",-v,,- ...;;.-

rJJ""zga0~~

=tu

r--0'\0'\, !

~~

~~~~~~rJJ

~~z~~rJJ~

Z~

~

If)

Q):::rfJrfJ

......

.......

Q)

S:::

(3>-

Attendance Builders:)

Ministry Direction...Attendance builders... those

things that will bring more kids intoyour children's ministry and keep themcoming.This issue of the Children's MinistryNewsletter is filled with exciting, easy-to-implementattendance-buildingideas. But. . .the best attendance builder is YOU! Theloving relationships you develop with eachchild in your ministry ",ill keep him comingback for more, and more, and more.

Ideas You Can Use!

Buila Attemlance ill your

Children's Ministry. . .~

Summer vacation can hinder and sometimes

destroy kids' consistent church attendance.Beat the slump with these ideas:

~Make the last Sunday of the public school yearor the first Sunday of summer vacation a dayof completion, the grand finale of yourministry year. Honor children and children'sministers on that day. Rather than waitinguntil fall, have class promotions during theSpring Finale. Children's Day is an excellentday for the Spring Finale. On the next Sunday,turn your ministry upside down with:

~Each Sunday during summer vacation,replace your children's Sunday School

classes and children's worship services with"Super Summer Sundays." Bring your

school-aged children together for a morningprogram that includes learning, worship, andfun! Each Sunday, follow a fun-filled theme

such as...

OLYMPIC SUNDAY.. The children

participate in events, learn of ChristianOlympians, such as Eric Liddell, and arechallenged with a message from Paul on

running the race.

CRITTER SUNDA Y..On this Sunday, you

mIght plan a lIve pet show or let the chIldren showtheir own "Funniest Pet Video." A veterinarian or

zookeeper could visit and share interestinginformation about different animals. The messageftom God's Word could emphasizethe unique designand purpose of each of God's creation, includingthem.

BIRTHDAY SUNDA Y...Plan a birthday party forevery child. Play party games. Eat cake and ice cream.Share the story of Nicodemus found in John 3 andinvite the children to experience the joy of a secondbirthday-salvation.

falLKkkJlffMake the first Sunday of the new ministry year amemorable event. Select an excitingtheme. Design alogo to use on banners, bulletins, classroom doors,stationery. Plan all activities: Sunday School,Children's Worship, refteshments, decorations tofurther developthe theme.

BI6'" A"fWOUTRfAC"M'"' TRY

A Campus Ministry for Today'sElementary School Students

WHO?The elementary school kids that attend your

children's ministry and the unchurched elementaryschool kids in your community.

WHAT?Classroom Volunteers

Lunchroom Duties

Playground SupervisorP.E. Assistant

Field Trip ChaperonesWHERE?

The elementary school campus that is located closestto your church, the campus where most of your churchchildren attend, or any school campus where there areunchurched kids.

WHEN?

Mornings work best. Just volunteer a time slot justbefore recess. This will give you some unstructuredinteraction time with the kids during recess. It is betterto be on a campus everyday of the week for smallincrements of time, rather than one day a week for anextended period of time.

WHY?

RELATIONSHIPS! You need to build relationshipswith the children to whom you minister weekly. Youare not there to preach. Use the kids that you do knowas links to get to know their unchurched friends.KID CULTURE! You need to keep up on the cultureoftoday's elementary school kids in order to ministermore effectively.

--~ .,." '",

HOW?

Be honest with the principal about yourpurpose for being there, A hiddenagenda will eventually come out andyou will be asked to leave. Be fun, butdemand respect! You want the kids totalk with you and get to know you.When children's ministry events comeup, they will want to go because theyknow you.--taken from BEST PROVEN IDEAS,Children's Pastors Conference 1992

Replace the dull and boring segments ofyour teaching time with activities thatare exciting and challenging.

If you and/or your students readportions of the lesson aloud, try these, un alternatives:ORDER IT: Make copies of the lessonreading material and cut it intoparagraphs. Glue each paragraph to apiece of construction paper. Attach astring to the construction paper so kidscan wear each paragraph like anecklace. Make one for each child. Give

each child a part of the lesson. Havethem reassemble the story by lining upin the correct order of the paragraphs.

If you conclude your lesson with aquestion and answer time, try thisactivity:

PLAY SPOONS: Collect a plasticspoon for each child. With a permanentmarker, write a number on each spoon'sbowl. Number small slips of paper tomatch the spoons. Have kids sit in acircle with the spoons in the center. Askthe lesson's first question. Play music.Stop the music suddenly as in musicalchairs. When the music stops, have eachchild grab a spoon. Draw a numberfrom the small slips of paper. Have theperson who grabbed the spoon with thatnumber answer the question and keephis or her spoon. Have kids put the restof the spoons back in the center.Continue until all the questions areanswered.

Resource Review

Children's Day 1997Children's Day is a wonderfu

opportunity to honor children anechildren's ministers. The theme ofthi~year's children's day celebration i~"KIDS CAN! On Treasure Island.'Program ideas are available for $3.0Cfrom Children's Ministries P.O. Bm2910Cleveland,TN 37320-2910.

Other available promotional item~include:"KIDS CAN! On Treasure Island" T

shirt. - a natural t-shirt imprinted witlthe colorful "KIDS CAN! On Treasur(

Island" logo.Price: $7.00 each.Children's sizes: S, M, L.

KIDS CAN! water bottle. - Clear plasti(water bottle with red imprint of KID~CAN! logo.

Price: $2.00 each for less tharten; $1.50 each for ten or more.