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Lisa M. - posted December 02, 2003

Our situation may be different from yours. We had to get approval to start the program. First CE, then elders, then consistory, and then (because we wanted to spend more than $1000) congregational approval. Roll Eyes Yep, it took awhile. But the upshot was that we put out a LOT of information over a LONG time. We presented to committees, handed out flyers, wrote several newsletter articles, made announcements, held forums during Sunday School, visited a rotation church, etc. etc. etc. The CE and elders also made it a point to talk to anyone who would listen about the idea. At the congregational meeting, we gave about a 20 minute presentation for anyone who might have missed it, followed by an appeal by a parent.

The program was approved in May to begin the following January. We continued to distribute information, voted on room names/themes, had grand openings for rooms as they were completed, and held tours the week before the program began.

In other words, more is more. The more times you present the idea in many different ways, the better people will understand. And even after all of that there were some people who didn't completely "get it" until they saw the program firsthand.

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Judi Leaming - posted December 03, 2003

I guess we went about this quite differently ... maybe because we're American Baptist and tend to be stubbornly independent???

Anyway, after attending TWO of the Children's Ministries weekend workshops early last spring, I was bursting with enthusiam but thankfully cautioned not to proceed too quickly by Mickie O'Donnell.

I began looking at our attendance statistics (really bad!) and quietly pointing them out to anyone who would listen. Our Children's Ministry was dismal ... no direction, no advocates, no money. I also began trying to convince our mostly older congregation that IF we had any thoughts of attracting young families, we HAD to have a vital Children's Ministry ... that meant new curriculum and spruced up facilities. I worked on a "one convert" at a time system and practially NO money. From Pam Huber at Cornerstones I learned about identifying special skills and interests within your congregation and I talked one of one with the people that I had identified, asking them to help me in very small ways. When we had a clean up day, I was there to throw out things into the dumpster and say, "This is 1950's stuff and we can't teach the 2000 generation with it." I think that once I showed that I was willing to physically pitch in to get involved, get dirty, scrub walls, etc., I began to get a lot more interest and cooperation.

We've started small but we "officially" began rotation in September using PowerXpress curriculum. The last Sunday in August we had "open house" for the adult Sunday School and I walked them through the exercise that Mickie O'Donnell uses and suggests in her marvelous Children's Ministries handbook on the intelligences and asking people to divide into groups according to things that they like to do ... and don't like to do. That was really, really effective.

Almost EVERYTHING that we have has been donated ... and we have 5 rooms committed to rotation with a computer rooms with 6 computers and printers up and running Neil MacQueen's wonderful programs. Our "synagogue" has six beautiful benches handmade by a member of our congregation and then stained by another member. The walls are bright and cheerful (thanks to volunteer painters in the congregation). A major volunteer faux painted two walls in our synagogue to look like old stone walls ... her time, her expense ... because she just loved to get a chance to try out the techniques she'd only read about! Now she's busy sewing up the tent for our story telling room.

Get to know your congregation's special interests... flatter them! ... ask them to help in ways that they feel comfortable helping. I ask experienced Grammas to come in and help on a one-to-one basis if we're doing projects that really need one0on0one instruction ... This coming Sunday some of the Grandpas in our congregation will be going our children in Joseph's workshop to help the children learn to sand pieces of wood (cut by another volunteer in the congregation). Later we'll take the felt "paper-doll like" nativity people that the Grammas helped the children glue together and glue those pieces onto the sanded wooden blocks and each child will have made their own nativity. Cost: salvaged scrap pieces of lumber, salvaged pieces of felt that were forgotten in church closets and found during our clean out, the volunteer labor of people willing to cut out the nativity pieces from the felt. Rewards: excited older members of the congregation who now have gotten to know the youngsters better and want to help again, children who felt that they've finally made something worthwhile instead of coloring on another piece of paper that they wouldn't take home anyway.

Oops ... down from my soap box! The answer for me was to keep believing that I was following God's plan (and keep myself attuned to God), use every resource available through rotation.org, attend every conference that I could, pick the brain of every experienced rotationer that I could locate, pray, pray, pray, get to know my congregation members on a more personal basis, ask people to do the things that they personally liked to do, etc, etc, etc ... and the work goes on ... and the fun goes on ... just don't give up! And don't get discouraged.

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Laura E. - posted January 02, 2004

We first tried the rotation model out with VBS. It was so successful that we actually got people to fill out surveys for us. We shared those results with anyone who would listen. We also held a wrap-up meeting where we discussed both positive and negative comments so all felt they were heard.

