Middle School Ministry Podcast

Sunday Morning Squirrels:Summer series time! We always have a fun series where it's a little calmer and a lot more practical. I was really glad for that because this Sunday we had REALLY low attendance! It was still a ton of fun.Since people either have a ton of free time in the summer or are crazy busy, we're looking at how to "PAUSE" and take time with God. It's a DYM lesson seriesUNdersto, so go check it out!I'm looking forward to it!Countdown Video:"Pause Prank"I really love having YouTube for content that I can show to students. This week, however, I had to edit a bit for time and not getting angry emails. This was a fun prank video but had some parts I didn't Here's the actual link: https://youtu.be/J6JSolgpNa8And here's what I edited for our group: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1FvYnJKPc8boB1XSfPQGgcPNvPaq4FPI0Games:Face Booty AwesomeQuick and easy screen game. Students had to decide if the person landed on their face, their booty, or if it was awesome. Fun and awesome!Stick it In My BeardHad a student wear a fake beard. The first person to bring the chosen item to the front gets too STICK IT in the host's beard. Hilarious!Songs:Let It Be KnownEven So ComeBible Study:PAUSE is a four-lesson series that deals with the importance of pushing pause in order stay to connected with God. In this fast-paced world, busyness and self-reliance can get in the way of seeking God to meet our built-in need for rest.Main Idea:We need to make time to be away with GodScripture:Mark 1:29-39Resources:One month free Sidekick and DYM Gold Member Access: Click here!Talking Squirrels on Social:FacebookInstagramTwitterEmail

Summer is when our students and their families normally take a vacation, but what about us?As ministers, it's really important for us to get away, recharge and refresh. The problem is when most people are off (like during the summer and Christmas holidays) that's usually when our ministries are running full steam! That doesn't mean we don't take time off. It actually means we should be even MORE intentional about getting away!Do you take time off? Here are some questions to consider!What's your strategy for communicating to parents?What's your strategy for communicating to students?Do you create your resources on Canva?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's List of Who Needs to Know It?Who needs to know it?What do students need to know?What do parents need to know?What do leaders need to know?What does my admin need to know?What does my team need to know?What does my supervisor need to know?What does facilities need to know?What does the rest of the staff need to know?What does my spouse need to know?What does the family need to know?When do they need to know it?Three months out?One month out?One week out?Day before?

Sunday Morning Squirrels:VBS hangover is real. But our Sunday was still great!Countdown Video:VBS VolunteerBecause so many of our students volunteer for VBS, I felt like they'd like this video. I wasn't wrong! It was a hit!Games:Extreme Row MakeoverThis was a great crowd game! Everyone can play and you need no supplies! The row has to do what shows up on the screen first and if they do, they get a point! Super easy and tons of fun!Guess A RooA fun game we played with a group of students who had their hands on top during the last round of Hot Hands. We brought students up to guess the name of the Bible without the Vowels! Some were easy. Some were SUPER hard! Click the link to download it!Songs:AlivePraise Before My BreakthroughBible Study:Today was fun! We talked about the analogies of the trinity and how they breakdown. It was a lot of fun and the students really understood the trinity better!Main Idea:God is a mystery we can know!Scripture:John 1:1 & 14matthew 3:16-17titus 2:11-14Resources:One month free Sidekick and DYM Gold Member Access: Click here!Wholesale Mexican Blankets!Talking Squirrels on Social:FacebookInstagramTwitterEmail

Summer is when our students and their families normally take a vacation, but what about us?As ministers, it's really important for us to get away, recharge and refresh. The problem is when most people are off (like during the summer and Christmas holidays) that's usually when our ministries are running full steam! That doesn't mean we don't take time off. It actually means we should be even MORE intentional about getting away!Do you take time off? Here are some questions to consider!Do you plan to take a vacation each year?Will you leave vacation days "on the table" this year?How does the rest of your staff feel about taking a vacation?Will you and your spouse get away this year, just the two of you?How do you get refreshed on vacation?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 

Summer is upon us!So do you promote your students at the beginning of summer or at the end? Or do you have some crazy strategy where some students promote at one point and the rest at another time?Promotion strategy is a huge part of how we launch students on one side of our ministry and how we bring students into the ministry on the other!Here are some questions to consider!How do you launch 8th grade students into freshman year?How do you bring up new 6th or 7th grade students?What events do you have to include parents in the promotion?Who gets to be a part of what summer event?Why in the world would you promote in the middle of the summer?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

