Let’s start at the beginning. I’ve been in Kids Ministry, developing ideas, writing curriculum and running kids programs for 20+ years.
2002-2018
A couple of months passed my 20th birthday I went to Metro in New York and learned Kids Ministry from the best. I started as an intern doing something called Sidewalk Sunday School on the streets of Harlem, and was soon tapped to lead the team. Jump forward 5 years and I was being asked to lead the Education and Training Department. It was no small task. The scale of things is pretty hard to picture, but it included 3 key areas of responsibility:
Curriculum Development and Writing. I oversaw all brainstorming and writing sessions for the curriculum written and used in all of Metro's locations globally. I personally wrote all of the lessons taught in Indoor Sunday School between 2008-2017.
Indoor Sunday School. This was a huge bus ministry. We had 3 services on a Saturday with roughly 1000+ kids in attendance each session. It was dubbed 'The World's Largest Sunday School' for good reason. I ran the entire service and programming, from planning all of the behind the scenes logistics with my team to running everything on stage.
Ministry Training Internship Program. Twice a year 40-50+ people from around the world arrived in New York to intern and learn how to do Kids Ministry. It was my job to train them. Although the internship program had long been established, I developed a clear training syllabus and teaching resources, which included a week of 'Hardcore Training' as well as weekly morning classes throughout the semester. The training I developed became the standard training model for Metro locations internationally. I also conceptualized and developed an administrative internship called L.E.V.E.L. 2. which focused on leadership and administrative duties within a ministry setting. During my time as Education and Training Director, I taught more than 700 interns.
2019-2023
I took on the role of Director of Education and Training with Hope for One, a non-profit children’s ministry. My work focused specifically on providing locally sustainable training programs and Sunday School curriculum to local churches in developing countries around the world. My role included 2 key areas of responsibility:
I managed the inception through completion of a 5-year writing curriculum project. This was a joint project with a partner organization. I was responsible for reviewing and editing all of the curriculum content, and for researching and writing 160 of my own lessons.
I developed a solid training syllabus and teaching resources for 3 different levels of training which was originally used for on-site, in-person training. I later adapted the content to accommodate online training as well.
2023-PRESENT DAY
You’re looking at it! Abbigail Rioux Consultancy // Big Idea! Kids Curriculum // Big Idea! Kids Ministry Training.
I develop relevant, impactful, and fun faith-based Sunday School curriculum for kids, as well as training and resources for the adults who lead them. Within the context of all things Kids Ministry, I take on a variety of different training and curriculum development and consultation projects. I provide services and create resources for churches and non-profit organizations, helping them build up their kids and their Kids Ministries.
I’ve got literally thousands of pictures, here’s a glimpse of what leading Sunday School in New York looked like:
Let’s flip through some portfolio pages!
I’m very familiar with curriculum development and the process of writing lessons: Idea. Brainstorm. Research. Draft. Write. Repeat. 400+ Sunday School lessons between 2 large non-profit organizations.
I’m not new to training. This isn’t my first rodeo, as they say! I’ve developed multiple training materials and workshops, and led 3-day, 5-day and full-week trainings in 9 different countries.