Skip to main content

Tag: kidmin

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

Kathie Phillips 6 Comments

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

Kathie Phillips

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

Engage Conference: Workshop Notes

Kathie Phillips

Yesterday, I posted notes from the three main sessions that Sue Miller led at the Engage Conference, which took place this past weekend in Mechanicsburg, PA.  You can read about that here.

Today I wanted to share a little bit about one of the workshops that I attended.  It was fantastic and very hands on!

Instructing Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) in Children’s Ministry

This workshop was led by a Messiah College Professor and three of her students.  I took this workshop because I wanted to equip my volunteers to better serve children in our ministry with ASD.  This workshop had two objectives:

  1. Help us classify 3 types of learners
  2. Demonstrate multiple instructional strategies through the use of “make and takes”
When we arrived, there were goodie bags for each participant in the center of each table.

Our schedule for the workshop

The young women began our workshop by defining autism and identifying three (3) types of learners:  auditory, kinesthetic/tactile and visual.  We learned how each learner learns best and strategies to use in helping each type of learner learn.

Auditory learners learn best through verbal input.  One strategy you can try is classroom positioning.  Have the child sit or stand close to the teacher.

Kinesthetic/tactile learners learn best through their body, hands and sense of touch.  One strategy you can try is by bringing in sensory manipulatives.  We made one in class by filling an uninflated balloon with rice and tying off the balloon.  (The balloon and rice were provided for us in our goodie bag.)

Visual learners learn best through written word or pictures.  There are two strategies that you can try:

  1. Use picture cards (laminated on a ring) to flash to the children when you need them to get refocused.  You could also flash a card to let them know what’s coming up without having to say it aloud.  I thought this idea was brilliant.
Reminder cards

2. The “First/Then” strategy shows an expectation followed by something preferred.  “First we’ll…then we’ll…”  Keep in mind that you must follow through with what you say.  Otherwise, this strategy will become ineffective.

First/Then laminated card

The great news is that many strategies shared in this workshop were not only geared toward children with ASD–they could be used for every child!

Have you found a particular strategy that has helped you have success in the classroom?   If so, share here!

The Engage Conference Did Not Disappoint!

Kathie Phillips

I love being with fellow kidmin leaders.  I always seem to walk away feeling more energized and more convinced that this is indeed what God as called me to do.  This past weekend, I attended the Engage Conference in Mechanicsburg, PA.  While this was my first time attending the conference, I looked forward to all that I would learn and experience.  I was not disappointed.

The conference’s main speaker was Sue Miller, formerly of Willow Creek Community Church and currently on staff at ReThink (who publishes First Look and 252 Basics curriculum).  Sue led three main sessions, highlighting (1) what’s new in children’s ministry, (2) having difficult conversations, and (3) sustaining yourself health as a leader.  Here are some highlights of each session:

Session 1:  What’s New Now

  • 25% of people think Sundays are for church, while 75% think Sundays are for other things.
  • We need to think differently in how we plan to reach these families.  How will we reach them if they’re not in church?  1 Peter 3:15 calls us to show love first.  Consider doing a focus group from the non-traditional families at your church to find out how we can better reach them and serve them.
  • Kids today are growing up in a smart phone world.  Smart phones have made it possible for us to take the world with us everywhere we go.  How are we using social media?  How can high school and/or college students help us think of new ways to use social media?
  • We should brainstorm how we can use social media to (1) cue parents–help them disciple their kids; (2) inspire kids; and (3) rally volunteers.

Session 2:  Difficult Conversations

  • People want to be led by a new breed of leaders, leaders who are caring, authentic, willing to respect others’ ideas, able to lead change and able to navigate conflict.
  • We are called to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15).
  • Speak–Don’t avoid difficult conversations.  Decide to resolve the problem, remembering to attack the problem, not the person.  Confront the problem.  Take the time to do the process right.
  • The Truth–Remember HOW you communicate makes all the difference.  Lose the defensiveness.  Say what you need to say and own what you need to own.  The most loving thing you can do for your volunteers is to help them be equipped for what God has called them to.
  • In Love–Go to the right person.  Keep in mind that reconciliation is the goal–it’s not about winning.  Honor the process.

Session 3:  In It For the Long Haul

Say “no” to things graciously so that you can say “yes” to things purposefully.

Non-negotiables for you and your team:

  • Rest (allow an emotional margin to decompress).
  • Recreation
  • Friends who are life-giving
  • Refill your spiritual tank

The biggest challenge comes in leading yourself.

In addition to the main sessions, the conference offers an assortment of workshops that you can take advantage of.  I’ll share highlights from the ones I attended tomorrow.

If you live in the mid-Atlantic region, this is a conference that you and your team should attend together next year.  You won’t regret it!

Did you attend the Engage Conference?  What did you take away from it?

error: Content is protected !!