Generations In Faith Together

The Books of Moses Sign Language Video Updates

WHY ARE ASL SIGNS FOR SOME WORDS NOT CONSISTENT?
We’re excited about adding new videos for teaching and learning ASL (American Sign Language) to our online resource, FINKlinks. The question many ask who have seen the new versions is, “Why are some of the ASL signs different than the earlier version of videos?”

The answer:
Both are correct. American Sign Language is very much like spoken language and one word can be expressed in more than one way and sometimes even pronounced differently. Here is what The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders says about ASL:

“Just as with other languages, specific ways of expressing ideas in ASL vary as much as ASL users themselves do. ASL users may choose from synonyms to express common words. ASL also changes regionally, just as certain English words are spoken differently in different parts of the country. Ethnicity, age, and gender are a few more factors that affect ASL usage and contribute to its variety.”

WHO ARE MARK AND CHRISTY?
The gentleman doing the signing for Faith Inkubators in the original Old Testament videos is Mark Shoepp. When Bible Song was first introduced, Mark did a great job teaching the songs on video.

Later as New Testament lessons were being developed, Christy Smith of Discovering Deaf Worlds began teaching/demonstrating the sign language on video. Christy has now signed all the Bible Song scripture songs (New and Old Testament) on video. There is now consistency in the signs across all of our videos.

NEW VIDEOS NOW AVAILABLE
Until now, only the tutorial version for each Books of Moses song has been available on-line. Starting today, both the tutorial and song demonstration are on-line (FINKlinks and YouTube). The ASL signs should now be consistent if you teach from both the Old and New Testament tutorial videos.

The Into the Promised Land videos will be updated with the Christy Smith-versions before the end of 2010. The on-line versions (FINKlinks and YouTube) will be modified first. DVDs will follow.

We know that the vast majority of our users have access to the internet, but not every user in a church has immediate access to the individual DVDs that accompany materials when you license for Bible Song. Therefore, it made sense that the on-line version would be first.

LINK: Books of Moses Videos with Christy Smith

ELIMINATING POSSIBLE FUTURE ASL CONFUSION
If you are a long-time Bible Song user, either set of videos (Mark or Christy) will work fine. The signs on both versions are correct. Both accomplish the goal of using sign language as not only a teaching tool but as a way to memorize scripture.

If you are new to Bible Song, we suggest that you start using the Christy Smith videos. This will ensure that the ASL signing for common words will be consistent as you work your way through the Scripture.

We realize that there are many fans of the Mark Shoepp videos. Mark does a great job of explaining the meanings of the signing in the tutorials. Because of the popularity, we will make sure his videos will still be available on YouTube.

LINK: Into the Promised Land videos with Mark Schoepp

MORE INFORMATION
Haven’t seen Bible Song and want to know what the FINKlinks are?

FINKlinks are an online tool for parents and children to use in the home or for Bible Song programs to use during small group time. FINKlinks reinforce the scripture lesson for the day. There is artwork, the scripture song, ASL tutorial and song demonstration of the scripture, and games.

Click Here for a FINKlink sample of Lesson One from The Books of Moses.

If you have any questions about Bible Song, FINKlinks, ASL videos and more, please give me a call at 888-55FAITH or send me an e-mail at dstreicher@faithink.com.

 

Music and H2H

Every theme set has a key scripture verse put to music. Every Power Point™ presentation includes a karaoke/flash movie version of the song to use during teaching time and prior to closing. Most of us using H2H at one time or another have heard opinions about the music or wondered ourselves how we can get teens to “buy in” to this tool.

A few suggestions from my experience with using the music successfully in the past 15 years:

W  1. While the song is playing invite everyone to open their Bibles and find the verse. The competitive edge is always enjoyed by especially Jr High. Challenge them to best their time and see who finds it first. Then highlight the verse while the song is playing. Invite them to hum or sing along while they  listen and watch.

