This past week, Yancy released her latest album, Roots for the Journey, and we want you to have a copy!

What started as a lullaby CD for Yancy’s son with songs all based on scripture, soon became a really nice, relaxed worship experience. The music, organic, unplugged and simple featuring upright bass, glockenspiels and cello in addition to acoustic guitars and piano, nicely accompaniments the eternal Word of God. These songs have the power to strengthen the faith of all Christians, young and old.

“Taking key scriptures and truths that I wanted to pass on to my son and make sure he knew and understood the direction and answers these scriptures provide us was important,” Yancy said. “As I worked in the studio, I realized that with how the music was shaping up and the fact that the Bible is true whether you’re an infant or a grown up these songs had more potential. Already when I meet people in my life that are facing big mountains, fears or need answers, I’ve been able to use these songs as a way to help strengthen their faith and help them meditate on what God’s Word says.”

This music is something that adults are going to love. It’s the perfect soundtrack to be played in nurseries and calming rooms of the church. A great gift to new parents and a wonderful way to partner with the families in your church with the music album and app combo.

A companion app that will help parents teach these scriptures and Biblical truths to their children through devotions, conversations, prayers, activities and more is coming soon. The content was written by Jim Wideman, Sam Luce, Amanda White, Dave and Beci Wakerley, Ryan and Beth Frank, Jenny Funderburke and many more. We believe this will be an incredible, unique resource for the whole family.

The 12 song CD includes: The Joy; Safe; Creator; Hope; His Eye Is On The Sparrow; Trust; Healer; White As Snow; Our God Reigns; Call; No Other Name; I Don’t Want To Go

To win a copy of Roots for the Journey, upload a picture or video of kids (yours or those in your ministry), singing a Yancy tune to the Orange Leaders Facebook page. You will need to “Like” the Facebook page in order to upload a picture or video. Entries will be received all next week, until Thursday, May 30, 2013, 11:59 p.m. A winner will be randomly selected from the Facebook page and contacted on Friday, May 31.

Wanna know what songs were performed during the main stage sessions of The Orange Conference 2013? Download the PDF of all the information!

OC Music 2013

As if there wasn’t enough shiny and new each year at The Orange Conference, we work diligently to create and debut resources while we’re all there together. Here is a list of what you can expect to see in our on-site store. These items will be available online around mid-May for the retail price.

BOOKS
Losing Your Marbles/Playing for Keeps: A Lot Can Happen in a Week. by Reggie Joiner, Elizabeth Hansen, and Kristen Ivy
Retail: $21.99             OC13 Special: $16.99
Whether you’re a parent or a leader, you’re making history. The question is: What kind of history are you making with the kids and teenagers who are closest to you? Losing Your Marbles combines a short story about a kid named Simon with a few key principles to help you discover how you can make history this week. Based on this year’s conference theme, this book highlights six things every kid needs from the parents and leaders who are closest to them.

Leading A Special Needs Ministry: A Practical Guide to Including Children and Loving Families by Amy Fenton Lee
Retail: $18.99             OC13 Special: $15.99
This book serves as a practical “how-to” handbook for the family ministry team working to welcome one or 100 children with special needs. Easily referenced guidance is offered for expressing care for parents who are learning that their child has a diagnosis all the way to developing programs, policies and education for volunteers working with children with disabilities. Example ministry documents are provided throughout this resource guide.

Skeeples ’N’ Lomes by Greg Payne
Retail: $17.99             OC13 Special: $15.99
This is the story of how yellow Skeeples, and the red Lomes learn to work together to help a child in trouble. It may look like a kid’s storybook. It may even sound like a kid’s storybook, but it’s a great way to communicate the Orange Strategy to volunteers, parents and leaders.

Minutes Matter: Adventures That Help Parents Shape Faith ^{COMING SOON}
Retail: $25.00
Parenting is an adventure full of ups and downs, open highways and hairpin turns. It’s the ride of your life, and there’s never a dull moment! Each and every one of those moments is important, for they influence the person your preschooler will become. In just a few minutes, you can influence and shape your preschooler’s faith. In just a few minutes, you can begin a foundation that will last a lifetime. In just a few minutes, you can create a memory that will live forever.

Designed for families with preschoolers, Minutes Matter equips parents to capture the time they already have to influence their kids. Each monthly card gives parents three options for fun, interactive and purposeful activities that will shape their family and their faith. Choose one or do all three based on your family’s schedule and circumstances.

