resources for effective children's ministry
The Big Book of Family Fun
Author - Gwen Ellis
Publisher - Revell/Baker Book HouseFavorite Features:This book is an extremely helpful resource for families as it not only emphasizes the importance and value of spending time together, but provides practical, creative and do-able ideas to help families spend time, growing together as they develop traditions they may pass on to future generations as well. This book could also be useful for churches to pick ideas and place in the bulletin as the "family idea for the month" and then encourage families to make a point of doing that activity together at some point during the month. If you do this, be sure to provide opportunity for families to share the results - in the bulletin or perhaps during a testimony night. Very well done Gwen and Revell/Baker House!
- divided into three sections
- ideas for Family Fun
- Finding Time for Family Fun
- Funding Dollars for Family Fun
- helpful information to help families learn to spend creative family nights together and learn to establish traditions
- emphasis on celebrating everything - excellent!
- family fun ideas from A to Z - excellent!
- helpful information to help you learn to organize and plan
- 75 ideas for saving time - excellent!
- 58 ideas for saving money on home decorating - excellent!
- 47 ideas for saving food dollars - excellent!
- 30 family fun adventures for little or no money - excellent!
Nurturing a Child's Soul
Author - Timothy Jones
Publisher - Word PublishingFavorite Features:
- excellent beginning explaining the need for and encouraging parents to nurture their children
- "Ten Soul Nourishers" - excellent!
- "Nurturing a Soul Through the Stages of Childhood" - excellent, needed information
This book is written not necessarily by a child development and/or parenting expert. Rather, it is written by and for parents and is an excellent source of help to come alongside parents, no matter what stage of parenting they are in, to encourage and help give better understanding and insight into nurturing their child. We too often forget to nurture our children - we care for their physical needs and even introduce them to Jesus, but we must also consistently nurture them - this book calls parents to commit not to unattainable perfection, but to lovingly nurture our children to grow to be adults who in turn nurture. This book would make an excellent book for a small group to study together. Very well done Timothy and Word Publishing!
Trusting Enough to Parent
Author - Wayne Hastings
Publisher - Cook CommunicationsFavorite Features:
I sincerely appreciate books that make sense and this is one that does. There is sound advice provided in this book and when it is applied to lives and to parenting it will make a genuine difference and the results will be noticeable. I would highly recommend this book as a must read to the parents in your church as well as for the leaders in your church - if your church publishes a newsletter for parents it would be an excellent book to recommend and if you don't have a newsletter, consider making space in your bulletin each month to recommend a book for parents to read - this is an easy way for the church to encourage and equip the parents in the church. Extremely well done Wayne and Cook Communications!
- introduction on fear and trust - excellent and applies to everyone, not just parents
- looks at trust as it relates to 11 areas of parenting
- practical, do-able information
- think and talk about it questions at the end of each chapter - excellent helps to enable parents to apply
- excellent resource for a parenting class & with a little work could be adapted to make a class on fear and trust for anyone as the principles apply
About The Children's Department - Volume 4, Edition 2 Copyright © Lynda Freeman Last Updated November 26, 2000 Web Page by Lynda Freeman Send an e-mail to Lynda at dfreemansr@earthlink.net
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