WOMEN: Prayer Shower

When a couple in a congregation is having a baby, we want to fill them with encouragement and, perhaps, even some material items we know they'll need. It's a celebration of a new life. We should also do this for single mothers. Yes, they may have made an error in judgment, but we don't hold mistakes or sins against anyone else, why would we do it for them. We want to fill them with encouragement as well, and celebrate the new life they're bringing into the world, who is also a child of God. After all, being a single parent is a lot more challenging than having a partner to share the burden of raising a child. Yes, babies are a gift, a blessing, and a joy, but they're also a lot of work. These days they're also very expensive if you listen to everyone telling you about all the things you need. 

Some congregations give baby showers to their new mothers, but that tradition can be a challenge to keep up. If the congregation goes through a season of many new babies, having all those showers can be a lot to expect of the members, and it's usually the women who attend them. It can also be a financial burden if people are expected to buy gifts, often for people they do not know. 

What we can do as a church is have a  PRAYER SHOWER. What's a Prayer Shower? It's an opportunity to give a new mom prayerful encouragement that will last much longer than an evening and bless a child through the mother. 

We want to shower New Mom with prayers and faithful encouragement that lasts longer than a day or an event. What does this look like? All of the gifts are sealed envelopes that have on the front something like,

(Below are just examples - feel free to come up with your own.) Read this when… 

• You need a break.
• The baby won't stop crying.
• You feel helpless.
• You don’t know what to pray.
• You haven't eaten (or showered).
• You're trying something new (taking the baby on errands or going to church).
• You're amazed at the gifts of God.
• You're worried about what people will think or say.
• The baby is teething.
• You’re feeling truly thankful for how God is taking care of you and your baby.
• You would give anything for a hot meal.
• Work demands more than you've got.
• You feel all alone.
• You really don’t want to get up.
• You're somebody says something mean about your parenting skills. 
• You think you can’t do it.
• You feel isolated and lonely.
• Parenthood is harder than you thought it would be.
• You’re sick, but the baby is not.
• The baby is sick.
• You have to go back to work. 
• You are lonely.
• You look at your sleeping gift from God and your heart is full. 

THERE ARE A MILLION OPTIONS! 

In your card you can include Bible verses, prayers, an encouraging poem, a personal note, or a story to help Mom get through the moment or the day. Never discount your own experience as not being encouraging. Sometimes all we need is to know that what we're going through is common! We are not alone.  

THIS IS NOT A REGULAR BABY SHOWER WHERE EVERYONE IS EXPECTED TO BRING MATERIAL SHOWER GIFTS. If you want to give a material gift, please do that at another time. This event is a PRAYER SHOWER.

Example: 

A Prayer Shower can be done as a gathering, with yummy treats, or without. I never say no to yummy treats, but since the goal is focused on giving the mom-to-be spiritual encouragement and support, a prayer shower can be done by having people send their support cards or letters directly to the new mom, or they can be put in her church mailbox. 

My gift to new moms at our church is the following blessing, framed to hang on a wall near the baby's bed, and intended to be said to that child every morning and/or every night. 

YOUTH: High School Faith Builder Program

 The High School Faith Builder Program

The Faith Builder Program is, in many ways, an extension of confirmation. It continues through high school and hopefully instills in youth a desire to always keep learning and seeking God's truth in the Word. It needs to be planned ahead so everyone knows what they're going to do as a group. 

Below is a chart of a program I would create that includes the 7th and 8th grade confirmation years. This can be done on Wednesdays or during Sunday School hour. It's very interactive and may not take the whole year, which means you can still have time to study other topics. Students should be able to work together and choose project themes. Timelines, and work groups should be discussed, but approved by the leader. These classes are intended to be fun, engaging, and educational.

Year/ Grade	Study	Service/Leadership	Project
7th	Catechism MS Bible Reading Plan Year 1 (Old Testament)	In-church Service Out-of-Church Service	Faith Journey Poster (Talk to family members about faith.)
8th	Catechism MS Bible Reading Plan Year 2 (New Testament)	In-church Service Out-of-Church Service	Reflection Paper
9th	Worship Education Worship Music Study   - Hymn Studies   - Contemporary Music Studies   - Camp Music LCMS & Social Issues: Where do we stand?	In-Church Service Out-of-Church Service Work with junior students to develop a worship service.	Worship Music Project   (Music reflecting beliefs) Evaluate Adult Bible Studies (using an evaluation tool)
10th	HS Bible Reading Plan Year 1 (Old Testament) Discipleship 101	Sit in on various boards or committees. See what interests them.	Work with Sunday School children on an Old Testament Story presentation.
11th	HS Bible Reading Plan Year 2 (New Testament) Discipleship 201	Leadership – participate on a board or committee	Plan & Organize a Worship Service (work with peers).
12th	Surprised by Joy by C.S. Lewis Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis	Leadership – Plan and organize an event at church.	Use a creative way to share their beliefs: create a video, write a book, use creative drama, write a song, etc. These should be shared with the congregation on or around graduate recognition Sunday. (Previous post)

REMEMBER - everything kids do together is fun because 

they're doing it together!  Let friends work with friends!

