Tom and Julie Meekins One thing that is always on our prayer list for special needs families is that they will build a community to support one another. A recent example of this happening in our world is that we were able to participate in a fun project with another special needs family. Lauren and Brandon are a special couple. They have three little boys, ages 8, 6 and 3. Their oldest has Autism. If you have followed our ministry for any length of time, you have seen us highlight the ministry Lauren founded and directs called Zach Speaks. (www.zachspeaksinc.org)....
Purposing our Days for Ministry Now what? Quarantine is not new now. What is next? During this time of quarantine and social distancing, what are you doing about ministry? How are you spending your ministry minutes and energy? Here are some things we have been inspired to practice and we thought you might benefit from them as well. Stay in the Word. This is a fantastic time to get even more firmly rooted in the Bible. Find online Bible studies that you can join or do personal journaling and Bible study on your own. If your church is doing online...
We are guessing that if you work in ministry, you have a heart for people. We all come to the table with our own experiences, hurts, challenges, victories, and passions. We are limited in being aware of every kind of struggle people may face and limited in knowing how to support folks in every kind of situation. That is why we need each other to raise awareness. Parents raising kids with challenges may experience some or all of these hurdles in getting plugged into the community: No one to care for the children. Children who have special needs of any...
As coordinator for the Pre-K department at our church, Julie is positioned to not only serve the typically developing community of 4 through 6 year olds, but also is strategically placed to serve the children who are struggling. For example, struggles some children have been dealing with for a while become a little more obvious as they interact with their peers and the volunteer staff. These parents are being thrown into a whole new world of research and discovery. You may have encountered this situation in your church in one way or another. Maybe it looks like this: A child...
Visual Chart, Verbal Instruction, Loving Support Do you have a child in your ministry who struggles with transitioning from one activity to another? Here’s a few things you can do to make transitions easier: Create a visual chart showing the sequence of the agenda.Whenever possible use pictures and words on the chartTake the child to the chart as soon as they arrive and talk it throughTake the child to the chart periodically throughout the eventIf appropriate, give a copy of the chart to the parents/guardians for home.Whenever possible, give a few minutes warning before moving to the next thingGive the...
Volunteers are such a vital piece of any community thriving. The dynamics of volunteers working with each other are complex. Today my head and heart are filled with the swirls of helping volunteers serve well. As coordinator, my Sunday morning focus is ultimately on the pre-kindergarten children under my charge. When I started this gig, I was thinking there would be a fair amount of physical set up of converting elementary school classrooms to Sunday School rooms, curriculum preparation and supervising of the delivery, but I really had no idea of the 5,000 piece puzzle I was signing up for. ...
Sometimes as people who serve in children’s ministry we might encounter this: Children who are very sensitive to their world. Lights are often too bright. Sounds are often too loud. Even the slightest hints of perfumes or cleaning chemicals or scented candles or even, children’s markers are too smelly. Wall art and floor displays and simple touches are too much. These are children whose world is overwhelming. They have sensory overload 24/7. This makes it hard to focus. Hard to concentrate. You know when an annoying noise like a car alarm is beeping loudly for a while, or when you are in a...
