A Different Kind of Baptism

In this Sunday's lesson we talked about Jesus being baptized by John the Baptist.

Jesus baptism was very different than other baptisms.  

No baptism that has happened at EBC has ended with the heavens opening up, a dove flying down and God's voice saying how pleased He is with the person.  

When we have a baptism at EBC, the person talks about the great work God has done in his or her lives.  Their testimony involves their sin, God's great salvation through Jesus Christ and the new life we have in Christ.  

Jesus had no sin that he needed to repent of.
Jesus did not need a Savior.

Jesus' actions and God's response affirmed who Jesus was.

Take time to share your testimony with your children.

Family Worship Guide 09.28

Title:  John baptizes Jesus

Passage:  Matthew 3:13—17

Principle:  Jesus the Messiah was sent by the Father to provide salvation for those who would believer.

Prompt:  Ask your child these questions:

· What happened after Jesus came up out of the water? 
· What did God the Father say about His Son?

Practice: Help your child apply these truths in the following ways: 
· By trusting Jesus as his only hope salvation 
· By learning what it means to please God the Father.

Memory verse:

2 year olds through kindergarten:    Luke 2:11 
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

1^st through 5^th grade:      1 John 1:9 
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Missionary: Andrew and Romina Self 

Ministry: Groceries for Life
Despite the fact that we are beginning a new month next month you can still bring in toothpaste and toys for Groceries for Life

Activity: Check ekidzministry.blogspot.com for family related news

and updates.

Don’t forget our Single & Parenting class @ 9:00 am and our Saturday night service @ 6:30 am.

Boxtrolls is opening this weekend!

New movie this weekend!
Before you go to see it check out this trailer...



Please be aware that movies teach!
Are the lessons in line with what you want them to learn? 

Here is part of the review from Plugged In (http://www.pluggedin.com/movies/intheaters/boxtrolls.aspx)  Especially pay attention to the comments of Travis Knight, the CEO of Laika Studios.

Which brings me, frustratingly, to my second conclusion: Connecting the dots between the gay-parents-themed lyrics of Loch Lomond's movie-ending song and the film's first trailer, which also dwells on the idea of children being raised by same-sex parents, we're forced to reframe The Boxtrolls in a way we might not initially be inclined to do—but in the way its makers say they want us to.

In that trailer, the narrator tells us, "Sometimes there's a mother. Sometimes there's a father. Sometimes there's a father and a father. Sometimes both fathers are mothers. … Families come in all shapes and sizes, even rectangles." So are the out-of-the-box Boxtrolls used as out-of-the-closet parallels for the idea of having "unusual" and "not-so-mainstream" parents? Is The Boxtrolls really a sly stab at praising homosexual family structures?

Talking about the trailer and the film's message, Laika Studios CEO Travis Knight told The Hollywood Reporter, "We're not in any way trying to be activists. We're just trying to be who we are. All art and all artists have a point of view, a way of looking at the world. We want to make films that are bold and distinctive and enduring and actually have something meaningful to say." He continued, "The Boxtrolls are a very loving community that have been marginalized by the lies and distortions of others. It doesn't take someone who's got a Ph.D. to recognize that of course there are metaphoric elements to the message in our movie."

Dress Up Crazy!!

On Sunday the 1st - 3rd graders were challenged to dress up crazy and have their parents send them to Pastor Dave (children@emmanuelbaptist.com)


The lesson connection was...
John the Baptist was a little bit of a crazy dresser.
John the Baptist was a little bit of a crazy eater.
John the Baptist had two crazy messages for the religious people of his...
"Repent."
"God could make children of Abraham out of rocks."


It didn't matter who the religious people were related to. 
The real questions was, and is, who are you depending on?
If you are depending on God it should show.


The memory verse for this age group is 1 John 1:9: "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

this past Sunday's guest, Owen Lucio

This past Sunday, Owen Lucio visited with the kindergarten through 3rd graders. Owen is related to Amy Bartkiewicz.  If your child was in with Amy over the last couple of years, they have been praying for Owen and his many health needs.

