2020 Halfway Checkpoint

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]We're just about halfway through the year 2020. Have you seen those memes about how 2020 has gone so far? Here are some of my favorites...[/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image="34544" img_size="full" alignment="center"][vc_single_image image="34545" img_size="full" alignment="center"][vc_single_image image="34546" img_size="full" alignment="center"][vc_single_image image="34547" img_size="full" alignment="center"][vc_single_image image="34549" img_size="full" alignment="center"][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]These make me smile, but what a tough and strange year it's been (and I think we've all felt like Chandler at some point)! When God put the word "change" on my heart as my word for 2020, I had no idea how much things would change! I expected the changes that would come with life...

Return-To-Worship FAQs

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]As you return to in-person worship services, your families probably have a lot of questions about what that means for their kids. Use this list of frequently-asked-questions about returning to worship to help communicate the changes with your families. Post these FAQs on your church website, as social media posts (download a set of editable pre-made Canva templates here), and/or in email communications with your families.[/vc_column_text][vc_btn title="Download the FAQs list here! " align="center" link="url:https%3A%2F%2Fdeeperkidmin.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2020%2F06%2FDeeper-KidMin-Return-to-Worship-FAQs-Freebie.pdf||target:%20_blank|"][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width="1/2"][vc_single_image image="34461" img_size="full" alignment="center" onclick="custom_link" img_link_target="_blank"...

Be a Traffic Light Ministry

One of the churches in my area, 12Stone Church, proposed a simple but profound analogy for talking about COVID-19 with its members and community. In the notes from their May 2020 message, they explain: A Traffic Light Green Light - Go Yellow Light - Proceed with caution Red Light - Stop There are 3 different groups of people and how they view COVID-19. Green Light - Don't wear mask or use hand sanitizer. Believes we should not shut down everything. Let people decide their own risk. Green will immediately return to church with no worries. Yellow Light - Believes there is a reason to be cautious and will abide by the rules set - will wear a mask and will obey social distancing. Yellow will return to church but not immediately. Red Light - Those who are afraid to leave their homes because the risk is not worth it. Red...

Encouragement Challenge for Kids

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]With all that's going on in the world these days, we could use a bit of encouragement (and if you need some yourself, be encouraged here). Summer is a great time to help kids practice the discipline of encouragement![/vc_column_text][vc_btn title="Download the Encouragement Challenge Here!" align="center" link="url:https%3A%2F%2Fdeeperkidmin.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2020%2F06%2FDKM-Encouragement-Challenge-Grow-Like-Jesus-Freebie.pdf||target:%20_blank|"][vc_column_text]Print or email copies of the pages in the freebie, share with your families, and challenge kids to encourage others and "fill up their hearts" this summer.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width="1/2"][vc_column_text] This freebie is an excerpt from the Grow Like Jesus Summer Growth Plan, a self-guided growth program that...

Encouragement for the Worn Out KidMin Leader

Usually, you're worn out by now because of all the excitement and energy that goes into prepping (or completing) VBS, but this summer, you might be exhausted for a completely different reason. Maybe you've finally got the hang of the technology you need to host Zoom calls and FaceBook Lives, but that doesn't mean it takes any less energy to be engaging over video. Maybe you feel like your creativity is spent when it comes to games that are Zoom-friendly. (We can help with that! See our best online-friendly games here.) Maybe you're wrestling with your own understanding of racial injustice and aren't sure how to equip your families to move toward racial reconciliation too. Maybe you're driving all over town to deliver Summer Fun Packs to every family since you can't yet meet in person. Maybe you're in the midst of reopening and...

To The Best POP Father’s Day Printable

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Summertime means Father's Day, and you can use this printable to give a little gift to the men in your church this summer season! Hand out the gifts during service, offer them at a drive-through service, or make a few runs to deliver them right to your families' front doors! See other resources for Summer 2020 here.[/vc_column_text][vc_btn title="Download the Father's Day Printable Here!" align="center" link="url:https%3A%2F%2Fdeeperkidmin.com%2Fproduct%2Fto-the-best-pop-fathers-day-printable%2F|target:_blank"][vc_column_text]Print the freebie on cardstock, cut out the circles, and attach to a bag of popcorn or a can/bottle of soda using ribbon or tape. For the popcorn, tie them around an unpopped bag or even a gourmet bag of popcorn like these. For the soda, purchase a variety of different sodas and just tie the...

Summer Resources for Your Children’s Ministry

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Summer 2020 will probably look different than any other summer in kidmin. Here are some resources to help you connect with your families, whether you're able to meet in person or not.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width="1/2"][vc_single_image image="32588" img_size="full" alignment="center" onclick="custom_link" img_link_target="_blank" link="https://deeperkidmin.com/product/grow-like-jesus-summer-growth-plan-for-kids/"][vc_custom_heading text="Grow Like Jesus: Summer Growth Plan for Kids" font_container="tag:h2|text_align:center" use_theme_fonts="yes" link="url:https%3A%2F%2Fdeeperkidmin.com%2Fproduct%2Fgrow-like-jesus-summer-growth-plan-for-kids%2F||target:%20_blank|"][vc_column_text]Grow Like Jesus is a self-guided, choose-your-own-adventure summer growth plan that gives children...

Summer Fun Packs Details & Links Freebie

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Earlier this week, we shared about how our mission partners at Path Project are creating Summer Fun Packs for the kids in their various communities. As promised, here is a freebie of their plans with all the links and details so you can create your own Summer Fun Packs for the kids in your ministry too![/vc_column_text][vc_btn title="Click here to download the plans!" align="center" link="url:https%3A%2F%2Fdeeperkidmin.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2020%2F05%2FDKM-Path-Project-Summer-Fun-Kits-2020.pdf||target:%20_blank|"][vc_column_text]This freebie gives you a full month's worth of weekly summer goodies for your kids that will help them connect with the church and their family. And let's be honest, parents will thank you for providing something for the kids to do! Use the ideas and links in the download as...

Resources for Talking With Kids About Race

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Racism is a sin. In an episode of The Kids Ministry Collective Podcast, Mahogany Dudley-Finley labels racism for what it is: a sin. She encourages children's ministry leaders to recognize that and then approach teaching about racism the same way we teach children about other sins. (Listen to the full podcast episode here.) As we examine our own hearts regarding racism and equip the families we lead to do the same, here are some resources to facilitate conversations and change on a personal, communal, and global level:[/vc_column_text][vc_tta_accordion][vc_tta_section title="Resources to Share with Families" tab_id="1591196869353-de23a9f8-e82a"][vc_column_text] Resource Roundup - An entire blog post about talking with kids about race including developmental studies (babies as young as 6 months notice...

Summer Fun Packs from the Path Project

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Because you chose to download resources from us here at Deeper KidMin in May, we were able to support our mission partners, Path Project, in their special Summer Fun Packs initiative! Like many of us, Path Project usually has camps, retreats, and more during the summer, which have all been canceled this year. So they created the Summer Fun Packs as a way to provide kids with resources to stay connected and have fun! We used a portion of our May sales to sponsor a Summer Fun Pack for 8 different kids in the Buford, Georgia community. THANK YOU for helping us make that possible!  I was so excited to donate 8 Summer Fun Packs, and the more I looked into them, the more I thought, "Well hey, that's a fun idea for children's ministry leaders too!" So I reached out to the community director of the Buford location...