2.    2. If you are using Bible Song music, look to see if an H2H song is done in ASL (American Sign Language) and use it as a teaching tool for memorizing through motion. You can cross reference songs in H2H by going to youTube and in the search put Faith Inkubators and the song title.  If it’s not there, go to www.aslpro.com and look up a few of the basic words to use for signing while listening to the song. Over time, it’s amazing how many words scripture has in common through the texts. Aslpro has a biblical reference too.

3.    3. Musical instruments can be fun for teens to play along. On the upbeat ones it never ceases to amaze me with what they come up with. There are tubes, tambourines, and I have even placed rubber bands on tissue boxes as a guitar!

4.    4. One of my favorite ways lately is to place the song slide just before the Wrap – Up and when everyone gathers for closing, turn out the lights, light three candles and have everyone calm down. I invite them to inhale and exhale and be still. Then I start the song. I ask them to take this moment to reflect on what we shared and learned today while the song is playing. It has been very effective.

5.    5. An alternative I have used in years past is that our puppet team choreographs the music with the puppets. Most of our team was made up of Jr high and it was great to see them try to interpret the lesson and teach it to others with puppets.

It’s good to remember that you don’t always have to play the entire song. After the basic verse plays you can turn it down and go on to the next slide.

The music and songs are truly teaching tools. It’s important to remember this.

If this is your first year, you’ll also realize over time that as the youth become familiar with one scripture verse at a time, they will find it both rewarding and surprising to hear the same ones read periodically in worship. And the best part is they already know it! A real bonus is to look ahead and see what scripture will be shared in worship and/or use one you have learned to sign.

This then becomes a venue for youth to teach adults in a worship service. And they are learning so they can teach others.

Last but not least what I find most valuable is that I be careful to not “play into” what everyone else is saying about the music. Everyone has an opinion including the youth. If I listened to them and not my own heart and thoughts, I’d be questioning how we do things every time.

The music is valuable. We learn through music. Keeping focused and moving forward once you determine how you want to use the music. It’s your choice. People will follow your lead and read your attitude. The result of staying on task is learning key scripture verses and no one can argue that!

 

 

Old Testament Signing on YouTube

New! Even though it's "old", Old Testament that is...
Faith Inkubators has now placed Old Testament Tutorial and Song versions for learning scripture using American Sign Language (ASL) on YouTube to share with the world.

The goal is to embed scripture in the hearts and minds of all ages and provide tools for the home to encourage parents to get "on-board" as the faith role models they are called to be.
Not only is this a great tool for the family, but it can also be used as a training video for those leading songs used every week in the Faith Inkubators Bible Song Sunday school program.

To find each song, go to YouTube and type in Faith Inkubators and the title of the song found in the Bible Song resources. You will find both the song and tutorial version of the scripture.
For example:
Faith Inkubators Let There Be Light
Faith Inkubators Look Toward the Heavens

The New Testament scriptures are also on YouTube.
One of the best ways I have found to memorize scripture!

Parent’s Priorities and Expectations

Kent Shaffer of Church Relevance once asked the question, “What are parents looking for when they visit a church?” He believes a greater percentage of parents are looking to find a church that meets both their needs and their children’s needs. He does not think there has been a priority shift, but an increase in parent’s expectations.

Kent sums his article up by sharing that each parent has their own “wants” and gives a list of what he feels every parent seems to like. Here’s the list:

• A children’s ministry that makes their kids feel loved.
• A children’s ministry and church with good security.
• A children’s ministry that effectively teaches their kids valuable lessons.
• A children’s ministry that is fun and “wows” their kids.
• A friendly church.
• A church with good preaching.
• A church with good worship.
• A church that makes it easy to make friends.
• A church that offers opportunities to get involved.

After serving as a Christian educator on staff in a congregation and with a continued passion to invite parents to “come and see” with their children, I think it’s time we take a look at existing programs. We should take intentional steps to invite parents and help them in their role as #1 faith role model for their children by placing tools in their hands and teaching them valuable faith practices to do at home.

