Success!

For those of you that weren't here last Sunday, it was a great program! The kids did such a wonderful job presenting the Christmas story. Our lead characters did well remembering all of their lines and the choir sang beautifully (and loudly). I was so proud of them! Our kids have been practicing for months and they Sunday morning they got to showcase all their hardwork in front of the entire church. It was so great to be a part of this event!

If you have pictures or video of the program please share them with us! We would love any photos that you have to put on the church website and in the newsletter. You can either email them to me at cadystephens@fallcreekonline.org or copy them onto a cd and drop them off at the church office. Thank you so much and I look forward to seeing all the pictures!

Calling All Stars!

Can you believe Thanksgiving is in two days and Christmas is just around the corner?! It seems like time has just flown by! As most of you know, the children's ministry is preparing for our Christmas musical. We are very excited to perform The Tiniest Christmas Star on Sunday, December 14th (10:30am). Below is the picture that Danielle promised all of you. This should give you an idea of how to make your child's costume. Every parent with a participating child should have gotten a letter last Sunday explaining that you will need to create a star for your child to wear in our performance. We are so excited to see all of your creativity and I can't wait to see our diverse star choir together on the day of the performance! Each child will wear a star made of foam board and a yellow party hat (the point of the star). The party hats are available at the children's check-in and can be picked any time between now and our dress rehearsal, December 13th. All costumes must be completed and ready to be worn for our dress rehearsal, Saturday, December 13th (9am-12pm). Thank you so much for your help! I look forward to seeing your stars!

Special Thanks to Alex Branam, our star model!

Post-Baptism

I don't know how many of you were able to be a part of our service on Sunday but it was absolutely amazing! We had six students get baptized! What a great time of celebration and unity for our church. Pastor Larry Wilson did a great job explaining the importance of baptism and challenging us to live together as one body, one church with one vision.
The students were so thrilled to be able to make this commitment in front of the whole church body. It was a great time of family worship as our kids joined us in the adult service. I loved looking around and seeing the little kids standing on their chairs or being held by their parents, craning their necks to see what was going on. It was so great to have everyone in our sanctuary for this blessed event. Thanks so all of the parents for being such good sports! I would really like to incorporate our kids into the service more often to promote families worshiping together.
I have heard from many parents that his was their child's first time witnessing baptism. It is so important for our kids to know that they are a part of our church! Involving them in our adult services once in a while is a great way to do this!
I would love to know your thoughts on Sunday and would be interested if you have any ideas for better ways to get our kids involved!

Good News for Your Tweens

I am happy to announce that we now have a 5th/6th grade Sunday School teacher. After a few weeks of substitutes this class finally has a committed leader. Kim Rhine will be taking over as their teacher starting this Sunday, November 9th. Parents, you can rest assured that your kids will have a great time in her class! Kim is the director of our child care here at Fall Creek and I have the privilege of working with her everyday. She is a joy to be around and will take great care of your kids! If you see Kim on Sunday be sure to tell her thank you and let her know how much you appreciate the way she has stepped up to lead this age group. Fifth and Sixth graders are a tricky age to work with but Kim will be perfect for them because she lives with two of them! Thanks again for all of your prayers as we patiently waited for God to bring us a leader. I am so happy that Kim has gotten on board with us! It was well worth the wait!

AWANA INFO

Just a reminder: there is no Wednesday night programming next week due to HSE schools' fall break. Our AWANA schedule runs in sync with the HSE school calendar. We look forward to seeing you the following week on October 29th! Enjoy your break and keep studying your verses!

The Message of the Cross

"The message of the cross seems foolish to those who are lost and dying but it is God's power to us who are being saved."

1 Corinthians 1:18

Baptism

Below is a copy of the letter given to students interested in being baptized on November 2nd, 2008. Included is a link to the Wesleyan Kids website on baptism. At this site you will find the Application for Baptism. You may either download it and print it from home or contact Cady Stephens at cadystephens@fallcreekonline.org to receive a copy from the church.

