Parkview Kids Team

Author Archives: Stephanie McDonald

• One day left, Parents + Volunteer of the Week…

  Posted at 11:34 am by Stephanie McDonald

  Jun 10th

    Let’s Celebrate!  Meet Volunteer of the Week…Matthew DeYoung!

  

   Matthew is a Team Member in Ones B every Sunday at 11:00am.  He is still fairly new, beginning to serve just this past March! Matthew jumped right in and even earned the nickname “ The Baby Whisperer” on his very first day in Ones! Matthew shows up ready to serve with a bright smile and positive attitude! He connects with his whole team and does an outstanding job with all of the kids!   He is a great example of a dedicated team member.  Thank you Matthew, the best is yet to come!

  Our Early Childhood Volunteer party is TOMORROW, Thursday, June 11th 6:00pm – 8:00pm.  Click here for details and please RSVP online thanks!  click here 

  I just read an article by Reggie Joiner from The reThink Group called “Make Sunday Work For Parents-Leveraging Sunday to help families the rest of the week”.  A great a question he asked is, how can we make our weekend services work for parents?  They need our inspiration!

  Parents are sometimes frustrated, tired, worried, hoping, some are alone, struggling, hurting and determined.  Let’s give parents hope and direction!  Speak words of encouragement and tell parents something good that stood out about their child.

  Another great question we can ask parents…”Is there anything new we should know about your child–struggles, needs, milestones, accomplishments, etc.

  This week, let’s be intentional and focus on spending extra time with parents.

  God designed His church as a people who get faith, inspiration, spiritual and emotional fuel from one another.  The weekend re-fuels our hearts, hope and our families.   We all need to keep our faith alive every day of the week. So let’s make our weekend services and the time we serve work for everyone.

  THANK YOU for your dedication to God’s little ones and the Parkview families. YOU are more than you know.  See you soon!

  BIG hugs and much love,

  jill shea

  

    Be kind and loving to each other.  Ephesians 4:32

  Posted in Garden & Backyard Curriculum

• The Countdown Begins!

  Posted at 12:14 pm by Stephanie McDonald

  Jun 4th

  

  Let’s Celebrate!

  Meet Volunteer of the Week…Paul Kroll!  Paul is a Backyard Team Member and has been serving in Early Childhood for almost one year.   He is dedicated to leading our 4 year olds every Sunday at 11:00am. He also fills in at other services when needed and goes above and beyond!  Paul has a huge heart for the children and leads them with patience and kindness and sets a great example for team members. Thank you, Paul, the best is yet to come!

   

  Let’s Connect, the countdown begins!  Our Early Childhood Volunteer Summer Party is in ONE WEEK!  Thursday, June 11th 6:00pm – 8:00pm.  Click here for details and please RSVP online thanks!  click here 

  Let’s Contribute!

  belong to you . . .
  You belong to me.

  “Beyond lyrics to a Lumineers song, these two statements can sum up a great relationship within your small group. We understand the fact that everyone needs a place to belong; a group where they are known and welcome. There is something powerful in the sense of belonging. What cements this relationship for your little ones is that they know “why” they belong. The reason has to be more than they belong because they are two years old. Or, they belong because they are sitting at table number two or on the green rug. Preschoolers will grasp early that they belong because you love them for who they are — not where they are in a class chart. They belong because you know them and you are glad that they are there!”  from leadsmall.org

  THANK YOU for being a part of what God is doing at Parkview.  I look forward to seeing YOU soon!

  BIG hugs and much love,

  Jill Shea

  

   

    Be Kind and Loving to Each Other. Ephesians 4:32

   

  Posted in Garden & Backyard Curriculum

• Volunteer of the Week, EC Party + It’s the Small Stuff…

  Posted at 11:14 am by Stephanie McDonald

  May 29th

  

   Let’s Celebrate!

  Meet our Volunteer of the Week, Monica Mara!  Monica is a Coach in the Garden every Sunday at 9:00am.  She has been serving since March 2009.  Monica is a take charge person with a HUGE heart for serving.  Monica always shows up ready to take on anything that is thrown her way.  She has made a huge impression on volunteers and families alike!  She is a great example of a dedicated leader.  Thank you Monica, the best is yet to come!

  Let’s connect, have fun and eat dinner together!  

  YOU are invited!  Early Childhood Volunteer Summer Party

  Thursday, June 11th 6:00pm – 8:00pm

  Click here for details and to view the online invitation clicking here 

  Let’s Contribute – the small stuff makes the BIGGEST impact!

  There’s an old saying that says, “don’t sweat the small stuff!”

  I understand this is trying to communicate that we shouldn’t worry about the small things that happen in our lives, because by doing so, we make them bigger than they really are.

  The small stuff—the details—takes more time, work and effort than just showing up and serving my hour and then going home.

  But, I think success can be found in the small stuff.

  What if a volunteer greeted each family that came to the door, making sure to call them by name?

  What if the volunteer made sure that each baby’s diaper was changed and clean before the parents arrived to pick them up?

  What if the volunteer showed up a little early to make sure everything was set before the first child showed up?

  But, imagine if small group leaders started making the small things BIG things.  Imagine the BIG impact on preschoolers and their families when those small things become regular things.

  It’s the SMALL stuff that can make the BIGGEST impact!!!

  It’s the clean room, the changed diaper, and smile that is given that make a BIG impact in the life of a preschooler!

  So, sweat the small stuff, because in reality, it’s the small stuff that’s BIG!!!

  – See more at: http://leadsmall.org/preschool/its-the-small-stuff-thats-big/#sthash.n00n24LR.dpuf

  THANK YOU for serving God’s little ones, we appreciate you.  I look forward to seeing YOU this weekend!

  BIG hugs and much love,

  Jill Shea

  

   “Be kind and loving to each other.” Ephesians 4:32

  Posted in Garden & Backyard Curriculum

• Summer Party, Cook Off and Volunteer of the Week!

  Posted at 2:44 pm by Stephanie McDonald

  May 21st

  

   

  YOU are invited!

   Early Childhood Volunteer Summer Party

  Thursday, June 11th 6:00pm – 8:00pm

  Where:  Parkview Orland Campus, East Lobby by the fireplace, opposite side of building from Kids

  Join us for dinner, fun and prizes!

  Please bring a dish to share, if your last name starts with A-L appetizer, M-Z dessert.

  We are having a cook-off!  Prizes awarded to the TOP 5 dishes.  The main dish will be provided by Parkview.

  You can RSVP online by clicking here 

  Or RSVP to your Coordinator by June 4th.

  Nursery/Garden Amelia Goetschel 815-603-2512

  Backyard/Clubhouse Carrie Lyons 630-306-8861

  Let’s Celebrate!  

  Meet our Volunteer of the Week, Stephanie Cruz!  Stephanie has been serving in our Early Childhood backyard since February 2014.  She faithfully serves every  Sunday at 11:00am.  Stephanie continually goes the extra mile to welcome, engage and serve God’s little ones and team members.   She is a great example of a dedicated leader!  Thank you, Stephanie, the best is yet to come!

  Our Facebook Group is a common ground where we can connect during the week.  We may not see you every weekend but you can connect with us.  Connecting matters!  Friend me up (click here) or your Coordinator so we can add you to our Facebook Group.  This group is for volunteers on the Early Childhood Team (birth – Kindergarten) at Parkview.  The ‘EC’ Team ROCKS! This is a safe place to share, grow in our faith, encourage, laugh and build relationships. Let’s grow and prosper according to God’s word.

  If we give a little extra time in order to be known and connected, it could establish a sense of community in each of our lives.

  BIG hugs and much love,

  Jill Shea

  

   

  “Be Kind and Loving to Each Other” Ephesians 4:32, NCV

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

  Posted in Garden & Backyard Curriculum

• Make it personal + Volunteer of the Week…Allison Meyer!

