Wednesday, July 10, 2013

The Final Countdown!


VBS is almost here!  Watch this space for updates throughout the week!


Date: July 15th - 19th
Time: 9:00am - 12:30pm(noon), Daily
For kids entering Kindergarten - 5th grade this Fall.

Come on a 5 day journey as we discover together how God can transform our lives!
Each day we will participate in an investigation lead by two detectives who are hot on the trail of a mysterious being known as The Transformer.
Through clues The Transformer leaves behind, stories from the Bible, wild and crazy games, science experiments, and Scripture memorization we will discover the True Transformer and how He can completely transform our lives!
Music, food, games, Bible verses, contests, and more await you as we discover together how God can transform our lives.
Come join the fun! 
Pastor Beau

Tuesday, April 30, 2013

PACT for the Last Week of April

 
Two Friends and a Broken Toy
 
Read this week's Bible story in Matthew 18:23-35 about forgiveness and challenge kids to come up with a modern version of the story. (How about one involving a younger and older brother? Or how about two friends and a broken toy?)
 
Give them time to work on it and then have them act it out. If you like, videotape and then watch it.
 
In this story, which one is the most like God? (The 1st one who was willing to forgive a really big debt)
Which one are you more like in this story?
 
God is generous and forgiving. When we forgive others, we are acting more like Him.

 
 
 
Steps to Forgiveness
 
Items needed: pieces of copy or construction paper, and markers/pens
 
Students in the upper elementary classes learned some Steps to Forgiveness. Review and illustrate the steps. Assign the steps to different kids and ask them to illustrate someone doing that. (They could even write the words in a word bubble above the character's heads.) Talk about each one. 
 
  1. Acknowledge that you were wronged. It's okay to feel sad and angry when someone hurts you. It's okay to admit that what they did was wrong. God is sad when we are hurt. 
  2. Communicate. Talk about it. Words such as: I felt sad when you broke my CD; I felt hurt when you made fun of me, can help others understand how they wronged us. Others may not have realized they have hurt us. Going to them privately and talking about it is what Jesus said to do in Matthew 18:15.
  3. Forgive. Come to an agreement and forgive. If you can work it out, you have gained a friend back. Ask yourself: Is what he or she has done bigger than what I have done in sinning against God? Forgiving means you are giving up your right to get them back. It means you are trusting God to take care of it.
  4. Pray. Every time the bad feelings come back, tell God you want to obey and ask for His help to forgive. Tell Him you trust HIM to handle it. Pray for the person who wronged you.
 
Use these steps when family members have a disagreement. 


 
 
Forgiving Others
 
Students are memorizing Ephesians 4:32. This verse fits the song, Frere Jacques (Are You Sleeping?). Sing the song together to review the verse. Once they have memorized it well enough, try singing it in a round. Divide into two groups and the second group would begin singing at "tenderhearted."
 
What is the opposite of tenderhearted? (Hard hearted—not wanting to forgive, but wanting to get revenge)
 
Why should we forgive others? (God has forgiven us)
 
God's forgiveness to us is the reason we can forgive others. Others have not hurt us more than our sin hurt Jesus. Our sin against God is bigger than any sin that others have done to us. God forgives us; we can forgive others.
 
On the journey with you,

Pastor Beau


Tuesday, April 9, 2013

PACT for the First Week of April


 
 
Did You Really See That?

Item needed: computer
 
Go to the website: http://www.optics4kids.org. Look at some of the optical illusions posted there.
 
Did your eyes trick you? 
 
Sometimes we are confused or can be tricked into making bad choices. Things are not always as they seem to be and we need discernment to decide between right and wrong.
 
What is discernment? (To recognize, to distinguish, to tell the difference between, etc.) 
 
We need discernment to make good choices—to recognize what is the best thing to do. We can't always rely on how we feel because our feelings can trick us (just as our eyes were tricked by these optical illusions). We must make decisions based on the truth of the Bible.


