Sharing the gospel – training session

Many adult leaders have asked about how we train CentriKid staffers to share the gospel with kids at camp.  The training session below is designed to help a kids ministry leader train parents, volunteers, and other workers to be ready for intentional gospel-centered conversations with kids.

Download the free Training Plan and prepare for your next training session:

• Training Plan (guide for the session including links to the handout & training videos)
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• The Gospel God’s Plan for Me (resource available at LifeWay Stores or online)
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With this training session, we are opening up the playbook and equipping kids ministry leaders to train their volunteers with the same materials and plan that we use to train CentriKid staffers. Thousands of adult leaders experienced this training session at camp in 2018 and we hope this resource is valuable for many more to be trained for sharing the gospel with kids.

Jeremy Echols

JE leads the camp team, finds new camp locations, plans training, and lots of other projects. He loves spending family time with his wife Emily and their daughter Madison.

Free Gospel Poster Download!

Sharing the Gospel with kids is something we are very intentional about at CentriKid Camps. We’ve used this poster in Bible Study as a visual aid to help communicate the Gospel with kids clearly.

1. God Rules. The Bible tells us God created everything, including you and me, and He is in charge of everything.
Scripture – Genesis 1:1, Revelation 4:11, Colossians 1:16-17

2. We Sinned. We all choose to disobey God. The Bible calls this sin. Sin separates us from God and deserves God’s punishment of death.
Scripture – Romans 3:23, 6:23

3. God Provided. God sent Jesus, the perfect solution to our sin problem, to rescue us from the punishment we deserve. It’s something we, as sinners, could never earn on our own. Jesus alone saves us.
Scripture – John 3:16, Ephesians 2:8-9

4. Jesus Gives. He lived a perfect life, died on the cross for our sins, and rose again. Because Jesus gave up His life for us, we can be welcomed into God’s family for eternity.
Scripture – Romans 5:8, 2 Corinthians 5:21, 1 Peter 3:18, Ephesians 2:8-9

5. We Respond. Believe in your heart that Jesus alone saves you through what He’s already done on the cross. Repent, turning from self and sin to Jesus. Tell God and others that your faith is in Jesus.
Scripture – John 14:6, Romans 10:9-10, 13

There can be much more to the conversation as a child asks questions about salvation, so LifeWay Kids has made available the “Gospel – God’s Plan for Me” booklets online, and we’ve got this poster you can download for free and use as a visual aid for your kids ministry classrooms or large group setting. We hope this can serve as a reference point for when you are sharing the Gospel with kids.

Click the thumbnail below to download a PDF of the poster!

GOSPEL_POSTER

Micheal Walley

Micheal is a CentriKid Camp Specialist and a volunteer in his church's kidmin each week. He has been serving with CentriKid since 2011 and on the office team since 2014. Micheal loves talking about kids ministry, leadership, coffee, and his wife, Anne Marie.

Camp Resources: The Parent Packet!

As camp draws closer, we’re sure that meetings are being held, deposits are being paid, and questions are being asked. To equip Group Leaders and to prepare parents sending their children to camp, this year we’ve made a document just for parents!

The Parent Packet is a great overview and introduction of CentriKid for parents who are sending their kids to camp this summer. The packet includes:

• Daily CentriKid schedule
  • Parents will be able to see an overview of what their kids will be doing each camp day. This is a great touchpoint for parents to have as they talk to their children about the days at CentriKid!
• This summer’s theme overview
  • Adventure Awaits: Following the One, True Light
• Camper packing lists
  • This is great when helping kids decide what to pack and what not to pack for their time at CentriKid!
• Camp Store information
  • Find a group order form, prices for various Camp Store items, and a summary about our CentriKid Camp Store.
• FAQ’s
• Parent meeting notes page
• Participant Form
  • This form, completed, is required for each camper and adult who attends CentriKid. Parents shouldn’t leave pre-camp meetings without this!

