Dear Kids Sunday School Teacher, Don't forget your class during the pandemic.

Dear Sunday School Teacher

I know you are a bit overwhelmed trying to navigate what life should look like during this Coronavirus. With school schedules, work responsibilities and family life in disarray, it's easy to set aside your church volunteering responsibilities but here are 6 plus 1 quick ways you can continue to teach and invest in little lives while home and doing your part to prevent a spreading virus.

1. PRAY for the kids on your roll-by name. Call out each individual name to our Heavenly Father. Picture each face as you pray, asking God to bring comfort, peace, healing, and joy. Pray for their parents, too...maybe a whole lot!

2. WRITE to your kids. Send each an individual note and let them know you are thinking about them and praying for them. Include a question about the last Sunday School Bible lesson you taught or a question and the verses for the lesson this next week. If you have access to any Bible lesson activity pages or worksheets, mail those with your note. Adding a joke is optional but sure appreciated. Find cute jokes here: https://redtri.com/best-jokes-for-kids/slide/1

3. Make PHONE calls to any of your class guests from the past six months. Use the current crisis as a springboard to check on kids and their families. Many of your previous guests may be kids whose families are not plugged into a faith community. This provides a great chance to share with them your church's response to the virus and what your church is offering in spiritual growth for this time.

4. VIDEO your Bible lesson for this Sunday and send it out to all of your kids. Be sure to keep it upbeat and fun. Your example shows Bible teaching and spiritual growth is a priority-no matter what is going on in the world.

5. Depending on the age of your class members, USE APPS such as GroupME, WhatsAPP, or SLACK or Social Media groups such as on FACEBOOK to create a group for your kids and their parents. Host a Bible Trivia Contest on a particular day and time. Award small prizes to winners (toilet paper anyone?) -be sure to mail the prizes as soon as you are able.

6. Encourage FAMILY MEMORIES with a Photo Challenge! Ask families to take crazy pictures and post them in whatever platform you use. For instance: Post a video of your family singing a hand washing song or post a picture of your family gathered in the smallest place possible in your house.

7. In every interaction with your kids, REMIND them of God's love and thoughts toward us. His care toward us exceeds any and every crisis we may face-

How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!          How vast is the sum of them!

If I should count them, they would outnumber the sand.          When I awake, I am still with You.

I know you gifted, dedicated teachers also have some secret sauce you are using to keep up with your Sunday Schoo kids, please let me know! Let's encourage each other as we love the kids God has entrusted to us.

Booking your Sunday School leadership Fall Training Event?

Contact me at beth@bethbowman.net

I stinking love to equip kids ministry volunteers to serve!

School is out? 3 Quick Tips for Parenting during the Coronavirus

Dear Parents of school aged Kiddos-

My heart goes out to you as you make quick plans, reassess work responsibilities and juggle childcare during these days of uncertainty. Here are some quick thoughts as you navigate through this unprecedented journey:

1. Talk to your kids and have an intentional conversation about the Coronavirus. Your kids-especially older preschool and grade school aged-have heard enough snippets about the virus from television, social media and discussions in the family. Sit down with them soon and share age appropriate information. Emphasize what everyone is doing to curb the pandemic and what personal habits they can conduct. Ask what concerns they have and answer their questions as honestly as you are able. Reassure them of your love, care and protection. Explain what measures your family is taking to prevent spread of the disease. For some children, they may need more than one conversation. Be open and caring-kids need a safe space to share their feelings and thoughts.

2. Use this time as the GIFT that it is! Most of us (me included) have become far too busy with priorities other than family. Here are five things you can do with your kids this week:

*Find your mom's chocolate chip cake recipe and make it with your kids. If it doesn't involve toilet paper or hand sanitizer, I'll be you can find the ingredients at the store.

*Read that book to your kids that has been on your "to do list" for a year. (This may be a great time for chapter books)

*Get out those board games. CandyLand, Monopoly, Clue (but not UNO. This crisis will be over before you finish that game)

*Watch old family videos. Kids love to see and hear their stories.

*Stop and learn how to play your kids video games. Get smack dab in their world and hang out. Be sure to beat them at least once, or twice if your child is in middle school.

3. Lastly, do not forget others. Use this time to serve TOGETHER.

*Make some calls to relatives you haven't seen in a while-or even a FaceTime call. They will love seeing and talking with your kids!

*Check on your elderly neighbors and lead your kids to take their trash can to the road or another outside task.

*Get out the craft materials and let your kids make homemade cards for a teacher, friend, or your pastor. Or how about thank you cards for public servants such as the mayor of your town or the police? (Sanitized hands please)

Let me know your thoughts and what you are doing that works. Your encouragement could be the secret sauce for another at home parent. We can get through this together.

Lastly, as a Christian, here's one of my fav Bible passages when I get a little Corona-Crazy..

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7

One Less Racist

I remember only one white girl who wasn't racist in high school. She was on the basketball team- I don't remember if she was very good at basketball but I do remember that she was really really good at being a friend to everyone-white, black..didn't matter to her. I would say she was also friends with Spanish speakers or people who spoke Mandarin but hey, this was Ethel and there were only two colors of people, and some very distinct lines.

I wasn't raised to hate people of color but I also wasn't raised to hang out or get to know people who were different than me. I don't think this was as much as a deliberate attempt on my parents part to be racist as it was an accepted way of life in a small town in Mississippi. We had "our" churches-they had "theirs". We had "our" music and "they" had theirs. After all (and here's the ridiculous quote that is used even today), "They wouldn't like our kind of music or preaching or way of life." I didn't understand that sentiment then and I don't really understand it now. As if the color of your skin can determine your entire path for life-your interests, your music, and all of your choices.

That's the part of racism that divides instead of unites.

But there is a far uglier side of racism...it's when we take a negative character trait and assign it to all the people of the race. All __________ people like _________. I'm sure you can fill in the blanks with ideas. This type of racism leaves entire groups of people in tiny boxes, closed off and locked. This type of thinking is what stirs up hatred for someone you have never met because you make assumptions about them-based on an observation, or a comment or a quick judgement.

I believe God began to speak to my heart when we moved to Leake County 13 months ago. God began to convict me of the need to speak up where I had been silent. He began to challenge me to stand up against the tolerance of racism in Mississippi...and especially toward any racism among christians. Almost like a fact of life or a foregone conclusion, Christians are allowed in some circles to promote a cultural of separation and disdain toward other races. And we all tolerate it more than we should.

We are going to change a tiny piece of legacy for us here in Leake County. Tamara Williams Glenn (Carthage High School graduate) along with some others are going to be worshipping together on March 28th. This gathering is for women to get together with what unites us in Christ. The beauty of worshipping Jesus together--irregardless of race, ethnicity, denomination or background will be a legacy we can leave for generations to come. I can not wait to see how God works through an intentional, deliberate attempt to gather around the love of Jesus that unites us instead of our individual characteristics and preferences that separate us.

I don't know where the girl from high school is now, wherever it is-I am sure she is continuing to love people without limits. I pray that this will be the way I am remembered also.