- Wow. This is a long line. Do I really want a funnelcake?
- The lines going up the hill for the huge waterslide are just about as long, but they're moving faster. When did I get so old that sliding down a huge, wet hill into a trough of muddy water doesn't look the least bit entertaining? But the kids are sure having fun.
- Great band. Keith would like them. One of these years, he has to schedule his business trips around Family Fun Night so he can witness this.
- Twenty minutes in line now. Apparently, funnelcakes are the new cotton candy at Sunnybrook.
- Kids keep waving at me and saying, "Hi, Mirror!" Kinda sweet. Signing everyone's shirts this morning, I started to feel like a rock star or something. I wonder, in five years, if they'll look at that shirt and wonder, "Mirror? Who was that? Was she in my volleyball clinic?"
- The sun is starting to go down behind the hill, thankfully. And no mosquitoes torturing us, more thankfully. Apparently, the bugs were a big issue all week at the outdoor Skill School clinics.
- Forty-five minutes in line now. These had better be darn good funnelcakes. At least it gives me something to do while the girls are running around.
- An exhausting but satisfying week. My clinic kids did well with their skits in the closing program tonight, even with two kids missing and having to be covered for. Amazing what we can pull together in four hours -- well, two hours of teaching and two hours of rehearsal. I do this for the kids, but I get as much personal growth out of it as they do. A good reminder of how "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."
- And all things includes ad-libbing through the morning dramas on stage in front of 700 kids. Way out of my comfort zone. But I've decided I need to do more of this. A good metaphor for life. We don't often have a script for our lives. God says, "Yeah, we're kind of going to head in this direction . . I've got the plan, you just play it by ear as you go . . and trust me."
- A hour and fifteen minutes. I will not give up on this line. I will get a funnelcake for my efforts.
- One daughter is running around out there soaked to the bone, going back and forth between the inflatables and the waterslide. The other is having water fights with her friends. We should have brought more towels.
- I kind of feel guilty that we're not staying to help clean up . . . but we're leaving in the morning for KC . . . let go of the guilt . . . you already did a lot this week . . .
- One hour and a half -- and I have a cinnamon and sugar funnelcake in my hand! Woo hoo! People congratulate me as I walk around nibbling on it. A fine accomplishment for the evening. And a fine end to the week.
And now the weekend begins -- off to Kansas City!
Showing posts with label sunnybrook. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sunnybrook. Show all posts
Friday, June 25, 2010
Friday, April 16, 2010
What A Ministry Leader Needs
I just got a good scolding from the Father, and I need to write about it before I forget it.
I've been bemoaning my poor, sorry self and the struggles I'm having with this drama ministry. Mainly in terms of people power. I have a list of actors who are members of the drama team. But I'm learning over time that 1) the majority of them want to be used only on an occasional, as-needed basis -- drama isn't a priority for them either for lack of time or lack of "calling" (which is understandable - I don't begrudge them that) . . . 2) the majority of them are "personality" actors, meaning roles must be adapted to them rather than their being expected to adapt to the roles (not unusual in amateur church drama) . . . 3) few of them are as easy to get a hold of as they seem to think they are . . . 4) all of them have much busier schedules than they think they do . . . and 5) most of them are content, it seems, with their level of ability and level of involvement as it stands, and don't feel a need to work on their skills or open up their schedules to be more available. And again, I understand this. People need to be where God has called them and not be where God has not called them.
But all this means I am constantly struggling to find actors who can do the roles I have who are available on the dates I need them. And this is very, very draining and discouraging. So, I was telling God today all the things I need to make this drama ministry work. How I need him to ignite the actors in my group . . give them a passion for the ministry . . and how I need more actors . . highly gifted actors . . committed to the ministry . . committed to working on their craft . . committed to be available when needed.
And he immediately "rebuked" me, to use an annoying churchy term.
I humbled a Pharoah through a stuttery Moses, he said. I defeated a huge Midianite army with a couple hundred men and a wimp named Gideon. I used a handful of uneducated fishermen to change the world. You don't need what you think you need -- all you need is me. Stop whining over the lack of a feast to feed your crowd with; thank me for the loaves and the fish I've provided, and watch me multiply them!
