FRC KIDS: Changing the World!

childrensministry.com: Reaching Kids at Risk

2009-08-05T23:38:00.000-04:00

childrensministry.com: Reaching Kids at Risk

Blessed to Serve,
Debbie Sands
Childrens Ministry Director

Why do kids ask that?

2009-07-10T23:27:00.004-04:00

Some cool books that are full of questions Kids ask like, "will we have hair in heaven" "will we look old in heaven if we die old" "What happens the second after we die". I love books like this to make us THINK and get our minds on the level with the kids we lead. One is THE BATTLEFIELD of the MIND for KIDS (by Joyce Meyer) and another is HEAVEN for KIDS.

The book we are sharing in WORLD CHANGERS is "the FABULOUS REINVENTION of Sunday School" and it is so on target, it should be a mandatory read for anyone really wanting to make an impact with kids in ministry. IT ROCKS!!

Let me know what you think!

Blessed to Serve,
Debbie Sands
Childrens Ministry Director

35 Kids saved today!

2009-04-06T01:20:00.003-04:00

35 Children asked Christ into their hearts today.

I can barely continue with the emotion that rolls over me as the realization of that sentence sinks in. I watched a look cross their faces as they explained what they Prayed for. I watched eyes twinkle and skin flush and smiles widen. It was amazing.

We take so many extra steps with these precious little people. We Pray hard for God's will to be done. We layer in detail over and over what it means to ask Jesus into their hearts, admit, believe, confess, with no chance of misunderstanding. We prepare them for others to not agree and stand strong. We go over in depth what tools we have prepared to share this with their parents.

As I had the pleasure of explaining to parents what happened today, I watched dreams unfold, eyes tear up, hands reach out, bodies be pulled into hugs, it's hard to describe.

I saw from the stage as they took into their hearts what Jesus went through being nailed to the cross. How His body was broken and His blood was shed. I could see them "feeling it", tasting it, making it their own, understanding, becoming one with Him. Incredible.

I can barely wait for Easter. Next weekend can't come soon enough!

We are so Blessed to be a part of this work. His work....

Blessed to Serve,
Debbie Sands
Children's Ministry Director

2009-04-04T06:10:00.002-04:00

Wow! This week ROCKED with Staff meeting, then the Easter Rally and finally THE WEEKEND is here! I was all but popping with excitement at the row we FILLED with key people from Children's at the staff meeting. THANK YOU FOR SHARING THE VISION: Debora Hernandez, Mark Henry, Annette Sandin, Gina Asada, Tami Ortiz, Dawn Slaick, Leslie, Valerie Mena, (please tell me I didn't forget anyone!) CONGRATS Dawn Slaick for winning the gift card drawing from the IT MATTERS COMMITMENT cards turned in!!

Pastor T shared his list of core leadership skills:

Leadership simulation
Truth Telling
Vision
Execution
Leverage

He expanded and gave samples of each. He prayed, preached and pumped up the crowd to continue running after what God has set us to do 100,000 people, 50 campuses, 150,000,000 yearly to get it done.

We Prayed for 500 Baptisms, 20,000 attending, $500,000k and 1000 saved lives. That really lined up with the Prayers we have been making in childrens for 2500 kids to come Easter weekend, 75/150 Baptisms sharing they put on the GOD JERSEY and busting into 200 volunteers.

Easter story play rehearsals started last night. I-kids is still waiting an approval from Pastor T to move forward and our SHARED FAMILY EXPERIENCE will not only be a LIVE KIDS CONCERT, EASTER STORY PLAY and LIVE WORSHIP.........BUT...................now will also have COMMUNION for those kids who have already been SAVED & BAPTISED!!!! yahooooooo!!

Ok, getting looooooooooooooooooooooong..........SOMEBODY STOP ME!! xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Never forget, YOU ROCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Blessed to Serve,
Debbie Sands
Children's Ministry Director

2009-03-31T07:50:00.004-04:00

Soooooooooooooo excited for this week!!

Staff meeting tonight to hear personally from our leader Pastor Troy as he shares with us as we head into the last 12 days before Easter. If you are passionate about serving and ALL IN to the vision of FRC, you need to be at these meetings. If you just starting serving and you are just starting to get connected, it's a little soon for you but in a month or two, we won't be able to hold you back! 7:00 pm (6:45 to sign in main lobby) tonight in the main aud.

EASTER RALLY is 2 days away and we need volunteers for check in, the Dive for activities, tech and Discovery cove. We have crafts and egg games and movies, etc.

