Children's ministry

  • Children's ministry,  Faith

    “So the homeless don’t count, right?”

    I have loved teaching fourth through sixth graders on Wednesday nights for the past three years. The kids ask all kinds of questions without wondering what their friends might think. They go deep, like this one from last week: “Ms. Elizabeth, does God love Satan?” (Has anyone else had that question? It was a first for me.) This school year, we are walking through the Bible chronologically in an effort to understand the overall redemption story — the “upper story” if you’re familiar with Max Lucado and Randy Frazee’s “The Story.” The thread runs through the entirety of Scripture, and I believe seeing the story unfold will help these children…

  • Children's ministry,  Church,  Faith

    ‘Do you know what the best smell in the world is?’

    When I taught preschoolers, I never knew what questions they would ask. Ms. Elizabeth, can I get married when I’m 10? That’s old, right? Ms. Elizabeth, what does Play-Doh taste like? Ms. Elizabeth, can I have a pet whale in my bathtub? Now, I teach fifth- and sixth-graders, and most of the time their questions are easier to answer. Most of the time, the questions connect to the lesson, too. Sometimes they will answer a question before I even ask it because they know where I’m going with my train of thought. I love it. Last year, though, I was asked a question that threw me for a loop. It…