A Simple VBS Fundraiser
VBS, Kidmin, Events David Reneau VBS, Kidmin, Events David Reneau

A Simple VBS Fundraiser

One thing about VBS is that it takes a lot of supplies. Crafts, games, decorations, Bible stories and so much more all need stuff. It’s a lot to handle and can be one of the biggest line items in your budget.

To keep my costs down, I’ve used this one fundraiser for years with great success.

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5 Questions to Create Your VBS Schedule
VBS, Kidmin, Events David Reneau VBS, Kidmin, Events David Reneau

5 Questions to Create Your VBS Schedule

VBS is one of the most complex ministry outreaches in children’s ministries. It takes 3-6 months to put on a one-week event for tons of kids and a major part of the kidmin annual rhythm.

One of the more complex yet essential parts of VBS is the schedule. It answers the question, “How are you going to get multiple groups of kids to multiple rooms throughout your campus all at the same time, not lose anyone, make time for bathroom breaks, and still get all the content covered?”

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5 VBS Volunteers that Make a BIG Difference
VBS, Kidmin, Events, Volunteers David Reneau VBS, Kidmin, Events, Volunteers David Reneau

5 VBS Volunteers that Make a BIG Difference

Many of the curriculums I’ve used over the years give you an idea of how many volunteers you need and where they should serve. However, if you’re doing a VBS for 100 kids or more, these lists can be found lacking. They’ll list small group leaders and station leaders, but what about registration? Décor? Marketing? Supply management?

Over the years I’ve added several positions to my VBS that have helped me reach more kids and made my workload so much simpler.

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How to Celebrate Easter When You’re in Ministry
NextGen, Holidays David Reneau NextGen, Holidays David Reneau

How to Celebrate Easter When You’re in Ministry

It’s the Friday before Easter. You’ve been busy with all the marketing, event planning, service prep, and inviting. You’re probably a little tired and the light at the end of the tunnel that is Monday is looking better and better.

But you also have a family and obligations there too. If you’re like me, it’s far too easy to let work overtake the home. All the focus is on what the Church is doing, and your family gets the leftovers. It’s not fair to them, and it’s not fair to you.

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5 Easy Steps to Promote Your Summer Events this Easter
Events, Marketing, Holidays, VBS David Reneau Events, Marketing, Holidays, VBS David Reneau

5 Easy Steps to Promote Your Summer Events this Easter

With Easter in just a few weeks, you’re probably deep into prep for the big weekend. Whether you’re doing an egg hunt, planning your worship set, or just getting your volunteers ready, there’s a lot of focus put on this weekend.

Not to pile on, but there’s one more thing to consider for Easter. What are you doing this summer?

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5 Steps to Taking Great Event Pictures
Marketing, Events David Reneau Marketing, Events David Reneau

5 Steps to Taking Great Event Pictures

Maybe this has happened to you. You had a huge event where hundreds of people came. People were saved. Lives were changed. You get ready to make an announcement in the service or post on social what God has done. But you’re stuck. You can tell them what happened, but only verbally. The pictures and video are terrible or non-existent.

A picture is worth a thousand words.

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The Paradox of Every Service Matters
Leadership David Reneau Leadership David Reneau

The Paradox of Every Service Matters

Right in the middle of my worship set, my entire computer system crashed. I use video worship and teaching so having this crash was worst case scenario. I didn’t have a backup plan, and I was the only one who could fix it.

Looking back now, I’m not entirely sure what we did to get through it, but we did. The Gospel was proclaimed, and we built relationships with the families that came.

But that was just one service. I could fill this post with story after story of successes and failures on big days and small days, and I’m sure you could too.

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5 Must Haves for a NextGen Policy Manual
NextGen, Resources, Administration David Reneau NextGen, Resources, Administration David Reneau

5 Must Haves for a NextGen Policy Manual

A little talked about, but vital document in your ministry is a policy and procedure manual. The manual answers a lot of questions for volunteers and clearly defines your thinking on multiple situations.

While your church may have its own policy manual that addresses your ministry specifically, many times these are incomplete when it comes to NextGen. In my experience, they’ll address room ratios and background checks, but not other problems such as fire drills, dress codes, meeting attendance and more.

This is why I suggest every NextGen ministry have its own policy and procedure manual.

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How to Have an Easter Egg Hunt Part 1
Kidmin, Events, Resources, Holidays David Reneau Kidmin, Events, Resources, Holidays David Reneau

How to Have an Easter Egg Hunt Part 1

Easter Egg Hunts. Love them or hate them, it’s one of the most popular Kidmin events leading into the Easter season. I know it’s only February, but if you want to have a successful outreach event, you need to start planning now.

In this series of posts, I’m going to share my system with you. If you leave me a comment with your email, I’ll share my to do list that will walk you through every step.

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A Ministry Fundraiser that Works
Kidmin, Events David Reneau Kidmin, Events David Reneau

A Ministry Fundraiser that Works

Being in ministry usually means you’re going to have to fundraise for something. After all, a church is technically a non-profit and generosity is a core tenet of our faith.

Over the years, I’ve heard countless ideas for fundraisers for various reasons, but there’s one I’ve done year after year with great success.

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3 Midweek Service Alternatives
Kidmin, Service Planning David Reneau Kidmin, Service Planning David Reneau

3 Midweek Service Alternatives

I was stuck. We were finally coming back from COVID and starting Wednesday night services back up. We decided to rebrand the night for adults and focus on groups instead of the traditional Wednesday night service.

This was great for adults, but what about kids? Will I have the same kids every week? How long will the groups meet? What should I do on First Wednesday, when I’ll have more kids?

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5 Steps to a Successful Parent Meeting
Kidmin, Leadership David Reneau Kidmin, Leadership David Reneau

5 Steps to a Successful Parent Meeting

It was the summer of 2014, and I’m trying to get as many kids as possible to go to camp. I advertised, secured scholarships, made phone calls and much more, but I’d hit a ceiling. Many kids couldn’t go because their parents had already scheduled something that week or they had already committed to attending one of other paid events throughout the summer and couldn’t afford it.

Sound familiar?

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3 Questions to Ask Before Picking a VBS
Kidmin, VBS, Events David Reneau Kidmin, VBS, Events David Reneau

3 Questions to Ask Before Picking a VBS

It's January and that means it's time to start working on VBS. I know it’s 6-7 months out, but there are a few high-level decisions you need to make now to set you up for success in the coming months.

One of the first questions that is asked is, "What VBS curriculum should my church use?

The truth is there are a lot of great curriculums out there, and while I have my preferences, I won’t advocate for any of them in this post.

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What I Read in 2022
Leadership, Reading List David Reneau Leadership, Reading List David Reneau

What I Read in 2022

Every year I set a goal to read a certain number of books. I’ve gone all the way to 36 but have settled between 20 to 24. This year, instead of focusing on quantity, I focused on subjects that interested me and read a few pages every day. Somehow, I still got 20 books in.

For this post, I broke the books into categories.

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