planning Archives - KidMinspiration

What I’m Working On This Month

10/04/201910/04/2019 Kathie Phillips

Here’s What’s Happening In October!

After a very busy September (Promotion Sunday, Volunteer Kick-Off Party, and our 1st Preschool Family Experience for the new year), October looks to be a much more laid back month. However, there are some things that I’m looking forward to!

CURRICULUM

Each month, I edit our curriculum to fit our needs. During this process, we inventory our supplies and order any needed supplies. Thankfully, this month we had most of the supplies we needed! I did order these for our preschoolers, who are learning that God can help them be brave. Each preschooler will get to wear one home on the last Sunday of the month. I’m also excited that our preschoolers will hear one of my favorite Bible stories.

EVENTS

This month, we are celebrating one of our milestone events, 2nd Grade Bible Presentations. Each 2nd grader will receive a Bible (we present these) along with a handwritten note from one of our pastors. A few years ago, we moved this celebration to each of our worship services, which has allowed the entire congregation to celebrate with these precious kids and their families.

We are also preparing for another milestone celebration, our 3-week Communion Class. I will share more about that next month.

OUTREACH

One other thing I’m excited about is that our children (ages 2 – 5th grade) will get to be part of our all-church outreach focus – our annual clothing drive. Kids will be encouraged to be neighborhood heroes (which fits perfectly into our preschool superhero theme for October) by donating and collecting clothes for the giveaway. Our elementary children will help sort donations as part of their missions-emphasis Sunday next week. We love having our entire church be part of a missions project!

FREELANCE PROJECTS

In addition to my ministry work, I am working on a few freelance projects – writing preschool lessons for a curriculum company and writing devotions for a Children’s Ministry publication. I can’t wait to share more about these projects soon!

My second round of my online class through Institute for Discipleship begins next week. I will be teaching class #2 in their kidmin cohort, which will cover teaching theology to kids. It was a great class this past spring, and I’m hopeful for another positive experience.

That’s what’s happening in my neck of the woods. What are you up to this month? Let me know by leaving me a comment below!

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No More Manic Mondays!

04/09/201804/09/2018 Kathie Phillips

Mondays don't have to be manic! Here's what my Mondays look like like and how it sets me up for a productive week!

Mondays. The day of the week many people dread for various reasons. However, for many others, Mondays offer a start to accomplish new goals and gives a fresh perspective to tackle the week ahead and allows. You either love ’em or you hate ’em.

Mondays don’t have to be manic. They can be magnificent!

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Today, I’m sharing a peek into what my Mondays typically look like. These seven tasks help me to start my week off on the right foot. While I don’t do every single thing below every Monday, this gives you a general idea of what I block Mondays out for.

FOLLOW UP WITH NOTES FROM SUNDAY

Each Sunday, I carry a clipboard (yes, I’m very old school – I am a ‘pen and paper’ type of gal) with my Sunday volunteer list and blank paper. I make notes of any upcoming volunteer absences, school performances, special occasions/milestones, prayer requests, supply needs, etc. If I don’t write it down, I forget! On Mondays, I transfer these notes to my daily planner and follow-up accordingly.

FOLLOW UP WITH VOLUNTEERS WHO CALLED OUT

Like any kidmin leader knows, rarely a Sunday goes by without a volunteer calling out unexpectedly due to illness (or the illness of a child), traveling or last-minute emergencies. I follow-up with an email or text, asking for any updates on how they’re feeling, if I can bring a meal, how I might help, etc. I want my volunteers to know that I truly care about them and that I miss them when they’re not able to serve.

UPDATE THIS WEEKEND’S VOLUNTEER SCHEDULE

Each Monday, I update my volunteer schedule to reflect those who are serving for the upcoming weekend. This is especially helpful early in the week because I can identify serving opportunities (not “slots” or “holes”) quickly and know exactly what our needs are. Doing this early in the week also saves me those unexpected surprises and scrambling at the last-minute.

INVEST IN MY LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

In order to grow as a leader, I have to invest in myself. This could include reading books/blogs/articles, listening to podcasts, viewing webinars or meeting with another leader. By blocking out this time each week, I am able to invest in myself so that I can pour into others. See some of my favorite books here and my favorite magazines, websites, social media networks and podcasts here.