• Service within the congregation - Students need to transition into adult roles by starting to take an active part in the congregation though ushering, reading Scripture, being Sunday School teacher aids, doing yard work or working on the facility, working or participating on a board and/or being a part of a "ladies" group or larger church ministry of some kind. This should include multi-generational activities. If they have an idea of their own about how they can serve, perhaps starting a homework club, have them propose it at a board meeting.
• Service outside of the congregation - This could begin at any time and should not be something they do with a large youth group but could be done with one or two friends. We want them to live lives of service and understand that it doesn't have to happen within and "event" or "mission trip." They can volunteer to visit nursing homes, clean their grandma's home or garage, help an older person in their neighborhood, volunteer to take care of a younger person for somebody, stay after school to help a teacher, read to younger kids, etc. 
• Organize an event. Students should organize (with a few friends) a church event. The older kids should take the key leadership roles while the younger kids learn from them. The key to this working is not to let adults take over and do it for them. 
• Visit adult Bible studies. Students can do an evaluation of some kind that includes questions about the content and asks their opinion of what was discussed. They need to feel absolutely welcome and encouraged to attend and ask any questions they might have. Some older adults may have difficulty with this, but it's an important step in the transition into adult participation in the congregation. 
• I believe... - Students can work together to create a document of their beliefs. It can be a video, book, creative drama, song, etc., but should be in their own words. (This document may help.) The goal of every Christian is not just to be concerned about their own relationship with God, but to be able to share the gospel with others.
• Develop Worship Service - After learning about worship, students organize and lead a worship service. It should contain all appropriate elements, a theme, appropriate music, a message about what they believe with specific teachable moments for the congregation, etc. They'll need guidance from the pastor and be given structure. These documents might help:  worship table of parts, blank worship table of parts, biblical history of worship, and worship service planning outline. 

The Faith Builder Program is intended to be both fun and challenging! 

It is not intended to be a huge chore!

The Send Off
Send-Off Sunday is also graduate recognition Sunday. Imagine what they will have learned and how much fun they will have being creative while developing their belief system. Imagine how much they will feel a part of the congregation after serving in the congregation, participating on boards, and being welcome in adult Bible study. On this day, the seniors will share their projects (video, book, skit, song, etc.) with the congregation. Depending on the size of the group it can be done during worship or afterward with a potluck. Please be sure to have families come up and put their hands on their kids as you pray for them.  Have the other students in the group write and say the prayer.

EDUCATION: Bible News Information Sheets

My congregation had the wonderful opportunity to read the Bible in chronological order this past year and many succeeded. In order to make things less confusing for them I created the BIBLE NEWS for all 66 books. 

There is so much information that we don't have when we start reading the Bible, especially in the Old Testament. There are unfamiliar terms or phrases, history, and political and cultural information, not to mention reading ancient Hebrew poetry and figurative language used by the prophets. Included in the News are also themes that span the whole Bible that we should be looking for, common misconceptions, and situations with the prophets that we don't know. It's so much easier to understand the epistles when we know why the apostle responded to the person or congregation the way they did. 

All of this information deepens our comprehension as we read these amazing books. Researching and writing them was a great blessing to me and I hope they are a blessing to all who use them as well. Interested? You can find them here or soon on Sola Publishing. 

Download a Sample or Get them for your congregation!

YOUTH: The Truth About STDs

We all know that God does not recommend treating sex like a recreational activity, but it should be saved for a special relationship with one other person. Some people think it's the 21st century and that "rule" is outdated, but the truth is that not only does multiple sex partners erode your future marriage before you even get there, but every time you're intimate with someone, you're sharing a part of yourself that you cannot get back and your ability to be truly intimate with that one special person gets more difficult. With the 6th commandment, God is actually protecting our marriages and our ability to be intimate with one person and indeed, our souls.

Looking for a more practical reason to give your youth? Here's a good one.

According to the World Health Organization (2022) there are more than 30 different bacteria, viruses, and parasites that can be transmitted through sexual contact. Think you can just go to the doctor on campus and get a pill? Well, friends, think again. All are treatable, but only four are currently curable. FOUR!

Women can take the pill to try and prevent pregnancy, but it doesn’t protect them from many sexually transmitted diseases (STD) or infections (STI), though it may help for a few of them. Do you want to take that risk?

