Stories & hacks from a millennial in ministry.
I haven't posted in a while; I got married last month! I'll post some pictures soon (and I'm excited to tell you our love story). I just wanted to pop in to share a few of the games that we have been playing in our middle school ministry this fall. They're a little random, but... Continue Reading →
One of the timeless games that is played in youth ministry is a variation of what we call "Mission Impossible." I remember playing this game each year at camp, running around in the dark trying to find a secret "chip" and avoiding flour bombs. In four years of camp, I don't think I EVER found... Continue Reading →
A few years ago on our mission trip, we played a game one evening called "The Awesome Game" when a different outing was cancelled. We had THE MOST HILARIOUS time, and now it has become a staple for our youth ministry on Kickoff Sunday. Here's what you do: Type up a list of different challenges... Continue Reading →
This has been THE BEST summer of ministry I've ever experienced. I wanted to write a blog about one or two of my favorite moments, but found myself lost for words. So, here, in no less than 1600 words, are my favorite moments from this summer: Last summer we started a tradition that I call... Continue Reading →
This year for our annual "Confirmation Awards" (the awards I give to students who have actually completed all of their requirements), I decided to do something different and make trophies for each of the students who won! This was such an easy DIY, and I learned some things, so here we go: Seriously easy! My favorite trophies... Continue Reading →
One of my biggest strengths is that I am a Master Curriculum Planner. In my setting, I kind of have to be. We have a Sunday School-style program in that because we have one main hour of programming each week, and we have Confirmation smack dab in the middle of our middle school years. So, we split off into... Continue Reading →
I've had dreams, okay? Dreams of building a GIANT LITE BRITE for our Middle School Ministry's NEON NIGHT. I looked online, and I didn't see much: This really hard DIY that I don't have the energy for This really cool one used at a middle school ministry event, that would take a lot of drilling and water bottles (and... Continue Reading →
The other day I published a list of ideas to help talk to students about school shootings. As I stressed, I believe that the church should be a place where students feel safe--on both a physical level but also safe to have hard conversations...even about the most controversial issues. School safety is one of those;... Continue Reading →
I have two major philosophies in youth ministry: The church should be the safest place in the world. Every kid has the right to have a place where they belong, where they can be themselves, where they can share their story and feel known. I work with middle schoolers because no place feels safe to this age: home... Continue Reading →
