After a series of staffing changes at Urbandale UCC, summer 2009 was lacking in children's programming at my church. Being the mother of a 5 year-old and a 9 year-old, I knew that the church needed something for the children. Or at the very least, my children needed something from the church! And a summer off was not the answer. I brainstormed with a few other parents to find out their level of interest in having a children's summer program--and Kids in Action was born.
With just a few short weeks until summer break began, I lined up leaders for a number of educational and hands-on opportunities for the children and youth of our church. I structured the program to have educational activities, craft projects and service project preparation during our traditional Sunday School time, then planned a number of hands-on activities that we participated in over the summer.
We launched a t-shirt logo contest for the kids with a gift certificate given to the winning artist. We received a large number of entries, and TWO designs stood out. Both winners were incorporated into the front and back of the T-shirt. We wanted people to notice us in the community, so they were bright tie-dyed shirts. T-shirt sales also paid for the incidental costs of the Kids in Action program.
Kids in Action participated in the Urbandale Fourth of July parade (for the first time in many years). The parade begins at our church, so this was an easy way to show our church spirit. We also had a hospitality stand offering beverages and muffins for those in and attending the parade. If this 4th of July had had normal hot weather, the hospitality stand would have been much more successful. Cold and rain don't sell much water or pop!
We had "camp experts" visit us during our educational time to share what camp is all about and encourage more children to attend camp at Pilgrim Heights Camp and Retreat Center. The kids created postcards and camper packets to give to all 14 of our campers. We asked the campers to mail back the postcards to the church with their favorite camp experience. The postcards were a nice way to thank the generous church members who paid for half of the camp cost.
Kids in Action also made meals for the church members participating in two Habitat for Humanity volunteer days. The educational session that went with this activity helped the kids understand why people might need our help building their house, and why as a faith community we are helping build the house. The kids enjoyed making cookies to send to the build site as well as assembling the sack lunches. A couple of the children also helped hand out the lunches at the build site, and saw what it was all about.
As a way to create intergenerational relationships in the congregation, we created a couple of craft projects to deliver to seniors in the congregation. We launched a "Get to Know Each Other" afternoon. Kids read to a senior, had a snack, and visited. We also met to play games. Now the kids recognize long-time members of the congregation, and seniors know who the kids are. I've been asked if we can continue the game time!
Our outreach activity included raising funds and packaging meals for Meals from the Heartland. We are going to make this an annual event. We are also going to package meals for Haiti this month.
Finally we conducted a School Supply and Clothing Drive for back-to-school time. We filled 18 backpacks with school supplies for the Urbandale School District and donated a large amount of clothes for the annual Karen Acres ELL (English Language Learners) Clothing Giveaway.
Adults were excited to see the children of the congregation learning and participating in service projects in the Des Moines area. Almost every week I heard "thanks" from those not immediately involved in the program. I appreciated the volunteers who helped lead education programs, helped at the service projects, and donated funds to cover the cost of Kids in Action.
The goal of Kids in Action was to involve all the children and youth of UUCC in a summer education and hands-on service program; and although it was difficult to expect a steady crowd in the summer, our attendance ranged from 3 to 12 kids.
This first attempt at Kids in Action was a huge time commitment. Now that a model has been created, it would be easy to make this an annual summer program. Members were excited after the events, which will make recruiting leaders for the activities easier next time!
Kids in Action kept our children engaged the entire summer learning about ways they could make a difference in their own world. It was a huge growth experience for me as well. I don't enjoy public speaking, but 12 weeks of making announcements in front of a congregation can change that! If I wasn't up front making an announcement, the congregation was looking for me, wondering what I would have the kids up to next.
Our liturgist wraps up the offering in worship each week at Urbandale UCC by saying, "God is good . . . all the time. And all the time . . . God is good!" I must say that God was good to us during the summer of 2009! God showed us how we can work together in a tough situation to create a memorable experience for all. We all shared in God's goodness! Thanks be to God!
Jennifer Gardner is a 13-year member of Urbandale United Church of Christ. She has served in many roles in the church, and currently serves as the Financial Secretary and Chair of the Membership Team.
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