December 2014 - KidMinspiration

{From the Archives}: Let Every Heart Prepare Him Room: Jesus, Simply Jesus

12/24/201412/24/2014 Kathie Phillips

“Let every heart prepare Him room…”

“In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, ‘Greetings, you who are highly favored! the Lord is with you.'”

“Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. you will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.”

“‘How will this be,’ Mary asked the angel, ‘since I am a virgin?'”

“The angel answered, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God.'”

“‘I am the Lord’s servant,’ Mary answered. ‘May it be to me as you have said.'” Then the angel left her.

(Luke 1:26-38)

“In those days, Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. [This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.] And everyone went to his own town to register.”

“So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.”

(Luke 2:1-7)

Jesus, Simply Jesus

Merry Christmas!

Free Registration to the New Children’s Ministry Conference!

12/17/201412/17/2014 Kathie Phillips 3 Comments

I opened my inbox this morning and saw an email from my friend Michael Chanley, who is offering a phenomenal opportunity for Children’s Ministry leaders to attend the brand new Children’s Ministry Conference, which will take place in Louisville, KY on April 15-17, 2015.

Here are the details from Michael’s email:

I’ve never been so excited to write an email!

Before Jesus sent out his twelve disciples in Matthew 10, he said to them, “Freely you have received, freely give.” Well, I like to think this principal of generosity was not just for the twelve he sent out. I believe it is also for all of us who follow Him. I’m excited because we have received freely; so, we get an opportunity to give freely!

Last week we sent out an email to let everyone know our early rates had been extended until the end of the year. Now, thanks to the generosity of our sponsors, we have been able to create a code to permit a limited number of people to join us for free. Yep, while supplies last, absolutely 100% of registration costs will be covered!

Free! Free! FREE! Merry Christmas!!!

The challenge I would like to present to YOU is simple:

Will you help us get these free registrations

to the right people?

We want this blessing to go to serve churches in need. It’s not an unlimited offer; so, please, if your church will cover your expenses then we ask you to not use this limited code. If you can’t afford to cover your own travel and lodging, please let someone else take advantage of this opportunity. However, if your church is going through a hard season, your budget has been exhausted or you are under-resourced, this is definitely for you… just act quickly before the free passes are all gone!

Send this message to someone in ministry who might not otherwise be able to get training. Let’s play this blessing forward and, together, serve more churches!

Pray about it… make sure you can be there… then, use this registration code: MATT_TEN8B to get in free… oh… and please let someone else know!

Thanks and Merry Christmas!

Michael Chanley

Executive Director and President of CMConnect Global

Founder of CMConnect

Christmas Memory Book

12/10/201412/10/2014 Kathie Phillips

I am always on the hunt for new resources to supplement our kidmin programming, especially around the holidays. What’s in the Bible?’s new Christmas Memory Book is one that we’ll definitely pull from this year.

The Christmas Memory Book is a 14-page downloadable resource that older children can do on their own or that younger children can complete with help. The variety of activities contained within are Bible-centered, fun, and great for sparking good family conversations. Children will enjoy activities such as:

a Bible scavenger hunt (this is one our elementary students will do)
a Christmas letter to Jesus (this is another one our elementary students will do, especially since our Advent memory verse is displayed on the page)
a Christmas song match game (our preteens will LOVE this one!)
a Christmas memory interview
coloring pages
and more!

Normally priced at $2.99, this great resource is available through 12/18/14 for just $1.99! Don’t let this deal pass you by! Click the picture above to order your instant download today! You can also click below to check out other What’s in the Bible? deals.

The “Buy More, Save More” Deal – Ends tomorrow, 12/11!

The more DVDs you buy, the more you save:

3 DVDs for $20

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5 DVDs for $30

6 DVDs for $35

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(Buy 9 or more and DVDs are only $5.55 each!)

Get “Color or Sing Through the Bible” for only $9.99

The What’s In The Bible? coloring book and Sing Through The Bible singalong DVD make for great introductions to the series and are perfect stocking-stuffers. Buy both together for only $9.99 this week when you use SNOW30 on orders over $30.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas!

12/09/201412/09/2014 Kathie Phillips

Hi friends! Several weeks have passed since I’ve last posted. Like you (I’m sure), we have been busy getting ready for Christmas. Here’s a snippet of what’s been going on in my kidmin world as we’re making final preparations:

For Everyone

Our Worship Arts department selected “For Everyone” as our theme & sermon series for Advent. We are learning how Jesus came for EVERYONE. Each year our Children’s Ministry provides Advent devotionals for our families, so we wanted to try our best to factor this theme into our decision regarding our selection. Originally, the theme of “Born for the World” was tossed around, so we chose one that fit that theme (even though it was reworded to “For Everyone”). We landed on this devotional from Creative Communications. We have heard a few parents tell us this was the best Advent devotional we’ve selected so far. Yay!

Deck the Halls

On the first Sunday in Advent (Sunday, November 30th), my church held an all-church event where our entire congregation (including children) were invited to come out to decorate the church, make crafts (including an Advent wreath) and enjoy a meal together. Started last year, Deck the Halls is one of the few all-church events we offer throughout the year and it’s so much fun!

Sunday Programming

All of our kidmin Sunday programming for Christmas will obviously center around the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. For younger children (toddlers & preschoolers), the lessons will be simple, as this might be the first time many of them hear about the Christmas story. Since many of our older children (elementary students and preteens) have heard the Christmas story before, we are being intentional about helping them personalize the story in a different way, while having lots of fun of course. I’ve incorporated some ideas from ideas I’ve collected on Pinterest. You can check out my kidmin Advent & Christmas board here. There are over 230 ideas!

Worship Time

Each year, our Pre-K children – 5th graders lead the worship for our family Christmas Eve services, so on each Sunday during Advent (during their regularly scheduled kids’ worship time), they practice the songs they will sing. This year, we added our 3 year-olds to our worship time and they are just precious. Songbooks, CDs and a video showing the motions are provided to families so that children can rehearse at home.

Christmas Eve Services

Every year, our church holds four (4) Christmas Eve services, with the first two being designed for families. Children’s Ministry works closely with our Worship Arts department to plan and implement these two services, which will include: