Camp Grace Curriculum

We are 6 weeks into the curriculum in Camp Grace, after having finished our first round of the split-curriculum (you can read more about this here) on August 6th & 7th. We have studied about creation, how God created man and woman in His image, sin entering the world, the consequences of sin that we experience today, and the corrupt nature evident in humanity through Cain and Abel. 

We began our study of Noah in Genesis 6-8 this past weekend. We saw how God was grieved by the evil rebellion His people were living in, and decided to destroy the world through a flood. One man, Noah, found favor with God because he was righteous and followed God. God gave Noah instructions to build an ark for his family and two of every animal to go aboard in order to be saved from the flood. We saw how Noah was obedient in everything God asked of him, and God was faithful to save Noah and his family from His plan to destroy the world. 

This weekend, we will finish the story of Noah to see how Noah responded in worship to God's grace and faithfulness to save him and his family. We will study from Genesis 8:20-22 and 9:12-17, and discuss what it looks like to worship God in spirit and in truth. We were created by God to worship Him with our lives, and we will learn how we can worship Him.

For more information about our Camp Grace curriculum and an outline of our upcoming curriculum, click here.

Parenting: It's Never An Interruption

"Parenting is all about living by the principle of prepared spontaneity. You don't really know what's going to happen next...What you do know is that Scripture gives you the wisdom that you need and your always-present Messiah gives you the grace that you need to be ready to respond to the moments of opportunity he will give you. Along with this, you and I must remember that our Lord loves our children more than we ever could and his commitment to their growth and change is more faithful and persevering than ours could ever be."

The above excerpt is from a post on the Paul Tripp Ministries blog. The mission of Paul Trip Ministries is "connecting the transforming power of Jesus Christ to everyday life. You can finish reading this post here. 

Paul Tripp is a well-known Pastor and author, President of Paul Tripp Ministries, in addition to Professor of Pastoral Life and Care at the Redeemer Seminary in Dallas, Texas and Executive Director of the Center for Pastoral Life and Care in Fort Worth, Texas. He is a co-author of the How People Change study, which many within our church community have taken part in.

The Burns Family Supports Osborn Mission

Joseph and Elizabeth Osborn have been a part of our Grace community for years, and have been pursuing being missionaries overseas. They recently moved their family from Greenville to Papua New Guinea. They are a part of New Tribes Mission, and their goal is to preach the Gospel, translate the Bible, and eventually plant a church among tribes of people who do not have access to God's Word in their own language. You can find out more about the Osborn's and stay updated through their website, Osborn Mission.

Children's Ministry Saturday Night Coordinator, Molly Burns, and her family are a part of the support team for Joseph and Elizabeth Osborn. Molly was a guest blogger on the Osborn's website this week, sharing why she and her family are partnering with the Osborn's in their mission in Papua New Guinea. Here is an excerpt from her post:

"There are many reasons it seemed natural for us to partner with the Osborns in their mission in PNG. One, because we know it is a real call God has on their lives to go; two, because we know it is an equally real call God has for us to send...as it became increasingly clear that 'the going part' was not God’s call for us, we realized God had brought our families together for us to play a different role in tribal missions."

You can read more from Molly here.

Please be in prayer for the Osborn's as they adjust to a new country, new environment, and as they begin their long-awaited mission of spreading the Gospel of Christ with tribes in PNG.

Preschool Curriculum: Adam & Eve

This weekend, our preschoolers will begin a new series that will run through October 2nd. We will be reading from the beginning of Genesis to study about Adam and Eve, in order to learn that God is Relational. We will see how God created us in His image, male and female, and our response should be to follow Him.

Check out an excerpt from the Leader prep for this weekend's lesson.

"God created human beings to reflect Himself. Our memory verse for this unit says we were created “in His own image.” However, we were not all created the same. The verse goes on to say “male and female He created them.” Even though we are different, we still reflect the image of God.

 
God also created us to be in relationship – relationship with Himself and with others. God knew that it was “not good for man to be alone” (Genesis 2:18) so He provided another person for Adam to connect with. God also provided instructions and responsibilities. Just as God gave Adam and Eve the job of caring for the Garden, God also gives us responsibilities. He has a purpose for each of us. But He doesn't leave us on our own to find and pursue that purpose. He gives us instructions. Just as He gave Adam and Eve guidelines for living in the Garden, our instructions are found within His word, the Bible.
 
But even the most perfect plans don't always go smoothly. And God, in His infinite wisdom, even had a plan for our shortcomings. When Adam and Eve failed to follow God's instructions in the Garden, God already had a plan for their restoration. He provided His Son, Jesus, as a substitute for the punishment that we all deserve and through Him the hope of a restored relationship."

Are you aware that you reflect the image of God? Do you trust in His plan for your life? Do you believe that God provides restoration, no matter how much we mess up? Take some time to pray for God to reveal His plan of redemption to you so you understand more fully how you reflect His image for His glory. Ask God to give the preschool teachers the wisdom and understanding to faithfully teach all of our preschoolers that they were created in God's image to follow Him.