Autism and the Church

According to the autismspeaks.org, 1 in 88 children are affected by autism. It is the fastest growing developmental disorder in the world. And it affects our children’s ministries. A Sunday School teacher recently told me, “I have five kids in my class ages 4 to 6 and two of them are autistic. What do I do?”

If you find yourself in a similar situation, here are a few simple tips for teaching autistic children in the church:
• Maintain a routine. Children on the autism spectrum are much more comfortable when you stick to a schedule.
• Avoid too much stimulation. Too many sounds, lights, or loud visuals serve as distractions for them.
• Create problem-solving experiences for them. This is a good way to help them feel more in control as well as to stimulate their thinking.
• Introduce changes gradually. Take advantage of “good days” to try new teaching methods or a different learning environment.
• Consider using pictures to allow them to process information. You might use photos or symbols of classroom experiences to represent learning concepts.
• Offer them a timer so they can see when it is time to move to the next activity.

Families of autistic kids might be our number one ministry opportunity in the church today. What are you doing to reach them?

Thinking about Transitions

It’s an exciting time of year! School is over for some and almost over for others. Memorial Day is around the corner which means it’s SUMMER! For a lot of us who work with children, it’s also time to think about promoting the kids in our ministries.

My niece is a recent kindergarten graduate and it got me thinking about how we acknowledge that at church. For a lot of ministries, graduating from kindergarten means not only promoting to elementary school but to the children’s ministry at church. We can build off this natural transition. Some churches have a luncheon and celebrate with the families. Others churches present Bibles to their incoming first graders as a way to acknowledge this special time.

Transitions are not only a time of excitement but also a time when it is easy for people to fall through the cracks. We are seeing more and more students drop from church when they transition from children’s ministry to student ministry. Having these ministries work together during this important time can make the transition smoother and help this group find a place to belong.

Here are some practical things to help with the preteen transition:

1) Have small group leaders contact those who will be moving into their groups. Encourage them to plan a fellowship with those currently in their class and those promoting up to give them a chance to meet, interact and build relationships with the leaders.

2) During VBS, have leaders in the student/middle school ministry (both adult and teens) have key positions with the group that will be moving up. Many churches are offering special VBS events just for this age that help with this transition.

3) Have a retreat or special day for this group with leaders from both ministries that combines fun and relationship building. Before the event is over, connect students moving up with others who will serve as their mentors. These mentors can have a group of 2 or 3 they pray with, contact about events and help with the transition.

There are many other great things done to help with age transitions, if your church does something, put it in the comments section so others can know about it!

Superheroes

We are officially into the summer big blockbuster movies with the opening of ‘The Avengers’.  With its third weekend at the number one spot, many people I know were looking forward to it, have seen it and have posted how much they like it.  The 5^th and 6^th graders in my Sunday School class were talking about it on Sunday.  Superheroes seem to appeal to all ages.  

 Here’s some thoughts about helping children interact with superheroes.

 1)     As children imitate superheroes, remind children of characteristics that superheroes should have.  In Colossians 3:12, it says we should be clothed with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.  These are more important than a cape or a costume. 

2)      Many superheroes on TV or movies are not exactly ideal role models.   Even many Bible characters are examples of what not to do instead of what to do.  Help mold children’s minds around what a real hero would act like using Biblical standards.

3)      Help children distinguish between reality and fantasy.  Jesus is the true ultimate superhero.  “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.”   John 15:13   Remind children of the one who truly is stronger, greater and more powerful than anyone else yet chose to lay down his life for us. 

    

Be A Learner Before you Become a Teacher

Romans 2:21 says ‘you then, who teach another , do you not teach yourself?”   As a teacher of children, this passage impressed upon me the awesome responsibility of teaching God’s word.  It should not be taken lightly.  In the Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible, it provides this commentary on this verse:  “Teaching is a piece of that charity which begins at home, though it must not end there. It was the hypocrisy of the Pharisees that they did not do as they taught (Mt. 23:3 ), but pulled down with their lives what they built up with their preaching; for who will believe those who do not believe themselves? Examples will govern more than rules. The greatest obstructors of the success of the word are those whose bad lives contradict their good doctrine, who in the pulpit preach so well that it is a pity they should ever come out, and out of the pulpit live so ill that it is a pity they should ever come in.”  Here are some suggestions for allowing the word of God to teach you before you teach it to children.