So now I'm with Job -- despising myself and repenting in dust and ashes. Amen, Lord -- so be it. To your name be the glory.
I've been bemoaning my poor, sorry self and the struggles I'm having with this drama ministry. Mainly in terms of people power. I have a list of actors who are members of the drama team. But I'm learning over time that 1) the majority of them want to be used only on an occasional, as-needed basis -- drama isn't a priority for them either for lack of time or lack of "calling" (which is understandable - I don't begrudge them that) . . . 2) the majority of them are "personality" actors, meaning roles must be adapted to them rather than their being expected to adapt to the roles (not unusual in amateur church drama) . . . 3) few of them are as easy to get a hold of as they seem to think they are . . . 4) all of them have much busier schedules than they think they do . . . and 5) most of them are content, it seems, with their level of ability and level of involvement as it stands, and don't feel a need to work on their skills or open up their schedules to be more available. And again, I understand this. People need to be where God has called them and not be where God has not called them.
But all this means I am constantly struggling to find actors who can do the roles I have who are available on the dates I need them. And this is very, very draining and discouraging. So, I was telling God today all the things I need to make this drama ministry work. How I need him to ignite the actors in my group . . give them a passion for the ministry . . and how I need more actors . . highly gifted actors . . committed to the ministry . . committed to working on their craft . . committed to be available when needed.
And he immediately "rebuked" me, to use an annoying churchy term.
I humbled a Pharoah through a stuttery Moses, he said. I defeated a huge Midianite army with a couple hundred men and a wimp named Gideon. I used a handful of uneducated fishermen to change the world. You don't need what you think you need -- all you need is me. Stop whining over the lack of a feast to feed your crowd with; thank me for the loaves and the fish I've provided, and watch me multiply them!
So now I'm with Job -- despising myself and repenting in dust and ashes. Amen, Lord -- so be it. To your name be the glory.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Up and Down . . .
So, the drama team thing. The meeting to announce my ascendance to the helm was postponed to this Sunday. (I'm actually getting a little bit of a head start on the job, though, because I had to cast and direct a skit for this coming Sunday morning.) I don't think the news will probably be a huge surprise to a lot of people. But I'm still anxious about how they'll respond.
The resigning director sent me a list a couple days ago of all the skits the group has done under her leadership and who performed in them. 214 skits in 11 years. Holy cow. Just skimming the list, I started to feel the history behind all this swallow me up.
I can't believe the emotional roller coaster I've been on over this decision. One day, I'm all excited about the possibilities of this group and feeling very confident about my ability to handle it all. The next, I'm wondering what ever possessed me to think I'm as good as all that. After rehearsal for this skit last Sunday, I came home depressed. After last night's rehearsal, I came home hopeful. And I don't think anything happened at either rehearsal to justify my reactions.
I was in charge of a drama team 12 years ago. A much smaller team at a much smaller church, all of the members chosen by me, so a much different scenario. But the couple years I headed up that ministry before we moved away were years of great spiritual growth for me. Mainly because I became so keenly aware of how little control I really had over anything and of what amazing things God can accomplish through me when I let him take the wheel. Apparently, those are lessons I need to learn again.
I think my anxiety will improve after Sunday's meeting and the question of the group's response to me is answered. Although it may take a couple months to really know if they're accepting me and the way I do things. Heck, it'll take me at least that long to figure out the way I do things. In the meantime, I'm back in the routine of daily (sometimes hourly) giving it all over to God again. It's His ministry, not mine. He's the playmaker -- I'm just a player. Gotta remember that.
The resigning director sent me a list a couple days ago of all the skits the group has done under her leadership and who performed in them. 214 skits in 11 years. Holy cow. Just skimming the list, I started to feel the history behind all this swallow me up.
I can't believe the emotional roller coaster I've been on over this decision. One day, I'm all excited about the possibilities of this group and feeling very confident about my ability to handle it all. The next, I'm wondering what ever possessed me to think I'm as good as all that. After rehearsal for this skit last Sunday, I came home depressed. After last night's rehearsal, I came home hopeful. And I don't think anything happened at either rehearsal to justify my reactions.
