Collaborate - Children's Ministries Conference

This past weekend Saj, Isaiah and I attended a children's conference that was held at our church called "Collaborate - parents & leaders shaping the next generation." I wasn't too sure what to expect, but we did want to go because now that we are parents and we are involved in our church we wanted to get a better understanding of where the children's ministry is heading. I am so happy that we went, because it was really a great time of hearing from great speakers, and being inspired and encouraged to go out there and make a difference in your child's life. Pastor Carey Nieuwhof was the guest speaker, and he brought up some great points. Here are some of them below:

"put yourself first when it comes to personal growth."

"put more quantity in the quality of your time"

"we have 3000 hours a year to invest in our children's lives"

"a 15 year old child is not looking for a 45 year old best friend" (this point made me laugh)

"we are the most influential person in our children's lives well into their 20's"

"we have to be in Christ what we expect them to be in Christ - kids have fake detectors"

There were so many other great points as well as breakout sessions led by other good speakers which we had the chance to go to. I wish we could have gone to them all, but really that wasn't possible. What this conference did for us was really empower us to go out there and be the best parents we can be for our son. Its not always going to be an easy road, but we do have the support of our church family, and the support of our immediate families around thankfully. I am so happy that our church did something like this. I am really happy about the direction that our children's ministry is heading in. I also must mention that I am really impressed with Pastor Laura Bogner who is our Team Leader for Children's Ministry. She has such a gentle spirit and a big heart for our children. You can feel the passion that she has for them in the way that she communicates. Our church is truly blessed to have her and the whole team.