As a kids pastor, you can make yourself crazy if you sit down and think about the idea that as soon as you wrap up a day of ministry, like Sunday, the new week has started and now you need to prep for Wednesday! Then when Wednesday is over, I gotta prep for Sunday- it never ends! You can't look at it that way, take each moment you have with your kids and make it memorable. Make it a day they will never forget. Make it a day that stirs change in their heart. Because the before you know it, that kid is a 6th grader and gone. As a ministry grows, you will notice that there are more and more new faces. Gotta take time during those services to meet those new kids, make them feel special, try to remember something about them. One of my kids needed a Bible, and she is one who is always at the craft table before and after service. So I grabbed her a Bible and wrote inside her name and in quotes wrote "the artist". She looked at that and came back and gave me a hug and said, "Thanks for calling me an artist". I believe it's that kind of relationship and validation for a child that they will never forget, and they will always want to be at your church. I know as a service ends, I sit in my car like, wow, that was quick. As a pastor, we have to make time to make connections with our kids. Funny Note: I spoke at a function that is targeted towards our older folks. I was doing some illusions and I told them that when I was done to say, "how'd he do that?" Well after a card trick I said, "And everyone said..." And they all shouted out AMEN.. haha- it made me chuckle sometimes we are so churched that we are trained in certain sayings. They caught themselves and had a good laugh too. -Aaron