Vacation Bible Xtreme is coming!  Kids Life is hosting God's Backyard Bible Camp.  Kids will have a blast and so will all the volunteers.  You can text the word KidsEvents to the number 71441 to register and get updates on the event.  You can also go to Backyard Bible Camp and register there and sign up there also to volunteer.  Event dates are July 24th through July 27th.  Sign up today!

Today was a great day at CLC in the Kids Life Ministry.  We talked about what Memorial Day is and why we have it as a holiday.  I have added our lesson from today just to share it with you.  And, if you had kiddos in class today you can see what they discussed and what they got to do.

Bible Passage: Joshua 4:1-20
Learning Objective: The children will learn how the Israelites used special stones to remember God’s faithfulness and make their own stone to remember Christ’s sacrifice for them.

Materials Needed: One clean stone per student, one small paintbrush per student, one color acrylic paint

Discussion with the Kids:

1.     “Our country is celebrating a special holiday tomorrow!  Does anyone know what it is called?” (Memorial Day)

2.    “Why do we celebrate Memorial Day?” (Because we are remembering and honoring the people who serve in our     military.  They work to keep us safe and give us our freedom.)

3.    Write the word Memorial on the front board.  “See how the word memorial is like the word memory.  On Memorial Day, we remember and thank the people in our military.”

1.    In the Old Testament of our Bibles God’s people also had a time of memorial to remember what God had done for them.

2.    “Open your Bibles to Joshua 4.  Before we read let’s talk about what happened before Joshua 4.  Remember God’s people had been in slavery in Egypt and God used Moses to lead his people out of slavery and across the Red Sea.  Then, God led them to wander through the wilderness for forty years, but every day He was faithful to give them the quail and manna they needed.  Then God finally led the Israelites to the land He had promised them when He led them out of Egypt.  That brings us to today’s story.”

3.    “Let’s read Joshua 4:1-20” Tip: For younger children you may prefer to read this from a storybook Bible or children’s Bible.

4.    “This is the story of how God led His people across the Jordan River on dry ground and into the Promised Land.  God wanted a man from each of the twelve tribes to pick up a stone as they crossed the Jordan.”

1.    “Why were these twelve stones important?”  Ask for input from the children.

2.    “The Israelites were to keep the twelve stones as a way to remember how God led them safely across the Jordan River.  When they looked at the stones they could remember God’s faithfulness in Egypt, through the wilderness, and now in the Promised Land.”

3.    “These were memorial stones!”

4.    “God wanted them to have something to look at so they would not forget how He had taken care of them.”

1.    “What are some good things God has done for you that you want to remember?” Ask for input from the children.

2.    “The most important thing God has done for us is given his son Jesus.  Jesus came to earth to live a perfect life and die on the cross to take the punishment for our sins.  This is the best thing God could have done for you and for me, so that we are no longer separated from Him by our sin.  We need to always remember how God gave us Jesus.”

3.    “Today you are going to paint your own memorial stone as a reminder to you of how God gave us Jesus.  When you look at your stone you can remember how Jesus died on the cross for your sins and you can thank God sending His Son Jesus to die in your place.”

Memorial Day Craft – Memorial Stones

Materials Needed:

·         One clean, dry stone for each child

·         One paintbrush for each child

·         One paper plate or pie tin for each child to use as a paint palette

·         One color acrylic paint.  The amount of paint needed depends upon the number of children.

·         Masking tape

·         Sharpie marker

Procedure:

1.    Pass out one stone, one paintbrush, and one empty paint palette to each child.

2.    Show a stone which is already completed.

3.    The children will choose which side of their stone will be the top.

4.    Squeeze a small amount of paint onto each child’s palette.

5.    The children will paint a cross on the top of their stone.

6.    The adult helpers will write each child’s name on a piece of masking tape and stick it to the bottom of the stone.  Set the stones aside and allow to dry.

I hope every one has been having a great week!  I have been out of town but now trying to get caught up with all my postings and of course paper work.  I will be posting some of the lessons we have been doing at CLC with our kiddos.  Pastor Rick has been doing a teaching on the healings and miracles of Jesus.  So, we too, in Kids Life have been doing the same teaching.  It has been a lot of fun and the kiddos have enjoyed the object lessons and activities that have gone along with the lessons.  I love watching the kids respond to the stories in the bible on the miracles of Jesus.  They just take it in and there isn't any doubt that Jesus did what it says He did.  I wish we adults could believe without any doubt that miracles do happen and that they can happen to us! 

I pray every day for all the folks that work so hard and give their time to teach the kiddos about the word of God.  You truly are special in the eyes of many and definitely in the eyes of our God.  God Bless You All!

Helping Kids Be Pro-Active In Their Faith

Let’s be honest. It’s easy to get kids saved. Children are easily influenced. If you present the Gospel to children they will pray the prayer with you, however their Bible reading and church attendance is very dependent on their parent’s spiritual disciplines. As your kids grow older they will begin to think for themselves. They won’t take everything you say at face value.
They will begin to ask questions like:

“Is God real?”

“Do I believe in God just because my parents believe in God?”

“What about the kids in Afghanistan that never heard about Jesus? Will they go to hell?”

I can tell when a child has made the jump from Mom and Dad’s faith to relying on their own faith when he or she begins to think for him or herself. When a child says, “Mom won’t let me do that,” they are still depending on Mom. When a child begins to talk like this, “I don’t want to do that,” then he or she has taken ownership of their faith.
Ask your kids these questions:

• Do you make your own bed?
• Do you pick out your own clothes?
• Do you help without being asked?

Here are some steps to help kids to be pro-active in their faith. 

1.   Train your kids to be proactive in natural things. This will help them develop a mind-set of pro-activity.
2.   Don’t just reward kids when they obey you. Give bigger rewards when your kids do good things without being told. Make a big deal about it.
3.   Encourage kids to ask questions about the Bible. Don’t freak out if they ask a hard question. Use it as a moment to dig into the Word and find the answer.
4.   Preach less and listen more. Ask them what they got out of the Bible story. When they share something really good, commend him or her.
5.   As your kids get older put them in charge of devotions.
6.   Let the children lead.  Do not be afraid to put kids in leadership roles in Sunday School and Children’s Church. A child volunteer can do almost anything that an adult volunteer can do. Kids just need someone to believe in them and take the time to train them.

What do you do to train kids to be pro-active in their faith?

Article came from Mark Harper.

Easter Sunday was amazing in KIDS LIFE!  We had triple the number of kids.  We all said the prayer to invite Jesus in our hearts.  There were about ten that shared saying that was the first time that they had ever said the prayer.  So that was wonderful.  I hope you had a wonderful Easter Holiday.....

Blessings always,
Ms. Pam