Middle School Ministry Podcast

Just kidding. There aren't many hot takes. But Michelle and Ronald talk about what they're doing during their break over the Christmas and New Year holiday!What do you do with any natural breaks from "normal" programming?How far do you try to plan ahead?What helps you choose what to talk about in youth group?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:Woohoo! Taking a break is nice, but getting back into the swing of things is great! I'm glad we're back into the rhythm of Sunday mornings! We're starting off 2020 with a new series and some new ideas! Can't wait to share them with you! Countdown Video:Vintage Jesus 01Since we're talking about Jesus, we wanted to show some misconceptions about Jesus. These videos are old, but they hold up!Games:1 Arm, 2 Arm, NoneThis is an easy game to make in Sidekick, a great tool from DYM. Students either put up one arm, two arms, or none. The screen chooses one of those options and if they match the screen, they are out! Once we got down to two students, we played...This Plus This Equals ThisThis was a really creative game we had students play with whiteboards up on stage. It's fun to learn what your students THINK they know!Songs:Burn Like a StarGood Good FatherBible Study:This was the first week of a new series called "Twelve" which is Jesus calling some of His disciples. This week we focused on Nathaniel. It was a great lesson challenging students to see Jesus correctly so that we will see others, life events, and ourselves correctly too!Main Idea:When I see Jesus right, I'll see everything right too!Scripture:John 1:43-51Resources:One month free Sidekick and DYM Gold Member Access: Click here!

Good-bye Christmas and 2019!Happy New Year!From Michelle and Ronald, we want to wish you a blessed 2020 as you continue to minister to middle school students and show them the love of Jesus!

Merry Christmas everybody!From Michelle and Ronald, we hope you have a wonderful Christmas and remember that in the middle of all of the chaos of ministering to Junior High and Middle School students, you would enjoy that God has given you this wonderful job to these wonderful pre-teens.Merry Christmas!

Sunday Morning Squirrels:We didn't meet today! What a weird feeling. But it really helps our students, our parents, and our volunteers get a break. Oh. And me too. Do you take any kind of break over the holidays for your program? Reach out and let us know!

The BEST gathering for youth ministry workers all year long. Michelle got to go. Ronald didn't. So to cure his FOMO, they talk about all of her experiences.Stick with ministry. Don't give up. Stay the course!Get to know youth ministers and make relationships so conference feel like reunions!Learn everything you can. Even from people who don't think like you.Women rock at ministry.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: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!