Family Ministries – “Shift Happens” by Patty Robinson

I am very excited to be stepping into the position of Director of Family Ministries. I have great anticipation for all that God has in store for us! God has given me a huge heart for the families of our church, and I am thankful He has given me this place to serve. As I look at Family Ministries, it seems like both our children’s and youth programs have been in a state of transition for quite some time, and I want to begin by thanking you for your patience with this process. Transitions can be complicated, but I truly believe that we are on the right course, and that God has a purpose and good plan for our future. I know that so much change can be frustrating, but I recently saw a great multimedia presentation that spoke to the incredible pace our world is experiencing change today (you can find it on U-Tube – it is called “Did You Know?”). It was originally presented to inspire educators to think differently, but the bottom line conclusion is “Shift happens”! Although some of us don’t like change, the world around us is changing at a phenomenally fast pace -- shift has happened, is happening, and will (and should) continue to happen – and, as this is true for our world, this is also true for our church. I believe God has had His purpose and plan in mind during each and every twist and turn of our journey, with each and every change of staff/structure, and I believe that He will work it together for something amazing for the families of our church! And for those of us who don’t like change, the good news is that God, Himself, NEVER changes! He was and is and is to come – and He can help us through life’s shifts and transitions!

For those of you who don’t know me (besides knowing that I am Shawn’s wife, and hearing all the stories he shares), I thought I’d take time to share some of the ways God has used my life’s journey to prepare and equip me for this season of ministry. I actually began as a volunteer in ministry when I was in Jr. High when I began helping with a Christian afterschool program for elementary students. In High School, I became one of their youth leaders and coached girls in volleyball, soccer, softball and drill team/cheerleading in addition to helping lead weekly Bible Club meetings. I also was a regular counselor at their summer camps. In college, I was a Campus Life leader, working with High School students first in Redlands, and then Arcadia, and a Jr. High camp counselor for our church. My first “real job” after college was not in ministry, but it amazes me how much my position as the Children’s Librarian for the City of Monrovia, equipped me with skills and leadership that translate to my job now. A big focus of my job was reaching out to the families of our community as I partnered with the City’s Parks and Recreation Department to put on large community events as well as the more traditional library programming. I showed summer movies, held family picnics in the park, and hosted a variety of special holiday events for children and families. It was a great job, and you may recognize some of the activities as ones we have adapted for our calendar of events over the years at CCC.

In 1988 we moved to Northern California after our son, Benjamin was born. With our move, I began a new season of life as a stay-at-home mom. During this time, I partnered with other moms at our church to begin a new program called “Mommy’s Mornings: Laughing, Loving, Learning”. We had a weekly Bible Study, regular park days, and monthly parenting seminars led by guest speakers. I inherited the role of Bible Study teacher when my friend (who had planned to do the teaching) moved out of the area. It was a precious season of life, and I treasure the friendships that we all shared and the experience I gained as a teacher and leader.

Our children were ages 3, 5, and 7 when we began CCC. My leadership role was to be in charge of a team of 3 adults that worked together to head up our Children’s Ministry. I will never forget the first day we opened at DVMS – not knowing if we’d have 10 or 100 children to minister to, and having a very tiny pool of volunteers. I called many friends from our old church and Benjamin’s school for help – and was so very thankful they came! I think we had almost 50 elementary students and easily over 75 children in all; and we’ve never looked back! At that same time, I helped get the Women’s week-day Bible study started, and participated on the Core Leadership Team. Over the years, at various times, I have worked as a children’s volunteer in the nursery, toddler room, preschool and elementary program; I have taught Bible Study and spoke at MOPS and Women’s retreats, headed up the CCC prayer ministry, attended leadership conferences and pastoral training with Shawn, etc., etc.! Two years ago, I took my first paid ministry position as a part time Children’s Ministry Associate under John Wright. I took over as Children’s Director when John left; however, although I tried to do this as a part time position (since I was still homeschooling Bethany), it never quite worked! It was a full-time job no matter what we did!

