The Open Arms Institute is offering two fall training events related to child care ministry:
- A conference, “Church Planting and Gospel Outreach through Child Development Ministry,” will be held Sept. 30-Oct. 2 in Bloomington, Minn. Lodging and most sessions will be held at the Hilton Minneapolis/St. Paul Airport.
The conference is sponsored by the Open Arms Institute and is co-hosted by Eastern Heights Lutheran Church, St. Paul. The congregation operates an Open Arms ministry that serves more than 100 children, providing infants to 5-year-olds with a full-time child development program, and 6- to 12-year-olds with before-and-after-school care.
At the conference, Eastern Heights Pastor Rev. Steve Benson and Open Arms Director Michelle Emmons will share the story of their three-year-old ministry and discuss how the child care program has been helpful in reaching families in their community and revitalizing the 62-year-old congregation.
Conference sessions will address church planting with child care and offer information about the process of starting a child care ministry as an outreach strategy for an existing congregation.
It is designed for pastors, lay leaders, child care and school leaders, and district staff. Those interested in attending are encouraged to bring a team of representatives because of the range and depth of the information offered, according to Martin Barlau, director of the Loveland, Colo.-based Open Arms Institute.
Registrations mailed by Sept. 9 are $215 for Open Arms members, and $290 for non-members, and include most meals. Registration after that date is $300 for members and $375 for non-members. Some scholarship funding is available.
- A one-day workshop, “Connecting Families to Christ through Early Childhood Ministry,” is scheduled for Sept. 29 at Holy Emmanuel Lutheran Church and Open Arms Center, also in Bloomington.
Sponsored by the LCMS Minnesota South District in cooperation with the Open Arms Institute, the workshop is designed for the pastor, child care director and lay leaders of existing early childhood programs. Sessions will focus on “how to maximize the outreach potential of your preschool or child care program.”
Topics to be covered include “Building bridges to non-churched families,” “Helping your staff develop family-friendly relationships,” “Strategies for developing a missional mindset” and “Take away a missional activities plan.”
Registrations mailed by Sept. 15 are $50 for the first participant from a child care ministry, $25 each for the second and third participants from the same ministry, and $10 each for additional participants. Registrations mailed after Sept. 15 are $10 more per person.
More information about either event, including registration and scholarship forms, is available at http://openarmsinstitute.com (click on “Conferences” or “Workshops”). Or, contact the institute at 970-667-3249 or openarmsinstitute@msn.com.
Posted Aug. 12, 2010
