Many churches house day cares or preschools. The issue of common space and shared goals can cause great conflict and stress. Key learnings of this workshop will be:

• Communication between all with administrative groups meeting regularly
• A team approach to shared space
• An administrator’s role is to share a common vision and goal
• The collegial attitude of the leaders.

Tina Rose, Nashville

Building After School Ministries

Thursday

9:45 AM

If you are considering starting an after school ministry with elementary / tween children or if you have an existing ministry with this age you want to expand or "make better", this workshop is for you. We will consider what makes a quality after school program and have a round table discussion of issues related to after school ministries in your congregation. Mary Alice Gran, GBOD

Building and Strengthening Your Children’s Council

Wednesday
Thursday

11:45 AM
11:15 AM

Whether you have an already established council or you’re starting from scratch, this workshop is for you. Come learn creative tools and positive ways to use a council to “strengthen and grow” your ministry. Debra Gray, Highland Park UMC, Dallas

Using scripture, we will work with movement and drama to study it, pray through it, and present it. Learnings:

• How to exegete scripture for interpretation with children
• How to use our bodies/voices to depict the stories/music
• How to encourage children to enter into liturgical art

Diana Holbert, Custer Road UMC, Plano

From the moment they are born, children begin their spiritual journey. We may not recognize the spirituality of children because they often express their faith in different ways from adults or youth. In this workshop, we will explore the spirituality of children at various stages in their life cycle and offer practical suggestions on ways those who minister to children can help them develop spiritually. Rita Hays, Connell Memorial UMC, Goodlettsville , TN

This interactive session will focus on developing a child-centered theology of justice-making and outreach ministry. Participants will be provided with strategies for engaging children in spiritual formation practices that emphasize mission and vocation as disciples of Jesus Christ. Annette Williams, St. Barnabas UMC, Arlington and Mike Wright-Chapman, Northaven UMC, Dallas

As our communities are changing and new populations of immigrants are joining us, we want to pay attention to how to reach out to them. We need to learn about cultural differences and what we need to know.

This workshop will help the participants learn how to work with all the variety of forces within the local church to develop a comprehensive priority for children's ministry. Information and skills will be shared in how to work through the local church systems in order to help all the participants in the system including senior pastors, music staff, youth staff, parents, empty nesters and never-marrieds to appreciate, support, and become involved in the priority of children's ministries. Bob Pierson, Large Church Initaitive Steering Committee, Tulsa

Children's ministry can become one of the main ways that local churches increase their ability to reach new people for Christ. This workshop will focus upon how building a healthy children and family ministry can be the key to helping local churches turn the tide of decline to become vibrant, strong, and growing. Bob Pierson, Large Church Initiative Steering Committee, Tulsa

How do you turn a gospel text into a children's sermon? Let's talk about it. What do you do in Weekday School chapels? Let's talk about this, too! This is a time for those who have these responsibilities to work on their story telling and worship skills to guide the spiritual development of the children we teach. Dick Wilson, University Park UMC, Dallas

11:15 AM
1:30 PM

Who's in Charge Here? Learn practical ways to avoid most discipline issues. Bring your most challenging behavior examples and we can find appropriate solutions. EvaMarie Campbell, Boston Avenue UMC, Tulsa

Learn about CORE curriculum for teacher development as prepared by the ecumenical Consultative Group on Ministry Among Children. Learning modules for teachers can be designed to meet the needs of your teachers and includes developing and extending key skills for children's ministry. Doug Swanney, Methodist Church of the UK , London

SEX...A Human Sexuality course for older elementary children. This class will walk through the course and how to lead elementary children to a better understanding of their own bodies. Leigh Meekins, Alabama-West Florida Conference

Many churches are creating or adapting curriculum to use in their Rotation Sunday Schools. What assistance does the Wesleyan Quadrilateral provide in the selection and development of curriculum subjects?

• How does the choice of curriculum for events beyond the Sunday School, such as mid-week studies, Vacation Bible School , etc. help to create a comprehensive curriculum.
• How can we integrate a curriculum that includes church history, religion and culture, spiritual development, and basic theological ideas appropriate for children.
• How can we teach the Bible in ways that do not make it a book of science.
• What stories are appropriate for children
• Recommendation of 10-30 stories that would make a comprehensive basic story for children to know by the time they enter middle school.

