The Sneetches - A Short Middle School Ministry Lesson on Pride, Envy and Our Identity in Christ (Galatians 5:24-26)

Dr. Suess's "The Sneetches" is a great book with many lessons to be learned. The book and movie are timeless (although today's preteen/teen might enjoy an updated version). Here is one idea for a quick middle school age lesson with little prep when you need something quick and easy. If you have more time to prepare, you can easily add more depth or an entire sermon. This particular lesson can easily be adapted for use with a younger or older audience as well as a school or camp setting. 

Opening Activity: (adapted from www.teensundayschool.com/81/activities/revealing-colors.php) 

What's My Color? 

Break up into groups of four or five and give each student/group a small bag of M&Ms. (Use fun size individual bags for convenience or group bags to save money. )

Explain what each color M&M means from the color key below. (Pass out list on paper to each group or put on large screen. )

The groups will open their bags and let each person in turn pour 4 M&Ms into his or her hand.

Then that person shares several things about him or herself, depending on which colors he or she has according to the color key. Then the next person does the same until everyone in the group has a chance to share. And yeah, go ahead and eat the M&Ms when finished sharing.

Color Key:

Red - Share something that you are NOT good at.

Green - Share something that you are good at.

Blue - Share something that you like about your “true blue” best friend. (Example: he or she is always there for me, he or she likes me just the way I am, etc.)

Brown - Share something that really makes you "frown", perhaps a pet peeve.

Yellow - Share something that really "brightens" up your day and makes you smile.

Orange - If you could "change" one thing about yourself, what would it be?

Gather back together in a large group.

Say, "It's fun to get to know one another. How many of you had something in common with another person in your groups? (If time, you might call on a few people to share one of their answers.) Sometimes our differences cause sin in our lives.

Read Galatians 5:24-26.

Say, "Let's look at a fun example of differences causing sin.

Show "The Sneetches" short film by Dr. Suess. (You can serve popcorn and M&M's for added fun.)

Break into small groups and have adult leaders do the following:

Have students look up Galatians 5:24-26 and read it together.

What problem did the original Sneetches with stars have that we as humans have according to this scripture? (pride/conceited, provoked others by showing favoritism, other more specific answers accepted)

What problem did the original Sneetches without stars have that we as humans have according to this scripture? (jealousy, other more specific answers accepted)

In what ways do we display the same bad traits of the Sneetches, today? (various answers, specific examples allowed but no names, be prepared to cut off students if their answers get too personal)

What did the Sneetches learn? (The Sneetches learned that the stars didn’t mean anything. They were all Sneetches, which was their true identity.)

Look up and read Galatians 3:26-29 together.

What can we learn from what Paul told the Galatians? (All Christians are ‘clothed in Christ’, so our human differences no longer matter. Our physical/human identity shouldn't separate us or cause sin in us. Our identity in Christ unites us all as children of God. We are Abraham’s heirs to God’s promise.)

If you have extra time and need something fun and silly to do, you can explain and sing "Father Abraham" as a large group.

Deadheading our Lives

While I was deadheading and pruning my annual flowers, my son asked why I was removing some of the blooms. I told him that it was necessary to remove blooms that were spent or past their prime in order to encourage more blooms and to keep the plants healthy. In past summers, I learned that failing to deadhead and prune results in plants that are thin, spindly, and lacking in flowers. However, if I am faithful with pruning, the flowers produce lots of blooms and stay healthy throughout the summer.

            That conversation with my son got me to thinking about how odd it sometimes seems to remove blooms from a flower and how that applies to our lives. This past year, some college students have talked with me about how difficult it can be to remove good things from their lives. Everything they are doing (i.e. studying for class, mentoring other students, Bible study, teaching children and youth, spending time with friends, etc.) is good. I have experienced similar times of decision. Several years ago, I was involved in several areas of ministry. After some time, I came to the realization that some things needed to stop. It wasn’t that any of those things was bad; it was just that I was being spread too thin. By thinning out and pruning some areas of service, I was able to focus on children’s ministry and youth ministry. I found that by cutting out some of the blooms in other areas, new blooms blossomed in the remaining areas.

            Isn’t this what God wants for us? He knows how we will blossom in certain areas. He knows that in order for those areas to blossom, other seemingly healthy blooms must be pruned. It’s difficult for us to understand when we are in the middle of the situations. It is then that we need to seek guidance from a mentor or close friend that can help us see where our gifts lie or what is needed for our proper growth. Often we know the answers to our questions before we ask them; we just don’t want to lose that bloom or branch. God wants to shape us into the beautiful plant he knows we can be.

            So, yeah, I had to give up serving in some areas that I enjoyed. But I have grown in the other areas into which I put more time and energy. As you enjoy the flowers of summer, keep in mind what is necessary to get those beautiful blooms.

Tennis Balls, Cats and God - Thoughts on sharing your faith through your words and actions

Tennis Balls, Cats and God

If I held up a tennis ball in a group of 20 people and asked them to tell me what it represented to them, I might very well get 20 different answers ranging from ‘athletics’, ‘exercise’, ‘fun with friends’, and ‘competition’ to ‘fetch with a dog’ or ‘what my grandma has on the feet of her walker’. Each person would see the tennis ball differently, depending upon the circumstances in which they have encountered it in the past.

            Have you ever met someone so obsessed by something that they cannot see it in any other way than their own? Maybe a sports fanatic that cannot stand to even be in the same room with someone who likes an opposing team. Or maybe a relative that collects hats and talks about them incessantly, showing you their odd collection every chance they get.

