Latest / Ministry Coach: Youth Ministry Tips & Resources / Youth Ministry Overnighters - How to Have a Successful Youth Group Lock In!

Transcript

Youth Ministry Overnighters - How to Have a Successful Youth Group Lock In! · Ministry Coach: Youth Ministry Tips & Resources

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: The event is so fun and we've proven year after year how fun it is they don't need any incentive to go.
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: 500 junior hires showed up Great, you know what?
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: I'll order more pizza because, there's no transportation, there's no tickets, we're just here, so sky's the limit.
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: Make sure you're giving your events life beyond the event, and I think that really helps in that year round promotion too.
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: The vibe of this event should be super high energy.
• 0:28
  Speaker 1: Let's play together, let's build relationships, let's create good memories, positive interactions, good vibes, laughter.
• 0:35
  Speaker 1: Today we're talking about five ways to make your youth group lock in a huge success.
• 0:53
  Speaker 2: Welcome to the Ministry Coach Podcast, where every week we give you actionable and practical tips to help you implement into your youth ministry.
• 1:00
  Speaker 1: My name is Jeff Laskola and this is Kristen Laskola, and today we're going to talk about the dreaded lock-in.
• 1:07
  Speaker 1: Are we still doing these?
• 1:11
  Speaker 2: Are we still doing these?
• 1:12
  Speaker 2: Yes, because students still love request and are obsessed about them.
• 1:17
  Speaker 1: Students, if you're listening, we do it for you, I know some youth groups that are like that is so 10 years ago, we don't do that anymore, and that's fine.
• 1:27
  Speaker 2: Then this move along better off, your life is much happier.
• 1:31
  Speaker 1: Don't look back.
• 1:33
  Speaker 1: But some of us are still stuck in the I don't know the students requests and we feel bad.
• 1:41
  Speaker 1: We're like I guess I should do it.
• 1:42
  Speaker 1: So today we're going to talk about how to make your lock-in event a huge success, I guess you could say, or as successful as it possibly could be, because, yeah, now it's never going to be the highlight of your life, unless you're one of those rare people that's a glutton for punishment.
• 2:00
  Speaker 2: Or you're like 22 years old single and you can go like seven days without sleeping and it's totally fine.
• 2:06
  Speaker 1: You just have a Red Bull, you're back to normal monster, you're good to go, okay.
• 2:10
  Speaker 1: So here's one.
• 2:12
  Speaker 1: That is obvious, but I think it has bit me in the back more times than I'd like to admit.
• 2:18
  Speaker 1: Pick the right weekend for crying out loud.
• 2:21
  Speaker 1: So I even.
• 2:22
  Speaker 1: This year.
• 2:22
  Speaker 1: I tried to do it at the beginning of January, and then I'm like we've been on Christmas break for two weeks.
• 2:27
  Speaker 1: There's not enough time to promote this and I ended up moving it to the end of January instead I'm like what was I thinking?
• 2:36
  Speaker 1: Like am I a novice at this?
• 2:37
  Speaker 1: Like I should have known.
• 2:39
  Speaker 1: Like this is not going to be realistic.
• 2:41
  Speaker 1: So make sure you pick a good weekend, not only that you have enough time to promote it, but that there's no holidays, there's no three day weekends People seem to go out of town during those types that there's no big event in your community, especially those of you in a small town.
• 2:57
  Speaker 1: If there's some kind of town event, I don't know School events Big.
• 3:02
  Speaker 1: Yeah, like a show, choir performance or a homecoming game.
• 3:07
  Speaker 1: You know, just know the calendar of the community, of the schools, of the holidays, and make sure you pick one where you know the majority of your students are going to be able to go, and don't do it too close to one of your own events either.
• 3:21
  Speaker 1: So our winter camp is not until the end of February.
• 3:25
  Speaker 1: So I'm like this is perfect.
• 3:26
  Speaker 1: I'm going to do it January 24th and 25th and that gives us time to promote just the Glover Niter that's what we call ours I'll get into that in a second and then promote just camp, and we don't have to like, compete for airtime, but there'll be enough space for both of these events to happen and you hit on a good point there.
• 3:45
  Speaker 2: You said a date you know the majority of people probably could come yeah because there's probably never going to be that perfect day that everybody's available.
• 3:54
  Speaker 2: So what's the thing?
• 3:56
  Speaker 2: You can't please everybody.
• 3:57
  Speaker 2: Or if you try to please everybody, you please nobody.
