Top 5 Reasons to Attend Trainings

Each year, one of my team's most anticipated traditions is attending the regional creative ministry festivals. For some, it motivates them to "step it up" as they prepare to compete. For others, it's the idea of spending the weekend with the team out of town. For maybe just one of them... they like the idea of getting out of school early.

What about for the leaders though? Sure, it's a lot of work to coordinate overnight travel, budget everything and rally the troops (and their parents) behind the idea of going. But (there's always a but) I strongly feel that it's a worthwhile investment. Here are my top 5 reasons for taking yourself and your team to a training conference this year and every year:

1. So many ideas to steal errr— use!

 The feature performances, competitions, workshops and resources can't help but leave your brain chock full of ideas and eager to take some home to use with your team or church. Some ideas you can put into practice as soon as you get back, some you can file away for future use. It's good to always have ideas handy to keep things fresh for your ministry.

2. Get (re-)equipped

Whether you're just starting out or have been at it for 20 years, the workshops, resources and workshop leaders at conferences provide many opportunities for you to continue to polish your technique, learn a new art form or just hear sage advice/confirmation from seasoned leaders. As leaders, we should be constantly learning and in the pursuit of excellence in ministry.

3. Give them some motivation!

Nothing like some good ole "competition" to kick your team's energy and drive into high-gear. The competitions at these festivals aren't pitting teams against each other but challenging each ministry to continue improving. I know my team is most driven with polishing a piece when they know people are going to be critiquing their performance.

Also, the feedback you get from competing is so much more valuable than any award. The comments the judges provide, mostly pointers for improvement and reinforcement of things well done, can help push your ministry and team closer to excellence.

4. Get connected!

Perhaps one of the things I treasure most about festivals is to find myself surrounded with people who "get it." They've been in my shoes, are wearing those same shoes or chucked them out and took it to the next level. 

Many times though, as we rally the team to go to lunch, or are nervously preparing for the next competition, we are missing our opportunity to connect with the leaders surrounding you that could be your next best friend. Even for your team, seeing other people their age also engaged in ministry can be so encouraging. I can't tell you how valuable it is to make and maintain

5. Be Challenged, Be Inspired! 

As directors or members of a ministry team, it can be easy to lose sight of the "ministry" part of "creative ministry" when we're so immersed in rehearsals, making props, or keeping our cool.

Conferences are a wonderful retreat from the "norm" and this, along with the devotionals and spiritual challenge, provide you an opportunity to reflect on your ministry and remind you of who you're serving and why. I am always most refreshed, energized and eager to serve when I return from these conferences because of the spiritual battery charge I get. Don't let yourself miss out on this opportunity to be refreshed in your ministry!

So there you have it!

I could keep going on and on but those are my top 5 reasons for hoping to challenge you to either continue or begin to participate in training conferences. If you participate in conferences, what are your reasons? Feel free to share in the comments section!

For more information on creative ministry conferences in your area, I recommend checking out www.creativemin.com

End of Season Reflections: 5 tips for the director

The 2015-2016 season was one of the shortest I've directed in the last 4 years with my ministry team. Despite that, it has been a wonderfully productive season with it's own set of challenges and blessings.

Looking back on this season, I've come to realize that I've remembered some old lessons and learned new ones as a director...

Learn to work with what you have

Last season, we staged an adaptation of "Heavenly Street" by Carrie Murphy. We survived our first completely live production complete with microphones, large set pieces and a huge variety of props and creative arts. The message was beautiful and we rehearsed long and hard... yet by the end of each performance and the season the team was exhausted. Why? The production was originally done with 16 people... our team had 9 including myself and our tech girl.

This year, I opted for a more simple production, "the Original Love Story," which cleverly (if I do say so myself) wove in video segments and illusions with the songs into one sweeping narrative. The transitions advanced the story but also freed the team up to prepare for the next song. Really, it was a production better suited to a team of our size and capability.

Yet again, the message was beautiful... but we didn't have to work nearly as hard before/during/after. The team enjoyed the production much more.

It's easy, and in fact I encourage you, to dream BIG. Yet, learn to be realistic and see how you can accomplish your vision with your current resources.

Don't be afraid to recycle

Sadly, we were only able to present "Heavenly Street" twice last season and, as much as I loved the production, I was hesitant to stage it again with only a team of 8 this time. I'm also known for not wanting to "do the same thing twice." Still, we dedicated so much time to learning the songs and painting sets that I didn't want it to go to waste...

So I re-used some of the songs in a new context for "the Original Love Story." I didn't do "exactly" what we did last time and this kept the material fresh for our church and my team. 

Have fun

We work hard and, though I didn't always make as much time as I should have, we made time to just have fun as a team. We play Charades together and get pretty competitive. We take the scenic route home and stop to take pictures on long drives back from a performance. We even had a "pizza party" where I bought pizza dough and everyone brought toppings so we could make and eat our own custom pizzas.

Having fun with your team is a way to build your team and share some fun moments together. Let them know it's not all business, it's also friendship and fellowship.

Motivate your team

It's one thing to direct your team. It's an entirely different thing to believe in your team. 

