It's been a while

I've been meaning to blog for a few weeks now. But every time I start to type in the blogger website, I just feel tired. We've been busy lately... but then I suppose who in Children's Ministries hasn't? Fall is up and running and I'm really happy with what all's going on in our program. Some highlights from the past month:

-At the end of August we had a training meeting for our Bridge 45 volunteers. We had each person share about their previous experience in Children's Ministries as well as why they're volunteering now. Two women shared that they want to be involved in Bridge 45 to better know and reach their 5th grade daughters(I love parents who get involved!), another was a father who wants to be involved in the ministry his kids are in. One man, Geary, has been involved in Children's Ministries for years and next to him sat a college senior who was one of Geary's boys 12 years ago! I love the heart of volunteers.

-September 6 and 7 was our fall kick off weekend. Several classes of kids promoted to their new rooms, and other classes were shuffled. It was our first week of separating the kindergarten-third graders from the fourth and fifth graders. The energy in Adventure Mountain (K-3) was incredible! Each child enthusiastically participated in worship, activity stations were buzzing and small groups were a blessing to watch. The fourth and fifth graders looked nervous and excited to be in their new class, and the word I heard in response to it was, "awesome!"

-We switched back to three weekend services and the volunteers of our preschoolers LOVED the smaller class sizes! Hooray for manageable numbers.

-Tasha, our new Early Childhood Director, was offered a new job that was too good to pass up. Her last day was Sunday the 14. On Friday the 12 I met with Lucy Younis who's experience is incredible and her philosophy of ministry was exactly what I was looking for. I planned to take the hiring process slowly, but sometimes you just can't ignore it when God speaks so clearly, so I hired her on the spot. She started in the office on Tuesday and is already doing a fantastic job!

So while busy, hectic, and constantly changing, things are going well!