For the record, sexual contact means any time skin touches skin, whether it’s a hand, a mouth, or any other part of the body. People were told to wash their hands and be careful what they touch to prevent the spread of Covid-19, a coronavirus. Touching someone’s infected genitals or genital area transmits a virus too. Not only that, but many of them can be transmitted from mother-to-child during pregnancy, childbirth, and breastfeeding, and worse, some of them can cause cancer and infertility, and even worse, you may not know you have one or are passing it around. The next time you think God’s rule about not having casual sex or sex outside of marriage is ridiculous, think about that.

There are millions of new infections every year and again, you don’t always know you have one. The ONLY way to know for sure that you’re not getting a sexually transmitted disease is to not have casual sex before marriage, and that means vaginal penetration, oral sex (putting mouth, tongue, or lips on another person's genitals -- front or back). Syphilis, HPV, and herpes are known to cause symptoms in the mouth and throat. Others that can be spread orally include gonorrhea, chlamydia, trichomoniasis, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and HIV. Please remind youth that many of these have NO SYMPTOMS. If you are treating sex like a recreational activity, you will not know you have one of these unless you are tested, and tested often.

No man wants to have to tell the woman he wants to marry that he carries a sexually transmitted disease that cannot be cured because he had no self-control. No woman wants to tell the man she wants to marry that she cannot have a baby because she had no self-control. You might want to show this to your youth and their parents (Pam Stenzel).

 

CONFIRMATION: What's a good confirmation teacher?

 Sometimes parents complain about their church's confirmation teacher, which is often the pastor. Sometimes kids complain too. Let's be honest. Middle school kids complain about anything they don't want to do and think they can get out of by complaining. Sometimes parents buy into it and sometimes they see through the complaints and know that the purpose of confirmation is greater than kids realize.  So, when we start deciding what a good confirmation teacher is, we should start at the beginning. 

What's a good teacher? 

Can kids recognize a good teacher? What is their criteria? Most kids, especially teens, consider a teacher good if: 

• They're getting a good grade. What if everyone in that class is getting a good grade? Is getting a good grade more or less important than earning that grade and learning? 
• The teacher is fun or funny or cool. What if the most popular teacher is also the one who has the lowest academic and behavioral standards? Is caring about what a student learns more or less important than being cool? 
• The teacher is too lenient and students can easily change his/her mind or get away with things they shouldn't. Is holding a student accountable for their choices more or less important than them getting their way? 
• The teacher has low academic expectations or homework as long as they get a good evaluation. 

If a student's only criteria for good or bad teaching is how they feel, can they truly know the difference between a good or bad teacher? Kids are kids. That's why they need parents and teachers who care enough to do what's best for them even when they don't like it. It is common for a child to tell their parents that a teacher is bad if:

• They don't like the class and don't want to be there.  
• They are getting a bad grade. 
• The teacher consistently expects them to do their best. 
• The teacher isn't fun because his/her first priority is that they learn.
• They hear their parents speaking badly about the teacher at home.
• They think their parent will automatically agree with them.  

It's important that teachers be approachable and friendly, but they are often portrayed by students as bad teachers because they know they are about to get in trouble for something they know they should have done, or shouldn't have done. It's the same with parents of teens. You're the greatest parent in the world when you let your child do what s/he wants, but the minute you say no, you're the worst. Sometimes a child's favorite teacher is a favorite because of their personality and not their teaching expertise. Let's not discount some important things about that though. Good teachers: 

• Care about their students as people and show that in how they interact with them. They're friendly even though they have standards. 
• Care about whether or not their students are learning what they're being taught. They're approachable and ready to help. 
• Teach students more than their subject, but also about life, accountability, the value of hard work, and the benefit of good habits and character. 
• Want to partner with parents so they communicate with them when their children are not doing the work they should be doing. 
• Have requirements that benefit their students even if they don't see that benefit yet. 
• See the bigger picture of their student's life and try to prepare them for  challenges and what comes next. 

What's a good confirmation teacher?

If you're a parent or a student, before you complain about a pastor or other teacher of confirmation, check this list. Does your pastor/confirmation educator: 

• Care about getting to know your child?
• Care about whether or not your child participates in class learning activities?
• Care about whether or not your child is doing their memory work? 
• Attempt to give your child the information necessary in a way they can understand it? 
• Attempt to help your child understand difficult doctrinal concepts through stories and examples? 
• Attempt to get your child (and their parents) to read the Bible? 
• Make himself available to have difficult conversations about the Bible and life? 
• Let students and parents ask questions about anything they may be struggling with? 
• Talk to parents about the importance of putting their child's faith above sports? School sports usually last until kids graduate from high school, and sometimes college. Faith is both lifelong and eternal. 
• Expect your child to do the work necessary to increase their faith? Or has it been watered down to the point where it's fun, but they aren't really learning much? 
• Care about whether or not your child will meet you in heaven one day? 