            My son used to be that way about cats. It seemed every conversation turned to cats, sooner or later. He didn’t care what other people thought of his obsession, either. He told others of his (pretend, just so we’re clear) plan of taking of the world with a robot army of cats, someday. He had elaborate plans for his house full of cats, the people he would hire to take care of them, the cat store he would own, and so on and so on. He had an answer for everything – and it was always CATS. In high school, some of the upper classmen took to calling him ‘Catboy’. Much to their chagrin, he reveled in it.

            If you were to ask my son to describe cats, to this day he would likely respond, “They are soft and furry.” Even though many might agree with his statement, there are those who might respond with words such as ‘scary’, ‘dirty’, ‘disgusting’, ‘flee-infested’ – well, you get the picture. We all have different opinions of them.

            When Ernie and I first got married, he viewed cats as something he would tolerate on my behalf, because he loved me. I don’t think he would have ever considered owning one, let alone paying money for one. After the first kitten we had crawled up in his lap, purred, and wound up preferring him over me, it was all over. His affection for felines has grown to the point where he thinks pictures of them are adorable, and he can’t wait until we can have one again. (We are currently renting and not allowed to have any pets.) My sister-in-law still prefers dogs over cats and cannot understand why on earth her brother wants another one.

            Right about now, you’re probably wondering what these random stories have to do with God. My response is “More than you might think, actually.”

            Let’s revisit the tennis ball. The athlete is likely to see the tennis ball as a sport or something relating to competition. The health-conscious person is likely to see it as a way to keep fit. Someone who likes to socialize will see it as a way to have fun with friends. Well, I think you get the picture. As much as an inanimate object can reveal itself to a person, the tennis ball reveals itself to an individual based upon the person’s propensity towards the ball. Just think of a time you were doing something with someone who did not share your point of view on the matter. The athlete can tell the socialite 1,000 times to ‘keep your eye on the ball’, but the socialite just wants to have fun. It won’t matter to the socialite that the score is 30-3 (no, that’s not a real score), the athlete will be excited to win and the socialite will be glad to have spent time with a friend.

            2 Samuel 22:26-28 says, “To the faithful you show yourself faithful; to those with integrity you show integrity. To the pure you show yourself pure, but to the wicked you show yourself hostile. You rescue the humble, but your eyes watch the proud and humiliate them,” (NLT). David recognized that God revealed himself to people based upon their own character traits or their circumstance. If I am in need of being rescued and look to God help, in time He will likely reveal himself to me as Rescuer.

            Notice that David also recognized God has having many different traits. If you are familiar with the life of David, I’m confident you can think of a time and circumstance in which David saw God as faithful, honest, pure and hostile. David had previously experienced each of these characteristics of God.

            What’s the take-away from this scripture? If you truly want to know God better, you must seek him in all circumstances.

By seeking God during different circumstances, we can learn about the different characteristics of God. If I have only seen a tennis ball used as a dog toy, I will not understand that it can help me stay physically fit. In the simple mind of a dog, the tennis ball may always represent something to play with. However, an eighty-year-old can likely appreciate the tennis ball in a myriad of ways, since they have experienced and witness the ball being used in many different ways.

            If you only see negative characteristics of God, perhaps you are not seeking to follow him. Our views of God’s character are reactions to situations in our daily lives. If we are trying to live a life of integrity, we will see God’s integrity. If we go against what we know to be God’s desire, then we will feel judged and rightly look at God as judging. So, in order to see the good characteristics of God, we must strive to fulfill his righteous commands, thus bringing to light those positive traits.

Understanding how this works may help you understand why an atheist cannot see a loving and merciful God. However, if we who know God and become His hands and feet, we can show the loving and merciful God to the unbeliever. Mere talk will get you nowhere, mind you. Just as you learned to know God through your experiences, others will learn to know God through our actions. Words must be continually backed up by actions.

At 3 years old, my dog knew that my tennis shoes and the word, “walk” meant she was going for a walk. If I merely said, “Walk” to her, she would tilt her head to one side and look expectantly at me. However, she did not know the word “walk” when she was born. She learned its meaning by me repeating it just before taking her for a walk. Similarly, she learned to associate my tennis shoes with “walk”, since I consistently said “walk” while putting on the tennis shoes just before taking her for said walk.

We must verbally recognize the positive characteristics of God to others as he works in our lives – this is what we refer to as giving our testimony. It is not enough for us to internally recognize the traits. It is imperative that we audibly affirm the traits as belonging to God. Over time, others will begin to recognize the positive traits of God by seeing the fruits of God’s work in our lives and hearing us attach those works to God. Eventually, we and others will automatically associate certain positive words to God.

A Different Look at Recruitment

Almost every ministry within the church wonders what to do about recruitment. I’ve given it a lot of thought over the past few months, but I’ve felt as stumped as everyone else on how to recruit new people any differently than what has already been done (sign-up sheets in the bulletin, a cute skit during announcements, and asking every person you meet if they would be interested in serving in your ministry). Then, one Sunday when I didn’t have any obligations at church, I contemplated skipping the service altogether. Yes, even someone called to full time ministry has those thoughts. It got me thinking . . .so, why do I occasionally contemplate missing a Sunday service?

The weeks I am most tempted to skip are the weeks in which I have no commitments or accountability to others. Even on the weeks I serve, there is a temptation to only attend the service in which I am scheduled. That wasn’t true for me in high school. I never wanted to miss anything back then. So what has changed or what is missing? What do certain ministries seem to have them make them attractive? I was able to identify four components that draw people to participate: socializing with others, a level of commitment, learning and growing, and a spiritual connection to others.