Amy said that  Robin and Mason have really appreciated the prayers and cards.  Here is part of letter from Robin explaining what Owen has.  

My son, Owen James Lucio is 7 years old.  Owen has a rare genetic disorder called Joubert Syndrome. This means that he has a malformation of his brain called the cerebellar vermis, which in him has caused multiple issues with his body and his development. Children affected with JS can be have a wide variety of symptoms, and each child seems to be affected differently from the next. For Owen, the Joubert Syndrome has affected him in the following ways: 

*Complete Blindness (he can tell when it's really bright or dark, but does not see anything else) 

*Low Muscle Tone (kind of like "floppy" muscles- he still struggles to hold his head up sometimes and he is not able to walk on his own yet)

*Balance and Coordination Difficulties (does not have the best fine motor control and when he walks with assistance it is unsteady)

*Cognitive Impairment (his developmental age is somewhere between 6 months to a year and a half) 

*Kidney Disease.  Owen now has Stage 2 Kidney Disease, and his function is at about 15%.

*Multiple Belly Issues.  He has and will likely always have Chronic Acid Reflux and Chronic Constipation, likely due to his low mustle tone.  He is on several medications for these issues

*Bone Issues.  His hips are subluxed (not fully in their sockets due to not walking) and he was recently diagnosed with Scoliosis.  He wears Foot/Ankle/Leg braces to ensure he grows how he should and to help him become more stable in his walking

*Sensory Issues.  Owen is sensitive to certain sounds, touches, and textures- he is only able to eat pureed foods and still will only drink from a bottle.

*Behavior Issues.  He sometimes has melt downs out of nowhere and his mood can change from happy to crying in a mere second. He will have screaming fits and will hurt himself and others who are around him because he is not able to express what is wrong.

*Bleeding Disorder.  Owen also has a bleeding disorder called Platelet Storage Pool Deficiency- his blood does not clot like it is supposed to, so he is prone to easy bruising and special precautions must be taken during any surgeries/injuries so that he doesn’t bleed out.

 

Despite all of this, Owen is a sweet, smart, adorable boy who loves to snuggle and be around family and friends. His giant smile can light up a whole room, and he always finds a way to sneak into your heart. Those who have come to meet and spend time with Owen have grown to love him, as it’s hard not to.

 

Family Worship Guide: September 21

Trouble, Trouble.

The previous post Rejoicing a lot with a lot of joy!!!! was about the joy the wise men had when they found Jesus.


If you haven't read through Luke  with your child/children yet you can read through it while having them listen for the reactions of Herod and Jerusalem. 

Scripture says they were troubled. 
Talk about these questions:
  Why would Herod be troubled?
  Why would the city of Jerusalem be troubled? 


Bottomline, the reason was they were focused on something other than God and His plan, which was being revealed in Jesus.

Rejoicing a lot with a lot of joy!!!!

This past Sunday we looked at the wise men.
Actually, the lesson was the wise men worship Jesus.
So the focus is not on the wise men but rather the Savior they were worshipping.

With younger children emphasize the fact that the wise men were
looking at a star which led them to Jesus.

Matthew 2:9, 10 reads

After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was.  When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.

The NIV says they were "overjoyed."
The ESV sayt they "rejoiced exceedingly with great joy."

Bottomline, they rejoiced a lot with a lot of joy.

Is that what your child sees when you talk about Jesus or when you are singing about Him?
Rejoicing a lot with a lot of joy.

Adults may wonder why we take the 1st through 3rd graders in to the auditorium for the singing part of the service 
OR 
why we have the 1st through 3rd graders at least once a quarter sit with their parents in the service
OR 
why the 4th and 5th graders with their parents during the service time.

Here is the answer, we want to have kids see their parents and other adults worshiping God as a church.

I love singing the songs in church.  I love hearing the preaching.
I love these things because they stir up my love for God and for Jesus Christ.   
I want my children to know this and experience this same thing.

Christmas in September

If you walked by the 1st through 3rd class this Sunday, you heard us closing the class with the songs Away in a Manger and We Wish You a Merry Christmas.

If you walked by the 1st through 3rd class this Sunday, you heard us closing the class with the songs Away in a Manger and We Wish You a Merry Christmas.
The class was reminded that Christmas time is not a celebration of December or winter.
It is about the birth of Jesus Christ.

I love how The Jesus Storybook Bible connects the Old and New Testaments.

He's here!

Everything was ready.  The moment God had been waiting for was here at last!  God was coming to help his people, just as he promised in the beginning.

But how would he come?  What would he be like?  What would he do?

Mountains would have bowed down.  Seas would have roared.  Trees would have clapped their hands.  But the earth held its breath.   As silent as snow falling, he came in.  And when no one was looking, in the darkness, he came.

This past Sunday, the kids looked at the birth of Jesus Christ in Matthew 1.
This upcoming Sunday, the kids will look at the worship of Jesus Christ in Matthew 2.

The younger children are memorizing Luke 2:11 this month:

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

 The 1st through 5th graders are memorizing Luke 2:10, 11 the first two weeks of September:

And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.  For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

The Internet is not going away: Internet Safety Seminar

One of the point Chris made in the Internet Safety Seminar was that the internet is not going away any time soon.
Here is a video that helps explain the impact the digital world has on us.

Final Take Aways from Internet Safety Seminar

Final Take Aways

Use OpenDNS 

Block YouTube / Bing
Always Address the Heart
Be the Parent

Where there is a will there is a way!!

•Put Accountability in place to safe guard passwords

•Hard Resets – router

Bonus:

•Virus / Malware / Spyware

free AVG 

malware byte

•Data Backup!!!

Internet Safety Seminar resources:

Some resources from our Internet Safety Seminar:

A pdf resource for families through covenant eyes:

Protecting kids online can be a challenge. With so many access points to the Internet, like computers, tablets, and even their iPod touch®, it’s hard to know what to look for or where to even begin. In Protecting Your Family Online: A How-To Guide for Parents, you’ll learn:

• Some of the dangers your kids face
• How to guard their gadgets
• What to look for and discuss about their Internet use

www.covenanteyes.com/learn-to-protect-your-family-with-this-free-how-to-guide/

Wifi/internet filtering:

OpenDNS:  http://www.opendns.com/
Pandoras Hope:  contact Chris Brown at www.techpartner.org for more information

 We will be posting more resources later HERE

What were those circles on the 1st, 2nd & 3rd graders take home sheets?

In an effort to help prepare these kids for being in the service, the 1st - 3rd graders will be working on specific skill each month.  

This month's skill is listening.  Each week we are going to have some sort of evaluation and/or activity to help the children become better listeners.

In class we had four different learning stations.  The adult leader at each station initialed papers of those who listened well during each activity.  

Please be sure to ask your child what we have been learning in class.

Teaching Babies and the Bible Teaching Hour

We have a very exciting Bible teaching ministry in our nursery classrooms.
As soon as children can sit up, they are learning Bible stories, verses and truths about God.



Starting this fall we really want to emphasize the 9:00 am Bible teaching hour throughout the church.
What does this mean for the teaching babies ministry?

• We want to encourage families to come and have their children, nursery through teens, be part of a 9:00 am class.  There are also classes and/or serving opportunities for adults.  
• During the 10:30 am service time a smaller teaching babies class will be offered for older children and those who were not in the 9:00 am class.  There will be a class size limit.
• During the 10:30 am service there will also be a play nursery without classroom teaching for children who are younger and/or attended the 9:00 am class  

Just a reminder that our mission as a church is to glorify God by making disciples who are submitted to His lordship, grounded in His teaching and sincere in His love.

We want to help parents understand their role as the primary disciple maker in their child's life.