|
|
Christian Indie Radio
GetChristianMusic
Solid Walnut Music
|
|
|
|
|
|
Devotionals
|
|
Cartoons
Culture
Family
Games
Health
Homeschooling
Humor
Inspiration
Kids
Men
Ministry
Parenting
Poetry
Teens
Women
|
|
Statement of Faith
Contact Us
|
|
|
|
Showers for the Tender Harvest--"Let my teaching fall like showers on tender plants." - Deuteronomy 32:2
Ready, Set, Go! It's Kids Crusade Season
by Jill Nelson (Jill's bio)
Send this page to a friend
Summer is a popular time for children's crusades or Vacation Bible Schools. If you are preparing for one in your town, here are a few tips to help the experience go more smoothly.
First and foremost, pray, pray, pray. Get your whole church involved in prayer about the crusade. Though many of them may not be directly involved in the execution of the project, their part can be invaluable AND it will get "outsiders" more interested in the children's ministry. They will now have "a stake" in it.
Begin and end with prayer when conceiving the crusade and when closing it, as well as at every opportunity in between. Once you've heard from God and you know a crusade is what He has on His agenda for you, then you can proceed with great confidence, though I wouldn't advise reckless abandon. A great crusade—-whether big or small, in-house or community-wide—-takes a lot of thought, planning, and just plain elbow grease.
My next thought for you, after "pray," is start preparing BEFORE you really think it's necessary. Both you and your staff will feel more at ease if plenty of time has been allowed to give attention to the details—-you know those little nitty nuisances that the devil is in if you don't head him off at the pass.
Thirdly, I am a great believer in checklists. My schedule is so packed, if I don't have a list I begin to feel uneasy that I might forget something important...and sometimes I'm all too right in indulging that mild paranoia. To avoid as many calamities as possible when conducting a children's crusade, a checklist is your best friend—besides the Holy Spirit, of course.
Please note that I said "to avoid as many calamities as possible." When planning an event of this nature, particularly since it involves kids, there are going to be unforeseen crises regardless of how carefully you prepare. However, you will feel a lot more confident in dealing with those ugly little monsters (meaning the crises, not the kids) if you have matters under control in the majority of other areas.
Your checklist should include a time table of what needs to be done when and who should do it. Within that time table, it should be prioritized in order of importance and/or logical progression of events.
Adequate numbers of teachers/helpers should be high on the list of first things. These need to come on board early in order to participate in the prayer and preparation. Don't hesitate to involve the teens of your church as helpers. They need opportunities to minister as much or more than the adults do. Besides, they will have recent memories of crusades they attended and may be valuable resources in generating ideas or giving opinions on what kids like/don't like.
To curriculum or not to curriculum is another high priority question. If you are doing an in-house VBS, purchasing ready-made curriculum is a viable option. Many of these even come with hand-dandy preparation checklists included.
However, if you are planning a community-wide outreach to kids who may or may not attend your church, this is a less desirable choice, primarily because you are quite clueless as to how much pre-made material to purchase. Writing your own lessons allows you the option to copy as much material as you need without violating a copyright.
At this point, you will want to tap into the varied talents you have lurking about in the farthest corners of the sanctuary. Does your church have a clown ministry? Grab it. Do you have a skit team? Get `em goin.' Who's got musical ability, either vocal or instrumental? Entice them to employ it for a good cause. Any unusual talents, such as ventriloquism or stand-up comedy (kid-appropriate, of course)? Track `em down and bag `em.
As a practical help for anyone tearing their hair out over the idea of writing their own curriculum, below is sample material from a kids' crusade our church did in conjunction with an adult crusade.
Start with a theme. Ours was "The Force of Faith." We did a take-off on Star Wars (a familiar base of understanding for kids—-especially the non-churched). Following is a couple of lines from a synopsis I wrote for the prayer warriors in our church: "Our goal will be to clearly present faith in a loving, personal God as the real and true force, instead of the make-believe `force' in Star Wars. We will combat the spirits of fear and hopelessness that have caused kids not to care about life any more, theirs or anyone else's."
The crusade lasted five consecutive evenings. Here is the summary:
Night One: From Zero to Hero (God has a BIG plan for your life.)
Night Two: No Fear Here (God and you are a majority.)
Night Three: The Holy Spirit and Me (God wants to live in me? Really? Yes, really.)
Night Four: Covenant Night (The New Covenant and who we are in Christ.)
Night Five: Faith Finale (It's not how you start that counts; it's how you finish.)
This is a sample service order for each night:
6:00 – 6:15 Sign In and Seating (Our "seating" was squares of sample carpet from the local furniture store—very cool. The kids loved it.)
6:15 – 6:30 Welcome – Faith Songs/Opening Prayer
6:30 – 6:45 Introductions/Rules/Prize Information/Team Cheers (We had basic behavior rules that we reviewed every night via colorful, printed signs that volunteer kids got to hold up. We gave prizes for participation and game winners. We divided the kids into teams that had their own cheers. Team points for prizes were awarded for the most enthusiasm. It went over very big.)
6:45 – 7:00 Theme-Related Game
7:00 – 7:10 Theme-Related Skit
7:10 – 7:20 Theme-Related Object Lesson or Special Talent (i.e. clown, ventriloquist)
7:20 – 7:40 Snack and Bathroom Break (In our case, it was porta-potties, since we were out in the middle of a field.)
7:40 – 7:50 Participation Points for First Half/Team Cheers
7:50 – 8:10 Praise and Worship
8:10 – 8:30 Ministry of the Word
8:30 – 8:45 Altar Call
8:45 – 9:00 Participation Points for Second Half/Team Cheers/Prize Awards
We even had an extra activity planned in case the adult service went long and we needed to occupy the time. And instead of ushers, we had "shushers." These were adults placed strategically in the audience to encourage attention and participation. A good time was had by all, including the workers. We saw much fruit.
If anyone finds the sample material useful, help yourself.
Now I'd like to pray for you as you plan and execute your summer programs.
Heavenly Father, we come to You on behalf of the little ones who so engage Your heart. Infuse us with fresh enthusiasm to minister Your word and Your love to them. We ask for divine inspiration and guidance as we continue to apply our hands to the plow. Strengthen us and cause us to make an eternal difference in the lives of these youngsters. In Jesus Name we pray. Amen.
Copyright 2002, Jill Nelson. All Rights Reserved. Used by permission.
| About Jill Nelson: Children have been the focus of Jill Nelson's ministry for twenty years. She and her husband have four--two boys, two girls--all teenagers. (Prayers, please.) Jill supervises the children's ministry at her local church and delights in writing her own material. Her heart is to glorify God by guiding children into a powerful personal relationship with Him. E-mail Jill |
Send this page to a friend: