Thank You For Keeping the Nursery

Here is a poem I found some time ago online for nursery volunteers. You might attach to a little gift or just print it out on a pretty piece of paper. Take the time to tell them how much you truly appreciate them! Again...(I do this alot!) I am sorry that I cannot give credit to the original author.

Update: This poem was written by Lois Turley. You can find the poem here at the author's website.

Mama left me in the church nursery.

She said, "You can stay here and play."

I was so very afraid, but you comforted me.

And Mama was saved that day.

At least once a month in the nursery,

You served God by caring for me

So Mama could attend church and learn to make

Our home everything it should be.

There were those who said, "I'm too busy,"

Or, "I don't want to miss church today.

I'm too young. I'm too old. I've done my part.

The nursery? Please, don't ask me to stay."

But you said, "No, I'm not too busy.

I'm just the right age I know.

I could never do enough for the King that I serve.

When you need me in the nursery I'll go."

My life might have been so different

If you had not answered God's plea

For workers to serve where the need is so great,

To care for little people like me.

Thank you for keeping the nursery.

Mama taught me to follow Christ, too.

Many people had a part, but the most special one

To me will always be you

Children Go Where I Send Thee

I wrote this 3 years ago...somethings just don't change!

When I was a little girl some of my most favorite memories were of my parents talking about their work as Missionaries in Nicaragua when I was born. It sounded all so romantic. The beautiful people, the tropical countryside. Even the work itself sounded rewarding. I could just imagine teaching little children to read in my thatched hut complete with tikki torches and pineapples. I have done more than my share of fretting throughout the years. Am I truly doing what I was put on the earth to do? Am I missing my calling by clinging to the conveniences our great country has to offer?

Last fall I went on a 3 day Retreat just for women. I had been excited if not apprehensive for weeks. It had been awhile since I had participated in communal living. It was also to be one of the few times I was going to spend the night away from my little boy. At the same time I relished the idea of a few days in such beautiful surroundings. Imagine if you will with me the first time I walked into the dorm and realized that I would be sharing my space for the next few days with 40 women. Not only that, but the beds themselves were bunkbeads with plywood bases and 2 inch mattresses. Immediately I could feel all of the pins and screws in my legs and hips groan. To make matters worse I couldn't sit upright on these beds. I did my fair share of initial fussing. My first fear was that I would fall out of bed and break my other hip. My other concern was that my legs would mold to the plywood and it would take an electric drill and some WD-40 to set me free. Thankfully, my whining was heard by my two nurse friends and one of them pushed two beds together and gave me a double. I felt only momentarily guilty.
Around church time another concern was raised. Did I really want to see the bare hinnies of all these women in the dorm? I will be the first to admit that my own figure is far from a happy state of public viewing. I could bring down several small aircraft with just the shine of my bare bum alone. Let me be somewhat more specific. What I witnessed was not a hopeful sight for young women everywhere. I have trouble enough worrying that when I am old my breasts will clear my knees. Right now my body is shaped more like a fluffy, marshmallow puff. When I am old I will be cottage cheese. All that said, most of us kept our disrobing to a bathroom stall. I get enough comments from my 3 year old son.

After a service of refreshing and spiritual renewal we all headed back to our prospective rooms and proceeded to settle down for the night. I noticed right away that the room was stifling hot. One of the ladies got a tool and jimmied down the air conditioner. Herein rose another problem. Most of the women in that room were experiencing menopause, or like me, they are warm all the time and would sleep happily naked in the ice box. Other women in the room had taken to bundling up with four and five blankets. As I blocked out cries of, "turn it off" and "just put on another blanket," I thought of another convenience I had neglected to bring along with me. For most of my life I have depended on the noise and air circulation of a fan to help me sleep. A crutch you say? Absolutely. But it is my crutch and I can't sleep without the lull of a swishing fan blade...winter or summer. For the rest of the night I dozed 10 minutes here, 30 minutes there. Moved from side to side on my plywood mattress and tried to pretend that the concert of snores I was hearing was in fact, a sleek Windmere fan...singing me to sleep.
It was at some point in that long night that I decided that next year my group would spend the extra money and stay in the posh new campground hotel on the hill. The one with real beds, a television and an elevator that goes both ways. By the time morning arrived, many more ladies in the room were also making plans to book rooms at the hotel next year.

