One Family Service on New Year's Day at 10:30am!

OK, so it won't exactly be a party like this picture, but it will follow all the parties on New Year's Eve... so consider this a reminder not to party too hard on Saturday night so that you can start the new year off right with worship of the King and gathering with His people to honor Him and lift one another up! We're only having one service and it's the later one, so hopefully we can all get enough sleep and show up bright-eyed and bushy-tailed!

See you Next Year! (10 and a half hours in...)

Celebrate Christmas with Your Church Family this Sunday

Christmas is on Sunday this year and what better gift to give Jesus on HIS birthday then to gather together with the saints and worship Him? There will be only one service on Christmas day at 10:30pm so it's late enough that everyone should have time to wake up and open those Christmas presents (especially if you have little ones who wake you up at 5am to do so) and maybe even sit down to a nice family breakfast, if that is your tradition, before dressing in your Sunday best and coming to a real CHRIST MASS! Because of the family nature of Christmas, we will not have Kids Church, but we do have a special gift for every child who comes Christmas morning with mom and dad, so don't let them stay home with their new toys! Take a short break and explain to them that, like the shepherds and magi, we are going to go and worship the King.

And remember the message of last Sunday's puppet skit...the only gift we can really give Jesus is our hearts and our worship... and it IS His birthday after all.

See you on Christmas morning!

Christmas: A Time to Practice Saying Thank You

Gratefulness is an important life quality because it helps us to be thankful for what we have instead of complaining about what we don't have. Gratefulness is a lifestyle but it starts by saying "Thank you" to others who bless us.

Begin now to prepare your children for receiving gifts. Talk about the importance of the giver, not just the gift. Teach children to look at the nametag first so they can be thinking of the person who gave the gift while they open it. Encourage children to express thanks to the giver, even if that person is not in the room at the time. A phone call to extended family or a thank you note to a distant friend can mean a lot.

Gift receiving sometimes provides that awkward moment when we want to ask, "What is this?" or discover that we already have one of these. Play a "What if" game with children to help them anticipate how they might say thank you in those times.

Opening gifts can happen fast and then children are off playing with new toys and games. Helping them to take time to express gratefulness can extend the true meaning of Christmas past the few hours of Christmas Day. And don't forget to take time to thank the Lord for his special gift in Jesus Christ for us.


Learn more about heart qualities like gratefulness in the book Parenting is Heart Work by Dr Scott Turansky and Joanne Miller, RN, BSN.

Last Awana club of 2011: Biblical Christmas Theme Night!

Tomorrow is our last Awana club of the year! Don't miss out! The club directors are planning all kinds of fun holiday festivities and we're doing another special theme night: BIBLICAL CHRISTMAS THEME NIGHT! Remind your kids to dress up in Bible clothes associated with the birth of Jesus... Shepherds, Wise Men, Angels, even Roman soldiers! It'll be a great night. See you then!

Retraining the Heart

It’s amazing how transparent children can be when you take time to actively hear what they have to say. After listening for a while, it’s often possible to identify some key thinking errors that perpetuate the child’s problems.

Take some time to study your children. What weaknesses do they have? What lies do they believe? What are some of the unproductive things they’re saying in their hearts? It can be helpful to simply make observations and write them down.


Ask yourself: What does he say when he’s arguing with me? What does she say when she’s angry? What does he mumble under his breath in his room or as he stomps down the hall? How does she report offenses to her friends? How does she rationalize and justify her mistakes? As you listen to your child talk, you’ll get a bigger picture of beliefs, values, and impressions that are guiding behavior.

Matthew 12:34 says, “out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.” As you learn to listen to your child’s heart, identify target areas that you sense are a problem. Behavior indicates what’s happening inside, so when you see a particular weakness, jot it down on a piece of paper. You might list things like procrastination, pride, fear, gloom and doom, or lack of confidence.

