Skip to main content

Tag: children’s ministry

Galaxy Buck: Mission to Sector 9 {Review & Giveaway}

Kathie Phillips 2 Comments

I recently took a sneak peek at Phil Vischer’s new movie for kids, Galaxy Buck: Mission to Sector 9.  It had my attention from the very first scene!  Keep reading to find out more and how you can win a free DVD copy of the movie, which releases tomorrow, October 20th.

Galaxy Buck: Mission to Sector 9 is a must-see for all ages, from VeggieTales creator PHIL VISCHER! Kids will enjoy Buck Denver’s latest adventure with his friends from What’s In the Bible? and parents will appreciate the humorous nods to Star Wars and Star Trek.  More importantly, Phil Vischer’s gifted teaching delivers a clear message to kids and adults about God’s love and purpose for our lives.  Galaxy Buck communicates important Biblical truths that will add to everyone’s faith foundation, whether a life-long Christian or a new creation in Christ.

Galaxy Buck
About the movie:
Buck Denver has a simple dream – to save the galaxy.  Working for the Galactic Mission Board, Buck dreams of carrying God’s love to every corner of the Milky Way!  Except he doesn’t have a starship.  Or a crew.  Or even a captain’s license.  He just needs a chance.  But when that chance comes and Buck finds himself leading a real mission into deep space, things don’t go at ALL like he imagined!  If he’s doing what God wants him to do, why is everything going wrong?  From VeggieTales® and What’s in the Bible? creator Phil Vischer, Galaxy Buck: Mission to Sector 9 is a wild, galactic adventure that teaches kids a powerful lesson about trusting God with everything – even our dreams!
Run time: Approximately 40 minutes
My thoughts:

I am always amazed at how simple messages designed for children often speak to me as an adult.  There are too many spiritual lessons and will be a great foundation for really good family (or ministry discussion).  From a visual perspective, while I thought the graphics were awesome (it was really top notch), some characters might frighten younger viewers.  I’d recommend the movie for kids ages 7 & up – they won’t be as frightened and will definitely enjoy the movie’s humor.

My favorite line in the movie:

“God doesn’t want you to DO anything.  He just wants YOU!”

Enter to win a copy of this family-friendly DVD in one of three ways:

  1. Leave me a comment below, telling me who you’ll enjoy the movie with (either at home or in a ministry setting).
  2. Leave me a message on my Facebook page, telling me who you’ll enjoy the movie with (either at home or in a ministry setting).
  3. Tweet about the giveaway to your Twitter followers. 
    I just entered to win Phil Vischer's new DVD, Galaxy Buck: Mission to Sector 9!
    Click To Tweet

Giveaway ends at 11:59 pm EST on Wednesday, October 21.  Winner will be announced on my Facebook page.  Happy entering!

:::::::::::::::::::::::::
SOCIAL • CORNER 
 
“Disclosure (in accordance with the FTC’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”): Many thanks to Propeller Consulting, LLC for providing this prize for the giveaway. Choice of winners and opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation. I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post.

 Only one entrant per mailing address, per giveaway. If you have won a prize from our sponsor Propeller / FlyBy Promotions in the last 30 days, you are not eligible to win. If you have won the same prize on another blog, you are not eligible to win it again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification.”

11 Great Team Meeting Questions

Kathie Phillips 2 Comments

11 Great Team Meeting Questions

Good leaders know to ask questions.  Great leaders know how to ask the right questions.  When you gather your team around the table, it’s crucial to ask the right questions.

Every Tuesday, I gather my team to debrief the previous Sunday and plan for the upcoming week(s).  Debriefing is important to celebrate what went well and to adjust what didn’t.  Planning is important to execute things well and make sure everyone’s on the same page.

In order to debrief well, here are some questions that I might ask:

  • What were the ‘wins’?  What went well?
  • What didn’t go well?  What needs to be improved?
  • What stories did you hear from volunteers, children or parents?
  • Does anything need to be fixed or replaced?
  • What volunteer(s) needs an encouraging word this week?
  • Who can we personally thank this week? [This is usually done with a handwritten note.]

When moving forward in planning for what’s coming up, I typically ask one or more of these questions, depending on what we’re working on:

  • What events are coming up this week?  What prep needs to be made?
  • Are there any supplies that need to be replenished/purchased/ordered/borrowed?
  • What needs to be communicated to our volunteers?
  • What needs to be communicated to parents (via email, snail mail, newsletter, social media or website)?
  • Who’s responsible for what? What are the action steps?

Keep the conversation going!  What questions are asked at your team meetings?

Online Book Club for KidMin Leaders

Kathie Phillips 22 Comments

Hi Friends!

This morning, I unveiled (on Periscope – gasp!) that I will be launching an online book club for kidmin leaders!  This is something that I have been feeling God nudging me to do for the past year or so but I have put it aside until now.  Stepping out in faith is hard sometimes, right?

I love being with other kidmin leaders and as I’ve had conversations with leaders and have participated in online forums, I have noticed that there are two things that kidmin leaders crave: (1) connection and support with other leaders and (2) great resources.  It’s my prayer that this book club will marry the two!