FCWC will be having a baptism service on November 2, 2008. On this date we will be doing baptisms for children (grade 3 and older) through adults in the morning service. Please talk with your child and make sure that he or she understands the importance and significance of this event. It is extremely important to us that you, as a parent or guardian, are supportive of your child's decision.
Here are a few things to expect:

• Baptism info meeting on Sunday October 19th immediately following the morning service. Lunch will be provided for those who attend so be sure to RSVP to Cady Stephens at cadystephens@fallcreekonline.org as soon as possible.
• Baptisms will be performed on Sunday, November 2, 2008 by Pastor John.

If you and your child decide that this is something you would like to do please follow these steps:

• Attend the info meeting on October 19th.
• Complete the Application for Baptism packet and bring with you to the meeting.
• On November 2nd have your child come to church wearing dark, modest clothing that is not see-through.
• On November 2nd have your child come to church with three beach towels.
• On November 2nd bring a change of clothes for your child to wear after the baptismal ceremony.
• Encourage your child to invite family and friends--including non-Christian friends and family as witnesses. (Invitation cards will be provided at the October 19th informational meeting)

Other important information will be presented at the meeting. This will also be a time for you to ask questions and voice concerns. Both parents and children should attend this meeting. Be sure to have your child bring his or her completed Application for Baptism which is available for download at this address: http://www.headhearthand.com/media/documents/Baptism%20-%20Ch.8.pdf

As your Director of Children's Ministry I am so excited about being a part of this important day with you and your child! Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns. I would be happy to meet with you and your child if you would like. The phone number at the church is (317)841-8749 and my email address is cadystephens@fallcreekonline.org. I can also be reached at the church during my weekly office hours: Monday-Thursday (9am-3:30pm). Don't forget to RSVP for the informational meeting on October 19th immediately following the morning service. Thank you!

Cady Stephens

Director of Children's Ministry

Fall Creek Wesleyan Church

(317)841-8749

cadystephens@fallcreekonline.org

The Tiniest Christmas Star

Our Christmas Musical this year is called, The Tinest Christmas Star. Through the music the children will be looking for the special star to light the way for the shepherds, wise men and all others who will come to worship the Newborn King. The musical will show that God can accomplish big things through all kinds of people and events.
Practice CDs will be available as soon as they are delivered. The cost for that CD is going to be $10 and you'll want 1 CD per family to help your kids memorize the fun songs in the musical! Look for the CDs to become available at the children's check-in station soon! There will be a few speaking part in the musical too. If your child is chosen for a speaking part you will receive a confirmation letter. If you have questions regarding the Christmas musical, please contact Danielle freed at (317)502-7291 or by email at daniellefreed@fallcreekonline.org

Thanks so much! We look forward to celebrating the Christmas season as a church family!

Remember to mark your calendars for:
December 13th: Saturday morning dress rehearsal
and
December 14th: Sunday morning performance!

Must Know INFO

Here is a quick update on what your kids are doing on Sunday mornings this fall through the month of December.
The first Sunday of every month you will check in your child at the check-in station like normal and you will pick up your child in their classroom at the end of the service. However, instead of going directly to their classrooms, the children will go upstairs to The Lab for the large group rally service. This is a fun and exciting service that we are putting together so that our Sunday School teachers can have the first Sunday of every month off. After our time upstairs your children will go down to their classrooms where you will pick them up.

Here is a list of the rooms:

• Nursery: rm. 108
• Toddlers: rom. 107
• Preschool/Kindergarten: rm. 117
• 1st and 2nd Grade: rm. 115
• 3rd and 4th Grade: rm. 118
• 5th and 6th Grade: Sunday School is held upstairs in rm. 204 but for your convenience you will pick up your 5th/6th grader downstairs in The Depot.

We have just started our practices for our Christmas musical! We are going to be using the first 20 minutes of every worship service to go over our Christmas songs. We will perform for the church on December 14th during the morning service (Also, mark your calendar for dress rehearsal Saturday morning, December 13th). This means that on the 2nd, 3rd and 4th Sundays your child will go directly to the Depot for our brief rehearsal. You will drop off your child at the check-in station (like normal) and pick up your child in their classroom (like normal). Your regular routine should not change at all. We just wanted to give you a brief idea of what your kids will be doing during the service.

