
"I don't want to play this, I'll look silly."
"Oh come on!...It's for the kids..."
(Larry the Cucumber & Bob the Tomato--Veggie Tales Theme Song)
"Oh come on!...It's for the kids..."
(Larry the Cucumber & Bob the Tomato--Veggie Tales Theme Song)
A confession: I am not gifted in or called to children’s ministry. I still have nightmares about the time Jeff and I dutifully took a turn in Will’s preschool Sunday school classroom back at St. John’s UMC in Albuquerque while the regular teachers were off for the summer. No, I can’t remember what the Bible story was, but it probably involved sheep because I remember q-tips, cotton balls, and Elmer’s glue all over the tables and the kids.
That said, Bible School has always had my full support. It’s such a powerful tool to reach kids in the church and in the community. I have always been involved—on the periphery! I’ve run the computer, taken photos & video, coordinate costumes, and even ironed decals on about 100 t-shirts. So throughout the summer I’ve followed the progress of our fall Bible School planning at WUMC. Our Children’s Ministry Director is organized and charismatic, so everything was falling neatly into place. Her main worry was that no one had volunteered to be the puppet. Last year’s puppeteer had been promoted to a “face character,”* and only one other person has said he would do it if Beth really couldn’t find anyone else. I made reassuring comments and promised to ask Jeff if he’d be one of the “face characters.”
As I texted her Jeff’s affirmative response, I found myself also typing “and I can do the puppet.” I spent four years in high school drama—how hard could it be? To say Beth was shocked is an understatement! I imagine she was a bit apprehensive too. I did spend weeks wondering what I had done in making the commitment, but I didn’t wonder why this time. It’s this commitment to BOLD Discipleship I’ve taken, and I knew it was definitely God’s idea because it sure wasn’t mine!
Have I found a new calling in children’s ministry? No. But compared to other things people do to serve God, crouching inside a refrigerator box trying to move the puppet’s mouth to coordinate with the words I’m saying while interacting with “face characters” and kids I can’t even see for a few weeks isn’t a huge sacrifice.
I’m going to try and enjoy the ride as Flame the Red Panda before I start worrying about what God might ask me to do next! (Check out our "Currently" page for more photos)
* A “face character” doesn’t get to hide behind a mask or prop.
That said, Bible School has always had my full support. It’s such a powerful tool to reach kids in the church and in the community. I have always been involved—on the periphery! I’ve run the computer, taken photos & video, coordinate costumes, and even ironed decals on about 100 t-shirts. So throughout the summer I’ve followed the progress of our fall Bible School planning at WUMC. Our Children’s Ministry Director is organized and charismatic, so everything was falling neatly into place. Her main worry was that no one had volunteered to be the puppet. Last year’s puppeteer had been promoted to a “face character,”* and only one other person has said he would do it if Beth really couldn’t find anyone else. I made reassuring comments and promised to ask Jeff if he’d be one of the “face characters.”
As I texted her Jeff’s affirmative response, I found myself also typing “and I can do the puppet.” I spent four years in high school drama—how hard could it be? To say Beth was shocked is an understatement! I imagine she was a bit apprehensive too. I did spend weeks wondering what I had done in making the commitment, but I didn’t wonder why this time. It’s this commitment to BOLD Discipleship I’ve taken, and I knew it was definitely God’s idea because it sure wasn’t mine!
Have I found a new calling in children’s ministry? No. But compared to other things people do to serve God, crouching inside a refrigerator box trying to move the puppet’s mouth to coordinate with the words I’m saying while interacting with “face characters” and kids I can’t even see for a few weeks isn’t a huge sacrifice.
I’m going to try and enjoy the ride as Flame the Red Panda before I start worrying about what God might ask me to do next! (Check out our "Currently" page for more photos)
* A “face character” doesn’t get to hide behind a mask or prop.