I was in charge of a drama team 12 years ago. A much smaller team at a much smaller church, all of the members chosen by me, so a much different scenario. But the couple years I headed up that ministry before we moved away were years of great spiritual growth for me. Mainly because I became so keenly aware of how little control I really had over anything and of what amazing things God can accomplish through me when I let him take the wheel. Apparently, those are lessons I need to learn again.
I think my anxiety will improve after Sunday's meeting and the question of the group's response to me is answered. Although it may take a couple months to really know if they're accepting me and the way I do things. Heck, it'll take me at least that long to figure out the way I do things. In the meantime, I'm back in the routine of daily (sometimes hourly) giving it all over to God again. It's His ministry, not mine. He's the playmaker -- I'm just a player. Gotta remember that.
Friday, November 13, 2009
Drama Team on my Mind
Once again, I need to write out some things on my mind . . . if you're not that interested in my brain farts, skim and move on. :)
So, I guess I'm in on this Sunnybrook drama business. I'm officially a member of the "Creative Team" now, that meets every other Thursday to plan the creative aspects of the worship service. And I was now asked to be in a group planning an "open audition" for the drama team in January.
There is, unfortunately, some tension amidst all the powers-that-be concerning the drama ministry. Apparently, the purpose of this open audition is to beef up the team, get more good people. But I fear there are those who suspect that the real purpose is to eliminate some people from the team. Personally, I hope that what it ultimately is used for is to organize the team.
This is all bringing to my mind conversations I had with Marilyn, the music minister at Hope (our church in NJ). Hope and Sunnybrook have very similar music programs -- a handful of worship bands that rotate and play contemporary music. But Marilyn was always adamant that we still needed to have a choir. They didn't sit in a loft or sing every Sunday. But she insisted that it was important to have an "entry-level" place for people to participate in the music ministry who had a passion for doing so but didn't have the skill level to be in a worship band.
I pondered that concept many times. I kept wondering how we could make a similar "entry-level" place for people to participate in the drama ministry. The Sunday morning sketches are akin to a worship band -- high exposure, requiring a high level of skill. You need good actors doing those. But there are many people who love drama and want to participate who aren't up to that skill level. I wanted a place for them.
I'm wondering if Sunnybrook doesn't have such a place ready-made in its Sunday morning kids' program. Every class in "KidZone", as they call it, has a drama each week. That's three or four different "skits" happening every Sunday morning in there. The expectations are much lower, the presentations are much simpler -- actually, in a way, it's a different skill set required to work in there. You need excellent storytelling skills and ad-libbing skills (you never know what's going to happen in a class of 6-year-olds).
I would love to see our whole drama team organized into subgroups: say, the Worship Players, whose focus is the Sunday morning sketches . . the KidZone Players, whose focus is the KidZone dramas . . a Tech Crew, who deals with sets, props, lighting, etc (cuz Sunnybrook does more of that) . . and then maybe a Corps Team, who can't make the time commitment to be on any of the other teams but want to be able to participate when they're available and a role comes up that fits them. There can be overlap -- Kidzone folks can be in Worship sketches sometimes, and vice versa -- but there will be more focus, and everyone will have a better idea of what their expectations are.
Now, how to do this without making people feel that they're being demoted somehow (like in school reading groups -- the bluebirds always feel inferior to the cardinals). Because it really isn't a demotion. And how to present this idea to the powers-that-be without giving the impression I'm trying to take over here . . .
If it's even a good idea at all . . . my brain just runs amok sometimes, you know . . .
So, I guess I'm in on this Sunnybrook drama business. I'm officially a member of the "Creative Team" now, that meets every other Thursday to plan the creative aspects of the worship service. And I was now asked to be in a group planning an "open audition" for the drama team in January.
There is, unfortunately, some tension amidst all the powers-that-be concerning the drama ministry. Apparently, the purpose of this open audition is to beef up the team, get more good people. But I fear there are those who suspect that the real purpose is to eliminate some people from the team. Personally, I hope that what it ultimately is used for is to organize the team.
