First, we empowered families to do church at home with their kids.  Each week we sent out an email to every family in our database with a developmentally appropriate video lesson for preschool kids, elementary and intermediate students with family activities attached.   Next, once shelter in place was lifted, we began to reconnect with our families through home visits.  During these visits we passed out candy, water bottles, and t-shirts as a way of letting families know we were thinking about them and we cared how they were faring during such an uncertain time.  We also recorded a few seconds of time with each child in order to create videos families could connect with on our Facebook page. 

 

Then, the last week of July we held a Reboot Camp for kids in Kindergarten - 6th grade with three goals.  We wanted to create momentum for the August 1st reopening of our in-person Children's Ministry, help kids re-acclimate to a structured setting, and to teach the gospel.  We capped each group of kids at 30 to stay within the State of Illinois' phase guidelines. Lessons were done in the church and games were played outside.  It was amazing to be able reconnect with our kids and leaders in person.  Families were excited to have something for their kids to participate in and we received really positive feedback on each child's experience. 

 

On August 1st we rebooted our in-person Children's Ministry to find that only one-third of our kids were returning to our Ottawa Campus and even less to our Peru campus. We wanted our kids continuing to worship at home to have access to the same lessons the kids in our physical campuses were receiving.   Although the curriculum video lessons had the same Biblical content as the lessons being taught in person, we could not personalize a video as we do to the lesson each week in-person, and our kids could not connect with us as their teachers while watching a curriculum video lesson.  

 

In a quick adapt and pivot to our new set of circumstances, on August 22nd, we launched our Crossbridge Kids YouTube channel featuring Crossbridge teachers.  This channel follows our elementary curriculum as that is our largest age group.  We used Facebook, email and text to get our families connected to our channel.  We now send out an email each week with links for a preschool video that teaches the same Biblical content as our Crossbridge elementary lesson, a link to our YouTube Channel for Elementary students, as well as a link to our Intermediate student curriculum.  This email also includes family activities that help families apply the Biblical knowledge discovered in the lesson.  Launching our YouTube channel also sets us up to seamlessly go completely remote if we are faced with another shut-down scenario.  

 

I wish I could tell you that I have embraced every change, adaptation and new direction with a happy heart.  When our church shut down, I grieved the loss of investing in our kids, leading my team and having a sense of purpose.  I questioned if it was time for me to step down, due to a lack of direction and motivation.  Recently I have begun to use all the "new" to increase my motivation.  Knowing I must stretch myself to reach more families, has given me a new sense of direction.  Instead of feeling paralyzed by the restrictions placed upon us, I am doing my best to be motivated by them. -Rachel Donoho, Children & Family Director