A Muslim does not believe God can be known. So when life becomes difficult the connection available through the occult is just under the surface.

What Muslims Really Believe (Folk Islam vs. Orthodoxy) was presented by Arnold Eby at REACH 2022, on March 24-25, 2022, at Calvary Church, in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

We'll look at using Biblical, effective, and solid methods that will equip our ministries to be enduring and ultimately sustainable. How can we cautiously embrace sound technological opportunities and effectively resist the erosion of our values as we pilot our ministries into the future?

Building Enduring Ministries was presented by Trent Eikenberry at REACH 2022, on March 24-25, 2022, at Calvary Church, in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

Using the Parable of the Talents we will examine how you might be able to build in God’s Kingdom using your abilities and personal gifting. God gave them to you and wants you to give them back to Him by serving others for His glory. Are you a one talent, a two-talent or a five-talent person?

Your Talents, Your Responsibility was presented by Stephan Gingerich at REACH 2022, on March 24-25, 2022, at Calvary Church, in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

The first step in effective communication is connecting with your audience. Once your audience feels connected to you as the communicator, they will tune in and listen to what you have to say. However, if you skip the connecting and go right into your message, you likely will leave many uninterested and disconnected. This session will teach effective ways to connect with your audience so you can win a hearing and impact them.

Connecting with Your Audience was presented by Rick Rhodes at REACH 2022, on March 24-25, 2022, at Calvary Church, in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

A panel discussion will explore strategies for staffing a ministry.

Finding Ministry Workers was presented by Richie Lauer at REACH 2022, on March 24-25, 2022, at Calvary Church, in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

Busyness means “having a great deal to do.” But busyness quickly turns from something we do into something we are. What steps can we take to overcome incessantly doing things without getting much done?

Busy--Yes! Effective--??? Overcoming a Misleading Culture of Busyness was presented by Paul A. Miller at REACH 2022, on March 24-25, 2022, at Calvary Church, in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

Our world loves to be seen, and we love to prove our worth by what we do and where we serve. What does it look like to live out the mundane life of a homemaker in the Holy Land? Who sees our work? And does it matter?"

Serving in the Shadows while Making a Home away from Home was presented by Jean Nisley at REACH 2022, on March 24-25, 2022, at Calvary Church, in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

Seven times, the writer of Psalm 119 links affliction and the Word with statements like “It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn your statutes.” What connection does he see between the two? In this breakout session, we’ll explore how the living word of God reorients and grounds us when life hurts.

Affliction and the Word was presented by Jeanene Nisly at REACH 2022, on March 24-25, 2022, at Calvary Church, in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

What is a mentor? Do I have what it takes? We will explore the previous questions, review basic mentoring principles, offer tips, discuss pitfalls, and hear from teens on this subject. The session is geared not only toward mentors and those interested but also toward those desiring growth in meaningful interactions with teens, specifically young women.

Coming Alongside: Mentoring Young Women was presented by Janelle Burkholder at REACH 2022, on March 24-25, 2022, at Calvary Church, in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

Board governance includes adopting the nonprofit’s strategic plan and ensuring that the organization has the necessary money to carry out the plan. This often includes fundraising. The board also needs to see that the funds entrusted to the charity are properly used. This workshop will expand on these two aspects of effective board governance: fundraising and financial oversight.

The Board's Oversight of Fundraising and Finances was presented by Gary Paul Miller at REACH 2022, on March 24-25, 2022, at Calvary Church, in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

Writing happens in our heads, between us and inanimate computers. But real people read—or don’t read—what we write. In this workshop, you will learn how to write with readers in mind. We’ll also cover tips for editing your writing for more clarity and less clutter to make your reader’s job easier.

Your Readers Matter: Serve Your Audience by Improving Your Writing was presented by Caleb Crider at REACH 2022, on March 24-25, 2022, at Calvary Church, in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

This session looks at the ages of a victim/survivor when abuse occurs and how their development and maturity may play a big part in how the trauma affects them later in life.

The Mind of the Molested was presented by Byron H. Miller at REACH 2022, on March 24-25, 2022, at Calvary Church, in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

Of course not, they didn’t exist. Or did they? Was Jesus a candidate for a driving position? As Christ followers, our number one objective should be to follow Christ. So what does that look like in our time and in our cities?

Come to laugh, lament, and learn from a fellow Christ follower with a heart for souls in the concrete jungle.

Would Jesus Drive a Yellow Taxi? Lessons in Urban Ministry was presented by Austin Shenk at REACH 2022, on March 24-25, 2022, at Calvary Church, in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

We will discuss how we go about teaching and applying Anabaptist values as we plant churches.

