fall Archives - Kathie Phillips

Happy September! We are approaching my favorite time of year (fall) and I couldn’t be more thrilled! We’re also winding down my busiest time of year (February – September), and I am ready for a little bit of a slower pace. With our ministry year kick-off happening in just a few weeks, I still have quite a bit of a workload to work through before that can happen. In fact, some of what I’m working on is carrying over from last month.

Here’s what I’m currently working on:

Finishing September Curriculum Edits

I am a little behind on this, but since our program year starts post-Labor Day, I do have a little bit of time to finish (and I mean a very little bit).

Promotion Sunday

On September 13th, we’re promoting our kids to the next class based on their age or grade, so we’re busy making final preparations for that. (Here’s a more detailed look at how we prepare.)

Meeting With My Key Leadership Team

Last month, I shared how I’m building a leadership team called “Team Champions”. The team is complete and our first meeting is scheduled for this Sunday. We’ll review our purpose, dream about the future, look at the next three months’ curriculum themes, and brainstorm how we’d like to bring those themes to life. I’ll share more details in a future post about who is on the team and a few goals I have for us.

Meeting With Our Spiritual Formation Director

One of my key roles as Next Gen Director is to provide families with opportunities for connection and spiritual formation. Each year, I meet with our Community Life/Spiritual Formation Director to brainstorm classes/workshops that would be beneficial to families with kids and students. This has looked different over the years, but since we have a new Spiritual Formation Director, this is all brand new to her. I’m looking forward to putting our brains together!

Supporting Our 6th Graders as They Transition Into Student Ministry

Helping our 6th graders successfully transition into student ministry is one of the ways our Next Gen staff team collaborates, so my presence at our 6th grade move up event is important. I’ll have a pretty low-key role, but being a familiar face to students and their grown-ups helps to make the transition go as seamlessly as possible.

I’m sure your September to-do list is just as long (if not longer) than mine! Now it’s your turn. What are you working on this month?

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.