end of a season

I have done ten years straight of kids ministry at church.  Five years in playgroup and then five years in kids club.  And tonight was the last kids club for a while (apart from the big Christmas shindig in a couple of weeks.  But tonight was the last night with my small group).

I decided to stop and have a break in 2011.  To explore other things.  To do RE and wideeyedstories stuff.

I think it is a good idea.  My husband thinks it is a good idea.  I thought and prayed about it a lot.

But tonight as I was running around playing with the parachute, singing like a lunatic and chatting with my grade two girls about physics prizes, take home bears and the meaning of life I thought - this is really fun.  I am going to miss this.  I like the wildness of kids club on a Friday afternoon.  The kids feel unshackled.  It is the end of the week.  We can run around and be monkeys.  I like the conversations with kids the are interested in life and not afraid to ask the big questions.  I like sending them off to run around with our wonderful teenage helpers.  I like eating afternoon tea with them and reminding them to eat a piece of fruit.  I like watching their faces as they learn something new in a story.

Here is a story from one of the afternoons  - I think from last year.
I had a group of six year old boys, and we had just finished doing the story of David and Goliath.  I had talked about how hard it must have been for David to be so brave.  I asked the boys if there was anything hard in their lives.
Silence.  Looking at the floor.  Picking of scabs.
I persisted.  Surely there must have been a time when they found something hard.  I was ready to tell them that God could help them.
Then one treasure spoke up.
'Bricks are hard'.
Yes, I said, trying very hard not to lose it.  I had an important point to get across.  I was focused on teaching.
Someone else thought they were onto a good thing here.
"Concrete is hard too.'
Then I lost it. We giggled and giggled about all the hard things we could think of.
Then we went outside and played soccer.

That's why kid's club is awesome.
A leader.  Some kids.  A Friday afternoon.  God's love.
And hard things.

Bye!