I am the director of my church’s Wednesday night kindergarten through second-grade children’s ministry. Usually by the time I arrive home at 9:00, I’m ready to sit down with a glass of iced tea.
Which I do—except I sit in front of the computer. My directing job is not done until I add to my blog. I outline the lesson for the night, giving parents suggestions for reinforcing what we’ve taught. I relate funny incidents, and I post pictures that I’ve taken with my digital camera. The blog is my link to the parents.
For many people, blogging is becoming a favorite indoor activity. No one really knows how many blogs are out there, because they come and go every day.
But let’s back up. Maybe you’re asking, What’s a blog? A blog is a Web log where people write down the days’ events, and, literally, the whole world can read it.
Blogs can be set up for many reasons:
- to sell products;
- to keep in touch with family members;
- to write a train-of-thought journal;
- to express a unique viewpoint or political stance;
- to share ideas or tips for subjects such as photography or homeschooling.
Christians are also blogging in large numbers. Blogs can be used:
- as an easy-to-maintain church Web site;
- as a daily devotional forum (replacing the devotional phone line);
- as an opportunity to discuss politics from a Christian point of view;
- as a place to offer tips and ideas for teaching or parenting;
- as a place to express a Christian viewpoint about our culture.
After Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, I happened upon a blog written by a pastor who was using the Web to keep his congregation connected even though the people were widely scattered and not able to get to their church building.
Now I am also a blogger.
Many churches are focusing on connecting with parents, perhaps more than they’ve done in decades. My blog is specifically to connect with the parents of the children in my Wednesday night group, but it is generally for anyone who works with children.
When I announced to the parents that I had a blog, their reactions ranged from “Thanks, Linda. That’s so great!” to “What’s a blog?” Now my blog has inspired other teachers to create similar blogs for their churches’ ministries.
Interested?
Here are some blogging tips:
- Make sure you have a clear purpose for creating a blog. Mine is to keep parents informed. I also include parenting tips, thoughts, fun new products for kids, or kid news. I include experiences I had as a child or had with my own children. Sometimes I write a devotional thought about a particular Bible verse. But always I keep in mind that my blog is about parenting and teaching children.
- List at least a month’s worth of ideas in advance to share on your blog. Many people start with good intentions that fade away after a week or so. They have one or two subjects they want to write about, but when they’ve exhausted those, they get writer’s block.
- Keep your blog updated. Nothing will discourage your readers more than to read about the 2005 upcoming Christmas program. To keep people coming back to your blog, you need to constantly give them new information. I try to post something on my blog every day—even if it’s only a couple lines. I want people to have a reason to return.
- Don’t go on and on and on and on. If you browse through blogs, you’ll quickly see that you have no desire to read most of them just because of the layout. Dozens and dozens of lines with no new paragraphs, no spaces, no bullets. Break up your words. For instance, I recently posted a story of an experience I had as a teenager. I knew the story would be long, so I broke it into two days, stopping at a suspenseful point as I would when writing a two-part short story.
- Get parental permission if you plan to use children’s names or pictures. I promise the parents that I won’t use last names. And I don’t use pictures unless I have written permission. Usually nothing sinister will happen with this type of Web site, since children aren’t interacting with anyone online, but you still need to be very careful with identities and privacy concerns.
- Always remember your testimony. If an unbeliever “happens” upon my blog and stays around long enough to read some of my posts, I want him or her to see the joy of being a Christian. Blogs are a unique way to witness.
- Remember the broad audience that will visit your blog. Mine is set up so I can tell where my “hits” (people visiting my site) come from. My site’s hits have come from many states and from China, Kuwait, India, South Africa, England, and other countries. Because you can’t control who reads what you write, don’t include inappropriate information. For instance, Jenny announces to the other children in your class that her parents are getting a divorce. The blog is not the place to talk about Jenny even under the guise of a prayer request.
- Read. Read. Read. Look everywhere for interesting facts to post on your blog. I’ve talked about “pizza in a cone,” how you can get an official postage stamp with your child’s picture on it, and a cat who caught on fire and had to have oxygen. I found all these fascinating details in magazines: one at my daughter’s house, one at work, and one while I was sitting with my dog in the vet’s waiting room. I don’t always include a Bible verse on my site, but often these unusual items and ideas will lend themselves to spiritual truths.
- Link to other Web sites that you feel will help or be of interest to your readers. If you choose to create a teacher-connecting-with parents site such as mine, you could link to other children’s ministry Web sites, other church Web sites, or Web sites that suggest crafts and activities. I am aware that my blog is for the parents of the children in my group. For that reason, I don’t link to my friend’s political Web site, even though it is written from a Christian perspective. I don’t want parents to think I am trying to influence them politically. That’s not my point.
Blogging can be fun and beneficial. Although I know some of the parents don’t visit my blog, I know many do. Right now I’m teaching the children the “omni” words. I am glad for a tool to tell moms and dads what we are learning so they can reinforce the truths at home.
Interested? Search the Internet for “start a blog,” or if you know someone who has a blog, ask how he or she got started. Before you know it, you’ll be in the blogosphere.
