Welcome, Heather!

Join us in welcoming Heather Scott to the Children's Ministry Team!  Heather moves into the role of Preschool Coordinator from her current volunteer position as Quest coach and curriculum writer.  She has also served in a 2 yr old preschool classroom and brings a great deal of ministry experience outside of Grace including being MOPS coordinator and mentor.  Welcome, Heather!   


- Children's Ministry Team

Future Women Conference

On November 4th & 5th, we will be hosting the Future Women Conference. We will be providing a language, theology, and practical application for what it looks like to raise the next generation of women. This conference is for anyone who is involved in some capacity with raising girls to learn what it means to reflect God in His image as a women, through the core capacities of nurturing, partnering, and inviting. We encourage all parents, grandparents, teachers, and leaders of girls and young ladies to attend this event.

Register for this event on our Future Women page.

Preschool Curriculum: God is Jealous

This past weekend, we began a new series in our Preschool Ministry. We are studying through the Ten Commandments to learn that God is Jealous, and we should worship Him.

The points of emphasis for this study are:

1. We belong to God
2. God wants us to only worship Him
3. The 10 Commandments tell us how God wants us to live

Here is an excerpt from the Leader Preparation for this series...

God is a jealous God and He expects our worship, service and obedience to be for Him alone. Sometimes the worlds "jealous God" cause a struggle for us. To the world's way of thinking it sounds so self-centered and self-promoting for God to be a jealous God and call us to worship, serve and obey Him exclusively. But, God is not like us; He is transcendent - He has an "otherness" to His being...The Scripture reveals the transcendence or "otherness" of God to us as it unfolds facets of His character and very essence. Just as multiple simultaneous bursts of light in the sky make up the "WOW" of fireworks, so the multiple facets of the character and "otherness" of God make up the "WOW" of His glory!

The memory verse for this series is Matthew 4:10, "You must worship the Lord your God and serve only Him."  This series will run through October 30th.

You can view our more information about our Preschool Ministry on our website.

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.

Disciplined Parenting

Last weekend, Jeremy Keever taught on Proverbs 3:1-12 about disciplined parenting. He explained that we are given information to help us teach our children about God, which will in turn help lead them towards a transformed life. As parents, we cannot change the hearts of our children and make them love God, but we can provide an environment that models what it looks like to love God. He went on to explain that disciplined parenting has two main components - teaching and correction. We must use all of our resources to move our children towards heart change. We also need to recognize that discipline involves being intentional, verbal, and physical. All believers must discipline themselves to seek a life of godliness, and this trickles down to disciplined parenting in leading children to a life of godliness.

If you missed this teaching or would like to hear it again, check out his sermon below:

Jeremy also gave a list of excellent parenting resources during his sermon, and we have that list for you here:

• Shepherding A Child's Heart - Tedd Tripp
• On Becoming Baby Wise - Ezzo and Bucknam
• Don't Make Me Count To Three! - Ginger Plowman
• Wise Words For Moms - Ginger Plowman
• Age Of Opportunity - Paul Tripp
• Grace-Based Parenting - Tim Kimmel
• Big Truths For Young Hearts - Bruce Ware
• The Jesus Storybook Bible - Sally Lloyd-Jones

We hope these resources will help you as you seek to reach the hearts of your children, and the children in our church community.

Have questions? Know of any other good parenting resources? Leave us a comment!

What Was I Thinking?

As some of you know, Betsy Zimmerman (Preschool Coordinator) is having a baby in June, which has led her to transition off of the Children's Ministry staff. When Ed was asking if anyone else on staff would be interested in taking over her role of bin stocking, it sparked my interest. Not having any idea of what goes into making bin stocking work, I volunteered. Boy was I in for a treat...what was I thinking?

No, it wasn't all bad. We just completed our 2nd bin stocking for this year, and it was amazing! I couldn't believe the number of "regulars" who come to volunteer for 2-3 days, multiple times a year. It was also really cool to see them pouring into each other and talking about things going on in their lives. Most people don't know, but bin stocking is just another form of community within our church. It's a great opportunity for stay-at-home moms or empty-nesters to spend time with other ladies while giving themselves away by serving the church...a win-win situation!

I was able to "shadow" Betsy to learn all of her tricks and techniques while getting to be a part of this wonderful community. It was some good practice, for sure! Having been my first bin stocking ever, I have a lot to learn. There is a lot of preparation and volunteer "woman-power" that goes into bin stocking, but I'm up for the challenge!

- Nicole Snyder, Children's Ministry Administrative Assistant

Preschool Curriculum: Easter

We will begin a new series in our preschool curriculum this weekend, that will run through April 24th. We will be reading through the Easter story to learn that God is Holy, and we should repent. Our memory verse for this study is Romans 6:23, "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ our Lord."

Check out an excerpt from the leader preparation for the first lesson of this series:

"It’s the greatest story ever told… the entire Bible points to this moment… when Christ would come and restore the relationship between God and His people.  And so often we forget that this is what it’s all about! Jesus was born to die, to take on our sin and shame, so that we could be reconciled back to our Heavenly  Father.  It’s the best news of our life, and yet we go about our day with little thought of this extraordinary act...Easter gives us a unique opportunity to come face-to-face with life and death – the death that we were destined for because of our sin and the eternal life that God offers through the sacrifice of His Son.  We have been given a chance to acknowledge the great sinfulness of our hearts while also celebrating the grace and mercy offered to us through Christ..."

How do you approach this time of year? Do you daily meditate on the sacrifice Jesus made to save you from your sin, and worship Him for it? Or do you struggle to make room in your hectic schedule to remember the price Jesus paid so you can be restored to your Heavenly Father? We have a holy God, who gave up His only Son to pay the penalty we deserved, and provide a way for us to be redeemed and have eternal life. We can respond in repentance and worship to the One who is worthy of all our praise.

Preschool Curriculum: Sacrifice

The unit we are starting this weekend in Preschool Ministry is on Sacrifice. I sit here and ponder what the word sacrifice really means to me. I think it is so hard to “sacrifice” that piece of chocolate because it is not good for me. Or “sacrifice” buying that new outfit because I don’t need to spend the money right now. But that is not at all what “sacrifice” really is. As we talk about it with our children over the next three weeks, they will be learning the true meaning of “sacrifice.”

In the first two weeks, our children will learn how Moses was sent by God to tell Pharaoh to let His people go. Because of Pharaoh’s hard heart, he would not do so. God sent 10 plagues to try to change Pharaoh’s heart, but Pharaoh continued to say “no.” The children will be learning how God is holy and judges sin. They will also learn that when we disobey, we break our relationship with Him. What a powerful concept for our little ones to learn.

In the third week, our children will learn how Jesus is the sacrificial Lamb that was sent to “fix” our relationship with Him. All of God’s judgment for our sin was put on Jesus at the cross. WOW - that is true sacrifice! He was the perfect lamb without sin, but took on our sin so we could be made right with God.

As I go over this lesson, I am humbled by what God did for me. He took the punishment I deserve. He bore the pain I should bear. He died instead of me. God loves me so much that He did all that for me. He sacrificed EVERYTHING so that I may be made right with Him. Does my view of sacrifice and His view of sacrifice match up? No, not at all. I am challenged by this lesson. I want to be able to lay everything down and just trust Him. I want to be able to live out the fact that He is my substitute, and all I am, say, and do should glorify the sacrifice He made for me.

I ask you to walk alongside your children the next couple of weeks as they learn that they are sinners, and that because of their sin, their relationship with God is broken. I pray that they will realize (like we all have to) that the only way to “fix” this broken relationship is to believe that Jesus was the perfect sacrifice who died on the cross so that we may be made right with God and our relationship may be restored.

- Ivy White, Preschool Development Coordinator 


For more information about our preschool programming and curriculum, click here.

Zacchaeus Was a Wee Little Man...

This past weekend our preschoolers learned about Zacchaeus as we started a new unit entitled “God Owns Everything.” They learned that not only did Zacchaeus climb a tree, but more importantly, Jesus changed his heart. The story highlighted that Zacchaeus was very wealthy, and that he loved money and wealth more than God and others. Jesus helped Zacchaeus see his sin, and the preschoolers learned that Jesus can help them see their sin too. To apply this story to preschoolers, the teachers explained how when children say “MINE” and don’t want to share, they are not remembering that God owns everything and God wants us to honor him with our wealth.

Be sure to check out the parent page that your preschooler brings home each week (or online) so that you know what they learned about in their class. I try to leave it out on the counter or on the kitchen table to review it with my daughter during the week. And, it may help to clarify exactly what the lesson was about! 

Here are a few examples of what some of our preschoolers told their parents about Zacchaeus:

            “Zacchaeus was a wee little man and all he said was please.”

            “Zacchaeus paid our taxes.”

One child told his parent that his sister needed to share with him like Zacchaeus.

            One child asked if she could go climb sycamore trees.

I asked my own daughter why Jesus told Zacchaeus to come down from the tree and she said because it was cold. I think she has been hearing that answer from me a lot lately . . . Put your coat on because it is cold, we can’t go outside because it is cold, you can’t wear your flip flops because it is cold.

What did your preschooler learn about Zacchaeus this week?

 - Betsy Zimmerman, Preschool Coordinator

Preschool Curriculum: God Owns Everything

We are starting a new series for the next three weeks about how God owns everything. We want to stress to our children that everything belongs to God, that nothing is ours, and that God wants us to give freely. As I meditate on these truths I automatically think of the season of life when my children were toddlers and all I heard all day was “That’s mine, give it to me.” In that season, I consistently had to remind my child that the object was not his/hers, but that everything belongs to God and we are just using it. Are WE that much different than our toddler children? Do WE really ever grow out of that mentality?

In this unit, we are trying to teach our children to Be Generous. As we learn about Zacchaeus, the Rich Young Ruler, and the Poor Widow, we will be showing our children what it looks like to “Honor the Lord with your wealth” (Proverbs 3:9). Our children will learn that God commands this of us. It is not about if we want to or not.

As you talk with your children about what they are learning the next few weeks, I challenge you to be an example of this verse and think of some ways that you as a family can be generous with what you have. Allow God to work through you to live out this principle.

- Ivy White, Preschool Development Coordinator

Preschool Curriculum: God is Compassionate

"Be kind and compassionate to one another."

Ephesians 4:32

As we continue in our regular programming in 2011, we will be teaching preschoolers about God's kindness and compassion.  We just finished our Christmas series, where we see the wonder of God's love manifested in His Son coming as a baby.  Now, we will use the story of Ruth (along with Naomi and Boaz) to show what it looks like to be kind, no matter what situation we are in, merely because God has been kind to us.  Read an excerpt from the Leader Preparation material:

Kindness is no little thing.  It often calls us out of our comfort zone to places we could never imagine.  It may cost us something.  And it always asks us to rely on our faith and hope in God.  That is why the apostle Paul wrote, "Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you." (Ephesians 4:32)  We can never be truly kind until we recognize the amazing kindness that God has already poured out on us.  Our kindness is simply an overflow of God's mercy.  

See more of our upcoming curriculum topics on our website.

Adopt-A-Child Reminder

So far, in our goal of raising $1200 for our Adopt-a-Child initiative, we have raised $741.91.  This coming weekend will be our last weekend to collect money.  If your Camp Grace (1st - 4th grade) child has not yet brought in $2 to contribute, and your preschooler (2's to Kindergarten) has not brought in $1, please make sure to have them bring it.  Remember, if we all do a little, we can have a big impact.

Preschool Curriculum: Christmas

"Worship the Lord with gladness;

come before Him with joyful songs."

Psalm 100:2

Next weekend, we begin our series in our Preschool programming on Christmas.  Here excerpts from the Leader Preparation section in our curriculum:

The Christmas season is a time of joy and excitement.  But it can also be a time of stress and busyness. . . .  Take a moment to read Luke 2 and Matthew 1:18-25.  Reflect on the extraordinary events of Jesus' birth while remembering the extraordinary love an purpose of Jesus' life.  God chose ordinary people, Mary and Joseph, to be the parents of His extraordinary Son. 

God also chose ordinary people, the shepherds, to proclaim His Son's extraordinary birth. . . .  These ordinary men responded by going to meet Jesus and worshiping God for His birth.  Their joy was so great that they went on to tell everyone they could find about this amazing news.  

In light of this, how does it make your feel to know that although Jesus was God, He also lived an ordinary life on earth and understands what you experience?  How do you respond to what God has done for you through Jesus?  Do you share in the shepherds' reaction -- a heart of worship, praising God for the gift of His Son?

The story of Christmas is one of the ordinary being invaded by the extraordinary.  God sent His Son to ordinary people in an ordinary world and through Him, God brought the extraordinary into their lives.  As you share this lesson, look for ways that God can use someone ordinary, like you, to bring the extraordinary message of Jesus to the children in your class and to others.

At What Age Is My Child Ready for the Bible?

Will Bouton, the Children's Ministry Director on our Downtown campus, answers this common parenting question. 

One of my favorite things to do as a parent is read the Bible at bedtime with my two boys -- ages 5 and 3 -- right before we cut off the lights.  We all snuggle into one of their beds and read one story each night.  I read and they listen . . . supposedly.  Often, one or both of them won't stop talking in order for me to read, and some nights they think it's time to wrestle, and some nights they would rather read some other book.  Nevertheless, I make sure I read each word from the story before we say goodnight.  I started this with our oldest when he was 6 months old.  Maybe you are thinking, "What's the point? He's too young to understand what you are reading."  Here is why I think it's beneficial to read the Bible to a young child:

1. Model for them.  This daily time with me reading the Bible has impressed on my boys that the Bible is more special than any other book.  It is amazing to see a 1-year-old respecting the Bible.  Does he know everything it says?  Doubtful.  But I can tell you from experience how wonderful it is for your child to see you reading the Bible and run to find theirs so they can read right beside you.
2. Confidence in God's word.  My children have become comfortable with picking up the Bible and thumbing through it.  I became a Christian when I was 16 years old, but I wasn't confident in reading the Bible until I was in my twenties.  My prayer is that my boys never have a time in their life where they are intimidated by the thought of spending time in the Bible.  They have confidence with it because they know the pictures and the stories already.  They can practically walk you through all three children's Bibles we own, even though neither can read; they have them memorized!
3. Life application.  Reading the Bible with my boys consistently allows me to speak into their lives in meaningful ways.  I can reference things we have read in order to connect their everyday life to things the Bible says.  I am often able to say, "Son, do you remember the story in the Bible we read last night . . . " and relate what we are doing right at that moment with the Scripture.  And sometimes at bedtime when we are reading I can say, "Do you remember today when you weren't kind to your brother?  This story in the Bible talks about that very thing . . . ."
4. Personal gain.  As I read with them, I learn just as much -- if not more -- than they do.  I know the order of things in the Old Testament better than I ever have.  Does it replace my own personal time in the Word?  No.  But, it is amazing what the Holy Spirit will point out to you through your children's questions and comments.  There is no question that I am drawing near to God when we have this time together.  Some of my most treasured memories as a parent have come from conversations with my boys while reading the Bible at bedtime.

No matter the age of your child or children, it is never too early or too late to start.  Find an age-appropriate Bible, and when you sense that you have read it so many times that they are getting bored with reading it, find another one.  The three my boys and I have loved are The Beginner's Bible: Timeless Children's Stories, The Jesus Storybook Bible: Every Story Whispers His Name, and The Big Picture Story Bible.

God promises us that His word will not come back to Him empty (Isaiah 55:10-11).  Get to reading and watch what God does with it -- in your children's lives and also in your own!!

Adopt-A-Child

As we did last year, we are going to "adopt" some children this Christmas season, but helping to provide them with gifts.  Grace Church is working with local schools, and we (as the Children's Ministry) plan to take 15 of those children.  We are going to have volunteers shop for the gifts, and we'll use the money we collect from the children in our programming to cover the costs.

We are asking each Camp Grace (1st - 4th grade) child to bring in $2, and each preschool-age child to bring in $1 sometime over the next few weeks.  The money will be collected during the Big Group portion of our programming, and our goal is to raise up at least $1200, all of which will be donated to this cause.  If everyone does a little, we can have a big impact.  We want this opportunity to be an opportunity to worship God more, as we seek to bless others in a reflection of the grace our Lord has shown us.

Watch this video from last year, to hear how an initiative like this can touch someone's life:

(You can also watch this video on our YouTube channel.)

Preschool Curriculum: God is Love

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart, 

and love your neighbor as yourself."

Luke 10:27

Starting this upcoming weekend, and continuing past Thanksgiving, we will have a series studying the divine attribute of Love in our Preschool programming.  All of us, kids and adults, are called to love others, not just because it is a good thing to do, but out of a worship response towards God's love for us.  We will use the account of the Good Samaritan to help our kids understand what it means to "love your neighbor."  Here is the Leader Prep material for this series:

Despite all our technology, we live in a very disconnected world.  We become so consumed with our own lives that we often become blind and isolated from the world around us.  It is in the midst of that reality that God calls us to "love our neighbor as yourself." 

Over the next few weeks we will be sharing the story of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:23-37).  During this unit we will also be giving our children an opportunity to apply what they are learning to their own lives by collecting donations for our less-fortunate neighbors.  As Jesus points out int his parable, it is not enough to just know the commandments; we must also live them out.

There are many reasons why we fail to love our neighbors as ourselves.  One of the biggest reasons is that we just don't see them.  We're so busy with our own needs that we don't even notice the needs of others.  This leads to another reason for our failure -- pride.  Our love of self has poisoned us to see the needs of others as interruptions instead of amazing opportunities to be a part of God's plan.  And often we fail because of fear -- fear of sacrifice, fear of discomfort, fear of being taken advantage of, fear of rejection.

Whatever the reason for our failure, the answer is a better understanding of God's love for us.  God acted on His love for us by providing a way of salvation through His Son, despite our unworthiness.  His love is freely given, with no strings attached.  And He did all of this for His own glory -- so that He would be praised, not us.  Our compassion for others is merely a reflection of God's love, mercy, and grace in our own lives. 

As you prepare to share this lesson with your class, first spend some time meditating on the love of God.  What blessings has He poured on you?  What has He saved you from?  Then ask Him to show you how to share that amazing love with the people He has brought into your life.  

As always, you can see our curriculum outline on our website.

image courtesy of Billy Alexander via sxc.hu

Preschool Curriculum: God is Sovereign

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart; 

lean not on your own understanding."  

Proverbs 3:5

Starting this coming weekend, we will have a two-week series on God is Sovereign in our Preschool programming, using the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (Daniel 3).  Along with teaching children the truth that God is in control, we also want to exhort our leaders to trust in His sovereignty.  Below is our Leader Prep material for these lessons:

One of the greatest desires we face is the desire for security and control.  We want to minimize risk and be assured of the outcome before we launch into a new endeavor.  We want to solve our own problems instead of giving them over to someone else.  But the life that God calls us to is one that often seems very costly and is full of unknowns.

Over the next few weeks we will be looking at the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (Daniel 3:1-30).  To most of us (if we're honest), these 3 men seem foolish, if not insane.  But in God's eyes, these men were living out their faith in His sovereign will.  They were demonstrating the total surrender that is required in order to follow God.  While they were uncertain of the outcome, these 3 men were certain that their God was in control and that they could trust in Him.

