A Look Back at God's Faithfulness

Dear Friends,

  As 2011 draws to a close, I want to take this opportunity to say THANK YOU for your prayers and financial support of Crossroads Kids Club in the year behind us. It has been quite an exciting! Not only have we shifted our paradigm to work exclusively through local churches, but we are in more schools than last year and have three more set to open next month!
     Just over 12 months ago, I was personally in a very different place than I am today. In October 2010, I was the pastor of New Hope Community (which we had launched in 2007) and director of Crossroads, which was working with schools in two towns and one school district. I was directly responsible for each Club and also for the church. Through the summer of 2010, I had a nagging sense that something wasn't right. Looking back, I would call it a "holy discontent," which was leading me toward something new. In October of 2010, I traveled to Uganda with two good friends. While far from home (and on some long plane rides), I was able to be very honest with my friends and listen to their encouragement and counsel. When I returned home I knew that I needed to step down as pastor of the church. My gifts and personality didn't suggest a great fit for pastoral ministry, and that had become very clear to me. In realizing this, I also thought it was time for me to move on from leading Crossroads since the two ministries were so intimately connected. Little did I know that the Lord had something else in store for Crossroads, for New Hope, and for me!
     In November 2010, I began some conversations with friends in leadership at Awana Clubs. We spoke about the possibility of working together to take the Crossroads Kids Club model and share it with churches nationwide--to equip and empower local churches to share the gospel with children inside the public schools in their communities. These conversations with Awana and the Crossroads Board continued through February 2011. Finally, in March, I stepped down from leading the church, became the full time executive director of Crossroads, moved in to the Awana Clubs headquarters in Streamwood, and began pursuing the vision of helping local churches reach kids in their own communities.
     Since then, I gained some key knowledge that has helped Crossroads grow in 2011 and will, God willing, bring us forward in 2012. One of the things that I worked on was to learn what similar ministry was taking place around the nation. I wanted to know if anyone else was connecting churches to schools to reach children with the Good News of Jesus.
     I found two national organizations working inside of schools. One of these, although it works through churches, does not share the gospel with kids or even engage in spiritual conversations. The other does not work through churches but embraces a para-church model of ministry. I also found a couple of local ministries that were engaging churches with schools for evangelism but only on a regional level.
     I learned through my research that there are four key commitments in our new ministry paradigm that make Crossroads Kids Club unique:

• We are committed to the local church.
• We are committed to public schools.
• We are committed to evangelism.
• And we are committed to serving churches across the nation.

     In the spring of this past year, we began trying to establish credibility with local churches by developing relationships with senior pastors, youth pastors and children's pastors. To that end, we hosted a couple of informational luncheons. At the first one (held in Milwaukee), we had an amazing diversity of churches represented: three kinds of Lutherans, a KJV(1611)-only Baptist church, a United Methodist congregation, and some from an Evangelical Free church and an Assembly of God, among others.
     In fact, this is something else I discovered this year: God has people in all kinds of places! The original eight churches we are working with are from really diverse church traditions. What I have discovered is that the unifying themes are: a high view of Scripture plus a commitment to evangelism and neighborhood outreach. Outside of those things though, we have liturgical, charismatic, mainline, non-denominational, small and medium churches engaged. We have also seen that both urban and suburban churches are interested.
     I have learned so many other things this year as we have moved in this direction. I have become more and more convinced of the importance of what we are doing and of God's call to do exactly that.  There are so many things I could share, but I want to close by talking about the local ministry in Streamwood and Hanover Park. After I left New Hope Community, the church faced some dark times, but God raised up new leadership for New Hope! We have a new pastor, and the church has moved to a new location in Streamwood. Currently, my role at the church is as the volunteer children's ministry director and an elder. New Hope is growing and is the sponsoring church of four different Crossroads Kids Clubs in our community. This past November, nearly 30 children in our church's Crossroads Kids Club ministry professed faith in Jesus! Seeing changed lives at the local level is really what the big-picture vision is about. Now we want to see these results grow and spread across this nation.
    Through your faithful prayer and financial support of Crossroads Jesus has changed these children's lives! Not only that, but we are on track to see the impact of sharing the gospel inside of public schools exponentially expand the number of children that will be reached in the years ahead. So, thank you for your partnership in the gospel! I am truly grateful.

