Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Coasting...NO Way!

Summer...in ministry, it's a time when some churches "coast" because of summer attendance numbers usually going down. But I have this urgency today that this summer is an important time for the kid's department at WFA. It's not a time to coast, it's a time to dig our feet in and work hard at reaching our community. It's a time to rethink a few things, rework, recruit, rewire the circuits, renew commitments, and rely on God to show us how. It's time to ask some tough questions about our effectiveness and then listen to what God is speaking to us. I don't want this ministry to be my plan, but God's plan. I am ultimately accountable to Him for the "job" He has called me to do and I don't want to stand before Him with excuses, ifs or buts.

I'm praying for the Lord to inspire me with the most creative ideas He has ever given me. I'm praying for favor in our community. I'm praying for people who act upon the prompting of the Holy Spirit to minister to kids. I'm praying for miraculous resources provided to do all the things He speaks to me. I'm praying for divine appointments. I'm praying for health to get it all done. And I believe that it will be such a God thing that only He will get honor and praise; not WFA, not any person or program! I use a Mark Batterson expression a lot, "I'm gonna work like it depends on me but pray like it depends on God."

I'll let someone else "coast"...as for me...let's get 'er done!

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Summer Stuff

Summer time! Who doesn’t love the chance to enjoy some leisure time and the fun of summer events? We all deserve some R and R and if you have kids at home, family time is also high on your agenda. But let’s not forget that we still need to gather together with our church family to be encouraged and continuing to grow in our faith. Kids need consistency in all areas of their lives and church attendance is an important element in their spiritual growth. So…we have some great plans for your kids this summer!

Wednesday nights starting June 1st we are changing up our regular schedule with some summer fun! The first Wednesday of June, July and August will be Wacky Water Nights with all kinds of water games. Send the kids in something that can get wet or an appropriate swimming suit and a towel. Don’t forget foot wear! The other Wednesday nights will include a devotion, praise and worship, crafts, Junior Bible Quiz, ministry training in such things like puppets and drama, and much more. We will be meeting in the Fellowship Hall for the summer.

Sunday mornings will start with Sunday school as always and we have a summer theme in Building 2:52 your kids are gonna LOVE! The month of June will be a NASCAR theme called RACE which stands for Running After Christ Every day. During RACE, we will divide up into four teams for some ongoing competition with the winning team rewarded at the end of June with a FREE trip to the movies to see Cars 2 with Pastor Lori and the Building 2:52 team!! In July, we will continue driving the summer with a series called “Life is a Highway” that uses the Cars movie theme song!

We have two camps we are going to in June and I know God is preparing those kids for something amazing to happen in their hearts and lives. SAVE the DATES now, we have activities for the whole family with a trip to Fire Mountain on Thursday, July 7th and August 14-17 for our Back to School Kid’s Event combining some VBS elements and our theme “Your Story.” It uses the fun characters of the Toy Story movie series but tells of the wonderful plans God has for our lives based on Jeremiah 29:11.