By the way, "we" are about 3 mothers whose own children really didn't like traditional Sunday School, a public school teacher in our congregation who felt the principle behind WRM was the way to go and one incredible woman who inspired us all the way.

We just completed our first rotation and the response was very positive. We even managed to produce one of the most successful Christmas pageants we've had in years from it.

Our first set of workshop leaders and shepherds were current Sunday school teachers and parents, as well as responsible high school students.

We started a "mentor" program with the people who were workshop leaders and shepherds. They support, encourage and advise people who are new to the program.

We also have a team of people who do a lot of the planning, which right now is made up of 3 people and a part time associate minister.

We have enlisted the Board of Deacons (trustees) to help us identify the talents and gifts of people so we're approaching the right person for the job for any given need we have.

We're starting our second rotation in a week and we did not have as much trouble finding help though we just filled our last position!

I do think having a few very dedicated people to roll up their sleeves and put a tremendous amount of time into the set up and planning generates a lot of excitement. Having specifics about what you need makes the volunteering part easier for people. And truthfully, some people feel honored to be personally asked. They may not realize what they have to offer.

I truly believe this is what God wanted to happen at our church. It would be easy to get discouraged (there is so much to do) but all I need to do is look at the children each Sunday and how involved they all are in what they are doing!

This website has been an endless supply of ideas, inspiration, information, etc, etc. We would not have succeeded without the support of everyone here. Lastly, check the contact directory for a church near you who has already gone through it. If they have materials you can borrow for the first couple of rotations, that may help a great deal.

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Trishlynn - posted January 06, 2004

We had the same problem. We announced the meetings every week in church and still only got 3 to 4 parents to come. Our sunday school teachers were so tired of doing things the way we were doing them that they just kept pushing for it. We made the decision of what stories to use with the people that attended the meetings. And just kept announcing it in church and encouraging people to come. We never really got a lot of people involved and we thought that we would have a problem getting teachers but so far (this is our 5th month) we have had no problem getting teachers to volunteer. Hopefully that is an encouragment to you. Just keep pressing through. The rotation is hard in the begining but I think it is definatly worth it. Our kids love it!

trishlynn - posted April 09, 2004
Update: We've now have been doing rotation for only 8 months but we love it. One idea I thought I would share is our pastor did a childrens focus month where for four weeks he preached about children, how important they are, and how much we need to serve them. We had a huge response from people who decided to volunteer. It is important to let you church know what you are doing, and if your church is like ours nightly meetings dont work because people never come, so announcing it in a Sunday service works well.

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MMB - posted January 21, 2004

The key to starting anything....communicate, communicate, communicate! (In advertisign they say a person has to see an ad 7 times before they realize it's for them.) I strategized to start selling it in June for a September start.

I started with the education committee and congregation council in June. From there, I did a brief presentation in worship (we call it a "templ talk") during the announcements one Sunday to present it to the general congregation. I followed that with 2 newsletter articles, a letter home to parents, and two separate opportunities in July for parents and volunteers to come hear about the program and ask questions.

I also provided a written version of my presentation and our proposed scope and sequence for the next 5 years to those who were unable to make a meeting. (I can email these files to anyone who is interested.) We posted signs in the building (bathroom mirrors are great for publicity) wrote about it in the church newsletter, and talked about it everywhere we could for about 7 weeks!

Signing up volunteers hasn't been too difficult for us. I posted a big schedule (starting in early August) in our narthex area and people sign up for the rotations they want to teach. Each rotation unit has the date and time listed for a teacher meeting (we meet one time about 4 weeks ahead of teaching so people have ample time to plan) as well as the dates they are commiting to teach. The short term volunteers were easy--the struggle was finding shepherds who commit for a full year just to provide a consistent person to be with the kids.

We held an "open house" during ther last week of our first unit and I had no problem selling it to volunteers after that! They all wanted to have as much fun as they saw the kids having with the Abraham story we started with!

I have also found it to be a big selling point that the teachers in our congregation write their own lessons. I give them some background information in the planning meeting, as well as, a list of scriptures to work from for the unit, a memory verse, and a set of objectives that need to be taught. They use their own creativity and work from there. So far I've only had one person ask me for it, but I will sit down and plan with those who need the support. (I consider it a training process, and they like the chance to be creative and teach from their own strengths.)

We now have more people involved in teaching the kids than ever before--and some that thought they would never like teaching Sunday School! The kids love it, and go home telling their parents what they learned without even being asked sometimes!
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