Please stop by the check-in desk on Sunday morning or contact Cady Stephens by email at cadystephens@fallcreekonline.org or by calling the church office at (317)841-8749 if you have questions or concerns. We look forward to seeing you and your children on Sunday!

Isaiah 43:18-19

"But the Lord says, 'Forget the things that happened in the past. Do not keep thinking about them. I am about to do something new. Don't you see it coming? I am going to make a way for you to go through the desert. I will make streams of water in the dry and empty land'."

Children's Ministry Needs

We have two very important needs in our children's ministry.

• We are in desperate need for a teacher for our 5th and 6th grade Sunday School class. Sunday mornings are a little different this fall than they have been in the past. For the first 20 minutes our volunteers are allowed to go into the adult service and participate in worship. Starting at 10:50 the children will go into their classrooms for their Sunday School hour. The first Sunday of every month is our large group rally time. This means that ALL Sunday School volunteers get to have the first Sunday of every month off to enjoy the entire adult service. Due to Christmas programming our volunteers will also have the majority of the month of December off. If you are willing to help with our 5th and 6th graders please contact Cady Stephens by email at cadystephens@fallcreekonline.org or by calling the church office at (317)841-8749. Please consider this opportunity to serve in our church. We could definitely use you!
• Another great need that we have is for AWANA sponsors. We have four children in our AWANA program right now whose parents have asked for sponsors. There is a $35 registration fee per child but we are not willing to turn any child away. Therefore, we need our church to step up to the plate and sponsor our kids! If you are willing to give $35 or more so that a child can attend AWANA please contact Cady Stephens. This is a great way to give if you do not have time or do not particularly enjoy working with kids. The registration fee pays for learning materials, handbooks, uniforms and awards for the entire school year.

If you are interested in learning more about how you can serve in our children's ministry or if you are looking for a place for your kids to get connected please do not be afraid to contact me at the information given above. Thank you and I look forward to serving with you!

The Calling

I recently found this letter and wanted to share it with all of our volunteers. This is the heart/passion/vision of Fall Creek's Children's Ministry. For those of you that work with children and are passionate about seeing them come to Christ, let these words encourage you.

"I am a minister. I am a minister to the largest mission field in the world. I am a minister to children.

My calling is sure; my challenge is big; my vision is clear; my desire is strong; my influence is eternal; my impact is critical; my values are solid; my faith is tough; my mission is urgent; my purpose is unmistakable; my direction is forward; my heart is genuine; my strength is supernatural; my reward is promised; and my God is real.

In world of cynicism, I offer hope. In a world of confusion, I offer truth. In a world of immorality, I offer values. In a world of neglect, I offer attention. In a world of abuse, I offer safety. In a world of ridicule, I offer affirmation. In a world of division, I offer reconciliation. In a world of bitterness, I offer forgiveness. In a world of sin, I offer salvation. In a world of hate, I offer God's love.

I refuse to be dismayed, disengaged, disgruntled or distracted. Neither will I look back, stand back, fall back, go back or sit back. I do not need applause, flattery, adulation, prestige, stature or veneration. I do not have time for business as usual, mediocre standards, small thinking, outdated methods, normal expectations, average results, ordinary ideas, petty disputes or low vision. I will not give up, give in, bail out, lie down, turn over, quit or surrender.

I will pray when things look bad. I will pray when things look good. I will move forward when others stand still. I will trust God when obstacles arise. I will work when the task is overwhelming. I will get up when I fall down.

My calling is to reach boys and girls for God. It is too serious to be taken lightly, too urgent to be postponed, too vital to be ignored, too relevant to be overlooked, to significant to be trivialized, too eternal to be fleeting and too passionate to be quenched.

I know my mission, I know my challenge. I also know my limitations, my weaknesses, my fears and my problems. And I know my God. Let others get the praise. Let the church get the blessing. Let God get the glory.

I am a minister. I am a minister to children. This is who I am. This is what I do."