I ordered 1000 eggs yesterday on top of the 1000 we already had!!! The stage is going to be FILLED with Easter eggs on Easter weekend AND they will all have something in them AND SOME WILL HAVE BIGGGGGGGGGG PRIZES TOO!!!

We have the EASTER EXTRAVAGANZA with live concert, Easter play, worship, etc. and the coolest Easter lesson too AFTER breakfast with the bunnies!!!!!!!!!! WOW!!

We have LIVE bunnies COMING and I heard the EASTER BUNNY himself will be there to visit (hmmmmneed someone for that). We need a PHOTOGRAPHER AND VIDEO volunteer too.

Cant wait to see who is willing to do what to let these kids share in the EASTER STORY!!!!

xoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Blessed to Serve,
Debbie Sands
Childrens Ministry Director

I KIDS about to launch!

2009-03-30T03:40:00.002-04:00

Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat's up you guys!!! So excited (imagine that) to share with you about all the great things God is rockin in FRC Kids. Yesterday we shot the FIRST EVER episode of I-Kids and it ROCKED!!! It's hard not to cry (sniff) over the amazing opportunity this brings us to reach little hearts all over the world! So many kids will have the chance to begin their walk, spend some real cool time with their parents, learn about important stuff like honesty and compassion while laughing and playing games. Sounds like a winner to me! We will stream live via the internet EVERY (yikes) Saturday at 4:00 pm LIVE on the (did I say Live? YES LIVE) on the main FRC site, I think, isn't that funny, I really have no clue, HA! Stay tuned, Once Pastor T approves, loves, mutilates, tweeks (how do you spell that) or scratches the whole idea (ugh), WE WILL BE ON! Can't wait to hear what YOU think about it! First LIVE show scheduled to stream on EASTER SATURDAY at 4:00 pm EST, that is April 11th, yes the very same weekend we are doing a zillion services! Gotta CHANGE THE WORLD, Believing in you...

Blessed to Serve,
Debbie Sands
Childrens Ministry Director

Beach Baptism This Sunday!

2008-09-25T22:34:00.001-04:00

Hello FRC Kids Team!

This weekend is going to be another fun one! Be sure to wear your beach attire as we encourage our kids to pack their beach bags and join us on the Ft. Lauderdale Beach from 2:00 - 4:00 PM for BBQ and Baptism! We will have an FRC Kids tent and table on the beach and will be giving away sand pails with goodies to the first 100 kids to visit us there. Come out and be with us as we connect with kids and parents during this fun time of fellowship! Remember your sunscreen!

Episode 14: Fall Tip Off

2008-09-18T13:09:00.000-04:00

Welcome back, FRC Kids Volunteers! This is our latest Podcast which will recap our Fall Tip Off held this last Tuesday night at our Cooper City Campus. For those of you who attended this fun and inspirational night, this will serve as a reminder of the things we learned and important news we shared. For those who were not in attendance there is an important assignment just for you, so tuned in and catch up!

See you all this weekend for an incredible time of worshiping our God together! Blessings to you all!

Charlotte Allison
Children’s Pastor

Episode 13: Looking Forward to the Fall Season

2008-07-25T13:18:00.000-04:00

Join us this week for a special edition of our FRC Kids Podcast. Our "guest" speaker is our very own Bethany Marcusson who serves as our Discovery Cove Coordinator. Listen as she gives us great insight about how to effectively connect with kindergarten and 1st grade children at FRC Kids. There is also important news about upcoming fall events, so be sure to tune in! See you all this weekend!

Charlotte Allison
Children’s Pastor

FRC Kids Podcast Episode 12: Extreme Week

2008-07-10T11:24:00.000-04:00

WE’RE BACK! Can you believe it’s already mid-July! Fall will be here sooner than we know, and we did not want any more time to go by before we updated you on the most exciting event of the summer … EXTREME WEEK ’08! Tune in and hear all the exciting deals, and then be sure to click here to sign up to volunteer! This is a wonderful opportunity to hang with our kids for longer than the hour we get them on the weekend. PLUS, be sure to sign up your own kids OR invite those kids in your area to come and experience the fun! Extreme Week is a great front door to our church, so remember the power of an invite! Click here to volunteer or register a child!

Leave us a comment to let us know what you think, and then be sure to subscribe to our FRC Kids Blog to be notified of our latest updates! We’ll see you all this weekend!

Charlotte Allison
Children’s Pastor

FRC Kids Podcast Episode 11: Honor

2008-05-22T16:28:00.000-04:00

To honor is to "value", and what you value is held in high importance and esteem. Join us during this week's Podcast as we talk about how we can honor those we service with at FRC Kids. This will conclude our discussion of traveling the right ministry P.A.T.H.