1)       Approach the teaching of God’s word with prayer.  Praise God for the gift of His Word in written form that allows us to read and study about who He is.  Ask God for discernment and wisdom from the Holy Spirit as you read His word.  (I Corinthians 2:13)

2)      Study the passage for yourself before you even think about how to teach the passage.  2 Timothy 2:15 says to “be diligent (or to study) to show yourself approved to God…correctly teaching the word of truth”.   We must allow God to teach us from scripture before we can teach it to others.

3)      Meditate on the passage.  In Psalm 119, as the psalmist describes his love for God’s Word, he uses the word meditate at least 5 times.  Spend some time thinking about and pondering the passage.  Allow God time to teach you from the passage.

4)      Be obedient to God’s Word.  The main issue that Paul had with the Jewish people in Romans 2:21 was that they were not practicing what they were preaching.  James 1:22 says for us to “be doers of the word and not hearers only”. 

It’s always a great reminder to approach the teaching of God’s word seriously.

How much is a family worth? How much is MY family worth?

A recent headline caught my attention: “Bubba Watson snubs $9.5 million PGA Tour Event.” This golfer chose to forgo playing in this huge tournament with amazing prize money for one reason-his family. The goal of this post is not to single out a person or evaluate a sports figure’s family values…the goal is to get you thinking about family.

How much is your family worth to you? What value do you place on your own family members by what you chose to do or not do? How much does your family feel they are worth? What about the families God allows you the opportunity to minister to? Are we teaching parents that life and family is about choices? Are we providing the biblical foundation they need to make decisions that reflect how much God values their family?

I’ll admit that these questions may be more for me than for you, but I believe they have implications for all of us involved with ministry to children and families. Are we being intentional about ministering to families today and issues they are facing? Is our ministry teaching families to deal with busyness or are we adding more activities without adding value? In this “easy button” culture do we equip them for the process of discipleship? Are we making families aware that time with God is not something on a to do list but time that provides them with the strength and support to not just face each day but to thrive? Just something to think about as we journey together.

Can you really teach babies at church?

Babies are learners…think about what they learn in their first year of life. Many people I talk with about ministering to babies at church are surprised to learn that it’s never too early to start introducing children to spiritual things. Here are some simple things you can do to move beyond babysitting with the youngest who part of your church family:

1) Use your conversation. Talk with babies about God, Jesus and church. If you need some ideas on what to talk with them about, check out the levels of biblical learning by LifeWay.

2) Use the Bible. Have bibles for the babies to see and touch. Sing “pat, pat, pat the Bible, we can pat and sing” to the tune of Row, Row, Row your Boat.

3) Use changing time. When you are changing diapers, have a picture where the baby can see it and talk about what is going on in the picture. For older babies, give them an unbreakable mirror to look at themselves while you change them and talk about how God made them.

4) Rocking time. When you are rocking a baby, pray for the child. Pray for his family, pray for how he will grow, pray for him to learn more about God every day.

5) Greeting time. I know of a teacher who greeted each child by showing them a picture of Jesus and saying, “Welcome, Sara. Jesus loves you.” As the year progressed, the children started recognizing the picture and saying “Jesus.”

6) Crib time. Place a Bible picture in a crib for a baby to look at while they are falling asleep. Talk to the child about the picture as the child plays in the crib.

There are so many ways to teach babies-this is just a sampling. The biggest thing to remember is to be intentional with the time you have with each child God brings to your ministry.

Mission: Meet My Own Community

We live in a very insulated world in the church today. So our kids are missing the opportunity to live out their faith in their own communities.

Are the kids in your ministry even aware of the types of people who live in their own community? Do they recognize opportunities in their everyday lives to be salt and light to the world around them?

Try some of the following ideas to help kids in your ministry see their community – and their relationships in it – in a whole new way.

• Take leftover VBS decorations and supplies to the local assisted living home and let kids lead local senior adults in a VBS experience.

• Partner with a local park to clean up their facilities.

• Hold a Mission: Meet My Community Day. Show kids all of the local opportunities to serve in your own community – serve food at the local shelter, sort clothes at a donation site, or

• Take kids to a local laundromat with bags of quarters to give to patrons there.

• Lead kids on a prayer walk through local neighborhoods. Encourage them to ask if they can pray with/for folks you encounter along the way.

• Visit a local fast food restaurant and have kids carry customer’s trays.

• Deliver toys that kids donate to a local low income day care center.