Know God: A 28-Day Devotional Experience for Kids.
Retail: $14.99            OC13 Special $9.99
What do you give a kid who takes a first step in his or her faith? Whether they just prayed a prayer, got baptized, or just started showing up and asking more questions, you want to help them discover how to have a growing relationship with Christ. We think there are four faith skills that can help any kid Know God more, which is why we created this four-week experience to help them begin to: HEAR, PRAY, TALK, LIVE.

Know God: A 28-Day Devotional Experience for Students.
Retail: $14.99             OC13 Special: $9.99
What do you give a student who takes a first step in his or her faith? Whether they just prayed a prayer, got baptized, or just started showing up and asking more questions, you want to help them discover how to have a growing relationship with Christ. We think there are four faith skills that can help any student Know God more, which is why we created this four-week experience to help them begin to: HEAR, PRAY, TALK, LIVE.

VIDEO
Playing for Keeps: Six things every kid needs . . . over time. DVD/Book Bundle
Retail: $49.00             OC13 Special: $39.00
Playing for Keeps is a video resource created to remind, inspire, and challenge leaders, parents, and anyone else who is investing in the next generation.

There are approximately 968 weeks from the day a child is born until he or she graduates high school and probably moves out into the world. If you’re a parent or leader, you are running out of time. Your days of influence are limited. That’s why we think it’s time to get serious about what you do with your time. Each 10-minute video in Playing for Keeps identifies one thing you are probably already doing, that has the potential to make a significant impact if you keep doing it. This item is currently only bundled with the book, Losing Your Marbles/Playing for Keeps.

Do For A Few: A Training in How to Lead Small DVD
Retail: $69.00       OC13 Special: $49.00
Discipling the next generation is a BIG challenge with a SMALL solution. That’s why you organized your ministry relationally. You understood that multiple leaders committed to do for a few would have more potential than what you could ever do for many.

Do For A Few is designed to give you everything you need to invest in and train your small group leaders. Contents include: Event guide, videos by Reggie Joiner, video outlines, discussion questions, Do For A Few Prezi, slides and graphics.

Leading Change Without Losing It: A Study Guide for Leadership Teams DVD/Book Bundle
Retail: $29.00             OC13 Special $19.00
Use this study guide to help your leadership team master five strategies that can transform how you lead change when facing opposition. Disc includes: Video overview by the author about Leading Change Without Losing it; 12 videos by the author that will take you and your team deeper into the change process; and study guide with questions and exercises designed to help you and your team evaluate where you are in the change process and how to move forward.

All videos are available in DVD and QuickTime formats. Study guide is print, Evernote, and iBook friendly. Product bundle includes: Enhanced DVD and one print edition of the book, Leading Change Without Losing It.

MISCELLANEOUS
XP3 Basic Truth Posters Retail: $24.00             OC13 Special: $18.00
These posters enhance your environments, as well as reinforce the Three Basic Truths. This pack consists of three 24”x36” posters.

Legacy Countdown App
FREE
Visualize time. This App was designed for anyone who works with kids or teenagers. Why not put a visual number to the time you have left? When you count the weeks you have left with a kid, you stand a better chance of making your weeks count.

We’ll also have some awesome sales on existing resources on-site, and special offers like YouLead for only $129. Don’t miss this opportunity to save some cash!

Our new resources will be available in our online store after The Orange Conference, so look for them around mid-May. Pricing is subject to change. Please visit OrangeStore.org for our full line of resources.

For you lovers of the written word, we’ll be hosting a few book signings with some of your favorite authors, and ours. They’ll take place outside on the lower level in front of the buildings, for both the Convention Center and Arena.

Thursday, April 25, 2013, AT THE CONVENTION CENTER

12:40 p.m.
Andy Stanley (tentative)
Ken Coleman
Kara Powell

4:55 p.m.
Jim Wideman
Craig Jutila
Carey Nieuwhof

Friday, April 26, 2013, AT THE ARENA

10:30 a.m.
Bob Goff
Doug Fields
Jeff Shinabarger

12:30 p.m.
Sherry Surratt

3:15 p.m.
Brad Lomenick
Perry Noble

This schedule is subject to change so please be flexible on-site.

Core Essentials Contest

Want to impact kids and families in public schools? Imagine challenging the students that you work with to go on a mission trip every day in their public school. This is Core Essentials Values. And they want to help you realize your dream.

Stop by their booth at OC13 to sign up for free coaching! The winner of each giveaway (children’s and student ministry) will receive step-by-step coaching from the Core Essential Values team. Packed with enthusiasm and resources, a Re:Co (middle/high school) or a Core (elementary) Specialist will come to YOUR CHURCH for one full day. They will make their efforts custom fit to your needs. You can talk through the partnership one-on-one, have them present at your staff meeting, take them along to your partnering school, and more. The possibilities are endless, and so are the rewards.

They will even take care of their own travel expenses and arrangements within the domestic USA. Coaching is available between May 2013 and March 2014. For more information, click here.

OC Through Your Eyes

What does The Orange Conference look like to you? We want to see it through your eyes. Your experience is as unique as you are, and we want to be a part of it. And, we imagine, so do your friends, family and co-workers that can’t make the trip with you. When you check-in at OC13 Registration, we’ll provide you with a list of photo suggestions to use as a lens, but feel free to make it up as you go along. Who knows? We may even love one of your photos so much that we give you a gift for it, or use it on future promotional pieces.

by David Loy

We asked David to share his experience with Camp KidJam—from ministry leader attendee to joining CKJ as an intern. Here’s his story!

All my life, I’ve always enjoyed doing ministry in our church. So naturally, when our children’s pastor, Eric, mentioned to me that I could get involved with our Upstreet team, and help him lead a class, I was all for it. Through that single decision, so many ministry opportunities have come into my life.

I remember in the summer of 2011, Eric offered to let me join him as one of the male leaders in our children ministry’s trip to Camp Kidjam. I remember during one of the night sessions my mom leaned over to me and said, “David, I would love nothing more for you to be able to intern with them.” Even though I thought that a chance like that would never arise, little did I know that God had a bigger plan.

Through a friendship that I made with one of the camera guys on staff during that week, I was able to talk to Colette Taylor, the camp director, about the 2012 camps. Even though I got a late start at emailing her, she worked with me and we were able to get the dates set as to when I would be able to intern. From the first day that I met everyone, all the way up to the last day when I had to leave, I always felt loved and appreciated (even when I accidently deleted some photos we needed for the “I Spy” track on the camp camera). I first met everyone when they arrived at Wake Forest for the two camps that they would be having there. I was immediately overwhelmed with greetings like: “Hi! My name is _______. But you can call me _____;” “Dude, I love your shirt. My name is ________ and I do _________;” and “Hey, I’m your roommate, and bro, we’re gonna have a blast working together.” No matter what the age, whether it was a sophomore in high school or a senior in college, everyone made sure that I knew who they were and that I quickly got the hang of how things ran.

Originally, I was only doing two camps—the 2^nd one at Wake Forest, and the 1^st of the Texas camps. However, within literally three days of being on staff and being surrounded with such great people to work with, I was already calling my mom and working things out with Colette to extend my flight ticket so I could do both camps at Texas. I enjoyed every second of working with the Kidjam staff and making new friends in the process. But I can honestly say that my favorite moment of it all was when I realized that, while I had intended to go and minister to the kids I was working with, I was being ministered to also. From the late night chats where we would share our hearts on something that God has challenged us with, to worshiping together as a family in a small Texas chapel on our day off, or even to the Christmas staff party, there was always some form of love and ministry being shown to me. I can’t stress enough how much these past camps meant to me as a believer and as a children’s leader at my church. But I can stress one thing plainly, I’m doing all nine camps this summer—and if that doesn’t say anything about how much a junior in high school likes working with that staff, then I don’t know what will.

Camp KidJam™ is a new concept in children’s camp designed not only for kids, but for their leaders. As a component of the Orange Strategy, developed by The reThink Group, Camp KidJam is designed around the principles of 252 Basics, which teach children to grow in wisdom, faith and friendship. Camp KidJam is designed to provide a fun experience for kids, unique workshops to develop adult leaders and to elevate the significance of small groups for children. To learn more about attending camp with your children’s ministry group, or to learn more about being an intern, visit the Camp KidJam website.

David Loy leads at Green Street Baptist Church in High Point, NC.

At Orange, we don’t have customers. We have partners. And that’s not just some catchy marketing word. We really mean it. In fact, we try and go out of our way to prove that to you. After all, partners don’t leave each other to do ministry alone. The best way we know how to demonstrate that is through our Orange Specialists.

So, what exactly is an Orange Specialist, or OS? The role of an Orange Specialist is to build meaningful relationships with our partner churches. Through these relationships, they come alongside leaders implementing the Orange Strategy—getting to know the ministry the leader is working within—and then working with the leader to help them take the next best step for them in Orange implementation. OS’ are practitioners of the curriculum, having implemented it in ministry settings as leaders themselves, so they understand where our partners are coming from. They help partners go beyond an academic understanding of children’s curriculum to a hands-on understanding.