• 4:00
  Speaker 2: Or all of the above, sure, yeah impossible.
• 4:03
  Speaker 1: But just like sometimes they'll be like all the kids from this middle school have a show, choir performance in LA.
• 4:09
  Speaker 1: You're like, oh well, that would have been good to know.
• 4:12
  Speaker 1: So, number two what I like to do for our lock-ins is theme it.
• 4:17
  Speaker 1: So it's not just like we're having a lock-in.
• 4:19
  Speaker 1: I like to promote it as an event.
• 4:22
  Speaker 1: We I like to promote it as an event.
• 4:23
  Speaker 1: We do a glow-in-the-dark theme.
• 4:24
  Speaker 1: Ours is called the Glovernighter.
• 4:27
  Speaker 2: Catchy.
• 4:28
  Speaker 1: I thought of that.
• 4:30
  Speaker 2: Did you come up with that?
• 4:31
  Speaker 1: I did, and the only reason I'm proud to say that is because you guys know the games I name are horrible.
• 4:38
  Speaker 1: Horrible.
• 4:39
  Speaker 1: So I was kind of proud of myself on Glovernighter because every other thing I try to name is terrible.
• 4:49
  Speaker 1: So, whatever, let me have this one.
• 4:50
  Speaker 1: So I think lock-ins are more fun when they center around a theme that everyone can get into.
• 4:57
  Speaker 1: So ours is glow in the dark.
• 4:58
  Speaker 1: So if you don't want to do glow in the dark because you don't have access to black lights and that just feels daunting for you, here's some other ideas 80s, which I think 90s is the new 80s, to be honest, sad.
• 5:12
  Speaker 2: Yeah, it is sad.
• 5:13
  Speaker 2: There's much more fun things to wear, I feel like from the 80s that would kind of go with your glow in the dark night, though yeah, I know it would All the neon.
• 5:25
  Speaker 1: I've seen a youth group do like old school playground games, so, like you know, obviously dodgeball fits in there.
• 5:28
  Speaker 1: Just think like Jump, rope, hopscotch, that kind of stuff it was like and I wouldn't even play this game nowadays, but like Red Rover.
• 5:36
  Speaker 1: Oh just like games you might have played in PE, stuff like that.
• 5:41
  Speaker 1: So they would do like fun snacks that felt like school, like goldfish crackers and capri suns and then do games that you might have played on the playground, like wall ball and tether ball and kickball, stuff like that so I think that's a really fun theme.
• 5:58
  Speaker 1: I would actually do that.
• 5:59
  Speaker 1: Or you could do like you could take your top four games that your youth group kids love and do like favorites twist.
• 6:08
  Speaker 1: So like we're going to play Predator, but here's the cool twist.
• 6:13
  Speaker 1: So it's like Predator 2.0 or Operation Night, scramble 2.0 or whatever your kid's favorite game is, but do interesting versions of them.
• 6:22
  Speaker 1: That's like you guys have never seen this unlocked for the first time, kind of bit.
• 6:26
  Speaker 1: So come up with a theme instead of just saying we're coming to the church and we're going to play games and have a big sleepover.
• 6:32
  Speaker 1: I think it just makes it feel like more of an event.
• 6:35
  Speaker 1: Okay, so, number three come up with your timeline.
• 6:39
  Speaker 1: And this is the part, I think, where most youth pastors are like and I'm done.
• 6:44
  Speaker 2: It's a lot of time to fill.
• 6:46
  Speaker 1: It is, but not as much as you think.
• 6:47
  Speaker 1: When you start getting your timeline down you realize like this is actually doable.
• 6:51
  Speaker 1: So I always feel encouraged when I do the timeline, Like I only have to make it actually I can survive this.
• 6:59
  Speaker 1: Till 10 pm because then I put on a movie.
• 7:01
  Speaker 1: So I'll give you my quick timeline.
• 7:03
  Speaker 1: So mine is from 7 pm to 8 am and it's a Friday night to a Saturday morning.
• 7:09
  Speaker 1: You could be hardcore like me and have the student or the parents have a verbal agreement when they drop off their kid.
• 7:16
  Speaker 1: We give a 10-minute grace period for pickup.
• 7:18
  Speaker 1: After that standard North Coast Church child care rate supply, which is $10 an hour, you will be invoiced for.
• 7:24
  Speaker 2: That was my idea, by the way, it was.
• 7:26
  Speaker 1: And it really helped with those groggy mornings where you're like it's time for you to go home right where the heck are your parents.