First, let’s look at the social aspect. In high school, my church offered Sunday school in the morning and youth group in the evening. These were times when I could socialize with a smaller group of people with whom I related well. Were there times I missed those events? Yes, but not often, and I terribly disliked being absent.

Next is commitment. You might not think of a youth group meeting as a large commitment for a teen, especially since we didn’t have small groups back then. But there were those of us who participated in more. I was on a leadership team, visited people in the nursing homes, went on weekend retreats, and attended church camp. After I got my license and a car, I picked up several other kids on my way to events. For those just checking out the group (or church in general), we offered a Thursday night outreach service that was mostly fun and games.

Obviously there was a spiritual component in both Sunday school and youth group, but youth group had the largest spiritual aspect. The worship and prayer portion lasted an hour or more every week. We prayed for one another during those times, and I don’t just mean “my dog is sick” prayers. We prayed for areas of struggle and for each other’s burdens. We felt accountable to the group and one another.

Ok, so the learning component seems fairly obvious, but I went to Sunday school, because I wanted to learn something. That’s where we dug deep. I attended most youth group meetings for the three reasons listed above. Sunday school was our version of a Bible study. We would spend an entire quarter reading and studying one book of the Bible or one concept. I learned a lot in Sunday school and enjoyed it.

Now you might be thinking, “That’s all fine and dandy, but what does any of this have to do with recruiting? This sounds more like an article about getting people to attend church than a way to recruit for a ministry.” I would tell you that it’s both.

Were you ever on a sports team, a member of the band/choir, or part of a club in school? Why? What made you want to be a part of a team or group? Did they have to sell you on participating or did you seek them out? Did they have to beg you to join or did you ask someone when, where and how you could sign up? So, what did they have that we don’t always have in our ministries? You might be catching on by now, but I will lay it out for you just to make sure we are all on the same page. They had a social aspect, they required a commitment, there was a spiritual component, and they learned something. And, there is one more thing they had, a season of beginning or an entry point. Interestingly enough, these same aspects were present in Jesus’ ministry and in the early church.

First, there was a definite beginning or entry point. Jesus’ ministry had a beginning as did the church. Of course, people could join his ministry or the church at any time. However, there were special times or seasons that were natural entry points for guests and visitors (i.e. feasts and celebrations, Pentecost, etc.).

There were times for socializing. Whether it was during a wedding, a meal or other event, they socialized. The church had social events, as well. They came together during certain times of the year to celebrate what God had done (the same feasts and celebrations mentioned above).

People were asked to make a commitment. Jesus asked the apostles to make a large commitment. Others that followed his ministry also made a commitment to assist (Mary, Martha, others who fed and housed the apostles, etc.). Some people made a large commitment, others made a smaller one, but they were always required to make some sort of commitment.

The apostles had a definite spiritual connection; they spent all of their time with Jesus and with each other. They surely shared their hurts, fears, and struggles with one another. When opposition came, they gathered together for support. They were friends. The spiritual bond between them was greater than with acquaintances from social events. They became a family.

Ok, this is probably one of the more obvious components of Jesus’ ministry, but those around him learned something. That was one of the biggest attractions to his ministry – people learned something. They called him ‘Teacher’.

            So, if we model our ministries after Jesus’ ministry, they should have those same components –obvious entry points, times for socializing (not just doing ministry), different levels of commitment, a spiritual connection with others in the group, and ways to learn and grow. Allow me break these down a bit. 

1. Create times for socializing, and I don’t just mean ten minutes for a doughnut before the service begins. That’s a good starting point, but it’s not enough. Put a few dates on the calendar for those in your ministry to socialize with one another. Examples would be lunch at a restaurant, going to a sporting event, having a cookout, playing silly group games, or whatever creative activity you come up with. The point is, don’t make your serving or training events the only place for socialization. It isn't enough.
2.  Every ministry needs different levels of commitment. Yeah, it would be nice if every new volunteer wanted to be a leader in your ministry. However, that is just not realistic. First, new volunteers need a little time to understand the vision of your ministry and understand how your ministry operates. Some people need a chance to decide if they even want to participate in the ministry. Others know they want to participate, but they want (and need) to go in gradually. Still others, and these are the kind we love, are ready to jump right in. It’s also good to recognize that different skill sets and seasons of life may determine a different level of commitment. (Someone with three young children might be willing to make phone calls or do data entry, whereas a single person might be willing to be a leader with a larger time commitment.) By creating levels of commitment and separating the duties within your ministry, more people will be willing and able to participate.
3. Create times for spiritual connection and accountability within the group. Sometimes, this aspect can be combined with the social or learning component, but make sure it exists. Create a prayer chain for those in your ministry. Make a Facebook group. Get together twenty or thirty minutes before the service to pray together. Have a corporate worship service with your volunteers a couple of times per year. There are many ways to invoke the spiritual component, but just having social events won’t do it. Maybe you can even form small groups or hold Bible studies for those in your ministry. Just do something that connects people to one another on a deeper, more intimate level.
4. Be sure to have some sort of training events. Even though your volunteers may be able to handle preparing a kids’ lesson every week, that doesn’t mean they know what you are hoping to accomplish throughout the year. An email might give them the information, but a quarterly or monthly training session is much better. We wouldn’t expect a football coach to email a workout to the players. We cannot expect our volunteers to ‘get’ everything about our ministry in an email. We wouldn’t expect a basketball coach to say, “Prepare all of this at home and we’ll see you on Friday for the big game.” Neither should we expect our volunteers to prepare on their own with only some curriculum and then “knock one out of the park” on Sunday. On the other hand, don’t have too many meetings. People don’t like to sit and listen, but they do enjoy learning. We work hard to make hands-on learning stations for youngsters but expect adults to enjoy a two-hour session of information. Be creative. Cast vision. Invoke learning.
5. Last, but certainly not least, we need to intentionally create natural entry points into our ministries. Maybe, the congregation as a whole will share those entry points, or maybe each ministry will have their own entry point. Nonetheless, those entry points need to exist. Yes, volunteers will be added all throughout the year, but there must be intentional on-ramps for most people. Determine what seasons are best for those entry points. The beginning of the school year, an overnighter, or summer camp creates a fairly natural entry point for children’s ministry. However, a Christmas or Easter production is more acceptable for creative arts. What about the first impressions team? Again, a holiday might be acceptable, but I would also include a major outreach event such as a concert. These are great times for people to check out your ministry (going back to those commitment levels) and decide if they want to continue serving.

