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2-11-07 -- A Ministry to Parents
“Fun” for the Whole Family
Churches experiment with many ways to help parents of young children attend a Bible study, sing in the choir, or teach a class. Some ask the children’s minister to regularly coordinate child care, while others collect money from parents and hire teenagers to look after the kids. Some congregations assume each family will provide its own solution, and a few (like Central Christian Church, Wichita, Kansas, profiled in the September 10, 2006, Buzz) create original solutions tailored to the needs of parents.
First Christian Church (Canton, Ohio) is one of those few. Several years ago, FCC’s leaders realized many young parents weren’t attending ministry activities because they couldn’t find—or couldn’t afford—reliable babysitters. To serve these families, the church created a weekly child care program led and staffed separately from the regular children’s ministry.
“We provide music, games, and time to play, but no structured lessons or curriculum,” says Callico Neu, the program director. “It’s easy for the leaders and great fun for the kids.” Appropriately, First Christian named the initiative “Fun for Kidz.”
“We offer Fun for Kidz during the same blocks of time each week,” Neu says. “That way, ministry leaders can schedule events and activities strategically.” FCC also offers the service for events that include more than one generation and two or more ministries (for example, a congregational meeting or special musical production).
Fun for Kidz also requires regular communication and participation from parents.
“We ask parents to make reservations, either online or on the phone, at least one week in advance,” says Neu. Both the telephone line and Web site offer information on upcoming activities, and FCC’s weekly newsletter also includes a list of all meetings and practices with child care.
In addition, Neu asks each parent who uses the program to volunteer once every three months. “In addition to our small paid staff of room supervisors, we need dozens of volunteers to make the program successful,” says Neu. She estimates more than 50 parents volunteer each quarter.
www.firstchristian.info
Nights and Days
Ministry teams used to spend large amounts of time and energy calling on people’s homes to provide prayer, a listening ear, or other pastoral care. Although churches organize home visitation programs less often these days, Harvester Christian Church (St. Charles, Missouri) recently proved the practice can still change lives.
“We knew so many people in the church who had recently experienced a major life change: a birth or death in the family, a personal tragedy, or some other need,” says Kevin Hamilton, minister of evangelism. “Others had indicated a desire to be baptized or join the church but never followed through. Our ‘Nights of Care’ focused on these two groups.”
More than 175 Harvester members moved out of their comfort zones to visit over 400 homes. The church provided training and coached the volunteers on the specific needs of each family.
Harvester followed the “Nights of Care” with “Days of Decision.” People wanting to be baptized or to place membership could visit the church all day on a Saturday or all afternoon on a Sunday, where church staff, elders, and decision counselors were available for discussion and prayer. The church baptized two dozen people in the following weeks.
“We kind of fell into a good strategy with this!” Hamilton says. “We originally planned these two programs separately, but it worked great to follow ‘Nights’ with ‘Days.’”
www.harvestercc.org
Ministry to “Mr. Mom”
Your church ministers to unwed and divorced single moms—but what are you doing for single dads?
“After divorce, men with sole or joint custody of their children often encounter society’s message that they are the parent who doesn’t count or doesn’t care,” says Kevin Klein, family minister at College Heights Christian Church (Joplin, Missouri). “Men trying to be nurturing single fathers need a way to connect with other guys facing the same challenges.”
To encourage this kind of support, men from College Heights created the Barnabas Group, an informal network of full- and part-time single dads. Like many busy parents, group members balance the demands of work with the needs of family and often have little time left for building strong friendships. Casual gatherings to watch football games or enjoy a meal helped the men get to know each other—and to know they’re not alone.
The men also participated in other College Heights activities, including Bible studies and a memorable “severe nature” trip to Montana.
“The Barnabas Group remained connected to the church family,” Klein says. “Meanwhile, meeting as a circle of focus creates opportunities for them to talk ‘dad to dad.’”
www.chcchurch.org
Jennifer Taylor, one of CHRISTIAN STANDARD's contributing editors, lives in Nashville, Tennessee.
PREVIOUS COLUMNS:
Surprising and Successful
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Helping Victims of Abuse
A New Way to Raise Funds Via Golf
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Adding a Satellite Campus
‘Close Interaction that Doesn’t Fit a Formula’
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A Multicultural Model
Inspired by James 2
Putting Feet on Our Faith
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‘Training Rooted in Our Movement’
Accomplishing the Mission
Coming Together
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Impacting the Community
Encouraging Entire Families to Attend
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Church Design Lauded
Prayers and Exercise
Fun Ways to Make Connections
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A Model for Future Ministry
Florida Gator on the Go
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11-18-07 -- Multiple Improvements Planned
11-4-07 -- Multiplying Missional Impact
10-21-07 -- The Church Van with ‘Free Stuff’
10-7-07 -- Emotional Times for Missionary Moms, Dads
9-9-07 -- A Place for Prayer, a Place for All
8-26-07 -- Cookouts, Bibles, and VBS
8-12-07 -- Changing Lives in a Day Or Less
7-29-07 -- Reaching Out to Arabs
7-15-07 -- A Second Site with Curb Appeal
7-1-07 -- Developing a Desire to Dig Deeper
6-17-07 -- Growing Leaders
6-3-07 -- Vacation Ministry School, Anyone?
5-20-07 -- Uniting to Serve
5-6-07 -- Real Struggles, Real Solutions
4-22-07 -- The Ministry of Giving Back
4-8-07 -- Cultivating an Interest in Missions
3-25-07 -- Morning Worship for Teens
3-11-07 -- From Preschoolers to Teens
2-25-07 -- From Christian School to Art Studios
1-28-07 -- Reversing the Sexual Trend for Teens
1-14-07 -- An Airline Industry Ministry
12-31-06 -- Partnership in Nebraska
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12-3-06 -- Musical and Spiritual Training
11-19-06 -- Missions and Mentoring
11-5-06 -- Help for At-Risk Kids
10-22-06 -- Cardboard Catacomb
10-8-06 -- Community Building
9-24-06 -- 'Grace-Driven' Ministry
9-10-06 -- Introducing Skateboarders to Jesus
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8-13-06 -- Communicating Ideas About God
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7-16-06 -- Strengthening Marriages
7-2-06 -- Balloon Ministry Blesses Children
6-18-06 -- Church on the Move
6-4-06 -- Bold Moves Paying Off for Everyone
5-21-06 -- New Ministries for Hurting Families
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3-26-06 -- Experiencing Exciting Adventures
3-12-06 -- Connecting God to a Wider Culture
2-26-06 -- Churches Using Dogs for Outreach
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1-29-06 -- Comforting Those Who Are Grieving
1-15-06 -- Preschool for Teens
1-1-06 -- Servant Evangelism for All Ages
12-18-05 -- How Will Your Church Celebrate Christmas This Year?
12-4-05 -- The Hot Place for Teens
11-20-05 -- Linking Adults with Young People
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10-23-05 -- Serving Specific Groups
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7-31-05 -- Christians Come Together Along Rio Grande
7-17-05 -- Reaching Into Downtown Savannah
7-3-05 -- Considering God's Call to Service
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