• 7:36
  Speaker 2: Yeah, my favorite is when you knew where the kid lived and you knew how far it would be to get there and they would call and say, oh, I'm on my way, or or say they're, they're gonna be leaving and the time that they're calling to say that is longer than the time it would have taken.
• 7:52
  Speaker 1: Does that make any sense?
• 7:52
  Speaker 1: Yeah, it's like.
• 7:53
  Speaker 1: Well then, you were calling at 8 15.
• 7:55
  Speaker 2: It only took you 10 minutes to get there, so it's like you've already left five minutes after.
• 8:00
  Speaker 2: You know whatever.
• 8:00
  Speaker 1: And I think they just probably think like oh well, you guys are there anyways, but I'm like no, we're ready to go.
• 8:06
  Speaker 1: So that's.
• 8:07
  Speaker 1: I only do that for the all overnighter in the Glover nighter.
• 8:10
  Speaker 1: If it's just a regular Tuesday, I'm like whatever, be late, I don't care I'm here anyways.
• 8:15
  Speaker 2: I'm usually the last to pick up our child on Tuesday night.
• 8:17
  Speaker 1: You are.
• 8:18
  Speaker 2: I'm the caboose.
• 8:19
  Speaker 1: But you're just kind of waiting for the line to die down.
• 8:21
  Speaker 1: Probably something like that, yeah, strategic.
• 8:24
  Speaker 1: So seven o'clock they check in.
• 8:26
  Speaker 1: We just have our regular games and snack shack open, you know, just kind of like any youth group night would start.
• 8:33
  Speaker 1: While we're checking everyone in, girls are putting their sleeping stuff in one room, boys are putting their sleeping stuff in another room, we're answering parents questions, there's probably music going, snack Shack is open, like I said, maybe the video games are on, the Gaga ball pit is out, so kids are just kind of waiting for the beginning.
• 8:54
  Speaker 1: So then at 730, we begin the night and we do a just dance to start off with a party vibe.
• 9:02
  Speaker 1: And if you're looking for a good just dance, my two favorites are that's what makes you beautiful.
• 9:07
  Speaker 1: By one direction it's a four person dance.
• 9:10
  Speaker 1: So it's really fun and it's all appropriate and I love it.
• 9:14
  Speaker 1: I also love Ghostbusters on just dance.
• 9:17
  Speaker 1: That one is a staple for us.
• 9:19
  Speaker 1: Those two can't go wrong.
• 9:21
  Speaker 1: So there you go.
• 9:22
  Speaker 1: Now you don't have to search youtube and the fact that you said appropriate.
• 9:26
  Speaker 2: It's always good to watch those oh my gosh, yes, once through before you play anything, just because sometimes it's not even the song.
• 9:33
  Speaker 1: I've had a couple of dance moves that were like oh oopsies.
• 9:37
  Speaker 2: Uh.
• 9:39
  Speaker 1: YMCA.
• 9:40
  Speaker 1: That's the third one.
• 9:41
  Speaker 1: That one is so much fun.
• 9:43
  Speaker 1: So those three?
• 9:44
  Speaker 1: Um, so we'll do a just dance and then we paint the kids faces with glow paint.
• 9:49
  Speaker 1: I have the leaders do that.
• 9:50
  Speaker 1: I just buy it on Amazon and we just dip Q tips in it and we ask them what do you want?
• 9:55
  Speaker 1: And they do dots and stripes and hearts.
• 9:57
  Speaker 1: We paint their faces and then we give them all glow sticks.
• 10:00
  Speaker 1: And then we start our first game at 7.50, which is glow in the dark dodgeball.
• 10:05
  Speaker 1: So we order a few rhino skins that are glow in the dark and we like saturate them in light before the game to make them extra glowy.
• 10:16
  Speaker 1: They also have glow in the dark tape that you can use to tape your floor lines, because sometimes it's hard to tell the boundaries once the lights are off.
• 10:24
  Speaker 1: And then we do another just dance at seven, or sorry, eight 20, when dodgeball is over, and then at eight 30, we start game number two, which is the purge.
• 10:37
  Speaker 1: That's the one where everyone gets a glow-in-the-dark balloon.
• 10:40
  Speaker 1: The object of the game is to pop everyone else's balloon without getting yours popped.
• 10:44
  Speaker 1: If your balloon is intact, you're like the last one standing.
• 10:47
  Speaker 1: You win very important rule on that one.
• 10:51
  Speaker 1: If you're out, you can't pop balloons.