Last Spring, during the restructuring of CCC, my position was merged into Rick’s in order to help ease the budget and to establish a Family Ministries umbrella over the children and youth departments of our church. My last day on staff was at the end of May. Looking back, maybe this was God’s gift to me so that I could be on sabbatical with Shawn with absolutely no job responsibilities hanging over my head. However, coming back from our amazing summer, to be honest, I had plenty of reservations about stepping back in once the job was offered. Sometimes it’s easier to be naive….but I knew EXACTLY what I would be getting into. The LC has graciously listened to my concerns and we have worked through them, and now will continue to partner together to define, to grow and shape our Family Ministry here at CCC.

Even though I’ve been around awhile, as I enter into this new position, I plan to take time to observe in each classroom; get some honest feedback from staff, volunteers and parents; do a little research, and take the time needed to build a solid foundation for our family ministries here at CCC! I plan to spend this year strengthening the programs we have in place, and building up our volunteer support team, rather than look at new programming. We have a great staff and wonderful volunteers, and I want to support them and set them up to succeed, not overwhelm them. Ultimately, I want to work towards the goal of having a solid ministry that runs at a sustainable pace. Albert Einstein once said, “We can’t solve problems by using the same thinking we used to create them.” I want to understand where we are and evaluate what is needed to make improvements; I want to collaborate, to brainstorm and think outside of the box in order to solve some of our on-going frustrations, and then work together, as the Body of Christ, to support and grow our families in the Lord, and to reach out to families in our community.

One of the first things I hope to do (after re-connecting with staff, and seeing where exactly our programs are at), is to meet with our CCC parents. As a fellow parent, I understand the importance of taking time to listen to a parent’s point of view. I am fully aware that there are different personalities, learning styles, interests and ways of processing information that makes reaching a large community of children and youth a big challenge! I am fully aware that busy schedules and life’s many commitments make staffing our children’s classrooms with consistent help a really big challenge – but I also realize that children learn best with consistency (and if we’re all about relationships – then consistency is important for that too)! So, I would love your thoughts and feedback - with all of our eyes put together we can see a much bigger picture! Also, I want to be able to hear your thoughts on how we can support those of you who are parents. Our children are now 20, almost 18 and almost 16. I understand both the joys and the difficulties of parenthood… I can’t imagine attempting to raise kids (or being married for that matter!) without God’s help! We want CCC to be a place of support and practical help to you, wherever you are in your parenting journey! We want you to have confidence in our children’s and youth programs, and to know your thoughts and concerns, hopes and dreams.

So, here we go! I can’t wait to see all that God has in store for us! Feel free to share your thoughts and ask your questions – my email is patty.robinson@claytoncc.com.

GRAPPLE for 3rd, 4th & 5th Grade

GRAPPLE - for 3rd, 4th & 5th graders...
has started up again on Fridays. We meet at the CCC Office from 3-4:30pm.

But here's the most exciting news...Tobey Nichols is back on our staff as our new Middle School Director and will be leading GRAPPLE!! Most of you know Tobey, but for those of you who don't he is best described as a giant teddy bear! Tobey got involved at CCC during his High School years where he grew tremendously in his walk with Jesus, served on our Middle School staff as a volunteer leader and then was our Interim Middle School Director one year while he was in college. He is now graduated from San Franscisco State and is beginning work on his Master of Divinity degree at Fuller Seminary!! He's fun, friendly, has a huge heart for kids (my own kids adore him) and can reach those really high shelves at Costco! Please welcome Tobey onto our team.

So join in for another fun year at GRAPPLE and remember to invite a friend!
3:00-3:30 *Drop-Off time...Enjoy snacks and a fun activity with your friends
3:30-4:30 Games, Bible Lesson & Small Group Discussion

*Parents, please accompany your children to the CCC Office from school evenfor those who can walk there after school. This ensures a controlled and secure sign-in for our students.