I want to invite you to be apart of my "live" half hour webinar on Saturday, September 5th at 1:00 Pm Central Time. I will be sharing information that will benefit you and your volunteers.
You can sign up for this FREE webinar by clicking on http://discipleship.ag.org/Christian_Education/Training_and_Helps/Online_Training/index.cfm?targetBay=0f6af55d-6e99-4155-bcc0-518519e56386&ModID=24&EventDetail=60301b57-e9c2-4180-8a46-f3eb4294e4c7&Process=EventDetail
I have based the webinar on the book "What Every SS Teacher Should Know" by Dr. Elmer Towns. There will be an open discussion time at the end for Q & A.
Subjects Included:
- Retention Rates
- Learning Styles
- Improving your Lectures
- Improving your Discussions
FYI: The session will also be recorded for your use following the event.
TJB
Friday, August 28, 2009
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Home Court Advantage - Woodstock, Illinois
You are looking at a family from Woodstock, Illinois. They are in the middle of a hybrid version of HighPoint.
Every Wednesday night, Woodstock A/G has a Family Emphasis and kids (1st thru 8th grade) sit with their parents for a special time of Bible study together - using HighPoint.
This Hybrid idea is the brain child of their Associate Pastor Steve Schmidt. He has added six follow-up questions that the families use at suppertime all week.
Woodstock Assembly of God is located NW of Chicago.
Roger Willis is their Senior Pastor.
815.338.1316
What a great way to include the whole family!
T
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Small Church with Great Results using Mega Sports Camp
Priest River (Idaho) Assembly of God, is a congregation of under 80, located about midway between the Canadian border and Spokane, Washington. Michael Brooks is the Pastor.
Brooks says the past few years, their church began holding its VBS program in a local park to help draw more unchurched kids in - achieving a little more success. Then Patrick Lawrence, the church's Children's Ministries director, came to Brooks with an idea: host a week-long MEGA Sports Camp in place of their usual VBS program. "Patrick's idea fit right into our vision to reach out to our community,"
Although many churches host MEGA Sports Camps each year, Lawrence had a challenge on his hands. Priest River is a community awash with sports addicts and fitness fanatics. A MEGA Sports Camp would certainly capture the attention of children, but there couldn't be anything "second rate" or half-hearted about it.
What Lawrence wanted to do was bring in Christian professional athletes to help lead the MEGA Sports Camp. For some, that would seem to be a mighty big dream for such a small church."I just started talking to people, sharing my heart and asking who they might know who might know someone who could help us out," I didn't just want athletes who 'knew' God," Lawrence explains. "I wanted athletes who loved children and acknowledged Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior. If they didn't meet that criteria, I wasn't interested."
After a long search, Lawrence found what he was looking for: Former Major Leaguer Lenny Randle to lead the baseball camp and former Harlem Globetrotters Larry "Shorty" Coleman and Michael Douglas to lead the basketball portion of the camp. Those names caught people's attention.
"We had quite a few people tell us our fee ($35) was way too low for a camp of this quality," Brooks admits. "We had to supplement the cost, but some people in the community stepped forward and donated towards the camp, once they heard what it was all about and how little we were charging.
Brooks says he was impressed with how the coaches took their time with kids, truly helping them to improve their abilities while also impacting them for Christ.
In addition to having a quality sports camp for kids, more than 200 people, adults included, heard a very clear presentation of the gospel.
"As a result of this camp, we have gained incredible favor and recognition within our community."By "favor," Lawrence is not only talking about favor with community leaders, but with the community's future - the children. "The kids were ecstatic about the camp," Lawrence says. "Nothing like this had ever taken place around this area. Now, kids will come up to me off the street and just give me a hug. And they all want to know if we're going to hold the camp next year. Of course, we're already planning for it!"
Read more about this church and it's MSC event at ag.org News.
T
Brooks says the past few years, their church began holding its VBS program in a local park to help draw more unchurched kids in - achieving a little more success. Then Patrick Lawrence, the church's Children's Ministries director, came to Brooks with an idea: host a week-long MEGA Sports Camp in place of their usual VBS program. "Patrick's idea fit right into our vision to reach out to our community,"
Although many churches host MEGA Sports Camps each year, Lawrence had a challenge on his hands. Priest River is a community awash with sports addicts and fitness fanatics. A MEGA Sports Camp would certainly capture the attention of children, but there couldn't be anything "second rate" or half-hearted about it.
What Lawrence wanted to do was bring in Christian professional athletes to help lead the MEGA Sports Camp. For some, that would seem to be a mighty big dream for such a small church."I just started talking to people, sharing my heart and asking who they might know who might know someone who could help us out," I didn't just want athletes who 'knew' God," Lawrence explains. "I wanted athletes who loved children and acknowledged Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior. If they didn't meet that criteria, I wasn't interested."
