by Chris Young | Nov 28, 2013 | Free Resources, Resources, Technology, Uncategorized
New Free Kids Bible App from YouVersion
Released today, on Thanksgiving, is a brand new Bible App just for kids.
1. Quality – Youversion is not going to release a program sub-par. Expect supreme quality.
2. Performance – Youversion’s adult Bible app runs smooth. We can assume this kid’s Bible app will run similarly.
3. Fun. My five year old cannot put it down. He loves it! The story is well read. They illustrations are fantastic. There is a lot to interact with in each scene and achievements can be made to reward the child.
4. Great Price. Free. Not going to get better than that.
You can download the app on IOS or Android today. Get it and get your family plugged into reading the BIble!
A special thanks to Lifechurch.tv for being the source of youversion.com
by Chris Young | Nov 22, 2013 | Free Resources, Georgia Baptist, Resources
Free Christmas Devotional for Families
With all the marketing and materialism it can be easy to miss out on the true meaning of Christmas.
Don’t!
Dr. Michael Kennedy has provided a daily family devotional, “The Cross and the Manger,” for the first 25 days of December that will instill a true Christmas spirit within each of the members of your family. You can print and distribute for all the families within your children’s ministry.
Four great reasons to use this devotional this year:
1. Biblical. It starts in Genesis and shows you how all of Scripture leads up to Jesus.
2. Family Oriented. It is written with families in mind. Nothing difficult. This makes it easy for almost all of your parents.
3. Brief. We all know December is nuts. It is non-stop and adding another thing seems impossible. This won’t be burdensome. Instead, it will be well worth it.
4. Free. No cost for you to use with your family. No cost for your church families to use either.
What are you waiting for? Download the pdf now. You can set it up to print out in booklet form to make it easy for families too.
Dr. Michael Kennedy, is a pastor with a heart for families. He serves as Senior Pastor at New Vision Fellowship in Dublin, GA. You can follow his blog here.
by Chris Young | Nov 12, 2013 | Free Resources, Music, Resources
Fresh out. A new kids worship curriculum from Hillsong Kids. And it is FREE!
All you have to do is head to their page, sign up for their newsletter, and then you can download the videos and curriculum.
This nine week curriculum includes lessons for both elementary and preschool children. It has messages on video, music on video, and print curriculum to guide you.
This would be a great summer curriculum! And, as I mentioned, it is free!
by Chris Young | Nov 11, 2013 | Music, Resources, Tips Trends and Thoughts, Training
Awana Help with Verse Memorization
I had a parent of a kindergarten student contact me today asking for help with Scripture memorization in Awana. Every child will learn and respond to teaching differently, so with that in mind, I simply shared how I teach my own kindergartener.
Wednesday night is our Awana club. We get started immediately the next morning on our new verse.
Here is our schedule for learning verses:
Thursday morning– On the drive to school we listen to the new verse song on the Awana cd. We try to learn it. If it is tough, it is no big deal. No pressure on Thursday because we are just starting to learn it.
Thursday afternoon– Try to say verse on the drive home. It will at least be a little familiar with your child at this point.
Friday morning– We listen to the song and usually break the verse down into sections… sometimes two, sometimes three sections. I never move on to a section of the verse if they don’t have the first part down yet. Don’t overwhelm. And I always start with the location of the verse (Genesis 1:31) and end with it. This will help with association.
Friday afternoon– If he can say the verse now, I offer an incentive. Maybe a starburst. Maybe a snowcone. It may be getting to do hospital visits to visit sick church members with me (he loves doing this.)
Weekend– Break time, but I will randomly ask the verse. Still no stress.
Monday morning– It is now time to know the verse. From here on out, it needs to be repetition. They need to know it and have confidence in saying it. How I usually phrase it, is I say that for the last few days he has been learning the verse. Now it is time to teach it. I’ll tell him to act like the teacher and teach it to me. I ask him to use a teacher voice. He gets into it and is confident with it.
Tuesday & Wednesday– Continue repeating it. Keep playing the songs each day. It is nice to have something to sing to, and not just have to repeat with words.
Key: I make it fun. I don’t get upset at my son if he is struggling. I don’t want him to associate any negative feelings with Scripture memorization. I want it to be a joy for him.
Feel free to share your ideas and tips in the comment section below!
by Chris Young | Sep 5, 2013 | Free Resources, Resources, Technology, Video
There is a new FREE web resource that will allow you to convert any format to any format. This a going to be a great ministry tech tool.
We use the Gospel Project for Kids on Sunday mornings. And we L-O-V-E it. One problem. We project our kids worship service using Proclaim, which is another great program. The issue we have is that Proclaim does not project pdf files, and the Gospel Project for Kids does not send jpg image files (only pdf). While I have been told from the Gospel Project editorial leadership that they will soon begin sending jpg images, it doesn’t help me a lot right now.
I have been using Zamzar to convert my files, but I have to go to email to get them and there is also a file limitation. A little more hassle than I want.
In comes CloudConvert. It converts over 140 different formats. Document, audio, video, presentation, ebook, and image format are completely covered. It is quick. It is easy. It is FREE.
You can download straight from the page, have a link sent to you, or even have the converted document sent directly to your Dropbox. Lots of helpful options!
Add CloudConvert to your list of free go-to tech resources for your ministry.
by Chris Young | Jul 10, 2013 | Free Resources, Resources
At least for today, you can pick up a free graphic design resource for children’s ministry in the IOS Apple store.
‘Over‘ is a resource that you can use to make great looking posters, flyers, and great images for social media.
It will make design simple and make you look like you’ve taken a course in graphic design
