I thought it would be fun to ask volunteers from all kinds of churches why they are thankful that they get to serve in children’s ministry at their church. Here’s what they said:

“The donuts are the best! Our leaders take good care of us.”

“Kids say the most hilarious things. We laugh a lot on Sunday mornings.”

“Getting invited to the kids’ birthday parties. I bit my lip while jumping on the trampoline and had to get three stitches last summer. I wouldn’t have missed it for the world!”

“Seeing the children in my small group make progress spiritually lets me know I am making a difference.”

“Two of the kids in my small group asked Jesus to be their Savior. I began to realize that the stakes for serving in this ministry are really high.”

“When parents count on me during the year. I feel like we are doing something important together for the sake of their child.”

“I get to hear the latest knock-knock jokes.”

“Watching our children worship wrecks me (in a good way).”

“The honest answers I get from the kids. My fifth graders have helped me improve my hair and wardrobe.”

“The notes I get from some of my parents at the end of the year.”

“When I hear my children pray, I am swept away by their simple faith and BIG trust.”

“I know that we are not just changing diapers—we’re changing lives!”

“I never thought my skills as a greeter were very important. But I love welcoming new families and personally walking them to their kids’ rooms, and it sure seems to help them as well.”

“We put supplies together on Tuesday mornings so they are ready for the volunteers on the weekend. The community we have built with each other makes my week!”

“Watching children take their first steps physically AND spiritually is awesome.”

“I think I learn as much from the Bible taught in large group as the kids!”

“Having God use me is the best feeling in the world.”

Don’t you love their answers? I do too. Often we forget that serving God is a privilege for each one of us. It gives us the chance to show Him with our lives how much we love and appreciate all that He has done for us. When we serve wholeheartedly, we worship our Savior with our time and talents.

So, here’s my November challenge for you. Sometime during this month, jot down your own list of reasons that best express why you are thankful to be serving. Then, spend a few moments thanking God for the opportunity to serve Him. Think about how much He has done for you and thank Him for His grace and faithfulness. Pray through the names of the children in your small group and thank God for each one of them. Name your ministry leaders and thank God for the part each one plays every Sunday. Ask God to use your ministry in even greater ways in the lives of kids and their parents in the months ahead.

As you go through your holiday traditions this month, I hope you will be blown away by the privilege you have been given of partnering with God to reach kids and disciple them. Imagine: you and I get to be a part of the greatest mission happening on Planet Earth today. Let’s go get ’em!

Foundational Community in Groups
-Bre Hallberg

It’s funny, but I bet most people don’t consider developing community with our preschoolers as something significant, something important, or something that will make an impact on their relationship with their Savior. It’s a little easier to grasp the idea of community for children in grade school, middle school, high school, and into adulthood. I mean, what type of community could our goldfish-eating little finger painters really experience? Don’t you sometimes wonder if they even realize other children exist in their world, at least until someone takes away a toy? The truth is, community is vitally important to these children, and we must be intentional and strategic in creating environments which foster that community for our preschoolers.

I got the importance of community for a preschooler when I witnessed it with my own three-year-old. He has been a part of a community since he was baby, spending time each Sunday morning learning from his small group leaders, learning how to worship, and learning about the stories of the Bible. And although the content of what he was learning was important, the people he was surrounded by, his “community,” were important as well.

One day it became clear to me what this community did for my preschooler. We were out at the grocery store, and he was shouting at the top of his lungs, “This is a praise party for everyone, so make a joyful noise let’s have some fun … thank you Jesus … God’s been good to me!” I couldn’t help but smile, but then also looked around to see who was watching. What would people think? That’s when I realized the significance of the community of believers that surround my son on a regular basis. He learns and worships with people who believe the same thing he does, which builds a foundation that he will unashamedly share with anyone who is around him. While it’s easy to become preoccupied with making sure we have all the supplies in place, every paper cut, every snack poured, and a warm body with a smiling face present, we sometimes dismiss the importance of the relationships that are being cultivated: the relationships with other children, storytellers, and small group leaders. My son worshiped and learned among a group of peers; they learned together the truths that God made them, God loves them, and Jesus wants to be their friend forever. And as a result he was not afraid to share it with the people around him. What a great view of authenticity at such a young age!

