2010-08-29 ~ RELEVANT CHILDREN'S MINISTRY

Second Mile...Second Nature

6:09 PM Unknown

Yesterday my wife and I went to a Japanese Steakhouse for lunch in downtown West Palm. Cool vibe...relaxing atmosphere...great service.

When I was in the process of paying for the meal, something happened to me that I had never experienced before. The hostess, who had given us excellent service throughout the meal, brought back the little black book to our table. You know, the little black book that has a convenient slot for your credit card and contains your receipts.

You know how there are usually two receipts inside the black book. One is for you and the other is for the restaurant. Are you like me? I have to always take a few seconds to figure out which receipt is the stores and which is mine. Not a big deal, but a nuisance nevertheless.

When I opened the infamous black book, my copy of the receipt had been carefully wrapped around my credit card. It may seem like a small thing...but I appreciated not having to look for the "guest copy" receipt.

It's the little extra things like this that gives people a "second mile" experience. Jesus said in Matthew 5, that we should go the second mile when we serve people. Going the second mile should be such a part of our DNA...that it's second nature.

Take every chance you get to go the second mile for the kids and families you serve. In fact, don't just take them...make them! Create opportunities where you can show people that you really care. Anyone can go the first mile...but a children's team whose second nature is to go the second mile will impact many.

Posted by Dale Hudson

The Shoes

6:27 PM Unknown

Our kidsmin is collecting shoes for Haiti. In our gift shop (see this post about it), kids and families can drop off the shoes they are donating.

Recently we watched as a little girl walked into the shop. When she saw the sign about shoes for Haiti, she went over, took off her nice "church" shoes, put them in the bin, and walked out barefooted.

It is awesome watching children give from a pure heart of love for God and others. It's a big deal for a girl to give up her new pair of shoes. It challenges me to be a generous giver.

Let's continue to teach children to be givers. If they can start when they are young, they can experience a lifetime of the joy and impact that comes from giving.

Posted by Dale Hudson

Visual Volunteer Vision

8:42 AM Unknown

Below is a picture that is right outside our kidmin offices. Each part of our ministry has a volunteer wish list. The green notes represent new volunteers that we need. The green notes have the staff leader's name of that area on them. Once a volunteer comes into that position, we put a pink note over the staff member's name with the new volunteer's name on it.

This serves as a great visual reminder to invite people to join our team. We walk past it every day and ask God to send us the right people for these spots.

Our goal is to fill every one of these positions. We need more volunteers....we currently have 1200...but we need more...lots more...and it will always be that way. 99.9% of churches will always need more volunteers. Unless the church is dead...it only takes 4 people to lower a dead church coffin into the ground.

Think about this:
1. Draw up a list of volunteer positions. If you could have every position you wanted, what would it look like?
2. Attach those positions on a board.
3. Pray and invite people one-on-one to join you.
4. Watch God fill the list.