Training for parents - late October

One of the primary goals of family life education and a underlying facet of Bridge 45 is to impart skills and information for parents benefit. Knowledge of certain trends and theories applicable to children will give parents tools for day to day living. Here are a few topics I would like to familiarize parents with in a class that will be given in late October.

Tweenagers are in the transitory period of life Erik Erikson identified as a crisis of competence. This is a struggle to determine whether an individual will display industry or inferiority when approaching life skills and issues of competence. What the child has to discover for themselves is “am I good at what I do?” Not that any one role in life will be permanently established, but when new skills are tackled, does the child have the wherewithal to master them? During this time the child compares their self worth to other peers. The classroom environment is critical to self understanding. Teachers and parents wield tremendous power and must ensure children do not feel inferior. Expect children at this age to become infatuated with learning, perhaps not school, but some subject, hobby or other passion will manifest.

In addition to this key developmental data I would like parents to know what their children face in the world. I want them to see the host of social forces and personal challenges that tweens will encounter. God cares deeply about what each person faces in their daily life, not just what happens on Sunday morning. I hope to impart views of parenting and youth as vocations.

The class will be short. My message to parents is get involved, be aware, take action, and raise children in a Godly home. Often the simple messages are what we need to hear most.

Just a little story

One of the biggest blessings to me with Bridge 45 is found in a fourth grade boy named "John". He's come to our church for years, always brought by his aunt. At one point in time, his mom's new boyfriend objected to "John" and his sister coming to church purely because their aunt took them. But after a few weeks of complaining and sadness from the kids over not going to church, the boyfriend started driving them! That was about a year ago.

One day during VBS I took "John" home, and spent the car ride telling him about Bridge 45. He was quiet and seemed only semi-interested. Then, the week we announced Bridge 45 to the kids, he perked up, and in front of everyone (which he never does) said, "Oh! You told me about that!"

The first week of Bridge 45 "John" attended church on Saturday with his mom (which to me is so wonderful to see that she's coming now). I apologetically told him that Bridge 45 would only be on Sundays. The next morning as I walked through the lobby, I saw "John" walking into Bridge 45.

Each week his mom brings him on Saturday, and then he returns with his aunt on Sunday. God must have great plans for this little boy, and I feel blessed to be able to watch it unfold.

1 Section Down, 11 to Go!

This past Sunday we completed Unit 1, Section 1! We're three weeks into Bridge 45. Over the past three weeks our students learned about why we study the Bible. They learned background information, and that the Bible is trustworthy and error-free. The final project on week three was making a timeline that represented the whole Bible. It was so neat to see how completely differently the two services made their time lines.

The response we're getting from the kids is great! I think they're really enjoying the way the program changes from week to week. Here are some discoveries/celebrations/things to work on:

-The 4th & 5th graders LOVE not having younger kids in the class with them. When you ask what their favorite part of Bridge 45 is, the most common answer is "No little kids".

-Dance, Dance Revolution: Disney Channel Edition is a HUGE hit--with both the boys and the girls. There's nothing like getting to play Kim Possible, Hannah Montana or Zach Efron!

-While a live worship band is a hit, some kids are struggling with saying goodbye to the CDs. Who'd have thought that after all the requests to have the band back, they'd miss track-led worship! We're working on finding ways to build a little more energy into the fast worship time since the room is so large (can't wait for the modular) with so few kids.

-Having the small group leaders play the role of facilitator rather than teacher is essential. The groups who have more freedom to talk with one another and discuss the topics amongst themselves are the ones enjoying Bridge 45 the most. The kids who's leaders tend to just talk about the material instead of allowing them to discuss it feel like they're in school. We're working on furthering the facilitator concept.

-Now that we're three weeks into it, we're looking for some new ways to add fun into the program. We're confident in the elements we have in the curriculum, we just need to raise the energy level in the room. One thing we're doing to help this is we'll start showing a video welcome that signals the kids to come in. It has high energy music in the background and has the kids participate in small groups for a competition. The winning small group will get a "trophy" to carry around for the day. The next week it'll be handed back and passed onto the new winning team (think: immunity idol from Survivor). This competition time will lead into worship, so hopefully this will help our lack of energy there!

So, that's where we're at! It's so exciting to start something brand-new. We've been video taping as well, so as soon as I'm able, I'll post some highlights.

Also, installation of the modular is a little delayed-- gotta love the permits process! But at least this'll make us appreciate it so much more when we finally do get it!