Sherri and I learned many needful things in seminary, but I must confess, much of the most valuable training I received was when I was a teenager, helping my mother Lois, teach children during children's church. It was from her that I learned how to tell Bible stories to children, how to use felt kits and other resources to bring the stories to life, how to teach children to memorize important Bible passages, and how to have discipline in the classroom. I don't know where my mother learned to do this, but I know God gave her the gift of teaching children (adults too).
This past Saturday, I taught a Children's Church Seminar and Workshop. None of the ideas were my own. All of it came from my mother. Little did she know that by training her teenage son to lead children's church, her lessons would make it all the way across the globe to Thailand where children's teachers from 3 churches participated in the seminar.
All three churches received Bible in Felt Kits, a wonderful resource generously donated by the folks at Petrie Memorial UMC. These kits provide 175 lessons from Genesis through Revelation, so that children can study the whole Bible systematically. The kits provides felt figures and backdrops, which hold the children's attention and bring the Bible stories to life. All of the church also received puppets donated by our sisters and brothers at Mead Memorial UMC. The teachers also received Bible Memorization Kits, because children quickly grasp and remember God's Word.
At the seminar, the teachers received training on how to use these resources and how to lead all aspects of a children's church. Then in the afternoon, workshops were held for the teachers to practice using the new resources.