 
 
Strong Foundation
 
Items needed: blocks or Lego's or building materials, sand, large flat rock, and a pitcher of water
 
Divide kids into two teams and give each team one of the two foundations: a large, flat rock and some sand. Ask each team to build a house on their foundation. Do a test to see which house will stand the longest. (You may want to do this outside.) Pour the pitcher of water over the houses to see which one stays put. (Hopefully, the one on the rock will.)
 
Read Matthew 7:24-27. (The man who built his house on the rock is like a wise man that follows and obeys Jesus' words; the foolish man who doesn't listen to or obey the Bible is like one building a house on sand.)
 
Why is the Bible a good foundation for us to build on? (It is strong; it has been proven true; it will help us know the right things to do, which will help us build a better life, etc.)
 
We must use the Bible as a way to discern between right and wrong, between wise and foolish choices.
 

 

 
 
 Green Light. Yellow Light. Red Light.
 
 
 
Use the stoplight to teach kids how to make decisions. 
  •  STOP and THINK  (RED)
  • CAUTIOUSLY Consider the Choices  (YELLOW)   
  • GO GOD'S WAY (GREEN)
 
STOP and THINK—RED
 
Why is it a good thing to stop and think before making a choice? (Keeps you from just following the crowd, keeps you from reacting wrongly, etc.)
 
A wise person doesn't just follow the crowd. A wise person doesn't just do what he feels like doing. He stops and thinks before he does things. If we only stopped to think before we said or did anything, we might keep ourselves from saying or doing something wrong.
 
CAUTION, Consider the Choices—YELLOW
 
2 questions to ask:
 
1. Does the Bible say anything about this?
 
Not all choices are equal. Some are between right and wrong; some are between things that are wise and unwise.
If the Bible has specifically said something is wrong, we should choose NOT to say or do it. But not all choices are between right and wrong. How do you decide when you have a choice between two okay things?
 
2. What is the WISE thing to do? 
 
GO GOD'S WAY—GREEN
 
Choosing to GO GOD'S WAY is always best. If something were clearly wrong, then the wisest choice would be to say no or walk away. If something is not wrong and it would be a wise thing to do . . . then do it! We want to be wise and choose daily to follow God's way and rules.
 
Give the kids some chances to practice making choices using the stoplight.
Some situations: your friends ask you to steal something; a friend wants you to disobey your parents; you want to eat cookies just before dinner; you want to play your video game but have homework, you have an hour of free time, etc.

On the Journey with you,

Pastor Beau


Tuesday, March 12, 2013

PACT for the second week of March

March 10 - 16
Kingdom Law

 
 
 
Going the Extra Mile
 
Read or tell the following story to help kids understand the expression, "Go the extra mile."
 
Samuel was hot and thirsty as he ran errands for his mother. The sun beat down on him. The dry, dusty road was crowded with people and animals. He couldn’t wait to run this last errand and join his friends playing games under the trees by his house. His dad said that now that he was twelve he was going to have to be more responsible, but Samuel would still rather play with his friends than do anything else he could think of.
 
Out of the corner of his eye he saw a Roman soldier. Samuel hated the Romans. He had heard his dad and the other men talk about how the Romans made them pay such high taxes and made too many rules for them to live by. He grew up learning that good Jews did not like the Romans. Samuel hurried past the soldier, but just as he passed him the soldier shouted, “Hey you, carry this!”
 
Samuel knew better than to run away, because no one ever ran from a Roman soldier. He also knew that it was the law—“A Roman soldier could force you to carry his load . . . but only for one mile.” Samuel wanted to spit on the man’s backpack and run away, but he slowly picked up the pack and followed behind him. “One mile is ALL he’s getting,” Samuel said under his breath. With each step he took he chanted, “One mile, one mile, not a step more. One mile, one mile, not a step more.”
 
As Samuel followed behind the soldier, he remembered the day that he heard Jesus teaching on the mountain near his town. Jesus had said, “Whosoever shall compel you to go a mile, go with him two.” Samuel knew that Jesus had been talking about the very situation he was in, but how could he? TWO MILES! That was a long way. Samuel didn’t want to go ONE mile, much less TWO miles.
 
