Hannah Hansen

As January 1 is right around the corner, many people are starting to think about their New Year’s resolutions. From kids to adults, people are trying to set themselves up for success by creating resolutions they hope will help them lose weight, read more books, or spend less time working. Some of these resolutions can seem silly or impossible or not worth doing. But as we live out our identities as children of God, it can sometimes be fun to consider ways to shine with God’s love.

If your kids have expressed interested in making New Year’s resolutions, you might consider doing this activity as a family! Not only will it bring you closer together, but it will also bring you deeper into God’s Word! Making faith-based resolutions is a great way to incorporate more focus on Jesus into the everyday life of your family.

One of the very first concepts we teach children is contrasting. We show them the difference between right and wrong, quiet and loud, day and night, fast and slow.

A new third grade teacher in Wisconsin, Monica was in the process of getting her classroom ready this summer when she began going through the books she inherited from previous teachers. Her classroom had no Jesus time books, and her set of hymnals had clearly been well-loved by children for many years (we all know how hymnals get toted to chapel).

We all have our tried and true Easter activities. Are you ready to make a switch from the familiar egg hunts, Easter breakfast, and resurrection egg stations? Here are a three ideas to use for your children’s or family events.

It was a very tough time for me. I was planning my first church-wide intergenerational event and it looked like there were still about 5,000 details to figure out, and our registration was nearly twice what I had anticipated. The year was 2001, and my church had absolutely no idea how afraid I was!  Feeling the pressure, I called up another DCE who had been serving a little longer than I had been serving. In our 45-minute lunch break, I was able to vent, process, plan, and dream. I felt lighter and more organized as I left the restaurant, and I hadn't implemented one single idea yet.  The event came together well and was such a wonderful time for our church to share in a time of learning and fellowship together.

Recently, as I was sitting in church, I was transported to the world of VBS, complete with amazing decorations, lively music, and exciting worship that reflected God’s love for us and His incredible work in creating us, saving us, and loving us. After the worship (which was led in large part by the VBS children and teens), families were invited to stay and help with some service projects and have lunch together. It was amazing, and I was thinking about how wonderful this was for my family and for the guests and church members alike to be part of.

This morning felt like CHURCH—a community of people hearing the Gospel good news, learning how to walk with God and each other, and serving our community. As someone who has been blessed to lead VBS for the past two decades, I understood and appreciated the work and thoughtful planning that went into the whole worship experience. It made me think, what if Sunday School Kickoff was like VBS?