July 2013 - KidMinspiration

Summer Lovin’: 10 Tips to Help You Prepare for Fall

07/24/201307/24/2013 Kathie Phillips

The following post is part of a series of summer-related posts.

Today, we’ll look at gearing up for fall.

Fall is right around the corner and we have to be ready! Prepare now by keeping the following tips in mind:

1. Pray for wisdom and God’s direction as you gear up for the new ministry year.

2. Assemble a Leadership Team to do ministry with. Look for people who are invested in Children’s Ministry and share your passion for reaching the next generation and their families.

3. Evaluate your curriculum. Does it align with your core values? Is it easy for volunteers to use? Is there a parent component that is effective in bridging home and church? Are you seeing desired results?

4. Recruit and train volunteers. Plan exciting ways to draw people into your ministry and get them prepared to serve.

5. Plan your year as much as you can in advance by plugging events and programming dates onto your church calendar. Of course, dates may change but having a yearly outlook will prove to be very helpful.

6. Declutter and reorganize supply closets, classroom cabinets, storage areas, files and work spaces. Also, look around to see if areas might need a fresh coat of paint, new rugs, signage or window treatments.

7. Re-stock supplies. During the summer when back-to-school sales get underway, supplies such as paper, pencils, scissors, crayons, and glue are very affordable.

8. Order new curriculum and distribute to teachers.

9. If you haven’t done so already, consider joining a network of kidmin leaders in your area or starting one of your own if none exists. Having a support system with like-minded folks is essential.

10. Take advantage of ways to continue educating yourself. Attend conferences or workshop to keep your finger on the pulse of the kidmin world. Subscribe to blogs, e-newsletters, and magazines. (I highly recommend Children’s Ministry Magazine and K! Magazine.) Peruse kidmin networks and discussion forums (I highly recommend CM Connect and Kidology.)

How are you preparing for fall? Do you have a tip to share? Share in the space below.

Monday Rewind: My Favorite Online Reads (Week of July 15, 2013)

07/22/201307/22/2013 Kathie Phillips

Last Week’s Favorite Online Reads

Here’s a sampling of some of the online reads I enjoyed the week of July 15th:

{MINISTRY/LEADERSHIP}

5 Responsibilities Leaders Have Toward Volunteers by Greg Baird

Fall Family Ministry Plans by Keith Tusing

Ten-Minute Sunday Staff Meeting by Amy Dolan

Why We Don’t Do VBS by Dale Hudson

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I hope you enjoy reading these articles as much as I did.

Did you read something this week that inspired or encouraged you? Share it with me so I might check it out, too!

Athens VBS: How One Family Was Impacted

07/17/201307/17/2013 Kathie Phillips 2 Comments

Photo Credit: Group Publishing

Last week, our VBS (or Summer Bible Camp as it’s known in our church) wrapped up. (You can read about our VBS in earlier posts.) The end of camp was very bittersweet for me because of the amazing stories of how God was working not only in the hearts of children but of volunteers, too. I didn’t want the enthusiasm to end.

One of those stories was shared with me after camp on Day 2. The mom of a camper, who also served as a volunteer, granted her permission to share their story with all of you. Enjoy!

This week has been unbelievable and transforming as Central Presbyterian has been turned into Athens and we have been learning about Paul’s bold journey to share his faith! It has been life changing and unbelievable.

On Monday night, I was putting [my son] to bed and reading the devotional, Jesus Calling Bible Storybook, with him. We were looking for stories about Paul and came upon the story where Lydia believes from Acts 16. The storybook bible had John 14:6 “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me”. It then went on to say that as hard as you try, you cannot get to heaven on our own. Everyone does some bad things – mommies, daddies, teachers and boys and girls. There is no place in heaven for sin, and this is why you need Jesus in your heart. I am your only way to heaven says Jesus. I am the one who washes away your sins and opens the way to God the Father. This started the most amazing conversation with me and [my son]. The door was opened because he has been fascinated by the daily Summer Bible Camp skits with Paul and Timothy and how brave Paul is, and how Paul wants to tell EVERYONE he meets about the one true God (Yes! It’s true!). The devotional we read paired up so beautifully with the teachings in SBC this week.The Greeks worshiped so many false gods and statues that it has been such a privilege and a gift to talk about our living God and how He LOVES us. Each day keeps getting better and better. Anyways, [my son] went on to say that he believes in Jesus and wants to have him in his heart. So, we prayed together and then he wrote in his Bible the sweetest note. I have attached a picture so you could see his spelling and handwriting: “Dear Jeses, Plaes come in my heart bcuaes I Love You. Love [boy’s name] July 8 2013

Actual letter written by the writer's son — Actual letter written by the writer’s son

It melts my heart thinking about it. It has been so fun and easy to boldly tell these children about Jesus and God’s love and what eternity means (forever). We heard today about how Paul had been Saul and how we truly need Jesus to save us. The verse on the back of our tee shirts was John 3:16 which has all new meaning to me now. It’s so exciting.

My verses to share with you today are two:

1 John 4:4 You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater then he who is in the world.

1 John 4:15-16 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. And we have known and believed the love that God has for us, God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.

This story gives me goosebumps! I’m so thankful for the opportunity to see this unfold and walk with this family long after camp is over.

How did this story impact you? Do you have a similar story of transformation as a result of VBS? Share below!

Athens VBS: Day 5

07/16/201307/16/2013 Kathie Phillips

Photo Credit: Group Publishing

You can read about Day 1 of our VBS here, Day 2 here, Day 3 here and Day 4 here.

Day 5 of our VBS (or Summer Bible Camp as it’s known in our church) was very bittersweet. I was sad to see the week end but so thankful for all that God did in the lives of adults and children alike. Here’s a recap:

We provided coffee and bagels in the morning for all of our awesome volunteers. They were so appreciative of a the gesture on what turned out to be a very rainy day.
Because of the rain, games were held inside for a second day in a row.
Gifts to volunteers were distributed.
Our Celebration Time (worship) was extended a bit to sing all of the songs learned during the week.
Our Security Team was encouraged to be extra diligent as we didn’t want to let our guard down on the last day.
Our partial clean-up plan was in place and volunteers ready to help with tear down after SBC ended.

I had a few God Sightings on Day 5:

Lots of hugs and laughter as the children enjoyed their last day together at camp.
Overflowing outreach project bins (items were brought in for a local one-day missions event as well as a local food pantry we support)
Seeing the children worship God during our Celebration time. The energy was electric!
Watching our children’s God Sightings walls be filled to capacity.
Safety for all of our campers and volunteers.
Parents and volunteers who shared stories of life-change as a result of the camp.
Our church staff who worked so hard to help set up rooms, answer phone calls, help with copying, help with greeting the children, assistance with sound and lighting, etc. It really is an all-church production!

God used the gifts and talents of many to bring glory to Himself this week. I am so thankful to have worked with fabulous people to make this week unforgettable. Who knew that learning about Paul’s journey to share the truth of God’s love could be so much FUN?!

Verse for the day:

“Just as I have loved you, you should love one another.”

John 13:34

Here are a few pictures from Day 5: