Filed under: 411 for Volunteers
We will be offering a special training on Monday, April 13th at 6:30 in the AP room. It will allow all of our volunteers and parents to get a sneak peak at the new electonic check-in. We are confident that the check-in will be easy enough for anyone to navigate, but want to give parents an opportunity to come and ask questions if they would like to. The first part of the meeting, open to all, will be short (15-30 minutes.)
The second part of our meeting will be for our guest center volunteers, and our directors and team leaders. We’ll be offering additional training to prepare them for special circumstances, checking in guests, and some changes in a few procedures.
To see a preview of our new check-in process, click here.
April 8, 2009
To all of our children’s ministry volunteers,
The West Side Christian Church staff invites you to join us for the 3rd annual WSCC Volunteer Celebration on Friday, April 24th from 6-9 p.m. More than1000 volunteers serve regularly at West Side (more than 300 of which serve in children’s ministry). This kind of dedication deserves celebration!
Our celebration begins with a free, catered meal from 6:00-6:30 p.m. At 6:45, we’ll move to the worship center for an evening of humor and entertainment with internationally renowned comedian, Taylor Mason. Spouses are welcome and childcare is provided upon request. Kids will enjoy a pizza dinner and fun activities in the children’s area.
We do need you to register though so that we can be sure to plan ahead for you and your kids. Click here to register!
Our volunteers work hard and give a lot of love, and we want to give a little love back to you! So we hope you’ll come and join us in celebrating ALL that God has done at West Side this year! YOU ROCK! We are a better church because of you!
With much love and gratitude,
Jessica Schildman
March 19, 2009
The Bible says, Know that the LORD is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
For the LORD is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations. Psalm 100:3-5 (NIV)
I love this time of year for lots of reasons, but the biggest one is because it is a good reminder to slow down and count my blessings. Have you stopped to do that recently? You might be surprised at how long the list becomes!
One of the things that I’m most thankful for is the opportunity that God has given me to work with our kids, their families and a wonderful group of volunteers. Every day, I get to play a part in someone’s spiritual journey. How grateful I am to serve that purpose in God’s kingdom.
I asked some of our volunteers to tell me what they liked most about serving in the children’s ministry. Their responses made me smile, and some of them made me laugh. Here are a few:
“It is food for my soul. Watching little kids worship is an amazing experience thatI wouldn’t miss for the world.” ~Ginger, preschool volunteer
“I get to experience God’s sweetest miracles, and snuggling on them is just an added bonus.” ~Jaime, nursery team leader
“I am thankful to get to volunteer in the children’s ministry because I love seeing how happy the kids are to come each Sunday. Their bright smiles make my day! And of course, I LOVE going into the Lambs room to watch the littlest kids in our ministry. They really make me smile.” ~Jennifer, preschool director
“I am thankful I get to help in the nursery because, as a parent, I know how relaxing and important it is to get uninterrupted time to worship and hear the message each week. It was also one of the few times my husband and I were without children together and it helped us to bond by worshipping and studying God’s word together.” ~Jen, nursery volunteer
“Teaching toddlers is so rewarding! It is delightful to watch their faces as they interact with the toys and respond to the songs during the lesson. And the best part is that they are young enough to enjoy the lesson but not old enough to talk back yet! 
” ~Mary, Purple Puppy director
I hope you all have a wonderful thanksgiving!!!!
With a grateful heart,
Jessica Schildman
November 26, 2008
I read a great article today that I wanted to share with you! It was published by the company that producesour curriculum for preschoolers. Their curriculum builds in a special small group time where kids get to share with other kids how the lesson applies to them. At WSCC, we call it “Talk Time.”
On Sunday mornings, our Talk Time is one of my favorite times to be in a room or leading my own group. I remember last month when our lesson was aboutGod calling David to be the future king. Our question during talk time was- “what wouldYOU like to be when you grow up?” I loved the answers the kids gave….some of them said a fireman or a bus driver. But my favorite answers were “a princess” and “spiderman.” Oh, to be a kid again!
Our talk time does a few imporant things in building community with our kids…
First, it gives kids an opportunity to share something of themselves on a very simple level. As people, we want to be known. We want to be heard. Our talk time gives each child their ownopportunity to experience that. Every child in the circlehas an opportunity to speak and be heard.
Second, it allows kids to build friendships and gives them a sense of belonging. The words our volunteer leaders use can be instrumental in this. “Let’s make room for all our friends in our cirlce.” “While our friends are talking, let’s be good listeners.” “Let’s let our friend, Maggie, share first.” “We have a new friend today, Marcus. Marcus, can you tell all our friends in the circle about….”
During Count Me In, when we learned about GROUP we boiled it down to one word: FRIENDS.Many of our kids will build lifelong friendships at West Side. I’m so glad I get to see the very beginning!
If you’d like to read the article for yourself, click here.
~Jessica
November 4, 2008
For all our volunteers who serve in the White Lambs, Purple Puppies and Orange Butterflies, there is a special lunch for you on Sunday morning following church (12:30-1:30 p.m.) Your families are invited to attend with you. We will have lunch together and then meet briefly. Hope you can make it!
October 15, 2008
For all our volunteers who serve in the White Lambs, Purple Puppies and Orange Butterflies, there is a special lunch for you on Sunday morning following church (12:30-1:30 p.m.) Your families are invited to attend with you. We will have lunch together and then meet briefly. Hope you can make it!
October 15, 2008
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