October in the Children's Ministry

Thanks for sharing your kids with us this past month at WCC! We had a great month of September at the church. We added a new worship minister, kicked off our Wednesday night Bible studies, and started our small groups.  Not to mention that in KidQuest and FirstLook, we started telling God's Big story at the very beginning!  Check out the rest of this email for great information about what is happening in the Children's Ministry at Wentzville Christian Church in October as well as some great parenting resources.

The main focus of October will be the enviroment of Course Correction. Let’s face it … none of us really like to be corrected, especially when being corrected involves a season of pain. We would all like to make the right decisions the first time around and live in an environment that is filled with joy and easy living.

However, when we truly look at the environment of COURSE CORREC TIO N we realize it is an environment filled with grace, mercy, and, yes, even joy. To grasp the fact that we have a heavenly Father who loves us as His own sons and daughters and disciplines us only because He loves us is amazing and overwhelming. He doesn’t just discipline us and walk away, He takes the time to lift us up and get us back on the right path. He makes something beautiful out of the messes we create. I don’t know about you, but for me that is true joy!

This environment flows out of Hebrews 12:11–13 and is the direct opposite of punishment. Instead, biblical discipline encompasses: a season of pain, a building up in love, and a vision for a corrected path for the individual with the purpose of healing at its core.

This month we are looking at the environment of COURSE CORREC TIO N. Most people might think this sounds like a painful process. The truth is, it can be! When we find ourselves “off course” in life, sometimes just the realization that we are wrong can be painful. Sometimes the consequences of our decisions can be painful. However, God has a way of using our mistakes and missteps to make us beautiful and powerful examples of His love in our lives. I pray your family will experience the beautiful healing and restoration that God brings to His children.

MEMORY VERSES FOR OCTOBER
KIDQUEST (elementary)
“O Lord my God, I called to you for help and you healed me.”
Psalm 30:2 (NIV)

FIRSTLOOK (preschool)
“You always show me the path that leads to life.”
Psalm 16:11a (NIrV)


IMPORTANT DATES

• Starting in October we will be serving a dinner on Wednesday nights, 5:15 p.m. to 6:15 p.m. before Bible studies. Be sure to come eat with us!
• Taking the Plunge -- A Baptism Class for Kids begins on October 12. Go to www.wentzvillecc.org/plunge for more info.
• On October 30 at 3:00pm, we will host Trunk or Treat! Kids will have an opportunity to walk around our parking lot and trick or treat at decorated trunks.  This has been a great event in years past and we expect it to be even better this year.  Be on the lookout for how to sign up your trunk too!
• Operation Christmas Child Supply Drive and Packing Party. Right now we are in the middle of a supply drive for our 2nd Annual Operation Christmas Child Packing Party.  In August, we collected school suppllies; In September, we collected hygine supplies; in October we will be collecting small toys.  Please drop off any of these items in the green drop box under the missions bulletin board. The packing party will be November 5 at 10am (there is a rumor that we will also be having a pancake breakfast that morning prior to the packing party).
• SuperStart registration (4th, 5th, and 6th Graders) has started.  SuperStart is the nation's largest preteen Christian conference.  This year, we will be attending the conference in Louisville, KY on November 11, and 12.  You can go to www.wentzvillecc.org/superstart for more info.

PARENT RESOURCES

• HomeFront Monthly
  This month's HomeFront flows out of Hebrews 12:11-13 and focuses on the environement of "Course Correction".  This great resource include food and game activities for the whole family as well as some great reading for you! You can download this month's HomeFront Monthly here.
• ParentLink
  ParentLink is our monthly parenting podcast that helps us understand key elements of an Orange Parenting Strategy. This month, I talk about "Creating a Rhythm" in your home that allows for spiritual formation to take place.  This month, I propose an idea of a "To-Don't List." You can listen/download a number of different ways. You can listen on our website, download from the iTunes store, listen on our blog or Facebook page.
• Family Currents
  This month's Family Currents is all about "Living a Legacy" and goes right along with our current sermon series "Outlive Your Life." You can download this month's resource here.
• Coming Soon!
  A resource that will give you devotions that will help you walk through the Bible with your kids! We are going to call this resource "The Big God Story Bible Study."

IMPORTANT CHANGES

• Our elementary kids will be getting their OWN room for Sunday morning worship very soon!  We are in the construction phase of the KidQuest Room!  We are going to have a paint day on October 8!