My ORANGE Experience #5-b

2008-06-18T22:22:00.000-04:00

THIS IS PART TWO OF KAARINA ALTMAN'S ORANGE CONFERENCE EXPERIENCE!

My most memorable moment….Francis Chan. I think he had the whole arena in tears. He has such a heart for God and is seriously concerned for the lost. Since I am rambling on (and other have touched on him already), will try and make this short…

He really helped me to “see” God for all his glory. He asked questions like…Is it the Holy Spirit or just a marketing scheme?
He challenged me as a volunteer to KNOW it is God and not something we have manipulated.
He reminded me that it is not my responsibility to save the lost but that Jesus commands us to teach like Him and trust that the Holy Spirit draws the lost to Himself.
He encouraged us, you and me, as volunteers to set an example-to shoot for the Biblical standard and not the American standard.

There was this guy, Donald Miller….what a wacko (in a good way). I think I connected with him because he too shared how he didn’t really “feel” like a leader. He was all over the road and it was hard to take notes but he gave us 5 Keys to leadership…See if some of these sound like FRC and our ministry over in Children’s-it’s cool how God works!

Influence
Environment/teamwork -> taking ownership
Unity (people and family)
Ambition- think BIG…huge and absurd
Speak something into nothing

Oh, so much to say….

Andy Stanley

If you create irresistible environment, people will come….
When you capture the tension, you get peoples attention….
What is spiritual growth? What are you trying to accomplish?

Louie Giglio

The church is not poised to take the lead in culture
Let’s just be the Church of Jesus Christ because it will endure forever. Nothing will stand in its way!
Transcendent-> relevant to Jesus not culture

Sue Miller

When we serve as Christ followers, we are to serve wholeheartedly; not as unto men, but as if we are serving the Lord Christ Himself.

Craig Jutila

Those around you will determine the level of your success
I have the power in me to make someone better then they are when I release them to do what they do.
80/20 Rule

I’m gonna be done, coz I could go on for another 4 pages….

Please talk to me about the conference and what ORANGE really means. I can’t wait to share all that I have gained from this unforgettable experience..

Thanks God : )

and…..

FRC, thanks for investing in me; releasing me to do what I do…
Charlotte, thanks for creating an irresistible environment…
Jackie, thanks for seeing in me what I didn’t…
Holy Sprit, thanks for using me to help draw the lost…
Jesus, thanks for being transcendent…

Kaarina Altman, Lagoon Coodinator, Volunteer Admin. Assitant

FRC Kids Podcast Episode 10: Teamwork

2008-05-14T15:39:00.000-04:00

Three Are Better Than Two!

Do you believe Jesus could have accomplished his work on this earth by himself? After all, he is God! And yet Jesus modeled teamwork with his disciples. Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 reminds us that “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has not one to help him up! Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, [or overwhelmed – can anyone relate?], two can defend themselves [or share the work!] A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” Joining our teamwork discuss today is Matt Miller, Sawgrass Campus Pastor. Listen now as we continue our ministry “P.A.T.H.” discussion and talk about the importance of teamwork in our ministry here at Flamingo Road Church.

Also, remember to RSVP for our Ovations event coming up on Friday, May 30th! You will not want to miss this! We’ll have food, games for adults and kids, bounce houses, and an incredible program time geared to inspire and celebrate what you do! Click the Ovations link above and sign up right now!

In His grip,

Charlotte Allison

Jackie

FRC Kids Podcast Episode 9: What Is Your "Attitude" Reader Indicating?

2008-05-07T12:21:00.000-04:00

Hey FRC Kids Leaders!! Check out the FRC Kids-Cast this week as we discuss “Attitude” in the P.A.T.H to our potential! You don’t want to miss this series geared around the book “Leadership Essentials in the Children’s Ministry” by Craig Jutila. Joining us on the topic of “Attitude” is FRC’s Hallandale Beach Campus Pastor Chris Brown. Remember......we value and want to hear your thoughts, experiences, and input!! Have a great week. See you all this weekend!!

Jackie

My ORANGE Experience #5-a

2008-05-07T06:31:00.000-04:00

There was so much to take away from this experience that it is impossible to pick just one. However, I was really struck by the opening by Reggie Joiner titled The Prodigal Generation. How do we make the church different but still accomplished what it is supposed to?….teach truth and the message of Jesus, provide community and support the family of believers while displaying strong leadership and creativity. I’m not sure which version of the bible they were using, but it was stated that Luke 15:1-2 says Jesus came to build a bridge to sinners. (I looked it up in the NIV and it says that He welcomes sinners and eats with them-so, same thing). We looked at the story of the Prodigal Son and its approach to sinners. The Pharisees symbolized the older brother and Jesus the loving father. The goal is to be like Jesus and I think we do a great job of that at FRC and in FRC Kids. Just some reminders on how to keep evolving as a Loving Father church:

We need to stay pre-occupied with whoever is missing (how do we reach the ones we are not reaching)
We need to operate from the context of forgiveness
We need to throw a party when a lost son or daughter comes home
We need to confront the “older brother thinking” and keep the lights on for as long as it takes

I’d like to challenge all of the volunteers to take another look at this parable and see how it fits into our vision of partnering with parents to help kids reach there God potential.

