NCYM has officially added a new track for children’s ministers into our 2020 Conference class line up. We have always welcomed ministers of all kinds to our youth ministry conference, but now we are expanding to especially include children’s ministers as the world of family ministry keeps expanding.
Learn & grow together.
Children’s Ministry Track
Price: $175
Children’s Ministry Line Up
TUESDAY, January 7, 2020
9:00-10:30AM Boost your Bible Class Growth Rate – Rotate! Organization of an Elementary Rotational Model Bible Class
Memorial Road Church of Christ elementary Bible class program has been in a rotational model for 19 years; Amy and Karla have overseen this work for the last 10 years. The first hour will cover the basics of a rotational model Bible Class program and why it works. What staffing you will need to run this type of program and their job descriptions will be given. A plethora of organizational charts will be shared. You will walk away with the learning theory behind the rotation model and talking points to share with your church leaders. The second hour will include a virtual tour of rotational model classrooms. Amy and Karla will also discuss how to use this model in your home church to match your Bible class size. The class time will end with Q & A.
Amy has worked in our Journey Land program, teaching elementary school children, since 2011. She reviews, edits and writes elementary Bible class materials, and she regularly teaches in the classes. She also helps coordinate Vacation Bible School and Journey Land special events. Amy works with Karla in Memorial’s Journey Land program. Amy graduated from Oklahoma Christian with a degree in mathematics and then received her Masters in mathematics from the University of Missouri. She worked in Oklahoma public schools prior to her position at Memorial. She and her husband Brent have three children, Madison, Olivia and Sophia. She is active in her QGroup, and she enjoys sponsoring youth and college events.
Karla has worked in Journey Land, an elementary Bible class program, since 2009. She recruits and trains teachers; reviews, edits and writes elementary Bible class material, and teaches regularly. She also works very hard to know the names of all 150+ elementary children here at MRCC. One of her yearly highlights is taking the 1st – 5th graders to Inside Out Camp at Camp Rock Creek in Norman, OK. Karla graduated from Oklahoma Christian with a degree in Elementary Education. She taught in the public schools for seven years. She and her husband, Mark, who serves on the staff as well, have been married since 1980; they have two daughters; one son-in-law and two very beautiful grandchildren.
Delise serves as Administrative Assistant to the Education Ministry, including those in preschool, Journey Land and Adult Education. She graduated from Oklahoma State University with a BS in elementary education, and then taught school for 13 years. She is also involved in the Women’s Ministry and serves as the Women’s Fellowship Coordinator. Delise has attended Memorial Road since 1986. She and her husband Bryan have two adult daughters, and she enjoys making memories with her family and preserving them through scrapbooking.
10:30-Noon How Do We Help This Kid? Creating Inclusion in your Congregation
Memorial Road Church of Christ encourages families of children with all abilities to attend Bible class, Bible hour, and worship time. Learn about our buddy system used during Bible class and Bible hour. You will also hear how our sensory room provides a safe place for children and families to spend time during worship together. We will offer suggestions about how to create a sensory room as well as what to include in sensory bags that can be used in the auditorium during worship.
Jill helps direct a facet of Memorial Road’s Children’s Ministry, specifically focusing on preschoolers. Since 2009, Jill has been writing and preparing curriculum, organizing special events, leading Creation Station (Bible hour), assisting with Vacation Bible School and coordinating a special needs program. Jill graduated from Oklahoma Christian with a degree in early childhood education. Prior to beginning at Memorial, Jill worked in public schools for eight years. Jill and her husband Darren have attended MRCC since 1994. They have four children.
Stephanie fills two roles at Memorial Road as the Sonshine School Co-Director and one of the Preschool Directors. In her work, she collaborates with her respective co-directors and teachers to provide a safe environment for children to play and learn. Stephanie graduated from Oklahoma Christian with degrees in Elementary and Special Education. She has attended Memorial Road for over 20 years, where she and her husband Travis are members of the Friends and Families class. Stephanie and Travis have two daughters, Merideth and Maddie.
2:00-3:00PM Welcoming Kids from Hard Places: Creating a Trauma-Informed Children’s Ministry
We want our children’s ministries to be welcoming to kids from all backgrounds, and sometimes we need some tools outside our traditional skill set to do that. This class will introduce you to some principles and resources for welcoming and ministering to kids from hard places. You’ll discover resources on how to connect with them on a deeper level, empower them by meeting their physical and environmental needs, and correct them in healthy ways.