MEET WITH VOLUNTEERS AND/OR PARENTS

It is very important for me to spend time with my volunteers and parents outside of Sunday morning. Nothing makes the beginning of a busy week better than grabbing coffee, breakfast or lunch with a volunteer or parent. Doing this in a relaxed setting allows for us to have great conversations and get to know each other better. (*Note: this is typically ‘issue’-free. We meet on Mondays just for fun and fellowship.)

CURRICULUM EDITING

Honestly, this is one of my favorite parts of my week. I love seeing ‘raw’ curriculum become ‘live’ curriculum that I’ll get to see in real-time! I’ll share my process for editing our curriculum in a future post, but when I sit down to edit, I edit for the entire month/unit so that I can (1) get an overview for the entire month, (2) set a cohesive tone for the entire month, (3) build on each week based on the previous week, and (4) purchase any needed supplies in one order.

SCHEDULE SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS

I schedule all of our social media posts (Facebook, Twitter and Instagram) for the entire month on the first Monday of each month. This saves me a HUGE amount of time and gives me one less thing to think about.

TOOLS I USE TO GET THE JOB DONE

Google Docs – I use this to keep track of who is serving when and where – this is a great tool because any necessary changes are made in real-time and I’m able to share the document with others on my team.

Hootsuite – This program allows me to schedule all of my social media posts for the entire month. Not only can I do this from my computer, but I can use their app on the go. Very flexible and very easy to use!

2018 At-A-Glance – Yes, I still use a paper planner, mainly because I take great joy in actually checking things off of my to-do list! This planner is one of my favorites.

Keep the conversation going by leaving a comment: What do your Mondays look like?

It’s almost time for VBS!

07/10/201407/10/2014 Kathie Phillips

For the past 5 months, we have been planning for this year’s VBS, which we affectionately refer to as Summer Bible Camp (SBC). Like previous years, we selected Group’s Holy Land VBS, Wilderness Escape. The intensity in prepping has picked up significantly as SBC is close – we kick off on Monday!

Let’s talk numbers for a bit just so that you can get an idea of what’s involved:

17 leadership teams
25 leadership team members
235 campers (rising K – rising 6th Grade)
45 infants, toddlers and preschoolers (children of our volunteers – we provide a scaled-back, age-appropriate SBC for our preschoolers)
>200 volunteers (students & adults)

This week, it’s an all-hands-on-deck approach for the entire church staff:

Our facilities team is prepping the building and helping with take-down, set-up, moving tables and chairs, etc.
Our worship arts department is prepping for our daily ‘Celebration’ times as well as Friday night Celebration Service for volunteers, campers and their families.
Our communications department is printing materials, ordering larger signage, and updating the website and Sunday morning announcements.
Our missions department is helping to coordinate our outreach project for the week.

Our leadership teams are:

Reviewing (and reviewing and reviewing!) notes, shopping lists, supply lists, email, voicemail…lots of details to oversee!
Making last-minute purchases
Gathering supplies
Meeting with team members to review logistics
Conducting rehearsals
Processing last-minute registrations
Reviewing volunteer assignments and making last-minute adjustments as needed
Drawing set-up maps in preparation for Sunday afternoon’s set-up

What about me, the SBC Director? All things considered, I’m relatively calm. (Don’t tell anyone, but I’ve even found time to read for the past few evenings!) This week, my primary concern is being available to my leadership team leaders. I have tried to clear my afternoon schedule to be available for team leaders who need closets unlocked, come in to gather supplies, have questions/concerns/a need for hugs and encouraging words, etc. Our leaders have been working so hard that I get pleasure from supporting them and equipping them to lead well.

Here are just a few pics of what we’ve been up to. We won’t reveal too much now – you’ll have to check back next week for more!

Our mountain backdrop - it looks AMAZING - I can't wait to see it up! — Our mountain backdrop – it looks AMAZING – I can’t wait to see it up!

Who knew that electric Christmas lawn reindeer could become wilderness sheep?

Each camper will receive a bag with these items

We’d surely appreciate your prayers as we serve next week – come back next week for daily updates and more pictures!

Summer Lovin’: 10 Tips to Help You Prepare for Fall

07/24/201307/24/2013 Kathie Phillips

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.