FUNDRAISER: The Great Dime Challenge

Oh my goodness, I just ran across a fantastic individual fundraising idea! If you fill a 2-liter bottle with dimes you should get at least $500. WOW!! This is fantastic because so many kids are trying to raise money to go on mission trips or to a youth gathering and let's face it, parents are tapped out and congregations get tired of giving money to the youth for trips.

Fundraisers that kids can do outside the church and home are in great demand and this is one of them! People are always trying to get rid of their change and giving away a few dimes is not big deal. Kids can feel comfortable walking around their neighborhoods asking for any dimes people have laying around to put in their 2 liter bottle. It's not like asking for $5 a mile or a $20 donation. Here are a few suggestions;

• Decorate the bottle to show what's being saved for and make sure it has a lid. 
• Have the kids develop a SHORT speech so they know what they want to say ahead of time when approaching people.
• Put a few bottles around the church for people to add to. (No pennies please!)
• Encourage them to reach out to people in their neighborhoods or friends at school. They're just dimes!
• If everybody fills their bottles you can use other raised money to do a special activity on the trip that you wouldn't otherwise be able to afford.

If each person can earn $500 toward their trip, the group fundraising should be able to do the rest! 

WORSHIP: Finding Contemporary Worship Songs

Graphic from Word to Worship.

I found a cool website where you can find contemporary worship songs by keyword, theme, or scripture reference. It's called Word to Worship and was created by the husband of a Director of Christian Education. I put in Psalm 51 and got about 50 song choices!

When you click on the name of the song it takes you to the details that include:  CCLI song number, author, all related scripture references, and lyrics.  On that page there are also links to find the song on

• CCLI
• Praise Charts (where you can hear it and purchase sheet music)
• Music Notes (where you can hear it and purchase sheet music)
• YouTube (where you can hear multiple versions of it)

It is currently the season of Lent and a few weeks ago I found myself singing The Lutheran Hymnal liturgy version of Create in Me a Clean Heart, O God at home. Music is one of the greatest gifts God has given us and putting scripture to song and singing it over time keeps it in our hearts for years. Switching the music up all the time to keep worship "fresh" does come at a cost. There are many contemporary songs that are just as good as the older versions and could be used in their place if you don't like some of the older, harder to sing melodies. I enjoy Keith Green's version of Create in Me. There are also some more contemporary songs that are redundant and don't add much to the worship experience outside of repeating the same "Jesus, you are cool" chorus 25 times. Check out this website!

Let everything that has breath praise the Lord! 

(Psalm 150:6)

LUTHERAN SCHOOLS: Websites and First Impressions

These days, when people start checking schools out the first place they visit is your website. When I was teaching at a Lutheran school the first thing I noticed was that it was obvious their website wasn't a priority. Pages were incomplete, information that people look for wasn't easy to find or was out of date, and while there was lots of stuff on it, there were too many words. I volunteered to take it over and tweaked it a bit and soon people who visited were making positive comments about the website.

As I have said MANY times before, we are in a place in our country where Lutheran schools need to be out there promoting their strengths. It's important to make your website a priority, keep it simple, and well organized. Here are a few tips.

• Make sure your header/tag line tells the visitor what/who you are as a school. 
• Have a useful homepage. People don't want to scroll around and search through a lot of words to find what they want. 
• All your information does NOT need to be on the home page. Bullet points, NOT paragraphs. Nobody has time to search through a bunch of paragraphs for the main point. 
• Make sure your information is well organized so people don't have to search through tabs wondering where the information they're looking for is found. QUICK LINKS, my friends, quick links. 
• Have a PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS or NEW STUDENTS tab/page that has all the info and links to the forms necessary to make sign up easy. 
• Photos are good. They make the site feel warm, but too many photos are not so good. Put them in a slideshow.
• Have a CURRICULUM page that shows what you teach and highlights how your school is different from the local public schools.
• If your school has a great choir or band, put a video of them singing/playing on the site.
• If you're going to have teacher websites, make sure they're kept up to date.
• Have an up-to-date calendar that's easy to update. Make sure all forms are downloadable.
• Don't forget a donation page.
• Visit your website as if you are a perspective parent. Ask what you would want to know if you were looking for a school for your child and check the links.

To get you started, here are some top reasons a child should attend a Lutheran school.

1. Christ-centered education and environment.
2. Committed and qualified teachers.
3. Strong curriculum with proven results.
4. Small class sizes.
5. Diverse population.
6. All season sports.
7. Strong,but loving discipline.
8. Before and after school program.
9. Active parent, teacher, and friends association (PT&FA).
10. Supportive association church(es).
11. Strong family values and environment

REMEMBER! 

Parents who aren't Lutheran don't choose schools because they're Lutheran. Many don't choose them because they are Christian. They choose them because they're good schools. They know their children will get an excellent education and will be safe and nurtured. What a mission!! 

PRESCHOOL: Lutheran Trained Employees

At a district committee meeting we started talking about Lutheran Early Childhood Education (ECE) centers and how only about 20% of the administrators in most Lutheran ECE centers are synodically trained (a 4-year degree is not required) and that many more employees aren't Lutheran at all. They have no idea what Lutherans believe. Some employees are from the associated church or may attend another Lutheran church, but most or many centers have to hire from the general public and there is currently no training available for them.

One suggestion being discussed by the leadership in my district is a certification program for early childhood leaders called C-LECT (Certification, Lutheran Early Childhood Teacher), which is a certification program by Concordia University, Wisconsin. The program looks fantastic, but it costs $300 per person. Students may earn college credit, but it requires an addition cost of $125. Some of the employees in ECE centers are in high school and the college credit is only available at CU-W. Other than having trained employees, there is no real incentive for congregations to invest this much money in employees that may or may not be easily retained long-term.

Don't get me wrong, I firmly believe it is important that any person working with young children in a Lutheran preschool needs to know what Lutherans believe before they start having Bible time and teaching kids about Jesus. I don't, however, think it needs to be so expensive or formal, though certificates could certainly be provided. After all, learning time when you're 3-4 years old is about playing and learning Christian values, not doctrine. Given that, I propose the following:

Many congregations in each district and even each circuit have Early Childhood Centers. These employees could all get together to have training that would be similar to any new member training or confirmation training.

1. A standardized training program could be put together and shared among congregations in the district and training could take place in different circuits 2-4 times a year.
2. Training would include: 
• The basic foundation of Lutheran teaching (Law/Gospel, Baptism, Communion, Faith, Grace, etc.) This may be a product of the Small Catechism. 
• Basic information on faith formation and some child development information. 

There are things I left out of the training that I'm sure others would add such as, in depth information on the structure and leadership of the LCMS, the ECE as a mission opportunity, Christian curriculum and family ministry information. I leave this out intentionally because I do not think it's necessary to meet what my goal would be if I were an ECE director/administrator. I would simply want my employees to know what my church teaches and be able to share Jesus with the children. We're preparing people to work with 3-4 year old kids. More and more research regarding children this age says they should have very limited structure in their daily routine. Their learning time is about playing and learning Christian values, not doctrine. 

 

In addition, it certainly wouldn't hurt to have a similar, but perhaps shorter, meeting with new parents once a month or quarter to help them understand what the ECE will be teaching their children as well. There's your mission opportunity.

EDUCATION: The Art of Teaching Confirmation

If you teach confirmation and haven't seen this book, you're missing out!



The Art of Teaching Confirmation from Laura Langhoff on Vimeo.

LUTHERAN SCHOOLS: Dispel the Myths About Christianity in Schools!

I keep seeing untruths spread across social media by Christians who don't understand the laws regarding religious freedom and separation of church and state in schools. Please, please, please share this information with your youth, their parents, and the whole congregation. Don't let Christians be the ones who make matters worse and scare kids into believing they have to hide their Christianity at school. They don't! I got this list from the Alliance Defending Freedom (The 12 Myths of Christmas) and the Center for Public Education (Religion and Public Schools).