• 10:53
  Speaker 1: I've mentioned this before.
• 10:55
  Speaker 1: It's worth mentioning again.
• 10:56
  Speaker 1: It is a safety thing because junior hires with nothing to lose are a dangerous species and they will stop at nothing.
• 11:06
  Speaker 1: So they can't use things to pop the balloons.
• 11:09
  Speaker 2: They can't like grab a pad or whatever they have to use their hands, their feet, their teeth, whatever, yeah, sit on it.
• 11:15
  Speaker 1: And then we take a little break at 8 50.
• 11:18
  Speaker 1: So then we reopen the snack shack.
• 11:20
  Speaker 1: I order pizza and I include pizza in the cost of the glover nighter.
• 11:25
  Speaker 1: So it's ten dollars a person and that works really well.
• 11:28
  Speaker 1: That includes pizza, you could throw in soda with that and that covers the cost of the glow paint, the glow in the dark balloons, the extra glow tape and glow sticks, all the things that you need.
• 11:41
  Speaker 1: $10 a person covers it.
• 11:44
  Speaker 1: So we have our pizza at 8.50 and then the pickup games are back on.
• 11:49
  Speaker 1: So they could kind of play gaga ball, kind of hang out, and for junior hires I don't have that go too long.
• 11:55
  Speaker 1: We resume back at 9 15.
• 11:57
  Speaker 1: So from 8 50 to 9 15 is a little break in there and then we kick things off again with another just dance.
• 12:04
  Speaker 1: I just feel like a just dance is a really good transition from we're all doing our own thing to okay, we're back doing something all together again it's like sort of like a refocus brings the energy back up, and then 9 20 to 9 50, we're gonna play game number three on my schedule.
• 12:23
  Speaker 1: It is scatterball.
• 12:24
  Speaker 1: But nay, I have promised myself I'm never playing scatterball with my students ever again they don't know how to play and they don't follow the rules.
• 12:32
  Speaker 1: So I'm gonna exchange that for glow-in-the-dark hockey.
• 12:35
  Speaker 1: This year I'm gonna get a glow-in-the-dark hockey ball.
• 12:37
  Speaker 2: We've got our stick hockey ball hockey puck I guess when you do play, I play it with a ball I see where sports ball you're trying to make me sound stupid, but make you sound okay, yeah, yeah yeah, um.
• 12:53
  Speaker 1: So after that game it's 10 o'clock and I just write on the schedule get cozy.
• 12:58
  Speaker 2: So what about?
• 12:59
  Speaker 2: Did you mention that you have the nine square up or no?
• 13:02
  Speaker 1: You can yeah.
• 13:03
  Speaker 2: Because those are glow in the dark.
• 13:04
  Speaker 2: They are or you can get Castle Sports.
• 13:07
  Speaker 2: We've done a video on it before.
• 13:08
  Speaker 2: You can get glow in the dark.
• 13:10
  Speaker 2: Straps for those, yeah, and maybe I'll exchange hockey for nine square.
• 13:16
  Speaker 1: You know, I don't know.
• 13:17
  Speaker 1: I think both are really good options.
• 13:18
  Speaker 1: So yeah, nine square, if you've got it Glow in the dark, that's a great idea.
• 13:23
  Speaker 1: We do that one at winter camp.
• 13:24
  Speaker 1: So, I might save it for winter camp.
• 13:29
  Speaker 1: We do a glow in the dark night at winter camp, but either way, I think three games is plenty for a lock-in event.
• 13:33
  Speaker 1: When you, when you stagger it with the just dances, the breaks, the food, you know, glow, paint, all of that.
• 13:39
  Speaker 1: Three is plenty.
• 13:41
  Speaker 1: We say get cozy, meaning kind of you can grab a blanket, change into some pjs or whatever.
• 13:48
  Speaker 1: Then we all meet back in the auditorium and we're going to watch a movie.
• 13:53
  Speaker 1: At 10, 15.
• 13:55
  Speaker 1: Last year they were obsessed with shrek.
• 13:57
  Speaker 1: I don't know why shrek is making a comeback, but event I don't know, is it in your town because it wasn't ours.
• 14:03
  Speaker 1: So I don't know what we're gonna watch this year.
• 14:05
  Speaker 1: I think we had an idea, but now I forget.
• 14:06
  Speaker 1: And then 12, 30 was, lights out, boys went to their room, girls went to their room and we slept.
• 14:17
  Speaker 2: Right.