Group Leaders, be sure to get these in the hands of your parents as you prepare for camp! You can find the Parent Packet by going to your camp location page at centrikid.com or download them here:

• Parent Packet (Week)
• Parent Packet (Weekend)

Can’t wait to see you at camp this summer!

Meg Brown

Meg started working camp in 2013 and joined the office team in 2016. She received her degree in Educational Ministry and Public Relations from Campbellsville University. She has served as a Bible Study leader, Assistant Director, and Camp Director. Meg leads in Track Times and Group Leader Information for camp 2017. In addition to camp, Meg loves playing tennis, reading books, and spending time outdoors.

Use Your Free Promo Resources!

Camp is quickly approaching and as you get your group prepared for time with CentriKid this summer, don’t miss out on our awesome promotional resources! Go to our Promotional Resources tab and check out the great, free promotional pieces you can download as you get ready to come to camp!

Here are some highlights of what we offer:

For decorating your church:
–Posters, Stickers, Camp Brochures, Flyers
Use these in your kids ministry to communicate deadlines, promote camp, and get families excited for the adventure that awaits your group coming to CentriKid!

For communication:
–Bulletin inserts, postcards, email headers, theme art, CentriKid logos
Use these pieces as you email parents, make announcements on Sundays, and make your own CentriKid informational pieces for your kids ministry.

Fun idea:

Print out our Postcard Download and have different small groups in your church write notes to kids at camp! You can collect these before you leave for camp and pass them out at Church Group Time during the week so each camper has a piece of mail to open at camp.

For fun:
–iPhone backgrounds, special edition OMC cards, sticker templates
Use these as camp approaches to build anticipation for camp! Campers and adult volunteers can download a themed iPhone background for their phone; your group can play pre-camp OMC with special task cards to get ready for the best day of camp; and you can print CentriKid stickers as a promotional piece so that kids go home with a reminder about camp for their parents to see!

All of these great resources await you on our website. Be sure to check it out now and get your group ready for CentriKid 2017. Adventure Awaits!

Meg Brown

Meg started working camp in 2013 and joined the office team in 2016. She received her degree in Educational Ministry and Public Relations from Campbellsville University. She has served as a Bible Study leader, Assistant Director, and Camp Director. Meg leads in Track Times and Group Leader Information for camp 2017. In addition to camp, Meg loves playing tennis, reading books, and spending time outdoors.

Disciple’s Path-Resource

The Disciple’s Path resource is geared to help make disciples.  Disciple-making is not a scientific study with specific measurements of chapters to read, verses to be quoted, or minutes to be spent in group study…but we know that spending time in God’s Word, understanding scripture, and living in community with others are vital components of the process.  LifeWay offers the Disciple’s Path resource as a tool to help make disciples who are intentional about producing other disciples.

At CentriKid, we believe in the power of your influence in those kids under your care, but also the powerful impact you can have for the kingdom with the adults in your ministry.  Read more from Michael Kelley about “Discipling the Disciples Who Make Disciples” at LifeWay Kids Ministry 101 blog.

You can also check out a free preview of The Disciples Path from www.disciplespath.com.

Start today with making an intentional difference in the spiritual lives of those around you.  Making disciples is not easy, but it has a lasting impact long beyond the Sunday School lesson or the VBS decorations.  LifeWay offers resources for the disciple-making journey with kids too.  TeamKID features Bible memory games and application of Bible truths, engaging missions videos and activities, and fun activity-based learning all while helping your kids grow to be more like Jesus.  You can preview TeamKid for free at www.lifeway.com/teamkid.

Jeremy Echols

JE leads the camp team, finds new camp locations, plans training, and lots of other projects. He loves spending family time with his wife Emily and their daughter Madison.