If you aren’t currently doing small groups with preschoolers, you may be thinking, “Seriously? I can barely keep the kids in the room, let alone keep them sitting in a group sharing with each other what they took away from today’s Bible story.” Yeah, well, I can’t really imagine that either. You see, the significance of small groups is the connection they make with their small group leaders and the habits they form at an early age. Although preschoolers are at a developmental stage in which they are just becoming aware of what it means to socialize with others, this is the time in their life to develop healthy habits. One way to accomplish that is to engage them in small groups, in learning and worshiping, and in sharing and praying with one another. If you have been part of a small group as an adult, then you know that true life change happens within these groups.

Not only are small groups developing the foundation of community, but their small group leaders are, as well. If your child has ever wrapped his little arms around your neck as you enter the parking lot on Sunday morning, and it takes the jaws of life to pry every little finger off of you to get him into his classroom—that is, until he sees his teacher—then you know this truth. The small group leader calls your child by name, notices that he just got a haircut, and can’t wait to hear about his Spiderman birthday party. Those people are connecting to your kids; they are giving your kids a glimpse of a loving, Heavenly Father who is crazy about them! And how great is it that there is someone else teaching them the same things that their parents are teaching them at home?

We want our preschoolers to have a foundation knowing that the God who created the universe and made them uniquely and specifically for His purpose wants nothing more than to have a personal relationship with them. We want them to be surrounded by people who believe what they do, people who will encourage them to make wise choices, and people who will support them when they are face-to-face with life’s challenges. This can happen when community is present in the life of a preschooler!

Notes from the Editor

Hello First Look Friends!

We are getting ready to enter the busy season known as “the holidays.” Are you ready? Is your calendar packed full of activities? Don’t forget to schedule some time with your best friend, Jesus. He wants to spend time with you too! So be sure to mark a time on your calendar to spend some time with Him.

The January First Look files are uploaded to the Web site and are available for you to download. You can access the files at www.myfirstlook.org. This month we are talking about our very best friend, Jesus! Oh, how much He loves us. The truth and the power of His love are astounding. How wonderful to get to share it with our preschoolers.

In January, the children will be learning to “Love each other as I have loved you,” (John 15:12, NIV). Children will hear how much Jesus loves them, how He is their friend forever, and how He wants them to be good friends too.

We have two supplemental resources that you can use to enhance the First Look curriculum. Our Look in God’s Book Volume II includes the story “Jesus Fills the Nets,” which you can use in week three of the January curriculum. In addition, you can purchase Look at Our World, our intro sketch DVD, and use the January intro sketch any week you would like in January. You can get your copies of the DVDs at www.therethinkstore.org.

You will notice two additions to the download page this month. We added a “What You Need” page to each week in both age groups. This page is a master supply list of everything mentioned in the “What You Need” section of the curriculum for that week. It is a Word document so you are able to manipulate it easily for it to become your shopping list. In addition, we have compiled all the lists into one large Word document that is found under the “Other Resources” tab on the download page.

Under the “Small Talk Parent Resources” tab, you will find an email-able version of the Small Talk card. Send this PDF as an attachment to your parents instead of, or in addition to, providing a printed copy on Sundays. We hope that these additional resources help you as you use the First Look curriculum in your preschool environment.

There is one more exciting thing to share. We’ve taken a different approach to our music starting this month and can’t wait to get your feedback! We’ve tried to make our songs more appropriate for preschoolers and make them true participation songs. Be sure to familiarize yourselves with the dance moves and be looking for a dance moves video before January.

Our team will be praying for you to have moments filled with wonder as you give preschoolers a "first look" at the God who loves them, made them, and wants to be their friend forever.

Kathy Hill
Editor-in-Chief, First Look
The reThink Group

First Look Friends Tip of the Month:
Many of the First Look intro sketches and Bible stories call for several props. Don’t think you have to go out and buy exactly what is listed in the “What You Need” section. If you have something in your prop box that will convey the same idea as what is listed, feel free to use that! If the script asks for a gray wig for a “grandma,” but you have a shawl and not a wig, use the shawl. Feel free to make the changes that work for your environment and budget.