From my experiences and speaking with congregations across the country about children’s ministry, I agree with Kent Shaffer’s list and believe that Faith Inkubators’ Bible Song can meet parent’s expectations and address the points on his list:

• - that makes their kids feel loved. – Parents get involved both in Sunday school and at home. Their kids know they are loved.
• - church with good security.- When a parent is present, there’s a guarantee for both the parent and the congregation.
• - effectively teaches their kids valuable lessons.- Scripture, building relationships, prayer, and blessing are the “meat”.
• - is fun and “wows” their kids.- Every theme is presented the way the brain learns with plenty of upbeat music, involvement, and very colorful cartoons and Power Point® presentations.
• - friendly church.- Fun and “wows” lead to happy. Happy leads to friendly.
• - good preaching. – Scripture is learned through singing and sign language to be shared in worship by the children. What would it be like if it was a child or child and parent sharing the preaching one day? It can happen with Bible Song!
• - easy to make friends.- Small group sharing happens every week. Friends become friends through building relationships. Relationships are built through sharing Highs & Lows and praying for one another.

The fact is parents are the number one faith role model for their children. The question is, “Has anyone ever told them this?” Parents have a huge impact on whether or not a child will even have a faith life. Statistics indicate the number of adults involved in Bible study across mainline denominations is at a low percentage. The challenge for Christian educators is not so much how to keep the children happy and coming, it’s how to get parents to not just bring their children and drop them off, but invite them to stay too.

Feedback is essential. Listening to parents and other adults involved should be a given with programs in any setting. Have parents been invited to accompany their children every week in your congregation? And do they understand that fulfilling their expectations involves our expectations as well?

Parent's time and presence is necessary to support Children’s ministry. Expect it!

Debbie Streicher is Director of Children and Family Ministry at Faith Inkubators. She lives in Northern Virginia. She can be reached  at dstreicher@faithink.com.

 

 

 

A Proverb

As I sit with leadership teams and help them vision and plan the up and coming Christian education year in their congregations, I am reminded of the importance of planning ways to involve all the ages.

A Chinese proverb says it best:  “Tell me and I’ll forget; show me and I may remember; involve me and I’ll understand.”

From my perspective, the interpretation of this saying in the context of teaching scripture verses and stories: “Don’t lecture to me; show me the verse in a number of ways through prayer, song, signing, and skits; give me a chance to highlight it in my Bible, read it, draw a picture of something I see and hear in it, and listen to my thoughts."

How are you showing scripture and involving the different ages in learning this year?

We Need Volunteers! Beware of the Hoardasaurus Syndrome!

As we begin making plans for Christian education programs this coming fall, we know that finding volunteers and asking for a commitment of their time is not easy. Did you know the local church is the number one place people volunteer to help because they feel called to do so?  Private business and the secular world do not experience such willingness to volunteer.

How can we use this fact to our advantage?

I suggest we take some time to understand what it takes to invite people to commit and get involved and couldn’t resist using the analogy of what we sometimes unintentionally do in our ministries. We hoard them. The outcome may be losing the opportunity to witness others increase their involvement, commit to larger chunks of time, and grow in their faith.

In the book, Quiet Conversations, Alan and Cheryl Klaas state that “hoarding ministry stunts spiritual growth.” They add that where ministry is being hoarded, it eventually stagnates or dies. This statement reminded me of a story I used to read to our son. He showed a strong interest in dinosaurs from the time he was little. One of his favorite books was called “The Hoardasaurus”. It was about a dinosaur who kept everything for himself. A syndrome is a pattern. Taking this into account, the title of this article seemed a bit harsh, but appropriate and applicable to our challenges to find and retain volunteers.

Hoarding ministry is a challenge and a pattern I see over and over again. It appears we are not very good at giving ministry away. In most cases, we’re not even aware we hoard ministry. I know that in the past I have been just as guilty as anyone.

I am learning to step back and invite those with the spiritual gifts and talents for ministries in the congregation to “do the ministry”. The results amaze me. When a person’s gifts are matched with a ministry, long-term commitment and life-long involvement follow.

