So, the past few weeks or so I have been trying to figure out new ways to tell stories in children's ministry. My goal has been to get the same message across to the children in the ministry in as many ways as I can ...while still keeping them interested.
This semester Jil Mazellan has given me the opportunity to teach on Wednesday nights. For these teaching moments I have been going through the book "Soul Shift" by David Drury and Steve DeNeff. All of College Wesleyan has been going through this series as a church...including sermons, small group time, Sunday school, and classes...this "shift" is a church-wide "shift."
That being said, some of these lessons have been a real challenge for me to teach. Drury and DeNeff outline many "shifts" and a few that I have taught on are: me to you, slave to child, ask to listen, and sheep to shepherd. The reason these lessons have been so challenging is not because they lack content, not at all, but because they have been very abstract ideas that I have had to bring down to a concrete level.
Some of the ways that I have been trying to help the children better understand the concepts are through skits. Each lesson has begun with a skit that takes the main story or idea and translates it in a way that they can better understand. My favorite skit has been the week that we focused on slave to child. My friend Bryce came in as a "slave" and explained to the kids how slowly after he began sinning more and more the handcuffs just appeared on him along with a name tag which read, "slave." He eventually decides to ask Jesus to break his chains and come into his heart. Then Bryce asked the kids to pray with him as he accepted Christ into his heart...and at that very moment the children had become so enthralled by the skit that they had forgotten it was a skit. It was incredible.
It amazed me to see how interested the kids were in hearing Bryce's story. It was real to them. They would listen intently...ask questions...and even bring the skits up later. They got it. Something about those beginning skits really click for them.
Another teaching tool that I have been testing out lately are video shorts. In preparation for one of my lessons I began searching the inter-webs for some sort of clip that I could show...to add some variety to the lesson. While searching I found...just about...nothing. It was frustrating. I found no clips relating to Bible stories. Sure I found sermons...or songs...or testimonies...or gut-wrenching, tear-jerking sermon introductions...but for children's ministry ...my options were very limited and the options I did find cost money.
So...I decided to try out my own "clip."
Sure it isn't fancy...in fact I got a little embarrassed when watching it the first time...I could see my hands in the background, my voice sounded completely ridiculous, and well it was just plain hokey. But... but I decided that I had worked hard on that little clip and wanted to play it anyways...if it flopped...oh well, move on...
So I played it on a Wednesday night...and funny thing is ...the kids loved it...especially the squirrelly boys who can't seem to sit still or be quiet...they loved it. They giggled and quoted it again and again.
What did I learn? I learned that it is less about fancy graphics or perfect videography (I taped my camera to my roommates desk...yes taped...with the blue painters tape...) And it is even less about my talent as a comedian or entertainer...but it is about being real. It is about telling the stories that have been told for centuries. It is about helping kids understand more about who God is.
and...
And I love it.
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