Roger Fields

Kids Blitz

Children's Ministry Update

Fall Creek Family,
Things have been wild and crazy the last few weeks so it's nice to have some time to update you on what has been happening in our kids' ministry.
We have started our regular Sunday School classes on Sunday mornings. This means that each week after you check your child in he or she will go directly to their classroom for small group time. Starting in October they will go straight to the Depot where we will spend the first 20 minutes of each service practicing our songs for the Christmas musical. I am very excited to see our kids perform on December 14th!

We have some great volunteers in our children's ministry department this semester. These adults love the Lord and they love your children! We are very blessed to have such great people teaching our kids. Be sure to stop in and thank them whenever you get a chance!

AWANA is off to a great start. Last Wednesday was our first traditional club night and we had 42 kids attend! We use the worship center, the Depot, as well as four more classrooms and the nursery. It's great to see the kids working on memorizing their verses and I especially love seeing our small group leaders connect with the kids in their groups. Our AWANA team is incredible! I encourage you to come by on a Wednesay night and observe your child's class. It's pretty awesome to see! We have kids in preschool through 6th grade on Wednesday nights (as well as the few in the nursery) and they are all diving into God's Word and learning more and more about him. What a great thing to be a part of!

For those of you who have older children and are interested in baptism please contact me by email at cadystephens@fallcreekonline.org or by calling the church office at (317)841-8749. We will be doing baptisms during our Sunday morning service on November 2nd. Please let me know as soon as possible if your child is interested. We have a foundations class that they need to go through in order to be baptized. This is something that has been laid on the hearts of the board members as well as the staff. We are excited to see your kids take the next step in their walk of faith. If you have questions I would love to talk to you about this!

Things are going well in our ministry. Our church is in the middle of a huge transition but I know that God has a plan for us! Please continue to keep our children's ministry in your prayers. Pray specifically for:

• AWANA. This is the largest outreach program that our children's ministry offers. Pray that more and more unreached children/families will start to attend.
• Pray for our children's ministry volunteers. Pray that their passion will not die down and that they will be able to see and understand the great importance that they have in our church.
• Pray for our church as a whole. Pray for a unity as we seek out a new senior pastor. Pray for smooth transition and willing servants.

I would love to talk with you if you have questions or concerns about our children's ministry. Please feel free to contact me at cadystephens@fallcreekonline.org or by calling the church office at (317)841-8749.

Your Wednesdays will never be the same.

This week is our first official AWANA club night! We had a great turn out at registration last Wednesday and are eager to begin!
It's not too late to sign up! Bring your child on Wednesday night by 6:30 and sign up at our registration desk. Carin Hines and Emilie Moore will walk you through the registration process and we will get your child all set up! The registration fee is $35 per child which covers his or her learning materials, uniform and awards throughout the school year.
We look forward to seeing you this Wednesday night at AWANA!

Our opening ceremony is in the sanctuary. Check in at the welcome desk in the front lobby.

The Countdown Begins...

AWANA is almost here! Only two weeks until the official start of our new Wednesday night program! Be sure to come to the church on Wednesday night, September 10th at 6:30. This night is for both kids and parents. You will register your child and meet his or her adult leaders for the year. The registration fee is $35 per child. This money goes toward the child's handbooks, learning materials, uniform, and awards as well as all of the supplies that it takes to run the program. This will be a great time for everyone to get acquainted with what we will be doing for the rest of the school year. Please take the time to introduce yourself to your child's leader and to check out all of the fun things that we have planned for the coming weeks! I am so excited about this program and I am thrilled that you are going to be a part of it!

Please contact Cady Stephens by calling the church office (317)841-8749 or by email cadystephens@fallcreekonline.org if you have questions or concerns. Also, feel free to check out the AWANA website www.awana.org and the Wesleyan kids website www.wesleyankids.org which gives specific directions for Wesleyan churches using the AWANA curriculum. You will find a ton of helpful resources on this site!

See you Wednesday, September 10th at 6:30!

Storm Chasers!

