Back to School / God wants us to be kind

WELCOME NEW KINDERGARTEN KIDS!

K-Gr.6 Class

Story found in Matthew 5:13-16

Jesus wants to go into the world and for us to take him with us. He doesn’t want us to stay bottled up like salt in a salt shaker, and he doesn’t want us to hide our light. He needs us to take his light into the world and spread his love like salt over food. That’s why Jesus sent his Holy Spirit to dwell within us – so we can be Jesus to the people in our lives – and our schools.

Here are three practical ways we can be Jesus in our schools.
1. Make wise choices

When the school year begins, you’re going to be faced with tough choices every day. You’re going to face peer pressure. You’re going to be tempted to do the wrong thing. And the older you get, the tougher those temptations will become. It’s not easy to resist peer pressure and temptation, but I want you to know you’re not alone. After he was baptized, Jesus was tempted in the wilderness by Satan.

Read Matthew 4:1-4

Three times, Satan came to tempt Jesus. Three times, Jesus turned him away with scripture. It’s not easy to do the right thing, especially when doing so may cost you friends or popularity. But you can resist temptation. If you study the scripture, memorize it, and spend time with God in prayer, you will be able to make the right choice every time. It may not make you popular, but it will preserve your reputation – and a good reputation is worth far more than popularity.

2. Be a friend to those who are alone. If I had to guess, I would say this is a scarier thing to ask than saying no to temptation. You know who the friendless kids are in school. They’re quiet. They’re odd. They’re different. They get picked on by other kids. They sit alone and wait for the school bell to ring so they can escape.

Some may say these people don’t matter, but in God’s eyes everyone has value. Every person has a name. They all have likes and dislikes, hopes and dreams, strengths and weaknesses. And they all have a desire for friendship.

Jesus told a parable about these students.

Matthew 25:34-40

When you look at Jesus’ life, he spent his time with the sick, the friendless, and the lonely. He went to the woman at the well, who no one would talk to. He went to Zacchaeus, the tax collector who everyone hated. He touched lepers and blind men and others with crippling diseases. How can we call ourselves his followers if were not willing to be friends with a lonely kid? Maybe this applies not only in our hallways, but also among the chairs in this room.

3. Be ready to share Jesus with someone who needs him. It might be that lonely kid. It might be a kid who tries to lure you into temptation. It might be your best friend. During this school year, God’s going to present you with an opportunity to share him with someone else. When that moment comes, be ready. Be ready to tell them you love Jesus. Be ready to tell them how you became a Christian, and how God has changed your life. Be ready to invite them to church or even invite them to become a Christian themselves. Some of you may be thinking, “That should have been first on this list!” But here’s the thing: when the time comes for you to tell someone about Jesus, your reputation as a person who makes wise choices and is a friend to the friendless will make your story all the more real. You won’t just be another person saying, “Jesus loves you.” You will have proven this by showing them over and over that Jesus loves you and them by your actions.

There’s an old saying: Preach the gospel at all times; when necessary, use words. It’s not enough to tell people Jesus loves them. We need show others his love. It needs to become tangible.

I don’t know what challenges you will face this coming school year, but I know there’s no better way to prepare for those challenges than to take Jesus with you. Commit yourself to being Christ in your school. Commit to making wise choices and being a friend to the friendless. And prepare yourself to share the gospel with those in need. You may be the only Jesus your classmates ever see. I pray that you will make Jesus proud with your words and your actions this year!

Junior / Preschool Class

God Wants us to be kind
Joseph In The Well     Genesis 37:18-30

On Sunday your child learned that GOD WANTS US TO BE KIND. Children heard a Bible story about Reuben’s attempt to be king to Joseph (Genesis 37:18-30)

Help me learn this:
“Be kind to each other” Ephesians 4:32
Ask Me:
– How do you think Joseph felt when his brothers weren’t kind to him?
– When has someone been unkind to you?
– What can our family do to show kindness?