After a long search, Lawrence found what he was looking for: Former Major Leaguer Lenny Randle to lead the baseball camp and former Harlem Globetrotters Larry "Shorty" Coleman and Michael Douglas to lead the basketball portion of the camp. Those names caught people's attention.
"We had quite a few people tell us our fee ($35) was way too low for a camp of this quality," Brooks admits. "We had to supplement the cost, but some people in the community stepped forward and donated towards the camp, once they heard what it was all about and how little we were charging.
Brooks says he was impressed with how the coaches took their time with kids, truly helping them to improve their abilities while also impacting them for Christ.
In addition to having a quality sports camp for kids, more than 200 people, adults included, heard a very clear presentation of the gospel.
"As a result of this camp, we have gained incredible favor and recognition within our community."By "favor," Lawrence is not only talking about favor with community leaders, but with the community's future - the children. "The kids were ecstatic about the camp," Lawrence says. "Nothing like this had ever taken place around this area. Now, kids will come up to me off the street and just give me a hug. And they all want to know if we're going to hold the camp next year. Of course, we're already planning for it!"
Read more about this church and it's MSC event at ag.org News.
T
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Here’s an Idea for Improving your Mid Week Service!
Woodstock A/G in Woodstock, Illinois has begun using HighPoint with a twist.
On Wednesdays they have all of the families sit together at tables. The families include their 1st through 8th graders. They use the HighPoint material and ask the Dad (or Mom) to lead the discussions at each table. They call it “Home Court Advantage”.
They are seeing tremendous interest and growth through their HCA. They include 6 follow up questions for the family to do at home every night at the dinner table.
(What a great way to include the whole family!)
If you are interested in finding out more about “Home Court Advantage” call or e-mail Woodstock A/G.
815.338.1316 Roger Willis/Pastor
Wag1201@hotmail.com
FYI: We hope to receive some photos of HCA in action. We will share those soon. T
On Wednesdays they have all of the families sit together at tables. The families include their 1st through 8th graders. They use the HighPoint material and ask the Dad (or Mom) to lead the discussions at each table. They call it “Home Court Advantage”.
They are seeing tremendous interest and growth through their HCA. They include 6 follow up questions for the family to do at home every night at the dinner table.
(What a great way to include the whole family!)
If you are interested in finding out more about “Home Court Advantage” call or e-mail Woodstock A/G.
815.338.1316 Roger Willis/Pastor
Wag1201@hotmail.com
FYI: We hope to receive some photos of HCA in action. We will share those soon. T
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Jessica Cummings and Mega Sports Camp III
Jessica and John Cummings have just concluded their third MSC.
They serve as the children's directors of Weatherly Road A/G in
Huntsville, Alabama.
Here are some of the highlights from that interview:
MSC is "very easy to use." "Kids love MSC!"
They charged $15.00 per child.
Jessica says "they didn't charge enough."
FYI: Weatherly A/G shuts down all of the campus for a week of
MSC during the fall break from school.
"For a whole week every kid knew that they are important."
Even their lead Pastor (Jerry Sims) is out playing and encouraging the kids.
"It's never hard to get people to serve MSC again." (Jessica)
They also saw three new families attending their church due to MSC!
NOTE: They are averaging a new family for every 10 kids they reach.
Wishes and Wants:
Jessica said she would pay extra to have access to MSC logos and forms, so they could add their own material to the forms.
We will pass that wish list along to our R&D folks.
Thanks for your input Jessica!
T
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Reviewing HighPoint & Mega Ministry Camp
This report comes to us from Donna Horton.
(She is the Children’s Pastor of First Assembly of God Camden, AR.)
Here is Donna’s HighPoint Review -
“The HighPoint material the kids loved the plane flight and the different activities around the lessons. I used this material and added more lessons to make it last longer.”
And Donna’s Mega Ministry Camp Review -
“We all really enjoyed this. This was used for a summer camp theme for three months. I used the activities cooking, card making, drama and basketball. These were used separately each month. I added more bible messages to cover the three month period.”
Donna - Thanks for your reviews!
We hope to receive some pictures and more information from her to add to her report soon.
T
(She is the Children’s Pastor of First Assembly of God Camden, AR.)
Here is Donna’s HighPoint Review -
“The HighPoint material the kids loved the plane flight and the different activities around the lessons. I used this material and added more lessons to make it last longer.”
And Donna’s Mega Ministry Camp Review -
“We all really enjoyed this. This was used for a summer camp theme for three months. I used the activities cooking, card making, drama and basketball. These were used separately each month. I added more bible messages to cover the three month period.”
Donna - Thanks for your reviews!
We hope to receive some pictures and more information from her to add to her report soon.
T
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