This week we begin our new series, Storm Chasers! I have looked over the lessons for the next five weeks and I really think they are going to be some of the best ones yet! There are lots of fun games and activities that will encourage our kids to get involved with the lesson.
The lesson topics for the next five weeks are:

• Jesus Heals a Roman Officer's Servant (Matthew 8:5-13) "We go to Jesus in hard times."
• God Heals Naaman's Leprosy (2 Kings 5:1-16) "We humble ourselves before God."
• King Josiah Obeys God (2 Kings 22:1; 23:25) "We want what is right in God's eyes."
• Abigail is a Peacemaker (1 Samuel 25:1-35) "We help to make peace."
• Stephen dies for His Faith (Acts 6:8-7:60) "God wants us to do right no matter what."

We have a lot of good material to cover during this next segment. The kids are all getting ready to go back to school next week and my prayer is that they will look forward to Children's Church as a time of fellowship and encouragement when the stress of the school year starts to kick in. I pray that they are building, strong lasting relationships with the kids in their small groups and that they are constantly learning more about who God is!

Danielle and I are very excited for the school year to start because means a couple of very exciting things for Children's Ministry! First of all, we will start our new Sunday morning format. This is exciting because the kids will get to build relationships with their new small group leaders. I am praying for dedication and consistency from our leaders so that the kids begin to feel comfortable around them. Also, the start of the school year means the start of AWANA! We had a great response last Sunday when many of you signed up to be a part of this new program! Please continue to pray about where God wants you to be involved in the 08-09 school year. We definitely have a place for you in Children's Ministry!

I can be reached at cadystephens@fallcreekonline.org if you have any questions or want to get involved!

Done with the Doghouse...

Next Sunday (August 3rd) is our last week of "In the Doghouse". On Sunday mornings this past month we have been learning about how to show the love of God. This group of lessons dealt with sibling rivalary and issues such as anger, honesty, jealousy, practicing encouragement and forgiveness. We learned about some famous siblings in the Bible including Cain and Abel, Jacob and Essau, Joseph and his brothers, and next week we will learn about the Prodigal Son. This past month of Kid's Church has been a lot of fun! The lessons were really exciting and encouraged a lot of participation from the kids. We had such a good time!
Our final series for the summer is "Storm Chasers," which deals with the Beatitudes. This will be the series that brings us back into the schoolyear. It's hard to believe that the kids go back to school on August 11th! The summer flew by so fast!
Great things are happening in your Fall Creek Kid's Ministry and I encourage you to come upstairs and observe or help out whenever you feel like it! We are looking for Sunday School teachers and AWANA volunteers for the fall. Let me know if you want more information or are able to help us this school year!

Introducing AWANA...

Things at Fall Creek are finally starting to slow down. We had an amazing week of Bible school with 14 kids and 1 teenager making first time commitments to Christ. We also enjoyed a great time of celebration and reflection on Sunday morning as the kids sang in big church and we lit candles to represent those who gave their lives to Christ. The kids were able to sing 3 songs as a group and there was a great video slide show so the parents could see what we did all week. I am hoping to get a copy of the slide show and upload it to our blog as soon as possible.
I am so thankful for the way that God worked during VBS. There were many times throughout the week that God spoke to me through the kids. I learn so much from them every week! It's amazing the way that God humbles us and teaches us things even when we're not aware of it.

I am really excited because we are working on bringing the AWANA program to Fall Creek! Our mid-week programming will resume on September 10, 2008 and my prayer is that we will be able to start AWANA. For those of you that don't know AWANA is a Bible-based organization that is committed to raising children up in their faith. The program is based on Scripture memorization and Bible teaching. Each week the kids are rewarded for their memorization and participation in the program. This is a huge outreach opportunity for our church! It is a great way to reach families through the lives of their kids! The kids at Fall Creek are very good at inviting their friends to events and special activities and I am really hoping that they all get excited about AWANA! What a great way to reach out to the community around us!
The material is written from a reformed perspective and hasn't been used in many Wesleyan churches. However, the Wesleyan Church recently formed a partnership with AWANA and now their material is available to us and adapted so that it can be taught from the Wesleyan perspective. There is a list of frequently asked questions on the Wesleyan kids website ( http://www.wesleyankids.org/ ). I encourage you to visit the site and check out the AWANA link. There you will find resources for parents as well as a guide for leading children to Christ. You can also check out the large group lessons that will be taught during the next quarter. They are available for free download.
Right now I am praying for committed leaders that are willing to donate a fraction of their time and energy to the development and implementation of this great program! Please contact me at cadystephens@fallcreekonline.org or at the church (317)841-8749 if you are at all interested. Thanks!