 Family Fun:
– Think of people your family could express kindness to. Work together to bake something, create a card, and then deliver your goodies.
– Sing this song with your child to the tune of “I’ve got the joy, joy,joy,joy”

            I know that God wants us all to get along

            All get along, all get along

            I know that God wants us to all get along

            All get along today.

Fellowship / God made us special so we can help.

 

 

 

 

 

 

K-6

What Should I See?
God created us to have fellowship with others.

Bible Byte:
When Paul was traveling on a missionary journey in Greece, he came upon a couple named Aquila and Priscilla in the city of Corinth. Quickly, Paul became close friends with Aquila and Priscilla because they were tent makers just like Paul had been. Paul helped them by sharing the Word of God with them. Priscilla and Aquila loved God and others very deeply and showed this love by putting the things that Paul had taught them to good use. They even had a chance to travel with Paul and spread God’s word, but they felt most effective providing others with a place to worship. In those days, people had churches in their homes. Aquila and Priscilla continued to use their home as a place for people to come and learn about God. It is easy to imagine that anywhere Aquila and Priscilla lived would be a real place of fellowship. (Source: Acts Chapter 18)
 
What’s The Key?
It is important to spend time with other Christians. Fellowship with others is crucial in our relationship with God. When we are feeling down our Christian friends can help us up, and when friends are feeling down we can help them up!

What’s That To Me?
Some of the best moments in life are spent with others. The more time we spend in fellowship with others, the more we feel encouraged by and accountable to those around us.

How Should I Be?
We need to take the time to hang out with people who are a good influence in our lives. It is good for us to fellowship with others. Through fellowship we can be accountable to one another, and when we are accountable to others we live the life that God wants us to live

Junior / Preschool Class
Today I learned.
God made us special so we can help.
 Esther 4:1-17

On Sunday your child learned that God made us special so we can help. The children heard how Esther decided to help her people even though it was dangerous. They taught Whiskers the puppet that each person has special ways to help.

 Help me learn this:
“Serve one another in love “ (Galatians 5:13)

Ask me:
 -What did Mordecai want Esther to do?
-Who can you help at home? At school? At church?
-What are some special ways your family can help others this week

The Finish Line / God made us special

 

 

 

 

 

 

K-6 Class
The Bible tells us that Job was a good man who loved God. He was a rich man who had
a large family and everything a man could want. But one day, something terrible
happened to Job.

Read Job 1:13-19.

Just like that, everything Job had is gone—his wealth, his family, everything! Job goes
from having it all to having nothing. This was no accident or fluke. This happened intentionally as a test. God allowed Job to be tested to see if his faith was based on his wealth and possessions or his devotion to God. Let’s see how Job responds to all this tragedy.

Read Job 1:20-22.

Job keeps his faith, doesn’t he? Job knew he still had God, and that gave him the perseverance he needed. But here’s the bad news for Job: This isn’t the only wall he would hit. Satan convinces God to allow him to test Job even further.

Read Job 2:7-8.

And you thought Job was bad off before. Now he’s not only penniless and childless, but he’s also too sick to do anything for himself. Even Job’s wife tells him to give up. But what does Job say to her?

Read Job 2:10.

Well, now that Job has lost his family, his wealth, and his health, he gets to have a happy ending, right? Wrong! Job’s wall is about to get a lot harder because guess what? Job’s friends all show up to have pity on him. And do you know what his friends have to say? The same thing Job’s wife said: Give up. Throw in the towel. God has given up on you, so you should give up on him. One of them even tells poor Job that it was his fault. You probably sinned against God and made him mad, Job! That’s why all this happened. But Job knew he hadn’t done anything to deserve this. And even though he had no idea why he had suffered so much, look at what the Bible says.

 Read Job 1:22.

All of us are going to face challenges in our lives. In your education, in relationships, and in your pursuit of the dreams that God gives you, you’re going to hit walls. You’re going to get stuck. You’re going to want to quit. When you get to those moments, there are a lot of ways you can motivate yourself to power through the wall. There are all kinds of books and experts out there with catchy, inspirational phrases to help you believe in yourself and go for the gold. But I’m here to tell you that you need to do only one thing—the same thing Job did.

