Middle School Ministry Podcast

Sunday Morning Squirrels:Last Sunday of the year! I know. We take a two-week break, one before and one after Christmas. This lets us prepare for the New Year and gives our students and parents a breather.But!This week we wrapped up our Christmas series and it was a lot of fun!Countdown Video:Ridiculous Christmas VideoWe did it again. A silly video just for the lol's. You can enjoy it too by downloading above!Games:In Other News - Christmas EditionEasy game for the Christmas season! We had students move from one side of the room to the other. Not technical, but fun nonetheless! If a student got it wrong, they had to sit down. When we got down to the last few, we brought them up on stage.Rhymes with ChristmasFunny game that we had two girls play with dry erase boards. It worked well!Songs:Hark the Herald Angels SingWhat Child Is ThisBible Study:We're on week six of my series "Son of God, Son of Man" that you can download from DYM by clicking here. The last week focuses on the shepherds who heard the good news and then went to go tell others!Main Idea:Jesus came to save us! Let's praise Him!Scripture:Luke 2:8-22Resources:One month free Sidekick and DYM Gold Member Access: Click here!

This week, Michelle and Ronald talk about Ronald's Disciple Now weekend and how it went. The event is a stay in host homes retreat with worship at the church. Everything went really well! Here's a few of the lesson's learned:Anyone of any age can volunteer to help with student ministry! Just give them the right job.You can change up an annual event and have it go really well! Don’t' be afraid.Students get EXCITED for their first retreat!Take feedback on retreats seriously. Change what needs to be changed!Mentioned on the podcast: DYM Community Facebook GroupGot a middle school ministry question?Email talkingsquirrelspodcast@gmail.comNeed student ministry resources?Check out www.downloadyouthministry.comDo you listen to the Podcast? Consider leaving a review of the podcast!Social Media:InstagramTwitterFacebook

Sunday Morning Squirrels:I feel like this Sunday was the LEAST crazy we've had in a while. Good energy. Great student participation. All in all, a very nice Sunday indeed!Countdown Video:Ridiculous Christmas VideoTis the season to be silly. This video was just to watch Christmas fails. It was a hit!Games:Will It Burn - Christmas EditionHonestly, my students love these games! Something about fire I guess. We had them move from one side of the room to the other to guess it things burned in this large group game!Christmas Song Emoji ChallengeThis was a pretty good game! My students struggled with some of them, but they worked it all out in the end! We had four students come up to the stage and write their answers on a whiteboard. The winner got to draw from the Box of Fun!Songs:Silent NightO Come All Ye FaithfulBible Study:We're on week five of my series "Son of God, Son of Man" that you can download from DYM by clicking here. This week we saw the birth of Jesus! The baby God is born to Mary and Joseph, just as God had planned.  This. Changes. Everything!Main Idea:God is always with us!Scripture:Luke 2:1-7Resources:One month free Sidekick and DYM Gold Member Access: Click here!

Sunday Morning Squirrels:Whew! Our crazy weekend event is over and Christmas season is finally here! Can't wait to get back in the saddle and back to ministry! This Sunday we had all the Thanksgiving leftovers you could ask for and lots of Christmas fun!Countdown Video:Slow Motion Water BalloonIt didn't make sense. It was just funny. Sometimes, that's okay.Games:1 2 3 LookThis was an attempt at a crowd game. It was alright, but a bit confusing at first. Everyone pairs up, and students decide who looks and who points. You say "1 2 3 Look" and each person chooses to look or point up, down, left or right. If they match, the pointer wins. If they don't, the looker wins. The other is out. We had them switch roles each time in order to keep it fair.Screaming Goat or Fainting GoatThis. Was. Epic. My students loved it. We even had to play some of the "answers" over again because they were so funny. Great game from DYM!Songs:O Come All Ye FaithfulSilent NightBible Study:We're on week four of my series "Son of God, Son of Man" that you can download from DYM by clicking here. This week we looked at the birth of John and the celebration that came afterward! It was a neat discussion of obeying God, even if it means we see the rewards of our obedience MUCH later in life, like John's parents.Main Idea:God's way, in God's time, with God's help, means our good.Scripture:Luke 1:57-66Resources:One month free Sidekick and DYM Gold Member Access: Click here!

Ronald's church has a big event coming up! It's called Echo Weekend, but your church might call it a DNOW. That is unless you've never heard of what a DNOW is. No matter the case, listen in to how Ronald's church tries to communicate to parents (especially of those young 6th grade students) that everything is going to be alright!Here are some questions to help process the show!When do you start casting the vision for a weekend retreat or event?How do you communicate to parents the schedule, price, time, etc?What ways do you try to get the information out to everyone?How do you make your sign-up schedule work for you?Is the first trip you take several hours away or closer to home?Mentioned on the podcast: DYM Community Facebook GroupGot a middle school ministry question?Email talkingsquirrelspodcast@gmail.comNeed student ministry resources?Check out www.downloadyouthministry.comDo you listen to the Podcast? Consider leaving a review of the podcast!Social Media:InstagramTwitterFacebook

