“When you drop a pebble in a pond you get ripples, and soon the ripples cross the whole pond.” – Bruce Lee
It was not just another conference — it was the the first-ever Kingdom Kids Conference in the United States, and it took place November 7-8, 2014, in San Diego, California, with eighty-five disciples from the United States, Mexico and the Philippines attending.
Elders, evangelists, staff, and volunteer ministry workers came together – with only three months’ notice – to learn from one another how to love and care for children the way Jesus would. Class topics ranged from “Understanding Special Needs” to “Effective Children’s Ministry Leadership.”
Disciples Today recorded much of the event, which will be posted on Dtoday.tv
The children’s ministry is often the second largest – if not the largest – ministry in our churches. Most workers are volunteers pouring their hearts out week after week for the children. The purpose of children’s ministry is to teach and train the children about our loving and powerful God and it spans from infancy through junior high in many churches. An effective children’s ministry provides a strong foundation for our future brothers and sisters who will one day declare, “Jesus is Lord.”
Decisions for growth and change in the children’s ministry can create changes in the entire church- like the pebble in the pond. Jesus describes a similar image in Luke 13:18-21:
Then Jesus asked, “What is the kingdom of God like? What shall I compare it to? It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his garden. It grew and became a tree, and the birds perched in its branches.” Again he asked, “What shall I compare the kingdom of God to? It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds of flour until it worked all through the dough.”
We have dropped a pebble into the pond of the amazing children’s ministries around the world, and we look forward to seeing the ripples of growth and change in the near future.
Vicky Bergem
Disciples Today Kingdom Kids Editor
KingdomKids@dtoday.net
858-242-4024
“This ministry has many administrative requirements. I appreciated most, the inspiration and reminder that there are real families with real needs beyond the provision of a Sunday or Wednesday class.” — Tami Moore
“Vicky and Steve, we can’t thank you enough for having the big dreams and making that conference happen– your attention to all the details was truly amazing– this conference was such an inspiration and it is encouraging to think that the real benefactors are all our children! Thanks again from the bottom of our hearts!” — Chris and Carla Armstrong, New Jersey
“Thank you so very much Steve and Vicky, for making our meeting possible. Although I knew being with other CM kindred spirits would be encouraging, it was so much more than I could have asked or imagined. That’s probably how heaven will be. Now that I know what to expect, I’m impatient already for our next time together!” – Lois Schmitt, Atlanta
“Vicky, it was an amazing event! I was able to go back to my region with a renewed vision for our kids. Thank you for dreaming big for us.” — Tonja Knight, San Diego