Believe in God.

Believe in the God who gave you the dream and set the prize before you. Believe that the God who gave you gifts to reach that prize will give you the strength to get there. Believe in God’s promise when he says, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” In the end, God blessed Job for his faithfulness. Job had more children, and the wealth he gained after his testing was even greater than he had known before. But Job never placed his faith in things or even himself. He trusted the Lord all his days. That is why God put his story in the Old Testament. That is why we chose Job to teach us how to push through until we reach the finish line.

Junior / Preschool Class
Today I learned…
God made us special.
Esther 2:1-18

On Sunday your child learned that God made us special. The children learned that Esther’s name means “star” and that Esther became a special queen. They talked about ways that each of us is special and affirmed unique qualities in each other.

Help me learn this: “Serve one another in love” (Galatians 5:13b)

Ask me:
– Why was Esther chosen to be a queen?
– What are some things that are special about you?
– How can our family members show each other that they’re special?

Family Fun
– Set out your choice of ingredients for banana splits. Have each family member make a special banana split for someone else in the family. Talk about how you made the treats special and that God made each of us special.
– Using an ink pad and a sheet of white paper, have each family member make a set of fingerprints. Compare the prints, and see how each one is different from the others. Pray and thank God for making each of us different and special.

 

 

 

Creative Mode

K-Gr.6 Class
This past Sunday we learned to Persist!

“And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will be given what you ask for. Keep on looking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened.”  Luke 11:9

Here is an activity that you can do as a family.

As a family set a goal and follow this criteria.

1. Set a goal – what is one thing as a family that you want to accomplish?

2. Make a plan – How can you make it happen?

3. Get to work – Get started, get supplies if needed.

4. Stick to it – if it gets hard, discouraging or you haven’t seen any results yet, keep going , persist!

5. Reach the goal – Keep going until you finished the goal as a family, talk about the accomplishments and if there were any hard times; how as a family did you persist?

Examples: collect food for the food bank, or clothing, renovation in your house, save money etc..

Junior / Preschool Class
Sandpaper Castle

What you’ll need:

• Sheets of sandpaper
• Sandpaper Sandcastle Craft Template
  http://www.allkidsnetwork.com/crafts/detail.asp?fil=/crafts/summer/templates/sand-castle-template.gif&cat=Summer&nam=Sand-Castle-Template
• Construction paper
• Scissors
• Glue

How to make your sand paper castle craft:

1. Print our template and cut the pieces out. Trace the pieces onto the backside of a piece of sandpaper (tracing onto the back side is much easier) or onto construction paper (the flag and door pieces).

2. Cut these pieces out.

3. Glue the sandpaper pieces onto a piece of blue construction paper to construct your sand castle using our completed photo as a guide.

4. Glue the construction paper door and flags onto the castle and glue the sun in the sky.

5. Cut an extra squiggly piece of sandpaper for either side of the sandcastle to look like the beach if you’d like.

God is with us

K-Gr.6 Class

Stay tuned, tomorrow the lesson for K-Gr.6 will be posted!

 

Junior / Preschool Class
Today I learned…
God is always with us
Story from Exodus 2:10

Yesterday, your child learned that God is always with us. The children heard how God was with Moses as Moses grew up in the palace. They learned that God is with them even when they’re apart from their families.

Help Me Learn This
” The Lord is always with me” Acts 2:25

Ask Me
Where did Moses grow up?
When is God with you?
How do we know that God is always with our family?

Family Fun
Make a growth chart for each child in your family. Post the charts on the inside of a closet door and allow children to mark their growth every month or so. Talk about the exciting things that happen as we grow up.

Creative Mode

K-6 Class
Hope everyone had a great Fathers Day! This past Sunday we heard about the story about the sheep or the goat from Matthew 25:31-46 and what is the right choice to make.  It’s a decision of your will. What that means is that sometimes you may not “feel” like caring for others, but when you do, it’s a good choice!
Here is an activity to do together and show your Dad that you love him.

Supplies:
Plain white T-shirt
Felt markers
Toy Cars

Directions:
With help draw roads, buildings, trees and parks on the back of the shirt. Once the picture dry’s, and when your Dad comes home from a long day at work; ask him to put this shirt on and lay on the floor on his stomach.
While he relaxes, get your cars out and drive them all around the roads that you made.
This will be relaxing for Dad and fun for you!

Junior / Preschool Class

Care / God is always with us and our families

K-6 Class

This Sunday the kids heard the parable about the sheep and the goats and how the sheep and the goats will be separated to His left and to His Right..

Memory Verse:
The king will answer, “Whenever you did it for any of my people, no matter how unimportant they seemed, you did it for me.” Matthew 25:40 CEV

What Should I See?
One day, Jesus sat down with his disciples and began to tell them a story. He said that there once was a man sowing seeds. (Sowing is a word for planting). As he threw the seeds out into the field, some seed fell beside the road and died Jesus told a story about two farm animals. The story, or parable, is called the sheep and the goats. The story tells us that everyone will be gathered in front of Jesus one day, and Jesus will separate the sheep from the goats. By the way, the goats are the wrong animal to be in this story. The sheep—they are the right animals to be in this story. Anyway, the story says that Jesus will separate them: sheep on the right, goats on the left. Then Jesus will talk to the sheep first. He will tell them they did a great job of caring for others. He will say I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I didn’t have clothes that would protect me from the cold, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me there. Then the sheep, the righteous and caring people, will say: when? Jesus, when did we do these things for You? And Jesus will tell them: When you did these caring things to the people around you, you were doing them to Me!

Then Jesus will turn to those on the left, the goats. He will tell them that they did not feed, clothe or care for Him. He will tell them that He was hungry, thirsty, sick and needed clothing to protect Him, and they didn’t care for Him at all. These people will answer Jesus, when? When did we not feed and clothe You? When did we not care for You and give You food when You needed it? Jesus will tell them, when you refused to help the people that needed it most, you were refusing to help Me. These people, the goats, the ones who did not care for the needy, will go away in to punishment; but the sheep, the righteous ones that cared for the needy, they will go on to eternal life. (From Matthew 25:31-46)

What’s The Key?
What’s with the animals in this story? What is the difference between the sheep and the goats? Well, first understand that the sheep and goats are really “people.” Jesus is telling us in this parable that the sheep are the people who made right choices. They made choices to care for those who needed it the most. The goats are the people who only looked out for themselves and not for others. They didn’t care for others who really needed it. Jesus is saying that when you care for people who really need to be helped, fed and clothed, you are actually caring for Him. Jesus knows when you care for others!

What’s That To Me?
The good news is we have a choice! That’s right. We can choose to help people in need or we can choose not to. It’s really pretty simple. You can say, “Yes, I will care for others” or “No, I will not.” It’s a decision of your will. What that means is that sometimes you may not “feel” like caring for others, but when you do, it’s a good choice!

How Should I Be?
If you really listen to this parable, I mean really listen, you will find that the big difference between the sheep and the goats all comes down to what they did and didn’t do. This week really look around you. Maybe you and your parents can buy dinner for a homeless person. Go through your closet. Maybe there are some clothes or shoes or even some toys that you can give away to others that need them. Maybe even start talking to your parents about going on a mission trip to care for people in a different country

Junior / Preschool Class
Today I learned…
God is always with us and our families
Story from Exodus 2:7-9

Yesterday your child learned that God is always with us and our families. Children heard how God made a way for Moses’ mother to take care of Moses. They talked about the special people in their families and how God is with them.

Help me learn this:
“the Lord is always with me.” Acts 2:25

Ask me
1. Who took care of baby Moses?
2. Who takes care of you in your family?
3. When is God with your family?

Family fun
Lead your child in the following rhyme:
When you were a tiny baby,
You’d wiggle and giggle and coo
And God gave you a family
To take good care of you
And God was right beside you
As you grew and grew
Today God still is with you
And with your family, too

Creative Mode

K-6 Class

This past Sunday the class learned about sowing our seed in the good soil to get healthy roots and grow. Growing means we need to spend time with God and reading the bible and talking with God. Here is an activity about representing the seed in the good soil that gets good “fruit”.

Make a plan to make a garden together as a family. Here are a few fun options that you can do.

Grow a pizza garden: Kids can grow the fresh ingredients for pizza sauce – a couple of tomato plants, one each of basil, rosemary and oregano, plus half a dozen onions (use onion sets, which are small onion bulbs) and one green and one red pepper plant. Buy plants in spring, but don’t transplant them into the garden until all danger of frost is past. Help kids prepare the soil. For fun, make the bed round or wedge shaped, and edge it with orange or yellow marigolds to resemble crust. At harvest time, buy plain pizza crust or pizza dough, and help kids cook up a sauce using garden fresh ingredients. Top the pizza crust with sauce, diced peppers and the usual pepperoni and cheese. How proud they will be to have grown their own pizza sauce!

Here are some examples of “kid friendly” plants.

Great plants for kids: When starting plants from seed, choose big, easy to handle and quick-to-germinate seeds such as beans, radishes, sunflowers, dwarf nasturtiums and zinnia. Kids also love the tiny and the giant, so plant miniature vegetables like grape tomatoes and dwarf sunflowers like ‘Teddy Bear’ or big plants like tall Russian sunflowers or pumpkins (one rambling pumpkin plant needs a six-foot-square area of ground). Also try unusual veggies – like purple carrots and beans, rainbow chard, heirloom tomatoes, or yellow scallop squash. Uniquely shaped flowers like snapdragons and bleeding hearts are fun to manipulate and dissect. Textured plants like soft lambs’ ears, woolly thyme and plumed annual celosia beg to be touched, and strawflowers and purple coneflowers are cool customers because they’re so prickly.

Junior/Preschool Class Click on the link below and print the template to make a crown. Have your kids decorate it and then with an adults help staple or tape it together so it fits their heads. Crown template for princess craft

Grow / God is with us when we are scared

K-6 Class
“The Sower”

The good soil represents those who hear and accept God’s message and produce a huge harvest: thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted. Mark 4:20

On Sunday your kids heard about Jesus’ parable about the Sower and the good soil.

What Should I See?
One day, Jesus sat down with his disciples and began to tell them a story. He said that there once was a man sowing seeds. (Sowing is a word for planting). As he threw the seeds out into the field, some seeds fell beside the road and died quickly. Some seeds fell on rocky soil and began to grow, but they didn’t have deep enough roots to live. Some seeds fell among thorns and grew, but they were choked out by the thorns and weeds. Some of the seeds fell on good soil and they not only grew, but they also yielded lots of fruit. Jesus told his disciples that the seeds represent the Word of God, and the soil represents the hearts of the people hearing and receiving His Word. The soil by the road represents the people who just refuse to believe what they hear. The rocky soil represents the people who hear the message and think it’s really cool, but forget all about it when something bad happens. The thorny soil represents the people who hear it and really like it, but other things like money and stuff become more important to them. The good soil represents the people who hear God’s Word, believe it, and allow it to change their lives. These people are the ones that really grow! (From Mark 4:14-20 NLT)

What’s The Key?
There are four types of soil that Jesus mentions, but only one of them is good soil. The key to unlocking this week’s lesson is what makes the good soil different from the other types of soil. The good soil allows the seeds to take root and to grow into healthy fruit bearing plants. These people not only hear the Word of God, but they actually accept it into their hearts and allow it to change them and grow them into something better.