Planting Anabaptist Churches: Exploring Foundational Issues (Part 1) was presented by Allen Roth at REACH 2022, on March 24-25, 2022, at Calvary Church, in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

You may be interested in part two of this series: Planting Anabaptist Churches: Applying Principles in Facing Issues (Part 2).

Consider this scenario: You are teaching art class, and things are not going according to schedule. In what you now realize was a moment of temporary insanity, you chose a project that included white glue and glitter. Now you are questioning all your life choices and resigning yourself to finding glitter in unexpected places for the next five months.

To make matters worse, the clock is not on your side. The minutes remaining until recess time are disappearing quickly—too quickly. You know that if you let the students go for recess with their projects unfinished, glue will dry in inconvenient places, it will take a long time to get everyone back on task again once they return to the classroom, and the whole debacle will take fifteen minutes longer than it really should.

On the other hand, if you just delay recess by ten minutes, everyone will have time to finish their project, help with cleaning up, and order can be restored. So, you make the executive decision to have your students go out for recess ten minutes later than normal.

And everyone seems okay with it. Everyone, that is, except for Bobby. When the dismissal bell rings and you announce that everyone will be finishing their art projects before the class is dismissed for recess, Billy has a visceral reaction. He raises his hand forcefully. You ignore it, a sinking feeling in your stomach. But Bobby is angry, and you know this situation is not going to end well. Despite your best efforts to calm him down, Bobby explodes. He gets into a heated argument with you about why they should be able to go for recess now, and it escalates to the point where Bobby is ripping apart his art project and flinging glitter everywhere. Somehow, his bottle of glue ends up in Sally’s hair, which is going to be an uncomfortable conversation to need to have with her mother at pick-up time.

What should have only been a stressful art class that left you tired but could be cured by an extra cup of coffee ends up becoming a nightmare situation that leaves you crying in your classroom after the students leave, bewildered and overwhelmed. And all because Bobby couldn’t handle a ten-minute schedule change.

If you’ve ever had a student in your classroom who struggles with transitions between activities or unexpected changes to schedule, I imagine you know the particular stress of this situation all too well.

Students may struggle with changes to their schedule for a variety of reasons, such as autism (even mild or high-functioning cases), Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, childhood trauma, or attachment disorders. Because of the way these students’ brains are wired, they perceive unexpected changes to routine as a threat. Their bodies go into fight or flight mode, causing them to be impossible to reason with. Once a student is escalated to this point, it is very difficult to deal with them rationally.

It may seem like these students just need to “suck it up” and deal with the fact that life has unexpected changes sometimes. But the reality is that because of the factors that have caused their brains to be wired the way they are, these children actually do not have the skills needed to adjust to unexpected changes at a moment’s notice. That part of their brain is either underdeveloped or so differently wired that it doesn’t process change the way most people’s brains do. Instead of seeing their blowups as a character flaw, think of it as a moment when they need to be supported in learning a skill.

If a child struggles to transition quickly from one class to the next, you may need to give them extra time. One way to help a child like this is to have an open conversation with them about it. You might say something like, “I’ve noticed you have a hard time switching between math class and spelling class. I often need to remind you several times to put away your math book and start copying your spelling list. I want to help make this easier for you. I’m going to come to your desk and give you an extra heads-up that it’s almost time to put your math book away. I’ll tell you a few minutes before I tell the rest of the class, that way you have some time to think about it and let your brain switch gears. Then, once I tell the rest of the class, I hope you will be able to switch your books at the same time as everyone else.”

This is not “special treatment” or coddling a student. This is simply giving a struggling child the support they need to be successful.

Another way to help students deal with schedule changes or transitions is to give them a stack of cards containing the day’s schedule. The cards will be stacked in order according to the events of the day. The child may carry these cards in their pocket to refer to as desired. This allows them to look ahead to know what’s coming next, which helps them to feel safe and in control. The particular brilliance of this strategy is that you can include a “wild card” that you or the child can insert into their deck of cards when something unexpected happens (such as a fire drill, recess being bumped out by ten minutes, etc.) The wild card will include reminders of how the child can calm himself if the change is upsetting.

If you have a student who gets especially angry or violent, you may need to come up with a system in which they can leave the room, for the safety of yourself and the other students. As children gain self-awareness, many can tell when they are getting upset and may know that they simply need to take a few minutes to clear their heads. If you feel the student can handle it, allow them to use a pre-arranged hand signal which gives them permission to leave the room and go to an assigned “calm-down spot.” You may choose to have a variety of resources there for them, like stress balls and fidget toys, box breathing or pattern breathing diagrams, or a pinwheel or scratch and sniff stickers (these sneakily encourage deep breathing, which physically calms the child).

