The End Is Near, My Friends!

So as we close in on the end of this semester and the year as a whole, we need to reflect not only on what we have recently learned, but the accumulation of our time thus far in this course (and all of our other courses too!). What would you guys say are some things that you have learned either through the camp project, or anything else we have done this semester? How have these assignments and events helped to prepare us for our future ministries? Is there anything you would change and why? Maybe this class has even changed the way you think of your future ministry? If so, what has changed? What do you see differently? What has this class meant to you?

On Behalf of Jeremy...

So Jeremy's computer wouldn't let him add a post so this is is question!

"I hope everyone has had time to get rested up from MSO. I know for many of us this has been the biggest event any of us have planned. So I wanted to get your thoughts about how the event went. I know we did some of this Monday, but I think it would be good to reflect on what we learned some more. So here are some questions that you might want to consider in your comments. What was your favorite part of MSO.  How did you feel the night went as a whole? What was one thing that you think we did well? What was one thing that could have gone better? What did you learn from the event and how will you use what you learned in the future? What was the most rewarding part of your evening? "

Hipster Ministry major/minor Pizza Party

Hey friends! I hope everyone had a great time at the Ministry Pizza Party that we put on today. You all had great hipster outfits too! I think that it went really well and that we were able to learn a lot that can be utilized in our future ministries. I have found that we did a great job at adapting and switching around the schedule to fit the needs of the party. I would even say that the turn out and reactions to the games went much better than I had anticipated. So with all that in mind, what would you say you learned from planning this event? What is one thing that you think went great and what is one thing that you could have done better? When planning an event like this in the future what would you do different? Overall, what were your thoughts on this fun, hipster themed event?

Wilderness Retreat Reflection

Hello!  I hope that everyone has been able to rest up a little bit after this weekend and that y'all are recovering physically from the activities.  Now, it is time to recap and reflect what you have learned.  It is important to realize what was fun and what was cool, but it is equally, if not more, important to realize what was difficult and what challenged you.  With that being said, let's grow!  What was your favorite part of the retreat?  What was your favorite session with the spiritual disciplines and why did it speak to you?  What was the greatest challenge you faced during this retreat?  What was something that you learned about yourself?  What did you learn about God or about your relationship with God during this Wilderness Retreat?

Retreat and Revival

As we near the end of the semester, there are many things that occupy our time. We have projects, papers, and events that may seem to pile up and overwhelm us. In preparing for our retreat, we are also in the middle of revival week. This is a time for us to relax and regain composure through the Spirit. What are some of the ways you hope to grow this weekend? What are some things you hope to learn or have reaffirmed on the retreat? And what are some benefits of incorporating a type of "spring revival" in your ministry (for both the church staff and the congregation)?

Big Events/Retreats/Camps

I am finding out more and more that I love big events, retreats, and camps. They bring about unity and love to a group of people. We had talked a lot about what we can do to make the camp/ big event/ retreat amazing and the things that we needed to include in order to do so. What was an experience that you had faced during a big event/retreat/camp that you think could have been avoided by following those ten steps that we talked about? Could there have been more people to help out? Better cabin/lodging place to better fit everyone? If you have not experienced something like that, what could be an example of something gone wrong that could have been avoided by those ten steps?

Learning As We Plan

We have been talking about 'hands-on' learning, and I definitely think this class has helped us experience this. As we're working hard toward planning the pizza party and MSO, what can we take away that can help us in our future ministry? What is a game you have learned in your planning efforts that you could use in a youth group or children's group? Or what is a specific organizational detail that you have come across that will help you better plan in ministry? What is a problem that you have encountered and how have you learned to handle it? Discuss some ways in which you are learning more about yourself as a leader and what your strengths and weaknesses may be.

I can"t figure this dang thing out!!!! look to my comment in last weeks post. SORRY!

If we live in a world where games are constantly being used within the church, does that mean that church is becoming more like a game? Or does it mean that we are becoming more interactive and encouraging our teens and children to enjoy church? We will all face a day when we are asked by those within the congregation why we play games within our teen and children's ministries. While we have covered the topics of Godly play and the purpose of having games within our ministry in class (sometimes it is nothing more than a game), that does not mean we can always get others to understand the importance of these activities. All in all how would you handle parents, the board, etc. If they were coming to you demanding that you concentrate more on teaching their children, and concentrate less on   goofing off. Remember these people are a major part of your congregation and typically get there way. Even if their way does not include you on the staff. So use diplomacy.

Godly Play

This past Monday night for class we all dived into leading our respective groups of kids in Godly play. It felt like the night ran very smoothly. We all had our different stories that put kids at the center of the stories in the Bible that we presented. I feel like the main point of Godly play is to make the participants feel like they are living out the story themselves. Helping the kids try to experience the presence of God was a very enjoyable thing to do. Not only did we help them experience God, but it also felt like we all encountered God by leading them through it. Here are some questions to think about. First off, what could your group have done better in preparation for the night? Would you have changed anything from what you did? Finally, how often should Godly play be used in ministry?

At Time and Place for Fun

There is a time and a place for fun so why can't church be one of those places? As we learned in the introduction of our Les Christie book that people have been playing games since before Jesus' time. Plato even concluded that playing was a good way to teach the youth about societal rules. Christie brings up on page 11 "In some circles today, it's still thought that 'fun' and 'church' shouldn't be in the same sentence." Why would this be if play can be a good thing? The way the world has changed games have become something you do alone whereas games used to be a communal things. This makes me wonder why would some churches not like having games played in their churches during youth group, and if we got more people to play games together could this be the first steps to building community once more in our society? So my question is can we use games to help rebuild community, and have you seen this done anywhere before?