• 14:19
  Speaker 1: No, we just told them to be quiet all night long.
• 14:21
  Speaker 1: So one little twist and hack for this event that I really think is worth it is having a security person.
• 14:29
  Speaker 1: We've talked in the past about launching your own safety team, security team.
• 14:35
  Speaker 1: I have a security guy stay the whole night.
• 14:38
  Speaker 1: He brings a cot and he sleeps in the hallway and kind of watches that public area throughout the night.
• 14:46
  Speaker 1: He sleeps, but he's also kind of like there.
• 14:50
  Speaker 1: So, it's like hey, if you leave this room, you know cause?
• 14:53
  Speaker 1: It's like I always say, like hey, if you follow the rules, we're all going to be great.
• 14:58
  Speaker 1: If you're like dead set on causing problems and sneaking out and whatever, our building has an alarm, so I'm like you can't get out without setting off the alarm.
• 15:08
  Speaker 1: But if you're just going to hang out in the hallway, there's a security guard out there, so just stay in the room, go to bed, be quiet, so so I don't.
• 15:15
  Speaker 1: I wouldn't say we have raving success with that, but at least no one's unsafe they're just giggling, farting and coughing all night.
• 15:24
  Speaker 1: Um, so that's that.
• 15:26
  Speaker 2: And then how to get people there, like, how to like the cough they love, the I know, just to make, like, make a noise, and then you cough, and then someone across the room will do it, and then I'm gonna crinkle this bag, and then you crinkle, and then I'll cough, and then someone across the room will do it, and then I'm going to crinkle this bag, and then you crinkle a bag.
• 15:39
  Speaker 2: But why is this like spreads across so many generations?
• 15:44
  Speaker 1: Because junior hires.
• 15:45
  Speaker 2: Never change.
• 15:46
  Speaker 1: Never change, Like when high schoolers come back and they were like I want to volunteer.
• 15:51
  Speaker 1: They're like, were we?
• 15:52
  Speaker 2: like this.
• 15:52
  Speaker 2: I'm like 100% no we.
• 15:57
  Speaker 1: Junior hires have not changed in 20 years and nor will they in the next 20 years.
• 16:01
  Speaker 1: I mean, some of them have, like the trends, change what they wear.
• 16:06
  Speaker 1: There's the sheesh that's around for 30 seconds, then they move on to something else, but then it's like but deep down, the classic stay.
• 16:14
  Speaker 2: The classic stay Farting will always be top notch.
• 16:16
  Speaker 2: Farting will always be the thing.
• 16:19
  Speaker 1: So make sure you're promoting it well to get students there and, just like any event, you do make sure that parents have easy access to sign up, meaning email parents your permission slip.
• 16:31
  Speaker 1: Make sure they have all the information they need online or in your email For this event.
• 16:38
  Speaker 1: I will say I don't do online signups because I'm like we have endless capacity, like 500 junior hires showed up Great, you know, I'll order more pizza, right?
• 16:50
  Speaker 1: Because there's no transportation, there's no tickets, there's no contracts.
• 16:55
  Speaker 1: It's like we're just here, so sky's the limit really on attendance.
• 16:59
  Speaker 1: So I don't do online signups.
• 17:02
  Speaker 1: I'm like turning your permission slip ahead of time or bring it that night I don't really care.
• 17:06
  Speaker 2: Gauge roughly how many kids are coming just by the permission slips that you get in advance yeah, I mean, and I just because that could be wise, I mean, if you did have certain things you needed to order well in advance.
• 17:16
  Speaker 1: Yeah, you might need to know and I can at this point, like, if you're newer, maybe you need, like I need, to know exactly how much glow paint to order.
• 17:25
  Speaker 1: But at this stage in the game for me, I'm like I can pretty much predict the amount, the percentage we're going to get.
• 17:33
  Speaker 1: You know, it's a pretty predictable pattern for us and maybe you're starting to predict your own pattern.
• 17:39
  Speaker 1: It's like all right, we usually have 60% of our total due events, so that would be whatever.
• 17:46
  Speaker 1: You know, you're never going to never plan for 100%, even if they invite friends.
• 17:51
  Speaker 1: It's never 100% for me.
• 17:53
  Speaker 1: Anyways, I always plan for about 60 to 75% of the total to come to the event.
• 18:00
  Speaker 2: So question so you did say you charge it's $10 for this event.
• 18:04
  Speaker 2: This is obviously an event you've done for many, many years.