So, recruitment is more about our current volunteers than the prospective ones. If we focus on making our ministry fulfilling to our current volunteers, then it will be attractive to others. Also, those already involved will want to invite their friends. We have to be careful not to create a ‘click’ where others feel like outsiders. On the other hand, as pastors, we must minister to our leaders. Trust me, there are leaders within your ministry that will gladly step up and assume some of the responsibility of the items I’ve listed. You don’t have to do it all, nor should you. Mentor a few exceptional leaders and allow them to take some responsibility. Jesus did not tell the apostles to just sit back and watch. He involved them in what he did. He trained them. He discipled them. 

Follow Jesus’ lead and watch your ministry grow!

Right Relationships = Smooth Transitions

Right Relationships = Smooth Transitions: transitioning students from children’s ministry to youth ministry

by Melissa Fipps

Do a search on ‘transition from children’s ministry to youth ministry’ and you’ll get a slew of results. Digging through them can be time consuming and overwhelming. Some sites are targeted at children’s pastors, while others are written for youth pastors. Some give vague generalizations while others give specific suggestions. After comparing several sites (for both children’s and youth pastors) and speaking with two children’s pastors and one middle school pastor (and considering my own previous experience and observations as a volunteer in children’s and youth ministry and in my own kids as they transitioned), I noticed some common threads. Interestingly enough, the common things boil down to relationships: with ‘the other’ pastor/director, with parents, with incoming students, with God, and with others in your congregation. (But isn’t that what ministry always boils down to?)

1. Relationship with ‘the other’ pastor/director
• Champion one another regularly, especially in front of others – Go into the other’s space during their ministry time. If you get stage time in their space (or the main church service) then tell the crowd how great the other pastor/leader is
• Try being friends. – You might think this is a given, or you might think this is crazy talk. But I really think you should at least enjoy one another’s company enough to chat over a cup of coffee or pop about things other than ministry. You might be surprised at the results.
• c. Pray for the other person. – Yet another given for some, but a point that needs emphasized, nonetheless. Pray on a personal level (if you have regular chats, then you should know their heart and some personal prayer concerns) AND pray for their ministry.
• d. Work together (with all ministry partners) to come up with a plan of what a model adult who has grown up in your church might look like. Then work backwards to determine what that person looks like at the end of each stage of life
2. Relationship with parents
• Communicate with parents. - Have a meeting to explain how your ministry looks different than children’s ministry. (It’s not that the children’s ministry did things wrong, middle school is just a different stage of life that requires a different style of execution.)
• Make continuing communication a priority. – Let’s face it, junior high students typically cannot get themselves to events. Make sure parents know what’s happening.
• Make information easy to find. – Assume that any paper you give the students will not make it to the parents’ hands. Even if it does, the parents will probably misplace/lose it.
3. Relationship with incoming students
• Establish the relationship early. – Don’t wait until 2 weeks before promotion weekend to introduce yourself. Be involved with the students who will be entering your ministry for six to twelve months beforehand (via special events like bowling, an overnight event, Bible study / small group, etc.).
• Encourage those serving in ministry to pick a group and stay with them all the way through children’s ministry and youth ministry. – I’ve seen this (and done it to some extent), and it works. Of course, it is really sad when the students go to college. (This works even better if it is not a parent of someone in the group. Older students will enjoy being able to confide in these adults and will appreciate an outsider’s advice.)
4. Relationship with God
• Yeah, I had to say it (but I didn’t put it first because I figured you’d stop reading). Putting Him first is key in this. You are not trying to get numbers. You are not trying to have the biggest group in town. You are not trying to outdo the church down the street. You SHOULD BE drawing souls to Christ and helping them deepen their relationship with God.
5. Relationship with others in the church – this may sound like a strange one to include, but it is needed. 
• The middle school pastor (who has a degree in education) suggested visiting a sixth grade school classroom (with a veteran teacher). Listening to what the students are learning, seeing them interact with their peers, and overall observation will help you understand what a student that age needs.
• Talk to parents and teachers of sixth or seventh graders. They will feel honored that you respect their thoughts and will give you a ton of helpful information.
• Talk with some older adults in your church. They’ve been around the block. They usually like other people’s kids. They may not want to be a small group or worship leader, but they’ll help teach a six week Bible study, make meals for an overnighter/retreat, serve snacks at your outreach events, or pray for teens on a weekly basis (and send them occasional cards informing them of the prayer). They are often retired and are happy to sort t-shirts, organize totes, stuff envelopes (especially if you offer to provide coffee and snacks) etc.

 So, the bottom line is that you value relationships. Without those, your ministry doesn’t exist.