Another strategy that may be helpful is giving the child the power of choice. Particularly in situations of abuse, neglect, or other trauma, the child’s brain has been wired to believe that if they are not in control, they are unsafe. This is why you may find yourself getting into power struggles over ridiculous things. (I remember once watching a student break her scissors handle in half because she was upset that I told her she couldn’t go out for recess until she had finished correcting a math problem).

In situations like this, give the child choices whenever possible, instead of giving commands. Often, this may look like giving them the illusion of choice (where the end result of both choices is actually the same). For example, if a child is refusing to work on an assignment, you might say calmly, “You may either finish this math worksheet now or do it at recess. It’s up to you. I’ll be watching to see which you choose.” Either way, the child will do the worksheet (and most children would definitely not choose the doing-it-at-recess option). Or for another example, if a child is refusing to take their turn being the goalie during the soccer game, you might say, “Either you can be the goalie for a few minutes or you can leave the game and stand with me at the sidelines. It’s up to you.” Most likely, the child does not want to stop playing, so you’re not really giving them two desirable choices. But, by offering one choice that isn’t really a choice at all, you are still giving them the feeling of being in control, which keeps their brain from flipping to attack mode and avoids a meltdown.

If you have the resources available to you, The Zones of Regulation is a curriculum designed to help students learn about emotional regulation and teach them helpful strategies to calm themselves when upset. This curriculum requires a one-on-one teacher, though some of the concepts in it could be adapted and taught for the whole class. You can purchase the curriculum or peruse other similar resources at https://zonesofregulation.com/  

Having a child with these particular struggles in your classroom is difficult—that’s the bald truth. But remember that every child deserves to feel safe, cared for, and loved in your classroom, even if that child needs different support from you than the rest of the class does. And remember that we are called to follow the footsteps of the Good Shepherd, who wasn’t content to just care for the ninety-nine sheep who did what was expected of them, but poured out extra time and energy for the one sheep that didn’t behave like all the others.  

Photo by CHUTTERSNAP on Unsplash

Maranatha Christian school recently had a opening for an administrator and a 5th grade teacher for the 25-26 School year. If you have interest please reach out to the school maranathachristianschool1485@gmail.com

The Bible contains many reminders of the importance of gratitude. James draws heavily from these Scripture passages as he explores the importance of an attitude of gratitude. He emphasizes that gratitude is important for the following reasons:

• Gratitude (or a lack thereof) is highly contagious
• A life attitude of gratitude is commanded in Scripture
• Purposeful cultivation of gratitude can be life-changing

“Gratitude—An Attitude that Will Take You the Distance” was presented by James Jantzi at Teacher Inspiration Day in February of 2025 at Brookside Conservative Mennonite Church in Listowel, Ontario.

What is a critical role in a teacher’s success, an essential building block of relationships, and an overlooked skill not taught adequately to students? The answer is conversations.

Nolan explores the essential role of clear and effective communication, particularly in the teacher-parent relationship. He also lays out some of the things that can make conversation difficult—differences in personality types and communication styles—as well as advice to overcome them.

This session is filled with practical wisdom, such as “when your mouth is open, you’re not learning,” lead with questions instead of statements, and allow for silence. Communication is a way teachers can show the love of Christ to those around them. As Nolan says, “Being heard is so close to being loved, it’s indistinguishable.”

“Conversations with Parents” was presented by Nolan Zimmerman at Teacher Inspiration Day in February of 2025 at Brookside Conservative Mennonite Church in Listowel, Ontario.

Every living human being experiences life on planet earth, but very few have experienced life outside of the bounds of earth’s atmosphere. The International Space Station provides astronauts with the opportunity to live and research in space, viewing the earth from an entirely unique vantage point.

Matthew explains the origins of the ISS, how it is maintained, and what it would be like to live there. The ISS provides humanity with unique data and perspectives, and it is a fascinating topic to explore.

“The International Space Station” was presented by Matthew Biehn at Teacher Inspiration Day in February of 2025 at Brookside Conservative Mennonite Church in Listowel, Ontario.

The sea is an excellent showcase of the way God’s intricate design baffles human understanding. Robert dives deep into this topic, explaining the five depth zones of the ocean and expounding on some of the wonders that can be found in each one. Learn about unique species like the snailfish, the ecosystem marvels of whale falls, and the symbiotic relationships found in hydrothermal vents.

Enrich your own understanding of the deep sea and become inspired about this fascinating area of our planet.

“Deep Sea Life” was presented by Robert Heatwole at Teacher Inspiration Day in February of 2025 at Brookside Conservative Mennonite Church in Listowel, Ontario.