Sunday Communities

Thank you to our fabulous team of teachers that help on Sunday mornings. We are back on track with our Sunday Community Classes:

Critters (2 and 3 year olds)

Sprouts (Preschool)

Seekers (Kindergarten - First Grade)

Adventurers (2nd  - 4th Grade)

Each class works on a memory verse throughout the month.  Sprouts and Seekers have the same memory verse.

January Memory Verses:
Critters: Colossians 3:20 Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.

Sprouts and Seekers: Ephesians 6:1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.

Adventurers:  Psalm 34:15 The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are attentive to their cry.

We have opportunities to practice the memory verses at church, but continued practice during the week will help the children as they start to learn more and more verses throughout the year.  Keeping track at home in their prayer journals is also a fun way for children to review verses from previous months.  I have additional prayer journals if needed. 

January Curriculum: 

Sprouts and Seekers (He Established a Testimony) 

God calls Gideon and destroys the altar of Baal - Judges 6.

God Delivers Israel through Gideon - Judges 7

God chooses Ruth to be a part of his family - Ruth 1 - 4

God Grants Hannah's Request 1 Samuel 1 - 3

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<>Adventurers (The ABCs of God)<>

(U) Understanding

(A) Attentive

(F) Faithful

(T) Trinity

 

Grace Kids Ministry Update

Where did the time go??? On to a new year and many exciting events planned for Grace Kids Ministry.  We are looking forward to the kick off for our Grace Kids Club with a swimming event next Saturday, January 15th from 6:45 pm - 8:15 pm at Burkwood.  Grace Kids Club is a new group formed for our Elementary age kids and their friends.  We hope you can come out and make a splash!  Plan to come and invite your friends! Cost is only $5/family.

Children's Worship Update
(For children 4 years old - 2nd grade)
We are starting back up this coming Sunday with teaching the catechisms during our children's worship time (A time when children leave during the corporate worship service).  The preschool group will begin with catechism #9 - What is God? God is a Spirit and does not have a body like men. The elementary group (Kindergarten - 2nd grade) will begin with catechism #23 - What covenant did God make with Adam?  The covenant of life.  We will begin asking the Elementary kids their catechisms this week.  If time allows we will also start with the preschool class.  We will mark off in their children's worship journals the catechism questions they have learned and send home a slip of paper as well to indicate what they answered during class.  Thanks for all your support with working on their catechisms with them at home.  This is so much more than rote memorization for the kids.  Through learning these catechisms our prayer is that the children will come to know and love God. 

Check out The Scoop online at www.gcpres.org for the most updated events occurring in Grace Kids Ministry. 

Conclusion of The Jesse Tree

Working on the final ornament - Baby Jesus -

A great question to discuss with your children from The Advent Jesse Tree book is " How can we make room for Him in our hearts?"

I would love to give a HUGE shout out of THANKS to my team of children's worship teachers!!!!  This past month we have switched things up significantly and had 40 minutes of craft time with 30 young children. Today we completed our ornaments for the Jesse Tree.  Teachers - Thank you for all of your willingness to help with the crafts.  I pray that the children have really learned something through the Jesse Tree workshop and that it has provided opportunities for discussion at home.  Here is a very short clip of our time today. 

Jesse Tree - Week 3

This past Sunday during Children's Worship we made 7 more ornaments for the Jesse Tree (stump, lion and lamb, dove and crown, lamb and staff, cross, heart, and the town of Bethlehem).  This coming Sunday, December 19th will wrap up our lessons on Advent.  We will complete 6 more ornaments to send home for children and parents to discuss throughout the week leading up to Christmas.  I encourge you to talk with your children about each ornament and use the devotions in the book (or handout provided during children's worship) to enter into discussions with your child about preparing our hearts for Christmas and the celebration of Jesus' birth. 

We celebrate Christmas with giving gifts to those we love.  Encourage your children to thank their Heavenly Father for the gift He gave us in Christ. 

Jesse Tree - Week 2

This past Sunday during Children's Worship we made 7 more ornaments for the Jesse Tree (ladder, coat of many colors, ten commandments, cluster of grapes, sheaf of wheat, slingshot, and Bible).  The kids are doing an awesome job!!  We have been very busy in Children's Worship the past couple of weeks. These ornaments correspond with the devotions in The Advent Jesse Tree Devotions for Children and Adults to prepare for the coming of the Christ Child at Christmas by Dean Meador Lambert.  I know how quickly the days disappear, but I hope you have had some time to read over the devotions with the children.  At the end of each devotion is a prayer to read together. 

 

 

Preschool Play date

The kids had a great time listening to the following story:  My Birthday, Jesus’ Birthday.  They all made a Baby Jesus doll and then we sang Happy Birthday Jesus.  A great reminder for the meaning of Christmas!

Advent Jesse Tree

This past Sunday during Children's Worship we made the first 5 ornaments for the Jesse Tree (globe, apple with snake wrapped around it, ark, tent, lamb, and ladder).  These ornaments correspond with the devotions in The Advent Jesse Tree Devotions for Children and Adults to prepare for the coming of the Christ Child at Christmas by Dean Meador Lambert.

What is the Advent Jesse Tree?

"The word Advent means "coming" and refers to the coming of Jesus.  The Advent Jesse Tree emphasizes His coming in the flesh at Bethlehem nearly two thousand years ago.  It also explains His coming with the New Covenant and His second coming when He will return to judge all of manking.  The Advent season is a time for all of us to prepare for these "comings." "(Page 9, The Advent Jesse Tree by Dean Meador Lambert.