Home Archive by category "Children’s Ministry" (Page 76)

Category: Children’s Ministry

What’s Your Excuse?

Barbara Baker and Karl Bastian The highlight of my CPC this year was getting to see Barbara Baker again. I always keep an eye out for her. She is one of my favorite CPC “Regulars”. During the conference, INCM asked some of the speakers and bloggers to make some time to be interviewed for the INCM website throughout the year.  However, I told INCM’s Executive Director Michael Chanley they should interview Barb! She is living proof that you are never too old to be creatively reaching and teaching kids! We crossed paths for years until I finally stopped to meet her. (It seemed like I only saw her going the other way on  escalators!) When I first talked to her, she surprised me by asking for advice on how to incorporate a remote Internet audience of children she would be broadcasting her VBS to in the summer. I taught her how to use Ustream.tv to share her VBS over the Internet and she went home and did it! Now that’s one cutting edge lady! Now she tells me, at age 67, that she has just gotten an Amazon Kindle and is learning how to use it! She’s been struggling with…

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Disney Models Making the Most of a Bad Situation

I just got home from a week at Walt Disney World after CPC Orlando. I was lucky enough to be at Magic Kingdom the same day as the President of the United States! (or was I?) When we entered the main gates we discovered that Main Street was closed to normal low class citizens such as myself and my family: A nice wall said, “You are not important enough to get to see Main Street today.” (See the metal detector door?) Secret Service agents and other White House personnel roamed around where we were unable to go. So how were we to get to the rides? We had to enter through a side gate and go around the ugly backstage of Main Street… not the best of circumstances… right? But leave it to Disney to make a bad situation into something fun and unique! Too bad a camera doesn’t capture sound (Apple, are you working on that?) There was lively music playing, employees with Micky gloves on waving us through, giant flags and floats from the parades to see. Disney took what could have been a very negative situation and made it into something fun and festive! They even set…

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Help Me Give An iPad to a Boy with Autism

RAISED SO FAR: $405 (Just crossed the half way point! Thanks!) I’m looking for Children’s Pastors and Volunteers who would be willing to help me give an iPad and some special software to a five year old boy whose family has a real need for this. It could change his life. Meet Brook. Brook is a lively little boy who can only say a few words – one of which is “God’s House,” which he prefers to say instead of “church” – but for the most part is unable to speak and therefore communication with his sister and mom is very difficult. His mom has learned about the difference an iPad and some special apps could make in his life – and have tried out a few on an iPhone, and can see that it would be very helpful – but buying one is an obstacle that is out of reach for their family. As I learned of this need through a family member, and then met this mom and boy, I thought this could be a wonderful way for my network of kidmin friends to show the love of Jesus to this little boy. If you would like to…

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Kidmin Toolkit – WINNER and LIST!

You may remember awhile back, I did a post called Kidmin Toolkit, and it got WAY over 50 comments and a lot of interaction! It was a lot of fun! Well, it took awhile to compile all the responses and pick a WINNER – but that original post has been UPDATED with both the winner and PDFs and WORD documents with all the submissions in a list, so you can compile your very own Kidmin Toolkit and BE READY for the next time you suddenly get called to go teach or serve and have no time to plan or pack or prepare – just grab your Kidmin Toolkit and GO! GO THERE NOW – to see WHO WON, and download the TOOLKIT LISTS! Leave your NEW COMMENTS HERE, rather then there. I’m especially interested in whether anyone actually creates their Kidmin Toolkit. If you do, send me a picture and I will post it here in this thread! E-mail to karl at kidmintalk.com as I will probably end up talking about this on KidminTalk soon! GO!

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Thoughts and Feedback on the Kids Church Cookbook

Writing the Kid’s Church Cookbook was one of the biggest undertakings I’ve ever done. It was bigger than the Order of the Ancient novel, since it required design work and layout involvement that was much more intense, and bigger than the Kidology Handbook since not only is it over 100 pages longer, but it involved me filming seven complete training videos in a custom kitchen studio all while it was closed over a Christmas break… it was an insane time. I won’t even bother typing all that involved, crazy story best saved for telling in person. While it took over two years to get the editing done, the filming was all done in just 3-4 days almost non-stop without sleep! This post was inspired by some encouraging words I just got from a Kidology member named Martin Maynard, which I thought I’d share, in case you’ve been considering picking it up: (I edited to shorten and leave some stuff out.) Karl, the reason I am writing is your Kids Church Cookbook is the best training I have ever come across in my years of reading and studying. I appreciate what you are doing through Kidology, what an amazing site.  I…

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