Found myself at Target last Thursday night buying fifty foam fish because I'd seen this "amazing" craft on Pinterest about feeding the 5,000. Looked so simple online. Cute little fish with googly eyes that kids could decorate while talking about Jesus providing for everyone. What

Planning VBS last year all by myself. Spent weeks figuring themes decorations activities snacks everything. Get to planning meeting with volunteers and I'm like "So here's what we're doing this year" and start going through my whole presentation. Can see their eyes

Building a Volunteer Team Culture That Lasts So last month I'm sitting in this meeting with other kids ministry leaders and this woman starts talking about her volunteer team. How they hang out outside of church. How they cover for each other without being asked. How new people

So our church has like thirty kids total. On good days. Preschool through middle school. One room. Budget's basically nonexistent. Me and maybe two volunteers if planets align. Most curriculum assumes you got separate classes every age. Professional teachers. Money tree in back yard. Right. Wasted years trying

Tried regular Bible trivia once. Asked "Who was Moses' brother?" Dead silence. One kid raised hand said "Abraham?" That's when learned Bible trivia for kids can't be just adult trivia with smaller words. Kids need movement. Competition. Fun. Can't

We spent $347 on hot dogs for our community cookout. Bought the fancy ones, got buns from the expensive bakery, set up tables with checkered tablecloths like we were hosting a Norman Rockwell painting. Fourteen people showed up. Most were already church members. The hot dogs sat there getting cold

So Sarah comes up to me after service Sunday and she's got this look. You know that look when someone's been chewing on something for weeks? "I think I need to take a break." My stomach just drops through the floor. Sarah's

Sunday morning I'm feeling pretty smug about my David and Goliath lesson. Got slides. Got this perfect YouTube video. Everything's ready. Walk into class and the projector won't turn on. Just dead. Standing there looking stupid while Tyler asks if we're gonna

Raining again this Sunday. Kids trapped inside bouncing off walls. Had whole outdoor thing planned. Nature walk collecting leaves whatever. Now stuck in fellowship hall with twenty-three kids going stir crazy. Need games don't require much space or supplies. Things actually work when kids are already wound up