Recent Pictures from the CW Playhouse Sundays

During our new series on the conquest of the promised land by Joshua, Pastor Kevin made use of his miniature war game hobby to create a small-scale model of a section of what the wall of Jericho may have looked like illustrating to the kids the size and thickness of the walls of this immense ancient city confronting the children of Israel.

It was believed that the walls were so think that chariots could race along the top around the perimeter of the city.
Notice the red ribbon in a small window on the side of the wall representing Rahab's house where the Hebrew spies were hidden.
The drawback was that PKs collection was multi-cultural and multi-historical so the Levitical priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant look a bit oriental.
The kids really got into this model, getting an idea, not only of the thickness of the walls, but the probable height. Without God's supernatural help, there's no way the Israelites could have taken this mighty city.

The week before, we taught about the crossing of the Jordan river and thankfulness to God illustrated by the Israelites as they entered the promised land and celebrated God's provisions.
Jesus is our Super Hero... YEAH!
The kids collected rocks from the riverbed of the Jordan and decorated them to show something they were thankful for... thus the tables.

PASTOR EDDIE IN THE HOUSE!!!

This Sunday we're mixing things up a bit! Pastor Kevin will be preaching in the adult service and Pastor Eddie will be filling in for the C.W. Playhouse service! It will be a special BGMC service focusing on the country of Iceland and Pastor Eddie is excited to share some personal information he has about this Northern country.

This will also be the week we launch our annual KID VID VETO by passing out sponsor forms, so encourage your kids to be ready to start gathering support for our biggest missions fund-raiser of the year! The actual fasting of entertainment media will begin on Feb. 26th!

And parents, prepare to be challenged by Pastor Kevin in the adult service on this subject as well!

See you Sunday!

Kids Enjoy Special Tabernacle Walk-thru During Kids Church!

This last Sunday, we took the kids on a tour of the Wilderness Tabernacle turning the C.W. Playhouse into the Tabernacle & courtyard.

Below on the right was our mock Altar of sacrifice and on the left our Laver of cleansing.

The Tabernacle is made of puppet staging, but we tried to give the idea of the 4 layers used to cover the tabernacle here on the front.

Inside, we showed the table of show bread, the altar of incense and the golden lamp stand.

And of course, our Ark of the Covenant inside the Holy of Holies on the other side of the Temple Veil (The only thing we had in the right colors was a Tremper blanket. Thank goodness we're under the new covenant.)

The Tabernacle: Symbol of Jesus!

This Sunday in the Playhouse, we'll be exploring the Wilderness Tabernacle through a multi-media presentation mixed with a hands-on representation of the Tabernacle of the Israelites during the time of Moses. Kids will help us build a very rough replica of the tabernacle and all of its articles and then learn how each of those items of worship pointed ahead to Jesus as the Messiah. It's actually a fascinating study and kinda deep stuff, but we're going to break it down so even a Kindergartener will understand it. So make sure you ask your kids what they learned this week in kids church. Who knows, you may even learn a thing or two yourself. :D

NEW TIMES FOR AWANA CLUBS!!

Remember that starting tonight, Awana begins at 6:15pm and ends at 8:15pm!

So do your best to get your kids to church a bit early tonight. Remember, your kids get extra points for being on time every week and the whole point for doing this is to allow our teachers the extra time to cover every clubber's advancement efforts. More time can only improve our clubbers experience on club nights and we're excited to be able to do that! See you (earlier) tonight!

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.

POP-OUT BGMC Fundraiser begins Nov. 1st! Get 5 sponsors for a can of Soda at Thanksgiving!

Wednesday night at Awana we handed out Pop-Out sponsor forms and kids made a commitment to fast soda (or other junk foods) from November 1st to Thanksgiving. We'll be doing this same thing this Sunday morning with any kids that weren't here on Wednesday. We encourage you to help your kids get some sponsors to give them a dime a nickel or dime a day for the 21 days that they sacrifice. This is another fundraiser for BGMC to help us toward our goal of $3,000 this year. We're only at about $2,000 so we've got a considerable distance to go and only 2 months left to raise it. This is our last push so we hope everyone will participate and see that gap shrink.

To receive the can of soda on Nov. 23rd, kids have to show us their sponsor sheet with at least 5 names on it (turning in money with it is a bonus, but we'll give them more time after that to collect and that won't stop them from getting their soda can with their name on it).

And remind your kids that this is ultimately for the kingdom of God, not for a cheap can of soda. We want our kids to understand that we give and sacrifice for God's glory and for people to hear the truth unto salvation, right? Amen!

See you Sunday as we look at Commandment #7: Do not commit adultery! (We'll be focusing on loyalty and keeping promises on an age-appropriate level for this one.)

Army Regulation #6: Murder Starts with Anger I Refuse to Fix!

