The answer to the above question begins with Sunday Plus – A Children’s Ministry Vision’s second brick …
Vision Brick Two
When serving children meet the REAL needs of children;
not what makes adults feel comfortable.
What Children NEED
Summer provides an opportunity to teach life skills which are impossible to teach during the school year.
A mom walked into in my office, tears began to flow as she shared
the camping experience from which her family had just returned.
“Wanda, I never before realized my children weren’t able create their own fun.
Scott and Lisa were bored to death the whole weekend.
At one point they climbed a tree. They just sat on a branch crying out,
‘ This is boring.’
Wanda! The branch they sat on was buoyant!
My children had no idea the fun they could make.
They had no urge to create their own fun.”
As Director of Children’s Ministry, I realized that Scott and Lisa weren’t the only kids I served who didn’t have the desire or skills to create their own fun. They were reliant on adults organizing and creating their fun.
I wondered what was going to happen to them when they turned 21 and mom and dad no longer over saw their every activity; the soccer coach would no longer be in their lives to motivate; or they wouldn’t have the money to purchase the latest gadget.
Where will they turn for fun?
Where will they look for satisfaction?
“Boring” was an overused word in the children’s vocabulary.
When I heard the word “BORING” come from a child’s mouth I would touch his forehead saying, “Do you know where boring lives? It lives right in HERE. God created you in His image. God is creative and so are you. You are able to create fun out of anything. It isn’t this activity that is boring, you are making it boring because you refuse to use your God given gift of creativity.”
Thus came the idea of having Day Camps for the kids at the church. A week long opportunity to…
- Learn how to plan
- Predict what will happen
- Discover if we provide “this” then “this” will happen
- Realize I can create something others will enjoy
- Choose to work as a team
- Experience the joy in bringing joy to others
Of course the kids didn’t realize they were learning. However, when mom’s told me stories of their kids recruiting and training neighborhood kids to create an “occasion” for others in their neighborhoods, my heart soared. They had learned.
Click to go to Day Camps for description of what Day Camp weeks look like and links to Day Camp Curriculum.
Learning to plan is a vital skill that children must learn in order to succeed in life. In her book “A Framework for Understanding Poverty,” Ruby Payne writes:
“If an individual depends upon a random episodic story structure for memory patterns, lives in an unpredictable environment, and has not developed the ability to plan, then …
“If an individual cannot plan, he/she cannot predict…
“If an individual cannot predict, he/she cannot identify cause and effect…
“If an individual cannot identify cause and effect, he/she cannot identify consequence…
“If an individual cannot identify consequence, he/she cannot control impulsivity…
“If an individual cannot control impulsivity, he/she has an inclination toward criminal behavior.”
For more on Summer Ministry click the links below
DAY CAMPS: FEATURES, SCHEDULE, CURRICULUM
Day Trips, Mommy and Me Mornings, Preschool Mornings, and Family Festivals
