I’ve had people ask me how I get everything done, or how I do it all. The first answer to that question is, not under my power, but the Lord’s. The second answer to this is, using items that help me immensely in ministry. Whether it’s an awesome Bible, or a di-cut machine, there are 8 must have items for Children’s Ministry that I use on a regular basis.
- Hands down, my favorite Bible to teach from is the Children’s Ministry Resource Bible-NKJV. I love it so much that I told you all about it before, and I will continue to tell you how awesome it is. All throughout the book, there are pages of teaching tips, how to use the wordless book, simple Bible lessons, and maps.
- Because I use paper objects and posters with my lessons, I want to keep them as nice as possible. My Scotch Thermal Laminator is GREAT!! Remember my Jesse Tree Lesson? Yep. Laminated! I’ve had this laminator for 6 years and it still works well.
- I am finding SO many uses for the E-Z UP Swift Instant Shelter Canopy. These are simple to put up canopy tents that you can use inside and outside. I’ve used it for a food and drink center for a car wash. I’ve used it as a story telling tent for a fall festival. This summer, I will be using about 9 of these tents to create a marketplace in our gym for VBS. SO fun!!
- For adults during Vacation Bible School, I am using Avery Top-Loading Hanging Name Badges. I am using this kind because on one side of the name tag we can print the volunteers’ names. On the other side, we can print the VBS schedule. Therefore everyone will know exactly where to go and when to be there. AND no lost schedules!
- My church has a copier that I can use, but most of my planning takes place at home because I am not a staff member. I use my Wireless Color Laser Printer with Scanner, Copier and Fax to print, make copies, and scan pages for volunteers. I absolutely love it!!
- We need to have versatility in our kidmin area, so we have these nice kid size stackable chairs that we easily stack and move when we need more space.
- We also have a great storage closet! We bought 3 sections of shelves and some plastic bins to store items. Different ministries have an assigned a shelf so there is no confusion as to which stuff belongs to which ministry.
This last item is on my wish list. The Silhouette electronic cutting machine can cut a wide variety of materials including paper, vinyl, cardstock, fabric, heat transfer material, and so much more. With the included Silhouette software, you’re able to create and cut your own designs and use the fonts already installed on your computer. This is great for bulletin boards, name tags, games, etc.
There are other items for children’s ministry, such as flat screen TVs, projectors, and sound systems, but I haven’t used any of those much in my experience. That just goes to show that those items aren’t “must have” items for solid ministry.
