DIRECTOR OF CHRISTIAN EDUCATION/CHILDREN’S MINISTRY REPORT TO CONGREGATION 2009

2009 began with a meeting of the CE Director and the CE Committee, to review and answer the Session’s recommendations concerning the Mission and Vision Statement of Southminster in an effort to establish common goals among the committee, the CE director and the Session. Among the recommendations of the Session were: Small Group Bible Studies, multi-sensory worship experiences throughout the year, partnering with our sister churches of SEIMA (Southeast Indianapolis Metropolitan Area) for VBS, Olivet, adult classes, youth group activities, young adult Sunday School class and other offerings from Southminster, a Junior High youth mission or retreat as well as a Senior High mission or retreat, beginning development of a special needs program, and utilizing the individual talents of our congregation.
Toward these goals and with the tremendous support and help from the Christian Education Committee and caring and interested parents, the following events were accomplished in 2009:

Offered a 12 week “Financial Peace University” (Dave Ramsey) and advertised this throughout the community using multiple medias. One person from the community and 12 congregation members enrolled in and completed the class.

Promoted the PCUSA junior high mission retreat during March which two of our youth attended:

Offered and held a Small Group Bible Study, “One Month to Live” in October (36 members of our congregation participated).

Partnered with two area congregations, Zion UCC and NB Baptist for VBS. Two students from Southminster participated in VBS at Zion UCC and four adults from Southminster volunteered to help in various capacities.

Invited several of the area churches to join Southminster youth at Camp Olivet

Through the use of flyers, post high school age students from the local community were invited to join our Young Adult Sunday school class each Sunday morning.

Partnered Southminster youth groups with SEIMA youth groups in “Trunk or Treat” in October. This activity offered area children a safe place to trick or treat.

I have not tackled all the recommendation from the session and those will be addressed in 2010.

In January acolyte training was held. There were insufficient students for a confirmation class in 2009 however; there will be a class in 2010.

The youth and the Sunday school classes participated in 4 drama presentations during the worship service: The Butterfly project during Lent, drama skit involving the creation of the Ark of the Covenent to coincide with Pastor Greg’s sermon on the birth of the church, and a dramatic skit recognizing our Pastor Greg on Pastor Appreciation Day. Both youth and adults participated in an Advent Drama the second Sunday in Advent. This was a total of 4 dramatic presentations during worship service for the calendar year 2009. These events helped fulfill the direction of our session’s mission and vision statement.

Upon the resignation of our youth director, effective May 31st, the CE Director with the help of parents of youth, held fairly regular meetings during June through November. I tried to vary the type of meetings to include social outings such as a picnic, orchard outing, and canoeing, missions work such as Walk-a-thon, and inter/intra mission projects such as Trunk or Treat, brick cleaning, moving help and gardening help. These types of activities are important to give the youth a sense that they are an important part of the mission and vision of Southminster.

The goal for the CE Director during 2010 is to facilitate the hiring of a youth director at minimum half time, to offer 3 to 4 small group studies in the calendar year, to offer a variety of adult classes (2 pr 3) to our congregation and community, and to find methods of attracting unchurched young families to our Sunday school and young children’s programs.