A few weeks ago, during the children’s message, a story
about a dog’s tail and happiness was shared. My first thought? What a great
analogy for thinking of how our actions and attitudes make a difference in the
way we approach ministry.
When a dog is happy, he wags his tail. The story goes: A
young dog wanted to be able to catch happiness so knowing that happiness was in
his tail, he spent the entire day chasing his tail. No matter how fast he ran
or how hard he tried, he just kept running in circles. He got really
frustrated. He couldn’t “catch” happiness.
That evening he asked an older and wiser dog how he could
catch happiness. He could not reach his tail no matter how hard he tried. The
older dog shared his wisdom: “I stopped seeking happiness by chasing my tail a
long time ago. I learned that all I have to do is look ahead and stay focused
on where I’m going and it just follows!”
The definition of insanity: Doing things the same way
over and over again and expecting different results. Not very different then
the dog chasing his tail!
So what does this have to do with Bible Song you may ask?
Congregations change curriculums for Sunday school because something isn’t
working. They try book after book, publisher after publisher, and run in
circles trying to get volunteers. Why? They seem to be seeking happiness with a
curriculum that works and addresses the needs of both the volunteers and the
parents. Is there a problem? Most congregations want to implement and plan
Bible Song just like they have planned every other resource. Parents and
volunteers view time commitments and planning as cutting into schedules. This
does not lead to happiness, so why do things the same way?
The insanity is beginning to show at the congregational
level and we wonder why. It’s like
running in circles. Change is good and I
believe we need to begin listening to our volunteers and parents about what
works and what doesn’t. Bible Song is a new, refreshing way to introduce
scripture to young families and involve youth in doing ministry. It’s important
to stay focused on where we’re going. We’re going forward staying focused on
learning scripture and embedding it in hearts and minds through memorizing and
interpreting in hands-on, fun ways.
Will there be complaints? Always! Is it important to
listen to what’s working and what’s not? Always! Is it important to keep moving
forward and stay focused on our goals? Of course! Should we look back and see
if happiness is following? I don’t think we have to. It will naturally happen
when we are intentional and stay focused on our goals.
If your goal is to invite young families to open the Bible
when together in small groups once a week and in the home and you stay focused
on the goal as you move forward, positive results will follow.
The truth is we are quick to give up if something doesn’t
work right away and there are not instant results. Remember the reason the wise
dog stopped chasing his tail was to focus on where he was going. It was
inevitable happiness would follow. I think the same is true for Bible Song.
Each congregation is like a family and can review what may work or not work in
their own setting. One day at a time,
one step at a time.
Here’s an example of a wise congregation in Westby Coon
Prairie, WI staying focused on their goals to get more parents involved and Bibles
in hands. I received this e-mail from
Pastor Dennis Hallemeier a few weeks ago.
After a bumpy year with
Bible Song last year, the two pastors called all the parents in May to listen
to their evaluation of Bible Song and how we could make the experience better
for them and for their children. This was invaluable. We have tweaked Bible
Song this fall and have had a wonderful response. The major tweakings:
1. Start all
grades in regular classrooms for the first 15 minutes with one or two parent
guides. Activities: welcome, highs & lows, offering, recognize birthdays,
and brief intro to the story (supplied on the table).
2. When Bible Song
music starts on the intercom, age 5 through grade 6 go to the large
group room for the day's Song (or a repeat of the previous week's song--so the
children refresh and remember it), the day's story (some weeks we repeat the
previous week's story in a different way--especially on stories we want to
emphasize), and then some more music, followed by activity time (for the older
kids, we have found various kinds of quizzes on the Bible stories to be
engrossing).
3. Ages 3 & 4
stay in their classrooms for the story and activities and music. (We found that
this works best for us. The kids' parents feel most secure!)
We have lots of
parents involved--even some Dads (!)--on a rotating schedule. In short: it's working!
Peace, Denny
Hallemeier
You can post your ideas of what works and what doesn’t on
our message
board. We can help one another and grow together.
Let’s keep moving forward. It’s the only way to see what
will follow!