A Great Night

Last night we had a great time at VBS as we learned about how Jesus gives us the power to live forever! (Aha!) Pastor Steve and his crew praying before we ate our snacks...

Some of the kids getting ready for our "test tube treats"...

Zach and his crew working on their crafts...

Some of the girls during crafts....

Enjoying preschool snack time...

Riley and Jackson posing for the camera after washing their hands...

Will smiling as he eats his snack!

All the preschoolers in one room!

Zane and Cullen hanging out...

Last night at Bible School we learned about how Jesus gives us the power to live forever. We talked about how Jesus died on the cross for our sins and then rose again on the third day. We had FOURTEEN kids and one teenager accept Christ for the first time! It was so exciting to watch as the kids learned about this story during their Bible time. During the finale ceremony we gave them a chance to stand up and come to the stage if they asked Jesus into their heart for the first time. Then we presented them with a Bible and explained the importance of learning what the Bible says so that they can live their life in a way that honors Christ.

This last week has been so exhausting and overwhelming at times but nights like this make it all worth it! I would do it all again in a heartbeat if I knew this was going to be the result. The kids at our church amaze me everyday. I already love them all so much and I feel so fortunate to be a part of the ministry here at Fall Creek. It was so awesome to see some of the visitors raise their hand and come forward to get a Bible. Some of our regular kids brought their friends who have never stepped foot inside a church before. Our kids are amazing little missionaries!

All of the children will be singing in church on Sunday morning and we are hoping to have 15 candles lit on stage to represent all of the kids that came to Christ throughout VBS. We are really encouraging all of the parents to come on Sunday to support their kids! Please pray for us as we wrap up VBS tonight. We will be teaching the kids about spreading the good news of Jesus Christ everywhere they go. My prayer is that those who have not yet received Christ will do so tonight and that the kids that made commitments last night will get plugged into a church so that they can continue their walk!

Lab Update

Sophia Finklea poses for the camera as she waits for her parents. (Photograph by 2 year old Silas Hines)

Ian Hines tries on the mad scientist glasses and shows off his muscles!

A few of the kids had to stay late last night because their moms or dads were in the board meeting. Here are some pictures of our adventures. (Above) Silas Hines tries on the scientist glasses. He had quite the night getting to go to Bible school with the big kids and almost getting dropped into the finale experiment!

Every night the kids wait in anticipation to see how our hair is going to look. Some of them love it and some of them are scared of us....

Last night at Power Lab we learned about how God gives us the power to be brave! Our theme verse was Psalm 23:4, "I will not be afraid for you are close beside me." Our lesson was all about Peter walking on water. We talked about how Peter was probably afraid when he stepped out of the boat to go see Jesus. He probably thought that he was going to sink but he kept his eyes on Jesus and he was able to walk on water! Just as soon as Peter took his eyes off of Jesus he began to sink down into the water. We talked about how we have to keep our eyes on Jesus at all times so that we can accomplish what He wants us to.
The kids got to do an awesome experiment during their Bible time. We filled a baby pool with a corn starch and water mixture. The mixture looks like liquid if you slowly put your hand inside it but when you punch it or touch it quickly you don't break the surface. The kids got to walk on water! They all got to take turns running in place in the baby pool and they got to feel what it would be like to stand on top of the water and not sink in. The trick was to keep your feet moving so that they didn't get swallowed up into the quicksand-like goo. We were all pretty amazed that it actually worked!

For crafts the kids got to make neon colored goo! The preschoolers had a hilarious time making their goo and squishing it around in their beakers. I observed their class for a while and all of the volunteers were cracking up because the kids were hysterically laughing. Their faces were bright red and they could barely breathe because they thought their goo sound effects were so funny.