  Posted at 11:53 am by Stephanie McDonald

  May 16th

  

  Let’s Celebrate!

  Meet our Volunteer of the Week, Allison Meyer! Allison is a Team Leader in the Babies room on Sundays at 9 am.  She has been serving in the Garden/Nursery since 2009!!  Allison always arrives on time with a great attitude and ready to connect with her Team and all of the families. Her ability to lead her team and change the temperature of any room she enters is outstanding. She has truly created a small group culture with the 9 am group. Allison is a GREAT example of a dedicated leader.  Thank you Allison, the best is yet to come!

  Friendly reminder, we start our summer service hours this weekend.  There is one Saturday service at 5:30pm.  Sunday services are now 9am, 11am and 5:30pm.

  Let’s Connect – it matters!

  “We tend to use prayer as a last resort, but God wants it to be our first line of defense. We pray when there’s nothing else we can do, but God wants us to pray before we do anything at all.” – Oswald Chambers

  They all have a story. Every one of them. Even as a preschooler that has only been in this world for a few short years, they too have a story that’s already forming. For some strange reason, this realization hit home hard for me this week. Not sure why as I have been hearing it and saying it myself for years, but for some reason, a foggy understanding became clearer.

  As a small group leader, do I really know their stories? There are things that are going on at home that we may never know about it. Things that have already begun to be woven into their stories. Some big things. And others small and common. The more time I have taken to get to know parents, the more I realize that some of these kids stories are fighting some big battles already.

  I urge you to say a quick prayer when you are with them. Silently and to yourself. Simply ask God to watch over them. Ask God to give them what they need. Ask God to be with their family during the week. Ask God to help them know that He loves them and He’s always with them. Ask God to give parents wisdom on how to handle their little hearts and emotions. Ask God to help you be a better small group leader to these kids. Prayer has the power to change courses for generations!”  – See more at: http://leadsmall.org/category/preschool/make-it-personal-preschool/#sthash.TZjj4H0J.dpuf

  Thank you for your dedication to God’s little ones, you are more than you know!

  BIG hugs and much love,

  Jill Shea

  

  Posted in Garden & Backyard Curriculum

• Let the kids hear it! Space not a Place + Volunteer of the week and More! …

  Posted at 1:20 pm by Stephanie McDonald

  May 8th

  

  Let’s Celebrate! Meet Volunteer of the Week…Bree Flesher!

  Bree volunteers in both the Early Childhood Backyard AND Garden!  Since October 2012 Bree has invested over 242 hours serving in Parkview Kids.  She faithfully serves every Sunday at 9am and 11am.   Bree is fun, enthusiastic and she is always ready to welcome the children.  We love having her on our team.  Thank you, Bree, the best is yet to come!

   

  Let’s create great connections with the kids!  

  Make it audible and Make it doable! 

  1.  1. Make it audible. Let the kids hear it! Call them “my friends”, “my group” or “my kids”.   Find opportunities to tell each child individually that you are glad they are yours:

  • “I’m so glad you are in my group.”

  • “I’m so glad we get to learn about Jesus together.”

  2.  Make it doable

  Think of a fun “ritual” to do with your group each week. Make up a unique hand-shake-fist-bump-high-five that you do every time they arrive. Or come up with a special name for your small group like the Flying Ninjas or the Butterfly Princesses. Giving them a specific place to belong and make that place FUN!

  Using all of these senses, helps your little ones know that they do belong to you and that you belong to them! Helping preschoolers know they truly do have a place to belong within your small group helps them begin to grasp that they also have a place they belong within the family of God.

  Enjoy the privilege of helping them see they belong!

  (the above is an excerpt of an article from First Look called I belong to you . . . by Barbara)

  Let’s create spaces not places. Places are rooms and areas but spaces are inviting and irresistible!

  Have a wonderful Mother’s Day weekend and I look forward to seeing YOU soon!