Yesterday, the CW Playhouse focused on Commandment #6: You shall not murder in a lesson called DROP YOUR WEAPONS! Reddy Recruit illustrated the point in her usual clueless manner and Dr. Quirky made a surprise visit with a failed experiment that got him pretty hot under the collar and poor Blinky the penguin paid the price, illustrating how much anger hurts. We had an excellent altar response as we dealt with the anger and unforgiveness that leads to murder when its left for years.

As always, we encourage you to talk to your kids about the week's lesson and reinforce it with them. See if they can tell you what they learned, go over the take-home activity sheet they were given. It is always our desire to partner with parents by providing resources and opportunities, not take the place of parents. And if you have questions, call the office and talk to Pastor Kevin. We're here for you!

Ugly Ties 2011 Showcase

1st Place: Anastacia Tisdale ($62.00 for BGMC)

2n Place: Mikey Tisdale

3rd Place: Kiersten Hall

4th Place: Rebekah Robinson

5th Place: Hunter Hall

6th Place: Adrianna Miller

7th Place: Noah Britten

Our Ugly Tie Contest was a great success bringing in almost $250 for missions. We missed getting pictures of a couple of the guys in their ties and we didn't catch all the kids to take pictures with the men before they left, but congrats to all of our participants. Every tie helped bring in something!

Here's a list of all the participants not listed above in alphabetical order:

Mary Britten

Ariana & Callie Hubing

Carrianna Miller

Jackie & Natalie Siver

Thanks, everyone!

When Trouble's on a Roll, God's Still in Control!

As we transitioned from Genesis into Exodus yesterday in the CW Playhouse, we focused on serving Jesus even when life is hard. Like the Israelites who became slaves in Egypt after Joseph died, we have to hold on to the promises of God and know that He is still in control. Ask your kids what the Big Idea was for yesterday's lesson. They should tell you "When trouble's on a roll, God's still in Control." Cookie, the wagon train cook, also pointed out that God can take bad situations and turn them into blessings. And finally we talked about spiritual warfare and being soldiers who fight for others who are in bondage like Moses confronted Pharoah for his people.

Joseph said it best in the last chapter of Genesis when he assured his brothers... "You intended to harm me but God intended it for good... the saving of many lives." Genesis 50:20

Talk to your kids about what they learned in kids church this week. See if they can quote the verse above to you and tell you the Big Idea. Then discuss the subject further as you apply it to their life and maybe the situation your own family faces. That's how to make the seeds sown by your children's pastor grow all week long.

New Frontiers: The Rough Road - Lessons from the Life of Moses

Our new wagon-train theme has begun in the CW Playhouse. Yesterday, Cookie taught the kids a thing or two about the power of our words. Using food, of course, our wacky wagon-train cook talked about words that are healthy and words that are damaging. Pastor Kevin added a few points to that and there was some good altar worship as the kids repented of their hurtful words and asked God for his strength to forgive those who have hurt them with words.

This was only the first of our summer-long series on the life of Moses. This will be a series focusing on overcoming bad circumstances in our lives and trusting God to get us through as we move from Genesis into Exodus and focus on the hardships and subsequent deliverance of the Children of Israel. This week we focused on Jacob's final words to his sons before his death as the Hebrews settle in Egypt. Next week, we pick up 400 years later and the enslavement of God's chosen people.

C.O.R.E. COMPLETED! 5 month focus on Core Values comes to an end.

Yesterday, we completed our 5 month focus on the Prayer House Core Values in kids church!

With the Bandshell service this coming Sunday and a special Graduation/Awards ceremony the following week, our C.O.R.E. series came to an end a bit early but it's been a grand run! For our final lesson, we surprised the kids with a final visit from P.K. Baracus of the J-Team since his commando specialty is Souls! P.K. helped Chuck Foo's student, Jen Soo with some tips on witnessing to even the meanest of people like a bully in her Martial Arts class.

The kids also saw how God works in the lives of some of the worst sinners through the life of Joseph and his brothers. Then we ended the service by praying for salvation and by praying for the meanest individuals we could think of in our lives and trusting God to use us to reach even them!

We hope you'll encourage your kids to invite their friends to the Band Shell this coming Sunday and that God will use your family to reach the lost in your neighborhood and sphere of influence! Let's glorify God and reach his precious children... even the mean ones who need Him most!

See you, next month as we finish out the life of Joseph and move into Exodus with Cookie, the Wagon-Train chef! More coming on that in upcoming weeks...

C.O.R.E. Lesson 12: How Can I Keep From Sinning?

Chuck Foo learns a thing or two about resisting sin when his "Kung-Fu Breaking Apparatus" (a simple piece of paper) fails to break (rip) for him and he gets angry at his assistant, Jen Soo (who easily rips it and makes him look bad). The Kung-Fu master had to learn right along with the kids how Joseph avoided sin as a servant to Potiphar. Ask your kids what steps they learned to avoid sinning in their lives.

