Ministry with Children

Children in worship

Here's a story of children in worship that makes me smile -- and also makes me very proud that Catrina is one of our graduates!

PBS' Digital Nation

The Media Education Lab at Temple, in conjunction with PBS, has put up a host of really useful resources on parenting kids in digital contexts. Apparently the "occasion" is the premiere on February 2nd of a new PBS documentary on the Digital Nation.

Games for Change Festival

Here's a conference I'd dearly love to go to, but have neither institutional support for, nor time (if I'm honest with myself). But maybe some of you out there will be both able and willing!

Parenting preschoolers

Marilyn Sharpe, who has been a wonderful adjunct professor for us at Luther and who has spent decades working with parents of young children, has finally distilled some of her passion and insight into a small book -- For Heaven's Sake: Parenting Preschoolers Faithfully. It's a powerful, practical, resource and one that would be great to hand to every new parent as you support them through baptism and early childhood education.

Faithful parenting at Christmas

Common Good Radio offers a new podcast on faithful parenting amidst the persistent pressures of the holiday season.

Parents and Digital Rules

Here's an interesting piece -- entitled "It's 10 pm online, do you know where your parents are?" -- that looks at some of the most recent research about how parents navigate digital worlds with their kids. (Including a brief reference to a brand new book MIT Press has just published, Hangin' out, Messing around and Geeking out). Heidi Horst is quoted:

Get Used to Not Being the Expert -- In some ways, when the child is better with digital media than their parents, it destabilizes the “parent as absolute authority” dynamic. Children take on roles as experts in particular areas, like being the one who finds and records everyone’s favorite television shows.

Ultimately, Horst says, parents can fill an important role in their child’s digital life by doing many of the types of things parents often do. They can let go of the idea that they will always be the expert in the same way they do with teachers, coaches and other important adults.

“They can [develop] an awareness and sensitivity to the role that new media plays in their kids lives,” Horst says. “They can be supportive, without being in the middle of it all the time.”

Social networks and kids

I'm often approached by people who are very worried about allowing their kids to participate in online social networks. I think parents should be no more -- or less -- worried about this kind of environment then they are about any other environment their kids are involved in. Parents need to be present and involved until their kids are mature enough to be doing so by themselves. Even the mainstream media is having to report that the fears are more speculative, than grounded in real science.

Children's book blog

Here's an excellent resource blog written by students, faculty and alumni of Union PSCE. It's a blog that has short reviews of children's books that can be used in various ministry settings.

Great new liturgy resource

Ok, so the resource I'm about to talk about is not focused primarily on children, but nevertheless, it's a great new resource for liturgy. Chock full of songs and other worship resources that have been made available for free with all of the original sheet music under a Creative Commons license, this is a resource you can use in a variety of settings to engage your community. If you want to order a copy of a CD that includes the songs, go to the composer's site (Nate Houge). The songs are well organized, relatively easy to sing, and the sheet music includes the chording. Thanks, Nate, for making this available so freely to people!

Faith parenting

Robin Blair -- who on occasion has taught as an adjunct faculty member at Luther -- continues to produce lively podcasts on issues of faith and parenting for CommonGood radio. I blush to note that this week's snippet (each one is about 2 minutes long), is from an interview she did with me.