attention has been given to how to nurture young people within a new kind of Christianity.
In May of 2012, leaders, ministers, volunteers, parents, and students will gather in Washington, DC, USA to spark conversations about youth and children within a new kind of Christianity. They will talk about innovative practices, critical issues, and controversial topics like violence, racism, interfaith dialogue, and sexuality. They will embark on a journey together to engage in life-giving ministry with young people.
And they will blaze a new trail for the 21st-century church.
i’m thrilled that the cory center will be launching the very next what matters now project at this event! the WMN Global Edition will be available for no charge at the bethel booth. if you’re there, be sure to stop by for your copy!
The Gathering is the premiere event focusing on spiritual formation and family ministry. With limited seating to allow for great conversations, you won’t want to miss this exciting opportunity to network and collaborate with other ministry leaders and gain practical insights for your church.
The Gathering is a chance to be collaborative, focused on philosophy with experiential learning opportunities, hearing from professional ministry leaders in the area of family ministry and spiritual formation, while being invited into a transformative ministry time to spiritually nourish the leaders who attend. This is a fresh opportunity to experience ministry and not just talk about it, while being refreshed for the next season ahead.
and, what are you up to this week?
the modern family {behind the scenes}
// May 2nd, 2012 // 4 Comments » // Family, Leadership
it’s been awhile since i’ve blogged about {non} traditional families. evidence #1: my friend sarah asked “do you still blog about {non} traditional families?” oh boy. hint taken. trust me, out of mind {or, out of blog} ≠ out of heart.
so, of course i was thrilled when children’s ministry magazine asked for an article on the topic for their may/june issue. i said yes! and excitedly told sarah, “see! i still care!”
in the article i mention my personal journey towards serving the modern family:
i come from a very traditional christian family. i’m the oldest of five kids who grew up in the church, my parents are still married after 35 years together, and my siblings are christians who married christians. i graduated from bible college, worked in ministry, and married a christian guy from a christian family.
but, i’ve had numerous friends in my life who’ve come from or chosen to be part of a nontraditional modern family. these friends have given me an entirely new perspective on creating places in the church for all families.
some of my closest friends are divorced or gay, married or single, raising adopted children, or intentionally choosing not to have children. i’ve witnessed firsthand my friends’ experiences in the church, and often these experiences have not been pretty. i’ve watched as my friends have decided not to participate in a church because they were unable to find a place that welcomed their family.
heres’s the thing: my motives are selfish. i want church to be a great place for my friends. many of my friends admit to having a deep relationship with god and a faith that grows everyday. they’re simply unable to connect their personal faith with local church communities. it breaks my heart. i’m trying to influence church leaders towards inclusive language and programming so that my friends will re-consider church participation.
in our approaches, we don’t have to be perfect, just mindful.
here’s the other thing: whenever i talk about this topic i feel nervous about people’s reactions. i understand the topic is heated. i wish it weren’t, but i understand why.
i believe BIG time in productive, calm, reasonable conversations.
we don’t have to all agree, but we all must come to the table and share our experiences, our beliefs, and our helpful ideas for moving forward. i sometimes worry that we don’t talk about this topic because we’re afraid of the tension. i know that’s true for me.
i propose we eliminate the fear, we eliminate the need to speak poorly towards those with different opinions, and we begin to approach each other with a spirit of openness.
in our conversations with each other, we don’t have to be perfect, just mindful.
imagine! engaging in the conversation for the sake of all families. c’mon–let’s do this!
personal reflections 2 {orange conference}
// May 1st, 2012 // 4 Comments » // Orange Conference
conferences for me are generally about building relationships, getting to know people, and collaborating on new ideas. i already mentioned that i was a terrible blogger last week at the orange conference, and that was due to the fact that i was chatting, meeting, and connecting people instead of typing, scribbling, and collecting notes.
and, my experience was amazing. i don’t regret a moment. of course, i wish that i had sat through many more sessions, but the conversations that took place during those sessions were wonderful, and life-giving, and joy-producing. because my job can often feel lonely, i so look forward to events where i can engage in meaningful conversations.
also, many thanks to my sister-in-law who worried about me when she saw the drastic lack of blog posts. now i know that if something ever goes terribly wrong, i can use the blog to communicate to my family! phew. crisis averted.
something was relationally different for me this time around. i’ve been to conferences before in which i didn’t feel relationally connected, and instead headed to my hotel room to be alone as fast as possible. a few things made this experience different than others:
1. specifically scheduling time to meet with people prior to the event. in the past, i’ve said “see you there!” or “looking forward to catching up” without making any specific plans. this year, i made a list and scheduled each person for a specific time. perfection!
2. i spent significant time with my friends over meals, coffee, and during breaks. this year, i felt the depth of relationships that have been built over time. getting to know people during conferences and staying connected throughout the year is absolutely worth the effort. you’ll enjoy true friendships when you meet up at annual events.
3. i had a lot of fun! nights out with folks just for fun was the key to balancing all of the serious, ministry-building, strategic planning conversations during the day. as i always say, “aint nothing wrong with some laughter and a big ole brownie sundae!”
4. i didn’t freak out when additional conversations popped up during sessions. i wound up only attending 1 workshop and 1 full main session. this is not what i had intended. but it was such a joy when additional conversations popped up on top of scheduled conversations that lasted throughout the sessions. instead of panicking, excusing myself, or looking at my watch i decided to go with what was happening and stay fully present in each moment. as a result, i felt like i was exactly where i was supposed to be.
what do you say? share your best tips for relationally connecting with others at events!