C.O.R.E. Lesson 11: Do Dreams Ever Come True?

Chuck Foo returns to the C.W. Playhouse this Sunday as we move further into the life of Joseph, the final biblical patriarch. This week, we answer the question: Do Dreams Ever Come True? and we explore some dream killers so kids no how to avoid them. Of course, Joseph's life provides perfect examples as he unwisely shared his dreams for the wrong reason, to the wrong people, and at the wrong time. Don't let your kids miss it! We'll have a great time and bring GLORY TO GOD!

Chuck Foo & Jen Soo Arrive in the Playhouse!

Kung Fu Master, Chuck Foo and his assistant, Jen Soo joined us yesterday in the CW Playhouse as we launched into the 4th month of C.O.R.E. - Central Organization to Review Essentials and looked at the Glory of God. We also moved into the life of Joseph, the last of the biblical patriarchs. The kids were a bit surprised to realize how messed up Joseph was as a young person and especially how messed up his family was! Yet God used Joseph to do great things and that was the point of yesterday's lesson. Our past and our family does not disqualify us from service to God and bringing Glory to His Name. There was great altar time and great spirit in our service. Talk to your kids about what they learned. Don't forget to look over their take home pages with them.

Chuck Foo takes over for the J-team in C.O.R.E.!

Three Core Values down, two to go and it's time for a new C.O.R.E. agent! We've seen the last of the J-team... for now, but PK Baracus' good friend, Chuck Foo, the Karate Guy will be joining us at C.O.R.E. headquarters for the next couple of months as we transition into the life of Joseph. Chuck will be joined by his prize student, Jen Soo, as they teach the kids how to bring Glory to God with everything they do, just as Joseph did. That's a tall order to fill, but Chuck is the best there is at what he does, which is why PK Baracus says, "I NEVER Pity this Foo!"

Chuck & Jen join us starting April 10th!

C.O.R.E. Month 3 - Relationships: The J-Team Teaches Kids to Care for Others!

This past Sunday marked the half-way point for C.O.R.E. and the J-Team continues to make our core values exciting and understandable to our kids. On Sunday PK Baracus shared the account of Jacob working for his wife Rachel and being deceived by his future father-in-law. Jacob learned that the very sins he sewed have reaped a harvest in his life. As he deceived his own father by deceiving his brother's blessing, so Laban forced over 20 years of labor out of him through deception. Contrasting this terrible family behavior, the kids were taught the power of encouragement and caring for your neighbors, including family.

There was an excellent spirit at the altars as kids sought God's heart for others. We encourage parents to talk over this important lesson with your kids this week at home. Use the J-Team Family Field Ops page to do so. (We ran out of time to get to everything, so the kids may not be aware of everything it discusses, but parents can powerfully reinforce lessons simply by reviewing them at home. And nothing builds relationships at home like having family discussion and devotion times.)

Kindness Combat Training in the C.W. Playhouse! (Huge BGMC Offering Given on Sunday!)

Our kids experienced another excellent C.O.R.E. lesson this last Sunday with the J-Team as our Crack-Christian-Commando Unit taught the kids Kindness Combat! I hope you'll use the Family Field-Ops take-home page to discuss this important lesson with your kids this week and wrap up our month of focus on the Knowledge of God. This week, the lesson was taken from Genesis Chapter 26 and the account of Isaac dealing with his wicked neighbors, the Philistines, who kept filling in his water wells. Isaac "turned the other cheek" and lived the Golden Rule before Jesus even taught about it, proving that God's law of love was written on Isaac's heart and that he truly KNEW God. Do your kids understand this most difficult of teachings in the scripture? Be sure to talk to them about it and lead by example. You are a Kindness Combat Commando, Mom & Dad, and your kids are watching you!

SPECIAL NOTE!

This Sunday we also brought in a near-record BGMC monthly offering through our Buddy Barrels! We challenged the kids this month and they rose to it by giving $114.00!!! Way to go, Kids! That's the way to get us to our $3000 goal this year! Don't give up on the video fasting either! You can do it! Kids around the world are counting on your labors and sacrifice!

Stickin' To It, Encouraging your kids, and Leading by example!

The Kid Vid Veto has launched! I trust that our kids are all participating for missions. Moms and Dads, the success of your kids on this largely depends on your encouragement and maybe even participation with them. If you have the TV on all the time in your house, you can't expect your kids to have the strength to resist it for long. So help them out by sharing the sacrifice and leading by example. Think about what you will be teaching them by your example in the home and what you will accomplish together for the kingdom as we all chip in to raise money for missions!

4 Days down! 24 to Go!