With great expectancy of amazing things from God in the year ahead and with sincere gratitude for his faithfulness in 2011,

Matt

Think Spring...Training!

     Today I am pleased to announce "Spring Training" presented by Crossroads Kids Club. We all know that training our children’s and youth ministry team members is vitally important, and most all of us feel the pinch of shrinking budgets. This spring, Crossroads Kids Club is pleased to offer an opportunity to access high-quality, live training for your leaders at a very low cost. We are calling it “Spring Training,” and it is a series of affordably-priced workshops led by high-caliber leaders in children’s and youth ministry. Each session takes place from 9 a.m. to noon on a Saturday during the spring of 2012. Check it out at www.SpringTrainingWorkshops.com! (Personally, I'm just happy to think about spring at this point in the Chicago winter!)

Tip of the Week: Manners Matter

     Most Crossroads Kids Club programs offer the children a snack when they first arrive. The practical reality is that the children have been in school all day, and by the time they arrive at Crossroads for an after school club, they are hungry. A friend of mine, Joe Maydak, who volunteers at a Crossroads club has a good habit when he distributes the snacks. Each child is encouraged to ask for a snack with a "please" and to say "thank you" once they receive it. It is such a simple thing that Joe is teaching them to do, but it is so important that the kids learn good manners. Saying "please" and "thank you" will only help these students as they grow older and need to communicate with adults in various contexts (like job interviews or college interviews). So, this week's tip is to find ways to incorporate manners into your ministry. Many kids are not learning even basic manners at home, so this is an area in which we can serve children well and also enhance the positive culture of the club.

Attachment, Curriculum and... Power Steering

     I am reading a book called Hold on to Your Kids: Why Parents Matter More Than Peers by Gordon Neufeld and Gabor Mate. The book is not written from a Christian viewpoint but has been very helpful. It talks about how all warm-blooded creatures copy and learn from their parents until they are ready to be adults, but our contemporary Western society has undermined the role of parents in nurturing their children by becoming extremely peer-oriented. Instead of taking our cues from parents and "elders" we focus on peers. Even as adults we become very peer-oriented—so much so that we don't even realize it.
     One of the things that stands out to me in this book is the fact that there is great power that lies in a healthy attachment relationship between a parent and child. The authors compare this to power steering. The person (or group) to which our children is attached has the power to steer their lives. The question is which way will the person with this power turn the child. Parents generally realize that they have some responsibility to nurture and guide their children, and when a child has a healthy attachment to their parent or another responsible, caring adult, they will respond to the guidance of that person. That person can easily influence the direction of the child's life. When a child become peer-oriented, the child resists the parents' attempts to steer their life and instead responds to the peer group's demands for conformity. The peer group has control of the steering wheel.

     I have noticed that much attention in Kids' Ministry circles is devoted to curriculum. This is not altogether unimportant. Curriculum helps to define the course or direction in which we want a child or group of children to go. However, I think that without the power to influence (or steer) a child, the best curriculum in the world will not accomplish much. And what leads to the power steering effect? Healthy attachment (i.e., a healthy child-adult relationship). In fact, the end goal of parenting and children's ministry is relational—to connect the children to Jesus. So, our whole ministry must be focused on building relationships with children, or it will have little impact no matter how impressive our curriculum!

Tip of the Week: Manage Transitions

     Transitioning from one activity to the next seems to be one of the most challenging aspects of leading a successful Crossroads Kids Club program. It seems like things can come unglued rapidly at these times of moving from large group to small group and from small group to games. I want to offer three simple tips that may help manage these transition times.
     First, it is very important to be explicitly clear on what the students need to do and when. For example, saying, "Everyone go to your small group." is not nearly as effective as saying, "I would like the members of the blue group to raise your hands. Great! Blue group: When I say, 'Go!' I want you to follow Jennifer to the corner by the side door and to sit down and get to work as quickly and quietly as you can. Where's the red group? Raise your hands. Great! Red group: When I say, 'Go!" I want you to follow Jeff to the corner by the window (point to corner) and to sit down and get to work as quickly as you can. In fact, let's see which team can get to their place and get started the quickest. Ready? Go!" In the second example, you will notice that I took a lot of time to explain the transition. I made sure that each student knew they were involved in this transition by asking them to raise their hands. I gave them a clear direction about who to follow, where to go, and what to do when they got there. I also told them when they should start making this transition and even introduced an element of fun (competing against the other team to see who could get started first) into the transition.
     Second tip: Give the students some "lead time." What I mean by this is to let them know that a transition is coming. If you are playing games and large group is coming up, you might say, "We're going to play one more game for about five minutes, and then it will be time to get into large group."

