A family guide to Lent

I would love to say that I made this, but that wouldn't be accurate. Recently someone forwarded me a family guide to Lent, and I thought I would share. Its very well done!

Get the guide

I hope you enjoy.
Blessings,
Heidi

Notes for Beyond Background Checks Breakout

Beyond Background Checks
Heidi M. Hensley
heidimhensley@me.com heidimhensley.com
Developing a safety team

• Safety team positions
  
• Calling on Law Enforcement / Fire / EMS.
  • Call on these members of your congregation to serve on Safety committees. (i.e.. Luncheons, Church announcements, bulletins, booths in the lobby, etc)

• Your volunteers
  
  • As you establish your volunteer list recruit security/safety personnel
    
  • this personnel needs to be background checked
    
• Just like you would make sure a SS classroom is staffed, have a contact list of Safety team.
  • Have LE / Fire personal available in emergency scenarios.
  • If your church does not have these personnel reach out to your local departments - if not contact us Volunteers
  • Develop a volunteer application, including a background authorization form • Background check ALL regular volunteers (and have a wait period) (update yearly if your software doesn’t) Identify background checked & trained workers

• Enforce the 2’s rule
  

• Train your volunteer staff
  
  • Regular training will make your policies effective
    
  • Medical training & safety training should all be current and rehearsed
    
  • “Common sense assumes there is no common sense”
    
  • Make the plans visible and easy & tools within reach
    
• Document, Document, Document (protecting your church, kids, & staff)
  
  • Any incident or Injury should be documented and signed by a parent
    
  • Medical release forms should be on hand when parents are not
    
  • Define incident or injury for your team
    Develop an action plan
    

• STAY CALM! Your the leaders, people will react
to your ability to lead especially during a major incident

• Natural Disaster - be prepared to assist medical personnel, HAVE A PLAN,
  talk to your Fire Department - Train your staff & review it often
  
• Medical Emergency - The key is communication. HAVE A PLAN. You don’t
  need 10 people calling 911. Send a trustworthy person street side to guide
  

first responders to the right location. You only need 1 person per entry. KEEP
IT SIMPLE

Safety Incident (Active Shooter or Subject with a gun)

• Prepare - HAVE A PLAN. (Start with air horns, etc) Educate your staff on lock-down.
  
• WE WANT THE ROOM LOCKED AND TO APPEAR EMPTY
  
• A gunman will not spend 5 minutes attempting to breach a locked
  empty room
  
• Make your church or facility available for emergency agency trainings
  
• How to respond to active shooter
  Church Policies
  

• Mandated Reporting
  
  • If it’s questionable, call!
    
  • Know your state’s reporting laws
    
  • Develop a system for your staff
    
  • Food Policies
    
  • Consider the use of an allergy form or bracelet
    
  • Train your teachers to respond to surprise snacks
    
  • Always have an allergen free option on hand
    
• Safety Software or Policies
  
  • Who arrived, who’s there, who left, and who can take them
    
  • Be willing to have an “alert” for custody issues
    
  • If you use a system, use it!
    
  • Workers should be trained to use the same routine for everyone.
    
  • Follow your own rules and expect the same of your staff!
    
• How to write your policies
  
  • Know your state laws regarding caring for kids
    
  • Know your problems
    
  • Know your church’s culture
    
  • Don’t over complicate the policy & procedure
    
  • Make it well known
    
  • State the purpose
    
  • Brainstorm the worst case scenario
    
  • Form a plan to prevent the scenario that aligns with the law and
    honors your church’s beliefs and culture
    
  • Form a draft
    
  • Rehearse it
    
  • Present to elders or administrator (if successful)
    
  • Return to step 3 until step 5 is successful
    
  • Make sure they don’t conflict
    Resources to remember: Kidcheck.com
    Protectmyministry.com
    Churchsecurityalliance.com (I thought this was churchsafety.net, disregard that)
    
    My forms (for example reference)
    

Notes for Layers of Leadership Breakout

Layers of Leadership 
Heidi M. Hensley

Thanks for coming today!! I was blessed to share, and hope you find these notes useful. I have also attached my mentoring form.
Blessings, Heidi

Mentoring by definition is:
To serve as a trusted counselor or teacher
(what’s missing here?) a sense of being hands on – ministry
My definition .........to serve as a trusted leader with an intentional path you both need to know your destination

This is my theory
If you were to cut a leader in half...(not recommended) I think you would find layers of mentored leadership inside. Just like
trees These layers represent the years of relationship and learning they have gained over the years.
The attitude and way of life qualified the mentor to be imitated by his disciples.... speaking of Jesus

Even though Jesus was divine in His nature while on earth, He lived by faith and dependence on God, which was characterized by prayer.
Simply stated, He didn’t just tell us, he showed us. Phil 3:12

A true one on one mentoring relationship is close. It requires trust, grace, intimacy and transparency.

Be sure to set boundaries and be smart when mentoring, be

aware of your surroundings and be sure your mentor has displayed a life and faith worthy of mimicking and then be that same kind of person.
So how do we build into those around us? 

1. Don’t over complicate it!

• I honestly believe this is what we as humans do. Somewhere in our arrogance and pride, we assume when things are so simple, there must be more to them We complicate the gospel, when it is designed to be the easiest thing understood. We complicate mentoring by taking it beyond what it really is.
  
• Mentoring is like teaching someone to ride a bike.....you guide, occasionally offering support, always offering encouragement, and sometimes correction with the ability to display the intended behavior.
  
• What are you doing on a daily basis that can be a teachable moment for someone willing to learn?
  
• What are those things in your life that others notice you do well?

2. Know what you’re talking about!

• Sometimes with the greatest intent, we make it worse. Wanting to help, but not being equipped to do so.
• Use your resources, learn, and be sure that if you are mentoring or being mentored the mentor has an outward display of a result you wouldn’t mind having.
• Titus 2:3-5 - training younger generations

3. Let them own their new skill.

• As our mentees learn, are you giving them freedom and space to own it? Are they being allowed to make mistakes?
  
• But most importantly are you letting go?
  
• If you never let go of a child’s bike, they will never develop
  the balance skills they need to ride.
  
• So much as a finger touch can throw them off. As their body
  learns this new motion....you must release.
  
• If you put someone in an action role, but step in and re-do their work, veto small preference design changes, or insist
  that every step is done your way THEY WILL NEVER FIND
  THEIR BALANCE. AND IT NEVER BECOMES THEIR THING
  
• Set boundaries, but give ownership

4. Age is not a factor.

• This has been my biggest lesson as a mentor AND mentee I have been mentored by some amazing people, younger than me and older than me
• I have been blessed to minister to mentees, parents and even volunteer staff that is older and younger.
• It never ceases to amaze me when someone comes into our program and knows nothing about scripture. They are afraid to jump in, and finding a role where they can use their talents, be mentored and learn all at the same time... this has proven to be a 1 Tim 4:12 moment

sum it all up

1. Utilize your team
2. Check progress
3. Keep your eyes open for talent 

CPC 2015 - Notes for finding your VOICE as a small church kidmin leader

Good morning from the Waffle House! As I sit here and sip my coffee I am happy to share that it has been a wonderful week in the world of kidmin! I was a little skeptical of the location, but have learned that Chattanooga is a cool place, great food, lovely people and great architecture. But I guess if you're from the south, it may not be quite the novelty. I will say, after getting myself through the San Francisco airport the Chattanooga metro airport was quite fun! :)

If you came to any of my sessions, you have probably already received an email with my notes. They are also posted here and hope you find them useful.

Hoping you had a wonderful time at CPC if you were here!
See y'all on the left coast in a few weeks.

Heidi

Breakout #1 - Kidmin in the Small Church (track)

Finding your VOICE as a small church kidmin leader

Three things to remember when finding your VOICE

Every church is unique

•       Take joy in this, and learn who you are as a church, don’t do cookie cutter ministry

•       1 Corinthians 12:14-27

Every church can be effective

•       Effectiveness is a choice

Every small church has an advantage

•       The ability to have personal relationships

Vision

•       Prayer – start here!

•       Find out your pastor’s vision for Children’s Ministry – and know it well

•       What exactly do we mean by “vision” – your ultimate goal or target

•       Dream a little

•       Develop a strategy – and be willing to constantly update it

Opportunity

•       Identify your effectiveness – are all the churches around you doing the same thing?

•       What can your church or ministry do, that others can not?

•       Make connections - the more ministry friends you have, the more resources you have

•       Remember, we are all on the same team! Partner with a larger church leader in a mentoring way.

•       Resource management

1.     Cmconnect.org

2.     Heidimhensley.com

3.     Kidology.org

4.     Twitter & Facebook & Pinterest

5.     Lifeway Kids Blog

Inspire

•       Yourself – stay in the word! Make sure you are being fed as a leader.

•       Your Pastor – keep him in the loop! Update him about kids being saved etc.

•       Your Leaders – Let them have input and ownership! Make sure they know the “why” of what they’re doing.

•       Your Parents – Share the vision you have for their kids with them

•       Your Kids – Again, do they know “why” kidmin is so important?

•       Your City – get out of your walls!

Culture

•       Know the culture well – this gives you a wealth of information for ministry and design use

•       Use it to your advantage – you will know how to minister to your city

•       Be willing to see – be the candle in dark places as a church

•       Be willing to let God change it – this is easier said than done. Letting go of ineffective practices, or killing off sacred cows.

Examine

•       Review what you do

•       Review why you do

•       Review the how – then decide what needs to be kept and do it well!