What’s That To Me?
God’s word is heard by many different people. Some people are excited to hear about what Jesus has done for them, and others really don’t care that much. Many people are excited to hear about how much Jesus loves them, but won’t allow His Word, the Bible, to change the way they live. God wants us to not only hear His word, but also to allow it to change our hearts and minds. When we let the Bible change how we live, we’re allowing the seed to take root in our hearts.

How Should I Be?
So, how should I be? Well, what did Jesus say made the good soil different from the other types of soil? Our hearts can be good soil if we not only hear the message God has for us in the Bible, but also accept it into our lives and allow it to change who we are. This week, allow God’s Word to take root in your life. Memorize your memory verse. This will help you hide His Word deep inside your heart and then you will be able to recall it when you need it later.

Junior/ Preschool Class
Today I learned…
God is always with us when we are scared
Story from Exodus 2:3-6

Yesterday your children learned that God is always with us when we’re scared. Children learned that God was with Miriam as she watched her baby brother Moses float down the river in a basket. Children talked about fears and thanked God for being with them when they’re scared.
Help me learn this:
The Lord is always with me Acts 2:25

Ask me
1. How did Miriam feel as she watched over her brother
2. Tell me about a time when you were scared
3. What can we remember when we feel scared?

Family fun
When it gets dark outside, take your child outside and explain that there is nothing to be scared about. Show them the twinkling stars and identify familiar surroundings and things that they could look at differently in the dark. Remind your child that God is with us all the time and that God is always with us when we’re scared.

Creative Mode

K-6
This past Sunday we learned that we want to be like the builder who built his house on the rocks. This week make a choice to obey God in an area where it has been really hard to obey Him. Here is a great activity to do as a family to help everyone remember that it’s best to be like the builder.

1. Find enough smooth rocks for each member of your family.
2. Supply everyone with enough paint to make a huge mess…’cause you know it is going to happen
3.You can use sponges, paint brushes fingers, whatever you would like!
4. Paint until you have no more rock to paint.
5. Leave rocks to dry overnight.
6. After rocks are completely dried, use a permanent marker to personalize each rock.
8. Place outside or in your house as decor and a reminder.

Preschool Class

Materials

• Store-bought or homemade bubble solution (see Step 2 for homemade recipe)
• Copier paper or light-colored construction paper
• Plastic drinking straws
• Newspaper or plastic tablecloth
• Several shallow disposable containers, such as aluminum pie tins

Instructions

1. Cover your work surface with a thick layer of newspaper or a plastic tablecloth.
2. Gather several shallow disposable containers, such as aluminum pie tins. In each, blend 1 cup of store-bought or homemade bubble solution with 1/2 cup of tempera paint. (To make your own bubble solution, mix 3 cups of water, 1 cup of dish soap, and 1/4 cup of corn syrup.)
3. Set out your paper (try copier paper or light-colored construction paper) and several plastic drinking straws. For younger children, pierce a small hole halfway up the straw with a pin; this will help prevent accidental swallowing of the paint but won’t interfere with the bubble-blowing process.

Now for the fun. With one end of the straw submerged in the bubble solution, the kids blow until bubbles mound up in the container. The best time to take a print is just as the bubbles begin to overflow.
4. Gently touch the paper to the bubbles and then lift to see your print, repeating until the paper is sufficiently covered. Blow more bubbles as needed. For a different effect, try printing one color over another.
5. Blow more bubbles as needed. For a different  effect, try printing one color over another.

Junior Class

Materials:                                    
black construction paper (or grey)
glue
white pencil crayon or a silver marker
cotton balls
Optional: scissors
Optional: wiggly eyes

Instructions:
Place your hand on the black (or grey) construction paper.
Your fingers should be slightly spread but the thumb should be out as far as possible.
Fingers are legs and thumb is head.
Trace your handprint.
Optional: Cut out your handprint
Glue cotton balls all over the handprint but leave the tips of the fingers and thumb cotton free.
Glue small wiggly eyes onto the head (tip of thumb) or use pencil crayon.
Use a white pencil crayon or silver marker to add a smile.