The Cheerio ~ RELEVANT CHILDREN’S MINISTRY

This weekend, I have been visiting a church in the Kansas City area. 

I gathered with the staff on Sunday morning for a pre-service huddle in the children’s ministries’ area.

As we were sharing and praying for the day, I noticed something on the ground.  Right in the middle of our prayer circle there was one solitary Cheerio.  

Now this about drove me nuts (yes – I probably have OCD).  Finally, I bent over and picked it up and felt much better (ha). 

The point is this – it is important to pay close attention to the details.  Those small details add up to make a big impression. Here is a statement that I try to live by. 

Excellence is the quiet whisper that comes from paying close attention to the small details.

Here is another example of paying fantastic attention to the details

In 1967, Disney purchased a carousel and did extensive renovations before making it Cinderella’s gold Carousel in 1971.  After the installation, Roy Disney, who was committed to excellence just like his brother Walt, noticed that the carousel was slightly off-centered from the Cinderella Castle breezeway and needed it to be realigned.  He had it moved 8 inches so it would be exactly in line with the castle.

8 inches?  Does that really make a difference? If you are committed to excellence, 8 inches off is the same as 8 feet off.  Excellence cares about the small inches just as much as the big items.  And the truth is, the big things are all of the small things combined together. 

The carousel has 18 paintings incorporated into it.  These paintings depict the memorable scenes in the Cinderella story. Another example of big attention to detail.  These paintings make a big statement to the kids and families that attend.

But there is one other attention to detail that not everyone is aware of.  The Disney Imagineers wanted to make a statement about the importance of doing things with excellence.  The detail would not be announced to the general public. But every team member knows about it. Here’s what it is. 

The Imagineers wanted the carousel to stand apart from all the rest of the carousels in the world.  So, here’s what they did.  They used real, 23 carat gold paint on the carousel horses.

Even though your average family who rides the carousel isn’t aware that the gold on the horses is real, there are people who do know this.  Guess who? All of the employees (cast members).

What does this accomplish? It makes a major statement that says “we are committed to excellence.”

Disney is committed to keeping the carousel looking excellent. So, after the park closes, hours are put into cleaning the horses and buffering the brass poles.

They also regularly swap out the horses to repair them and keep them looking pristine. Spare horses are always being maintained behind the scenes and are regularly refinished and repainted.

Keep an eye out for the Cheerios. Those little Cheerios make a big statement about your ministry and commitment to the details.