Why Having a Strategic & Intentional Church Calendar Matters
It’s a favorite time of year, but also an overwhelming one.
The object of my overwhelm stares at me. It looms over me and gives my soul pause. I look up and it is hanging on my wall, waiting for me to acknowledge its current status: empty. Another sits on my desk - challenging me to begin making it useful. They wait knowing eventually I will have to address their emptiness.
I imagine that they are not happy that I have been putting off using them for their intended purpose. Soon the pencil will come out and the squares will be filled.
But for this moment, I want to acknowledge their emptiness.
I want to sit in the stillness and pray about their emptiness. I want to recognize the importance of those little squares because while they are just paper, the words they will hold are more than pencil or ink marks.
Those words written on them are keys. Keys that open doors. Doors that we pray lead to connection, discipleship, and, most importantly, doors that lead families to Jesus.
What is it that hangs on a wall or sits on a desk that holds the power of connection, discipleship, service and can lead families to Jesus? What are these objects that hold so much power? They are all different forms of the same thing - our Children's Ministry Calendar.
You may have immediately given a quick “Amen” or you might have laughed at the audacity that a calendar could open doors to connection and discipleship. But my heart knows, and yours does too - that, in the words of Melissa MacDonald, “our world is dark, and it isn’t going to get lighter.” (Discipling World Changers: Raising Up a Generation that Changes the World Instead of the World Changes Them.)
The events on your calendar - those keys, if you will let me continue that idea - open doors to something that the world cannot offer.
Your calendar opens the door to a relationship with Jesus. Our events shouldn’t be organized or created to compete with a dark world but to equip our families to live in the world as Christ-followers, as light bearers.
About 15 years ago, I heard a quote that has become a foundation point for our children’s ministry, “We don’t want to compete with the world, but give our kids a solid foundation to stand on in the world.” The day that quote settled down deep in my bones, brought a catch in my Spirit, and a sob to my heart, that day was the day I started seeing the power of a calendar. The power of following a process that eliminates some “fun” things and even eliminated some traditions that “our church had been doing since I was a little girl.” A process that is intentional and strategic - and hard.
Our prayer for events these days, Connect Camps, SummerPalooza (VBS), Family Experiences, our milestone events and service projects, is that they lead children and families to a deeper relationship with our church, with each other, and most importantly with Jesus.
We also move towards the calendar with intentionality and a step-by-step process. Each part is important to make sure that we plan in step with the Spirit, that we put parents in roles to lead, that we prompt families to see and serve (love) others, and that we move kids and families forward in their relationship with Jesus. We want to love Jesus and love others. After all that is the main thing, right?
In August, we had two of our milestone events: lunch for 5th grade moving to student ministry and breakfast for kindergarten moving into children’s ministry. Back-to-back weeks in the middle of busy Sunday School promotion.
Our team was physically exhausted, mentally worn, and spiritually broken. Many of the kids we had loved for years were moving on, excited about a “ministry ahead” and eager to leave us behind. Our hearts, though excited for them, hurt for the end of a relationship as we had known it. Change sure is hard!
At our luncheon, we loved them, said goodbye, challenged them with scripture, gave them a “little Jesus” and passed the torch. But our hearts didn’t stop loving them or caring about them.
A few days later, school started and news came that a friend was hurting. A friend who had visited the church, a friend who had come to SummerPalooza, and Connect Camps - just found out she had Stage 4 brain cancer. Doctors' suggestions were filled with ideas to make the most of the next few months and contacting the Make a Wish Foundation. Hard news for this broken family. Hard news for our 6th graders who had grown up with this friend. Hard news for those of us at church, who although we didn’t know this family intimately, still loved this girl with all our hearts. Lots of questions, lots of tears, and lots of tough conversations.
One morning, a few days after the news was shared with the community, a momma called and told me a story of her daughter struggling with the news about her friend. She was scared for her friend, had many questions and needed guidance. Mom and Dad talked with her, and they spent an hour on their knees at her bedside pouring their hearts out to the only one they knew who could bring peace and comfort.
The next morning Mom went to wake her up for school and as she rolled over her clenched hand opened and out fell her “little Jesus.” Mom was texting me to thank me for that.
I immediately fell to my knees thanking God for seeing the need so many days ahead and knowing that those quirky little plastic figures would bring comfort when hearts were hurting and words just couldn’t bring peace.
There are days when it’s hard. When being intentional requires so much more, and I think “surely just one could be a little less strategic.” But then God steps into the middle of what we are doing to say, “Just follow the plan.”
As I plan for the year ahead, I will indeed follow the plan. I will remember that our families deserve intentional. That being strategic leads those coming to our events to connect with one another, with the church, and with Jesus. That THIS is what matters.
The Lord has blessed us with gifts that the world does not have but that the world does need. He has blessed us with a calendar to fill with events that are strategic and intentional.
Our process isn’t perfect, and sometimes it needs tweaking. I imagine as our world grows darker it’ll need to be even more strategic, but it’s our foundation for every event that gets penciled onto those calendars.
As that process is before us, I pray God would bless our efforts for the year ahead and that He would be glorified in all that we do. My calendars are happy. I am finally using them for what they were intended… May God also use the church for what it was intended, and may these “keys” open doors to discipleship, connection, service, and most importantly to Jesus.
Our process isn’t magical. It’s just steps we’ve seen that seem to keep us aligned with our goals. I’d love to share them with you and would love for you to share yours with us. Maybe we can work together to keep this dark world at bay just a little bit longer.
- Theresa Mayo, Director of Children and Family Ministries, Gilliam Springs Baptist Church - Arab, AL
Theresa Mayo has served in Children’s Ministry at Gilliam Springs Baptist Church in Arab, AL, since 2005. Theresa is married to Lee, her husband of more than 25+ years, and together they’ve raised two adult children: Seth and Caylee Beth. Theresa’s favorite things are SummerPalooza, teaching, reading, and spending time with her grandsons: Miles, Titus, and Zeke. She has been a long-time church partner and member of the Connect Ministries family. Email Theresa: [email protected]