Everyone’s headed to the beach after VBS, and you’re still teaching a handful of kids on Wednesday night because the volunteers and families have left town. When you do go on vacation, you head the opposite direction to attend the annual family reunion. Does that describe your summer prior to COVID-19? It does mine; however, this summer is different.

VBS has been postponed for a month and will be in a city park, mission trip style. Our family reunion in Texas was on Zoom. We’re not meeting at church on Wednesday nights, and we are doing virtual preschool Sunday School on Sunday mornings. But, my colleagues and friends are still going to the beach. So, I have a touch of FOMO (fear of missing out).

FOMO isn’t relegated to the summer. We can be tempted all year long to look at other churches, kids ministries, kids ministry leaders, and our own church families and feel like we’re missing out on all the fun. Some other ways we experience FOMO in the kidmin world include:

• Our kidmin attendance is not as big as everyone else’s.
• We don’t have new kidmin facilities like the church across town.
• We’re not doing anything cool or innovative for VBS this year like other churches are in the midst of a global pandemic.
• We don’t have a big kidmin budget.
• I’m not as creative as my kidmin friends on social media are.

If you’re not already depressed, consider making your own FOMO list. Or, don’t. I believe that Satan uses the fear of missing out to tempt us to focus on ourselves rather than placing our attention where it truly belongs—on Jesus. 

Here are three simple ways to avoid kidmin FOMO:

• Spend time with God in prayer and Bible study, focusing on the person of Jesus. Doing so gets your mind off of yourself.
• Resist comparing yourself, your family, your church, and your kids ministry to others. God has placed you and your church in your community for a purpose.
• Limit your social media intake. Spending too much time following kidmin conversations can leave you disillusioned and unhappy.

Perhaps FOMO is not an issue for you. If so pray right now, thanking God that He has freed you from this temptation. If you are like I am, however, you are prone to FOMO and the many forms in which it appears. Ask Jesus to help you avoid falling into Satan’s trap. Remember, the grass is greener on the other side of the fence until you climb over the fence, set foot in another person’s pasture, and come face-to-face with an Angus bull.

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Landry Holmes is the Manager of Lifeway Kids Publishing and Network Partnerships. A graduate of Howard Payne University and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Landry served on church staffs before joining Lifeway Kids. He is a church leader, writer, workshop facilitator, and publisher.  Landry also teaches children at his church in Middle Tennessee. He and his wife Janetta are the parents of two adult sons and two daughters-in-law, and the grandparents of four adorable grandchildren.

The idea of creating kidmin moments has certainly taken on a new meaning. When I first began thinking about this concept over a year ago, my mind started with what we do in physical environments at church. However, COVID-19 and “Stay at Home” orders have changed the way many of us think about kidmin experiences. The need for kidmin moments has not lessened. In fact, a global pandemic has amplified that need.

   The idea of creating “memorable and meaningful” moments is introduced in Dan and Chip Heath’s book, The Power of Moments. The authors illustrate the importance of creating moments with the story of  the Magic Castle Hotel in Hollywood, California, which is housed in a former 1950’s era apartment complex.

   On the outside, the hotel doesn’t look like much. Apparently what draws families are the amenities. Not only are the rooms converted apartments, the hotel will deliver free snacks to your room anytime day or night. They’ll even launder your clothes for free, wrap them in paper, and deliver them with a sprig of lavender. But, the one feature that creates a “memorable and meaningful” moment for the hotel’s guests? The Popsicle^® hotline. 

   All you have to do is pick up the red phone receiver located in the outdoor swimming pool area and ask for a Popsicle. The icy treats are delivered poolside by a hotel employee wearing white gloves. There’s nothing spectacular about the Popsicles. You can buy them from your local grocery store. What attracts guests is the moment that won’t be forgotten long after the family vacation ends. A moment created by an old-fashioned telephone, a Popsicle on demand, and a friendly delivery person.

   Now, what do Popsicles have to do with creating moments in kids ministry? They are a reminder that the work you do is vitally important, because the ministry environment you create is designed to facilitate “memorable and meaningful” Bible-teaching moments.

   Another reminder is found in Mark 10:13-16. In the moment described in these four verses, the disciples learned that Jesus loves everyone. The parents learned that Jesus had time to bless their children. And, the children experienced a moment they probably never would forget—a moment better than a poolside Popsicle.

  What kind of kidmin moments are you creating, either virtually during this pandemic season or in person when our churches gather again? Are they mundane or life-changing? 

   The thing about these kinds of moments is that they are tied to a relationship with an adult who cares enough to show up and teach kids about Jesus’ love. Remember, God calls each of us to give boys and girls weekly opportunities for life changing moments with eternal consequences. And, that is definitely better than a poolside Popsicle!

Landry Holmes is the Manager of Lifeway Kids Ministry Publishing. A graduate of Howard Payne University and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Landry served on church staffs before joining Lifeway Kids. He is a church leader, writer, workshop facilitator, and publisher.  Landry also teaches children at his church in Middle Tennessee. He and his wife Janetta are the parents of two adult sons and two daughters-in-law, and the grandparents  of four adorable grandchildren.