You’ve probably known these character weaknesses were causing problems. By identifying the misconceptions at the root of the behavior, you’ll be ready to do some deeper work in your child’s heart. Once you identify a heart issue that concerns you, then you can develop a strategy or action plan to help your child grow.



This parenting tip come from the book Parenting is Heart Work by Dr Scott Turansky and Joanne Miller, RN, BSN.

Christmas Program this Sunday BOTH SERVICES!

Don't miss our Kids Christmas program this Sunday morning! This year we're doing a smaller kids musical, but there will be a couple of puppet skits and some adult ensemble numbers as well. The overall program should be a delight to parents and friends and the message is always wonderful at this time of year. So join us at 8:30am or 10:30am!

Winter/Snow Theme Night at Awana clubs tomorrow night!

Don't forget that tomorrow night at Awana clubs, clubbers get extra points for wearing winter/snow patterned clothes and other cold looking stuff (not winter coats) as pictured above. And bring a friend! Remember that visitors are always worth BIG points and we can never get enough of them! See you tomorrow at 6:30pm!

Special Lesson Follow-up: Why Do We Call it Christmas?

This last Sunday, we showed the video of Buck Denver and co. asking "Why Do We Call It Christmas? The kids seemed to get a lot out of this entertaining video which answered a lot of historical questions about the origins of Christmas and certain holiday traditions. So I thought it would be helpful to point parents in the direction of the website where your kids can find related activities and follow up materials. In fact we had a little review question contest for a set of "Chester Whigget's popsicle-stick puppets." If your child didn't win and were disappointed, you can surprise them by printing up a set for them at home by visiting the official website: http://whatsinthebible.com/christmas/activities-worksheets/

Check it out with them. You may learn a thing or two yourself about Christmas that you didn't know. I did.

Caring for Others

One of the great ways to help children think of giving instead of just getting at Christmas is to reach out to others you don't even know. This one activity can do a tremendous amount to help kids focus on others, not just themselves. Here are some ideas:

Pray for missionaries in other parts of the world. Create a care package for a family and mail it off in time to arrive by Christmas Day.

Get involved in your church's gift-giving program. Most churches provide ways to give tangible gifts to those in need. Ask around your community for organizations that are providing gifts for others.

Take some homemade food and crafts to a local rest home or senior citizen center. Sing songs and greet people. Tell them Merry Christmas. Before you go and when you're finished, talk to your kids about the people you are visiting. Sometimes caring for people can be a challenge and a blessing. Discussions help children understand it all in practical terms.

Make sure that children understand that Christmas is a time when we can share the love of Jesus with others. After all, that's what God did for us.

from biblicalparenting.org

Special C.W. Playhouse Lesson this Sunday

This Sunday we will be having a special Christmas lesson in the C.W. Playhouse as half of our kids will be rehearsing for the Christmas musical. So after we have some praise and worship and opening fun, we'll be watching a special DVD from What's in the Bible with Buck Denver? In this new DVD from Phil Vischer's Jellyfish Labs, Buck Denver asks... Why Do We Call It Christmas? This DVD explores and answers questions about the historical development of Christmas as a holiday, where some of the symbols of Christmas come from, and how Santa Claus got mixed up in a holiday that is supposed to celebrate the birth of Jesus, all while having a lot of fun through songs, story, and memorable characters. Your kids are sure to learn a thing or two about Christmas and its place in history, and have many of their misconceptions corrected so don't miss this Sunday morning kids service!

The Real Meaning of Christmas

With so much advertising and emphasis on presents, programs, and parties, take some time to teach your children about the real meaning of Christmas. It's so easy to get distracted by the celebration that one discussion or Christmas program isn't enough to help your children catch the meaning and significance of what Christmas is really all about. Here are some suggestions.

Have a daily or weekly reminder of the Christmas story. Use an advent calendar or read through the Christmas story in the next few weeks.

Tell children what the first Christmas was really like. Did you know that a manger is a cow's eating dish? How far is it from Nazareth to Bethlehem anyway? That would be like walking all the way from our home to _____. What was an Inn like? What were the shepherds doing out with the sheep at night? Did you know that the Bible doesn't say that there were three wise men? Maybe there were ten. Help children think about the story differently than they have before.

Write to a missionary family and find out how they are celebrating Christmas. Talk to your children about how cultures have different traditions but the real meaning of Christmas is the same.

And talk about God's gift of salvation. Why did God start Christmas in the first place? How does his gift change who we are? Keep in mind that this may be time that your child dedicates himself or herself to the Lord in a new and special way.

Christmas is a special time where memories are created that last a lifetime. Take some time to plan your Christmas season carefully to make sure the things you do and say have lasting value.

from: biblicalparenting.org

20 Family-Friendly Holiday Ideas

It's Family Week in December and to give us all some encouragement to use our Family Week the way it was intended, here is an article from Group Publishing on ways to share the holidays with other families (and your own too.) Read it through and have a family discussion about some ways you could put a couple into practice this year... THIS WEEK!! - PK

'Tis the season to be jolly-and busy! Families have to cook a turkey for the Thanksgiving potluck, shop, cook, clean for company, get their kids to choir rehearsal, attend the Advent program, wrap gifts, go caroling with their Bible study group, and drop the kids off for their Christmas party...

Wouldn't it be nice this holiday season to clear the church calendar and help families focus on what's really important about this season of the year? (Okay, I agree, one or two things are important to keep!)

Encourage families to set aside a Family Night each week. Perhaps they'll stay in for the evening, join with another family for fun activities, or serve another family. Share these ideas with families to help them plan for more than pizza and a movie.


JUST OUR FAMILY

• Look at a photo album of family memories. Or watch clips from homemade family videos. Begin conversations with "Remember when..." Tape-record a good memory and send it to the person who was part of it.
• Buy a new game as a family gift for Christmas. Open it early and play it together.
• Work on a jigsaw puzzle. Play Christmas carols in the background.
• Each family night, read aloud a few chapters from A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens until it's finished.
• Have each family member choose a Christmas carol, read one verse, and tell why it has special meaning.
• Make special cards for grandparents. Together, write a message on each card.
• Have each family member think of something helpful to do for another family member. Write the idea on a piece of paper, sign it, and put it in a box. During the next seven days, do the helpful thing and present the box to the right recipient. Repeat this each week.
• Go for a walk together. Look for the brightest star, the largest pine cone, the most interesting house decorations, and so on.
• Help each other memorize a Christmas verse, a passage, or a psalm.
• Go through the alphabet naming gifts from God. The first person begins, "God gave our family an apple tree." The next person says, "God gave our family an apple tree and a basketball goal." Keep adding items. See how far your family can go through the alphabet and remember the gifts named.

FAMILY FRIENDS

• Invite a family that's different from your own to dinner. It may be a single person, a single-parent family, or a family who has a child with special needs.
• Decorate Christmas cookies with another family. Use a roll of prepared sugar-cookie dough or make your own.
• Take a Christmas lights tour of your favorite places. Combine with other families to use the church bus. Or you could rent a bus if you have enough people. End your tour at someone's house for hot cider and Christmas cookies.
• Get with another family and each share one holiday tradition.
• Have a simple supper together that symbolizes togetherness in the family of God. It may be vegetable soup or a salad that both families contribute to. Note the individual parts and how they make up the whole. Include a loaf of bread to "break bread" together. Read Acts 2:42-47.

FAMILY TO FAMILY

• Make hot chocolate mix, freezer jam, or a simple fruit bread. Give to neighbors or people who live near your church. Write a Christmas message on each item.
• Join with other families to sing Christmas carols to elderly people.
• Trade child care with another family for an evening or Saturday so you can shop, bake, clean, decorate, or sleep.
• Help children shop for gifts for their parents (particularly in a single-parent household). Help children wrap and tag their gifts.
• Adopt a needy family and provide gifts and food for their Christmas celebration.

Bobbie Bower is a children's ministry consultant in Kansas.