SMI
Workshop Opportunities
Relationships
Recruiting Volunteers (recruiting, equipping and celebrating)
Designed for Youth and Children Leaders
JonRandolph, Youth Director, Anderson UMC
Matthew 9:35-38, Jesus made a huge understatement here...How can I get help with our harvest?Ideas for recruiting volunteers, helping them understand the mission of the ministry and celebrating God's work in the ministry.
Partnering with Parents and Being Present in Students Lives (Physically, mentally, randomly)
Designed for Youth Leaders
Mike Howington, Youth and Family Ministry Coordinator, MS UM Conference
The most powerful empires in the world today are the church and family. Our role is to combine these two powers into one goal. The church has limited time in students’ lives but the family has limitless time. Our goal in this workshop is to help you partner with the family and define your role in students’ lives.
Partnering with Parents and Being Present in Students Lives (Physically, mentally, randomly)
Designed for Children Leaders
Tara Hopkins, Director of Children’s Ministry, The Pointe
Parents and church leaders both usually overestimate the time they have and underestimate their influence. Join us as we take a look at what happens when each group capitalizes on the time they have and works together to leverage their influence on families’ lives.
Spiritual Truth
Teach Small(how to form healthy small groups)
Designed for Youth Leaders
J Nelson, Youth Ministry Director, Christ UMC
The 80’s sitcom “Cheers" got it right..."Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name and they're always glad you came. You wanna be where you can see, our troubles are all the same. You wanna be where everybody knows your name.” They could have gotten the exact same things at any other bar in town. The question is not how they got there the first time, but why they kept coming back?
The Long View
Designed for Youth and Children Leaders
Wes Ingram, Minister of Youth and Families, Parkway Heights UMC
“Helping a church transition to a family ministry vision”
To have a vibrant family ministry a leader must transition a congregation into a model of ministry that might seem foreign to them. This means a leader must reframe a congregation for a new model of ministry. In this breakout we’ll talk about some ways to reframe congregations for family ministry.
God is Not Calling Me to Be in Full-Time Ministry! (at least that’s what I keep telling myself)
Designed for Youth and Children Leaders
Larry Hilliard, Director of Spiritual Leadership, Mississippi United Methodist Conference
This will be a casual conversation for those folks who feel that there may be another step for them in their call to ministry. We will talk about college, seminary, candidacy and other anxiety-producing words. We will share stories, ask questions and look at what the next steps might be in answering God’s Call.
Teaching Youth to Share the Bigger Story
Designed for Youth Leaders
Kordell Sims, Senior Pastor, Grenada Vincent UMC
We will make the following discoveries as we engage in this workshop.
•Uplift the importance of prayer/Make prayer for the lost a genuine priority
•Challenge students to live it out
•Equip youth to verbally share
•Give students outlets to share/Inspire them to share their faith
•Remind youth to light their own fire
VISION
Program Small (less programing more impact)
Designed for Youth Leaders
Russ Polsgrove, Minister to High School Students, The Orchard
For too long, success in ministry has been defined by activity. Trips and classes, programs and camps are all great, but what if busyness wasn't the end goal? What if we could have a greater impact by actually doing less?
From Door to Disciple
Designed for Youth and Children Leaders
Larry Hilliard, Director of Spiritual Leadership, Mississippi United Methodist Conference
This workshop will help us understand that it takes an intentional process to move a student from just showing up to becoming a disciple.We will look at ways for their stories to connect with God’s story.
Breaking Traditional Molds: programming WITH contemporary culture
Designed for Children Leaders
Megan Snider, Minister to Children & Families, Galloway Memorial UMC
What does it look like to minister with children and families who are fully immersed in the world? Together we will explore experiential teaching models that engage the entire person, inside and outside the church walls. Come ready to participate as we teach and learn together.
SYSTEMS
Sunday School “HELP”
Designed for Youth Leaders
Abby Herrington
Is your congregation looking for ways to invigorate Sunday mornings for youth? Maybe, you are looking for ways to start a youth Sunday school. Sunday school “HELP” is a workshop focused on helping small churches put new ideas into action. Together, we will explore how to implement practical concepts that bring youth closer to the Scriptures through games, discussion, arts, music and more.
Sunday School “HELP”
Designed for Children Leaders
Karie Sue McCaleb, Pastor to Children & Families, St. Mark’s UMC
Ever had a Sunday morning when you were thinking, "Lord, I need HELP?" This workshop will offer tools and strategies to set up your children's Sunday school ministry for success, including ideas for team building, volunteer recruitment and previews of the latest curriculum to enhance the ministry already happening in your church.
Aligning your ministry (how to make sure your trips, events and outreach meet your needs)
Designed for Youth Leaders
Jeremy Knight, Associate Pastor for Youth and Families, Main Street UMC
Sometimes doing what is expected, or what 'we've always done' is a good thing in youth ministry. Doing what pushes our students toward the God-given mission and vision is a great thing in youth ministry.Join us as we evaluate and define what we do and why we do it. In the discovery we just may find a synergistic way to align what we facilitate in ministry with what God's mission is for your church and ministry.
Planning Children’s Church
Designed for Children Leaders
Terry Hilliard, Senior Pastor, Broadmeadow UMC
Planning Children's Worship
In the midst of our hectic lives and energized ministries, a question arises. How do I introduce reflective, quiet time with God to children? Though it seems counterculture, children's church is just the place!
Social [Media] Holiness: Using Social Media in Student Ministry
Designed for Youth and Children Leaders
Jasmine Haynes, web and social media specialist for the Mississippi Conference
As students’ communication preferences shift with every new app and social media platform, youth and children ministry leaders must continuously review their communication strategies while being attentive to emerging digital platforms. In this session, participants will not only gain insight on how social media can be a useful tool in engaging students, but will also gain some recommended practices and guidelines that are commonly accepted principles of healthy boundaries for digital networking and communication.