ET Kids

SCHOOLS OUT! Wahoo! Congratulations to your kids for finishing another year of education, and congratulations to YOU for getting them through it! Now that summer’s here, what are you going to do with all your spare time? Sleep?? Sounds good, but when you wake up, get your family over to ET to worship together!

Memorial Day Picnic is this Sunday! Hang out for a while after church this Sunday to enjoy Buckinghams BBQ sandwhiches and all the fixin’s (not quite sure what “fixin’s” entails, but it will be good). Either $12 or $15 per family depending on the age of the kids, so bring a little cash.

It’s Prize Central Sunday! Remind your kids to bring their Kids Kash to spend!

Please turn in your applications for Kids Camp and VBS Family Fun Nights this Sunday. You can download the forms by clicking up above on the Camp/VBS 2013 page.

“The Christian life can seem to be mainly about the life of a Christian when sermons keep talking about how we are to live rather than about the Christ we are supposed to worship.” – Pastor Tullian Tchividjian

I read this quote in a book a few months ago. The statement really resonated with me and it challenged me as a preacher. Far too often, we tend to see all the comments the Bible makes about behavior and actions and we focus in on them. It’s easy to miss the Gospel when we do this. When we do this we are bypassing Jesus.

Kids Ministry is one area where this can be particularly true. Talking with kids about rules and behaviors is helpful, both for the Sunday morning gathering where we are in charge of them and during the week when you are in charge of them. But church isn’t about rules. Christianity isn’t about rules. It’s all about Jesus. That’s why Pastor Melia and I are so intent on preaching about the Gospel. We want to come to the Good News about Jesus every single week, because that is what we are told to proclaim!

The Good News of Jesus is the best news out there. It is about how Jesus lived the perfect life and followed all the rules, and we are saved by His perfect work. We don’t have to focus on doing, we get to focus on Jesus and what He did.

The words of Christ on the cross are the most comforting words for a Christian: “It is finished.”

We are praying for you all as we seek Jesus this week. Let’s worship our God and Savior and thank Him for everything He has finished!

It’s Missions Sunday! Every FIRST Sunday of the month is missions Sunday, which means that your kids should be bringing in their Buddy Barrel full of change to give to BGMC. Samantha Orr will be teaching a lesson on a country that BGMC is helping to spread the Gospel in. This is a great opportunity to instill generosity and a heart for reaching the lost within your kids, so please encourage them to bring in offering above their regular tithes. The kids will also be presented with a new challenge, which I’m sure they’ll tell you all about! And the case that they don’t, we’ll be in contact. =)

The first Sunday of the month also means that it’s ETeam Training! Tomorrow will be especially exciting because the kids who are leaving 4th grade will be joining the team. I’ll have lots of pizza ready for them, so don’t miss out! For parents who are new to the ETeam, just leave your child with us in the Kids Church, and at 3:00pm sharp pull up to the church’s front doors so we can release them to you. It’s that simple. Oh, and if you haven’t already done so, all new ETeamers will need to fill out an application (found online to your right or at the church in the Kids Check in area) and pay $25 to cover the cost of their shirt. Thanks!

Looking forward to worshiping with your family this Sunday! Here are a few quick things you’ll want a heads up on:

In Kids Church, we’re be looking at Part 2 of our “Karaoke” worship series from John chapter 4. Last week, when I stopped mid-way through the chapter to conclude my sermon the kids said, “Aw, man!” I suppose that means they’re looking forward to hearing the rest this Sunday!

ALSO happening in Kids Church this Sunday is Prize Central! Wahoo! We’ve got lots of smaller prizes for your kids to spend their Kids Kash on, as well as “Lunch with a Children’s Pastor” which is where Isaiah or myself will bring them lunch from McDonald’s or Subway and eat with them at their school. So fun! Please note that this is the last Prize Central for them to use their Red and Blue Kids Kash. Next Sunday, we’ll begin handing out new colors of Kids Kash which makes the old ones expire. They’ll expire every year so that kids are encouraged to spend it throughout the year and enjoy rewards more often for their good behavior. Please remind them to bring their Red and Blue Kids Kash this Sunday!

If your child is leaving the 4th grade, he or she is elligible to join the ETeam! Just download an application (on right of your screen) and return it to the church along with $25 to cover the cost of their shirt. Next Sunday will be the first ETraining that they can attend, so hurry and get their application turned in!

 This Sunday in Kids Church we’ve got a POWERFUL object lesson planned for our kids….it may even be borderline dangerous. But I’m praying it will really hit home! I’ll be preaching from John 4 this week and next on the topics of “Real Worship” and “Worship as a Testimony.” This has been on my heart for many weeks and I’m praying that the kids will walk away feeling refreshed and ready to worship God with their lives!

Our preschoolers are rockin’ away! Every Sunday they spend time worshiping, fellowshipping with friends, and working on their manners. Pretty much what the adults do when they come to church. =) Our teachers spend a lot of time each week preparing their lessons so that they can show up and minister to your little ones. Please take a minute to thank them for all they do when you drop off and pick up your child, and if you want to go the extra mile, ask them how you could help/support them in their ministry. Thank you for bringing your preschoolers so that we can have a great ministry for them each week!

