Cokesbury Kids Blog

If you follow Cokesbury Kids on Facebook, you probably know we recently gave away a Sparky The Dragon puppet, from our 2020 VBS Knights of North Castle. How did folks enter the giveaway? All you had to do was answer the following question: "What does Loving God, Loving Kids mean to you?"

The comment with the most likes won.

We chose "Loving God, Loving Kids" as our tagline because, we believe, so often children's ministry becomes unnecessarily complicated. There are so many things to consider, from motivating volunteers to selecting a VBS. From decorating a classroom to communicating with parents. Children's ministry is not easy work, but it's important work. And, believe it or not, our job as children's ministers is so much simpler than we realize.

Here's what I mean: our role is to love God and to love the kids that walk through our doors. As a children's minister, your presence alone is more impactful than you will ever realize. For your children to know that they are loved by God is more important than all the details--the decor, the volunteers, the daily activity--combined. 

As a resource provider, our job is to empower children's ministers all over the world to do this very important work. Our mission is to make your job easier, so you can focus on what's most important: loving God and loving kids.

So, without further adieu, here are your responses to our question.

What Loving God, Loving Kids means to some of you

"Loving God, loving kids" is about having a child like heart toward God and having an awe inspired relationship with him. Loving kids is being an example to kids of your faith and teaching them to love God as well.

Loving God, Loving kids means we are to plant seeds of faith with each child and pray for each one through their time with us Pray for them each night we have them and continue to pray daily

Loving God, Loving Kids means giving kids the tools and training to go out and love others outside the church walls

"Loving God, loving kids" Is all about showing God's love to kids and helping them to become more like Christ. It is not just teaching them with our words, but being an example to them. I also love giving them opportunities to participate in church. We have them take up offering, read Scripture, even lead the benediction.

Loving God is shown through following Him and we learn how to follow Him through His Word ... and one of the ways we learn from His Word is in fellowship in our local church family  In that church family, we include children, teaching them through our services, through Sunday School, through Confirmation Classes, through Youth Group and through Vacation Bible School. We make sure to include them in roles in the service so that they can see that they are an important part of the church family - we love them!

We love because Jesus first loved us. We show our love for our heavenly father with our obedience. Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”

"Loving God, Loving Kids" means that we love God and He loves us so much love that we have more than enough to pass on to the kids. And Let me tell you, God love is amazingly contagious ! Pass it on!

"Loving God, Loving Kids" is to love the kingdom of God. Kids are the present with most future on earth because God love them not because "he will love them". Kids from my Country Puerto Rico are the most important ground to sow love.

"Loving God, Loving Kids" is about knowing God and fully appreciating that his love is unconditional and then striving to show and share that unconditional, radical love with everyone around us. It means meeting kids on their level and learning about God's love with them, understanding that both have an amazing amount to teach us.

"Loving God, Loving Kids" means when God created the world he made it in His image. God is Love and loving kids is as the scripture says: “Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭19:14‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“Loving God, Loving Kids”... by loving God, we are called to witness to others. By loving kids, we are teaching them about God and witnessing to them to help them grow in their faith and become our brothers and sisters in Christ!

Loving God and loving Kids is about teaching our kids how much our God loves them! We want our children to grow in Christ as we teach them and watch them grow!

It means making God accessible to all with love and imagination and play.

Loving God Loving Kids means that we are teaching kids how to love each other as God has loved us. Teaching them that God is our heavenly father and that he wants us to love each other as he first loved us. Sure hope we win this dragon!

"Loving God, Loving Kids" is about teaching kids no matter what age because we all are A child of God, about the love of Christ and helping them develop their own personal relationship with him through this journey called life!

Loving God Loving Kids means that we are teaching kids how to love each other as God has loved us while also teaching them to love God. Letting them know that God is our heavenly father and that he wants us to love each other as he first loved us.

"Loving God, Loving Kids" is about meeting kids where they are and teaching them about the love of Christ. It's about giving them the skills they need in their spiritual life to deal with real life issues, and giving them a strong foundation of faith to carry with them throughout their lives. It's about giving them a personal relationship with God.

Loving God, Loving kids is a way to show kids that God is love and it is our job as leaders to teach them to love like God out in the world. Showing this love allows them to carry this love out into the world and make disciples.

