HEART OF A CHILD

"Therefore, my dear brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the Lord's work, knowing that your labor in the Lord is not in vain." --I Corinthians 15:58 (HCSB).

Heart of a Child is a children's ministry convention held every 2 years at First Baptist, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. It is sponsored by a five-state team of Southern Baptist state convention associates from Arkansas, Kansas-Nebraska, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas. One participates in general sessions where the above verse was dissected and expounded upon; in workshops of one's choosing; and the viewing of exhibits from a variety of vendors. It is a time for preschool and children's ministry leader who share a common call to come together. Each of the four general session speakers did an excellent job of reminding us to "be steadfast" and to do it step by step because "God has and is guiding us"; to "be immovable" and the importance of growing and developing spiritually; to "always excel" and to do it above and beyond what is average; and lastly we were reminded that our "labor is not in vain" because God has called us to be involved in His plan, not ours.

Donna Peavey, an associate professor from New Orleans Baptist Seminary, is one of my favorite workshop leaders at these kind of events. I attended two of her sessions - Christian Education & Family Ministry and What Do Parents Really Want From Me? Donna is very funny and after one late afternoon conference asked if we were tired of sitting and then said, "You know that your brain can only take what your booty will allow." Jan Marler, a Lifeway ministry specialist, led a workshop called Developing a Discipleship Strategy for Kids. She reminded us that by age 9, most of a child's moral and spiritual foundations are in place so we must INVEST IN CHILDREN! A question that Jan discussed was - What should parents expect from their church? Here are her answers...
1. A philosophy of ministry
2. An intentional plan for nurturing the faith of children
3. Prayer
4. Balance - knowledge, behavior, missions, skills
5. Mentors
6. Trained leadership
7. Safety
I know that we have made an effort at Parkway to deal with these expectations but we can always improve. But sometimes it's not just up to the staff to accomplish these things but also up to the volunteers. There are also things that the church should expect from parents...
1. Regular participation
2. Prayer
3. Reinforcement
4. Parent & teacher communication

Cheryl and Christine from Parkway also attended this event and I hope was blessed in some way at the workshops they attended. Their emphasis is in music but they are also vital parts of other parts of our children's ministry and I appreciate them more than words can truly express. Also, I invited Kayla (an intern at First Baptist, Bolivar) to attend. She has such a heart for children and for the church and it was her first major children's ministry conference. My prayer is that she became even more excited about investing time in children and sharing with them the love of Jesus. I also hope I've been of some help in mentoring Kayla as she pursues His calling.

We made it back safely although I seemed to have left part of my brain behind. As we got in the car, I realized I didn't have my phone - which I left in the hotel room on the bed. Then I managed to miss the turn to get on the turnpike so I had to pay a toll to get off the road and then to turn around and get back on. And lastly, I realized later in the week that I was missing some clothes and after calling the hotel, sure enough, I had left them there. Let's just say I was really tired by the time we left.

This conference has some of the best speakers from around the country and I would encourage anyone who works in children's ministry (paid or volunteer) to attend. It's not too early to put the next one on your calendar - April 20-21, 2012.