Josh Kingcade has been at Memorial Road since 2008, where he writes curriculum and coordinates teachers for our Sunday and Wednesday adult classes, works with our children’s ministry and Sonshine School staff, and leads our QGroups (small groups) ministry. Josh and his wife Aubrey have three children: Mariah, Jayden, and Myles, and their family is actively involved in supporting foster and adoptive families. Josh has attended TBRIⓇ Practitioner Training with the Karyn Purvis Institute of Child Development at TCU, and he serves on the board of The HALO Project, a 10-week intensive outpatient intervention designed to meet the unique and diverse needs of foster/adopt children and other children with attachment difficulties. Any combination of books, coffee, music, and comedy is right up Josh’s alley. A native of Wichita Falls, TX, Josh received a B.A. and M.Div. from Oklahoma Christian University and a Doctor of Educational Ministry from Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Georgia.
3:30-4:30PM Tech Wise Ministry
In a digitally saturated world, using technology to engage children, their families and ministry volunteers is a vital tool in Children’s Ministry. This session will discuss methods that can effectively reach families and inform them about your ministry and ways to wisely use technology in Bible class. Since technology is literally everywhere, we will also discuss how to empower families confronted with the challenges of parenting in a tech-culture and discern its proper place with intention and care.
Andrea works with our Children’s Ministry staff, organizing and preparing preschool curriculum for each quarter as well as aiding with communication and technology. She enjoys working with children and has a passion for working with families at Memorial Road.
WEDNESDAY, January 8, 2020
8:30-9:30AM Making an Impact: Connecting Generations
The Old Testament mentions generations quite often. Proverbs 13 says, “A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children”. While this proverb is talking about wealth, it can be equally applied to the inheritance of age and wisdom and family. Children cannot teach children, it takes dedicated adults to see the value, take the reins, cross the generations, and love and lead the children.
Jody graduated from Oklahoma Christian University with a major in English and minors in Education and French. Upon graduation, she taught 8th grade Language Arts and beginning French at Fairmont Junior High in Boise, Idaho, before marrying and moving to the Dallas, Tx metro area. It was in Irving, Tx. where she got her dream job of teaching at MEGA, one of the nation’s first At-Risk high schools. She and her husband, Marc, have 3 children; Jody’s son Riley and his wife Hannah and her daughter, Cassidy, live and work in the Dallas-Ft Worth Metro area. Her youngest, Carley, is a junior at Oklahoma Christian. In the church, Jody has taught every level from Cradle Roll to adult women. Currently, she serves as one of the Children’s Ministers for Southwest Church of Christ in Tigard, and as the director of Christian College Day NW, college event that brings the church of Christ universities to the families in the Pacific Northwest.
Kara lives in Tualatin, Oregon. She has a wonderful husband of 21 years and a beautiful daughter that is a sophomore at Oklahoma Christian University. Kara graduated from Cascade College in Portland, Oregon with a bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies, with a specialty in Education, Psycology and Bible. After graduation she taught at Columbia Christian Schools for two years before starting her family. Once her daughter was in the first grade, she was asked to work as an instructional assistant in Kindergarten where she served for 8 years. Kara has also taught preschool for 10 years at Southwest church of Christ as part of their outreach program. Kara has been a part of children’s ministry at Southwest church of Christ for over 20 years. She and Jody were hired as children’s ministers in 2017. Kara loves serving children and families, teaching and leading events such as VBS, Bible Challenge, and summer camps.
10-11:00AM Vision, Clarity, Leadership
Vision, clarity, leadership, and support are the things needed to lead ministry workers and volunteers into a successful ministry. Leading people well and trusting them to do their job may very well be the secret to a thriving ministry.
Emily Burns is an experienced Children’s Minister who loves the Lord, her husband, people, travel, and food. She’s been in full-time ministry for over 14 years. She started her ministry career as a Youth Minister at Little Church of Christ in CO before spending 10 years leading a children’s ministry in Arlington, TX . In 2019, she began a new adventure as the Children’s Family Minister at Grace Crossing Church in Conroe, TX. Emily is married to Jared, who she believes to be the greatest husband in the world. They’ve been married for 14 years and spent their honeymoon at NCYM back in 2006. Jared is a digital entrepreneur and loves to work alongside her in ministry.
11-12:00PM A House Divided: Big Worship and Children’s Worship
When children’s ministers take a job at a new congregation, one of the common responsibilities on their job description is overseeing a separate worship for children. Jennifer Reinsch Schroeder, Shannon Clarkson Rains, and Ron Bruner have collected statistics and stories from children’s ministers across the United States that help us understand why congregations have or don’t have separate worship for children. How are these practices transforming our congregations, our adults, and—most importantly—our children? What can we learn from this conversation?
Dr. Shannon Clarkson Rains is the Assistant Professor of Children’s Ministry at Lubbock Christian University. Always exploring children’s spiritual formation, she researches, teaches, and practices children’s ministry alongside students and church leaders. After 15 years of full-time ministry, Shannon teaches elementary Bible class and directs a session for 4th -12th
grades at Pine Springs Christian Camp. Shannon’s project/thesis explored the practice of children’s ministry through the lens of discipleship of children. In addition, Shannon contributed a chapter in the children’s ministry book Along the Way (2015).