"Why did Jesus tell them to do that?” he wondered. As he walked, he thought about it some more and decided he would put Jesus’ words to a test. Jesus had something other hard things that day about loving your enemy and doing good to people who hurt you. This was all new to Samuel, but he believed that Jesus was a teacher from God and he wanted to obey God’s words.
Finally the Roman soldier stopped and said, “That’s one mile.” He waited for Samuel to drop the pack, but instead Samuel said, “I’ll carry it another one.” The soldier didn’t say anything, but kept on walking. After a while, Samuel looked at the soldier and saw how young he was. “Where are you going?” Samuel asked him.
 
“I’m going back to Rome,” he answered. They continued walking and finally the soldier asked Samuel, “Why would you carry my pack a second mile?” Samuel told him about Jesus and some of the things that He had said on the mountain that day. The soldier seemed very interested and told Samuel, “I would like to know more about a man whose teachings would cause someone to go the second mile like you just did.”
 
They talked until the second mile was up and Samuel handed the soldier his pack. He could see how tired the soldier was and was glad he had done what Jesus had told them to do. He raced back to town, tired, but glad he had done the right thing.
 
What does it mean to go the extra mile? (It means to give a little extra, to give more than is expected, etc.)
 
Being an EXTRA MILE Christian means that you do a little extra or that you do more than is expected.


 
 
 
Loving Our Enemies
 
Jesus said that He didn't come to destroy the law, but to fulfill it. He then gave them examples in this week's lesson about what that meant. For example: the law said to love your neighbor, but Jesus said not only to love your neighbor, but to also love your enemies.
 
Who might be an enemy? (Someone who is mean to us; someone who hurts our feelings; someone who excludes us, etc.)
 
How do we feel when someone is mean to us or hurts our feelings? (We want to be mean to them; we want to hurt them back, etc.)
 
Loving our enemies is impossible to do on our own. We NEED God's help.
 
Illustrate this by asking one child to give another child a certain item (pencil, dollar bill, candy bar, etc.). When she tells you that she doesn't have that item, ask, "Would you be willing to give it to him, if I gave it to you?" (Hopefully, she will say yes.) Supply the needed item for the child to give.
 
How were you able to give the _______ to him? (You gave me what I needed.)
 
There are times when we will have a difficult time loving our enemies. The only way to do this is with God's help. We can ask Him to fill us with HIS love. (After all, God loves us even when we do wrong.) He can fill us with His love so we can love even our enemies. 
 
How did Jesus love His enemies? (He loved and forgave those who nailed Him to a cross; He died for those who rejected Him, etc.)
 
Loving our enemies requires supernatural (God's) help.

On the journey with you,

Pastor Beau

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

PACT for the 3rd week of February

 
 

You Are Unique
 
Items needed: pencils, white paper or card stock
 
Make a set of fingerprints. (from www.humanhand.com/fingerprints.html).
 
  • Step 1: Use a pencil to scribble a dark section on a piece of paper.
  • Step 2: Rub one fingertip across the section of paper.
  • Step 3: Stick a piece of clear tape onto the darkened finger. (Packing tape works very well, but any clear tape will do.)
  • Step 4: Carefully remove the tape from the fingertip, and stick the tape onto a piece of white paper or card stock.
 
Every person has a unique set of fingerprints.
 
What does unique mean? (Different, only one, etc.) 
 
No one in the whole world has the same fingerprints as you (even identical twins have small differences that make their prints unique). Just as our fingerprints are unique, God has a unique purpose for each person. What an honor that the eternal God created each of us with a special purpose! Even before Samson was born, God had a purpose for him. We will be happiest when we accept and live out God's purpose. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
A Special Purpose 

Choose an activity your family can do together (make a meal, organize the playroom, do an art project, make a dessert, etc.) Break the activity down into different roles or steps. For example: If you choose to organize the playroom, the different roles could be: put the books on the shelf, pick up toys and place them in the right bin, gather and organize the art supplies, make labels for the bins, etc.
 
Set the timer and give everyone a chance to fulfill their role. When finished, ask:
 
What would have happened if you hadn't done your part or job? (It would have been left undone; it would still be messy, etc.) 
 