Evaluating Your Kid Ministry

It is always a great feeling when we know that our ministries are successful. Often times, we start to look at other ministries that we consider successful and want to model ours after theirs when we feel like ours aren’t up to par. What makes a ministry successful though?
It can be hard to think of ministry as a business; however, it is okay for ministries to work and operate by a business model. Incorporate a mission, values, and goals. It is a way to measure or evaluate the progress of a ministry. Are you working toward your goals? Are you holding true to your values? Are you planning around your mission?
When we step back and look at it this way, there will always be areas of concern and improvement. However, the best thing about working in a ministry is that God is sovereign and works in the lives of the kids – prevailing no matter what challenges we face. That is why we should never lose hope even if we feel like we aren’t making progress!

One of LifeWay’s Kid Ministry leaders, Brian Dembowczyk, gives six tips to keep in mind while evaluating your ministry in LifeWay Kids’ Kids Ministry 101 blog:

•  Start with the end goal in mind. Sometimes a kids ministry is considered healthy if kids are attending and if they and their parents seem to be satisfied. Now, there is nothing at all wrong with those two measures, but they don’t give you the full picture of your ultimate goal of anchoring the gospel in your kids’ hearts. That end goal needs to drive how you evaluate every part of your kids ministry.
• Focus on lead measures. A lead measure is something you can control that produces a result, also called a lag measure. So a lead measure would be inviting kids to an event and a corresponding lag measure would be attendance at the event. You can’t control people showing up, but you can control inviting people.
• Evaluate objectively and subjectively. Analyze as many objective numbers as you can—they tell a story, but they don’t tell the full story. There is no way to quantify gospel transformation; a big part of it is qualitative, or subjective. Do you see the gospel sinking in? Do you see evidence of gospel transformation? Those are important evaluative considerations.
• Strengthen what is going well. You probably know the strengths of your kids ministry before you even start evaluating it, but your evaluations should confirm them.
• Fix what can go better. While you want to focus on your strengths, you don’t want to neglect the areas where you do need to improve. Figure out where you should be in these areas and why you aren’t there, and then come up with a plan to start moving that direction.
• Scrap what isn’t working at all. As you evaluate your kids ministry, you may find that there are things that just aren’t working at all. Bathe these in prayer and once you confirm that they need to stop, stop them as quickly and gently as possible. Yes, this will be painful, but in the end your kids ministry will be better for it.

For more on this topic, check out Brian’s blog on Kid Ministry 101.

Alli Sewell

Alli began working camp in 2012 and joined the office team in 2016. She has served as a Bible Study Leader and Assistant Director. Alli graduated from Carson Newman University with a degree in Nutrition and Dietetics in 2014. She loves all things Disney, Tennessee Vols, and showing everyone pictures of her nieces, Caroline and Waverly.

Unpack This Verse with Your Kids

This past summer at CentriKid, we taught kids how the armor of God is real and powerful, although it is “Unseen!” On Day 4 of camp, we taught kids how God gives us unseen truth, strength, and peace, and equips us to live those out with “Visible Faith.” During worship that night, we unpacked Ephesians 6:16.

In every situation take the shield of faith, and with it you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.

You can unpack this verse with the kids in your ministry just like we did at camp using this kids ministry illustration!

Supplies needed:

• a Bible
• a large suitcase
• several clean pairs of wacky socks
• a toy shield
• a Nerf gun with foam darts

Illustration:

Say: I want us to look at this verse in God’s word like we were examining a piece of luggage at the airport. I want us to think about each word and phrase to try and squeeze out of it everything the verse can teach us about our faith in Jesus. We will unpack this verse, while I unpack this suitcase! (pull items out of the suitcase one-by-one)