  BIG hugs and much love,

  Jill Shea

  

   

  “Be Kind and Loving to Each Other” Ephesians 4:32, NCV

   

   

   

   

   

  Posted in Garden & Backyard Curriculum

• Encouraging Video and Volunteer of the Week!

  Posted at 12:37 pm by Stephanie McDonald

  May 2nd

  

  Let’s celebrate!

  Meet Volunteer of the Week…Gina King!

  Gina is a Team Leader in Twos A every other Sunday at 5:45pm.  She has been serving since July 2013!!  Gina is such a bright light in our Garden! Gina’s smile and encouraging words have made such an amazing first impression on all families and fellow volunteers. Her patience and love for the children and her team are outstanding. Gina is an asset in the Twos’ classroom and her dedication, hard work and love for serving are contagious! She is a great example of a dedicated leader.

  Thank you Gina, the best is yet to come!

  Every life stage has unique characteristics.

  Every life stage has distinctive opportunities.

  Every life stage has relational dynamics.

  Our Parkview Kids and Students’ team sat with 7,000 ministry leaders from 32 different countries in Atlanta this past week to discover how our entire family ministry team can make the most of every life stage as a kid grows from birth to high school.  And this is what happened….

  Please check out this 3 minute video, it will bless you.
  

  OC15 – Recap Video from Orange on Vimeo.

  Let’s make this our best year yet, we’re in this together!

  BIG hugs and much love,

  Jill Shea

  

   

   

  “Go and make disciples of all nations.”   Matthew 28:19

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

  Posted in Garden & Backyard Curriculum

• Exciting Staff Update and Volunteer of the Week!

  Posted at 12:26 pm by Stephanie McDonald

  Apr 23rd

  Let’s Celebrate!  Meet Volunteer of the Week…Megan Syring!  Megan jumped in and joined our Early Childhood Backyard Team in January.  She serves every Saturday at 3:45.  She does an amazing job leading the way in showing love and honor to every single child and team member.  Megan is dedicated, organized and always a joy to be around.  We are so grateful to have her on our team.  Thank you, Megan, the best is yet to come!

  I am excited to announce a staff update!  We’ve been working diligently to find a new Backyard Volunteer Coordinator since the consolidation this year of the Garden/Nursery (birth-2’s) and Backyard (3 years-Kindergarten).  I’m SUPER EXCITED to announce that process has ended.

  Carrie Lyons will be coming on staff effective May 3^rd.  She will fill my previous role as the Volunteer Coordinator in the Backyard.  Carrie has already been serving in a leadership role of “Coach” on the Backyard team.

  Here is the new consolidated structure of our Early Childhood Ministry (Birth – Kindergarten):

  • Jill Shea – Focusing on leadership development – developing our team leaders and coaches and general oversight of the department.
  • Lisa Dorman – Your go-to person for curriculum.
  • Amelia Goetschel – Garden/Nursery Coordinator (birth – 2s)
  • Carrie Lyons – Backyard Coordinator (3s – Kindergarten)

  Below is Carrie’s bio so you can get to know a little bit about her.

  I am a very proud mother of 4, and grandmother of 3 beautiful children. Two of my children attend Parkview with my husband and I, as well as my grandchildren. I’m a personal trainer part time, and love to run races with my daughter when we have the opportunity.
  My husband John and I have been attending Parkview for 4 years now. We love the environment and the messages that we receive every week!  I lead a small group for Parkview’s Women Bible Study and have been serving in Parkview Kids for three years and really enjoy it! I’m very excited to be a part of the staff here at Parkview, and as always I’m looking forward to what God has in store for me!

  I hope you’ll pray for Carrie as she transitions into a new chapter of life and ministry.

  What does this mean for you?  You will not notice a huge change.  If you serve in the Backyard (3s-kindergarten), your scheduling needs and point person will transition to Carrie in May.  I will still be floating around on the weekends overseeing both the Nursery/Garden and Backyard.

