Kathie Phillips, Author at Kathie Phillips

Free and Inexpensive Ideas for Volunteer Appreciation Week

04/17/201304/17/2013 Kathie Phillips 4 Comments

If you’re like me, you know how important volunteers are to Children’s Ministry. It is a true partnership: we cannot accomplish the work of our ministry without our dedicated volunteers; they cannot effectively accomplish the work of our ministry without a leader at the helm.

When I think about the volunteers who serve in my ministry, I am overwhelmed with gratitude for each and every one of them. In an age when people are busier than ever, the thought that people choose to serve week in and week out humbles me so very much. Many of my volunteers are parents themselves; that means long nights up with a sick baby or child, carpooling, sports, volunteering at school, extra-curricular activities, and homework. Some of our volunteers travel for work, sometimes for weeks at a time. Some of our volunteers have spouses who travel a great deal for work. Some are single parents who are juggling many, many balls. Some have health challenges. Some are caring for elderly or sick parents. Some are looking for work or have a spouse who is looking for work.

As often as I can, I let my volunteers know how much I appreciate them. I cherish them. Next week (April 21 – April 27) is being recognized as “Volunteer Appreciation Week”. Those who work alongside volunteers – schools, non-profits, etc. – will be expressing their appreciation to people who are the backbone of their organization.

I am one who believes that showing our volunteers how much they mean to us should not be limited to a one-week time frame. We should let them know how much they mean to us as often as we can. It doesn’t have to be expensive or over the top but it should be genuine, personal and regular.

If you are in need of creative, inexpensive (and some free!) ideas to show your volunteers how much they mean to you, here are a few ideas to get you going:

Pray for you volunteers and follow up with them
Donuts and coffee
Carnation or rose with a hand-written note attached
Video from you, thanking them for their service to your ministry
Video from the kids in your ministry, thanking their teachers
God-sighting wall that displays ways that kids, families and your ministry have been impacted by their service
Favorite candy bar
Breakfast or luncheon in their honor (have kids and/or parents serve)
Buttons to wear
Decorate their classroom with streamers, balloons, noisemakers and party hats
Thank you cards from the kids
Social media “shout out”
“Shout Out” in your church bulletin
Note on the windshield of their car
Special song or poem
Items personalized with your ministry logo (t-shirt, backpack, coffee mug, water bottle, lanyard, hat, etc.)
A Saturday or Sunday free of ministry responsibilities
Balloon bouquet

You can also find more ideas on my KidMin – Volunteers Pinterest board.

You might also be interested in a previous post, Speak Your Volunteer’s Love Language, that offers additional ideas. My kidmin blogging friend, Lindsey Whitney, shared a gift idea that she recently blessed her volunteers with. You can find that here.

Be sure to stop by tomorrow because I’ll share appreciation ideas for each season of the year. You won’t want to miss it!

Are you doing anything special to honor your volunteers next week? Share your ideas below!

Tween Girls Targeted by Victoria’s Secret?

04/10/201304/10/2013 Kathie Phillips 3 Comments

Being the mom of a young teen daughter, I find there is often a struggle with helping her find modest, age-appropriate but fashionable clothing.

Photo (c) Victoria's Secret — Photo (c) Victoria’s Secret

I came across an article a few weeks ago that caught my eye. It has been all over the news and web. The article referenced outraged parents over Victoria’s Secret newest “Bright Young Things” campaign. You can read the article here. While the company denies it, parents allege that the line targets tween girls. (If you are not sure what a ‘tween’ is, a ‘tween’ is usually defined as an 8-12 yr old.)

On a side note, you might also be interested in checking out Darrah Gresh’s Secret Keeper Girl’s Modesty Project.

Let’s talk about this. Have you heard the buzz about this controversy? What are your thoughts?

Easter Reflections

04/03/201304/03/2013 Kathie Phillips 2 Comments

This week, I am in total “chill” mode. Since our children are home on Spring Break, my husband and I took time off this week to have some good quality time as a family. This time together is precious and priceless to me because, if you work in ministry, you know that preparing for Easter keeps you very busy. Now that things have settled down somewhat, I’ve been reflecting on the flurry of activity I’ve experienced over the past 10 days.

Here’s a peek into what my world has looked like recently:

For the past several months, we have been busy preparing for our church’s annual Easter Egg Hunt. This year, I provided oversight for the Registration Team. As a team of nine, we welcomed over 120 families and over 200 children to this highly anticipated event. This year’s event included four activity areas: games, 4 “Journey to Easter” stations, refreshments and the actual Easter Egg Hunt. It was a lot of work but seeing so many faces, especially new ones from the neighborhood, made it all worthwhile.

Good Friday was the next highlight for me. My entire family and I (16 of us) attended my parent’s church because my mom was participating in the service. The scripture passage for the evening was Isaiah 53:1-5. Five different members of the church leadership (including my mom) took one of the verses and shared their gained and personal insights into their assigned verse. My mom did a fabulous job – she made us proud! The evening was also special because I served my 5-yr old niece her First Communion. I will never forget sharing that special moment with her.

By the time Easter Sunday rolled around, I was in overdrive mode. I had tidied classrooms, recruited additional volunteers to serve, hung banners, and set up various activity stations for our elementary and preteen students. After church, we hosted a family dinner for 20+ family members at our home.

While the season was busy, we are now thankful to take some time for much-needed rest at one of our favorite vacation spots. School and work resumes next week, but for now, we rest.

Are you taking some time for rest this week? What restores your soul?

Celebrate “Write a Thank-You Note Day”

03/20/201303/20/2013 Kathie Phillips 2 Comments

My husband and I spent the year before we were married in a long-distance relationship (he lived in Alabama while I attended college in Virginia). During that year, we exchanged a lot of cards and letters. Every now and then I read through the notes just for fun. That’s easy to do because the notes sit in a floral basket next to my bed. The basket also contains cards that my children made in their preschool and elementary years as well as other keepsakes from special people in my life.

A few weeks ago, I wrote a post encouraging leaders to speak their volunteer’s love language. Since my love language is words of affirmation, I treasure notes (hand-written and electronic) containing encouragement and thanks.

Yesterday, I received an email from one of my favorite home and garden magazines. They declared today “Write a Thank-You Note Day”. What a great idea, I thought.

Hand-written notes have almost become outdated in lieu of e-mail and text messages, but in my opinion, hand-written notes will never go out of style.

So, consider writing a thank-you note to someone you appreciate today. Make it full of reasons why you appreciate them and how much they mean to you.

Don’t have a clue who you might bless with a hand-written note? Here are some suggestions to get you started:

If you’re a KidMin leader:

Your spouse
Your children
Your pastor/supervisor
Someone who serves in your ministry
Someone behind the scenes but serves your ministry (i.e. your janitorial or church office staff)
Your mentor

If you’re a KidMin parent:

Your spouse
Your children
Your child’s principal/teacher/school administrator
Your child’s coach
Your children’s pastor/director

If you’re a KidMin volunteer:

Your spouse
Your children
Your ministry leader
Someone who serves alongside you in ministry
Parents of a child in your class

Challenge: Go ahead – write a thank-you note today, but don’t let it stop there. Take the time to regularly write thank-you notes to people you are thankful for. You can write one a day, one a week, or one a month. Just write it – your words and the thought behind it will bless you as well as the recipient.