• 18:07
  Speaker 2: Students look forward to it.
• 18:09
  Speaker 2: They've either had siblings do it or they did it the prior year, so they are really excited about it.
• 18:13
  Speaker 2: So if you're doing a first time event and I know a ministry your size and with the experience and reputation that you guys have it's like it's going to be fun.
• 18:25
  Speaker 2: It's like I don't know what it is, we're going to call it the whatever night, and the kids are like I'm going, I don't care what it is.
• 18:31
  Speaker 2: So, for a smaller youth ministry or a newer youth ministry, do you think it's a good idea to charge for events?
• 18:37
  Speaker 2: Sub question A lot of times people say if someone is paying money for something, they're much more likely to go to it, as opposed to like, yeah, I'll be there, and then the night comes.
• 18:50
  Speaker 2: It's like yeah but it's kind of like if I paid 10 bucks or if you're the parents, you paid 10 bucks, like your kid's gonna go sure so what, where do you?
• 18:56
  Speaker 2: On those two things like where do you, where do you fall?
• 18:59
  Speaker 1: when I was smaller.
• 19:00
  Speaker 1: I don't think I charged um.
• 19:02
  Speaker 1: I could easily cover the supplies and pizza out of my budget yeah, but now it's like I'm not spending hundreds of dollars on this.
• 19:11
  Speaker 1: You know, and if everyone pitched him 10 bucks, it's like it's such a nominal cost it doesn't hurt, and if it did, they'd let me know and I'd be like, don't worry about it.
• 19:21
  Speaker 1: You know, yeah, I.
• 19:22
  Speaker 1: I just think it's a responsible use of my budget.
• 19:25
  Speaker 1: I would rather not take the hit if I don't have to but, like you, bring up a good point.
• 19:30
  Speaker 1: If I'm a brand new youth group, if I'm small, if I can cover it, then maybe I do and I just let it gain traction until it's so hype that they pay 20 bucks to go like because they just want to be there.
• 19:43
  Speaker 1: Not that you need to charge that, I just mean that's how exciting it would be so yeah.
• 19:49
  Speaker 1: I think you kind of have to answer that question on your own.
• 19:51
  Speaker 1: Like, what is my budget like?
• 19:53
  Speaker 1: What's a responsible use of it?
• 19:55
  Speaker 1: And is 10 bucks a make or break?
• 19:58
  Speaker 1: And maybe you don't?
• 19:59
  Speaker 1: I used to charge seven bucks and that covered it, but it was tight and so I'm like all right, 10 gives us a little wiggle room to, you know, order a couple new things or whatever, and it didn't really make a difference to anybody.
• 20:13
  Speaker 1: So, yeah, like, look at your own budget and motivation and all of that, because you might need to get a couple years under your belt for it to get a reputation.
• 20:24
  Speaker 1: So you know, and here's the thing too, I would charge if I didn't have glow lights.
• 20:30
  Speaker 1: Like that might be what you pay for the first year of like well, I need to buy a couple black lights.
• 20:36
  Speaker 1: You know I inherited them.
• 20:38
  Speaker 1: Like there was one of our campuses was getting rid of them and put out an email does anyone want these?
• 20:44
  Speaker 1: And I was like, yes, I want them.
• 20:46
  Speaker 1: So we just store them all year and then our tech guys put them up in the auditorium that night.
• 20:51
  Speaker 1: But that would be a great initial cost you know, 10 bucks a kid to buy.
• 20:57
  Speaker 1: And if you have a smaller youth room or whatever auditorium and you only need a couple, then great.
• 21:04
  Speaker 1: You know, I don't know how many, we have probably 10 or so, but yeah so.
• 21:09
  Speaker 1: So, yeah, the cost it's supposed to work for you, not against you, and if you feel like it's going to work against you, then maybe come up with something else.
• 21:21
  Speaker 2: But even five bucks.
• 21:22
  Speaker 2: Do you think it encourages kids to actually go like?
• 21:26
  Speaker 1: they would come.
• 21:27
  Speaker 1: I think, regardless, I don't think it's like a oh man, I wasn't gonna go, like like you said it, like the event is so fun and we've proven year after year how fun it is that they don't need any incentive yeah you know to go.
• 21:44
  Speaker 2: Um, and it's worth noting that anything you can make above and beyond your cost is rolled back into the ministry for more game supplies more camp scholarships, whatever it might be a hundred percent.
• 21:57
  Speaker 1: So it's kind of a win there strategically.