  This new structure will provide us with departmental consistency and cohesiveness and it sets us up great for whatever growth God plans to send our way.  We are averaging 10 – 25 new families every weekend. WOWSER!

  Please let me know if you have any questions and THANK YOU for being a part of what God is doing at Parkview.  You are more than you know!

  BIG hugs and much love,

  Jill Shea

  

   

    “Go and make disciples of all nations.” Matthew 28:19

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

  Posted in Garden & Backyard Curriculum

• New Service Times + Volunteer of the Week!

  Posted at 3:54 pm by Stephanie McDonald

  Apr 20th

  Let’s Celebrate!  This past weekend we put the spotlight on our Garden/Nursery Team Member…Hannah Noxon!

  

   

  Hannah serves every Sunday at 5:45pm in our one-year olds room.  She has been serving since   2011!!  Hannah is dedicated and hardworking, she is always going above and beyond for her team and the children.  Hannah has an amazing ability to connect with each and every person on the team and children and families who visit the nursery.  ALL the one year olds vie for her attention when she’s around!  Hannah has a huge heart for serving others and she shines in the nursery!  Thank you Hannah, the best is yet to come!

   

  BIG news!  New service times starting NEXT MONTH.

  We are going to drop down to ONE Saturday service (temporary for summer months) effective Saturday, May 16th, until the week after Labor Day (with the exception of Father’s day weekend).  This one Saturday service time will be at 5:30pm starting.  If you serve at 345 or 545 on Saturdays, you will automatically convert to the 5:30pm time effective May 16th.

  We will also change the Sunday night service time from 5:45pmto 5:30pm effective May 17th.

  To recap, starting May 16/17 we will have a new service times on Saturday and Sunday evenings at 5:30 pm.

  Our online scheduler will reflect the new times.

  When we add back in the 3:45 pm Saturday service for Father’s day and in the fall, we will keep the 5:30 pm service time for both Saturday and Sunday. This will be a permanent change.

  THANK YOU so much for being a part of our Early Childhood TEAM!

  BIG hugs and much love,

  Jill Shea

  

   

    “Go and make disciples of all nations.” Matthew 28:19

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

  Posted in Garden & Backyard Curriculum

• Encouragement, Volunteer of the Week & Easter Update!

  Posted at 12:48 pm by Stephanie McDonald

  Apr 8th

  

  Let’s Celebrate!

   Meet Volunteer of the Week…Ken Fregeau

  Ken has been a Backyard team member since September 2014.  He faithfully serves every Sunday at  11am in the green room.  Ken is always ready to reach out and help others.  He does a fantastic job  leading our 4 year olds and sets a great example for others to follow.  Thank you, Ken, the best is yet to  come!  

  THANK YOU again for your amazing hard work and dedication.  We had another fabulous Parkview holiday!   Everything ran smooth for our 10 Easter services and more importantly 17,000 people were able to  hear about surrender and the glorious news that Sunday is here.

  In addition, we have 949 children birth-kindergarten attend our Parkview Kids program over the past few days AND we had 31 NEW families. Praise God!

  We’ve also had tons of positive feedback from our new Easter volunteers.  Here is just one of many encouraging notes that show YOU are making a difference with not only the children and families but also the people who serve alongside you.

  “I absolutely loved my time serving at Parkview. Each and every time I go to Parkview I feel whole and volunteering definitely took it to the next level and I didn’t even know that was possible! I’d love to continue volunteering. Thank YOU for giving me that opportunity!!”  Rachel J.

  Lastly, I encourage you to take a five minutes break and view the below video.  It’s about Sonja Romero, a Kindergarten teacher, who has a heart with no boundaries.  She is giving everything she has and is changing lives.  I pray it will bless and inspire you as you minister to God’s little ones.

  
  I look forward to seeing YOU soon!  Thank you for being a part of our Early Childhood TEAM.

  BIG hugs and much love,

  Jill Shea

  

   

   

  “Go and make disciples of all nations.” Matthew 28:19

  Posted in Garden & Backyard Curriculum

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