  Oh, and by the way, these items can be applied to any transition between ministries or life stages.
 
Resources:
http://childrensministry.com/articles/smooth-transitions?p=1
http://youthministryinstitute.org/research/articles/Marsha_Hays.htm
http://www.reyouthpastor.com/student-ministry-skills/leadership/tactics-and-strategy/8-ridiculous-youth-groups-growing/
Max Johnson (middle school pastor, Crossroads Community Church, Kokomo, IN)
Michael Fuqua (elementary children's pastor, Crossroads Community Church, Kokomo, IN)
Amanda Bugos (elementary children's minister, Converse Church of Christ, Converse, IN)

My Story

During the past several years, I have been repeatedly asked to share my biography or story with classmates and professors in the seminary. I was also asked to share my story on my employment application to IWU, my application to Wesley Seminary, and a ministry application at church. It has been difficult for me to figure out how to write down my story -- what to include...what not to include. Well, a few nights ago I finished the last homework assignment for my degree, and suddenly, I knew what to say. It's as if a window was opened and the sun was shining in, lighting up the room. So, here goes. (I will warn you that this will take a few minutes to read.)

 Four years ago, I did not have my undergraduate degree, although I had completed all of my degree requirements 20 years earlier. One week from tomorrow, I will receive a Master of Arts in Ministry degree from Wesley Seminary at Indiana Wesleyan University. Four years ago, I felt discouraged, beaten down, and practically worthless. Now, I am daily humbled by respect and compliments from students, faculty and staff within the School of Theology & Ministry. But, maybe I should back up a bit in this story.

I was raised in a fairly average middle class Christian home. Both of my parents worked. We went to church almost every Sunday. I had what I needed but not always what I wanted. I was an only child until junior high.

 I began talking to God at an early age. It just seemed natural. I also spent HOURS enveloped in music. Living in the country, there wasn't a lot to do as an only child. TV was rarely an option, since we only had 4 stations and I wasn't allowed to watch it very much. So, I listened to records and 8-track tapes -- mostly the Gaithers, musicals (like Pete's Dragon, Annie, Fiddler on the Roof, and...well, you get the picture), and Donny and Marie Osmond. (Quite a diverse collection, hunh?)

During the summers, I played outside with my animals and gave concerts on my swing set. Yeah, that said, 'concerts'. I 'sang' (or rather yelled at the top of my lungs so that the neighbors might hear and be saved) Gaither music to large, invisible crowds. Of course, no Gaither concert would be complete without an alter call, which I was sure not to leave out. Oh, and the pets. Well, I'm embarrassed to say that some might think I did strange things with my pets.

First, when I was about five or six, my parents caught me sharing the dry cat food with the dog. I'd eat a piece, then give him a piece. Come to find out, I had an iron deficiency which dog and cat food are high in. Other than that, I have no clue why I did that. I do know that, to this day, vitamins almost make me gag because they smell like dog food!

Second, my mom sometimes caught me dunking kittens in a bucket of water. My explanation, I was baptizing them so they wouldn't go to hell. On to the third thing -- I often closed my eyes and had my dog lead me around the yard. He was pretty good; he knew a few commands. I attribute that fascination with Mary from Little House on the Prairie. (For those of you born after that era, she was blind.)

Needless to say, accepting Christ as my personal savior and being baptized at eight was a no-brainer. I went to Sunday school, junior church, Sunday night service, and Thursday night service pretty much every week. During the summer, I went to VBS and church camp. In junior high and senior, I also began attending youth group on Sunday nights and weekend retreats. Hardly a church activity happened that I did not attend.

Something else that happened in junior high -- I became an older sister. That's right, my family adopted my brother. When I was thirteen, my family's name finally was chosen to adopt Michael (who had just turned one). We had been on the list since I was six. 

During high school, even though I was no longer an only child, there was so many years difference between my brother and I that spent most of my time alone. Too old to play on the little aluminum swing set, I spent countless hours listening to 'contemporary' Christian music. In those days (1980's), contemporary sounded much different than it does today. The Gaither Trio was pretty edgy in some circles. I had added some groups to my repertoire, though. I listened and sang to the Imperials, Petra, the Couriers, Michael W. Smith, Sandi Patti, Michael English, Rich Mullins (back when he was first starting out and still hitch-hiked to most churches), and several others. Besides singing to the music, I also directed it. (Yeah, I was kinda dorky and didn't really care.)

Another piece of information that should be noted is that I was extremely shy. I didn't talk in large groups. I never raised my hand in class. I only talked to about 8-10 close friends. (Of course, I talked a lot at home to my parents, myself and God.) My junior year, I tried out for drum major but didn't make it. However, my senior year I blew them away when I hollered out commands.

My high school youth group played a large part in shaping my faith. Our Sunday night youth group probably met 48 of 52 weeks out of the year. We had Sunday school every week. We had a couple of weekend retreats each year. We met in students' homes over the summer and some during the winter. Our church attendance was around 500. The youth group attendance averaged 15-20 during the summer and 50-100 during the school year. Every year we went to the Mississinewa Reservoir spillway on Labor Day Sunday, attended the ICYC conference in Indianapolis on Thanksgiving weekend, had a New Year's Eve party, and went on a 10-day trip called the Joyful Journey during which we went to the CIY conference (and went caving/spelunking, hiking, tubing and rappelling in the Appalachian Mountains on the weekends surrounding the conference) and attended the Great Escape retreat in Anderson at Highland High School in the spring.

I went on the Joyful Journey the summer after my sophomore year. It was a time of growth for me. I was not very adventurous. (I still don't ride roller coasters or large rides at amusement parks.) However, I participated in all of the Journey activities.

