Middle School Ministry Podcast

How do you plan for things that may or may not be happening? Have you decided to cancel everything for the summer or are you holding out hope that things will be good enough to happen again sometime this summer?With sign-ups stopped or at least at an all time low, what are your summer plans? Are you going digital? Are you going to try to make SOMETHING happen even if it’s social distancing cook outs?Let us know!Some things we talk about:•Plans while COVID is still happening•How long do you wait until you pull the plug?•What does VBS look like with this going on?•Are you students on a Pass/Fail basis?

Ms online 05.03.20It’s everything we did this week to interact with Middle School students online!Wednesday Online Youth Group:Dance CompetitionSo last week we let the Freshman dictate the challenge to the student ministry. They said we should have a dance competition. It was a hit and lots of small groups completed virtually! I Love My PhoneWe stole this from Derry Prenkert and his church’s student ministry. It was a total blast and the students really loved interacting with it over the YouTube comments. Also, we cheated. Every time.A graphic for you to use is in the resource folder link below.Quarantmemes I’m still not tired of these. I may never be tired of memes. Grab some of the ones we used in the resources download below.Keep GoingPersevere! In a time where it feels like we’re seeing trial after trial, it’s important to remember the words of James and keep going! The resources folder has the follow up questions we used to drive this home with students.Friday Zoom Lunch:Ice Break QuestionsMy Zoom meetings will definitely need a little something to get them started. These questions were AWESOME. Just having some things ready to go made everyone logging in way less awkward.https://youthgroup.downloadyouthministry.com/small-group-ice-breaker-questions/Possibilites 2We played this game over Zoom lunch. It’s available to Gold Members as a part of this month’s Member Perks. But you can still grab the first one! It made for a good Zoom call letting one student choose and answer and the rest of us try to guess what they chose.https://www.downloadyouthministry.com/game-of-possibilitieshttps://dymmembership.com/Sunday Lesson:We started Scott Huff’s “Unplugged” series this week and I love it! Spiritual disciplines is something we really try to instill with our students. I also made a quick sheet of paper students can print off to use in helping them practice praying this week. Grab it in the folder!Unplugged series:https://www.downloadyouthministry.com/unplugged-teaching-seriesAll the Free Resources:https://www.dropbox.com/sh/bp9zroe15axvynv/AADuQ_pepe9-tyDuF2PI6imOa?dl=0

We all can’t wait for things to go back to normal! But what is normal? And will it be something we even get back to eventually?This week Michelle and Ronald talk about getting back, being a little beat up, and what things may or may not look like in middle school ministry once we’re allowed to hang out in person again.Some things we talk about:•Are you going to keep doing online shows?•Is this like 9/11 in that some things will change and NOT go back?•Games, teaching time, interaction, on stage stuff, what stays what goes and what changedMentioned on the podcast:DYM Communityhttps://www.facebook.com/groups/DYMCommunity/Got a middle school ministry question?https://podcast.downloadyouthministry.com/submit-questions/Do you listen to the Podcast? Consider leaving a review of the podcast!

Masterpiece TheaterA DYM winner! We posted this game to our Insta-story and emailed parents to let them know how to compete and then showed the compiled video with some classical music during our live show. A hit AND for DYM Gold Member’s only!https://www.downloadyouthministry.com/masterpiece-theaterThank You QuarantineWe totally ripped off Justin Knowles who ripped off Jimmy Fallon’s “Thank You Notes” segment and did “Thank You Quarantine” during our show. Here are the ones we used. What about you?Student Issued ChallengeLast week and this week’s challenges went REALLY well and the winner BOTH weeks were the Freshmen. So we let them set the challenge for this next week. Just a neat way to encourage students to be engaged!Quarantmemes A few memes for your pleasure, insta-story, or middle school text thread.FarWe talked this week about how God can feel far away, no matter what’s going on in the rest of the world. We encouraged students to connect to God even when He feels far away!Friday Zoom Lunch:Middle School Zoom lunches have been cool but, awkward. I need a plan for each lunch or things get silent and weird. I thought this was so crazy! So we have an opening question, a game, and a sign off thing to do. This week’s game was The Color of Things on sidekick. Find the link for the game below and Sidekick below!All the Free Resources:https://www.dropbox.com/sh/yix3o4sv18dmk3f/AADsffa5NUIXREmdyFcm1l77a?dl=0

Work and home are now the same. We don’t know about you all, but the shift has been HARD for Michelle and Ronald! This week we talk about how to Sabbath while also being in the exact same room you work from now.Middle School Students are going through a lot right now. Make sure you’re rested up and able to minister to them in a way that benefits you both!Some things we talk about:•Making time to rest and reflect that’s outside of normal work.•Having dedicated work space and dedicated rest space.•How in the world do you “turn off” work when you don’t have a commute?Mentioned on the podcast: DYM Communityhttps://www.facebook.com/groups/DYMCommunity/Got a middle school ministry question?https://podcast.downloadyouthministry.com/submit-questions/Do you listen to the Podcast? Consider leaving a review of the podcast!Social Media:Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/middleschoolministrypodcast/Twitterhttps://twitter.com/middleschoolmi2Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/middleschoolministrypodcast

