Home Archive by category "Children’s Ministry" (Page 106)

Category: Children’s Ministry

New, Revised, Expanded! The Kidology Handbook!

Whew! It finally happened at 6:27 p.m. today! After literally years of work, the NEW, REVISED, and GREATLY EXPANDED Kidology Handbook is NOW LIVE for pre-order in the Kidology Online Store! Not only is the Kidology Handbook GREATLY expanded – it now includes a short but practical LAB ASSIGNMENT at the end of each chapter to help you put what you learn into practice so you will see the changes in your ministry as a result. And if that wasn’t enough, there’s MORE! The ALL NEW Kidology Handbook is ALSO an Audio Book! That’s right, you can download and print the 143 page PDF for your personal self study guide, but you can also listen to the book in your car, on your iPod, or while you are biking, cooking, doing laundry or mowing the lawn if you want! The entire book is read by yours truly (me) so you auditory learners can benefit as well. It’s practical training “on the go” for busy teachers! AND (yes, it gets better) because it is a dual-function CD with data and audio, you are not limited by the restrainsts of a print book! For an additional fee you can purchase the rights…

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Children’s Pastor Videos

Just wanted to share these awesome videos made by children’s pastors. The first is from the blog of Sam Luce who creatively demonstrates the value of a local church investing in children’s ministry, and the second video is by Tim Balogh, one of my best friends, a Kidology trainer and former Kidology staff, who gives an introduction to his children’s ministry on his website. ENJOY, and BE INSPIRED! Sam’s Video: Tim’s Video: Do you have a great children’s ministry video? I’d love to see it and share it for others to be inspired!

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What’s Your Puppet Team’s Name?

I visited I-Fest last week for a couple of days and had a lot of fun. (so did my car) I already posted my first impressions, so today I wanted to post some of the pictures of the different puppet teams, as well as a flash video of one of the interviews I did while I was there! It was so cool to see these groups of young people having a great time at an event that is training them for ministry! These guys are obviously having fun! And how can you miss this group? Even in a classroom they stand out! Here is the back of their shirts with their name. So many of them had a biblical source for their name too. This dude is just too cool! And has “glory fingers” And the HUG Puppets stand for: I’ve heard of teams called “Uplifted Hands” and saw one that said “Talk to the Hand” These shirts aren’t from a team, they were for sale, and I was going to buy one and forgot! DOH! What would name a puppet team? Does your team have a name? Leave a comment here, or if you are a Kidology member, comment…

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Live from iFest 2007

As I write this I am at One Way Street‘s iFest Conference. (International Festival of Puppetry & Ventriloquism) I’m here for just two days of the week long conference to report on this event for Kidology. I will be publishing a full report on Kidology.org soon in the Kidology Reports Zone, but here are a few teaser pictures and an EXCITING VIDEO at the end! iFest is a great place to meet other people who love puppets! And BUY cool new puppets! (I will be posting my favorites!) And bring your puppet team (these teens are from Texas!) And eat great food! (Chicken Sandwhich and fries, TWO pieces of pizza and TWO cups of Dew…. Oh Yeah, I love this conference!)   The highlight of the evening was getting to see the Black Light Competition in the evening. (There will be highlights via video in the Kidology Report on iFest) But then I got a big surprise! I was invited to compete in the Sport Stacking competition in the dark by Norm Hewitt, and won the first stack meet with four contestants, and then later, there was a second “semi-final” with four more, who all turned out to be kids.…

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Beautiful Dandy Kid Lions

Sunday afternoon we went on a picnic with some family friends we haven’t seen in awhile. Their dad wandered off at one point and returned with a GIANT dandy lion for his daughter. I have never seen one so big! Here is a ‘very dramatic’ girl holding the bundle of seedlings. (taken with my iPhone by the way, and edited in iPhoto) As I had fun do doing some effects to this picture, I couldn’t help thinking how much the dandy lion and my little friend have in common. Both are full of tons of potential that won’t truly be discovered until they are set free to go wherever the Lord blows them. Once blown way, this beautiful puff of seeds will soon give life to many others once it finds its place and begins to grow, though right now, there is no way to know where those plants will be. Likewise, this beautiful girl will also someday produce fruit in ways and places that only God knows right now. I know mom and dad aren’t eager for the day she is ‘grown up’ (neither am I!) but it is comforting to know that when that time comes, wherever God…

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How Important Are Kids… Really?

Most churches claim to value children… but few actually do where it counts. A friend recently sent me to this blog post, and I thought it was fantastic, so I am re-posting a part of it here for feedback. (italics is quoted) These questions are good food for thought for those who claim to value children and/or children’s ministry in their church: Are your kids’ rooms painted beige, so they can be “multi-purpose”? (preferring to be attractive to adults who may share them) Could you answer specific questions about the curriculum in your kids’ rooms? Do you believe it’s the parents’ job to lead their kids to Christ, while they assume it’s the church’s? Have you addressed this disconnect? Does your children’s ministry struggle to get and keep passionate volunteers? Even if you can list the activities you offer children, can you show how they support your desired outcomes? Do staff salaries/prestige increase in proportion to the age of the people they serve? Are your children’s ministers regularly challenged to update their strategies? Can they demonstrate a healthy return on resource investment? Are you satisfied with merely “entertained kids” and “satisfied parents”? GOOD QUESTIONS! Thank you Kendra Golden for these questions.…

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