family ministry Archives - Kathie Phillips

A Resource Box for Families to Teach God’s Word at Home {Review}

01/11/201608/16/2026 Kathie Phillips

I have noticed a recent trend in ministry resource boxes lately. There are a few out there but today I wanted to share my thoughts on SproutBox.

SproutBox

SproutBox Description (according to their print material):

Launched in September 2015, SproutBox is a monthly box subscription designed to create unforgettable family-based Bible experiences with AR technology, interactive curriculum, and easy-to-follow parent guides to facilitate faith-shaping conversation with your kids (ages 4-10).

Its mission is to help parents and kids engage God’s Word in new creative ways.

My Sample Box

I reviewed the “Creation” theme box, which came with:

step-by-step instructions
a baseball card-size character card
a 20-piece creation puzzle (marked with a number “1”)
an 11-page storybook (marked with a number “2”)
a 7-piece Parents Guide (marked with a number “3”)
a make-your-own flowerpot craft (marked with a number “4”)

Using the resources in the box required four easy steps:

Step One (Captivate)

Before using the box, I needed to download the free SproutBox App. Then I put the creation puzzle together. Next, I opened the SproutBox app, pressing the camera icon and pointing my phone (you could also use your tablet) at the puzzle. What happened next was very cool – the Bible story came to life! Omari, our storyteller, popped up on the screen and told the creation story. The story itself was not too short and not too long, making it work for younger AND older children. Not only did Omari tell the story, but he asked me to be part of it by swiping the screen to see more beautiful images. The images were high-quality – they were colorful and clear. Well done!

Step Two (Explore)

The storybook, called “The Master Plan”, brilliantly told the creation story on a child’s level through the use of simple (but not babyish) language and eye-catching illustrations. The book featured Omari and introduced me to his two friends, Gideon and Danya. Their conversation exchange was simply delightful.

Step Three (Guide)

This step was by far my favorite step. Why? Because it equips parents to continue the conversation beyond the Bible story so that children can apply what they’ve read to their everyday lives. I love that SproutBox provides a resource to make that happen!

The parent guide offers fun activities, Bible readings, discussion questions, and a prayer for parents to use. Not only that but the guide provided a “Did You Know Facts” section. I thought this was brilliant because many parents today didn’t grow up in a Christian household and may not be familiar with the Bible stories they are teaching their children. Outstanding, SproutBox!

Step Four (Experience)

I LOVE hands-on projects for children, especially ones that encourage children to use their imaginations and be creative! The experience provided for the creation box included 3 small cardboard flowerpots, 3 soil pods, seeds, paints, paintbrushes, instructions, and blank note cards. What a great way for the children to create a tangible reminder of the awesomeness and beauty of God’s creation!

My Thoughts

Overall, I think this idea is a great way to equip busy parents to share God’s Word at home with their children. Having everything in one box removes barriers that could keep parents from feeling ill-equipped on what to do and what resources to use.

At $24.99/month, the box could be financially out-of-reach for some families, so I’d recommend that SproutBox include more at-home activities in the Parent Guide. Doing this would stretch the discussions out longer over the course of the month, thus making it more appealing for some parents to pay that amount of money. It would also be great to see some sort of family service project included in the Parent Guide.

Find out more about SproutBox by visiting them on:

Website: http://sproutboxkids.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sproutboxkids

Twitter: @SproutBoxKids

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/sproutboxkids/

Instagram: https://instagram.com/sproutboxkids

Keep the conversation going! Have you used SproutBox Kids or another resource box to help your families or families in your ministry have spiritual conversation at home?

Disclaimer: I was provided a free sample to review and offered my honest opinion without compensation.

16 Books on My 2016 Reading List

01/04/201608/16/2026 Kathie Phillips

2016 reading list

Happy New Year, friends! I hope you’ve had a great (albeit short) start to 2016!

A new year brings so many possibilities, doesn’t it? It’s a time most of us reflect on what we’ve done, what we’d like to do. Many of us aim to do more of this, less of that…

I have always loved to read. Whether for pleasure or professional development, reading has been one of my favorite hobbies since I was a teenager. In 2015, I read more than I have in recent years. Not because I had more time (I didn’t) but because I made it more of a priority. Every day.

One of my goals for 2016 is to continue to feed my soul through books.

