So how does one go about finding a midweek kids' curriculum that is:
a. Spirit-filled?
b. Affordable?
c. High quality?
d. Not Missionettes or Royal Rangers?
e. User friendly - for subs?
Because it doesn't seem to exist anywhere on this planet! Once upon a time, we were using Sonlight. Then they merged with Awana. Which wouldn't be bad, except that their statement of faith now reads that the Baptism in the Holy Spirit occurs at the time of salvation and that it is not a separate experience. My senior pastor - who is also a father - does not want his kids learning that, nor do I believe it, anyway. So now we have to switch. The traditional A/G stand-bys, Missionettes and Royal Rangers - will not work in our tiny church. We'd have to double the number of workers, and there are just not enough kids to separate into boy and girl groups. I've also gone on some Children's Ministry boards where people are posting that the traditional "club" format is old hat, and that we need to change with the times. However, there are no answers as to HOW to change that.
Wednesday night is the most successful time of the week for children's and youth ministries, so I definitely want to keep that ministry going strong. I want the kids to be learning the Word of God, and getting to know Him for themselves.
But wow! Curriculum is EXPENSIVE!! Everything goes way over what I have budgeted for the year. Maybe I should just go to the Christian bookstore and get a bunch of resources and put together a "do-it-yourself" kind of thing. Now that my antagonistic "11-going on 21" 6th grade 'gangstas' have graduated into the youth group, I may be able to do a format similar to the one I did in my old church - where the kids earned points for learning verses, bringing friends, Bibles, etc. (I swear, I have been doing youth ministry for two years with those kids in there! Now the YP gets the joy of trying to put God's word into those little noggins. But I digress ).
What do all of your churches use for Wednesday nights? For those of you with kids, what would hook your kids into a Wednesday night program, assuming they DIDN'T have to go? I am open to changing the goals of each children's ministry area. Traditionally, Sunday School is for teaching, Children's Church is for worship, and midweek programs are for fun and a sense of belonging. But I am not stuck on that (as Dan Rector hears me from his home 1/2 hour away and shrieks in horror ).
Okay, my rant is over. I would appreciate any suggestions from you all as pastors, PW's, and/or parents...
If you were going to keep with the current format and reserve Wed. nights for something fun with a sense of belonging, do you really need a curriculum? Why not just do activities that gather the kids in and connect them? You could have perhaps 2 Wed. nights a month geared to outreaching to new kids (with fun activitie) and 2 Wed. nights a month geared to bonding the kids together that you already have. Just a thought...if it's too unspiritual just forget I ever wrote it or let me know I should zap it off of here.
Hmm...fun at church?!?! Now there's an arresting idea .
I just watched one of my favorite movies - Legally Blonde 2. I really resonate with Elle Woods because I have never done anything the conventional way. School...the licensing process...nothing in the way it's usually done. At one point in the movie, she makes a comment, "I forgot my own voice! I'm going to start doing things my way!"
Obviously, it goes without saying that GOD'S way is what comes first...but it got me thinking: When I was working in an independent charismatic church without having met any of the A/G children's pastors or "bigwigs," I did ministry on a budget of $30 a month. That was what the church (a larger one than the one I'm at now) was willing to invest in their kids. Nevertheless, I ran a Wednesday night program that was amazing...the kids had fun, they learned, and built relationships with each other. And they brought their friends. By the time DH and I left that church, they were running 30-40 kids each Wednesday night. And we had just gotten started! If we had stayed there and been allowed to really run with our vision, I'm guessing we would have been running close to 100 right now.
So I got to thinking: Why, when I am so unconventional and have been such in the process of getting here, am I so bent on doing what other children's pastors are doing? I'm not other children's pastors...I'm me! My methods have gotten results before - why not now?
Hmm...now to convince my senior pastor that I don't need a canned curriculum in order to teach his children .
I don't think that will be too hard to do. You seem to have a fantastic relationship with him and you have built trust through your hard work & loyal spirit. I bet he will go for it. I'll be praying for you as you seek God's will for this aspect of your ministry.
Just getting in on the conversation. We've had District Council/campmeeting this week & then phone line problems so I couldn't get online.
We're in the same boat here. Not enough kids or space for Missionettes or Royal Rangers. Hopefully this will be changing soon, for I do know these ministries are great.
I totally agree w/ what you & Deanna are saying. We're in the process of revamping our Wednesday nights, but we are tiptoeing.