These are the qualities of a good confirmation teacher. If your pastor does these things, you should not be complaining, but appreciating and thanking. 

CONFIRMATION: Faith Journeys

 My husband started doing something in confirmation this year that I think is a great idea. He was having trouble feeling like the kids were connecting with their faith. After all, they're 13 and 14 years old. Hearing about God or faith from a pastor is expected. Hearing about God or faith from the pastor's wife is expected. Hearing about God and faith and life from people in the congregation that you know, however, is something else. 

Kids these day see everyone's best life online and most people don't talk about the challenges they face in life, either online or face-to-face. Many parents have a tendency to want their kids to be happy, not understanding that they should teach them how to cope with life's physical and emotional challenges by how they cope in word and deed. Nobody wants to admit that life can be disappointing, painful, and full of unexpected sorrow. Some dreams come true, and some don't. Happiness is elusive, it comes and goes, and is not a good life goal. How do we get through the hard times? Faith. If you don't see how your parents' faith uplifts and encourages them in hard times, you won't know how valuable it will be for you too. There are also people the kids see every week in church that they may not realize have had or are having challenging lives. Kids just don't see it. 

To help kids understand the benefit faith is in navigating life, my husband (who has a 2 hour confirmation class with a 10-15 minute break), personally invites a member of the congregation to come and tell their faith story. He gives them 10-15 minutes of class time. 

Of course, you want to give them a bit of guidance regarding what to share. My suggestion is to give them a few questions to think about: 

• Since faith is not a feeling, how and when did you realize that you had it? 
• Do you pray? How do you find it helpful? 
• We often forget about our faith during good times. How did your faith help you during a hard time?
• How does faith affect your daily life?
• How does attending worship help you in your everyday life? 

This could be a great idea for high school Sunday school as well. Help kids connect faith and life!

LEADERSHIP: Thoughts on a Discipleship Conference

I went to a conference last week and the topic was DISCIPLESHIP. It was a great and uplifting conference, not because every speaker was excellent, but because it really got me thinking about making disciples. 

Here’s what I heard.

Discipleship at this particular church is neither a program nor evangelism, but about growing relationships. They then shared their list of steps that are what they will do for discipleship which sounds a lot like a program and evangelism.

1. Choose someone in your life you think is ready to become a disciple.
2. Pray for/about that person.
3. Learn about Jesus through the Gospels.
4. Invite that person to your community group. Talk to them about the gospel.
5. Walk with that person and talk to them about life.

Here’s what I think.

We’re told to make disciples, baptize them, and teach them (Matthew 28).

• Evangelism or discipleship is for everyone. It doesn’t have to look like the specific steps above or anywhere else. I like to tell people to LIVE YOUR FAITH OUT LOUD. That just means that we shouldn’t shy away from opportunities to let people know we’re Christ-followers. Simple phrases like:
• I’ll pray for you. (Do it.)
• In church yesterday…
• I was reading the Bible this morning and it talked about this.
• When I’m having a hard time in life I keep this Bible verse in mind.
• Have you ever thought about Jesus? He has changed my life.
• Pray. Pray that you recognize those God brings to you and that the Spirit give you wisdom in sharing your faith in any way that is comfortable for you. It doesn’t always have to be in words.
• Listen. Listening is an underdeveloped skill in the world today. Listen and respond in love.
• Know the Bible. Go to Bible class and learn the whole Bible. Be able to answer two questions: What do you believe? Why do you believe it? You can’t talk about something you don’t know and chances are pretty good that people will have questions. A major concern regarding lack of Bible literacy is the problem of false teaching. It’s great to develop relationships and talk about faith and life with people until we don’t know we’re sharing false information because we haven’t studied Scripture.
• People are not called to disciple the same way. Everyone’s life is different. The Spirit brings us to people and we are to be prepared to share the reason for our hope. Mothers and fathers will disciple their kids differently and as those kids grow their discipling will change. Family members disciple each other. Whether it’s in word or deed, we all disciple friends, colleagues, roommates, and even strangers. Anyone can be nice, so keep in mind that at some point, however, speak your faith.
• The role of the congregation may not be what you think. Ministry is multi-faceted and people have different spiritual gifts. Some have the gift of talking about faith with strangers in a coffee shop, but discipleship is also teaching Sunday School, encouraging other members, praying for others, etc.

All believers are servants of God. When the Spirit grows our faith a desire to learn more about the Lord and share what He has done for us with those around us will grow. The more we learn about God’s word, the more we won’t be able to help sharing it. Our life will become discipleship.