Spring and Summer Are Coming. Are You Ready?

As I write this newsletter, snow is falling again in the Chicago area. It is so cold, and all I see out my window is white and grey. With this view, it’s very easy for me to forget colorful spring flowers and the green grass of summer. Will that ever come? 

Yes, spring and summer are coming, and not just in nature but also in your children’s ministry! That means lots of planning is happening. Lent is already here and Easter is coming. In my conversation with ministry leaders, they have already begun to plan for vacation Bible school or other summer activities for kids. 

This issue of the Children’s Ministry Newsletter includes a variety of resources to use as we look forward to and plan for these activities. Since every state and province has different Covid restrictions, I have included suggestions that can be used in both the home or church context. 

I also want to draw your attention to an upcoming training opportunity. Due to Covid-19 restrictions this year, the Children’s Spirituality Summit and Intergenerate have come together for a combined online conference. Many of us usually cannot afford to go to a conference of this level, but this year, the cost is extremely reasonable: $50 for a three-day online conference (individual registration) or $150 for a team of six. Take some time to explore what this conference has to offer; more details are provided below.

As always, if you have any questions or challenges in your ministry with children, feel free to contact me at childrensministry@crcna.org. 

— Mimi Larson, Children’s Ministry Catalyzer

Resources for Lent and Easter

Looking for resources to help families engage in the seasons of Lent and Easter? Here are a few suggestions.

God’s Big Easter Story: A Holy Week Journey for Families provides families with a simple, meaningful way to grow in faith together as they remember the events leading up to Jesus’ death and celebrate Jesus’ resurrection. Included are eight brief devotions to download/print that encourage families to breathe, read, wonder, and pray together. Kids can add printable story symbols (either full-color or outline-style to color yourself) to a path that follows Jesus's journey from Palm Sunday to Easter morning. 

For hundreds of years, Christians have celebrated the Stations of the Cross by contemplating a series of paintings or sculptures that commemorate the events of Jesus’ journey to Golgotha. The Stations activity outlined in this blog post tells the story from Jesus’ arrest to the resurrection and offers simple meditations and actions that even young children can participate in.

Robin Turner, in her blog Worship with Children, explores three simple actions to engage children in the season of Lent, which she names “turn around,” “lay it down,” and “pick up.” Read her child-focused explanation of each action in her blog post Introducing Children to 3 Actions of Lent.

Summer Ministry Ideas

Since we are still in a global pandemic, your summer ministry plans may look different than in years past. Here are some summer ministry ideas to use whether you are still sheltering in place or are able to host an event in person. 

FFM’s Family Faith Formation Toolkit has a wonderful page on Summer that includes less-programmed ideas for use both in the community and within the home that can open up the opportunities for intergenerational relationship building. 

The Children’s Ministry Toolkit has a section designated for Summer Ministries. Included are ways to reboot your ministry, strategies to ensure all are welcome, ways to tackle the challenges of summer ministries, and programming ideas. 

Take Out Church: A Summer Tool for Home and Traveling is an idea from our friends at Buildfaith.org. Originally designed for a non-Covid world, this idea can easily be adapted to nurture family faith. As they say: “. . . boxes like this are not a substitute for active participation in a worshiping community. Rather, they are a supplement; and a tool for deepening faith.”