“Not all readers are leaders, but all leaders are readers.” ― Harry S. Truman

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I have chosen 16 books to read in 2016:

For The Love by Jen Hatmaker (I started this book in 2015 – looking forward to finishing)

Move: Nine Conversations to Build Your Kids Ministry by Brannon Marshall

Leading & Loving It: Encouragement for Pastors’ Wives and Women in Leadership by Lori Wilhite and Brandi Wilson

Team Up! The Family Ministry Playbook for Partnering with Parents by Phil Bell

Every Child Welcome: A Ministry Handbook for Including Kids With Special Needs by Katie Wetherbee and Jolene Philo

Do Over by Jon Acuff

The Fringe Hours by Jessica Turner

Teams That Thrive by Kal Otis and Michelle Marx

7 Family Ministry Essentials by Michelle Anthony and Megan Marshman

Wholly Kids by LifeWay Kids

The Bee Eater by Richard Whitmire

Dear Mary by Sarah Jakes Roberts

Tweetable Leadership by Jim Wideman

Audacious by Beth Moore

The Effective Executive by Peter Drucker

Your Beautiful Purpose by Susie Larson

What’s on your “To Read” list for 2016? Leave me a comment and let me know!

Valentine’s Day Gift Ideas for Your Volunteers

02/04/201508/16/2026 Kathie Phillips

Wise kidmin leaders know that volunteers are the heartbeat of our ministries. We simply cannot do ministry without them. Celebrating these faithful servants should happen regularly throughout the year but Valentine’s Day is a great time to shower them with love.

This year, our team selected this flip book from Christian Tools of Affirmation (CTA) to show our volunteers how much we appreciate them. We’ll have them available each week throughout the month of February (some of our volunteers only serve once a month, so we didn’t want to overlook anyone.)

In addition, we will do other special appreciation gestures such as special sweet treats and a hot chocolate bar throughout the month of February.

If you’re undecided on how to honor your ministry volunteers this Valentine’s Day, you still have time to pull together a small token of appreciation. Pinterest is a great place to find ideas. To help you out, here are a few of my favorite ideas from the popular website. Most are relatively inexpensive and easy to assemble.

From iheartnaptime

From Orange Blogs

From gift cards, to plants, to food & candy, these 10 ideas are easy, heartfelt and budget-friendly.

Additional ideas from Orange can be round here.

From LifeWay Kids Ministry 101

Five free printable labels to accompany various pre-packaged candies.

From Love The Day

If your volunteers love donut holes as much as ours do, you’ll definitely want this printable to attach to the sweet treats.

From hersheys.com

Who doesn’t love chocolate from Valentine’s Day? Collect small fabric bags with ribbon drawstrings. Let your students fill each bag with chocolate Hershey Hearts and pull the drawstring (or tie the bag with a ribbon). Have the children make small cards that say, “Hugs to you, our wonderful volunteer.” Punch a hole in the corner of each card. Help the child tie the card to the ribbon. Present the candy bags to your volunteers with a word of thanks.

From Group Publishing

This keepsake book for volunteers and teachers weaves encouragement, uplifting Scripture, real stories, and more into a gift that’ll warm their souls—and help keep their enthusiasm for introducing kids to Jesus going strong.

For even more ideas, be sure to check out my Valentine’s Pinterest Board!

How are you celebrating your volunteers for Valentine’s Day? Let me know by leaving a comment below or on our Facebook page!

Free Family Ministry Resources

01/28/201508/16/2026 Kathie Phillips

For the past several months, our Family Ministry staff team has met to brainstorm and process what Family Ministry could look like at our church. Two key elements that remain at the center of our discussions are (1) we believe that parents should be the primary influence in their children’s lives and (2) our role as a church is to come alongside families and equip them to be that primary spiritual influence through intentional programming and resources.

I recently took a look at materials from Be:Kids, a fairly new organization that provides free family devotions to use throughout the week to encourage parents to be involved in discipleship within the home. Be:Kids co-founder Meredith Chapuis asked me to take a look at the free resources that they provide for this purpose.

According to their website, Be:Kids’ mission is to partner with the collective church to raise up the future generation of leaders in our community and around the world by cultivating character and confidence in Christ. To teach children to walk in the light of the truth, be rooted deeply in love, encourage each other, embrace their individuality, and to seek God’s will above all else. Their three goals are:

Equip and Empower Parents To Live On Mission;
Invade Communities With Love; and
Make A Generational Change In Society

There are a few facets to their ministry that I love:

Be: Inspired (Blog)

Their blog encourages parents with scripture, reminders about what’s important and prayers. They also feature real families who share their stories of discipling their children.

Be: Intentional (Devotions)

Each week, a new family devotional plan is published. Included are:

The week’s ‘focus’
A memory verse
Lunch box notes
Conversation starters
An application activity
Scripture passages, brief devotional and prayer

What I love is the action plan that comes with the weekly devotional. Sometimes parents who desire to lead a devotional time with their children don’t always know how to do it. And the printable lunch box notes look amazing!

#Be Box

Click the #Be Box image above to take a peek at what was included in January’s box.

Check out the resources for yourself & tell them Kathie sent ya! You can also connect with Be:Kids to stay informed of new resources when they become available.

Website: http://bekidsmobile.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BEKIDSMOBILE

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BEKIDSMOBILE

Instagram: http://instagram.com/bekidsmobile