There was a 'bottomless' lake that we crossed during one part of the spelunking. We had to shimmy down a steep incline with anchored ropes, get into waist-deep water, and carefully stay on the ledge at the side of the lake. There were people in our group who could not swim, one of which was my partner. There were all sorts of insects and bats. We had to crawl on our bellies through one section. Our goal was a large cavern about a mile inside. Upon reaching it, we shut off all of our lights and sang for about thirty minutes. I cannot begin to describe that time!

We hiked up a trail in the Appalachian Mountains. A few brave souls climbed the face. The rest of us took the paved trail that turned into climbing a somewhat steep rock to the summit. We also rappelled off of a lookout tower. I was one of the last ones to gain enough courage to leap off the side, but it was worth it. Trust me, it's nothing like climbing the fake rock wall.

One year we visited Willowcreek's weekday outreach program, so that we could start a similar weeknight program. I was on the student leadership team for that. A small group of us also went to visit people in the nursing homes about twice a month. Once or twice a year, we designed and led the adult worship service. We also helped with puppet shows in the junior worship service and with the children's musicals.

When I was in junior high, the youth pastor and some high school students and adults began the first dramatization of A Night in Bethlehem. I was allowed to help in one of the areas as a junior high student and continued to help in high school and as an adult. We turned our basement into Bethelehem, complete with live sheep, goats and rabbits, a basket shop, an inn keeper, a strolling musician, a carpenter shop, a "home" with warm bread to sample and kids playing, Caeser and some guards, Mary/Joseph/Baby Jesus near the animals with a manger, and wise men in a different room (they were traveling because they had seen a new star). People who visited were 'transported back in time' at the beginning and end of the experience. At the end, there was a presentation describing Christ's crucifixion and resurrection with pamphlets for people to take with them. Several hundred people came through each year we presented it.

Our youth group's weekly Sunday night meetings during the school year consisted of an hour-long teaching time and an hour of worship/prayer. (See "I don't do organized religion" for a more detailed explanation of our worship time. Trust me, it was different but awesome.) During the summer, when we met in homes, we had snacks and prayer/worship. Each of us took turns leading a small devotion (giving the youth leaders time off, the summers were mostly student-led). During my junior and senior year, I rarely went to Sunday night youth or the weeknight outreach without a car full of people. (I drove a Chevette that had seat belts for 3 passengers. I usually had 3-5 passengers -- and sometimes 7-8. I wouldn't recommend doing this, today.)

During junior high church camp, I had felt called to ministry. However, I grew up in a denomination that did not believe women should lead anything but other women or children. So, when presented with music scholarships for the bassoon and academic scholarships for my SAT scores during my senior year, I chose to attend Ball State University. While there, I made a handful of friends and spoke to maybe a dozen people during the five years there.

After a series of bad decisions and unfortunate happenings, I found myself divorced and a single mother trying to finish my student teaching. (Kiersten and God are all that kept me going at that time.) Besides being depressed from all that had happened in my personal life, I was put with a teacher that was not allowed to have any more student teachers after me. Needless to say, I failed my student teaching. (Although I had no clue she was failing me until the last day, nice, hunh?) That finished crushing an already crushed spirit. I wound up settling for a general studies degree and took a computer course over the summer. However, I forgot to turn in my graduation application and was so shy and backwards, I thought that meant I didn't graduate.

Fortunately, a woman from home was listening to God. She had felt for a few months that God had placed both my name and Ernie's name on her heart. After several weeks of praying, she asked the two of us if we would like to meet. We both agreed and met at her and her husbands house for supper and euchre.

After a summer of getting to know one another, I was scared that Ernie might think I wanted to more than just friends. So, I told him that we needed some space for awhile. After two weeks of not talking, I missed him and realized that I did like him. So, I called him, we went out on a date, and the rest went really fast! We met on Memorial Day weekend, started dating towards the end of July, and were married on Thanksgiving. About ten months later, Ernest Joseph Fipps, IV, was born.

For the next several years, both my faith and my self-confidence grew. One big thing thing that really helped me break out of my shyness was clowning. Someone from Converse Church of Christ was a member of a Christian clown alley and had invited me to check it out. That changed my life so much! Behind the clown makeup, I was free to be the outgoing me that had hidden for so many years. I gained the confidence to begin breaking out of my shell without the makeup on, too.

Then, an elder from the church approached me and asked if I would be willing to help the new children's pastor in junior church. I hadn't attended junior church since sixth grade. He asked if I would lead the worship songs. I had no clue what they sang. I had sang with the preschool kids a few times on Sunday morning, but singing with 3-5 year-olds was much different than leading elementary kids in worship. I agreed to help, figuring I would help for three or four months until Amanda was settled in. (I had no clue what God had in store.)

I was a junior high youth sponsor, occasional helper in the preschool wing, and helped with the elementary kids during the summer sometimes. However, leading kids' worship was a completely new experience. For the first few weeks, I pretty much let the sixth grade girls lead. After awhile, I began leading more and introducing the kids to new songs. Amanda and I met every week to discuss the lesson and music. A few months later, I began helping her do some of the skits and teaching segments. After several months, Amanda and I were team teaching. Then, she asked me to help her plan the curriculum for the next year for the elementary Sunday school classes and junior worship.

Eventually, I was leading the junior worship team, designing and planning most of the lessons, and leading a kids choir. I also helped on Wednesday nights with the large group lesson and had a small group of fourth-sixth grade girls. I also led the worship for the 4th-6th grade church camp and was a cabin mom. After several years, I had successfully worked myself out of a position as the other volunteers I was leading blossomed into more confident teachers. I felt it was time to hand the reins to someone else but had no clue where God was leading me.