Donald Emler, Professor of CE, Oklahoma City

Providing a safe and encouraging environment for children with varying special needs is possible. There are various special needs models offered in churches around the Dallas area and many of these programs will be shared to help with ideas for your church. This workshop will include tools and steps to starting a volunteer led model as well as accessing the special needs of your local church and community. Pam Newell, 1st UMC, Richardson

This workshop is for those who are serious about doing a special needs ministry or have just started with one or two kids and aren't sure what to do now. This is a roundtable discussion of common issues. We'll brainstorm what works and what doesn't, how to get volunteers, how to let the community know you are there and what niche do you fit in. Pam Newell, 1st UMC, Richardson

Many of our leadership, teaching and parenting practices are patterned after schooling and business models. Jesus calls us to follow new patterns of leading and parenting children. This session will call attention to children's innate spirituality, explore leadership and parenting characteristics as well as practical ideas that nurture the spirituality of children and help them grow in their relationship with God. Wynn McGregor, Upper Room Ministries - GBOD

A child’s spiritual journey begins very early in life and is shaped by important adults and expanding life experiences. A new resource in the Companions in Christ series (Upper Room Ministries), The Way of the Child, is a formational approach that invites children ages 6-11 into a deepening awareness of God in their lives. Those who guide children spiritually will discover a formational approach that creates sacred relationships and spaces in which children discover God at work in their lives. The background theory, principles and approach of this new resource will be explained as well as its varied uses in large and small congregations. Wynn McGregor, Upper Room Ministries - GBOD

Take a look at how Christian education can be a component of the accreditation process for your child care center through United Methodist Association of Preschools – Florida .This workshop will cover why your center might want to be accredited, the UMAP Standards for Accreditation and the process used to insure quality consistent with other accredited centers. Lynne Paredes, UMAP-FL and Gretchen Combs, First UMC, Dallas

This workshop will teach participants how children can get excited about prayer and to take that excitement home to their parents.. First, it will teach the participants ways to experience a meaningful prayer time with children. Second, it will outline ways to get families to pray together. Third, improve communications between family members. Leah Hidde-Gregory, Wylie UMC, Wylie , TX

This workshop will offer a review of Howard Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences. Using the Parable of the Sower, participants will apply Gardner ’s theory as they learn how to enhance children’s programming by better meeting learning needs of the children. Workshop participants will leave the session with ideas and resources for implementation of Multiple Intelligences in their own unique situations. Rebecca Griffeth, Shandon UMC, Columbia , SC

In thinking about Christian education, parents often ask what their children should know when. Others wonder why we need Sunday school classes for two year olds, or why are the children playing instead of reading the Bible? This workshop identifies good learning activities and experiences that assist children to grow in their faith. With solid research data, biblical and theological foundations, adults will engage in experiential learning that they can apply in their local congregations. Patty Meyers, Pfeiffer University; Ellyn Dubberly, First UMC Rocky Mount and Mary Ellen Shaffer, Trenholm Road UMC, Charlotte, NC

An exploration of the aims and outcomes of the Church of Scotland’s Year of the Child participation project - how it spoke to children, what it discovered, and important lessons on participation of children in the life of the congregation. Key learnings would be – the nature of participation, mechanisms for participation, and an understanding of how to maximize what children can offer and how best to move it forward. Doug Swanney, Methodist Church of the UK , London

Tweeners often become lost in the summer between elementary and middle school. They don’t want to be little kids any more but aren’t ready to be youth. This can cause tweeners to lose interest in church at a time when they most need to be involved. How can your church engage these kids over the summer and make them eager to be at church? This workshop will discuss activities, curriculum and special ‘hooks’ you can use to make sure your tweeners are not lost. Christy Hart, Custer Road UMC, Plano

As educators, we are called to work in partnership with parents to increase opportunities for quality learning experiences for their children. We ensure that our parent conferences are meaningful and productive, whether they are planned or unplanned meetings. And, our attitude and preparation impact the effectiveness of our parent conferences. Vicky Dearing, St. Andrew UMC, Lewisville , TX

What do you need to know/do as an administrator? This workshop will help clarify the jungle of responsibilities as an administrator including casting and holding a vision, the role of supervisor, setting priorities, calling forth gifts of others. Additionally this workshop will include managing personnel issues related to managing a staff. Leona Ellis, Windsor Village UMC, Houston

