My day at The Orange Conference began with a great talk by Mike Clear (Twitter: @mclear).
My big takeaway was to lead by being strategic and use the rhythms of the seasons to help parents and kids connect.
Category: children’s ministry
I am on my way to the 2017 Orange Conference. I have been there once before and I can’t wait to meet up with thousands of people that share my passion for children’s ministry.
For the next couple of days, I will be sharing my sketch notes from the conference. Here is a taste from the last conference I attended. These sketch notes were from a conference held by Amy Fenton Lee with theinclusivechurch.com.
Stay tuned for more sketch notes!
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Children’s ministry volunteers are called upon to wear unique costumes. I’ve dressed as a mad scientist, superhero and a construction barrel. Yes, a construction barrel. I had to get in touch with my inner highway barricade.
Yesterday, I got to do something that has scared me and gives me a bit of a thrill every time I do it. I told the story of David, Nabal and Abigail as I drew it. Now if you ask me to draw a cartoon, I can oblige with a quick doodle. And if you ask me to tell a story, I can be rather quick with some details and a few exaggerations for effect. But I discovered a few years ago, telling a story while I talk can make for some drama within my head.
When I draw as I tell a story, I have to make my left side of my brain and the right side play well together. As I’m drawing, I have to remind myself to say a few words about that mean Nabal, and David’s angry soldiers. It’s a bit of a stretch.
And that’s why I do it. I want the kids to engage both sides of their mind when they hear the story. I want the logical, left brain kids to get the facts. I want the creative, right brain kids to see the story come to life with a marker and paper. It’s a little low-tech, but not quite flannel graph. It’s a sweet spot for me.
I do it because I remember when an artist came to my church when I was a teen. He drew these beautiful scenes in chalk and had lighting effects that made the water appear to be moving. He made a sunset come to life. It lit up my imagination and made me see creative through the church in a different way.
My doodles aren’t anywhere near the work of art of that guy, but if I can help a child remember the story and maybe inspire him or her to tell it in their creative way, then I’ve done my job.
Besides, It’s fun flying without a net. It brings a little adventure to one’s day!
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The other night we had green punch at our church for a Saint Patrick’s Day celebration. The kids were drinking it as if it was going out of style. And you know what happened, don’t you? That’s right… green lips! It led to a condition we all know as “leprechaun lips.”
Some kids started grinning from ear-to-ear, and then show their big, green tongues. Other kids decided to give their best duck faces. The kids were having a blast, but the older group didn’t know what to make of it. The senior citizens that witnessed the mess looked on with bemused, puzzled glances.
I love this about kids. Something as simple as green punch becomes a fun activity. Meanwhile, anyone older than twelve in the group wouldn’t dream of showing their newly created, odd appearance. It wouldn’t be proper, right?
What makes you inhibited? Are you afraid of acting like a fool? Are you more concerned with how you will look to people instead of having a little fun? Let it go! Have some fun with the kids today. Don’t worry about how other adults will perceive you. They are secretly wishing they could have some fun anyway!