Some congregations are experiencing what Ken Blanchard refers to as EGOcentric ministry. The congregation looks to the pastor, staff, or leadership to not only initiate, but run programs. Ken states that EGO is an acronym for Edging God Out. In the congregation looking for the pastor or staff to implement a program, God’s plan may be “edged out” unintentionally.

There are some cases where those leading find it difficult to invite others to lead. One must keep in mind that those not leading have few opportunities to “own” a piece of the ministry. This puts us in danger of a person who has gifts to share losing interest or feeling “edged out”.

 A few questions to consider as you gather your leadership team this year:

1. Are there steps you could take to help individuals identify their gifts and ways to invite them into corresponding ministries?
2. What shape would our ministries take if we actually released ministries to the people?
3. Where are places we can empower people to get involved in ministry?

When the gifts of the people are uplifted, used, and empowered, it’s amazing what can happen. I do know that time and time again, I had one thing in mind, but the gifts of the people and what God had in mind grew a ministry I had not even imagined.

You’re probably reading this because someone empowered you. Who was that person? , How did they welcome you to do ministry? , and Why do you keep doing it?

I hate to think it may be possible that hoarding ministry could lead to the same fate as the dinosaur……………..extinction!

 Debbie Streicher is Director of Children and Family Ministries at Faith Inkubators (www.faithink.com). She can be contacted at dstreicher@faithink.com.

 

No Time? No Excuses!

As we begin planning for the fall and I wonder how we can communicate to parents the importance of setting priorities and making time for family, I am reminded of a great article that my friend, Vanessa Beaudry wrote a few months ago:

I just don’t have time!” How many times have you uttered this sentence in the past week, month, year? Sometimes it is a sigh, other times a cry. But sometimes, it’s just a whine – and as far as I’m concerned, the faith life of our children is a “No Whine Zone.”

I am writing this article from the viewpoint of a mom of a very active, very normal 9-year-old boy who attends Christian school, and who is also taken to church and Sunday school every week. While I’m not intending to come across as overly harsh, I am advocating a revolution – a grassroots revolution of parents who simply are not going to leave the fate of their children’s eternal souls to chance – to begin spending 15 minutes a day with your child (the time it takes to stand in line at Starbuck’s for a latte, or to floss your teeth, or to watch half of a sitcom on TV), sharing highs and lows, praying together, reading God’s Word, or just laughing together.

For many of us parents, daily devotional time with our kids really is a revolutionary idea. We are all so very “busy,” aren’t we? – but somehow, we find time to chauffeur kids to soccer practice and ballet lessons, to school and to friends’ homes, not to mention dealing with our own jobs and activities. What if one day everyone at your child’s school said “I just don’t have time to take my child to school any more.”? Would they just not go? Now, I know this is an overly dramatic example, but I use it to make the point that we always find time for those things that are important to us. Isn’t your child’s spiritual life important enough to spend 15 minutes a day on it?

One of the key concepts at Faith Inkubators is sharing faith every night in every home. I can speak from personal experience on how much of a difference just 15 minutes a day with Mom, Dad or both parents can make in a child’s life. So, be bold – start the revolution in your own home this year. Turn off the TV, the iPod, and the PC. Sit down together, open the Bible, and take the plunge. Take time to pray together; look into your kids’ eyes and listen to the heart cries they need to share with you. It may feel a little awkward at first, as everyone gets used to the idea and forms a new habit. But trust me – once you get started, the kids will find you and ask to have their daily time with you. Try it – it works. Do it as if their (eternal) lives depend on it.

Thanks Vanessa for these words of wisdom from a mother whose youngest just turned 21 yesterday. Time goes by all too quickly to not get your priorities straight!

Debbie Streicher is National Director of Children and Family Ministry. She can be contacted at dstreicher@faithink.com.

A Question of Bible Knowledge

I recently received this question in an e-mail. It is a common question and of great concern as we seek to reach out to our congregations and invite people to volunteer for programs to provide vital Christian education opportunities.
Thought I'd share my answer with you:

People often hesitate to work in Sunday school ministry because they feel that they do not have the skills or education or Bible knowledge to teach.  Have you noticed a similar dynamic with Bible Song?  Or are people more willing to be part of this ministry? 