Want to know more about helping children be in mission? This workshop is designed to discover what it means for children to be in mission in the 21st century. Leaders will experience “hands-on” activities related to the complexities and challenges involved as well as learn about “Children’s Resource Project” and UM Children’s Fund for Christian Mission. Jodi Cataldo, GBGM and Marcia Florkey, GBGM

What would it mean to "refocus" the way we look at our ministry with children? What might result if we re-examined our own motivations, passions, and approach as leaders of children? These are just two of the questions we will explore using the video "For the Love of It" featuring DeWitt Jones, a photographer whose work is often featured in the National Geographic. Using the lens of his camera, the lens of disciple formation, and the lens of our own experience, we will discover together how we can be instruments of hope for our children. Donna Gaither, GBOD

Babies learn about God in many different ways, even the little ones in the nursery. How do we make the nursery a safe, warm and caring place for our babies and their parents, while encouraging spiritual growth? Melanie Gordon, GBOD

Workshops, speakers, big experiences, and talking with new friends. What do you do now with all the new information? This workshop helps you think through the major knowledge acquired and any new driving passions. Participants leave with an action plan to implement what they have learned when they get home. Mary Alice Gran, GBOD

11:15 AM

Now that the waiting is over the fun has just begun. What do new parents need from their church? What can the church do and provide to be a presence in the life of this new child and in the growing family? Learn and share ways to minister to families before birth and after the long awaited arrival. EvaMarie Campbell, Boston Avenue UMC, Tulsa

For those of us who work with children, the more we know and understand how they grow and are formed, the more we are able to plan for appropriate ways of forming faith. This session will focus on what we know about brain formation and how this influences our spirituality and our learning. Topics included: understanding the executive function of the brain, building experiences for long-term memory, and developing a sense of right and wrong through activities and experiences. Included will be lecture, experiments, examples, and group sharing. MaryJane Pierce Norton, GBOD

Each time we plan an event for children, our goal should be that they grow spiritually. Participants will explore how to plan church programs for children that will allow for such growth. During the workshop participants will have the opportunity to plan or re-plan an event to give practice in planning with transformation in mind. Participants will be given several suggestions on ways to allow for transformation to happen including intentionally asking the question “How will a child who attends this event, feel God’s presence here?”, asking thought provoking and feeling provoking questions, rather than asking questions to check for “fact learning” and providing resources for families to use after the event to help children continue to grow closer to God. Tina Rose, Nashville

Children live in a world of noise, activity, competition, telephone, TV, movies, electronic games and toys. There is limited time for quiet and for imaginations to flourish. This session will explore the characteristics of an environment that nurtures spirituality and pathways that help children grow in their connection to God. Practical ideas to use at church and home will be presented. Wynn McGregor, Upper Room Ministries-GBOD

Learn how to recruit a large volume of children's ministry volunteers without spending hours on the phone. By starting early, with a simple week by week plan, you will save yourself hours of time and get the teachers you need. Also learn tips on how to support and nurture your volunteers to make them want to return again next year. Connie Presley, 1st UMC-Richardson

Do you know the difference between knowing about God and knowing God? It is the difference between knowing the Bible and letting the Bible be an influential part of your life. The latest brain research shows us that children "know" only that which they have "experienced" and processed. In order for a child to have a relationship with God, they have to experience what faith is like and see it modeled. Rock Solid is the new foundational Sunday school series for Cokesbury beginning in fall 2008. Come and "experience it" for yourself. Marj Pon, United Methodist Publishing House

Using Dewitt Jones’ DVD “Everyday Creativity”, we will explore seeing our world from a different perspective. This workshop will explore our own creativity and shake up our thinking about our own everyday world. Be prepared to laugh, think and be. Jayne Andrews, St. Luke's UMC, Orlando

School's out! Church members are scattering! Volunteers are asking for much deserved time off! And yet, summer gives the church a unique chance to reach kids in relaxed, extended venues. Do your summer ministries sizzle or fizzle? How do you run a full-time, full-speed-ahead, full-of-Christ's love ministry during the volunteer-challenged days of summer? Come catch the excitement from a church that never sleeps...at least not from June to August! We'll talk about Summer Sunday School, Vacation Bible School , mission projects, fellowship events, summer camps, etc.--for children from infants through sixth graders. Participants will receive lots of programming ideas plus a plan for restructuring your VBS! Come sizzle! Donna Reed, Memorial Drive UMC, Houston