This is all bringing to my mind conversations I had with Marilyn, the music minister at Hope (our church in NJ). Hope and Sunnybrook have very similar music programs -- a handful of worship bands that rotate and play contemporary music. But Marilyn was always adamant that we still needed to have a choir. They didn't sit in a loft or sing every Sunday. But she insisted that it was important to have an "entry-level" place for people to participate in the music ministry who had a passion for doing so but didn't have the skill level to be in a worship band.
I pondered that concept many times. I kept wondering how we could make a similar "entry-level" place for people to participate in the drama ministry. The Sunday morning sketches are akin to a worship band -- high exposure, requiring a high level of skill. You need good actors doing those. But there are many people who love drama and want to participate who aren't up to that skill level. I wanted a place for them.
I'm wondering if Sunnybrook doesn't have such a place ready-made in its Sunday morning kids' program. Every class in "KidZone", as they call it, has a drama each week. That's three or four different "skits" happening every Sunday morning in there. The expectations are much lower, the presentations are much simpler -- actually, in a way, it's a different skill set required to work in there. You need excellent storytelling skills and ad-libbing skills (you never know what's going to happen in a class of 6-year-olds).
I would love to see our whole drama team organized into subgroups: say, the Worship Players, whose focus is the Sunday morning sketches . . the KidZone Players, whose focus is the KidZone dramas . . a Tech Crew, who deals with sets, props, lighting, etc (cuz Sunnybrook does more of that) . . and then maybe a Corps Team, who can't make the time commitment to be on any of the other teams but want to be able to participate when they're available and a role comes up that fits them. There can be overlap -- Kidzone folks can be in Worship sketches sometimes, and vice versa -- but there will be more focus, and everyone will have a better idea of what their expectations are.
Now, how to do this without making people feel that they're being demoted somehow (like in school reading groups -- the bluebirds always feel inferior to the cardinals). Because it really isn't a demotion. And how to present this idea to the powers-that-be without giving the impression I'm trying to take over here . . .
If it's even a good idea at all . . . my brain just runs amok sometimes, you know . . .
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Back on the Search Again?
A few of you were reading this blog back when I was whining about how long it was taking us to find a new church after our move. Looking back now, I wonder why I was in such a hurry. Well, no, I do know. We needed connections. The girls needed friends. We needed a place to belong.
We've been attending Sunnybrook Community Church since about January. A big church (at least, big by our standards) -- 1200 in attendance each week. Reformed by denomination, but they don't talk about that much. Quite evangelical. Rather seeker-focused. Pretty contemporary. Lots of emphasis on community service. Lots of emphasis on the kids' and youth ministries. Good reputation in the community. As I've said before, God seems to be working in this place.
Yet, we're not convinced that this is the place God wants us. Which is a problem because we're now connected in a lot of ways. Kind of a Catch-22 situation: you have to plunge in and get involved in order to meet people and find out what a church is really all about. But once you do that, if you decide you're not about what the church is about, you've now made connections that are harder to cut.
Not that there's anything wrong with this church. It just doesn't feel right for us somehow. The connections we've made aren't exactly social ties; we know people--and they're nice people--but we haven't really bonded with anyone.
So many of the things that don't feel comfortable to us seems to be "style" preferences. The worship service feels too polished -- too much like a performance we're there to witness rather than worship we're there to participate in. And a lot of little stylistic things are what figure into that: dark sanctuary, big video screens, etc. I keep thinking, we'll just get used to that . . or it isn't that important . .
But our hands may be forced soon. The new worship minister asked to meet with me this week. He's wanting to "raise the bar" on the drama program and wants me to pray about being involved in the leadership with that. (Sidenote: this man hardly knows me. What made him think I was the person for this? Hmmm.) Accepting such a role would not only require our staying in the church . . . it would also require me to be actively involved in helping create the worship environment that I'm not feeling comfortable with. Will being on the inside make me more comfortable? Will I be able to be a positive influence on the situation? Who knows. But as exciting an opportunity as it sounds like, I don't have much peace with the idea.
I think we're going to start exploring other churches again -- like, Keith and I taking turns each Sunday visiting elsewhere, and we'll see if we feel a pull in another direction. I'm just not sure where else we would go. As I recall now, one of my frustrations in the church search was how few great options there seemed to be out there......