I think people who enter our doors will always be “apprehensive” about participating. (that is until we are all Bible scholars!) It’s not so much a curriculum from my perspective, as a way of thinking. We have pretty much been telling parents it’s okay for years to just drop their children off for those of us who love to teach Bible stories so we can do what we love to do.

The problem? Parents have been doing exactly what they are told. Who is telling them about their vital role in teaching faith to their own children and to join us, not drop the kids off? And where in our congregations are we providing “comfortable” places to step in and help adults learn alongside their own children without feeling any obligation whatsoever to teach or be a “Bible expert”. We are just as much at fault as the parents for allowing our system to grow the way it has. Sooooooooooooo…..it’s up to us to changeJ!

What Bible Song provides is a whole new energetic way to invite parents into an opening together with their children and then proceed to role model relationship building and caring groups while we teach them to pray and bless one another at the same time. Then we send them home to “literally” practice at home.

Debbie Streicher is National Director of Children and Family Ministry. She is located in Northern Virginia and happy to address any questions you may have regarding Faith Inkubators’ resources. Please contact her at dstreicher@faithink.com.

Read Again!

The Rev. Neil MacQueen responded to my article from June 26^th titled Sunday School Concerns and pointed out that the Barna research in the Wall Street Journal article was misrepresented by the writer. Read the accurate version on Neil’s blog.  

Read more wisdom and get to know the Rev. Neil and his ministry at sundaysoftware.com.

Thanks Neil!

Sunday School Concerns

An article in the Wall Street Journal today caught the eye of a friend of mine. He forwarded it to me and I truly feel it is worthy of some attention from all who are passionate about Christian education and actively involved in the frustrating challenges we face in our churches today.

It’s titled “Why Sunday Schools Are Closing”. The author, Charlotte Hays , writes:

The decline in Sunday schools appears to be gradual but steady. A study by the Barna Group indicated that in 2004 churches were 6% less likely to provide Sunday school for children ages 2 to 5 as in 1997. For middle-school kids, the decline was to 86% providing Sunday school in 2004 from 93% in 1997. Similarly, there was a six-percentage-point drop in Sunday schools offered for high school kids -- to 80% from 86%. All in all, about 20,000 fewer churches were maintaining Sunday-school classes. And the future does not look bright: Only 15% of ministers regarded Sunday school as a leading concern. The younger the pastor, the study showed, the less emphasis he placed on Sunday school.

A number of reasons can be given for the decline, including an increasingly secular society and the other demands on the time of the average child. And then there is a content problem. The kind of Sunday-school activities that pleased my generation simply wouldn't fly with today's busier and more sophisticated kids. "A lot of the stuff we did was rote memory," said Mr. Morrison of the Missouri Baptist Convention.

Ultimately, if Sunday school is to thrive, parental involvement is necessary -- somebody has to say, "Go." But who? The Rev. Neil MacQueen, a Presbyterian minister who develops software programs for Sunday schools, cites a crucial factor in the decline of Sunday-school attendance: divorce. On any given Sunday, many children of divorced parents are out of town, visiting "the other" parent.

I particularly zeroed in on the conclusion that parental involvement is necessary. Right on Charlotte! Or should I say “write on”? Thank you for bringing some facts about this challenge to our attention. Those of us working in the Christian ed world are aware of the existing problems, but we definitely need help to get the message across to the leadership in our churches.

I spend most of my days speaking with and answering questions from congregational leaders who would love to see Sunday school come alive and revive it.

The answer I give them from our experience and research at Faith Inkubators is always: “No doubt about it! Parents are the primary role models of the faith for their children. Let’s talk about ways to get them on-board. We have had success, but it’s not going to be easy. It means change, but that change is life-changing for families and for the church!”

Debbie Streicher is National Director of Children and Family Ministry. She is located in Northern Virginia and happy to address any questions you may have regarding Faith Inkubators’ resources. Please contact her at dstreicher@faithink.com.