A statistic has been going around a lot recently about the influences on students.Engagement by hours per year:Church = 70-100 hrs (if they attend)Camp = 70 hrs (if they attend)Parents – 400 to 600 hrsSchool - 1600-1800 hrsOnline – 2000-3000 hrs (Youtube, Netflix, Instagram, etc.)If our students are online, maybe we should consider being online in order to reach them too!Some questions to consider:How can we be a presence online? YouTube? Instagram?How can we create content without spending a ton of money?What could some youtube channels and Instagram stories be focused on?How can we get students involved with our online strategy?Mentioned on the podcast: DYM Community Facebook GroupJHM YouTube ChannelDYM Webshow on Digital PresenceGot 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'm honestly having a hard time remembering a Sunday where I felt so tired! Oh well, there's another one in the books!Countdown Video:3 is a Magic NumberI just had to. SchoolHouse rock wins nostalgia for me and makes my students raise their eyebrows at the screen. Win Win.Games:XTreme Tic Tac ToeSo we have these little tables set up with tic tac toe boards. Then we paired up rows, gave them three cups, and told them to take turns placing the cups. If the row WON the round, they moved up. If they lost, they moved backward. The front row had to win twice in order to solidify its win.JINX!The first Sunday of the month (or thereabouts) we bring up all the birthdays to play an upfront game and give them a gift card to the coffee shop downstairs. This month we played "JINX" from DYM. Great game, easy and quick!Songs:Let It Be KnownHere As In HeavenBible Study:Starting a series on the Trinity sounded like a great idea! This week's lesson was honestly kind of rough until I figured out how to APPLY the idea that God is Three. Again, dealing with concrete thinking middle school students is a challenge!But we prevailed and today turned out pretty good!Main Idea:Worship the MYSTERY of God.Scripture:Genesis 1:1 and 26Matthew 3:16-17Matthew 28:19John 14:16-17Romans 1:71 Peter 1:1-2Acts 5:3-41 Corinthians 3:16Resources:One month free Sidekick and DYM Gold Member Access: Click here!Talking Squirrels on Social:FacebookInstagramTwitterEmail

Fails. They happen a lot. More often than we'd like to admit. They don't always make us feel like rock star ministers and they certainly make for viral videos.But the reality is that when we fail, we learn.In ministry, we might have an amazing idea for an event or plan out the semester and find out that... it failed pretty hard.But when we fail, we can learn from what went wrong and make a better plan next time!Right?Some questions to consider:What was the last big FAIL that happened in your ministry?How did you learn from it?Who can benefit when you fail?Why do we like to cover up our fails instead of bringing them to light and learn from them?Mentioned on the podcast: DYM Community Facebook GroupMichelle's Slime FailRonald's Cage FailGot 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:This Sunday we began a new series on the Trinity. My students have asked about it several times and it felt like a good time to nail it down as a transition into summer.Talking about a topic students are interested in will help keep the momentum and I’ve been saving this one for that purpose!Countdown Video:The Triangle SongThis was just a silly song just used to get students thinking about "threes". Enjoy.Games:Same GameThis was a great video mixer! It got students moving and engaged with others.Minute to Win It WheelThis was the second week of this one! Just a quick wheel made in Sidekick that chooses a game for two contestants to play. It makes it a little chaotic, but also I'm down for chaos sometimes. Google Minute to Win It Games for lots of low prep games!Songs:AliveCornerstoneBible Study:This week we talked about God as One. In doing this, we looked at God as infinite, a mystery, and One.I’m excited for this series because I want to help concrete thinking middle school students understand this very abstract, crazy topic!Main Idea:Worship the ONE God.Scripture:1 Samuel 15:6Psalm 136:1-4Isaiah 55:8-9Romans 11:33-34Deuteronomy 6:4-5Ephesians 4:4-6Resources:One month free Sidekick and DYM Gold Member Access: Click here!Talking Squirrels on Social:FacebookInstagramTwitterEmail

Woohoo! Super big news!Talking Squirrels is no longer flying solo. Michelle Anderson is officially a part of the team and co-host with Ronald!Now you get to hear things from a Texas AND California perspective.You're pumped. I can tell.Our first episode together we talk about our purpose statements for our ministries. What are they and why do we have them?Some questions to consider:What is your church's purpose statement and how can you match the middle school to it?Should it have a lot of words or be really short?How can you implement it in your ministry?What will it look like when you "arrive" at your vision statement?Mentioned on the podcast: MICHELLE ANDERSON! (Insta: @youthminmeesh) InstagramBlogGot 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