Ben Malan's blog

We are beginning a new ministry year May 30, 2010. If you couldn't make it to the Promotion Ceremony on May 23, please see the attachments to this blog.

One important thing that families can do to connect with each other is to spend time together building memories. Last week I asked where you like to go as a family. Here are the answers that I received. You may want to consider these Indianapolis-area places and others to spend time as a family. The two with stars were especially popular among those who responded. *Children's Museum of Indianapolis* *Indianapolis Zoo*

"I have a dream!" This statement was made famous by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and symbolized a major development in American history: racial equality. Every big development begins with a dream, a mental picture of how things could be if we work toward them. This is certainly true of church ministries. If we really want to make an impact on people, we need start with a dream. But a dream by itself is not enough; it needs people to work toward it in the most effective ways possible. Finally, there must be a way for people to see how much the dream is materializing.

Last night six children from the Sunday School were baptized. For the 200 people that came to watch, this seemed like a 1-minute experience for each child. But I had the experience of introducing them to the basics of the Christian faith through a baptism class over the past few weeks. I've gotten to see them learn about communion, church service, Bible study, and several other topics. I got to see their excitement at making a public profession of their faith, and I look forward to seeing them grow as believers.

This afternoon I had a great conversation with a girl who attends Chinese School at our church. Since today the children had their monthly Bible lesson, she happened to mention to me that she believes in God, but her parents do not. I asked how she came to believe in God, and she said that it was through the Chinese School! Anyone involved in ministry should always be asking themselves, "Am I making a difference?" It is so refreshing to see the difference that it can make to invest in the lives of children!

The Childrens Ministry of CCCI is a large operation! Every Friday and Sunday over 150 different children walk through our halls. There is no way that we could possibly manage all these kids without a great team of committed coworkers. In the last three weeks, I noticed three different coworkers see a ministry need and quickly step in to serve.

During the months of July and August, Ben Malan (the new Childrens Ministry Director) and the teachers talked extensively about how things were going and what they would like to see in the coming year. Several good ideas were suggested, and the various areas of the Childrens Ministry started moving in a forward direction.