We've been attending Sunnybrook Community Church since about January. A big church (at least, big by our standards) -- 1200 in attendance each week. Reformed by denomination, but they don't talk about that much. Quite evangelical. Rather seeker-focused. Pretty contemporary. Lots of emphasis on community service. Lots of emphasis on the kids' and youth ministries. Good reputation in the community. As I've said before, God seems to be working in this place.
Yet, we're not convinced that this is the place God wants us. Which is a problem because we're now connected in a lot of ways. Kind of a Catch-22 situation: you have to plunge in and get involved in order to meet people and find out what a church is really all about. But once you do that, if you decide you're not about what the church is about, you've now made connections that are harder to cut.
Not that there's anything wrong with this church. It just doesn't feel right for us somehow. The connections we've made aren't exactly social ties; we know people--and they're nice people--but we haven't really bonded with anyone.
So many of the things that don't feel comfortable to us seems to be "style" preferences. The worship service feels too polished -- too much like a performance we're there to witness rather than worship we're there to participate in. And a lot of little stylistic things are what figure into that: dark sanctuary, big video screens, etc. I keep thinking, we'll just get used to that . . or it isn't that important . .
But our hands may be forced soon. The new worship minister asked to meet with me this week. He's wanting to "raise the bar" on the drama program and wants me to pray about being involved in the leadership with that. (Sidenote: this man hardly knows me. What made him think I was the person for this? Hmmm.) Accepting such a role would not only require our staying in the church . . . it would also require me to be actively involved in helping create the worship environment that I'm not feeling comfortable with. Will being on the inside make me more comfortable? Will I be able to be a positive influence on the situation? Who knows. But as exciting an opportunity as it sounds like, I don't have much peace with the idea.
I think we're going to start exploring other churches again -- like, Keith and I taking turns each Sunday visiting elsewhere, and we'll see if we feel a pull in another direction. I'm just not sure where else we would go. As I recall now, one of my frustrations in the church search was how few great options there seemed to be out there......
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
The Week That Was Skill School
I was at this amazing thing called Skill School at our church all week last week, and I haven't written about it yet. Mainly because I can't decide how to go about writing about it. I can't find a central point or theme or something . . . I don't know. I can't make it flow. But I feel like you need to hear this story. So, I'll just plunge in and center my reflections around my main reaction to the whole event: Wow.
There were 716 kids, grades K-5, in attendance -- plus about 350 volunteers. So, well over a thousand people on site every day. Wow.
We started each day with an opening session in the auditorium -- loud music, seven hundred kids singing/screaming and doing hand motions. Parents dropped kids off at the assigned pew for their first clinic . . we (clinic leaders) signed in our kids and gave them their nametags . . volunteers came by and picked up extra tags . . we got slips in our 2nd clinic telling us who should be absent . . all the kids and clinic leaders returned to the auditorium at the end of the morning to the same pews and we collected nametags again . . parents picked up the kids at their pew . . a monumental administrative effort to keep 700+ kids safe and accounted for. Wow.
Many clinics were outside on the church grounds or off-site at nearby schools, pools, bowling alleys and such. A nurse was on duty the whole time. Several volunteers shuttled kids back and forth in vans for these clinics. They also shuttled all the volunteers back and forth from the church to the East High School parking lot where we all parked so that there would be room in the church parking lot for all the parents. Wow.
Over a hundred different clinics were offered during two different sessions -- including various kinds of arts and crafts, cooking, creative writing, commercial making, several types of dancing, and almost every sport you can imagine. I taught two drama clinics -- one for 2nd and 3rd graders and one for 4th and 5th graders. Between clinics was snack time and "small group". Yes, they fed all 700 kids at the same time in fifty-some different locations all across the area. Wow.
The church staff (pastor and 4-5 others) dressed up as several Toy Story-type characters for a drama series in the opening session. The dramas presented the gospel message in a very straight-forward and entertaining way. 130 kids indicated at the end of the 4th and final day that they had prayed to accept Christ as their savior that morning. Wow.