     The third tip is simply to publish a schedule of your club activities on a poster on the wall. You can refer to it each week in large group so that the children understand the agenda for each club session. Giving the students an awareness of the various activities in advance orients them to what is ahead and helps them to transition. A schedule can be like a map that helps to guide the group toward a destination.

What are some other ways that you successfully manage transitions in your club or ministry?

God Is in Control

     God is in control. This is a basic truth of the Christian faith, and yet I so easily forget it. I don't forget it mentally. I just don't always live like I believe it. Over the past couple of weeks, I had been extremely frustrated by a situation in a particular school district. There is a church that has seven leaders ready and waiting to start a Crossroads Kids Club in their community. We were rejected by one principal and then shut out by another one as well. I was particularly frustrated with the situation because this is a school district that has never rejected a Crossroads Kids Club in ten years, and we have six clubs already meeting in six schools in this same district. The point is that it was not a matter of district policy or of not having a church ready to lead. The whole situation just didn't make sense to me.
     God is closing these doors because he has something else for you, I assured the associate pastor who was leading the Crossroads team. The trouble was that I really only half believed that. (Mostly I was just saying it to sound more spiritual.) Then we got a meeting with the principal of a third school in the neighborhood last Thursday. Walking in to that meeting I was not sure what to expect.
     Almost immediately, the principal shared that she was a follower of Jesus. She told us what her home church was, and in the course of the conversation she shared that she had grown up as a missionary kid. In any case, she was absolutely delighted to work with the church and to have a Crossroads Kids Club start there. We could tell that she had a genuine love and concern for the students in her building, and she shared some of the incredible obstacles the children routinely face—parents in jail, parents being deported, etc. The bottom line: God reminded me that he really is in control. This church and I had our plans, but God had other plans. He closed the door to two other schools to lead us to this one where we were not thinking of going. I left that meeting so encouraged and I am rejoicing that his ways are so much better than ours!

Tip of the Week: Manage your Space in Small Group

     Small group time is a key component of Crossroads Kids Club. During this time, caring adult leaders have the opportunity to really get to know the students at the club. Small group time can also prove to be a big distraction for many students. The reason is that there are several groups meeting simultaneously in one space (usually a gym, classroom or multi-purpose room). For some reason, what is happening in the other groups always seems more interesting to some students than the conversation in their own group. Furthermore, some students thrive on negative attention and will intentionally try to attract the attention of students in another group by waving, making faces, jumping up and down or whatever they can do.

     One of the most important ways a small group leader can minimize these distractions is by managing their physical space well. First, you want the students to be sitting close to you. This allows them to speak more quietly, which makes the overall volume of the room less. It also keeps them more focused on you and what you are communicating. One of the best ways to accomplish this closeness is to define the space by using an object on the floor. For example, in some gyms tumbling mats are available. In other cases, you might bring a picnic blanket or some carpet pieces. Any of these methods will help to define the space and clearly communicate where the children should be sitting—close to you. Second, you want the children to face you and not the other groups. A great way to accomplish this is to sit with your back to a corner of the room. Then when the children are facing you, they see two walls as a backdrop instead of other small groups.

Keep your students' attention by managing your space well.