1. Several pairs of socks. “In every situation…” Have your ever been told to take extra socks with you when you spent the night at your friends’ house or with you grandparents. No matter where you go, you need to take your visible faith with you. You need your faith in every situation. In every situation at home. In every situation at school. In every situation at your church, with your friends, and especially with those that might be your enemies. You need your faith in Jesus in every situation.
2. A toy shield. “..take the shield of faith…”  We are encouraged to take hold of our visible shield of faith in every situation. A shield that we are able to feel secure behind. A shield used for protection. Our faith in Christ is our shield. Our faith in God is our shield. He is our protection. (Psalm 18:2; Psalm 18:30) It was also a symbol who you belonged to. The colors and images on the front of the shield explained which family you were part of and what commitments or loyalties you held. When you become a follower of Jesus, the Bible says you’ve been born again, made new, given a fresh start. And with that comes a new identity, a new family, a new allegiance to God. Our faith in Christ is a new allegiance, a new family, a place of protection and belonging. (Colossians 3:3)
3. A Nerf gun and foam darts. “… with it you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.” Why do we need the shield of faith? These darts are things that tempt you to disobey God, to sin against Him. (Ex. To lie. To steal. To cheat on a test. To hurt other people with your words or actions.) Temptation, like these darts, can come out of nowhere. They fly at you when you are least expecting it. And before you know it, you’ve done something you really regret. We’ve all sinned and all have fallen short. We’ve all messed up and all made mistakes, big ones and little ones. We’ve all done things that we really regret and wished we’d never done. This is why we need the gospel of Jesus!

We hope that you’ll use this easy illustration with the kids in your ministry to clearly illustration Ephesians 6:13! Let us know how it goes by emailing centrikid@lifeway.com!

Micheal Walley

Micheal is a CentriKid Camp Specialist and a volunteer in his church's kidmin each week. He has been serving with CentriKid since 2011 and on the office team since 2014. Micheal loves talking about kids ministry, leadership, coffee, and his wife, Anne Marie.

Leading the Next Generation

• Do you have teens and college workers in your kids program?
• What wins have you experienced with them in your ministry?
• How have you seen them be successful?
• What challenges do you encounter with them?

Jeremy Echols

JE leads the camp team, finds new camp locations, plans training, and lots of other projects. He loves spending family time with his wife Emily and their daughter Madison.

TBT: Unseen Theme Series

This past summer, we LOVED teaching kids about how the armor of God is real and powerful, although it us unseen. Hundreds of kids made life-changing decisions because of what God did at camp. One of our favorite parts of camp was the Unseen Theme Series: an awesome video series that illustrated the main points of each day!

In the Unseen Theme Series, we followed the story of Chris as she prepared to meet her cousin, Avery, who she knows is not a Christian. Through the help of a new friend Jan, she learns that the armor of God is powerful and can give her the strength, peace, and truth she needs to boldly share her faith with her cousin.

Check out the 2016 CentriKid Unseen Theme Series below! Let us know what you think!

We hope you loved watching the story of Chris, Jan, and Avery! We are already preparing for our 2017 Theme Series video for Adventure Awaits: Follow the One True Light! We hope you plan to join us! You can find our dates and locations here and register online, or register at 1-877-CAMP-123. For more information about Adventure Awaits, check out this blog!

Micheal Walley

Micheal is a CentriKid Camp Specialist and a volunteer in his church's kidmin each week. He has been serving with CentriKid since 2011 and on the office team since 2014. Micheal loves talking about kids ministry, leadership, coffee, and his wife, Anne Marie.

Download the 2016 CentriKid Music

Since camp, have there been songs you’ve heard at CentriKid that you just can’t get out of your head? We get many requests each year for a  list of the songs we sing during Worship and I Can’t Wait. We also get requests for the awesome playlists you hear on the rec field and as you enter and exit the auditorium.

We design the CentriKid worship playlists to be recognizable songs that kids hear on the radio (or can easily learn) so that they can jump right in to worship at camp. We have all of those playlists and songs in one easy location so you can find them, purchase them from iTunes and play them however much you want!

Check out the CentriKid.com Music page to find all of our 2016  CentriKid Music and playlists! Hurry–we’ll be updating the site with music for CentriKid 2017 after the beginning of the next year!

Micheal Walley

Micheal is a CentriKid Camp Specialist and a volunteer in his church's kidmin each week. He has been serving with CentriKid since 2011 and on the office team since 2014. Micheal loves talking about kids ministry, leadership, coffee, and his wife, Anne Marie.