Orange Specialists are your biggest cheerleaders! They are available to do a complete walk-through of the curriculum site, as well as discuss best practices, implementation, volunteer training and recruitment, parent involvement, time management, budget concerns, trouble-shooting, vision casting . . . and the list goes on. One of an Orange Specialists’ most significant roles is to serve as a sounding board for our partners to express feedback and to garner encouragement and practical advice. They love being a part of their Orange story and want to be the supporter that they can always rely on, a true partner in ministry!

But you don’t have to take our word for it. Here are the opinions of some of our current partners:

“When Momentum Church began using First Look curriculum, I was amazed at the amount of material and resources that were available. Beyond the weekly lesson plans, there were resources for parents, music, drama and even training. And though there are extensive explanations of how to use each part, my daily schedule as a children’s pastor is already full, and I simply didn’t have time to sit down and read through every file before implementing the curriculum. It was such a blessing to have our Orange Specialist talk with me, and walk through an overview of the entire program. She was able to highlight what parent resources might work best with our congregation and the culture of our church. She gave me some awesome ideas of how to help get the many resources available into the hands of the parents and the teachers, too. Having our Orange Specialist let me begin to immediately take full advantage of the curriculum benefits!” — Barbara, Momentum Church, First Look Partner

“I can honestly say that I would not have been able to move forward without my OS one year ago. I didn’t have the courage or the knowledge I felt I needed. We kicked off Orange last year and we have made incredible strides due to her support. She’s like an audio user’s manual and each time I’ve had a question or needed direction she was there. I can read manuals and follow instructions pretty well, but to have her by my side from the very beginning and knowing that she believes in helping us reach families is so worth it.

“We are all ultimately after the same thing, right? All of our vision statements lead to the same end result, right? We want to give and show families Jesus, and my Orange Specialist has helped me do that. She believed in me when my world became lonely as we were making changes within our church and children’s program. She gracefully nudged me into a position where I believed in what I was doing so much that I found myself making changes without being afraid of the outcome.

“We don’t always have others within our churches who can help with a new curriculum or think of creative ways to do ministry. We usually get a manual or a CD, but with Orange you get the very best of what they can offer—a person! You get a specialist who believes in you as a church leader, wants to see your ministry succeed, and will follow up with you to see how things are going. You get a person God has placed in our lives to help us reach people for Jesus.” — Lisa, Temple Baptist Church, 252 Basics Partner

“As an XP3 subscriber I have virtually unlimited access to the XP3 team through my OS. From day one, I had questions, and she either had the answers I needed or knew someone who did. From questions like, ‘How do I customize the curriculum for my unique setting?’ to ‘I’m making a giant banner for a retreat, can I get that series poster in a larger format?’

“Sometimes from out of the blue, I’ll get an email or a phone call from my OS, either to let me know of something that’s coming that they are excited about, or sometimes just to see how things are going in my ministry. I have been in student ministry for almost 16 years, and never have I received the amount of personal attention and accessibility that I have received from the Orange team.

“One of the benefits of partnering with an organization that works with thousands of churches across the nation and around the world is that there is very little that they haven’t seen. My Orange Specialist is uniquely positioned to fill in the gaps with information and experience that I just don’t have access to. They have answers for questions I had not even thought to ask.

“What began as a professional contact has very quickly evolved into an authentic friendship. I know that if I ran into my OS at a conference or an event, she would not only recognize me, but call me by name, give me a hug and ask how my wife and kids are doing.” — Todd, Hunter Hills Church, XP3 Partner

Get to know your Orange Specialist a little better:

Abbey Carr
Amy Grisham
Annette Stickney
Barbara Graves (video coming soon!)
Becky Kizer
Courtney Templeton
Deb Springer
Gay Tucciarone
Jeremy Zach
Joy Bowen
Kristen Brady
Kristie McCollister
Matt Ivy
Misty Phillips
Stephanie Porter
Susan Richards
And don’t miss your chance to meet them in person by coming to OC13 or one of our meet-ups!

Everyone’s favorite Christian music artist for families is back with a bang! Yancy has been working hard in the studio, and this week, released her fourth album called Jesus Music Box.

Jesus Music Box is all about professing Jesus out loud in life and in worship for preteens and families. These songs are written to inspire the listener to stand up, be bold and shine the light of Jesus to the world around them. The music is rocking fun, all about Jesus, and written for the entire family to enjoy together.

“These songs are really all about making Jesus loud in our life,” says Yancy. “One of my biggest passions, through the songs that I sing and through my life, is making sure it shows that Jesus is in my heart and that I love Him. There are several songs on this album that are all about that—it’s about turning up the volume and letting Jesus shine!”

