A new blog on midweek preschool ministry - It's Musictime
If you are thinking about starting a playgroup-style ministry or are already involved in running one, this will be music to your ears…
Beth is a minister’s wife in Sydney’s inner-west, a mum of a large family, a music teacher and as of May this year, also a blogger! Her blog, It’s Music Time, shares bite-size pieces of wisdom, gleaned from more than 20 years of running a midweek ministry for preschoolers and their families.
“Families with young children are keen to be in the community, doing things with their little people - it’s why playgroup-style ministries abound in our churches, they are a great way to connect with local families and God-willing can lead to opportunities to share the gospel, as we get to know one another. One of the major problems with this style of ministry is that it can be incredibly labour intensive and it’s often run by parents of small children themselves.”
In the first post, Beth addresses the difficulty of running this vital ministry with a small and busy volunteer crew.
“Playgroup ministries have been the mainstay of daytime community outreach in our churches for generations. They are mainly resourced by the ‘stay at home’ mum, the retiree, the ministers wife, sometimes if you’re lucky enough by the women’s worker and or children’s worker. But what happens when your small church has only has one of these people? Or one of those roles is filled by the same person? How can we resource and maintain this vital connection into our communities, opening doors to share God’s love with those around us?”
She offers 5 tips to consider, including the very sensible and practical ideas of making morning tea BYO and incorporating set-up and pack-up into the group’s routine. I love her commonsense applied to ministry!
Beth’s second post made me laugh out loud. Having our own children in the group brings it’s own challenges :)
There are 4 posts so far:
5 things to streamline your playgroup - 5 tips to make your playgroup more sustainable with a reduced volunteer crew
Stop singing mummy! - running a preschool ministry with your own children in tow
But don’t we need craft? - the pros and cons of regular craft
They won’t stop talking! - managing the parents
Each post is short and to the point - a win for the time-poor or sleep-deprived. Beth provides both practical tips and much needed encouragement for persevering. So, head over to It’s Music Time.
