Partnering With Parents - Part 2

What partnering means to me as a parent.

I have two teenage boys. Andrew is 16, Jake is 19.

Everything I said in my last post, Partnering with Parents - Part 1, is not just something I believe in because it is my job, or even because I love working with children and am passionate about helping kids know Jesus.

I also believe in partnering with parents because I am a parent who has been partnered with here at The Church at Argyle.

Before I was ever on staff, I was the Mom of two precious boys, and I needed help with this parent thing. Parenting is hard. I love being a Mom. It is the one thing, all of my life, that I was certain I wanted to do. But when you actually have a precious, helpless, living, breathing, human being, completely dependent on you... well, for me I realized very quickly, I needed help.

One of the ways God answered my prayer for help was when I found Argyle Christian Preschool and Kindergarten. My oldest, Jake, was four. I did what I saw as my duty and researched preschools in the area. I narrowed it down to four places based on research and word of mouth. I'll admit I was drawn to the schools that had brand new buildings and security systems with bells and whistles.

ACPK did not have either at the time, but I walked in the building and met the director. I can only describe it as a peace coming over me. I knew this was the place. I had never had that happen before.

I still looked at the rest of the schools on my list. However, I came back to Argyle. Here, I began to learn what it looked like and felt like to not just drop my child off at school but to be supported, encouraged, cared about - partnered with - as a parent.

I could do a whole blog about ACPK, but if you need a wonderful preschool for your 2, 3, 4 year old or Kindergartner, I highly recommend you call 904-778-4838 and talk to Terri or Sharon, or go to ACPK's website.

We had a church home before coming to Argyle. We loved it and loved the people, many of which I had known since I was a little girl. It was Jake asking about going to church at his school that brought us here for a visit. That, along with prayer that took me out of my comfort zone for what my children needed, turned into regular attendance and eventually membership.

The partnership has continued to grow throughout the lives of my children. First, children's ministry small group leaders in Kindergarten who made Jesus real, not just by the stories they told and activities they shared but by the way the treated my boys and the way they treated everyone. In the small group of a wonderful married couple, first Jake and two years after him, Andrew, accepted Jesus as their savior. From our conversations at the time I know that in their young minds and precious hearts, they knew exactly what they were doing.

They were not doing what they were told.

They were not following an alter call that 20 of their friends followed.

They had been taught about Jesus' love for them in a way that was so clear and real it gave them the childlike faith to say, this is what I want and I am ready.

They each prayed the prayer of salvation and were baptized here at Argyle. Each event was one of the happiest days of my life as a Mom! To this day I get emotional when I talk about these leaders and the impact they had in the lives of my children.

That impact has not stopped. Even though my boys moved out of that small group and into the next, each leader here has invested in my children. There have been student leaders along the way as well, who have given my child someone to look up to and want to be like while they are still young and still learning. This showed them that they have a purpose right now, not "someday". They went from elementary to junior high and their leaders took them out into the community to serve and encouraged them to find a way to connect right here. Jesus is as real to them and His love is as clear for them now as it was then.

With the guidance and encouragement of our High School Pastor and his wife, as well as that of our Senior Pastor, they both began serving in our church. Jake serves in our worship arts tech department and Andrew in our Youth worship band. Of course, both are serving with me in children's ministry. They are stuck with me! They honestly do a better job because I'm not the only one who holds them accountable. They serve with our Worship Arts in their areas of passion and giftedness because someone, besides me, believed in them and gave them a chance.

This summer, for the first time, I had the wonderful opportunity to go to our high school camp, BigStuf. This trip motivated me to write these blogs. Watching our leaders spend a week with our middle and high schoolers. Seeing existing relationships grow as we spent 24 hours a day together for five days straight. Watching them listen, laugh, cry, wait, eat, get tired and get grumpy together. See our kids understand that they are loved - no matter what. Watching them worship with their whole selves, get excited about how much God loves them and hear them say in their own words what they learned from the speakers, whether they were 12, 15 or 18. Watching them support and encourage each other as they shared their sins and fears with humility and courage. Watching them give and receive grace, trust and lean on each other as God's word teaches us.

My overwhelming emotion during the whole trip was gratitude.

I am grateful as a leader to know that when the children in my ministry leave UpStreet (K-5) and go to Crave (6-8) and then Impact (9-12), they are loved and led.I know their families have a group of leaders to help them know grace, forgiveness, courage and truth so they learn to trust in the One who created them.