During that same time period, I changed jobs a few times before finding myself at Swayzee Elementary as an instructional assistant with the Title I program and also as a recess aide. That was a lot of fun, because most of the sixth graders from church were at Swayzee, since that was where all of the sixth graders from Oak Hill Schools were bused. I really got to develop relationships with the kids by playing with them at recess and seeing them in the hall. I also helped with an after-school program sponsored by the church camp in the spring and fall that was offered to the fifth and sixth graders.

I didn't leave all of my music training behind. I have had many private piano students and several private clarinet and saxophone students over the years. One semester, I stepped in for the 6th grade band director who was on maternity leave. In recent years, I have assisted the Eastern High School marching band, mostly with the clarinets and flutes. I also ran sound for the adult worship service and have sung in church choirs, sung solos, and been a member of the worship team.

If you are getting the idea that I have jumped around a lot, you are right. I get bored fairly easily. The employers that have kept me around the longest are the ones that gave me extra duties. While an instructional assistant at Eastern junior high, I was often asked to run/teach classes when the teacher had to be out. (The substitute just sat and watched.) While working at the bank, I redesigned several forms and instruction manuals, trained several new tellers, and assisted with main branch's vault. At Swayzee Elementary, I was given special state-required projects to edit, taught a Microsoft Excel workshop to all the secretaries in the school system, and applied for and won an NEA grant to attend a week-long master's lever dyslexia conference in California.

Well, back to that strange change I felt God was calling me to when I stepped down from the junior worship position. I had attended a special sermon series at Crossroads Community Church in Kokomo on Saturdays. This is the church Ernie had attended as a child. His mom and one sister still attended there. We decided to try attending there for awhile. I wound up volunteering to help with the third-fifth graders during the Saturday service. Then, a new children's pastor was hired. He invited me to be a part of the children's staff, which I accepted. Unfortunately, the position I was hired for was not a good fit for me. That with some other factors led me to step down after a year, which gets us back to four years ago.

Four years ago, I did not have my undergraduate degree, although I had completed all of the degree requirements 20 years earlier. I applied for a secretarial position with the Religion Division (now School of Theology & Ministry) at Indiana Wesleyan University. I really wasn't sure if I could successfully do the job, but I knew how to do almost everything on the list of duties. During my interview for the position, Dave Smith (the division chairperson at the time) asked me why I had so many undergraduate credits but no degree. I gave him the short version of the divorce, depression, shyness, and forgetting to turn in the graduation application. He informed me that undergraduate hours don't go away, and that, if he hired me, he wanted me contact Ball State and find out what to do to get my diploma. He did; I did. I officially graduated from Ball State University 16 years after having completed my degree. (I graduated the same year Kiersten graduated from high school.)

The past four years have been amazing. I have worked with good people over the years, but this group is one-of-a-kind. This group of about twenty professors like each other. They don't agree on politics or even on every part of theology. However, they are friends and enjoy one another. They support and encourage each other. Every day at 10 am and 3 pm, they go for coffee together -- partly for the caffeine and largely for the socializing. They have encouraged me like no others. I wish everyone could work in such an environment! But that's not all...

Three years ago, the spring after I received my undergraduate diploma, the seminary was birthed. Having felt the calling into ministry back in junior high, I signed up for the Master of Arts in Ministry program (which had been going on for some time, but was now being brought into the seminary along with the new M.Div. program). So, one week from tomorrow, I will receive a Master of Arts in Ministry degree(with a focus in youth ministry) from Wesley Seminary at Indiana Wesleyan University. (I am graduating with my master's degree the same year Joseph is graduating from high school.)

I have been asked several times in the last few weeks, "So what are you going to do now?" I have no idea, but God does. Right now, I'm continuing to enjoy working in the School of Theology & Ministry as an administrative assistant. In the future, I would like to teach an occasional course and maybe start my doctorate education. I would also like to be on a pastoral staff at a church.

"Where do I see myself in ten years?" I would like to be a mentoring/teaching pastor at a church (children's, youth, worship, or whatever) working my way towards being a professor (or maybe already being a full time professor). My spiritual gifts are teaching, leading, shepherding, creative communication and administration in that order with only 3 points difference between the first and last one listed. (These are from the 2 assessments I have taken at various times at Converse Church of Christ, always resulting in the same gifts).

Well, that's pretty much my story as far as major moments that have developed and express my professional, character, and faith growth over the past 43 years.

Ministry areas in which I have served over the past 20 years: 
preschool/nursery: Sunday morning teaching/helper
elementary children: worship leader, large/small group leader, camp counselor (k-6th grade), day/overnight camp dean for K-2nd grade, ministry team leader, Sunday school teacher, VBS (crafts, small/large group teacher, main group skits), designed/led and helped with overnighter, curriculum/vision leader team member, after school program helper, writing/performing skits, children's choir leader, children's musical producer/director, power point design, church camp cook
junior/senior high: small group leader, large group teacher, overnighter volunteer, ran sound for worship, church camp cook


(the following are all for the adult worship services)
media: team member/leader, shooting/developing slides, designing/presenting slide/media specials
drama: clowning (writing/performing both comical and worship skits, balloon twisting, teaching makeup techniques), writing/performing skits for adult worship, various positions with dramatization/re-enactment of the town of Bethlehem at time of Christ's birth
music: choir member, worship team member, woodwind player for worship band
sound: team member
lighting: ran for VBS programs and occasional morning worship

“I Don’t do Organized Religion”

Have you ever heard that phrase or something similar? I have. In fact, lately it seems that whenever I try witness to certain people, that’s the phrase of choice. It’s almost like a defense mechanism. As soon as their radar picks up on the fact that I’m trying to turn the conversation into a direction they don’t want it to go, “I don’t do organized religion,” flies from their lips. Up until now, it was such a shock that I hadn’t come up with a good response. Of course, if I wish to ever actually have a meaningful conversation about God we these people, that has to change.