At the finale we did a sink or float experiment. We took different objects and had the kids vote on whether or not they thought the item would sink. I learned that Diet Coke floats and regular Coke sinks. We also learned that basketballs float, bocce balls float, lemons, limes, and oranges with peels float while oranges without peels sink. It was fun to see the kids getting so involved and waiting in anticipation as we dropped each item in the tank. At the end we asked the kids if they thought people would sink or float. Professor DD (the crazy lab assistant) went out into the audience and grabbed Silas Hines. She held him over the bucket and asked the kids what would happen if she dropped him in. Most of them voted that he would sink. Then we talked abotu how miraculous it was that Peter walked on water! I asked the kids what they thought it would have been like to step out of a boat into the sea. It would have taken a lot of faith and trust. Through this story we see that Jesus gives us the power to be brave! (Aha!)

POWER LAB

Professor CC and Professor DD...

The Mad Scientists..."Aha!"

The Power Lab set...

This is an exciting week at Fall Creek. We are right in the middle of our 2008 VBS. This year our them is Power Lab where we are learning all about Jesus' miraculous power! These are the five diffferent lessons:

• Jesus gives us the power to be thankful!
• Jesus gives us the power to help others!
• Jesus gives us the power to be brave!
• Jesus gives us the power to live forever!
• Jesus gives us the power to bring good news!

Power Lab is a fun and crazy set up. We have our main science lab in the sanctuary where Danielle and I (also known as Professor DD and Professor CC) do wild experiments and sing crazy songs with the kids. We review the story for the day and we introduce the Bible Memory Buddy.

Then the kids are dismissed to their different stations. We have five different groups made up of about three different crews. Crew are groups of five students and one leader. Ideally there is one child from each grade level on each crew and they all have specific jobs. After the opening in the main lab the kids are sent to either snacks, hyperspeed games, wacky works crafts and missions, Bible blast, or cinema science. These stations are run by adult volunteers and they are all a ton of fun! I was able to observe the Bible lesson last night. It was an interactive story, taught by Pastor John. The kids were learning abot how Jesus healed the blind man with mud so they were all blindfolded before they entered the Bible room. Then as John talked volunteers smeared mud (oatmeal) on their foreheads so that they could feel what it may have been like for the blind man. Then when they were all "healed" John turned on the lights and they were all able to see again. It was great to listen in on their discussion afterwards as each of the crews talked about what it was like to be blind and then healed. One of the questions was, "How would you feel about the person that gave you your sight back?" One of the children responded, "I would be so happy, I would want to be his servant forever." I hear things like that and it makes me jealous of these kids. I wish I had the heart of the child. Their blind faith and their pure, soft hearts humble me every day. I am so blessed to be able to work with such wonderful kids at such an amazing church.

I was also able to participate in game time, which proved to be a big mistake. The kids were playing "blind basketball" with pool noodles and soaker balls. Lets just say, most of the soaker balls ended up on me instead of in their hoops. I was drenched by the time the games ended but that didn't stop the show! I went back to my lab and pulled on my lime green lab coat over my soaking wet shirt and Professor CC and Professor DD welcomed the kids back for the finale. During the finale we do a brief review or our story and memory buddy and we sing a few songs and sometimes we have a crazy experiment! When I asked some of the kids what their favorite part of Bible School was they all said, "the experiments!" The first night was quite the disaster as we tried to make a giant bubble out of dish soap, water and dry ice. It didn't quite work the way we had planned but the kids loved it! They thought it was hilarious that we kept messing up and I don't think any of them realized that it didn't go the way it was supposed to. Tonight we are doing a sink or float experiment as we learn about Peter walking on water.

If you haven't had the chance to come yet I really encouraged you to stop by the church tonight and take a look at what is going on. Your kids are learning about God, making friends, and growing in their faith. It is a beautiful thing to see!