Despite my lack of comfort and my tendency for whining, I had a wonderful time at this retreat. It was wonderful seeing women from all walks of life come together with a common purpose. To be refreshed. The weekend did confirm something I had been suspecting about myself for quite a number of years. I am High Maintenance! To be truthful, my idea of a “roughing it” is a Motel 6. Camping is my least favorite activity. Air Conditioning one of my most favorite things. Hey, I admit it! God had other things in store for me. One of theme was not sleeping in a thatched hut in darkest Africa. My whining alone would create global tension.

Snacks

Christmas Wassail

I love the holidays! There is nothing like sipping something hot by the Christmas Tree watching the lights.
2 qts. of apple juice
2 cups of orange juice
1 cup of lemon juice
1 and one-half teaspoon of whole cloves
5 cups of pineapple juice
Sugar or honey to taste
1 cinnamon stick

Heat all the ingredients in a large pan or crock-pot. Simmer for 30 minutes. Remove cloves and cinnamon stick. Serve in a crock-pot to keep warm. Light a candle, put on a Christmas CD and enjoy!

They do make packaged cider mix that is really tasty and easy, but this recipe is something extra special (and not quite as sugary).

Spinach Dip

1 (10 oz.) pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed (do not use fresh)
1 1/2 c. sour cream
1 c. mayo
1 (4 oz.) pkg. dried vegetable soup mix
1 (8 oz.) can water chestnuts, finely chopped
3 green onions, finely chopped (I’ve used chives, also)
Loaf of round bread ( I used sourdough, but you can use pumpernickle,etc.)
Squeeze spinach until dry. In medium bowl, stir together spinach, sour cream and soup mix. Add finely chopped water chestnuts and green onions. Cover and refrigerate 2 hours or overnight. Cut slice from top of round loaf of bread, hollow out loaf to leave shell to contain dip. Use bread removed from shell and top slice to cut into bite size pieces. Butter inside of bread shell, fill loaf with dip and place on platter and surround with bread pieces and/or variety of raw vegetables.

Chocolate Fondue

Now this is a Pampered Chef recipe and I hope I am not infringing on any copyright codes by sharing it with you, but this is one of the most popular party dishes I have ever taken anywhere. Just serve with fresh fruit, marshmallows, cookies or whatever tickles you fancy. I love Pampered Chef and own many of their cookbooks as well as cooking gadgets, serving pieces and other odds and ends I have a rectangle baking stone that I absolutely love!
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate morsels
1 container (8 ounces) frozen whipped topping (thawed)
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 rum or vanilla extract (optional)
Place chocolate morsels and half of the whipped topping in a small bowl. Microwave, uncovered, on HIGH 1 minute or until chocolate is melted and smooth, stirring after each 20-second interval. Fold in remaining whipped topping, cinnamon, and rum extract, if desired; mix until smooth. Cover; refrigerate at least 30 minutes. To serve, spoon fondue into small bowl.
Yield: 2 cups

The Best Ever Cheese Dip

This is a really good nacho dip. I can’t count how many youth parties and church get-togethers I have been asked to bring this dip. I think the mushroom soup makes the difference-you decide.

1 pound of ground beef or sausage, browned and drained
1 pound of Velveeta cheese
1 can of Rotel
1 can of cream of mushroom soup

Add all the ingredients to a crock-pot. Set on high and let it cook up, stirring often. It can be cooked quicker in the microwave if you need to, but it isn’t as good. Be sure to turn the crock-pot off or on low. It will burn if you are not carefully.

