Weekly Boost Eternal Life

Weekly Boost 

Welcome Parents and Guardians!

My previous entry gave you some insight into what we talked about last week during our weekend services.  See “Teaching Children Salt and Light” I hope your family is  blessed and able to integrate some of the ideas  into your family times together. We have family nights  on Thursday nights. the last few Thursdays we played a fun game called BLURT! My husband and I  have 3 children ages 8, 14 &  16 and they all loved it. Basically, you divide up into 3 or more   teams and  while one team reads a description of a word, the other 2 teams race to name the word being described. You could even make your own version of this game  using words out of a dictionary or names of people or events in the Bible. I guess you could even use it as a memory verse quizzing game by saying the verse and having to guess the reference or visa versa.  Anyway, our daughter, Jazmine,   loves to shop and wanted a new pair of jeans. So,  her dad said, “If you win,” (thinking full well she wouldn’t beat him),  “we’ll go buy you the pants that you want.” Well, our family is very competitive and it was very exciting game, but Jazmine eventually won and got to go buy her pants!

We love our daughter and provide for her needs regularly, but for some reason, winning these pants was VERY important to her. Why? Because she loves to win! Especially when she can see a prize! I believe children  have a God-planted desire to be winners, to be overcomers, to defeat the enemy! All we have to do is give them to the tools, water them, nurture them,   and place  them in good soil to grow in.  Even cracked pots can function, they just need extra nurturing so that the good soil, water, and nutrients don’t escape too quickly.  We need to encourage our children’s desires and help them to keep their eyes on the prize!       

THIS COMING WEEKEND AT  CHURCH AT THE GATE-GOKIDS! CHILDREN”S MINISTRIES    

•  Life Group  Rally  is this  weekend. Be sure to check out the Children’s Life Group table. There a few options. Some don’t start until April, but some  start right away. (See previous Weekly Boost  or look in life group book menu for more details on kids life groups).

 This coming weekend’s Bible lesson (Feb. 17-18) and Memory Verse (Preschool and older):

“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)

 Jesus Explains Eternal Life to Nicomedus— (John 3:1-17)

Jesus told Nicodemus that no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.  Nicodemus asked a very logical question and one your child may ask as well: How can a person be born when he is old? Nicodemus pointed out that surely a person cannot enter his mother a second time and be born again.  When it comes to teaching abstract concepts to concrete thinkers, the best place to begin is with what’s already understood.  Your child understands being born our adopted into your family–your child lives with people who love  and care for one another.  When you help your child believe in Jesus, you will be helping him or her learn that we will be accepted, loved and born into God’s heavenly family to live forever with him and with everyone who believes in Jesus

Take a night this week to have some teaching fun with your family with one of the following activities related to this coming weekend’s Bible lesson:

•  Make Birthday Treats (Preschoolers or older )  
  Remind your child that  believe in Jesus, we are born into God’s heavenly family.  Celebrate this new birth by making birthday treats.  Purchase mini ready-made graham cracker  crusts and your child’s favorite instant pudding.  Help your child make the pudding and fill the miniature pie shells.  Top the treats with whipped cream and colorful sprinkles.  Ask “What do you like about our family on earth? what do you think it will be like to be part of God’s family in heaven? Who can we tell that Jesus gives us life in heaven? Then, light the candles on the birthday treats and celebrate being born into God’s family! 
• Birth Certificate:  Get out your child’s birth certificate, adoption certificate or birth announcement.  Help your child put the document in a frame.  Then hang it up on a wall as a reminder of your family.  Take time to reminisce! Ask your child what he or she remembers about past birthdays, and share your memories.  Celebrate the good memories of the past and good times to come! Ask your child: What do you like about being part of our family? What’s a great thing about being a part of God’s family?    

Weekly Challenge for Children and Parents
In your child’s memory book, there is a journal page. Please look at the introduction to  the journal and then encourage you child to draw or write the things that God says to him/her or things that he/she wants to say to God. In addition to the ideas in your child’s verse book, here are a couple more for your family:

• Heavenly Food: Have your family think about what food might be in Heaven. Make that meal for dinner. (It may just be your child’s favorite macaroni and cheese dish !)

• Eternity Mural: Create an “eternity mural” on a sheet of newsprint to hang on a wall in your home.  Or use contruction paper and tape together a quilt. Have each family member contribute his or her ideas of what eternal life in heaven will be like.  
• Love Gifts: Exchange “just because I love you” gifts.  Wrap a gift for each member of your family.  you could buy inexpensive gifts to wrap, draw pictures, or write special love notes to your family members.  Gather one night after dinner to exchange gifts.  After you’ve opened all the gifts and thanked on another, thank Jesus for His gift of eternal life–the best ever “just because I love you” gift!

• Reminder: Store is planned for Mid-March, so if your child is behind in their verse memory book, encourage him or her to work on their verse memorization weekly, reminding them that having the Word in their heart is an eternal blessing, but in the short-term, they get points to spend at the store. **Your children earns points by attending Go Kids!, memorizing scripture and completing their weekly challenges in their Go Kids! Bible Memory Books, and by bringing their Bible and/or friends to church.)

Service Opportunities:Take part in the blessing of serving in Children’s Ministry.  If any of the areas below interest you, please reply to this message or sign up at the Registration Desk.

1. Children’s Prayer Coordinator– Coordinate prayer meeting times for parents and/or teachers and/or children to pray for one another.
2.   Greeter for new visitors wth children during weekend services at the check-in desk- Great parent job.
3.  Children’s Worship Leader for Wednesday nights or when the new building is opened- Training kids to worship with Instrumental Music, banners, dance, & vocal music.  Will train!
4. Saturday night preschool assistant  to help Miss Malinda
5. Bible Memory Listener: Listen to children say memory verses at beginning of Children’s Church and pray with them when needed.

 See you this weekend at Go Kids! and Blessings to you and your family.

 

Tara Brown, Children’s Director

Verse this week: ( I have had numerous parents wanting longer verses for their preschoolers, so I’m suggesting that if your child can handle it, have them learn the whole verse by either looking it up in your Bible or using the Elementary Memory Verse reference. this week, everyone is learning the whole verse John 3:16)