The week ended with a Skill School Program and outdoor Family Fun Night on Thursday night. I didn't know until Wednesday which of my kids would be there for the program. So, we put a skit together from each class on our last day and performed them Thursday night. The older kids did a version of The Good Samaritan based on one in a kids choir show at Hope. The younger kids did The Prodigal Son, Godspell style. They did a great job. They were great kids. I couldn't believe we pulled it off . . . wow.
Family Fun Night was promoted to the whole community -- an entirely free event. The church gave away over 2000 hot dogs, not to mention all the chips, drinks, ice cream bars and cotton candy. A live band played, big blow-up bouncy things were available to play in . . but the highlight of the evening was the HUGE waterslide they set up on the hill by the church building (take note, Hope folks -- you have a hill beside the church, too!). They estimated that 2500-3000 people from the church and community were there. Wow.
It was an amazing week. It's a huge event, one that makes the reputation for this church in the community. That's one big similarity I've found between Sunnybrook here and Hope Church back in Jersey: most everyone in the community -- even those who don't attend any church at all -- knows about and respects this place. They have the reputation of being a place where God is at work.
And that's why we're going there.
There were 716 kids, grades K-5, in attendance -- plus about 350 volunteers. So, well over a thousand people on site every day. Wow.
We started each day with an opening session in the auditorium -- loud music, seven hundred kids singing/screaming and doing hand motions. Parents dropped kids off at the assigned pew for their first clinic . . we (clinic leaders) signed in our kids and gave them their nametags . . volunteers came by and picked up extra tags . . we got slips in our 2nd clinic telling us who should be absent . . all the kids and clinic leaders returned to the auditorium at the end of the morning to the same pews and we collected nametags again . . parents picked up the kids at their pew . . a monumental administrative effort to keep 700+ kids safe and accounted for. Wow.
Many clinics were outside on the church grounds or off-site at nearby schools, pools, bowling alleys and such. A nurse was on duty the whole time. Several volunteers shuttled kids back and forth in vans for these clinics. They also shuttled all the volunteers back and forth from the church to the East High School parking lot where we all parked so that there would be room in the church parking lot for all the parents. Wow.
Over a hundred different clinics were offered during two different sessions -- including various kinds of arts and crafts, cooking, creative writing, commercial making, several types of dancing, and almost every sport you can imagine. I taught two drama clinics -- one for 2nd and 3rd graders and one for 4th and 5th graders. Between clinics was snack time and "small group". Yes, they fed all 700 kids at the same time in fifty-some different locations all across the area. Wow.
The church staff (pastor and 4-5 others) dressed up as several Toy Story-type characters for a drama series in the opening session. The dramas presented the gospel message in a very straight-forward and entertaining way. 130 kids indicated at the end of the 4th and final day that they had prayed to accept Christ as their savior that morning. Wow.
The week ended with a Skill School Program and outdoor Family Fun Night on Thursday night. I didn't know until Wednesday which of my kids would be there for the program. So, we put a skit together from each class on our last day and performed them Thursday night. The older kids did a version of The Good Samaritan based on one in a kids choir show at Hope. The younger kids did The Prodigal Son, Godspell style. They did a great job. They were great kids. I couldn't believe we pulled it off . . . wow.
Family Fun Night was promoted to the whole community -- an entirely free event. The church gave away over 2000 hot dogs, not to mention all the chips, drinks, ice cream bars and cotton candy. A live band played, big blow-up bouncy things were available to play in . . but the highlight of the evening was the HUGE waterslide they set up on the hill by the church building (take note, Hope folks -- you have a hill beside the church, too!). They estimated that 2500-3000 people from the church and community were there. Wow.
It was an amazing week. It's a huge event, one that makes the reputation for this church in the community. That's one big similarity I've found between Sunnybrook here and Hope Church back in Jersey: most everyone in the community -- even those who don't attend any church at all -- knows about and respects this place. They have the reputation of being a place where God is at work.
And that's why we're going there.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
The Un-VBS
Sunnybrook Church doesn't do VBS. It does something called "Skill School". It sounds like VBS on steroids.
Last year, over 700 kids from the area came to Skill School. This year, they're hoping to accommodate over 1000 -- they don't want to have to turn anyone away. Phenomenal.