Salsa

“Why make salsa when you can buy it at the store,” you say? You have never had this salsa! It was first introduced to us by a family that we knew from Venezuela. I have also seen Martha Stewart make a version of it on her show. We eat buckets of this stuff in the summer time.

4-6 tomatoes
1 onion
2 cloves of garlic
Salt
Juice of one lemon
Optional: green or yellow pepper, cilantro, and oregano

Chop up all fresh ingredients in the food processor. Be sure to pulse some of the tomatoes so that you still have some “chunks.” Add the lemon juice and salt to taste.

You can eat this stuff with chips, on eggs, over steak. It’s wonderful!

The Main Dish

Beef Brisket

This is a version of a recipe my dad has used for years to serve the church folks. It is absolutely delicious. These portions are a bit small. I would double them for extra yummieness and use the juices after cooking to make some gravy. I've literally seen folks drool (in a good way) after eating this brisket.

4-6 lbs. beef brisket
1/2 c. soy sauce
1 can beef broth
1 T. red wine vinegar
1 T.. liquid smoke
2 cloves garlic, minced

Mix together all of the liquid ingredients together then add to whatever you want to marinate your meat in. We’ve done it in the big cooker pans (you know which one I mean). Marinade meat overnight in refrigerator. Place meat and marinade in oven-proof pan. Cover tightly and bake at 300 degrees for 4-5 hours. The meat should fall apart.

P.S. I have a distinct childhood memory concerning this brisket recipe. My parents had assembled pans and pans of brisket and marinated it at home and were in the process of carting it to the church in my mom's car to bake it. Somebody hit a bump and one of the pans went spilling all over the upholstered seats. That car smelled like liquid smoke and vinegar for years afterwards.

Chicken Cordon Bleu

This might sound fancy, but this version is fairly simple to make. You can make a sauce out of mushroom soup, sour cream and a little lemon juice, but I think it's fine just like it is.

8 large skinless, boneless chicken breasts (estimate for 2 pieces of chicken per person...we all like chikin')
8 slices of Swiss cheese (just don't use that cheap imitation white cheese)
8 slices of ham
1 egg, beaten
1 cup of seasoned flour (just add salt & pepper or some all-purpose seasoning salt or a little bit of parsley)
1 cup of breadcrumbs

Put the chicken breasts between two sheets of plastic wrap or in a ziplock bag. Pound with a meat mallet until fairly thin. This should help you relieve some stress.
Season the open fillets with salt and black pepper. Place a cheese and ham slice on each fillet. fold the fillet in half to enclose the filling. You can also roll them and “fasten” them with toothpicks. Just be sure to warn folks or make the toothpicks obvious. You don't want anyone to become impaled by a wayward toothpick.
Coat each of the fillets in the flour. Dip them in the egg and then roll in the dry crumbs, turning to get an even coat.
Bake them in a lightly greased oven dish at 400 degrees for about 40 minutes. Everone will think you are a gourmet cook!

Mama Leone's Lasanga

No. My mama (or her's either) is not Leone. But she has had Leone's Italian Cookbook since I can remember. I don't think there is a drop of Italian blood flowing through our veins, but I still absolutely love lasagna, ravioli, polenta. I love the rich meaty sauces and garlic...I love garlic. This is our standard "serve to impress" lasagna recipe. It is modified a little...Mama L really did it up. Be sure to give yourself plenty of time. This isn't a throw it together kind of recipe. You could even make it ahead of time and refrigerate just before the "baking" step.

Tomato Sauce

1/2 pound ground beef

1/2 pound ground pork (though I've been known to use Italian sausage)

10 fresh parsley springs, leaves only (though just a few shakes of dried parsley will do)

2 large garlic cloves, mashed

1/4 cup olive oil

14 cup of butter (you can do without it if you need to)

3/4 pound onions, peeled and diced

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

1 1/2 pounds peeled, chopped tomatoes

1 small green pepper

3 T. tomato paste

Saute meat, olive oil, butter (yeah right!), & onions in skillet. Add parsley and garlic, salt and pepper and cook for 20 minutes. Ad tomatoes and green pepper and cook for 10 minutes. If you are going to use the meatballs this is where you do it. If you do use them cook for 1 1/2 hours on simmer. If not just cook sauce for another 30 minutes or so. When cooked add the toato paste.