How can parents teach children about God, Jesus, the Bible and the church at home? How can families create traditions that assist children in appreciating the Christian faith in family life? Learn how a congregation can provide resources for families in teaching symbols, stories and rituals at home. Donald Emler, Professor of CE, Oklahoma City

Older elementary children can experience the stories of the cross during Holy Week and use these for time of personal devotion with their families. During this workshop participants will walk the stations and learn resources to create an experience for the children of their church. Dick Wilson, University Park UMC, Dallas

How we talk together impacts the quality of our lives, whether at work or at home. In fact, great failures, professionally or personally, are usually traced back to parallel failures in conversations. Why do people have such a hard time communicating with each other and how can we, as Christians, increase our abilities to hold purposeful and meaningful conversations? Vicky Dearing, St. Andrew UMC, Lewisville , TX

How does the mission statement of your church guide the development of programs in your children’s ministry? Several systems will be shared as means to develop a comprehensive ministry with children such as church seasons, traditional ministries, and a program area matrix. Also explored will be the use of evaluation for planning renewal of the ministry. Consider how a comprehensive ministry affects the concept of leadership development. Donald Emler, Professor of CE, Oklahoma City

In this world of bytes, podcasts and dotcoms, how can the Church support parents as they spiritually form the children entrusted to their care? This workshop will equip Christian educators with helpful, scripturally sound experiences and resources for use in the church and for parents to use at home with their young children to promote and enhance spiritual growth in a digital world. Melanie Gordon, GBOD

Children are living in a more and more segmented society. Families are negotiating those segments in society with fewer and fewer resources for change. Children are often caught between these segments. How is the church in ministry to the segments of society, especially the children? This workshop will aid the minister in explaining the cultural milieu and resourcing families for a more holistic home life. Andy Stoker, First UMC, Denton, TX

As United Methodists and people of faith, we believe children are an important part of the faith community. In this workshop, participants will explore passages of scripture that can be used to build a foundation for actively including children in worship, learning, and fellowship. We will discuss the many ways children contribute to the life of the church and specific ways that pastors, parents, and children’s leaders can nurture their involvement. Angie Williams, Parkway Hills UMC, Madison, MS

The United Methodist Association of Preschools in Florida has provided training and standardization of centers for years. They are now providing support for centers in other locations and helping areas to form their own associations. Come hear how you too can form a group in your own area. Lynne Paredes, UMAP-FL

Help your children live their belief in God with Live B.I.G., the new DVD-based children’s curriculum from Cokesbury.

“All of the adults and children here at First United Methodist love the Live B.I.G. curriculum. The teachers are all very excited about the variety and choices of activities that the curriculum offers. The hands-on activities are a hit with all of the children! The DVD introduction is the perfect length of time and helps the children become acquainted with the lesson.” —Glenda Argo, First UMC, Montgomery AL

“Live B.I.G. is the most dynamic Sunday school program I have used in my 21 years of teaching Sunday school. The children are excited to come into the classroom to experience the DVD and become a participant in song, dance, and visual learning. The message is always of sound biblical teaching and a true portrayal of the Gospel.” —Tami Smith, First UMC, Murfreesboro TN.

Marj Pon, United Methodist Publishing House

Immerse your elementary children in the Bible with Cokesbury’s PowerXpress rotation curriculum. Engage children in Bible stories and characters by rotating them each week to a new station—art, computer, cooking, games, music, science, storytelling, and video. Use your volunteers' skills as artists, cooks, musicians, technicians, or fun-loving teachers! Marj Pon, United Methodist Publishing House

Discover Seasons of the Spirit, an ecumenical, lectionary-based curriculum resource that could transform your traditional Sunday school experience. Capture the creativity, contemporary learning and worshipping styles of our children and adults. Learn to weave the arts, science and technology as you dance through the year using a lectionary based curriculum. Gretchen Combs, 1st UMC, Dallas

You Can be Friendly and Safe!

How do you mix extravagant hospitality with revved up safety procedures?This is definitely a big issue for today's Christian Educators! This class will focus on a myriad of safety concerns and how large churches can respond......yet still function with a friendly atmosphere. Donna Reed, Memorial Drive UMC, Houston

What keeps children's ministry leaders (paid & volunteer) from pursuing certification in the UMC? Perhaps time, money, or accessibility of courses? Come hear about eChristianEd, a web-based certification opportunity for UM Christian educators! Receive training from "the comfort of your own computer!" Steven Booth and Jillianne Davis, Columbia College , Columbia , SC