Who in their right mind would arm 40 kids, ranging ages from 5 -9, with a bucket of sand and a spork with instructions to fill the empty bucket on the other side of the room (ahem… using only the aforementioned spork)? Well, the Kid’s ROCK staff of course! Why on earth would they do that? Quite simply, they’ll do whatever it takes to make sure the Sunday morning Club ROCK lessons are fun and memorable. The topic of the day? Teamwork. Yesterday’s lesson was filled with multi-media teaching and hands on practical illustrations designed engage the kids and help them understand the value of working together to make a difference. And, being the clever children’s ministry workers that they are, reinforcement lesson #2 utilized a broom and dust pan.

I love it when it is my turn to serve in the tech booth for Club ROCK. As the media director at ROCK Church it gives me a chance to observe the technical areas of these ministries and make suggestions to help them keep things moving smoothly. As a mom, I get to appreciate the quality teaching my son gets each and every week while I am taking care of things in “Big Church”. And, as an overgrown kid, I enjoy the awesome teaching and practical illustrations the Kid’s ROCK staff uses to teach our kids each week.

So… do you ever wonder what goes on after the kids are dropped off and you, the parent, are settled comfortably in your seat for church? Check it out…

Tons of Fun, Fun, Fun

There’s no such thing as “down time” at Kid’s ROCK. From the moment the kids arrive they are immediately engaged in organized, fun activities. The staff spreads out across the Kid’s ROCK Theater to interact with the children. No one’s left out… no, one’s bored. It’s all about the kids from the very moment they step into the room.

Rules Review and Staff Intros

Order is key when dealing with so many little ones. And constant interaction between the staff and the kids goes a long way towards making the day go productively. Ask any young person who has been coming to Club ROCK for a while. They can tell you the rules and the names of the Kid’s ROCK Staff. Why? Because the kids go over them each and every week. In fact, they are given a ticket for telling a rule or introducing a member of the Kid’s ROCK staff. Somehow, the rules never get old. They excited to go over them every single week.

Worship

It’s as dynamic as “Big Church”. Really. The lights go on, the lyrics go up on the screen with great interactive graphics (um, dare I say better than “Big Church”). All the kids come down front and sing and learn the movements to great worship tunes. Worship is a participatory time with some of the kids pitching in to lead everyone in the movements. They love it. They are learning each week to actively engage and worship God with all their hearts.

Offering Time

Giving is an important part of every Sunday morning in Club ROCK. It’s never too young to teach the priceless discipline of being obedient with the tithe and generous with offerings. More tickets can be earned by remembering to bring their tithes. And, every week the kids pray over and take up the offering.

The Main Lesson

The lessons are all staff lead and multi-media driven. High impact, pre-recorded video teaching skits are used to bring the lesson for the day. They are really fun and engaging.

Small Groups

When it comes to kids you gotta keep it movin’. Several times during the day the kids break down into small groups for a reinforcing illustration led by the staff but carried out by the kids. This week they built robots on an assembly line to illustrate the importance of everyone’s roll in the process. When the person responsible for putting the legs on wasn’t manning his post… they ended up with legless robots. They also assembled chairs as individuals and then again as a group. Guess who got done faster? And, of course, there was the sand… all that sand, which they all learned very quickly was far easier to move and clean up when all participated.

Recap

Reinforce, reinforce, reinforce. It’s time for the lesson recap. The kid’s are asked a series of questions about the day’s lesson. Bet you can’t guess what a correct answer earns…. yep, you guessed it – more tickets.

The Robot Race

Ok, it’s not always a robot race. But for this series it is. It’s something you really have to experience to appreciate. It involves a video of two robot teams. The room is divided in half. Each half is responsible for cheering their robot team on to victory. It’s one of the loudest things I think I’ve ever heard. It’s a beautiful sound. They absolutely LOVE IT!

Pick Up

At the end of the day you are likely to come pick your children up to find them still engrossed in some lesson or recap. The staff keeps them fully engaged right on through the pick up process, leaving no room for idle time. Security is key, and all staff members are highly engaged all during the day. That is especially important at pick up. Each parent is greeted and must present the proper credentials to pick up their children. The kids redeem their tickets at the exit door while the parents receive a sheet giving them the low down on what’s going on in Club ROCK.

My son is 9. He has been in club rock for 4 years now. Saturday evening he is excited to go to bed so that he can wake up and go to Club ROCK. I may be on staff at ROCK Church but I have to say…. as a mom, that is something I can’t really put a price on. Thank you Kid’s ROCK staff. Thank you for pouring into and loving on our kids – our most priceless possessions. Y’all truly ROCK!