Now Mama L's recipe calls for meatballs. You can make these if you want too. I usually don't.

Meat Balls

1 pound ground beef

1 pound ground pork

1/2 small garlic clove

Fresh parsley

1/2 cup bread crums

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 Lg. egg

1/2 cup of small raisins (optional, in my opinion)

1 t. salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

Mix well and form into small balls. You should get about 32.

Now Mama L also gives a recipe for making your own lasagna noodles. If you are considering that just quitely turn off your computer and consider taking your guests to the Golden Corral. You don't have to be so fancy (though I will admit I have gone so far as to make my own noddles from time to time...but then again I have issues). Use premade lasagna noodles and cook them according to the directions on the box.

Sauce for Top of Lasanga

Oh yes. Mama has a top, too.

2 T. of butter, melted

2 T. of heavy cream

3/4 cup of your previously made Tomato Sauce

2 T. of flour

Combine the first 3 ingredients in a sauce pain. Heat. Stir slowly nd add flour.

Assembling the Lasagna

Do it in this order

Tomato Sauce

Cooked Lasanga noodles

Ricotta Cheese (you will need 2 lbs. total)

Grated Parmesan cheese (1 1/2 cups total)

Do this for about three layers. End with a layer of lasanga noodles and cover with sauce. Cover pan with foil and bake in an 350 degree oven for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking for about 20 minutes longer. Mama L says that this will serve 8. Yummy!

This is my “Mama Leone’s Lasanga Recipe is just too much for me” Lasagna

Recipe

1 lb. sweet Italian sausage

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced

1 lb. ground meat

1 26 oz. jar spaghetti sauce

1 28 oz. can tomato puree

2 tsp. Italian seasoning (basil)

1 tsp. oregano

1 15 oz. container ricotta cheese

1/4 c. milk 2 eggs parsley

1 1 lb. package lasagna noodles

1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:
Cook sausage and then add garlic and a little olive oil in a large skillet. Drain.. Add spaghetti sauce, tomato puree, Italian seasoning, and oregano. Simmer to allow flavors to blend, give or take ten minutes.Combine ricotta cheese, eggs, milk in small bowl. Add chopped parsley to taste. Lay lasagna noodles in 9 x 13 pan. Cover with very hot water and allow to stand at least five minutes. I would then take them out and lay on a damp towel while you assemble the lasagna.In a 9 x 13 spread a thin layer of the sauce over the bottom. Arrange one layer of the noodles on the sauce. Spread a thin layer of the ricotta cheese mixture over the noodles. Scatter a layer of sausage over the cheese. Follow with a layer of sauce. Repeat to the top of the baking dish, ending with noodles topped with sauce. Scatter mozzarella over the top. To serve, cover baking dish with foil and bake at 350 degrees about one hour. Remove foil for the last ten minutes of cooking time.

New-Comer Fellowship

New-Comer fellowships or Dinners are events that allow visitors or new attendees to get to know your pastor and your staff better. They are important because they help connect people to other individuals and to leadership. They are generally are in more intimate settings. There are plenty of options when planning a New-Comer Dinner for your church.

How Often?
This depends on the size and type of church you have. If you are in a larger church or have a lot of visitors you need to have them as often as you can. A lot of people slip through the cracks. It’s important to make them feel welcome and a part of your group. Some churches have them once a month. You also could consider once a quarter or once every other month.

What type?
Again, this depends on your church and basically your gifts. We pastored a small church for a few years where it was easier to host small groups in our home. That is a great option for church plants or even small groups. Dinners are always the best option….everybody likes a free meal. Of course, you can always just serve coffee and dessert. Though I prefer appetizers and snacks to solely dessert. If you have staff assign everyone a appetizer, salad, etc. to bring. I’ve given you some menu ideas on down.

The Invitation
Be sure you make announcements and place it in your bulletin. There might be somebody you miss by just a letter or email invitation only. Plus, open it up to newer visitors. Maybe a family is just visiting your church, but wants to learn more about the church. Make it an open invitation. Call, email, send a card, announce it, stick it in the bulletin and make a flyer to hang on your bulletin boards. You’ll get plenty of attention. Most importantly, just ask somebody. We were “pew sitters” during a difficult time in our lives. We would hear of church events and think “that sounds like fun,” but felt so disconnected that we didn’t make the effort. It would have made a big difference for someone to come to us and say, “please would you…” I never knew how much that makes a difference until I was outside of the loop looking in.

The Decor

I could go on and on about this, but make sure you make your event look warm and inviting. Nothing too fancy. You might consider decorating seasonally. For spring you could garden themed table decorations (planters, small clean garden tools, pretty garden gloves & flowers). If it is summertime consider using beach decorations (inflatables, beach towels, sunglasses, sand toys). For fall use scarecrows, pumpkins and mums. In winter decorate with snowmen or snowflakes. If you wish to keep it really simple purchase or make decorations that you can use over and over again. I had some really pretty wooden birdhouses I had purchased on year (Hobby Lobby half-price) for a Home Missions convention. I just added some greenery and we had very cute tables. (For the Home Missions convention I added small American flags)

All About Me
Make out a fun and non-threatening form for people to fill out at your event. You might make this part of your icebreaker game time. It will give people a chance to let you know a little bit more about themselves. Include a section for prayer needs and any area of interest to get involved in. Don’t make it complicated. People don’t want to feel like they are signing away their first born or anything.

Here is a link for some interesting questions to ask.
http://members.tripod.com/~lotsofinfo/

The Games
You need an ice breaker or two to lighten the mood. Keep in mind that these are visitors and might not be comfortable trying to pass an orange along under their chin. Here are a few sites for ice breakers.

http://www.creativeladiesministry.com/icebreakers.html - she also has a link at the bottom of the page for other sites

http://www.homefellowshipleaders.com/Homefellowship_Guide/LG/97_icebr1.html

http://training-games.com/pdf/40FreeIceBreakers.pdf

The Food
You should do the best you can. Don’t do potluck. This is an evening just for your guests. They don’t need to stress out about what to bring. If you have a group in your church that does the cooking for functions let them assist you. If you chose to do dessert have your staff bring a dessert or two a piece. Just keep this in mind. You are going to have some folks with health issues. I am diabetic. I cringe every time I am invited to a dessert party. I either don’t get to eat or I spend the night in a sugar coma. I like the snack party idea better if you are not going to serve dinner. Here are some of my favorite menus for a New-Comer Dinner. I have recipes or tips under my recipe label.

Lasagna (save your Spaghetti recipe for an all church event – I have a recipes for both on this site!)
Salad
Garlic Bread
Dessert

Beef Brisket
Smashed Potatoes
Green Beans
Hot Rolls
Dessert

Chicken Cordon Bleu
Smashed Potatoes or Baked Potatoes
Salad
Dessert


The Goodies
Make sure everyone goes home with something. You can either put together a goodie bag or make your own favors. There are plenty of printable templates for candy bar wrappers, etc. Just add your church information.
Here are a list of items you might consider for your goodie bags.

Samples of hand lotion, note pads, candy, bookmarks, calendars, pens, magnets, small devotionals, gum

Here are a few links for printable favors or other favor ideas.
http://www.creativeladiesministry.com/favors.html - love her

http://sawyers-specialties.com/survival-kits/ has survival kit ideas. Really cute!

http://alenkasprintables.com/free_printables.shtml

http://www.primdoodles.com/printables.asp

Door Prizes
Gift certificates from local restaurants, car washes, retail stores, gas stations

http://www.creativeladiesministry.com/doorprizes.PDF Once again Julia has some wonderful tips and ideas for door prizes.

The Fellowship
It is so important for your guests to feel comfortable. If you have staff, mix them up in between the guests. If it is just you and your family consider having another church family involved. Encourage your helpers to be friendly and engaging.

Here is a sample event schedule

Opening Prayer
Meal
Ice Breakers
Short Introduction to church, staff, ministries
Open Forum (answer any questions)
Door Prize Giveaway
Closing Prayer

The Follow-Up
Be sure to send a thank-you card to all your guests. If possible, write out a hand-written note. Though for many people now emails are perfectly expectable. Follow-up with any prayer requests, volunteer services, etc. that they might have indicated on their All About Me form.

Salads

Broccoli Tree Salad

This recipe probably has a proper name, but this is what my mom always calls it. There are several versions of this recipe. I took what I liked from all of them. I also like to serve this in a clear truffle serving dish I bought at Wal-mart.

Four cups of raw broccoli
One pound of bacon, cooked and crumbled (no bacon bits, please!)
¼ cup of green onions, chopped
½ cup of golden raisins
½ cup of sunflower seeds
1 cup of mayo
½ cup of sugar
½ cup of red wine vinegar

Just dump everything into a big bowl. Just be sure you mix your mayo, sugar and vinegar in a separate little bowl first and then add later. Stir everything around really good and refrigerate.

Chinese Cabbage Salad
I could eat this all by itself. I’ve used this recipe for potlucks, leadership meetings, company meals, & and just because.

1 medium head green cabbage (or Napa cabbage)…I use the already pre-cut coleslaw mix

2 pkg Ramen noodles (though you can get away with one)

1 cup of nuts (use almonds, sesame seeds, whatever)

4-5 green onions,

sliced1 stick butter or margarine

DRESSING:

1/2 Cup vegetable oil (try putting a few drops of sesame oil in)

1/2 Cup sugar - though if you are sugar conscious try other alternatives (like Splenda) or simply use less sugar.

1 Tbs Soy Sauce

1/4 Cup vinegar

I have also been known to put a bit of the ramen noodle seasoning packet in with it….Just taste and see.

Shred cabbage like you would for coleslaw and add sliced green onions. Place in a large bowl. In a large saute pan, melt the butter or margarine. Crumble ramen noodles in the package. Remove packet of seasoning from the noodles and saute noodles with the slivered almonds and sesame seeds until golden brown. Remove from heat and let cool a few minutes and add to cabbage & onions. Whisk oil, sugar, vinegar and soy sauce in a bowl. Toss with cabbage/noodle mix. Make sure you wait to dress it right before serving it.

Party Hardy

The Best Ever Cheese Dip
My cheese dip is legendary. When we were youth pastors years ago this dip was requested at every occasion. I think it’s the mushroom soup that makes the difference.

1 pound of green beef or sausage, browned and drained
1 pound of velveeta cheese
1 can of rotel
1 can of cream of mushroom soup

Add all the ingredients to a crockpot. Set it on high and stir often. Just keep a watch on it…it will burn if left unattended for too long.

My Salsa Recipe
I used to buy salsa at the store. That was a long time ago. I was first introduced by this kind of salsa by a family that attended our church from Venezuela. Oh my goodness! Years later I saw Martha Stewart make a version of it on her show. She seeded her tomatoes…I leave the seeds in. We could eat buckets of this stuff. It’s oh so fresh!

4-6 tomatoes
1 onion
2 cloves of garlic
salt to taste
Juice of one lemon
Optional: green or yellow pepper, cilantro and oregano.

Chop up your onions and garlic in your food processor (now is the time to chop a pepper if you are so inclined). Empty the food processor (put your onions, etc. into your bowl). Cut up your tomatoes just a bit and add to the food processor…hitting pulse just a few times (you still want them kind of chunky) Add the tomatoes to the bowl. Then add salt, lemon juice and your herbs. Be sure to taste as you go.