If your Pastor requires curriculum: We have started Rainbows -- for the preschool age (and it's for boys & girls) even though it is just my son in there right now. I personally don't think you can beat Rainbows for that age. For 2 years of lessons, you pay about $25. The kids pages are about 89 cent each for a month's worth of lesson pages.
I heard about a program several years ago in the Pen Florida District called Royal Explorers. It was for small churches (I prefer to use the term "growing churches") that could not really do a Missionette & Royal Ranger program. It was for boys & girls. It was used in A/G churches, but I don't know much more than that. If you were interested, I'm sure someone in the Pen Florida District office could help. Just a thought.
I'll have to check that out...Royal Explorers...since our whole program is called Kingdom Kids, that would work out great!
My only concern with not having a curriculum is that if/when we ever leave, there would really be nowhere for someone else to pick up and continue...they'd have to start from scratch. I had no choice at my old church but to work with what I had financially, and DH and I did a great job with it, but once we left, their children's ministry pretty much fell apart. I want to build something that will last. I guess I could be really ambitious and put in writing what I do so that someone else would be able to pick up and have something to work with.
Our current preschool teachers use Rainbows - the kids love it! One of the teachers is getting kind of tired of it, since she's been using it for 30-40 years...but we'll see...
Something that we have used for Wednesday night are some of the lessons from CEF (Child Evangelism Fellowship). Their website is CEFonline.com. Most people know them for the good news clubs in elementary schools, but the do have curriculum that is fun and does not bog down the teachers. I tend to shy away from lessons for kids that have too many parts. They are also very inexpensive.
Anyway, we would do something like what Deanna suggested. We would break up the lessons and the activities so that the kids were doing something "fresh" and every week was not the same routine about a different topic. The kids loved it. CEF also focuses on the kids developing a personal relationship with Jesus at their level. I really loved that. Our kids, who are 6 and 7 1/2, faithfully do the kids daily devotional book and they love it.
I was a CEF summer missionary in high school...it was a fabulous experience! We went around the area and taught backyard Bible clubs, did open-air evangelism in the parks, and put on VBSs for some local churches.
The one thing I would caution regarding CEF is that the organization itself is VERY much against the spiritual gifts being active today. Some chapters actually make their employees and volunteers sign a statement that they will not speak in tongues...even in their own private prayer life!
I "got in" because I lived in a small town and the area director knew me and knew that I was going to just teach the kids the basic gospel message and wouldn't fly off on doctrinal issues. But it was still under a sort of "don't ask, don't tell" understanding regarding my being A/G!
You may want to check to see if they have loosened up on that, or if they would even be okay with a charismatic or pentecostal church using their curriculum...
It is so aggrevating to me that it is impossible to call companies that make curriculum and get their out of date stuff for new churches! I know they just throw that stuff away but I have called and they will not give it to you! I know in churches all across America there is great curriculum sitting on a shelf that someone used last quarter and another church would LOVE to have.
Since we are a starting church that is a pet peeve of mine!
Here's a key to saving $$ on curriculum if you use Radiant Life (Gospel Publishing House) Sunday School curriculum:
They're on a 3-year rotation! Every three years, the kids study the same units. So all you need to do is buy it once, keep the teachers' books and teaching materials (CDs, flannelgraphs, etc) and then when they get to that unit again, just order the kids' workbooks that they actually write in. Saves a TON of $$!!
Another thing I've been doing is picking up supplemental materials and basing my lessons around them, rather than buying a whole curriculum. For example, DH and I have a series of books called "Videos that Teach," which uses clips from secular movies to teach Biblical lessons. They're only $12.00 each + the cost of renting whatever movie you're using. It tells you EXACTLY where to start and stop the clip (on a VCR - they're not available for DVD yet) and has lesson points and discussion questions. Works great for 4th grade and up...
I've also used game and activity books and just gotten ideas from them. Again, $10-$12 per book and you can use it again and again...
One of my long-term goals is to write a usable curriculum based around "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat." Especially since there's a version out on video/DVD...It's a great way to get that particular Bible story really stuck in people's heads! Because Andrew Lloyd Webber is kind of a jerk about unauthorized use of his music (which isn't really his, but that's a whole different topic ), I'd never be able to publish it, but it would be great for my own personal use!
Thanks for the information. You know, I've been A/G all my life & never knew about the curriculum rotation. I'll make sure that we keep all the teacher's books.
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