Also available, the Jesus Music Box DVD worship resource for churches assists children’s pastors in pumping up their time of worship. All soundtracks for the 12 songs are included and feature live lyric videos along with three bonus music videos.

And did you know that you can connect with Yancy at The Orange Conference, April 24-26, 2013? Yancy will be presenting two breakout sessions at OC13:

Everybody, Clap Your Hands
Worship leading is just that, it’s you leading worship. There’s more to it than just fun songs and jumping around, too. Come and learn easy steps you can take to connect with and lead preschool and elementary-age kids into worship.

The Power of Music, and Teaching Kids to Worship
There are two powerful things that go hand in hand—music and worship. We’ll discuss why that is, and different ways you can use music effectively in your kids’ ministry to help connect with families. Giving kids the opportunity to worship in your classes is important. We’ll share practical ways you can teach kids each week to grow and participate in worship.

If you’d like to purchase Yancy’s Jesus Music Box CD or DVD, you can do so at www.OrangeStore.org.

Or, if you’re feeling rather lucky this weekend, participate in the Orange Leaders’ Facebook contest here for a chance to win a Jesus Music Box CD/DVD set. Here’s how:

1. Before Sunday, March 10 at 11:59 p.m., post in the comments section below this blog post with your answer to this question:

Old or new, what’s your favorite Yancy song?

2. Once you’ve posted your answer to the question in this blog post’s comment section, go to Facebook and comment on the Orange Leaders’ contest post with your same answer to the question. Participants must leave a comment on the blog AND leave a comment on the Facebook post about the giveaway.

3. The giveaway winner will be selected at random and notified on Monday, March 11, via Facebook.

Good luck!

It’s not quite time to start packing your bags, but with only 79 days until OC13, you might want to start a conversation with your team about what you hope to take away from the experience. We’d like to help you do that.

This week, our illustrious group of Orange bloggers will be sharing their thoughts about the upcoming conference. They’ll talk about their past experiences, what they’re looking forward to, their favorite speakers, what it means to get away with their team, and much more. A few of them will even have giveaways you might want to snag!

Participating bloggers include:

Amy Fenton Lee, The Inclusive Church
Austin Walker, YouthMin
Ben Read, YouthMin
Ben Kerns, Average Youth Ministry
Cass Brannan
Elle Campbell, Stuff You Can Use
Henry Zonio, Kidmin and Culture
Jared Massey, Small Town Kidmin
Jenny Funderburke
Jeremy Lee, Uthmin
Joe McAlpine
Jonathan Cliff
Mary Carver, Giving Up on Perfect
Matt McKee
Matt Norman, It’s Pastor Matt
Michael Bayne
Nick Blevins
Paul Mannio, Orange Dad
Ryan Reed
Sam Luce
Tom Pounder, Ministry Blackboard
Tonya Langdon, Kidmin 1124 and Special Need Kidz
Wendy Douglas, Saved Sister
JC Thompson, http://jcisonline.com
Steve Cullum

Don’t forget—register by February 14 to save $40 off regular registration rates, and earn a $50 Orange credit. For more information and complete offer details, please visit www.TheOrangeConference.com. We’ll see you soon!

Start your New Year off by networking with other Orange Leaders. OC13 is still a few months away, but why wait to get together—there’s so much to talk about right now!

During February, March and April, we have 14 meet-ups scheduled in eight different states, and in two countries this time! Orange Specialists and staffers are hosting some, while some fantastic Orange partners are hosting others. Please check the schedule to find the one closest to you, and join in the fun.

These meet-ups are a great opportunity to learn from one another, get your Orange questions answered, meet others near you carrying out the Orange Strategy, swap stories, and generally talk through ministry wins and issues. Many hosts are also offering tours of their facilities, and one will be showcasing their Sunday morning programming. For complete details, please visit the website. Be sure to RSVP if you plan to attend so we can be ready for you!

We can’t imagine you need any more incentive to attend, but just to sweeten the pot we will be giving away an OC13 registration at each stop! So, mark your calendars and get ready to have a great time with other Orange Leaders near you.

We hope to see you there!

Please note that there are meet-ups scheduled in conjunction with the Northwest Ministry Conference and Children’s Pastors Conference in San Diego, so even if you don’t live in those areas you can still join us if you are attending one of those events. You do not need to attend the conferences to participate in the meet-up, though! Everyone is welcome!

We are so excited for our friend, Jeff Shinabarger of Plywood People, who is releasing a book this March entitled More or Less: Choosing a Lifestyle of Excessive Generosity. As part of the book launch, Jeff has created a series of videos illustrating the stories highlighted in the book. The first video, Enough Time, was released last week via Bearings. Check out the story on Bearings here.