Sunday Morning Squirrels:Thanksgiving is three weeks away. Don't be mad but we're deep into our Christmas series! We're talking students through Luke's narrative, teaching them about virgins and learning all sorts of cool stuff! Let's do this!Countdown Video:Dad Copies Daughter's FaceWe're talking about babies, so why not show some cute babies? I found this one on Facebook. Click the link above to get what I downloaded!Games:Praise HandsThis is an easy crowd elimination game. It pokes fun at our various ways to lift up holy hands in worship, but if we can't laugh at ourselves sometimes, then where's the joy, right? We got the group down to about four and then brought those students up on stage to play...Won't You Be My Trivia?Last week, the world celebrated National Cardigan Day on November 13th. If you missed that, you can still play this Mr Roger's themed trivia game. Hilarious and fun!Songs:Away in a MangerHark the Herald, Angels SingBible Study:We're on week three of my series "Son of God, Son of Man" that you can download from DYM by clicking here. This week we looked at Mary's song after she went to see Elizabeth. There's a lot of really wonderful truths in this passage, but mostly we challenged students to praise God for what He has done in their lives.That's something we should do on a regular basis too!Main Idea:For what God has done, eternal praise is the only response.Scripture:Luke 1:26-38Resources:One month free Sidekick and DYM Gold Member Access: Click here!Talking Squirrels on Social:FacebookInstagramTwitterEmail

Michelle just got back from a great weekend camp (or is it a retreat?). While SOME things went really well, other things were not so great. Namely, there was that ONE kid. You know the one. The one who causes all the drama, seeks all the attention, and makes all the jokes no matter whose feelings get hurt.It's not an end all conversation, but maybe this will help you think about how to handle that kid in your group!Here are some questions to help get you thinking!Who is the adult who can relate best to that kid?What's that kid's home life like? Are the parents on board or unaware?What job can you give that kid to help focus their energy?Does this kid make students feel welcome or drive them away?Which side do you fall on? Calling kids out or calling them up?Mentioned on the podcast: A great book by Jonathan McKee: The Bullying BreakthroughDYM Community Facebook GroupGot a middle school ministry question?Email talkingsquirrelspodcast@gmail.comNeed student ministry resources?Check out www.downloadyouthministry.comDo you listen to the Podcast? Consider leaving a review of the podcast!Social Media:InstagramTwitterFacebook

Sunday Morning Squirrels:Christmas time is here! Well, almost. We start Christmas a little early around here because Middle School students help with the Christmas Eve service and we need all the band practice we can get! So it's a new series and thinking about the Christmas story!Countdown Video:Funny AnimalsAnimals are silly. We watched a silly video. Gotta be silly sometimes!Games:Face, Booty, Awesome Winter EditionWe brought up all over our November birthdays and played this game. It was a blast and SUPER easy to make happen! Download it now!Dinner DisasterThis was a game from the creators of Dead Cat. It took me a minute to understand it, but I'm slow. But once I got it, everything made sense and this was a great game to get people up on stage and having fun! You need to be a DYM Member to get it. Click the link to figure out how to make that happen!Songs:What Child is This?Oh Come All Ye FaithfulBible Study:We're on week two of my series "Son of God, Son of Man" that you can download from DYM. It's interactive and I LOVE teaching it! This week we looked at Mary being approached by Gabriel. There is SO much going on in this passage beyond the incredible promise of a miracle. Mary, as a teenager, takes on incredible risk when she agrees to bear the Son of God. It's a great lesson!Main Idea:God's promises are difficult, but they are SO worth it!Scripture:Luke 1:26-38Resources:One month free Sidekick and DYM Gold Member Access: Click here!Talking Squirrels on Social:FacebookInstagramTwitterEmail

Sometimes adults show up and help in big ways! Sometimes they just show up. Either way, it's our job as middle school pastors to give these wonderful adults willing to volunteer their time with these awesome students!Here are some questions to get your brain thinking!How do you train your adults who help in the big program?Do you use the same adults for big service as you do small groups?What jobs do you give your adults who help with your program?What jobs do you give your students?Why is it important for your context to have adults in the room?Mentioned on the podcast: DYM Community Facebook GroupGot a middle school ministry question?Email talkingsquirrelspodcast@gmail.comNeed student ministry resources?Check out www.downloadyouthministry.comDo you listen to the Podcast? Consider leaving a review of the podcast!Social Media:InstagramTwitterFacebook

Ronald and Michelle talk about their Tentpole events. The big events they do that help drive the ministry, promote their vision for their ministries, and help keep the momentum going in middle school ministry!If you do big events for your ministry, we've got some questions for you!What are the events that take up a lot of your time and budget?Do these events help drive your ministry's vision forward?Would you rather do a lot of smaller things or a few big things?How do you make your events work in your context?What seasons do you try to schedule events in and which do you avoid?Mentioned on the podcast:  DYM Community Facebook GroupGot a middle school ministry question?Email talkingsquirrelspodcast@gmail.comNeed student ministry resources?Check out www.downloadyouthministry.comDo you listen to the Podcast? Consider leaving a review of the podcast!Social Media:InstagramTwitterFacebook