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. :)