Wednesday:Trick ShotsWe sent out a text and email request for “Trick Shot Videos” like Dude Perfect. We sent them this link and just asked them to go to town. Our group delivered! It was awesome! I’ve linked our YouTube video below as well!Dude Perfect Video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRJmcxCrAOAOur Student’s Video:https://youtu.be/Lt2yv_CfGqc?t=616Teen Driver QuizDuring our Online Youth Group, the high school pastor asked me these questions. It went okay-is. I knew a good few of them, but we like to make students believe I’m a terrible driver. Oh well!https://www.downloadyouthministry.com/teen-driver-quizQuarantmemes Again, everyone can handle a couple memes. These were our picks for this week. No clue if these are working, but we had some students send these in to us!BecomingThis week we looked at 2 Peter 1:3-11 and talked about who we are becoming is more important than what we are doing. Or, what we do will influence who we become.Friday:Zoom Lunch:Zoom lunch was great! Except I messed up the password I sent out to students and parents. So there was definitely some confusion about getting into the meeting, which was a bummer. But the students and leaders who did come had a good time. Semi-win!?Download all the free stuff:

We aren’t professionals, but that doesn’t mean we aren’t trying! There’s a balance we’re learning about putting on the best show we possibly can and running into glitches… like the camera turning off or the sound just disappearing from our live stream!And then hearing from our middle school students about their opinion on those glitches!Some things we talk about:•The difference between not trying and trying too hard.•Thinking about ways to use technology, but using what you know well first.•Remembering relationships, not the tech, is what connects you to students!Mentioned on the podcast: DYM Communityhttps://www.facebook.com/groups/DYMCommunity/Podcast Networkhttps://podcast.downloadyouthministry.com/Got a middle school ministry question?https://podcast.downloadyouthministry.com/submit-questions/Do you listen to the Podcast? Consider leaving a review of the podcast!Social Media:Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/middleschoolministrypodcast/Twitterhttps://twitter.com/middleschoolmi2Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/middleschoolministrypodcast

We had been doing a “This is what happened during our big meeting!” Episode for a long time. Well, everything changed with COVID-19, so here’s what we’re doing now! This will be a quick 5 minute or so weekly episode of how we connected with students online. Some ideas take place during our “youth group online” and others were just during the course of the week. Use, change, and get ideas for your ministry to middle school students!MS Online This Week:Download Everything:https://www.dropbox.com/sh/cc6ugzbqrcbknuz/AADMIxCnO8LoxQK3wX9Cxz4qa?dl=1Questions about Your QuarantineYou could ask these during your youth group online, on an instagram story, or to students over text! The graphics in the download are what we used for our online service and were displayed as lower thirds. The five questions we asked are there as well as the blank template. We asked questions like:What are your favorite Quarantine Snacks?What’s been something God is teaching you?Qaurant-MemesJust a few memes to share with students, leaders, or anyone who you’re quarantined with. We reacted to these on camera in our youth group online.The Upper Room QuestionsWe took a look at some of the last words of encouragement from Jesus to His disciples in the Upper Room. In the folder is a document that you could use for small groups. Adapt and use as you see fit!Zoom Lunch …with a Tarantula!We have a zoom lunch three times a week: one for middle school, one for high school, and one for our multisite location. It’s just a change to catch up, pray, and play some games together. Trying to give our students another connection point throughout the week.Quick Draw on SidekickWe played this game just for fun with our students who “came to lunch”. It actually didn’t work at first, so I used the list of stuff and the timer on my phone. Then it started working and we played with the graphics! Great fun!https://www.downloadyouthministry.com/quick-on-the-draw

2019 - Everybody! Stay off your phones and off social media!2020 - Everybody! Get on your phone and check out social media!It feels like everything has gone online! While some middle school parents might have had concerns about their students logging onto social media platforms like YouTube and Instagram, now those are some of the most prominent places where ministry is happening!Now the question is, are our students engaging with us now that we're online? This week, Michelle and Ronald talk about how their students have been reacting to the new normal of being online and what they've been doing to increase social engagement!Sometimes boundaries foster creativity!How are you relieving parent concerns about being online?In what ways are you having students interact with your online presence?Do you feel like you're making a difference in students' lives even if you aren't in the same room?Once more for the people in the back, How long, Oh Lord?Mentioned on the podcast: The Best Free Ideas to Navigate COVID-19https://youthgroup.downloadyouthministry.com/Sample YouTube Moderator Guidelineshttps://youthgroup.downloadyouthministry.com/sample-youtube-moderator-guidelines/Quarantine Lunch - Online Gamehttps://youthgroup.downloadyouthministry.com/idea-quarantine-lunch/DYM Communityhttps://www.facebook.com/groups/DYMCommunity/Podcast Networkhttps://podcast.downloadyouthministry.com/Ronald's Student Ministry One-Stop Online Youth Group Pagehttps://waysidechapel.org/echo-online/Got a middle school ministry question?https://podcast.downloadyouthministry.com/submit-questions/Do you listen to the Podcast? Consider leaving a review of the podcast!Social Media:Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/middleschoolministrypodcast/Twitterhttps://twitter.com/middleschoolmi2Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/middleschoolministrypodcast

How can you stay connected while remaining six-feet apart, in groups no larger than ten, or sheltering in place?Well, it definitely presents some challenges.In this episode, Ronald and Michelle talk about how they plan to try to stay connected with students, parents, and leaders during a time when we're told to not hang out so much.Sometimes boundaries foster creativity!What are the ways you're going to try to connect? REAL letters? Phone calls?How are you going to reach out to your leaders?In what ways can you encourage parents?No for real, How long Oh Lord?Mentioned on the podcast: The Best Free Ideas to Navigate COVID-19https://youthgroup.downloadyouthministry.com/PSA From a Momhttps://youthgroup.downloadyouthministry.com/psa-from-a-mom-me-im-the-mom/DYM Communityhttps://www.facebook.com/groups/DYMCommunity/Podcast Networkhttps://podcast.downloadyouthministry.com/Ronald's Student Ministry One-Stop Online Youth Group Pagehttps://waysidechapel.org/echo-online/Got 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