Stay tuned! I've got more! :-)

Kaarina Altman, Lagoon Coodinator, Volunteer Admin. Assitant

My ORANGE Experience #4

2008-05-05T20:55:00.001-04:00

The first thing I would like to say about the Orange Conference is what an honor I felt being asked to attend being that I’m “just” a volunteer. But being “just” a volunteer means I’m “just” one of the biggest influences in the lives of many children each and every week. I “just” may be the only one who tells these kids about the love of Christ and how very special they are to Him. I’m “just” the person that they can talk to when they don’t talk to their parents. One of the speakers at the conference pointed out that being “just” a volunteer can change the lives of many, many children and we have one of the most important jobs in society.

This really challenged the way that I think about how I serve and interact with the kids AND their parents. Part of what we do is try and get the parents involved more in the spiritual development of their children because they have much, much more time than the approximately 40 hours a year that we have at the church. When you’re as busy as most of us stay running around getting things set up, broke down, fixing , finding, etc., it’s easy to lose sight of this. Because as Francis Chan, the pastor of Cornerstone Community Church, stated the church is all about community. His message burnt like a branding iron on my heart because I’ve often noticed when reading the New Testament how much more devoted to each other were the members of the early church. They gave sometimes all they had in order to support each other. They broke bread together, which was a really big deal in that time. Pastor Chan told of how he and many members of his congregation had taken vows to support each other and their families to the extent that some were canceling their life insurance, others were living day to day from where they could (even out of their cars) and giving the money to the church. They are taking the idea of community to the Apostle’s level.

I think I can speak for all who attended, from FRC anyway, that it was a life changing experience. Some of us arrived as strangers and went home as a community of FRC believers with heads full of ideas and hearts full of desire to make the children’s ministries at all of our campuses better, growing and alive in Christ.

Mac Cumpton, Storyteller, Sawgrass Campus

My ORANGE Experience #1

2008-05-02T06:51:00.000-04:00

The 1st thing I took away from this conference is that I am valuable in this ministry. Everything I do in the children ministry matters and that I am making a Kingdom difference. There was one guy in particular who cracked me up so much. His name is Lanny Donoho. He is so funny and he loves to dress up. He was Mr. Rogers, Batman, Andy Taylor, and a guy in a really out of fashion orange tux. Francis Chan speaks with so much passion and he really challenged me in different ways. He was talking about expecting the supernatural work of God – seeing work completed that was totally and completely only possible by God’s spirit, not by human engineering. It made me think about my faith and my relationship with God. I also loved Sue Miller's energy on stage. She is so sweet and when she speaks to volunteers, it is so evident the incredible passion she has for them. I got so many ideas from Jeffrey Reed, Donald Miller, and Sunny Williams. Orange Conference was so amazing and I thank God, FRC, Charlotte, and Nefertiti for giving me the opportunity to be a part of this amazing event. For me it was a life changing experience.

by Annette Mesa, Cooper City Saturday Night Host/DC Coach

ORANGE CONFERENCE A BIG HIT!

2008-05-01T10:05:00.000-04:00

WOW! What an incredible three days we had at ORANGE '08 in Atlanta, GA! From learning how to lead more effectively, to getting great ideas for enlisting, equipping and empowering volunteers, to personal priority challenges [learning to put first things first], to learning how to reach today's families while being "culturally transcendent", ORANGE '08 allowed us the opportunity to be stretched and challenged in such a good way! It was so good to spend time getting to better know the volunteers and staff to where able to go. We have been inspired in ways that are hard to put into words and are so grateful for the opportunity we had to hear from God through some incredible communicators of these last few days. THANKS FRC for making this incredible experience possible through resourcing our trip. Be sure to ask those pictured here about their trip! And stay tuned in here to read some of the blogs about their experience! See you all this weekend!