I am grateful as a parent to have a family of leaders we trust, who will pray with us and pray for us. Leaders who have shown up faithfully and consistently in my son's lives, and earned the position of mentors and Godly leaders that my kids will talk to when they have questions. Leaders I can go to if there is an issue I need help with as a parent and who will come to me if my teenager has an issue that I need to know about. These are the people I will invite to their graduation. These are the people I will call when we need help.

Please don't miss this - we all need help. We are not meant to do any of this life alone.

I'll talk about some ways we can partner together in my next and final post in this series, Partnering with Parents - Part 3. If you're a parent at Argyle and have a story of encouragement for our leaders, please post it in the comments here. If you're a parent who wants to partner with us, email me at amygieger@iargyle.com and I'll get you connected with the right information and leaders.

You are not alone. We are better together.

Amy

A Word From Amy...

Dear Faithful and Loving Children's Ministry Leaders–

Sunday, something happened. I was washed with a feeling of gratitude.

I was going around the church to see our small groups this past Sunday. It was at too fast a pace because I had to get to the next thing, but I noticed something important. I saw how blessed we are with leaders who love the children they are leading. I know I tell you that I appreciate you but I want to give you some specifics so you know that I do see you and recognize your effort and dedication to the Lord in your service to Him.

I talked to leaders who connect with the parents of their children on Facebook or let them know they missed them when they miss a Sunday – not in the "where have you been?" tone that makes someone ashamed they've missed church, but in that "we've missed you and are so glad to see you" tone that lets a person know they matter and that you care about them.

I saw leaders comfort an upset child nervous on their first visit, whether the child is in their small group or not.

I saw leaders who are glad to be here, and know their small groups well, who take time to make sure everyone's name is on the roll and even try to get the spelling right!

I saw leaders who see that their small groups are into an activity that they didn't get to finish, and do their best to let them finish it the next time they serve.

I saw leaders who listen, who give, who get here early, who do the extra stuff, so often without anyone else knowing.

That is service to the Lord! I know you do it for Him. Thank you for blessing me and more importantly our children and their families, with your time, energy and love!

Renewed Energy and Peace in Christ,
Amy

Why We Do It... A Guest Post

What a great service Sunday. Thanks so much to all of you for all you do!

I am guilty of taking for granted that our church will be there and will be great. Pastor Rick will have great music. The Worship Team will be great. Pastor Ken will have a moving and inspiring sermon. The KidStuf actors will rock.

I'm thankful that I can do my little part and serve as a baby toe in the church body. I tried doing "Word" in KidStuf and was sick with worry about remembering my lines every Saturday night. I tried being a lead teacher; again, I was sick with worry every Saturday night, and dreaded it, and knew that wasn't right.

But I can DANCE and smile. So I am happy to dance on the KidStuf floor and serve as the STAIRMASTER, keeping kids off the stairs and stage and go shhhhh to the noisy ones during the show.

I can dance in UpStreet too (its like a free aerobics class). And I CAN easily be a friend and listener and provide Jolly Ranchers to kids in UpStreet and assist crazy fun Don Eldridge in his kids small group. I'm so thankful to him for figuring out the curriculum and lesson, which boggles my mind many times. I'm happy to say shhhh while he speaks and to play the games, especially those boy vs. girls competitions that can be so riveting.

It's EZ to hug, smile, chat and encourage little ones and listen to their stories about a lost tooth, good grades, winning a soccer game, and to meet their friends and relatives.

I guess I'd like to inspire those folks who think they don't have a place at church that they do! Even if you aren't as comical as Kenny, eloquent as Mr. Dwight and Mrs. Linda. Even if you aren't a musician like the amazing Bass family and that awesome teenage drummer girl Cameron or you don't sing like Arlette (ssss..Stepping Stone). Or you are not actors or actresses who can remember lines and get on that KidStuf stage without vomiting.

Keep searching till you find your spot. Try things and if they don't work. Try something else until you find a comfy space, like I have.



Mary Maragy

Summer's here...

the mosquitoes are swarming and the weeds are thriving in response to the rain, and we are following a new schedule for the summer.

We will have one Worship Gathering at 10:30 am, along with UpStreet and Amazing Place. KidStuf, Inner Space and The Argyle Café are on break, but Impact continues from 4:00 to 6:00 pm on Sundays.