Since 1977, Dr. Ron Bruner has been a spiritual companion to young people as a teacher, youth worker, deacon, youth minister, board member, and ministry leader. Since 1999, he has been the executive director of Westview Boys’ Home, a safe place for young men from hard places. He is an adjunct in the Graduate School of Theology at Abilene Christian and the editor of Discernment: Theology and the Practice of Ministry. Ron and Dudley Chancey co-edited Owning Faith (2017). Ron and Dana Kennamer Pemberton collaborated on Along the Way (2015).
1-2:00PM Kids Beach Club
What would you say if we could put Jesus back in public schools; would you believe me? In recent years, God has been pushed out of public school. We have the opportunity to share the love of Jesus with the students in Elementary schools. How you ask? It called Kids Beach Club.
Aubrey Eudy is the Children’s Minister at Mesquite Church of Christ. Prior to that, Aubrey served as the Associate Youth Minister for Mesquite Church of Christ for 4 years. He earned a Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences with emphasis in Music Education from Midwestern State University in May of 2006. Aubrey married his best friend, Cristi on June 14, 2003.
2-3:30PM Creative Teaching Techniques
Let the sparks of creativity fly as you engage in this hands-on, practical and exciting breakout session. You’ll be on the edge of your seat as you learn new, time-tested lessons that will energize your worship, teaching and activities.
John Tasch has over 40 years of experience in ministry to children and the entire family. He has a wealth of experience in many areas including training church leaders, ministry consulting, mentoring teen-age interns, and facilitating and leading short-term missions. His ministry has taken over 4,000 children, youth and adults on short-term mission trips. God has given him a tremendous amount of energetic and wonderfully creative ideas on how to present the Word of God through exciting, high impact teaching techniques and time-tested methods that will keep you on the edge of your seats. John’s love for God and unending enthusiasm will inspire you to become excitedly committed to do as much as you can to bring in the harvest for the kingdom of God.
4-5:00PM Your First Two Years in Children’s Ministry
Starting full time ministry can be exciting and terrifying at the same time. Looking back at the beginning of my own venture there were many times the thought “I had no idea this was part of my job!” crossed my mind. However, learning to balance ministry, administration and family was the greatest challenge and the greatest win a minister can achieve.
Barbara has been involved in Children’s Ministry for over 40 years. Her roles have included volunteer, director, speaker and full time minister. She is now the Director of Children’s Ministry Programs at Oklahoma Christian University. Her hobbies include quilting, designing, writing and training service/therapy dogs. If asked about her passion in ministry it would be directed towards the inclusion of people with disabilities.
THURSDAY, January 9, 2020
8:30-9:30AM What’s the Big Deal About Big Events?
Big Events can be a BIG headache, but they can also have a BIG payoff. This session will explore the purposes and methods of hosting BIG Events in your Kids Ministry for BIG results! Come, dream BIG with us!
Patty Weaver is the Lead Kids Minister at The Hills Church in North Richland Hills, Texas. She has been ministering to kids and families for over 40 years. Patty has directed over 60 musical productions for kids and adults, and has directed summer camps for kids for 30 years. She loves to teach a small class of 20 kids, or teach an audience of thousands through a big event. Patty believes God’s word is so precious and so relevant to today’s kids that it deserves our very best, whether in a classroom or through a big event. Patty will help you fall in love with big events, and see the value they can bring to your kids ministry, your church, your community and to the Kingdom!
9:30-12PM Spiritual Formation with Children: Accompanying a child in their life with God
Everyone receives a spiritual formation and this spiritual formation begins when we are children. Come join us as we explore four foundational elements of spiritual formation with children: God’s Self, Life, Incarnational Life of Jesus, and spiritual practices. We will also explore the unique ways that children engage the world and especially their spiritual lives with their whole selves. In this workshop we will learn, through hands on activites and reflection, how we can cooperate with children and with God in a child’s lifelong journey and natural inclination towards connection.
Lacy Finn Borgo teaches and provides spiritual direction for the Renovaré Institute, for the DMin. in Spiritual Direction at Fuller Theological Seminary and at Portland Seminary. Lacy provides spiritual direction for adults through GoodDirtMinistries.org and provides spiritual direction for children at Haven House. She is the author of Life with God for Children: A Curriculum for the Spiritual Formation of Children and Good Dirt: A Devotional for the Spiritual Formation of Families, both can be found on her website. Her forthcoming book Spiritual Conversations with Children: Listening to God Together will be released in March 2020 through IVP.
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