We may not be facing a fiery furnace, but there are still lots of areas of uncertainty in our lives today -- worries about money, health, our families, etc.  And in the face of those uncertainties, God calls us to trust and worship Him.  He doesn't offer detailed answers of how and when our problems will be solved.  He only offers Himself.  And while that may not seem like a lot,remember that Christ laid down His life for you -- He left all the glory and comfort of Heaven so that you could have the assurance of eternal life.  Your security is not in what you can do to protect and provide for yourself, but in what Christ has already done for you.

As you prepare to share this lesson with your children, think of areas in your own life that you may need to trust in God.  Are you looking for answers and solutions, or are you trusting in God's sovereign plan?  Ask Him to give you the courage to trust in Him instead of relying on "your own understanding" (Proverbs 3:5) of your current circumstances.  

See more of our upcoming Preschool series on our website.

Preschool Curriculum: God is Faithful

"Your love, O LORD, reaches to the heavens, 

Your faithfulness to the skies."

Psalm 36:5

This past weekend, in our Preschool programming, we began a series to teach that God is Faithful.  We are using the account of Esther to show that God was faithful to her and to the Hebrew nation, and that she responded by being faithful to her call from God.  Here is our Leader Prep for this series (see last month's here):

Over the next few weeks, we will be exploring the life of Esther and her example of faithfulness in the midst of uncertainty.  This remarkable story of an orphan girl who was chosen to become queen almost sounds like a fairy tale.  But in reality, her story is not that different from our own.

Very early on, Esther was faced with the harshness of life when both her parents died.  And yet she also saw God's unfailing love through her cousin Mordecai, who brought her into his own home and raised her as his own daughter.  It was this love -- God's love shown through Mordecai -- that would later give Esther the foundation to act with such courage and bravery.

Esther also learned that great blessing also comes with great responsibility.  Though unexpected, Esther's position as queen allowed her to enjoy a very privileged life.  But more importantly, it allowed Esther to save an entire nation.  Esther realized that her blessings were not meant for her alone, but to be used to bless others.  

Just like Esther, we area all orphans spiritually and in need of a loving Father.  Through Christ, we have been adopted into God's family and are now called His sons and daughters.  And just like Esther, we can be faithful with the blessings God has given us in response to the limitless and never-ending faithfulness He has showered on us. 

As you prepare to share this lesson with your class, take a moment to read through the book of Esther in the Old Testament.  Then ask yourself what blessings God has given you and how He might want you to use those to encourage, protect, and provide for those around you. 

To see our curriculum outline, see our website.  To see our take-home Parent Page, where you can read a summary for each week's lesson and songs, click here.

New iMixes

We've recently updated our iMixes for both our Preschool (2 years old - 5k) and Camp Grace (1st - 4th grade), to include some of the songs that we've been singing during our Big Group times.  See our website to buy one or more songs, via iTunes.  Enjoy it with your kids!

Do you have any recommendations for kids music that would fit well into our Big Group programming?  Leave a comment here with your suggestion.

Why Gender & Sexuality Matter

In our Preschool programming, we are in the midst of our series on God is Relational, as we teach about Adam and Eve (see this post about the leader preparation material).  Grace Church has been teaching more and more about biblical masculinity (see this blog post, for example) and femininity (we have been developing and rolling out some newly-developed curriculum, in stages).

Here is another blog post on why gender and sexuality matter, on The Resurgence blog.  Some key points:

• "God does not create a generic human being and then add gender; rather, he creates a human being either as a male person or as a female person."
• "[M]en and women should be thankful for the gender with which God created them. . . .  Gender differences should be celebrated."
• "[T]he biblical portrait is that marriage is between a man and a woman who commit themselves to living in a monogamous relationship.  Sexual intercourse is to be enjoyed within the bounds of this covenantal framework and is designed for several purposes, including pleasure, procreation, a guard against immorality, and unity."

Read the full article here.