By Gail Marsh on May 8, 2012
Maybe you knew this was the big week! Maybe you just found out as you opened this blog. Either way, one of the best ways to bless the kids to whom you minister in your Christian school, after-school programs, or Sunday school is to show their teachers how valuable their service is. Here are three [...]
Posted in Children's ministry, Christian Worker, Church staff, Church Volunteers, Encouragement, Pastor, Sunday School, Teachers Tagged encouraging teachers, Teacher Appreciation Week, thanking teachers
By Jane Fryar on May 2, 2012
It seemed almost pointless to play the 1978 Orange Bowl. The Oklahoma Sooners, all but unbeatable that year, were a 21-point favorite. Then Arkansas lost four key players the week before the game. One had been injured, and Arkansas’s coach had benched three others for breaking team rules. That coach was Lou Holtz, who later [...]
Posted in Children's ministry, Christian Worker, Church staff, Church Volunteers, Encouragement, Encouraging Volunteers, Men's Ministry, Ministry, Pastor, Sunday School, Teachers, Women's Ministry, Youth Ministry Tagged appreciating volunteers, church staff, encouraging volunteers, managing volunteers
By Pat Mitchell on April 30, 2012
Editor’s note: What plans have you made to honor and encourage the moms and other women of your congregation on Mother’s Day—women who volunteer, who teach, who work hard at home and in your community? CTA provides a number of value-priced gifts designed especially for this purpose. This week’s devotion is drawn from one of our [...]
Posted in Church staff, Devotions, Encouragement, Encouraging Volunteers, Mother's Day, Pastor, Sermon Ideas, Women's Ministry Tagged free devotion, Mother's Day, Women's Ministry, women's retreats
By Jane Fryar on April 25, 2012
In last week’s post, we talked about the pros and cons of using Facebook as a tool for connecting with youth group members. If you haven’t read that article, check it out! This week, we will look at how to set up a Facebook Group, step-by-step and then talk about the ins and outs of [...]
Posted in Children's ministry, Christian Worker, Church staff, Encouragement, Pastor, Teachers, Youth Ministry Tagged children's pastor, online ministry, social media and ministry, Youth Ministry, youth pastor
By Gail Marsh on April 23, 2012
Editor’s note: What plans have you made to honor and encourage the moms and other women of your congregation on Mother’s Day—women who volunteer, who teach, who work hard at home and in your community? CTA provides a number of value-priced giftsdesigned especially for this purpose. This week’s devotion is drawn from one of our [...]
Posted in Church staff, Devotions, Encouragement, Encouraging Volunteers, Mother's Day, Sermon Ideas, Women's Ministry Tagged free devotion, Mother's Day, Women's Ministry
By Jane Fryar on April 17, 2012
This time of year, activities in Christian schools, Sunday schools, CCD classes, choirs, Awana, and Bible clubs begin winding to a close. In a few weeks, the children and youth you have worked with for multiple weeks, months, or perhaps even years will move on—to a different class, school, or community. Perhaps one of the [...]
Posted in Children's ministry, Christian Worker, Church staff, Church Volunteers, Encouragement, Encouraging Volunteers, Graduation, Grandparents Day, Youth Ministry Tagged affirming kids, children's pastor, DCE, DRE, encouraging children, encouraging kids, youth pastor
By Jane Fryar on April 16, 2012
Editor’s note: This is Volunteer Appreciation Week. For that reason, we have included a free devotion you can use to thank the volunteers who serve with you and to remind them of the blessings their service brings. This particular reading comes from CTA’s devotion book for church staff and volunteers, Thanking God for Your Servant [...]
Posted in Christian Worker, Church staff, Church Volunteers, Devotions, Encouragement, Encouraging Volunteers, Men's Ministry, Pastor, Sermon Ideas, Sunday School, Teachers, Women's Ministry, Youth Ministry Tagged encouraging church staff, encouraging volunteers, free devotion
By admin on April 11, 2012
Looking for ways to honor moms and dads, women and men in your church this spring? Your Spanish-speaking moms and dads, women and men? Wish you could find a way to reach out to the Spanish-speaking families in your community? CTA has more and more options all the time! For women and moms, check out [...]
Posted in Christian Worker, Church staff, Father's Day, Men's Ministry, Mother's Day, Outreach/Evangelism, Pastor, Teachers, Visitors, Women's Ministry Tagged Christian gifts in Spanish, Spanish items for Father's Day, Spanish items for Mother's Day
By Ruth Geisler on April 10, 2012
Getting Started Display the poem you will use in the devotion on a chart or bulletin board—“Caterpillar” by Christina G. Rossetti. (See below.) Fold a brightly colored piece of construction paper in half lengthwise. Trace your right footprint on the paper, being sure the top and bottom of your arch touch the fold; this is [...]
Posted in Children's ministry, Church staff, Devotions, Easter, Encouragement, Outreach/Evangelism, Pastor, Sunday School, Teachers Tagged children's ministry, children's pastor, Easter, free devotion
By Jane Fryar on April 9, 2012
Read 1 Corinthians 15:51-58. Focus: Thanks be to God! He gives us the victory in our Lord Jesus Christ! In 1 Corinthians 15, the apostle Paul details the blessings Jesus’ resurrection has secured for all believers. He describes what happens to us when life here on earth ends. The picture he paints floods our hearts [...]
Posted in Christian Worker, Church staff, Church Volunteers, Devotions, Easter, Encouragement, Encouraging Volunteers, Men's Ministry, Pastor, Sermon Ideas, Sunday School, Teachers, Women's Ministry Tagged Easter, encouraging church staff, encouraging church volunteers, free devotion