Alignment: Open Schools Matched with Interested Churches

     It is the time of year when many of us reflect on the past 12 months and plan for what might be in store during the new year ahead. Looking back on 2011, I am very excited and encouraged about what God has accomplished. Crossroads Kids Club expanded from working in just one school district in Illinois to working (through local churches) in three districts in two states with another two districts on the horizon for January. Throughout this process of beginning to grow beyond our home town we have been talking with both church leaders and school leaders. One thing I have observed is that there is frequently a geographic disconnect between the open schools and the interested churches. What I mean is this: Sometimes I find a school district that is wide open to having a Christian club in their building(s), and I cannot find a church in that community interested in taking advantage of that opportunity. Other times (and more frequently), I find a church that is interested, but its local schools require quite a bit of coaxing in order to open their doors. 
     Having noticed this, I have a new plan for 2012, which involves being more strategic in selecting which churches to approach.
Yesterday, I found a map of all the school districts in the State of Illinois. This will allow Crossroads to systematically investigate the policies of each district regarding the use of space by community groups. My plan is for us to assign a color code to each district on the map based upon its probable openness to a faith-based club. Most likely we will use green for those that are most open, yellow for those that are probably open but may have some hurdles, red for those that would be the most challenging, and gray for those where the policies are ambiguous. After doing this, we can then look at what churches are meeting in the "green districts" and then we can let them know that their local schools should be wide open. Hopefully, this plan will allow us to gain momentum a bit quicker in 2012. Also, my hope is that once we get established in the open districts, it will be harder for the "yellow districts" and even the "red districts" to stop churches from starting clubs when all the neighboring districts have set the precedent.

A Crossroads Kids Club Christmas Lesson Plan

     I just finished putting together a Christmas lesson plan for our Crossroads Kids Clubs to use. It is still in draft form (i.e., It is plain vanilla text.) and is definitely not based on an original idea. Nonetheless I will share it with you in case someone finds a use for it.

“J” Is for Jesus
A Christmas Lesson

Background

Materials Needed:   
      For Large Group:

• (Optional) One copy of the book The Legend of the Candy Cane by Lori Walburg (ISBN: 978-0310212478)
• (Optional) Lyrics and music for some Christmas songs

      For Each Small Group:

• A Bible
• A dictionary
• “Beaded Legend of The Candy Cane Ornament Craft Kit,” available at www.orientaltrading.com ($2.29/dozen currently), one craft per student
• Candy canes, one per student

Main Idea:
Christmas is about Jesus, and Jesus came to save us and to lead us. 

Scriptural Basis:

• Matthew 1:19–21
• John 10:14
• Matthew 7:24–27
• Hebrews 4:15
• Isaiah 53:4–5
• John 3:16
• Matthew 2:1–11
• Luke 2:1–21
  

Session Schedule

Snack, Check In & Welcome (10 Minutes)

Opening Game(s) (30 Minutes)
Choose your game(s) from the Crossroads Kids Club games handbook.

Large Group Lesson (20–30 Minutes)

• Open the lesson with these ice breaker questions:
• What plans do you have for celebrating Christmas?
• What gift(s) are you hoping to receive for Christmas?
  
• Explain that Christmas is about remembering that Jesus was born. God took on human flesh and was born as a baby. He grew into a boy and then a man. One of the titles used for Jesus is Immanuel, which means “God is with us.” Say: This is great news! In fact, after Jesus was born, an angel appeared to some shepherds and said: “I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people” (Luke 2:10b NIV). Today we are going to look at a common piece of Christmas candy—the candy cane—and see why the fact that Jesus came to earth is such great news.
  
• Object Lesson: The Candy Cane
  
  
  • Explain that you will need some helpers who can look up and read some Bible verses as you talk about how the candy cane reminds us of the great news that Jesus came to earth. The readers should look up the passages in advance and be ready to read. The passages are:
    
  • Matthew 1:19–21
  • John 10:14
  • Matthew 7:24–27
  • Hebrews 4:15
  • Isaiah 53:4–5
  • John 3:16
  • Matthew 2:1–11
    
  • The Shape:
    
  • The candy cane makes a “J” shape. What do you think the letter “J” represents at Christmas? (Jesus!) Yes, Jesus. Does anyone know what the name Jesus means? Let’s look in the Bible to find out. Ask the first reader to read Matthew 1:19–21 aloud. Explain that Jesus was the name God had chosen to give to his Son when he was born because it means “The Lord Saves.” Remind the students that we are all in bondage to sin, but Jesus came to save us—to set us free!
    