Heads up on new Greeter System

Thank you so much for learning and cooperating with our new check in system! I know sometimes it’s a pain, but it was the first step in making ET Kids as safe as possible. However, a computer can’t keep anyone safe without human support. So, the second step to ultimate security is to have someone heading up a Greeter Team who will act as the personal presence for visitors and regular attenders each week. That point person is Brandy Birdsell, and her Greeter Team is YOU! We totally understand that busy schedules can’t allow most people to commit to a certain week each month, so Brandy will be have a sign up sheet (1 every 3 months) for you to jot down your name based on what your calendar looks like for the next few months. You don’t have to be tech savvy; you just have to be a parent with a willing heart to serve and keep our precious kids safe, as well as make visitors feel welcome. As with anything new, it may take us a few weeks to work out the kinks and make changes where necessary, so please feel free to talk to myself or Brandy Birdsell on Sunday morning about anything you’d like to see improved. Thank you for making ministry to your kids possible!

God bless, and I look forward to seeing your family on Sunday!

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” Heb 13:8

Can you imagine what your relationship with God would look like without His consistency? Think for a moment what would happen if He was in a bad mood one day. Would you feel in your Spirit a sense of rejection? Belittlement? Annoyance? Also think about how you would respond to His changes. Would you still believe in Him if the Bible were able to be added to? If Truth was relative?

Ultimately, I believe it’s our trust and fear of God that would go first. We would begin to doubt His power, and loose respect for a God that changed His Word from day to day. Thankfully, our God never, ever changes and His Word is just as true yesterday as it will be a million years from now.

This is why it’s so hard to be consistent in parenting, and as people in general–we’re not God. The Bible even tells us that we’re constantly being transformed into His image, and that sanctification will continue until our last breath. Change in and around us is inevitable. However, because God is consistent in His love and discipline with us, we should strive to be as well with our children.

Consistency will result in trust and respect from your children. If you say you’re going to spend a Saturday with them, do it. If you say you’ll pick them up from a friends at 3:00pm, be there as close to that time as possible. If you threaten them with a spanking when you count to 3, go through with it. They will learn to depend on your word and trust what you say to be true, and will also respect the weight of your words. Again, this isn’t humanly possible to be perfect in, but with God’s grace and His consistency working in us, we can strive to be more consistent as parents.

I’m praying for you as your disciple your kids! God bless you.

This Sunday is going to be grrrrrrrrrreat! (Did you just have a flashback to the ’90s and Tony the Tiger? I did.)

In Kids Church, our kids will be learning about the country of Italy! It’s Missions Sunday which means we get to learn about a country where BGMC is doing really neat things to spread the Gospel. I think I may even pick up some garlic bread for the kids to munch on (Italian food is my FAV!).

In Jr. Kids Church, our little ones are learning about the promises of Jesus based mostly in the New Testament. With our trained staff of teachers, you know your preschooler is getting a biblical, Christ-centered lesson every Sunday, as well as the opportunity to worship and fellowship with their friends.

ETeam training this Sunday! The ETeam is made up of 5th and 6th graders who train once a month in areas of servanthood and leadership. They get the opportunity to serve twice a month in Kids Ministry to practice the skills they’re learning. If your child is LEAVING the 5th grade this May, they are eligible to join the ETeam and attend their first ETeam Training on May 5th. Just download and fill out the form that says ETeam Application on the right side of this website.

See you in God’s House this Sunday!

Don’t let the few inches of snow scare you off! We’re still planning on having an awesome Sunday service this weekend!

It’s Palm Sunday, but because Kids Church will be canceled next Sunday for Easter, we’ll be preaching an Easter Sermon in Kids Church. They will learn what the meaning of E.A.S.T.E.R. means. I bet you’re curious what that acronym stands for. You’ll just have to bring your kiddos to church and ask them after service!

Our preschoolers will be presented with the Gospel message and have the opportunity to worship the risen Lord. Don’t let them miss out!

For Easter Sunday, there will be 3 services – 8:30am, 9:45am, and 10:30am. All three services are identical with mixed worship styles and Pastor Charlie preaching in each one. All Sunday School classes for all ages are dismissed, and there will be no Kids Church. There will be nursery available all three services, and Jr. Kids Church (preschool ministry) available only at the 9:45am and 10:30am services.

Our Easter Egg Hunt is around the corner! Wahoo!! We still need some help stuffing eggs this coming Wednesday evening. We will also be canvasing the neighborhood at 4:30pm. If you’d like to help, come at that time and meet in the foyer. We also needs lots of help setting up for the hunt at 7:00pm right after the Good Friday service, and hiding eggs at 9:00am on Saturday, March 30th. So many places to serve, so little time! =) Trust me, your child WILL BE blessed by this massive event, and we could really use your help pulling it off. Thanks so much!

This Sunday we’ll be finishing up our LAST Sticky Notes from God lesson! It’s been an amazing series, and the kids now know 8 different very important truths from the Bible that God would want us to know. Awesome! This Sunday’s lesson is called, “We’re in this Together.”

I know most of you are just getting off of Spring Break and probably used to sleeping in, but I encourage you to wake up for church! Jesus is worth it! See ya on Sunday!