Tag: children’s ministry

My Thoughts on Milestones as a Mom and KidMin Leader

Kathie Phillips 4 Comments

When I became a mom 17 years ago, older women would say, “Cherish every moment.  They grow up very quickly.”  As a mom of young children, I honestly couldn’t fathom them growing up quickly.  I was trying to survive each day!  It felt like they’d be little forever and that I’d always be changing diapers, getting up during the night, picking up toys countless time a day, vacuuming up Cheerios, potty training and chasing after children who liked to run and explore everything!  These days, I find myself giving that same timeless and true advice to moms of young children, with the preface, “You might not believe this right now, but…”

This year has been a huge year of milestones for my children, who are now ages 17 and almost 14.  Milestones are nothing new; my children have hit many over the course of their young lives.  It’s only when there are a TON of milestones in one year that it’s get to be a bit overwhelming.  A few major milestones marked this year include:  learner’s permit, class ring/ring banquet, Prom, becoming a high school senior (my son) and yesterday, my daughter graduating from the 8th Grade.  I have had a wide range of emotions, that’s for sure!

I’ve viewed the events of this year through two lenses: my Mom lens and my KidMin leader lens.

As a Mom, I wonder, Have we, as their parents, done enough?  What could we have done differently?  Have we given them the tools to make their own decisions and live on their own?  The time really has gone by fast.  My mom has told me (and countless other women) about seasons of motherhood.  I would describe this season of motherhood as the preparing to launch season.  This particular season has found me being way more intentional in helping them to pray more purposefully, resolve relational conflict in healthy ways, be sure about what they believe and why, live out their faith courageously, manage their time, take care of their things and manage their money better.

As a KidMin leader, I wonder, How do we as leaders help parents navigate the many seasons of parenthood?  Do we mark and celebrate spiritual and life milestones with them?  Are we intentional as children transition from one area of ministry to another?  These questions have kept my KidMin leader working overtime lately and will become part of my focus for the upcoming ministry year.  It is important that my team and I recognize that parents (1) like to celebrate milestones in their children’s lives and (2) they need guidance on what to expect, support from their church and support from other parents going through a similar season and those who’ve already lived through those seasons.

I will be dusting off a few of my resources to give our team a good foundation to brainstorm from.  Some of the resources I’m turning to are:

The Legacy Path:  Discover Intentional Spiritual Parenting by Brian Haynes

*He also had a website, which you can check out here.

Take It Home:  Inspiration and Events to Help Parents Spiritually Transform Their Children by Mark Holmen

Parents, how are you marking milestones in your child’s life?

KidMin leaders, how is your ministry helping parents celebrate and navigate milestones and transitions?  What resources do you use?  I am looking for ideas to please share away!

Monday Rewind: My Favorite Online Reads (Week of May 20, 2013)

Kathie Phillips

My Favorite Reads

I hope you enjoyed your long weekend and were able to rest and enjoy time with family and friends!

Starting this week, I’ll share some of my favorite online reads from the previous week.  Usually these will appear on Mondays but because of the holiday, they’re posted today.  Here’s a sampling of some of the online reads I enjoyed the week of May 20, 2013:

{BLOGGING}

3 Tips for Faith Bloggers Regarding Blog Comments by Christian Mommy Blogger

{MINISTRY/LEADERSHIP}

5 Ways We’re Having Fun at Church by Elle Campbell

{women} lead by Amy Dolan

Church Rearranged by Peyton Jones for Leadership Journal

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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!

My Life as a Blogger: One Year Later

Kathie Phillips 4 Comments

For the past year, I have walked down a familiar, yet unfamiliar path.  You see, the path is both familiar and unfamiliar because while I have trusted God in unchartered territory before, this has been a different type of faith journey.  This type of journey would be done so in a very public format.

If you’ve followed me for some time, you know that my entrance into the blogosphere was filled with fear, trembling and trepidation.  (You can read all about that here.)  No one wants to fail but failing in such a public way is even more frightful.

My greatest desire in writing here is to share my Children’s Ministry experiences with others.  This blog has evolved over the course of the year and that has been so exciting to watch.  It has been fun to be creative on my own terms and to learn how to find my own voice in this platform that God has given me.  There are some great blogs out there, but I need to be myself and speak like myself.

