A Free App and a Conference You Need to Know About

A few weeks ago I went to this amazing Children's Ministry Conference in Louisville and while I was there, I found out about an awesome free app that I am now loving and using in my ministry.  Today I want to tell you about both of them.

First, the App.  It's called YAKIT Kids and it is available for Apple devices and I think for Android as well (but since I don't have an Android device, I'm not certain about that).  It is totally free and it is fantastic.  It can take any picture and make it talk...turning it into a short video.  You can change the pitch of the voice and even add fun cartoons like talking bacon or a talking penguin.  There are super simple step by step instructions so, even if you are not the strongest technology person, you can easily use this app.


I showed an example to my kids at church then had them line up if they wanted their picture taken and used in an upcoming announcement!  They loved it and every week now watch to see if it will be their face on the big screen.  As you can see, I've included a couple of examples.  Above is a silly one of a friend and fellow Children's Pastor, Jill Waltz (I gave her a beard and huge eyes as well as a friend), and the other I made using a picture of the bobble heads of John Wesley and Phineas F. Bresee  that sit on either side of my District License (both were important men in my denomination).  I hope to be ordained next year so I thought it would be fun to make an encouraging YAKIT for me.



Seriously, this app is a lot of fun and since it is free, fits into any budget.  I hope you have as much fun with it as I do.
 
Now, about the conference that I mentioned.

One of the wonderful Breakout sessions.

It is called the CMConference and it is sponsored by CMCONNECT which is an online community of Children's Pastors, Directors, and Leaders from all over the world.  This conference is simply amazing.  First it is incredibly affordable.  The cost is $139, but if that is too much for you, they have scholarships available that you can apply for.  This is a four day conference packed with dozens of breakout sessions, wonderful services, and tons of resources to be checked out.  I loved walking through the exhibit hall and learning about new things that I hadn't been aware of before as well as getting a chance to talk with vendors of programs and curriculum that I often use.  But the best part was being able to connect with other children's workers from all over the world.  I met people from several states and even other countries.  You can get more information about the conference by clicking here. 

Worship at CMConferece 2015

And if you haven't checked out CMConnect, I highly suggest you do.  It has lots of great resources that can be helpful to churches of every size and denomination.  And it's free to be a part of as well! 

That's it for this week.