It means the world to me! It makes me parent better and changes the way I cope!

What "Loving God, Loving Kids" means to me is that we will include God and Jesus word into all aspects of our lives. Even when things do not go exactly as planned or end up how we wanted them, we will never forget that God has a plan for us and we will trust his judgement and always love Him. It also means to me that we will love our children, whether they are our own or our congregation children, equally in the aspect of teaching them the Word of God, what we know ourselves about God, and be willing to teach and learn with them what we do not know. That is what "Loving God, Loving Kids" means to me.

Loving God, Loving Kids means showing Love through God, to lead others to Him!!

Loving the Lord and children means the lord to me. I wouldn’t be able to do the things I do if it wasn’t for the joy they get out of learning the love of God

Loving kids is so easy when you remember they are God's most precious creation with all of their wiggles, giggles, and needs. Loving God is as easy as giggling, breathing, and walking in this wonderful world. There are times when there are clouds, but the sunshine eventually breaks through.

“Loving God, Loving Kids” to me means raising young Christians to also love God. Teaching them by example to put God first and to put others before them. Kids also teach me how to be ‘open-hearted’ and giving.

I feel blessed to be the CED at our UCC Open & Affirming church that welcomes and accepts all no matter who they are or where they are on their journey. I don't take this walk that I do for granted. Shining God's light of love for all is a privilege and helping our children, youth, their families, our congregation and community as they walk their walk fills my soul and brings such joy. I'm so proud of our children and youth who see and learn this over flowing love from our God by the example of all our volunteers that help our programs run throughout the year, especially during VBS week. Watching them pass this love on to their peers, as well as others of all ages, is truly seeing God's live in action. May we all feel blessed and loved by our God each and every day!

Loving God, and loving kids, to me means sharing his word with everyone big and small! It’s never to early to instill a love for Christ and to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with someone no matter how young!

Loving God as he so loves us is like breathing. It is an effortless rewarding lifestyle. Loving kids is sharing that love and teaching them the expectations that our God has for us daily and the great many Rewards we will attain by doing so.

Loving God and Loving kids is my ENTIRE LIFE!

Loving God and loving kids is all that Jesus requires of us besides faith! Everything else has been done and from that place of victory, we GET TO love on all of His children! This is how we change the world!

Loving God, Loving Kids means that loving kids as Jesus lives us. Pouring over them as God pours into us. As people loved by God and people who love a God we need to see children through His eyes and love them. They are important to Him and they must be important to us. We are all called to disciple making and that includes children.

Loving God, Loving Kids - to me the greatest gift we can give our kids and the next generation is loving them and showing them Gods love. Teaching them that God loves them and showing them how by loving the Lord they can love and help others.

Loving God Loving Kids means praising Him all the time especially when with children. If kids can learn at a young age to praise God all time even in the midst of struggles, they will be able to overcome the extreme anxiety that has crippled this generation. By loving God through our faithful praise we are loving kids for their whole lives!

Loving God and Loving Kids is the basis of what I do as the director of Children's Ministry. I must put God first...not just in words but in action! Am I praying consistently, and I studying His word, are my thoughts and actions outside of the church walls indicating that I am a follower of Him? Loving kids is of course a must! It should come naturally as part of my life to really be effective in the ministry. Wanting them to have a saving relationship with God and Jesus is the most loving example of what I should do. Seeing them understand who God is, His love for them, and how they should live to please Him directly represents my love for them. Having a fun and exciting relationship with the kids I lead, is an added bonus to a great and Godly responsibility!
 

Loving God, Loving Kids...We can love and pursue God best by making sure the next generation doesn’t miss Gods story...making sure that they know Him! And by learning how to love and communicate with kids, we learn how to love and communicate better with God, as we should become like little children to enter into Gods kingdom. Through the eyes of a child we learn how to come to our loving father.

The time passes quickly. We don't get it back. We must surround the children with the love of GOD! They may then walk in the world with confidence brought by the love we have for GOD, the love we have for them and the love we have for each other!

Jesus said, "Let the children come to me." He said not to stop them and not to cause them to stumble. Because of this I believe loving God means loving children. Ever year at VBS there are children who lead their families into a relationship with Jesus and the church. When i think i am teaching children i realize they are teaching me more. When i think i am sharing my faith we children they are sharing their faith with me. It is true that a child will lead when it comes to humility, faith, generosity, kindness, etc.

Loving God , Loving Kids is sharing the love and Grace, justice that communicates to kids that they are God's beloved, even when others in the world tell them otherwise. It is giving g kids a safe place to creatively Express themselves, and Sharing how they perceive God's love for them in freedom with encouragement and support to share that love with the next person.

What does loving God loving kids mean to me it means telling kids about you and sharing God's word teaching them what I learned about God's word teach them that someday they were meet him in a different world

Loving kids is teaching them to love and trust God as their Lord, Savior and friend.

Loving God -- accepting the incredible sacrifice that he has made for us to have a relationship with Him through our savior Jesus Christ. Putting that relationship with first in our lives. Loving Kids - loving each and every young person like God does. Accepting them for who they are because that is how God has accepted us and sharing with them the best news ever - that Jesus Christ died for them to have a relationship with God forever.

Loving God, Loving Kids means changing the world

Loving God, Loving Kids to me means seeing the value in the least of us and raising them up in love. Kids are the best in my eyes. May I continue to work with them always!

Loving God, loving kids... is accepting the precious gifts that God has given us our talents and our children and bringing glory to Him! Nothing we do can be without God and nothing is more important than using what He has given us to His Glory and for His Kingdom.

Loving God means loving kids because they are the purest reflection of His Love.

Loving God, Loving Kids, means we get to share time, talents and resources with "littles " and not so littles, who will see God in perhaps a different light or who may meet Christ for the first time. They are never too little to have an experience with God. That's our goal, to be the feet and hands of Christ, during a child centered week.

If we love God first, then loving kids will be easier and more productive. If we trust and love God enough to put his will first, he is able to take care of and love our kids more than we are able. That is the ultimate show of love for our children

We are to love God because He first loved us! We show love to God in many ways but one of those is by being an example and sharing God's agape love with the next generation. We love kids by modeling that godlike love the best we can and teaching them how unconditional His love is. And most importantly that unconditional love is available to them all the time!

I think “Loving God, Loving Kids”means we have a loving God so we need to have Loving Kids. But it’s our responsibility to teach our Kids how to be Loving like our God.

Loving God, Loving Kids is just one way to show how we must first love God to really be able to love others. Children provide an unbiased way to share this love - by pouring the message of God’s love into them, they will in turn share that love they feel with all those around them!

We are all God’s children and he loves us all unconditionally through the smoke and fire of life. He has given us wings to spread and fly!

As adults in the ministry, we just have to Love God. By extension, with the love of Christ in our hearts, the job of loving our kids just comes naturally. When we love God first, our kids are going to pick up on that love!!

Children are blessed with the innocence of the world. They see goodness and love and the path to Heaven is to be like them and in Loving God we love the kids, our examples.

Children are our future. Always have and always will! One of greatest memories of being a child is the memories of VBS and we must provide those memories to children!  it is so awesome when I’m out in the community and a child that came to VBS says “I know you! You were at my VBS!”

"Loving God, Loving Kids" means serving but not only at church serving every child you come across anywhere.

Loving Kids is one of the most important ways we can Love God! Valuing children and showing them how much God loves them is essential to growing the Kingdom of God. Kids are not just the future, they are the present. Love is the greatest commandment!

Loving God, loving kids is LIFE. We love kids by sharing the news about our loving God. There’s nothing better!!

It is our job to show the Children how God loves by giving them unconditional love just as Jesus does.

Love my “kids” and love watching them grow in loving God. Jesus loves and accepts all children and so should we.

"Loving God, Loving Kids".....I can think of no greater honor than to be able to teach children about the love God has for them!! To be able to share the Good News with a child and watch them put their faith in their Creator, this is what happiness feels like!

Loving God and loving kids are so important. We need to show our children the love of god. It’s so important to be able to see the love of God through children’s eyes. They have such a unique and innocent perspective on God that adults really need to put in practice

Our church motto is “Loving God, Loving Neighbor” and we embrace that our neighbors are ALL children of God. The greatest commandment of Jesus and our purpose of VBS in a nutshell!

Loving God and Loving Kids go hand in hand...Our Kids are our connection with the playfulness and Joy that God wanted to see in our celebration of his Love for us. There is no better reflection of true Love than seeing a smile on a child's face.