I asked the Children's Ministry Director (Ms. Laurie) about it last night. They offer "clinics" in various topics (sports, crafts, hobbies, etc.) -- over 100 different clinics. Each kid (K-5) signs up for two -- the clinics are about 45 minutes long each day (Monday through Thursday). There's a large group session at the beginning and end of the morning, with a series of some kind of dramas, which basically is presenting the gospel in an entertaining way, apparently (they have videos on the website of last year's). And in between clinic sessions, the kids are in small groups with a leader to discuss the concepts presented in the large group sessions.
Then they end the whole thing Thursday evening with a huge outdoor carnival-like event -- with a giant water slide going down the hill at the side of the church and everything. Free food, free everything, open to anyone wanting to come. Wow.
The administrative and organizational requirements of an event like this are beyond conceiving. Ms. Laurie said it was already in place when she came to the church (it literally made her jaw drop to watch it happen) and has just grown exponentially in the three years she's been here. I can't wait to see it.
And I knew I had to have some part in it. Obviously, this takes hundreds of volunteers to pull off. As we were talking last night, I casually asked if they had a drama clinic, assuming there would be (I mean they have several soccer clinics, at least one for each age group). Nope. No one doing a drama clinic. Unbelievable.
So, now I guess I'm doing a drama clinic for Skill School in . . . yeesh, I don't even know when. Sometime in June, I think? It should be interesting. As anyone knows who has tried to get me to work in VBS before, my usual response is, "I'll do ANYTHING -- as long as you don't put me in a room with a bunch of kids all morning long for a week." I'm not a big crowd person -- I'm not a kid person -- I have a low tolerance for chaos -- I'm a control freak -- all in all, VBS is not for me. But I believe in the impact it can have, so I try to do what I can do to help . . without coming to a point of wanting to kill someone before the end of the week.
Laurie assures me that I won't have to deal with chaos and large crowds as a clinic leader. If so, I'm good. And it will be nice to get back into something really creative again.
But a thousand kids. A THOUSAND!!! I just can't imagine it.
Last year, over 700 kids from the area came to Skill School. This year, they're hoping to accommodate over 1000 -- they don't want to have to turn anyone away. Phenomenal.
I asked the Children's Ministry Director (Ms. Laurie) about it last night. They offer "clinics" in various topics (sports, crafts, hobbies, etc.) -- over 100 different clinics. Each kid (K-5) signs up for two -- the clinics are about 45 minutes long each day (Monday through Thursday). There's a large group session at the beginning and end of the morning, with a series of some kind of dramas, which basically is presenting the gospel in an entertaining way, apparently (they have videos on the website of last year's). And in between clinic sessions, the kids are in small groups with a leader to discuss the concepts presented in the large group sessions.
Then they end the whole thing Thursday evening with a huge outdoor carnival-like event -- with a giant water slide going down the hill at the side of the church and everything. Free food, free everything, open to anyone wanting to come. Wow.
The administrative and organizational requirements of an event like this are beyond conceiving. Ms. Laurie said it was already in place when she came to the church (it literally made her jaw drop to watch it happen) and has just grown exponentially in the three years she's been here. I can't wait to see it.
And I knew I had to have some part in it. Obviously, this takes hundreds of volunteers to pull off. As we were talking last night, I casually asked if they had a drama clinic, assuming there would be (I mean they have several soccer clinics, at least one for each age group). Nope. No one doing a drama clinic. Unbelievable.
So, now I guess I'm doing a drama clinic for Skill School in . . . yeesh, I don't even know when. Sometime in June, I think? It should be interesting. As anyone knows who has tried to get me to work in VBS before, my usual response is, "I'll do ANYTHING -- as long as you don't put me in a room with a bunch of kids all morning long for a week." I'm not a big crowd person -- I'm not a kid person -- I have a low tolerance for chaos -- I'm a control freak -- all in all, VBS is not for me. But I believe in the impact it can have, so I try to do what I can do to help . . without coming to a point of wanting to kill someone before the end of the week.
Laurie assures me that I won't have to deal with chaos and large crowds as a clinic leader. If so, I'm good. And it will be nice to get back into something really creative again.
But a thousand kids. A THOUSAND!!! I just can't imagine it.
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