• 21:59
  Speaker 1: But yeah, so just make sure you're promoting it.
• 22:02
  Speaker 1: Well, if you have social media, make sure you're doing that.
• 22:04
  Speaker 1: Email it to parents, announce it on the weekends, like we talked about in the previous episode.
• 22:11
  Speaker 1: Make sure you take pictures and videos so that you can use it next year when you want to promote this event.
• 22:17
  Speaker 1: We do this group picture every year at the Glover Niter, with our glow, in the dark balloons, and everyone holds them up and we're all in our glow paint, and that one for the past few years has been printed on a big like gator board and put up on our room, like in the wall in our room.
• 22:37
  Speaker 1: So it's like, oh, that looks so cool.
• 22:40
  Speaker 1: So, make sure you're giving your events life beyond the event, and I think that really helps in that like year round promotion too, of like oh look, that was me in the hot pink, like with my balloon, and what was that, and that was so fun.
• 22:55
  Speaker 1: So it continues to live its life and then when you have that event next time, maybe a kid who wasn't in that picture is like okay, I want to do it, that looks super cool.
• 23:06
  Speaker 1: So just to kind of double down on that concept from last week make sure you're filming this so that if it's a new event for you every year, you can use it for marketing and promotion to show people like this was so cool.
• 23:20
  Speaker 2: Yeah.
• 23:20
  Speaker 1: Yeah.
• 23:20
  Speaker 1: So and lastly, as we kind of close up, like the vibe of this event should be super high energy.
• 23:28
  Speaker 1: So it's going to be party, fun, high energy, like this is just an event to be like.
• 23:35
  Speaker 1: Let's play together, let's build relationships, let's create good memories, positive interactions, good vibes, laughter, energy, dancing, and make sure you have enough leaders that can stay.
• 23:48
  Speaker 1: You know my intern, like I have three guy interns and a girl intern and me, so there's five staff plus security.
• 23:58
  Speaker 1: I'm like okay, between all of us spending the night, we should be good.
• 24:01
  Speaker 1: But then my other volunteers, they're probably going to come throughout the night.
• 24:04
  Speaker 1: I told him you don't have to spend the night if you don't want to.
• 24:07
  Speaker 1: One said she would.
• 24:08
  Speaker 1: So that gives us three guys, three girls and you know it'll be fine.
• 24:12
  Speaker 1: But getting your volunteers there too will create even more of that energy and fun for the event.
• 24:19
  Speaker 1: And, like I said, get a security guy there, safety guy there, safety guy there, if you can, especially because it's overnight.
• 24:26
  Speaker 2: I don't know about you.
• 24:27
  Speaker 1: Yeah, our church is beautiful but sometimes weird stuff happens.
• 24:34
  Speaker 2: Like my mom used to always say, there's nothing good that happens after 11 o'clock, yeah you just never know, you might be roaming around your campus or your church and I think it makes parents feel better too.
• 24:43
  Speaker 1: But we lock up, set the alarm, all of that kind of stuff.
• 24:46
  Speaker 2: It's just nice to have an extra set of eyes that's not dealing with kids necessarily just dealing with the building, yeah I know you talked, obviously, a ton about the glover night or if you wanted more information about that, we did an entire episode all about that so you can check that out.
• 25:00
  Speaker 2: We will link that below.
• 25:02
  Speaker 2: And then we also, as you also mentioned, we have an episode about the importance of security and kind of like how you can implement that into your youth ministry.
• 25:10
  Speaker 2: It puts parents, gives them a peace of mind and as well as students, so make sure you check that out.
• 25:15
  Speaker 2: And finally, if you were doing any sort of movie, we do have a recommended movies list.
• 25:21
  Speaker 2: This is this is the top 75 movies recommended by youth pastors.
• 25:26
  Speaker 1: I didn't know we had that hello, we did that like last year, I think, I can't remember it was a poll of over 500 youth pastors.
• 25:34
  Speaker 2: I think wow what's number one?
• 25:35
  Speaker 2: You'll have to email us at ministry coach podcast at gmailcom to find out.
• 25:40
  Speaker 2: No, I think it's always like Princess Bride, Napoleon Dynamite.
• 25:46
  Speaker 1: Nacho Libre and.
• 25:46
  Speaker 2: Nacho Libre.
• 25:47
  Speaker 2: Those are, I think, the top three.
• 25:48
  Speaker 2: Okay, but if you want to broaden your horizons and do something else, these are 75.
• 25:52
  Speaker 1: You know, can I put out Diary of a Wimpy Kid into the mix?
• 25:57
  Speaker 1: I don't know if that made the list.
• 25:58
  Speaker 1: I don't think so.
• 26:04
  Speaker 1: It's so good, just the original one.
• 26:05
  Speaker 2: Diarrhea of a wimpy kid.
• 26:06
  Speaker 2: I love that movie.
• 26:06
  Speaker 2: Yeah, it is.
• 26:06
  Speaker 2: It is pretty funny and pretty true to form for for middle school.
• 26:10
  Speaker 2: That's what I'm saying, yeah, so great question of the day this week is what is the song that you could probably listen to every day of your life and you never get tired of?
• 26:18
  Speaker 2: Call me al by paul simon I think you do play that song.
• 26:22
  Speaker 1: I think I do listen to it every day yeah, it's so fun yeah, it's funny and bubbly and hilarious and I love the video with, I think, chevy chase is in it it's just like I don't know.
• 26:33
  Speaker 1: I just love that.
• 26:34
  Speaker 1: It's like what is it even about?
• 26:36
  Speaker 2: it's a very I I have no idea really odd lyrics, but it's fun.
• 26:40
  Speaker 1: It's a fun song roly-poly little bat face girl.
• 26:42
  Speaker 1: I know like, what is that?
• 26:44
  Speaker 1: Who is that?
• 26:46
  Speaker 2: mine would be bizarre love triangle by new order.
• 26:51
  Speaker 1: I don't love it.
• 26:51
  Speaker 2: I don't know, maybe we've already even done this question before, because I feel like I've already answered that with that same answer, but I don't know what that song is about.
• 26:58
  Speaker 2: I guess the bizarre love triangle.
• 26:59
  Speaker 2: I just love the, the music, the beat really good.
• 27:02
  Speaker 1: Yeah, it's a good one.
• 27:03
  Speaker 1: Everything by new order is pretty good.
• 27:05
  Speaker 1: No, actually it's not really well, they really have three hits and then everything else is awful.
• 27:09
  Speaker 1: Okay, that's what I meant, like blue monday like 20 albums, three good songs I mean, that's how it is for a lot, especially that era.
• 27:18
  Speaker 2: You only had to have one good song and then 11 other garbage ones.
• 27:22
  Speaker 1: You know what else I really like?
• 27:23
  Speaker 1: King of Wishful Thinking.
• 27:24
  Speaker 1: I've been listening to that a lot lately.
• 27:26
  Speaker 2: That's by Someone can put it in the comment section below.
• 27:29
  Speaker 2: All right, this is the community comment of the day.
• 27:31
  Speaker 2: This comes from Carl Schmitke, who says what I enjoy most about your podcast is your fresh ideas, cheerful banter and heart for ministry.
• 27:40
  Speaker 2: And, Carl, what I enjoy most about you is I think this is the third time we've had Carl as a community comment of the day- Thank you, carl.
• 27:50
  Speaker 1: Three cheers for Carl, a new record Wow.
• 27:53
  Speaker 2: Yeah, yes, that's great.
• 27:54
  Speaker 2: Thank you so much.
• 27:55
  Speaker 2: We really appreciate it.
• 27:56
  Speaker 2: Also, I love the name Carl.
• 27:57
  Speaker 2: Yeah, it's really good.
• 28:02
  Speaker 1: And you have a great restaurant carl's jr kristen wanted to work there, when she was my whole life, I was like that's, that's what I'm doing with my life.
• 28:07
  Speaker 2: I'm working carl's jr my cousin and you settled for youth ministry instead I could have been working at carl's jr, but no, I'm in youth ministry.
• 28:17
  Speaker 1: my cousin still asked me like do you remember when you still want to work at Carl's Jr?
• 28:21
  Speaker 1: Because I told everybody like this is what I'm going to do.
• 28:24
  Speaker 1: Okay.
• 28:25
  Speaker 2: It's like you didn't hit your goals in life, but that's okay.
• 28:28
  Speaker 2: Thank you guys so much for watching and listening, and we'll see you next time.
• 28:33
  Speaker 1: Today we're talking about five ways to make your youth group lock in a huge success.
• 28:39
  Speaker 2: I didn't see a flash.
• 28:39
  Speaker 2: I totally saw a flash, okay, okay, so your third, need your third leadership team.
• 28:50
  Speaker 1: What Ring and whatever else you want to call it.
• 28:52
  Speaker 1: Okay, it's time to go.