So here I am, on a mission to come up with the perfect throw back. Now some people have a knack for knowing what to say and when to say it. Take my son for example; he’s always got a comeback for everything. I, on the other hand, usually think of what I should have said long after the conversation has passed – days if not weeks later – as is the case in this instance. At least I have arrived at a response, late that it is; I shall be ready for the next time.

So by now, you’re probably wondering, “So, what is your secret weapon?” Simple, “Good, neither does Jesus!”

Now, your first reaction may be one of surprise, or maybe you had already figured that out before you even read the title. Either way, it’s true. He (Jesus) doesn’t do organized religion. In fact, he continually warned people against getting “caught up in religious actions.” The very people that opposed him the most and were instrumental in getting him hung on the cross were considered the religious experts of the day. They continually tried to “trap” him with words and deeds. Yet, every time He responded with love and taught that their relationship with God was the important thing.

Of course, Jesus does want us to gather together in prayer and worship, encouraging and teaching one another. It’s the other stuff that has the possibility of getting in the way. No, the stuff in and of itself isn’t bad. It’s just when we let those things become our idea of worship or hinder our own or other’s worship.

Personality. That’s what determines most of our thinking about church services. We each have ideas of the way the administrative things should be handled. We have our own ideas of what the service should look like. We even have opinions about the style of preaching we expect to hear. But frankly, none of that really matters to God. He only asks that we have a personal relationship with him. Prayer and worship are a natural outpouring from our spirits as a result of that relationship. We gather together to encourage one another and teach/mentor one another. That’s it, pure and simple. Stand, sit, kneel, raise hands, pass the communion trays, dress up, dress down, Sunday, Saturday, Wednesday, fancy building, someone’s house, outside, inside – all of that comes down to personality and preference.

That being said, I’d like to thank my youth pastor for instilling in us (my youth group) the core of what I believe worship is. You see, worship happens every minute of every day, 24/7/365, as the saying goes. Unfortunately, our worship isn’t always focused on Jesus. However, the more someone is “in tune” with God, the more their focus is on Him. You don’t have to be in a fancy building or in a special service to pray and worship God. You can have a conversation with Him in the car, at your computer, while playing or working – anywhere, anytime. This idea of prayer and worship being a conversation was introduced to me through our weekly youth group meetings.

Now, the funny part is that the first high school youth group meetings I attended were over the summer between my 8th and 9th grade year. Since that is the time of vacations and such, the weekly attendance had been around 10-20, the same number as attended our Sunday school class. As was the custom, kids volunteered their parents to host our evening youth group meetings throughout the summer. My parents signed up for the last week of the summer, right before school started, in order to help me feel a part of the group. (I was extremely shy back then.) I had given them the numbers that I just gave you as an estimate of how many to expect. Luckily, my mother always over plans, because over 50 people showed up!

Now, for a rural church of around 500 people in a small town in the early 1980’s, you would not normally expect 50-60 students in a youth group. But (I quickly found out) that’s what we averaged throughout most weeks throughout the school year. During the school year, we met in the church basement or in the cave-like structure at the nearby church camp. We didn’t do anything too fancy – normal games and activities and a short lesson for the first hour – all what you’d expect to see at a youth group meeting. The thing that drew people in and set apart our little “community” as it were was the 2nd hour of our meeting.

During the 2nd hour (which sometimes turned into an hour and half to two hours, much to our parents chagrin), we turned off all of the lights (a potentially dangerous action with a mixed group of high school students) and either sat around or sometimes stood in a circle while praying and singing to God. Conversational prayer was the focus of most nights. We brought requests and praises to the group, and then lifted one another up in prayer. It was a conversation between us (each person in the room) and God. Intermingled between these “prayer conversations” were songs. They weren’t planned; they just happened. Usually, they were a direct result of someone’s request or praise. Sometimes, they were just something that someone wanted to “say” to God. We laughed, we cried, we hugged, we sang, we communed with God. No order of worship, no special theme, no special clothing requirements, no requests to stand, sit, kneel, no skits, no instruments, no special music. Just a time of gathering together to be with God. And it wasn’t just kids from our congregation (Converse Church of Christ); there were Methodists, Wesleyans, and even an occasional Catholic, just to name a few. The best part about all of it was, I believe that God was right there enjoying the time with us. He laughed at our jokes (and sometimes our songs, there were a couple of silly ones thrown in every once in awhile), cried over our sorrows and struggles, participated in our hugs of comfort and support, and smiled during our times of praise.

Why did I tell you all of that stuff about my high school youth group meetings? Because that was an important part of the formation of my idea of what church is all about. Yeah, my local congregation has times to sit and stand, people share special music, there are committees and board members to make decisions, and there’s a chain of command when it comes to the really big stuff. But those things aren’t the most important to God. Our relationship with Him is what’s most important. The rest is stuff that we think is important.

No, God doesn’t do organized religion, either. He’s actually all about a personal relationship with you. He does want us to come together on occasion for a coporate time of worship and to lift one another up in prayer. But He won’t be found in the everyday politics, He just wants to be the focus of our worship!