KidMin book club graphic

Here are a few logistics:

  • The book club will be moderated online (through Facebook, Twitter and Instagram – and maybe Periscope).
  • I’ll select a book for us to read together – our first two books are AWESOME!
  • On the first Thursday of the month following the book reveal, I’ll host a Twitter and Facebook chat at 9pm EST.  We’ll use #kidminbookclub.

The first book I’ve selected is written by my friend, Ryan Frank.  Give Me Jesus: Gospel-Centered Children’s Ministry That Changes Lives brings together children’s ministry veterans from across the country to share what they’ve learned about gospel-centered ministry to kids, youth and families.  You’ll find practical, flexible strategies to make the good news of Christ accessible to children of all ages and abilities, train volunteers to effectively disciple kids as followers of Jesus, and weave the gospel into every lesson and activity.

Earlier this year, I interviewed Ryan about the book.  Here are highlights from our conversation:

Kathie Phillips: What was the inspiration behind your book, Give Me Jesus? 

Ryan Frank: Conversations are happening in kidmin about the newest products for ministry, but there is no power in the shiny, flashy things.  The power is in the Gospel.  It’s the driving force behind programs and volunteers.

KP: You invited friends to write portions of the book.  Why did you feel that having different viewpoints about this topic was important?

RF: It’s important to get different perspectives from different people: Children’s Ministry pastors, para-church leaders, bloggers, all from different denominations and different size churches.

KP: How does a Children’s Ministry leader make ministry fun and engaging while keeping the Gospel front and center?

RF: Start by making it memorable.  That can be achieved through (1) solid curriculum that is Gospel-centered; (2) creative new ways to present the Gospel (through story, object lessons, visual aids and personal testimonies); and (3) engaging parents to have Gospel conversations at home.  Provide them with tools and resources to help make this happen.

One of the things that Ryan said that stood out to me was this:

When the Gospel is the focus of my ministry, the Gospel becomes more important than the methods.

I’m so excited about this book club and I hope you’ll join me!  I’ll host our first Twitter chat on Thursday, November 5th at 9pm EST.  (I’ll give you a little more time since we’re nearing the end of September).  Find me here or by searching #kidminbookclub.

Pick up a copy of Give Me Jesus here or enter to win an autographed copy of the book by emailing me by 11:59pm on Sunday, September 20th!  I want you to have this book as soon as possible!

Happy reading – and spread the word!

Let me know that you’ll be part of this book club by leaving me a comment below!

{Book Review}: “The Biggest Story”

Kathie Phillips

Recently, I received a copy of a new bible story book for children.  I love taking a look a those types of story books, particularly ones that take a different approach to traditional ones.  However, this one, in my opinion, just didn’t sit well with me.

the biggest story - cover
 About the book:
Hardcover: 132 pages
Publisher: Crossway (August 31, 2015)
In The Biggest Story, Kevin DeYoung – a best-selling author and father of six – leads kids and parents alike on an exciting journey through the Bible, connecting the dots from the garden of Eden to Christ’s death on the cross to the new heaven and new earth.  With powerful illustrations by award-winning artist Don Clark, this imaginative retelling of the Bible’s core message-how the Snake Crusher brings us back to the garden-will draw children into the biblical story, teaching them that God’s promises are even bigger and better than we think.
the biggest story - inside1
About Kevin DeYoung:
Kevin DeYoung is senior pastor at University Reformed Church in East Lansing, Michigan.  He blogs at the Gospel Coalition and has authored or coauthored numerous well-known books, including Just Do Something, The Hole in Our Holiness, Crazy Busy, and Taking God At His Word.  He lives with his wife and their 6 children in Central Michigan.
About Don Clark:
Don Clark is an artist and the cofounder of Invisible Creature, a widely respected and award-winning design studio in Seattle that has worked with clients such as Target, Nike, LEGO, and WIRED magazine.  He lives with his wife and their 3 children, 4 goats, 12 chickens, and 1 crazy dog on a farm just outside the city limits.
::::::::::::::::::
 
S O C I A L • C O R N E R
 

 

What I Didn’t Like:

In the beginning of the book, I was surprised to see that the word ‘snake’ had an uppercase “S”.  That was too close to making the evil one equal to God in my opinion.  Unfortunately, the book didn’t get any better.  I didn’t like some of the wording used.  Maybe it was used to be more relevant?  I’m not sure.  Some examples that stood out include:

  • “Noah was ‘just as foul’ as everybody else.”
  • “Abraham was ‘a bit of a scaredy-cat’.”
  • “God is God, so he gets to pick.”

The images were also a bit scary, so it’s definitely designed for older children.  One of the most disturbing things (and one that I showed my husband to make sure that I wasn’t seeing things) was a depiction of a skull and crossbones.  I’m not sure where that fit in to anything mentioned in the book.

I was also disappointed that there was not one reference to scripture anywhere in the book, which was a bit odd and puzzling.  It made no reference that these events took place in the bible.  It read more like fiction than a bible storybook, which was also disappointing.

My Recommendation:

This book had so much wrong with it that I cannot recommend it.

Have you seen this book?  If so, what are your thoughts?

error: Content is protected !!