I am my team's #1 encourager. I am always cheering them on, constructively giving feedback to encourage excellence and challenging them to try something new and step out of their comfort zone. 

Do your best and let God take care of the rest!

I often remind my team of this, especially before a performance. It's so easy to get caught up in being "perfect." I want them to remember that their honest best is matters but what God does matters most.

I like to think I've always done this for my team but sometimes believing in your team means accepting that this is their best, and it may not be the way you wanted it. Or they are so terrified of a particular part that you need to stop everything and just pray for them. 

Remember the big picture

My leaders and I are always reminding our team the why of our ministry. We do stage these productions because they are fun but, ultimately, we're hoping to present the life-changing message of God's love through Christ. 

Make time for devotionals, share testimonies with each other and prayer with and for your team. Ask them what is their takeaway from a song or what impacts them most about the program.

My biggest highlight this year was when I sent a group text to my team thanking them for their hard work and reminding them that they never know the impact they might have on someone's life.

One of my students, who doesn't always appear to be "on" during rehearsals, replied: "No need to thank me! I've come to realize that I'm doing this for God and to try and change someone's life. Thank you, good night, and God bless you."

In summary...

What a blessing the 2015-2016 season was! Although ministry is tiring... it is also encouraging and a privilege to serve. I hope to apply these lessons as I move forward and begin to plan a new year. Let's pray that my team enjoys their sabbatical and returns refreshed and eager to serve. 

Did you try something new this year? What have you learned in your recent experiences? 

Remembering that God works "Then & Now"

Wow! There is something to be said about how inspiring and energizing it is to see your team growing and blossoming as they use their gifts for God. We had the blessing of staging a new bilingual musical for the winter and the even greater blessing of seeing this kind of growth take place in our youth.

Our production was simply titled "Then and Now." The idea behind the musical began after listening to a sermon one Sunday on the demon-possessed man that Jesus freed from Legion. This planted a question in my head, "What would it be like to have a conversation with this man? What would it be like to experience this first-person?" This led to wondering about other figures that Jesus touched throughout ministry.

In prayer and planning with my assistant director, we decided to focus on 3 narratives: a child and mother that went to see Jesus, an ill woman and a youth raised from the dead.  We re-purposed some songs we had just learned while also including new material to weave it all together. The songs we used included:

• "Hold Me" by Jamie Grace (featuring puppetry, props and live actors)
• "Me Dice Que Me Ama" by Jesus Adrian Romero (featuring blacklight hand mime)
• "Beautiful" by MercyMe (featuring sign language and painting)
• "You Are Being Loved" by Steven Curtis Chapman (featuring human video and choreography)

The way we structured the narratives were as monologues and dialogues. In writing the scripts, we decided to incorporate elements from both the history of the characters and the testimony of the actor. This created a deep personal connection between the actors and the characters and made the production feel "real" for everyone involved. My goal was to free my team from the burden of "acting" and just let them be themselves.

Our goal was met and I was blown away. The team, though trembling from nerves, not only shared their stories but drew us into them. The audience's response was incredible. People laughed, people cried (and I laughed, I cried). People were also moved as they realized that God didn't just work then, he also works now.

→ If you are interested in the script and director notes for this musical, please feel free to e-mail Gabriel@CMTministries.org

Happy 2013! | Resource Spotlight: The Crayon Kingdom by Jennie Bishop

Happy New Year everyone! We are grateful for all that has happened in this past year and look forward to a new year.

It was a little over four years ago when we stumbled upon a wonderful story by Jennie Bishop, “the Crayon Kingdom,” in the midst of development of a new production for a New Year’s event. The story is charming and thoughtful, and, at the time, just felt right.The decision was made to scrap our current developing production and to adapt, record and produce a Spanish puppet musical of the Crayon Kingdom (with only 6 weeks until show time)! Little did we know just how beautiful this production would turn out to be and now, years later, we are more than happy to recommend this book, whether for pleasure reading/learning or production material.The Crayon Kingdom tells the story of the trouble that ensues once Green feels underappreciated and decides to work only with other Greens instead of his colorful friends. Join the Crayons as they learn the necessity and beauty of working together to make a masterpiece.

The Crayon Kingdom is available from PurityWorks.

Listen to our Spanish adaptation on YouTube.

Reading: Scrap the Fluff

I read a great article by Amanda Cowles from Skadoodles! about scriptwriting that's worth sharing. You can find the original article here: Scripts: Scrap the Fluff.

This article reminded me a lot of what I learned in my college english course with, hands-down, the best English professor ever. Here was one memorable tip for becoming a better writer: "kill it."

Many of us have the tendency to write too much. This isn't just with script-writing, but any sort of communication (I know I do). Get to the point. If it's not necessary, then kill it. (I am in no way promoting violence, just concise writing).

A great tool for knowing when or when not to "kill it" are Amanda's "five necessaries": plot, character, audience, subtlety and resolution. I can't think of a better way to sum up it up than that.

These necessaries keep you grounded on "the point" and guide you to writing stronger material. Plus, if you are into improv, these a great tips to follow for establishing a platform and building off of that.

So sure, some fluff can be fun here and there but make sure the meat of the message is in your sandwich before you add the lettuce, mayo and Kettle Chips.