Some thoughtful words from Amy...

As Children's Ministry leaders we all know that safety and classroom management go together.

It is most important in children's ministry to keep our kids safe. A large part of keeping children safe is maintaining control of our small group environment. I realize that this can be a challenge because not all kids want to sit still and listen. Some seem to look for every possible way to be loud, or seem to find a way to throw whatever you give them, or get physical with whomever they are next to.

Some of the best ways I have learned to prevent this is to get to know your kids and figure out what they like, keep them busy and show them they are important. If they like to help, find ways to let them help (pass out supplies, be the first to find the verse in the Bible and show everyone else where it is, or be a friend to the new visitor). Show up on Sunday prepared to lead.  Read over your curriculum and check over supplies before the children arrive. This lets you go straight into the activities when they come to small group and allows for very little unstructured time for them to get distracted or out of control. Create a small group environment where they all know they are welcome, cared about and respected. We know that each child is loved and created by God, and you may be the only person all week that shows them this truth.

Relationships with each other as leaders, and as the church to visitors, attenders and members alike are important too. We should all be conscious of how we treat and respond to each other wherever we are.

I read a blog this week by marketing guru Seth Godin, and I want to share it with you. It is from a business perspective, and I realize as leaders and followers (not fans) we are not exactly marketers but I was struck by how much this does apply. I know I have had this experience, in business as well as in church. Unfortunately, I have been the reason someone else has had this experience too.

"I don't like that guy," she said.
"Why not?," I wondered...
It turns out that she had done some business with him years ago and it hadn't gone well. When pressed, though, she couldn't actually recall what the problem had been, or how much financial or project damage had been done. All she remembered was that she didn't like him.
That's the way it usually is.You read those letters to the complaint columns in the paper or online, and the actual facts are often pretty trivial. What we remember isn't the financial hit, we remember the injustice, the disrespect, the way we felt at the time.Your accountant might care about the facts. You, the marketer, need to care about the conversations and the memories.

As leaders we should focus more on the relationships (conversations and memories) with our kids and their families, fellow leaders and whomever God puts in our path. We are not just communicating words and rules, we are communicating love and life to them! We have less than an hour, once a week to do so. Being able to keep order alone does not win hearts and minds for Jesus, and He is why we do what we do.

Grace and Wisdom in Christ,
Amy Gieger
Children's Ministry Director

Why we do what we do...

We have said that we measure success here at Argyle a little differently. Our main "win" is a changed life. Everything we do is aimed at leading people into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ. When that happens, lives are changed, and you can see it.

We recently baptized Jennifer Thompson. We talked with her about her decision, and planned a time for her to come in and record her baptism video. To help herself organize her thoughts, she wrote us a note she brought with her. With her permission, here it is. It's a pretty good way to see a life being changed by the power of the Gospel of Jesus working through His people, the church.

Reasons I would like to be baptized now.

We moved to Jacksonville in January 2010. I remember Googling the church one day because I passed by and we were looking for a church. We began coming to The Church at Argyle in February right before Married Life Live.

I was raised Roman Catholic, and I was baptized in the Catholic Church shortly after I was born in 1980. My husband was not a Catholic although we baptized our daughter, Jianna, in the Catholic Church in 2008.

I knew I wanted to find a church where we would both feel comfortable. Once I looked at the web site for The Church at Argyle and saw what the church does for kids (KidStuf, Amazing Place and UpStreet) I was hooked. As I mentioned it was right around the time of Married Life Live 2010. We were able to hear to last two messages Pastor Ken was preaching in the series I Do – Again.

The first time we came to church and met the people walking in the door and watched everyone sing, fellowship, hearing Pastor Ken’s words, and meeting Pastor Hal I knew this was where we were meant to be. I am not a public crier by nature but I actually cried during services.

2010 was a hard year for me. My dad had just passed away five months before we moved to Jacksonville and I was struggling with many issues, so we were not consistent with going to church. I almost felt I was not good enough to attend. I felt like everyone in the church had something I did not. I have not worked since I was in the Navy from 01-06 – I am a disabled veteran. I have not completed my college degree I have wanted since 1998. I felt abandoned by my father as well as that I let him down by not being able to save him from passing.

I once busted into Pastor Hal's office and just said, “I don’t know what to do!” I was carrying so much guilt. He spoke to me in common terms and explained what the church was about and that God doesn’t want us to feel guilty. He helped me to understand that since my dad had accepted Christ that I would see him in heaven as long as I was a true believer and follower of Christ. I felt much better leaving his office than I did going in, but it still was not enough. I was not yet ready to commit my life to God.

This year, around January, my husband and I were unhappy living in Jacksonville. We had not been attending church. We really had no social life and wanted something more. We decided we needed to get back into church. What would you know, this was the "year of the Life Group"! We signed right up even though we were both a little scared since we hadn’t been regularly coming to church. Also, we have two kids (4 and 7) and we were scared of the commitment. We were put in the perfect Life Group for us. Dan and Jean Mulvaney are our Life Hosts and Home Hosts and each member of our Life Group has played a major role in getting me to realize that God does not expect me to be perfect, and that God uses people’s imperfections to help others and to glorify Himself.

Through listening to Pastor Rick (who explains everything as if he is talking to me personally), meeting with my Life Group faithfully, asking questions and sharing parts of my life, and realizing how much God loves me and just wants a relationship with me personally, I finally realized – I owe it to God to show him my love, obedience and my thankfulness to Him for all the blessings He has given me and my family. I now know peacefulness over things I once felt would haunt me forever. 

One of the major things that made me realize Jesus does hear my prayers was when I came to church and saw that a new Grief Share Connecting Point was starting on Labor Day. Not only had I lost my father in August of 2009 but I also lost my biological mother in 2007. She and I had never met but we had started a friendship a few years before she suddenly passed away from a brain aneurism. I had been praying and praying to find someone who would understand the grief I was feeling without burdening them with my grief or making them feel uncomfortable if they haven’t dealt with the loss of a loved one. That day I opened the Argyle Connection and saw the announcement about Grief Share I knew in my heart God had answered my prayers. Donna Painter and Becky Dyal lead Grief Share. They have both been so sweet and kind to me, and models for the type of Christian women I want to become. Connecting with them about a topic that is so painful and be able to meet with other people going through the same unfortunate pain, I realized again that I may not know God’s plans for us, but I know he does have a plan for each of us, as imperfect as we are. I know that the more I pray and open my heart to Him that he will reveal His plans for me.

My husband and I also realized this year that we wanted to be more involved in the church, not just at service on Sundays but in any way we could. We started hearing about the different places to serve and how important giving to the church. We both came home and felt our hearts had changed so much. We decided we wanted to do more in both giving and serving.

I felt led to the Children’s Ministry. I was so scared where I would be assigned, but I told Children’s Ministry Director Amy Gieger that I would volunteer anywhere she could use me. I prayed and prayed, asking God to just put me somewhere I wouldn’t mess up! Wouldn’t you know, I was assigned to the registration team, the perfect place for me! I was scared that I didn’t know enough to lead a small group yet, but the registration team lets me meet other members of the church and their children, and has just been such an amazing example of how God knows exactly where we need to be and when to be there.

So here I am – ready to accept Jesus Christ as my savior and to grow in my relationship with Him – regardless of the fact I don’t have a job, that I’m still working on my paralegal degree and that I am not a perfect wife or mother, daughter or friend. But with all that I know and believe with all my heart that through Jesus all things are possible and while I can never be perfect, I can always try to be better with His help.