Here are a few things I’ve learned along this amazing journey:

  • God has really knock my socks off!  I have had some incredible opportunities and met even more incredible people as a result of this blog.  So much for thinking that no one would read my posts!  But really, it’s amazing how sharing what God places on my heart has blessed people in the ways it has.
  • I can’t be afraid to change things up a bit.  KidMinspiration started out as a blog primarily geared towards Children’s Ministry leaders.  It has grown to now include Children’s Ministry volunteers and parents.  Volunteers and parents are naturally a part of Children’s Ministry, so why not make it accessible to people invested in kidmin?  My writing also tended to include volunteers and parents, so it was a natural progression.
  • Personal stories make me feel more at ease.  One of the best ways for people to know me better is to include personal stories.  Who doesn’t love a story?  In addition to being a kidmin leader, I’m also a wife, mom, daughter, sister and friend so giving you a peek into my life was also a natural progression.
  • Blogging takes time.  Whew – I underestimated how much time it would take to take a blog post from beginning to end.  Answering questions like What will I write about?  When will I sit down to flesh that out?  What type of media should I include?  Have I used too many words?  Or not enough words?  Is it clear and compelling?  For someone who’s not a professional writer, these things can be a little daunting but it’s getting a little easier.
  • There’s a lot to learn about blogging and how to blog well.  There is a plethora of resources out there for bloggers.  I am so grateful to read ways to become a better blogger.  This girl needs all the help I can get!

Thank you so much for being part of my life for the past year.  I honestly didn’t think that I’d last 3 months but God is so good to me.  I am thankful for everyone who reads my words, shares my words and allows my words to impact their life and ministry.  You have blessed me beyond measure.

Here’s to (hopefully) another great year together!  Be blessed!

What has been your favorite KidMinspiration post?  Let me know by commenting below!

From the Archives: Ministry and Motherhood

Kathie Phillips 1 Comment

Note from Kathie:  As Mother’s Day is rapidly approaching, I thought I’d pull a post from my archive to share with you (again).  If you are a KidMin ministry mom, please consider joining my Ministry Moms group on CMConnect.  You can find the group here.

Balancing ministry and motherhood is something that I’ve tried to manage for the seven years that I’ve been on-staff in Children’s Ministry.  It hasn’t always been easy.  Sometimes I feel like I pour too much of myself into my work while neglecting time with my children and vice versa.  Instead of thinking of it as either-or, I have tried to intertwine the two.  Here’s how:

I involve my children in my ministry.  This won’t work for every family (my children are teenagers) but my children actually enjoy being a part of my ministry.  In fact, they call it “our ministry”.  They are able to offer great insight into music choices, games, events and resources.  My little test group, if you will.  Not only does this help me stay relevant and “cool” with the kids at church, but it helps my children feel like valued members of our ministry (which they are).

As a result, I’ve seen them use their gifts and talents.  My son has seen me lead Sunday School and is now a teen small group leader for 6th grader boys at our church.  He not only prepares his lessons ahead of time but he finds ways to shepherd the boys as well as provide an atmosphere of community within the group.  He has also taught me a thing or two about technology (namely how to design a PowerPoint presentation).  My daughter is extremely artistic.  She has helped design brochures as well as sets and bulletin boards.  She has also researched craft projects and has written skits for the children.

I ask their permission before signing them up for events, etc..  I value my children and their need for personal boundaries by not signing them up to help me at events.  I don’t automatically assume that they will be present or fill open slots.  Because of this, they look forward to going to church and volunteer to serve in various ways.

I value their opinion.  When I was presented with a new ministry opportunity last year, I talked it over with my children (and my husband).  Because the opportunity would involve changing churches, their opinion was vital to my decision.  Talking it over with them and getting their insight strengthened our family and helped them to love, not resent, moving to our current church.

I am aware of negative talk about the ministry.  Volunteers don’t show up.  Someone may disagree with a decision I’ve made.  Someone may complain about this or that.  But my children don’t need to hear that.  It’s not their burden to carry.

As often as I can, I take them along with me when I travel for work.  My children are unsung heroes of my ministry, so taking them along with me is a reward for them.  Those trips have been some of the best times we’ve had as a family.

I value them by leaving work at work.  I love Children’s Ministry.  I love to read about it and talk about it.  But I also love my family time and try to protect that at all costs.  Saturdays and Sunday afternoons are reserved for family–movies, good conversation, a delicious meal, a road trip.  Just good, quality time to connect.

Although I love Children’s Ministry, motherhood is my most important ministry.  But having my children integrated into my ministry is the best of both worlds!  I could not imagine ministry life without them! 🙂

If you are a mom in ministry, how do you make it all work?  Share your thoughts below!