  • Turn the candy cane the other way and it makes a shepherd’s staff. Ask the students if they know for what purposes a shepherd would use a staff. Explain that a shepherd would guide the sheep and keep them from danger using a staff. Ask the next reader to read John 10:14. Explain that Jesus is our good shepherd. He wants to lead us and guide us into God’s best for us.
    
  • The Hardness:
    
  • A candy cane is a hard candy. How many of you like chewy candies? How many prefer hard candies? Both are good, right? But if I want someone who I can depend on, I want them to be solid, not soft and squishy, right? The hardness of the candy cane reminds us that Jesus is a rock. Ask the next reader to read Matthew 7:24–27. Jesus’ words are rock solid because Jesus is the Rock of Ages. He is totally dependable.
    
  • The Colors:
    
  • White is the absence of color. It represents the absences of sin. Jesus was totally pure and holy. He never thought or did anything against God’s law. Ask the next reader to read Hebrews 4:15, which talks about the fact that Jesus was tempted but did not sin.
    
  • The Red stripes represent Jesus’ blood. Jesus died as a substitute for us. Our sin needed to be paid for if we were going to have a right relationship with God. The penalty for sin is death. Jesus suffered and died to give us life. Ask the next volunteer to read Isaiah 53:4–5 aloud.
    
    
  • The color red also symbolizes love. Jesus came and died for us because he loves us—because God loves us. Let’s take a look at John 3, verse 16.
    
  • The Flavor:
    
  • What flavor are most traditional candy canes? (peppermint) Ask the final reader to read Matthew 2:1–11. Explain the context of what is happening in this passage and then ask the students if any of them have an idea what this story has to do with peppermint. Explain that peppermint is flavorful and fragrant. In fact, you can grow the herb peppermint in the garden, and when you rub the leaves in your hands it makes a very strong smell. The wise men in Matthew chapter 2 brought Jesus some fragrant gifts—frankincense and myrrh. They also brought him something valuable: gold. They recognized that Jesus was the Savior, the Rock of Ages and the Son of God. They brought gifts to him. The peppermint reminds us of these gifts and that we should offer the best of what we have back to God, too.
    
  • Ask the students for ideas about how they can give to God. Discuss the fact that God loves when we worship him by speaking praises or singing songs to him or about him. You might wish to sing some Christmas songs of worship at this point.

• (Optional) Read The Legend of the Candy Cane.
   
• Pray with the students and dismiss them to small groups.

Small Group Discussion (20–30 Minutes)

• Explain that a lot of people are confused about the real meaning of Christmas. Ask a student to look up what the dictionary says Christmas is about. The dictionary will say something about Christmas being an annual celebration when Christians remember Jesus’ birth.
  
• Say: Well, the dictionary was a little bit helpful in understanding what Christmas is all about, but where could we look to really learn more? (The Bible)
  
• Read the Christmas story from Luke 2:1–21. You might use some dramatic voices or even have students read parts of it. Ask questions for understanding and comprehension.
  
• Review the candy cane object lesson to explain why it is so important that Jesus was born.
  
• Tell the students that they will be making a Christmas ornament to remind them about the meaning of the candy cane. Distribute the Candy Cane ornament craft kits and make this craft together with the students.
  
• Take the students’ prayer requests and pray with them.
  
• Before dismissing the students, give each one a real candy cane.

How to Check References

     In addition to my full-time work with Crossroads Kids Club, I have recently assumed the responsibility of the Children's Ministry Director at the local church I attend. In that capacity, I have had to come up with a staff screening process in order to be sure that the adults working with our kids are safe people. We are using a 3-part screening process, which includes an application, reference checks and some criminal database checks. I asked my friend and long-time investigator, Tom Hampson, for some help in knowing what to ask references. I thought his insights were very keen, and so I wanted to share with you what he said about checking the references of your staff.

Insights from Tom Hampson:

The first thing you need to do for each reference is to qualify them.:

• How well do they know the applicant? 
• Do they know the applicant personally, or professionally, or both? 
• How long have they known him? 
• How often do they see him? 
• Who else knows the person as well as the reference?  Who knows her better?  (This gives you someone else to check with if you want.) 

References provide a glimpse of the person, but only a very limited glimpse. The goal is to see who this person really is. Ask questions like these:

• What is the person’s character? 
• What are his interests? 
• What does she value? 
• What does he believe?
• How does the applicant spend his free time, his money?  
• What are his hobbies?

Ask about observable behaviors in their work with children:

• Has the reference observed the applicant work with children? 
• How did the applicant handle himself? 
• How did the children respond? 
• Does the applicant ever talk about children?  His own?  Other children?  Get some examples.

If the reference has not observed the applicant with children, find out about the person’s loyalty and honesty:

• How trustworthy is the applicant? 
• Has the applicant ever been in any trouble? 
• Any incidents involving alcohol or drugs? 
• Any outbursts of anger?
• What kind of jokes does the person tell? 
• How would the reference characterize the applicant’s sense of humor?
• How balanced is the person’s life between work, entertainment, family, church?
• How does the person manage and spend his money?

Ask about the applicant's spiritual character:

• What insight does the reference have on the applicant’s religious and spiritual life? 
• How self centered or self sacrificing is the applicant?  Get examples.

     Answers to these questions should give you a pretty good idea about the person. Be especially aware if you get significantly different answers from different people. Very often people present different personas at work, at church, in professional organizations, etc. Generally speaking, healthier and more spiritually mature people are the same wherever they are. Unhealthy people tend to act quite differently depending on the context.

Tom Hampson is the founder of The Truth Alliance Foundation.

Tip of the Week: Keeping Kids' Attention

     I came across this video by Dale Hudson who is the director of children's ministry at Christ Fellowship Church in Palm Beach, Florida. In it, he gives some amazing tactics for gaining and re-gaining the attention of children you are teaching. With his permission, I am sharing his video here:

Suburban Isolation

     I have written before on this blog about how community involvement in our schools is one of the key pieces of educational reform. I believe that a truly great school has three things: excellent programming (high-quality curriculum, teaching, and materials), outstanding leadership, and a community that is engaged and has a sense of ownership in its local school. Churches are (or at least can and should be) important members of a local community and are stakeholders in the educational system in their community. I believe that churches can and should also work to empower parents and encourage businesses to become supporters and advocates for the kids in their community and the schools that serve them. Every child in every neighborhood should have a quality education. 
     This all sounds good in theory, but one very practical problem I have been thinking about lately is the issue of "suburban isolation." It is challenging to engage a community in a school when very little sense of community exists. I live in a geographically suburban community. Although my town is ethnically and economically diverse and shares many "urban" problems such as gang activity, homelessness, and hunger, it is geographically and architecturally suburban. The very way that suburban neighborhoods are laid out creates a sense of isolation. We have roads that lead to nowhere (cul de sacs), garages in the back of homes, no front porches to sit on, and privacy fences in our backyards. I also live in a northern climate, and we are now entering the season of extreme isolation. Pretty soon it will be so cold that only the hardiest souls will be out walking their dogs, and other than that we can go for months without even seeing our next door neighbors except for when they pass by in their cars.
     The point I am making is that if we want to have solid community involvement in our schools, then we need to build solid communities. And the question I have is: How can we create a sense of community and belonging in a suburban context with all its architectural emphasis on separation?

