Christian Education
CEWeb
Welcome
to the Christian Education page of the American Baptist Churches of
Wisconsin Website!
This online
resource will serve as a forum to share ideas, get information and
the like.
Please share the Web address for
this site with Christian Education workers in your church. I would
also invite you to offer
suggestions of things which would make the site useful to
you.
Time to Plan for Summer Activities
March 2006
Nearly every day when I go to the
mailbox I receive a seed catalog reminding me that the time to plant
will be here before we know it. Perhaps that reminder may also serve
to tell us in our churches that summer programs will be upon us and
it is time to plan!
It is not always easy to carry out
summer programs for a variety of reasons. Leadership is often difficult
to find because both parents in a home work outside the home, or because
many people take time away. It may be that the difficulty is not only
in finding teachers, but also in getting kids there. It may be that
the parents work day is longer than the usual program, and parents
can't pick them up and take them to daycare when they are finished.
It is also true that people often do not live close to the church
so that transportation is a problem.
But we also know that the times we
can provide for Christian education programs in the summer reap great
rewards. For example, there are not so many competing school programs.
And we can have more extended time than the one hour on Sunday morning.
That enables us to do some of the "hands on" and experiential
learning experiences that are simply not possible on Sunday.
So this is a place for some creative
thinking. What is possible? What time frames would work best in your
own context? How can you find the necessary leadership? I hope that
a few ideas here may spark ideas in your boards or committees are
you plan. Some of these ideas come from you!
Vacation Bible School
-
Day camp can be a good substitute.
Find a good spot near you and spend the day studying, exploring,
creating, playing, etc.
-
Try a once a week event rather
than a week-long event. Perhaps it could be every Saturday afternoon.
-
Evenings can be a good alternative.
This might enable you to have a class for every age group, including
adults.
-
Join with another church to provide
the program.
-
Provide transportation or an extended
program for those who are waiting for parents to finish work.
Camp
Summer Sunday School
If you keep your Sunday School going
in the summer, you might try a change in format.
-
Make it an intergenerational program.
-
Have different teachers in the
summer so that the regular teachers have an opportunity to attend
an adult class, or have a rest.
-
Plan a mission project that will
culminate in a special event at the end of the summer. Do some
work each week to meet the goal.
-
Plan some self-contained topics
for the summer since people are usually absent more often then.
It can be difficult to follow a typical unit of study. You might
choose a mission study or a "What American Baptists Believe"
series.
Family and Friends Events
I have chosen this title to indicate
that families come in many different sizes and shapes. We want to
include everyone! Try some events such as these:
-
Game night at the church.
-
Movie and popcorn night (or make
it a matinee)
-
Outings to points of interest.
In La Crosse we would probably include Myrick Park and Zoo, the
Children's Museum (which is fun for all ages) or even a trip up
the Mississippi River in a steamboat. You can choose areas of
interest around you.
-
A talent night (You might include
displays of paintings, knitting, woodworking, etc. to include
the talents of more people.)
-
Music night (include a wide variety
and encourage people to bring along the musical instruments they
play)
Fellowship outside formal programs
promotes a good learning environment inside those programs!
Have a wonderful and creative summer!
Maxine Ashley
Staff Associate in Christian Education
Christian.Education@abcofwi.org
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