When I started Impress Your Kids it was really just for me. It was to keep me accountable to what I was doing with Lydia. But soon I realized that I had something unique to offer. I felt like I saw parenting from a different perspective because I had been involved in full-time church ministry to kids for so long. It was really my starting point and my lens for dealing with my own kids. I felt like I could meld those two experiences–children’s ministry and parenting into this blog.
Of course, I don’t know if I’ve done that. Most of you might not even know I was a children’s pastor. And this blog will never be about how to do church ministry or anything like that. It’s just that as a Children’s Pastor I knew how important the church was. I could see the difference it could make and the influence it could have over kids. But as a parent, I realize there is NOTHING more important for my kids than how *I* behave and what I teach them.
And if both of those environments–church and home could be in unity and building off of each other what an amazing result! This is what Orange does. What is Orange? It’s a movement. A strategy. It’s a group of people who are developing curriculum, camps, conferences and more to help churches AND parents raise kids to follow God. They take the RED (the love of the family) and combine it with YELLOW (the light of the church) to make a lasting impression on kids—ORANGE.
This week I am attending the Orange conference as a blogger. I’ll be attending the sessions, meeting some Kid and Youth ministry folks and seeing some of my best and dearest friends! I’m not sure if I’ll blog every session or just give you some highlights of Orange’s mission and strategy. But I’m excited to share Orange with you. I think it’s a good fit for us. I’m praying I’ll discover some great stuff to use with my own family and share with you, too!
Have you heard of Orange? Anything you’d like me to look for? Find out?
It’s really neat to read this, as our children’s ministry team is currently in Atlanta for the conference.
Fun! If you want you can let me know what church it is and I’ll look for them! 🙂
Oh, I like this! I’ve never heard of it, and I have no idea what to ask you to look for – just listen to God and share with us what He wants you to!
Yes, I have something I’d like you to find out from the ReThink people who put on the Orange Conference. Where can postings of job opportunities with ReThink be found, not for me, but for someone who wants to make a move from the secular into the sacred world?
As an aside, two years ago I attended Orange, I listened for what God wanted me to hear. It wasn’t until the last session, hearing the last words that Reggie closed with that convicted me that I needed to be serving as a youth small group leader. Today I host a group of 9th grade girls in Bible study and will do so until they graduate in 2014–yikes that’s the year I turn 60!
Vicki–that is AMAZING! What an awesome connection you are making with those girls!
Thank you for the story. I will find the answer to your question! 🙂
My friend who is taking over the MMO program for my church is there this week. She’s going to be blown away by the whole conference / resource thing since she doesn’t normally attend things like this. Her name is LouAnn Williams and she has beautiful red hair. We attend the East Cobb COC.
I am very interested in three things and wish I could go…alas:
1. Social Media plans / usage for churches, small groups, different missions, including wired and unwired people
2. Small group ideas to support young families, resources
3. New technology/ideas for ministry.
Saw your other comment–maybe I’ll see you there. Please try to find me!
But regardless I’ll look for your friend AND look into some of your questions! 🙂
Our church is using this concept(just starting). I went through a course on the think orange book with our pastor. I think it was wonderful. It really showed how important both church and parents are in raising children to love the Lord! Enjoy the conference! I can’t wait to hear what you learn!
Awesome, Kare! I’m glad to hear your first-hand experience! 🙂
I’ve never commented here before, but I have been reading your blog for months and have used several of your ideas for my children’s church class. I am 17 and I run the (very small) children’s ministry at my church. I plan my own lessons with the help of ideas that I find online, and I can honestly say that your ideas have been better than most of the expensive curriculums that I’ve looked into. Your site has inspired me to start a children’s ministry blog of my own for parents and children’s pastors who plan lessons on their own….which will be up as soon as I think of a name for it. haha So I just wanted to thank you for what you do here.
Megan. You have encouraged my heart SO much. Thank you.
Keep commenting, I’d love to get to know one another! And let me know when YOUR blog is up!
So excited – I just got a call that they have an extra ticket. I will definitely be there in the morning and daytime. Maybe I can see you there on Thursday!
I just read somewhere else that you’ll be at Orange. Wow! How exciting. Keep us filled in!
Amanda! I would love to come say hi and introduce myself to you this week! Is there anywhere specific I can find you at Orange??
I’m in the blogger’s lounge now. Are you on twitter? Tweet me where you are and we’ll find each other! YAY!
Hello! Like everything