When school lets out, some people seem to disappear from church, even if they don't have kids in school. There was a time when a lot of groups in the South took a summer break, but that had to do with temperature and humidity hovering in the 90's. Thank goodness and John Gorrie that we don't have to face that particular problem (at least, not indoors). So, since we have great air conditioning, that can't be the reason people stay away.

Care to offer your thoughts?

Hal Hunter

Some Win Statements In Children's Ministry...

One of our primary ministries at Argyle involves our kids. We have a lot of them in our family, and they are important to us. Click here to read about our Children's Ministry strategy.

Amazing Place is our environment for preschool kids. A win here is a kid who comes out of this environment knowing-

• God made me
• God loves me
• Jesus wants to be my friend forever

UpStreet is our environment for kids K-6th grade. We want them to learn that-

• I need to make the wise choice
• I can trust God no matter what
• I need to others the way I want to be treated
• Jesus loves me so much He wants to save me forever

KidStuf is our high energy stage environment for kids and their families. It is a place that gets kids excited about God and what He is doing in their lives. A win in KidStuf is a kid who gets excited enough to drag his parents and friends to church.

Another win is when we see families growing together. We want to partner with parents; we can never replace them in developing their kids spiritually. Family Times is a resource we encourage families to use to help their children in the rest of the week when they aren't here.

Something neat I want to share...

Something really great happened last night at our house. I was playing a game with my four year old granddaughter, Lilly. We were "talking to God" on the cell phone. Her eight year old sister, Savannah, was watching.

During the conversation, Savannah started telling me the Biblical story of Esther. She floored me! She knew the story, the names, the details, everything. She was able to tell the story better than I could!

I asked her, "How did you learn about Esther?" She looked at me and said simply, "In UpSteet."

You need to understand what happened here. The pastor's granddaughter didn't learn this Bible story as his knee- she learned it in the UpStreet environment. Dedicated people working with not only Savannah but with dozens of other kids communicated Biblical truth. A complicated story was presented in a way that made sense to an eight year old and made a lasting impression. She didn't memorize the story- she learned it. She learned it so well she could explain it to her granddad.

I am grateful that God has gifted our fellowship with people that have a heart for kids. I am grateful that my grandchildren learn from people who love kids and know how important they are to God. I am grateful that we are able to make a difference in the lives of not only my family but the lives of so many more families in our fellowship.

I am constantly amazed at the people God sends us. I am thankful, every day, for the gifts He has given our fellowship. Thank you to all the people who are working in our children's ministries.

Next time you wonder if what we do here at Argyle matters - think about these kids. It matters. It matters a lot.

Ken Dyal
Senior Pastor

SummerStuf Stuf...

We are adjusting to the new summer schedule here at TCAA and there is still some confusion in the Children's Ministry. I hope if you are a blogger/blog reader this will clear up some of the fog.

There are Children's Ministry small groups for both Amazing Place (babies - 4 year olds) and UpStreet (Kindergarten - 6th grade) at 10:00 during the Worship Service.

Our 6th graders have moved up into the student ministry but all of our other ages still meet in the classroom they were in during the school year. We will not move everyone else up into their new grade/classroom until the fall. So, if your child just finished 3rd grade, they are still in the 3rd grade room upstairs. If they turned 2, 3 or 4 on or before September 1st, 2007, they are still in the same classroom downstairs, etc. We are using the same classrooms and curriculum, rather than purchasing a separate curriculum for the summer months. Some of their leaders during the school year have taken a break and God has led some new leaders to serve during the summer! I know this makes the transition even a little crazier but they all have a background check along with a servants heart and attitude and I pray you will encourage your children to be patient and helpful as any new leaders, really all of us, become comfortable with our SummerStuf schedule and small group routines.

I pray for your continued patience and support as I am combining old and new, learning what works and what doesn't and being open to God's leading and will even though it continues to mean change and growth as much for me as for all of our leaders and children. I take very seriously the responsibility of our ministry to build a foundation for your children in God's Love and Word and to partner with you as parents to have another adult in your child's life that will say the same thing you would say in growing them into young men and young women for the Lord.

He is so good to provide and we are blessed with each leader, "veteran" and "rookie", student and adult!! As a parent and/or member, if you are led to serve or have any questions or comments please contact me at 777-1238 or at my email address amygieger@thechurchatargyle.org.

Amy Gieger
Children's Ministry Director