Our elementary and middle school events have really taken off under the excellent leadership and enthusiasm of LCC’s Student and Family Director Lori Bell and the Day School’s Dani Mishall. Our program is reaching out to students at the Day School, as well as other kiddos in our church community, with some fantastic events.
For example, our elementary kids learned about how God helps us grow in the garden of life. They decorated bird houses and flower pots, played games including sack races and three-legged races, and heard a message about how the seeds of faith are planted in many places, and it is up to us to see if they will grow.
At the middle school Reality Show Nite last week, talented junior chefs were given the same ingredients and were tasked with creating an entrée and dessert for the pastors, who had the privilege of deciding which was the best in terms of teamwork, presentation and of course, taste. The highly coveted Golden Spoon was awarded to three of our middle school girls, whose team name will be inscribed on the spoon which will be handed on to next year’s winner in turn. This event taught the kids the importance of everyone contributing using the gifts God gave them, and how each gift is unique and important.
Lori Bell has done a stellar job at planning, organizing and implementing our kids’ activities. In addition to the Elementary and Middle School events, she also ran the Back to School Fair on the Sunday of our Backpack Blessing/Teacher Installation Day, an event so successful we definitely will do it again this year. And after each of the Family Worship services, Lori offers a fun craft/snack project for the kids so the families can stick around after worship to get to know each other better. It is not unusual for families to linger a half hour or more after worship. This time with the families is golden for forging ties and encouraging continued worship and event attendance.
As the Day School’s Campus Liaison, Dani Mishall has promoted our events at the school, as well as working tirelessly beside Lori helping to lead the events. Dani’s established relationship with the students helps the church build a bridge to the school.
Coach Tim Pennell has also helped us with several Middle School Open Gym Events, and Day School teacher Heather McGrath, who used to run all of our children’s events, still pitches in to help when called upon and promotes our events at the school.
These events are an important part of fostering better ties to the Day School, helping the kids to get more comfortable being at church, and teaching them faith lessons while allowing them to have fun. They are an investment in the future of our church that is well worth making.
Plans for next school year’s activities are already in the works, so look for dates to be announced soon so you can mark your calendars. A big thank you to Lori and Dani for helping us reach out to our families with fun, educational and faith-building events. They truly are LCC’s Dynamic Duo!