Prioritizing Relationships and Results Ahead of Curriculum

     This past Tuesday, I went out to visit one of our Crossroads Kids Club sites. This particular site has been led by Patty LoCascio for at least five years. When Patty saw me, she was less than enthusiastic about my presence. "Why are you here?" she wanted to know. I made a joke about how it seems like she never wants me to visit, and she explained that I make her nervous and that she was not following the Crossroads curriculum plan for that day (which apparently made her more nervous). She said that she planned to explain the gospel to the students using the classic "bridge illustration" that day.
     As a side note, I am personally not a big fan of the bridge illustration for a number of reasons, including the fact that it focuses on us coming to God instead of the fact that God came to us—"to seek and to save that which was lost." In any case, later that day I received an e-mail from Patty telling me that 14 children had decided that they wanted to be forgiven and to follow Jesus! 14 children responded to her presentation of the gospel message. 14 lives are changed forever.
     The curriculum plan for that day called for the students to learn about how to resolve conflict and get along with their siblings. What if Patty had followed the leading of Crossroads instead of the Holy Spirit? What if I had expressed my reservations about the "bridge" and Patty had happened to listen? Only God knows what might have happened, but I suspect that the results would not have been as good. The other day I wrote a post about how Crossroads offers connection, curriculum, and consulting to local churches wishing to have school-based ministries. As important as the curriculum piece is (and it is very important), the consulting—the relationships—are far more important.
     A Kids Club leader must have a healthy relationship with the Lord. They need to listen to his leading and follow that regardless of the curriculum plan. Second, they must keep their eye on the ball, by which I mean that our goal is for all children to come to know, love, and serve Jesus. Sometimes they will need to modify or abandon a lesson plan to move toward that goal. To determine this, the leader needs to be in touch with both the Lord and with the students. Who knows? They may even use illustrations that I personally don't like, and they might see great results! Bottom line: Relationships and results are far more important than any curriculum or another person's preferences. In the end, I suppose that relationships are the curriculum—they are the "how" of what we do. And I am so glad that Patty did what she did and that there was much rejoicing among the angels on Tuesday as 14 children turned from sin and turned to Jesus!

What Do I Do?

     Sometimes my youngest daughter wants to know what it is that I do all day. That is a good question, and I have been thinking about not only what I do but what Crossroads Kids Club does. What is it that we can offer churches who want to engage with public schools? I have boiled it down to three things—three C's:

CONNECTION. First, Crossroads Kids Club is a name brand and serves as an umbrella organization. This is helpful in opening the doors to new schools and districts. Recently, I met with a pastor and principal in Bloomingdale, Illinois. Although the principal and the pastor were already friends, the principal was very cautious about having anything "religious" in his building. Because this church was hoping to start a Crossroads Kids Club program and because Crossroads has been operating in public schools for over a decade, I was able to provide the principal with names and phone numbers of other principals with whom he could speak to investigate us. He seemed to appreciate receiving this information, and just this week I received an e-mail from him saying that the door is open and explaining how he and the superintendent wanted to structure things with regard to the church's relationship to the school. So, a connection to an umbrella organization opens doors to new schools and new districts.

CURRICULUM. Second, we have learned that it is very difficult to find curriculum that works well in schools. There are a several challenges we face going into the schools. To start with, we have to keep things very simple and portable. We have to get in and get out quickly, so we can't have elaborate set ups or activities requiring lots of preparation. Also, we have found that much published material is heavily literacy-based. We deal with a lot of non-native speakers of English and other students that are below their grade level in reading, so we need a curriculum that is "hands on" and not literacy based. Finally, much of what is out there presupposes knowledge of Christian faith. We regularly encounter students from non-Christian (e.g., Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, etc.) backgrounds, and so we cannot presuppose prior knowledge. Finally, we strive to be non-sectarian in our approach. We desire to be a Bible-based character-formation club and to stick to the parts of Scripture that are most clear. To that end, one thing that we do is not print the text of the Bible into the material but only Scripture references. We leave it to each church to decide what translation of the Bible they wish to use. One of our site directors said recently that she thought she would have to edit the curriculum to fit her denomination's theology but found that it worked just fine as it was. I took this as a sign of our success in creating something Jesus-centered, Bible-based, and non-sectarian.

CONSULTING. Third, we offer personal and contextualized advice and training to churches to help them with everything from engaging with a school for the first time to recruiting and training leaders. This is probably the most highly specialized part of what we do and draws on our years of experience working with children and with schools. Recently, I spoke by phone with a youth pastor in Orland Park, Illinois. He moved there from Texas very recently. In Texas, he had a lot of access to students on campuses, but he has found the door to school-based ministry to be closed in the Chicagoland area. I asked him for the names of the middle schools he would like to work with. I was able to determine that these schools were in three different districts and that all of them have policies that should permit a Christian after school club on campus. In fact, one district's policies explicitly mentioned that religious groups would not have to pay a rental fee. The point of this story is that school districts are very often bureaucratic and difficult for church leaders to navigate. From our years of experience, it is generally easy for us to be able to find openings for churches in their communities where they have not been able to in the past, and this is a big part of our consulting.

What other things would help you to get started in school-based ministry?