Each person had a specific job or purpose to do. We all need to do the job given us. God has a special purpose for each one. It is up to us to fulfill the job He gives us to do.
 
 
Becoming Stronger
 
Lead your kids in some exercises: running in place, jumping jacks, touching toes, stretching, sit-ups, knee raises, and kicking.  
 
How do you get stronger? (Eating good food, exercising, etc.)
 
As a baby, you were weak and helpless. You couldn’t even roll over by yourself. But as you ate, you began to grow stronger. First, you crawled, then you walked (falling down a lot at first) and soon you could run and jump. Exercising your muscles made you stronger and able to do things you couldn’t do before.
 
What would happen if you laid on the couch all day, every day? (You would get weaker, your muscles would go down, etc)
 
How can you get stronger in the Lord? (Depend on Him for strength, read the Bible, pray, believe God, serve Him, give, tell others, obey, etc.)
 
The more you do each of these, the stronger you will become. God will help you to be stronger inside to make right choices and do what pleases Him. It takes more than doing them once a year or even once a month. Just as you need to physically exercise daily, you need to do these things often to build strong spiritual muscles.  
 
Review the Bible verse, Ephesians 6:10b. Say it at least once a day, maybe at the same meal each day.
    On this journey with youm

    Pastor Beau

    Tuesday, February 12, 2013

    PACT for the second week of February


     
     
    God Delivers His People
     
    The Israelites were in a bad cycle—they went away from God, God sent a judge to deliver them, they followed God...they went away from God, God sent a judge to deliver them, they followed God. This was repeated over and over. Eventually, you read that God delivered the Israelites through Gideon, a judge.
     
    Act out the story of Israel's victory. Assign parts for Gideon, the Israelite army, and the Midianite army. Read Judges 7 aloud as the kids act out their parts.
     
    How did God deliver Israel?
    (He saved them from the Midianite army that was stealing their food and other possessions.)
     
    God is strong and can deliver His people from those who hurt them. 


       
       Be Strong in God
       
      Items needed: 
      copy or construction paper
      markers or crayons
       
      Help your child memorize Ephesians 6:10b.
       
      When Gideon thought he was ready to fight the Midianites, God told him he needed to take away some soldiers. God reduced the size of Gideon’s army from 32,000 to 300! God wanted Gideon and the Israelites to depend on Him instead of their own strength or power. Gideon needed to focus on God and what HE said and not on the BIG problem or job before him. When Gideon did not see a way for them to be free from the evil Midianites, God had a plan and directed Gideon on what to do. When we depend on God's strength, He can take away our fear and do amazing things.
       
      How did Gideon rely on God's strength? (He trusted in God to help them, he did what God told him to do, he obeyed even though he may have been afraid, etc.)
       
      How can we be strong in God? (Pray and ask Him to help us with our problems, believe that He will guide us to know what to do, read and focus on what He has said, etc.)
       
      Ask kids to illustrate the Bible verse. Talk about a problem they may have and how God can help them. Post the Bible verse in their room as a reminder that God wants to help them face the big problems.
       
         
         
         
        Celebrating God's Love
         
        Items needed: supplies to make cookies or cupcakes, pieces of paper (or small hearts)
         
        Celebrate Valentine's Day by showing love to others. Just as God used Gideon to deliver the Israelites from their trouble, God can use us to help others. Think of someone you know who is going through a hard time (sickness, loss, sadness, etc.). Bake cookies, make a card (with a message of encouragement, such as: We are praying for you, We love you, We believe God will help you, etc.) Deliver some of the goodies and say a short prayer with them before you leave.
         
        Play a game of finding the letters to an important message. Write each letter of the phrase, God loves you, on a slip of paper or heart. (Make at least one set for each kid, with some extras to make it easier to find them.) When kids aren't looking, hide the letters. Invite the kids to find the letters and an important message. Let them exchange letters, if they need to.
         
        Celebrate God's love with some of the goodies you made!

        On this journey with you,

        Pastor Beau