Get One Month of CMConnect+ for Free!

cmconnect

Last week, I received an email regarding a new feature to CMConnect, the free kidmin network.  It’s called CMConnect+.

CMConnect+ is an enhanced training group designed to network you with a community of leaders and will bridge training from event to event for you and your team.

Members receive the following:

  • access to a growing list of archived trainings (current value over $20)
  • a 10 to 15 minute exclusive monthly video from a thought leader in Children’s Ministry
  • exclusive weekly discussions hosted by INCM
  • bi-monthly MP3 uploads from INCM ($96 annual value)

Rate Plan Prices:

1 Month Membership: $4.95 USD

6 Months Membership $27.75 USD ($4.63 per month)

12 Months Membership $51.44 USD ($4.29 per month)

You will not only enhance your CMConnect experience, you’ll also improve your ability to lead in your unique calling!

I am thrilled to announce that CM Connect has authorized me to giveaway 20 free one-month memberships.  All you have to do is be among the first 20 people to email me at kidminspiration@gmail.com no later than 12 noon on Wednesday, January 9th.  It’s that simple!

All winners will be contacted via email.

What are you waiting for?  Email me right away for your chance to take advantage of this incredible offer!

2 Tools We’re Using to Help Us Do Ministry Better

I love finding tools to help make my life a little easier.  A few months ago, I discovered two online tools that have helped make our ministry more efficient.

According to their website, Basecamp is “the world’s #1 project management app”.  Our Family Ministry team began using this tool to help us better collaborate on joint projects.  So far, it has been wonderful!

Here’s how it works:  Our administrative assistant goes in to begin our project, sets our to-do list and assigns who’s responsible for what.  The to-do list can be assigned a date, so when you have a project due, you receive an email reminder.  (That’s very cool.)

What I love about this tool:  Like I mentioned before, Basecamp has helped our team collaborate better on projects without sending countless emails back and forth.  We have eliminated the need to scribble to-do lists on napkins or pieces of paper because there’s a running to-do list for each project.  Also, when you complete your assigned task, you can cross it off as “completed”.  Who doesn’t love that?!

Disclaimer:  While this tool isn’t free, the 45-day trial offer is.  We tried it out for 45 days, loved it, and decided to purchase a package.  I think you should check it out.

My absolute new favorite ministry tool is a program called Dropbox.  The tagline for this wonderful invention is “simplify your life”.  Something that promises to do that really needs to live up to its promise!

Here’s how it works:  Download the program from its website.  Then you’re able to create folders where you can save photos, documents and videos and then share them with a person or a group of people.  It’s very easy to use and best of all, it’s free!

What I love about this tool:  Every week, I would email my preteen ministry leaders their lesson for the upcoming week.  A few weeks ago, I discovered Dropbox and thought that this would be a great way for my leaders to access their lessons, which I could load up lessons weeks in advance.  We have just started using this tool, but I love it already and so do my volunteers.  They see upcoming lessons as soon as I ‘drop’ them into our shared folder.  I also love that the files are saved on all of my computers and accessible by my cell phone app.  The app is free!  Love it!

I am really not doing either of these tools justice by describing them.  If you are looking for ways to do ministry better, I strongly encourage you to check out these two options.

Do you use either of these tools or found other tools more helpful?  Tell me about it below!

Looking Back, Yet Looking Forward

goodbye2012 hello2013

As 2013 approaches, I am overwhelmed with how much God has blessed me in 2012.  I have grown so much personally, spiritually and professionally this year, much more than I could have ever imagined a year ago.  Maybe you can say the same for yourself.

Looking Back

Growth and challenge are two words that I would use to describe 2012.  The thing is that those two words, growth and challenge can have positive and negative connotations.  Positive because God doesn’t want us to stay in a comfortable place, thus resulting in complacency. Negative because with growth and challenge often come pain, headache, hardship and deep introspection.

This blog is a result of growth and challenge.  In my very first blog post, I shared my ambivalence about blogging.  Yet here I stand seven months later!  God is so good!  I’ve always known that I’m up for a good challenge but this experience has really stretched me!

Here were our two most popular posts in 2012:

S-T-R-E-T-C-H Your Ministry Dollars (Most Popular)

Book Review and Free Book Giveaway:  “The One Year Be-Tween You and God” (Most Viewed)

Looking Forward

With that said, I am looking forward to improving and expanding this platform that God has given me.  In 2013, you will see a KidMinspiration logo, more guest posts, more product reviews, and downloadable resources that you can use in your church (leaders and volunteers) and at home (parents).  Spread the word…some great things are coming!

I hope you’ll join me on this journey!  I am so thankful for everyone who subscribes, reads, comments, “retweets” and “shares”.  Thank you for becoming a part of my extended family!  I am looking forward to connecting with you even more.  See you in 2013!

Blessings to you all,

Kathie