Music Camp Finale

We just finished our last week of Music Camp and now we are preparing for our new segment, In the Doghouse. This group of lessons is all about sibling rivalry and I am really excited to start it! I just looked at our lesson for Sunday and it is going to be really fun! I think the kids will like talking about the different siblings in the Bible and they will really enjoy the hands-on activities that are a part of this segment.
Here's a quick overview of the lessons for the next four weeks:

• Cain Kills His Brother in Anger (Genesis 4:2b-16)
• Jacob Steals His Brother's Blessing (Genesis 27:1-45)
• Joseph is Sold Into Slavery (Genesis 37:3-36)
• Story of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32)

The theme verse for the next month is, "You should love each other." -John 13:34

Our "cheers" for the next four weeks are:

• Week 1: "We show God's love by controlling our anger."
• Week 2: "We show God's love by being honest"
• Week 3: "We show God's love by encouraging each other."
• Week 4: "We show God's love by forgiving each other."

Obviously, if you haven't guessed it, these lessons are focused on showing God's love. We will be talking about different ways that we can show His love to the people around us and we will talk about why it is so important to love people. I am really excited to get the kids talking about this and I can't wait to hear all of the things that they have to say! This curriculum is really good because it really gets the kids engaged in the lesson. I love letting them share their ideas and talk about what they are learning because I think it gives them a sense of ownership over the material.

The other big thing going on in children's ministry right now is our VBS! Our Power Lab VBS starts this Sunday night (June 13th) and goes through Thursday (June 18th). It is going to be so much fun! We are decorating the church this week and I get more and more excited each time I look at the progress. Michelle Rice is doing an amazing job organizing everything and I can't wait to work with all of our incredible volunteers! Be sure to register your kids if you have not yet done so. You can register in the church lobby or online at https://www.groupvbs.com/webtoybox/myvbs.fcwcvbs2008 Be sure to check it out right away and encourage your kids to bring friends! There will also be registration at the door. I look forward to seeing all of you there!

Fall Creek Kids: Episode 1

Right now in Kid’s Church we are finishing our last week of Music Camp! Music Camp is a four week series of lessons focused on what it means to worship God. We have been doing skits, making crafts, and playing games that teach us how to worship and remind us of the importance of praising God with our whole lives.
Each week we have a new cheer:

Week 1: We worship ONLY God!
Week 2: We LIVE to worship God!
Week 3: We worship God TOGETHER!
Week 4: We worship God in a ALL WE DO!

Our Music Camp theme song is “We Live to Worship Only You”! Each week we practice this song and get our wiggles out by doing all of the crazy dance moves. Some of the 4th and 5th graders think it’s “cheesy” but the other kids love it, and deep down I think the 4th and 5th graders love it too.

One of the best parts of Music Camp large group time has been watching the kids as they lead the skits. Last week we had to act out Silas and the early church. The early church was made up of three 4 year olds. Miss Danielle played the part of Silas and three older kids played Silas’ friends. This is always an interesting time in the service because the kids don’t practice beforehand. They see the script for the first time as they are acting it out. It always makes for a lot of laughs and smiles from both the actors and the audience.

The children’s small groups are extremely important for their spiritual development. This is where they get to do hands on activities that reflect the lesson. They also get more focused, personal attention from our adult volunteers. The kids are able to share prayer requests, ask questions, talk about the lesson and do an activity. We have some amazing volunteers who give willingly of their time (and energy) to make sure that our kids are learning and developing in their spiritual walk.

As most of you know, our kids at Fall Creek are pretty smart. I’ve decided to start writing down some of the things that they say so I don’t forget. Here’s a couple of the best quotes so far:
· Our first Sunday of Music Camp (my first Sunday at Fall Creek) I was up front talking about the importance of putting God first in our lives. We were talking about the Israelites and the Golden Calf. Our cheer that week was “We worship only God!” I looked down from the stage and saw a little hand raised, waiting for me to call on him. After I said his name he politely informed me,
“Miss Cady, we usually call him JESUS.” –Ian Hines, 4 years old.

· Last Sunday I was asking the kids if they remembered what we had learned the week before. They all had their hands raised so I called on a couple of children but neither of them could remember exactly what it was that we talked about. Then it got a little chaotic as all of the kids were shouting out their ideas of what we learned. Finally I heard one child yell,
“I know what we learned about last week!....GOD!”

Well, the child was right. That is exactly what we learned about! At least now I know they pay attention. :)