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.