Remember that the point of the law is to protect your child from being proselytized by teachers or other school leaders or adults who follow beliefs with which you do not agree. It is based on non-descrimination, student leadership, and local control. Young children may not know, but it is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT that your older child know when to speak up if a teacher is religion pushing or religion bashing, especially in high school. It is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT that parents speak to administration when this happens. 

Based on the law, here is the truth. 

• Since Christmas is a national holiday, the word "Christmas" has not been banned from schools or the general public. Schools may refer to their winter break as Christmas Break. They may also have Christmas trees, wish others a Merry Christmas, and have a Christmas party just as they do a Halloween or Valentine's Day party, if they so desire.
• Public schools do not have to recognize every holiday because it recognizes Christmas. Christmas is a national holiday. 
• Students may wear religious clothing or jewelry as long as it is not offensive and does not cause disruption.
• Students are allowed to talk about their faith, going to church, etc. to other students and teachers at school.
• Students are allowed to pray at school. They cannot do so over the PA system or lead a class in prayer. Teachers also may pray in school but may not encourage or discourage prayer in word or deed. 
• Students are allowed to bring Bibles to school and read them during their free reading period or during free time. 
• Students are allowed to sing and play religious songs, including Christmas carols in public schools. 
• Students are allowed to reference their beliefs in projects, papers, and homework assignments. They are allowed to read Christian books or stories. 
• Teachers are NOT allowed to call a student's religion stupid, make him/her feel uncomfortable in front of the class, or to raise or lower a student's grades if s/he references their beliefs in class discussion or written work. 
• The Bible (and other religious texts) can be used in classes to provide an historical context or as a form of literature. It must be presented objectively and must be educational and not devotional.

RELIGIOUS CLUBS

Non-discrimination

If a public secondary school has non-curriculum based clubs, students are allowed to have Christian clubs. This may also be true for a middle school, but the law is unclear about that age level. At this time it is being left up to the local administration. Check the policies. Schools do not have to maintain an open forum regarding extracurricular clubs and organizations, but once they do, they may not discriminate. 

If the school allows the Boy Scouts or the Girl Scouts to hand out literature on school grounds during non-school hours, or use the building during non-school hours, they may not discriminate against a religious institution. 

A church may hold religious instruction classes in a school building during non-school hours if...

• other community groups meet in the school (Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, etc.)
• students are not required to attend.
• all students are welcome to attend.
• participation does not affect academic standing or grades in any way.

Student Leadership

Religious clubs must be student organized and student led. Teachers or school personnel are not allowed to organize or lead them, but if asked by students, they may chaperone them. Schools must give those clubs the same rights and privileges as any other club or organization that meets in the school. 

Religious leaders or other outside adults may attend and speak at religious clubs if they are invited by students and if the school does not have a policy banning all guest speakers from extracurricular club meetings. Non-school personnel may not direct, conduct, control, or regularly attend activities of student groups. 

Local Control

The administration of any school has the authority to limit or ban any group that disrupts the order and discipline of the school or the well-being of students and faculty.

SERVICE: It's the season of SOCKS!!

Imagine how hard it would be to go through the winter with feet that were constantly cold or wet because you had no socks.

Most of the U.S. is now in the season of cold and wet. Homeless shelters around the country are in dire need of socks. They don't have to be new or even match, but they do need to be clean and in good shape. Holes don't cover soles! At the same time, if you haven't yet, make a connection and build a servant relationship with the shelter in your area.

Every city in the country has a homeless shelter where socks or all sizes are needed. One of my youth director friends told me a young lady visited her church and she couldn't find any socks for her. The best she could provide were plastic bags. Think of how you would feel if your children had to go through the winter with plastic bags for socks. If you work in a church, bring some socks in and leave a couple pair in every office just in case somebody comes in who needs them.

If you're in the Minneapolis area there's an organization called SoleCare for Souls. Their mission is to promote health and hope by providing free medical foot care for people experiencing homelessness or living in under-resourced conditions. If your congregation is in the Minneapolis area and you're looking for a service project for your children or youth, try supporting them. If you're not in the Minneapolis area, see if there's a similar organization near you.

Help warm souls by warming soles!