My ORANGE Experience #2

2008-05-03T17:17:00.000-04:00

Wow, this has been a week of firsts for me. My first time blogging. My first time flying (in a really, really long time). But must importantly, my first time going to the Orange conference in Atlanta. What can I say about the conference, other than it was AWESOME! I went with a really terrific group of people--several zany but loveable children’s ministry leaders from Cooper and Sawgrass (and of course, I was representing Doral). We were bombarded with so much information it was at times overwhelming. But, I can’t wait to put some of the great ideas into action. I have worked with children for many years in various churches, and I’ll admit that I was getting a little stale. No more! God has awakened in me a renewed fervor to reach the next generation (while they are still reachable). To, as they say in Orange, awaken their wonder to the marvels of our God; guide them to discover their own relationship with their Heavenly Father; and ignite in them a passion to share Jesus with others. Thank you, FRC, for including me in this great experience.

Sara Reyes, Children’s Ministry Volunteer, Doral Campus

My ORANGE Experience #3

2008-05-04T14:40:00.000-04:00

Let me first start by saying thanks to FRC for the opportunity to attend this awesome conference!

The #1 thing that I personally took with me from the Orange conference was passion. Hearing all of these wonderful speakers reminding us why we do what we do and why it is so important renewed the passion I have for all that we do here @ FRC Kids. There were so many memorable moments-some where I laughed so hard, it was hard to stop (thanks Lanny Donoho!), and many where I was moved to tears. More importantly, I got the opportunity to deepen my friendships with some and create new ones with others (each of these amazing people are pictured below) while we shared this experience together.

I have been feeling so very inspired and I know that the real challenge lies ahead...to find the ways (and time & energy!) to carry through on the many new ideas that came out of this experience.

I am sure in the coming weeks and months you will hear more about what we have learned. The future of the church and the world really are in the hands of our children. Think about that statement...what we do is THAT important! Sue Miller said something that touched us all, and I want you all to think about this one: How many times have you heard someone say they are "just a volunteer" or "just a small group leader"? How many times have you said it? How many times have you thought it? To the children, we are much more than that, to the parents and families of these children we are much more than that...to God we are much more than that! Now, I am going to repeat that same thought: The future of the church and the world really are in the hands of our children. What we do is THAT important!

On a more personal note, I want to challenge all of you to do something...maybe you have been thinking of taking a missions trip, maybe you have been thinking about diving further into the ministry, maybe it's joining a small group...to renew yourself and your passion in our ministry. It is so important! You see, I didn't realize how badly I needed to do something along those lines to re-ignite that passion and to renew my spirit & re-energize me.

Orange is a color of change...are you ready?

-Gina Asada, Coach, Cooper City Campus

Pictures from the Orange Conference

2008-05-03T11:29:00.000-04:00

Here are some pictures from the Orange Conference. I hope you enjoy them.

Annette Mesa

FRC Kids Podcast Episode 8: P.A.T.H. to Passion

2008-04-28T18:08:00.000-04:00

Tune in this week for our discussion on "Leadership Essentials" in the Children's Ministry, a book by Craig Jutila. As we talk about the P.A.T.H to our potential through Passion! Comment and share about what Passion in the Children's Ministry means to you. We look forward to hearing your stories and thoughts! Have a great week! See you this weekend.....full of Passion!=)
God bless.

Jackie

FRC Kids Podcast Episode 7: P.A.T.H. to our Potential

2008-04-25T12:22:00.000-04:00

Hey Team! This week we are discussing "Leadership Essentials" for Children's Ministry......a book By Craig Jutila. Join us as we explore the P.A.T.H to our potential. This topic will be a four week series talking about Passion, Attitude, Teamwork, and Honor! Keep tuned in and sharing your thoughts!

Jackie

FRC Kids Podcast Episode 6: God is bigger than King Kong!

2008-04-09T18:38:00.000-04:00

Hey FRC Kids Team! Check out the Kids-cast as we talk about another one of the Ethos here at FRC. Collaboration- Who am I doing life with? We are very excited to have Lilibeth Rivera our Connections Pastor as our special guest speaker this week. Join us as we dive into discussion on doing life together, the relevance it has in ministry, and getting plugged into adult small groups here at FRC! Remember to leave a comment or shoot us an email with your feedback!! Thanks! See you this weekend!!

In Him,

Jackie Fuller

FRC Kidscast Episode 5: Enviroment - How Does It Make Me Feel?

2008-04-01T12:10:00.000-04:00

Hey Team! Join us on FRC Kids-cast this week as we talk about one of the ETHOS here at Flamingo; Environment. We look at the question; How does it make me feel? We talk about the physical environment and the environment we create through our actions as people.
Find out what’s coming up this weekend as we go into the new virtue “Joy”! And get a sneak peak in to what we will discuss next week on FRC Kids-cast!

Jackie Fuller