Today, I want to share with you one of the most exciting opportunities you can expose your 3^rd – 6^th graders to this summer…CAMP! But not just any camp, CentriKID Camp. 

Several years ago while children’s minister at Tabernacle Baptist Church in Cartersville, GA I spent my winter, spring and part of the summer getting ready for two major events, VBS and Camp! VBS was always at the first part of the summer and kids camp was always near the end. I liked the idea of bookending my summer with these two major events, but I almost went crazy in the spring trying to recruit and plan for the two largest ministries on my annual calendar. 

Don’t get me wrong… I love VBS… that wasn’t the problem. The problem was I equally loved camp and in order to provide a camp experience for my 3^rd, 4^th, 5^th and 6^th graders that was exciting, well organized, safe, and spiritually meaningful I had to do a lot of preparation. I really didn’t mind, after all it was worth it. Some of the most meaningful experiences I’ve had as a children’s minister took place at camp. But it was hard work.

In 2001 something happened to me that changed my life as a Kids minister. That something opened my eyes to all the things I wasn’t getting done, and freed me up to do even more, better! That something was CentriKID. In 2001 I was invited to attend a brand new camp for kids that had been created by the trusted folks who provided CentriFuge.

Reluctantly, and I really mean it… after all, I loved camp and I didn’t want anything to happen to camp that would keep my kids from experiencing the “life changing” week we’d become accustomed to… I agreed to sign my kids up for CentriKID.

Questions started flowing in… from kids, from parents, even from other churches, “Will CentriKID be as great as our camps?” “How will we pay for CentriKID?” “Can we trust these folks with our kids?” “Aren’t you supposed to do your own camp, after all, you are a large church and you are a full-time children’s minister?” I hadn’t anticipated so many skeptics. I just thought they’d follow. After lots of answers, and lots of talking, we signed up our largest group ever for kids camp.

It wasn’t really until May, 2001 that I realized what a blessing CentriKID was going to be for my ministry. You see, it was in May that I started finishing up the details for VBS and one afternoon sat in my office and began to look for “the next thing” on my “to do” list. When my assistant came in and asked me what I was working on I looked at her and started laughing (she thought I was crazy). When I finally stopped laughing I told her that I was looking at the fall enlistment campaign for Sunday School…  (At that point she laughed at me because she knew that enlistment was something I had never done before July and something she was always begging me to begin earlier). I realized right then that CentriKID was a Kids minister’s best friend.

That summer, any hesitations I may have had were completely banished by the professionalism, incredible emphasis on safely, the relationships, the age-suitable Bible study, and the kid-friendly programming we found at CentriKID. Yes… I still had responsibilities and we still had opportunities to grow together as a church group, but the programming offered at CentriKID outshined anything I was able to do on my own or even with the group of churches that had worked together in the past to create Kids Camp.

I say all this to encourage you. If you’re out there pushing hard to create a memorable experience for your Kids at camp, I want to encourage you to consider CentriKID. I promise you won’t be disappointed. You’ll get so much more for your kids… more fun, more time praising an awesome God, more time going deep, more team-building recreation, more cool track times, more mess (but so much less stress for you).

YOU will receive a lot more, too… more one-on-one time with God (for YOU), more Bible study and leader tracks with other adults, more opportunities to renew YOUR spiritual walk, more time to interact with your kids to bond and build trusting relationships… more QT (quality time) and less work!

That’s what CentriKID is… more of what kids want and more of what you know they need in their walk with Christ.

I’m excited to see what God will do in the lives of kids with summer at CentriKID. He always delivers more that we can ask or imagine! Don’t miss this opportunity for your kids!

For the past couple days I’ve been involved in a work related retreat. Our training team carved out some time to get away and work hard on major areas of our ministry. I have to admit, I probably am not the best “retreater” (I miss my TV, I miss my bed, and I miss my routine). I do, however, understand the value of getting away from our regular schedules to do some strategic thinking. Being away from the office just helps us to focus, be creative, and take the time to work through some of our goals and plans.

Some of the best planning and dreaming occurs when we carve out time to strategically consider our ministries.

Here are a few components of a good leadership retreat:

Rest:  Yep… take some time to relax. For me, this usually takes some intentional effort to “un-engage” and turn off “office mode.” Consider scheduling an outside walk or even a nap! Maybe on short retreats (one or two days) you might simply start the retreat with a quiet time of reflection and asking God to clear your head and open your mind to what He wants lead your team to consider. Regardless of what you do, take the time to rest, relax, and recoup!

Evaluate:  Evaluation is something we often don’t take the time to do. A retreat is an excellent time to honestly evaluate what you’ve been doing. Carefully consider your work and consider what could be done to make it better in the future. Don’t be afraid of criticism. Recognize that honest evaluations are not always complimentary but sometimes critical. It’s okay, criticism is one way we learn to be better. Make sure you take the time for honest evaluation.

Plan:  I can’t think of a better way to look at the future with your team than at a planning/dreaming retreat. Identify your bigger goals and plan a strategy that moves you to success. Give assignments to key leaders who have a passion for a specific area and allow those leaders the opportunity to lead the full team in brainstorming, discussion, and decisions regarding the future.

Team Building:  Schedule some time for team building. Board games, ropes courses; even outdoor team relays can help develop a sense of “team” amongst your people. There’s something true about the old adage, “The family that plays together, stays together.” Laughing with each other can change the way you feel about each other and open the doors for honest communication. Warning: Know your team well enough to not use activities that might cause more harm than good.

 It’s been a great retreat with my team. We’ve accomplished a lot and grown closer. I’m leaving with some great ideas for future ministry and list of “to dos” that I believe will help me do my work better. This retreat was a success. I believe it’s because each of the above elements were included!

So, what are you doing to rest, evaluate, plan, and “build team” with your leaders? Comment and let us know your tips.