God Leads to New Life (KidQuest -- October 2)

Passover is one of the most significant parts of The Big God Story, ushering in a new way of life for the Israelites. Without a doubt, many of the images of the Passover feast point to Jesus. In fact, Philip, Paul, Peter, and John all affirmed the Passover Lamb is a picture of Jesus in Acts 8:32; 1 Corinthians 5:7; 1 Peter 1:19; and Revelation 5:6, 13:8. Here are some of the comparisons found in Exodus 12:

“Tell the whole community of Israel that … each man is to take a lamb for his family … year-old males without defect …” (vv. 3, 5). The Israelites were instructed to kill and eat a perfect lamb. Similarly, it was only through Christ’s perfect life and His death that His people can be saved.

“All the people of the community of Israel must slaughter them at twilight” (v. 6). Many translations render the words “at twilight” to mean, “between the evenings,” the Jewish ninth hour. Accordingly, Christ died at the hands of the people during the ninth hour of the day.

“Then they are to take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the lambs” (v. 7). By doing this, the Israelites affirmed their belief that God would save them by the blood of the lamb. In the same way, we actively submit to Christ in order to be saved.

“That same night they are to eat the meat roasted over the fire, along with bitter herbs, and bread made without yeast” (v. 8). The bitter herbs reminded the Israelites of their sojourn in Egypt and, eventually, stood for the sin Christ accepted on our behalf. The bread without yeast was both practical (because fermentation takes time) and symbolic of a life without sin.

“The blood will be a sign for you … when I see the blood, I will pass over you …” (v. 13). The “Passover” is an allusion to the fact that God “passed over” the houses of the Israelites covered by the blood. When Christ shared communion with the apostles during Passover, He showed that His blood was not only sufficient to cover their sins, but also to obliterate them.

When God liberated His people from bondage, He brought them into new life; He bound them together as a nation of His own people. To commemorate this moment, God instituted Passover—a meal not only to remind the Israelites of their liberation, but one which also pointed toward Christ, the Lamb of God, whose blood covers the sins of the world (John 1:29).

God Saves (FirstLook -- October 2)

This week in FirstLook we will be talking about Baby Moses and how his part of God's Big Story is connected to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Do you know how and why God's people were enslaved in Egypt and why Moses was put in a basket on the river? Keep reading to find out the answer that your preschoolers will be learning about this weekend and don't forget to download this week's HomeFront Weekly which will give you a great baby floating activity!

To be sure, our God saved Abraham and blessed him with many descendants. God kept His covenant with Abraham. The book of Exodus opens by listing the sons of Jacob (Israel) who brought their families to Egypt to escape the famine in Canaan. It’s possible that in Egypt they were doubling their population about every 25 years. This is the same rate of growth we are currently experiencing worldwide.

This population explosion amongst the Israelites concerned the later pharaoh. His fear led him to devise a plan to enslave the people and destroy newborn Hebrew boys. Two Hebrew midwives outsmarted the pharaoh. They told him the Hebrew women were just too strong and were able to deliver the babies before they could arrive. When Pharaoh realized he had been deceived and his attempts had failed, he ordered his people to act as spies and cast any male babies of the Israelites into the Nile River.

In the midst of it all, a son was born into the tribe of Levi. Trusting in God, the child’s parents defied Pharaoh’s edict and hid their son for three months. Ironically, it was Pharaoh’s daughter who rescued the baby and named him Moses. God then used Moses’ sister to help the princess arrange for a nurse, the child’s own mother, to care for him. The child was able to grow up in the home of his parents during his early years, receiving the strong inculcating of Hebrew traditions. Moses’ foundation of faith was received at his parents’ knees. Jewish mothers would, from the time a baby was first cradled in their arms, begin to whisper in their ears, “Jehovah is God.”

God is a God of salvation. He delivered Moses and set a corrected course for him to deliver a nation. It is through this nation (specifically, the tribe of Judah) that salvation came to the world through Jesus Christ. Our God saves!

God is with Us in FirstLook (September 25)

This week in FirstLook we are goign to be teaching about Joseph.  Here is the HomeFront Monthly and some other great info to help you talk about Joseph in your home!

Through the life of Joseph and his myriad struggles, we can learn about God being with us and working through us. So much so, biblical scholars make a case for Joseph being the Old Testament archetype of Jesus Christ. Both were obedient sons who were beloved by their fathers. Joseph was rejected and sold into slavery by his brothers. Similarly, the Jewish community rejected Jesus and the message He brought. Both were falsely accused and unjustly punished. Yet in the end, both were elevated to a place of powerful position and saved their people from death.

God went before Joseph, preparing the way for the restoration of His people. At this time in God’s grand narrative, His chosen people in Jacob’s family were the faith community. As a result of sin within the family, pain and brokenness permeated it. For Joseph, his father, and his brothers, God used a devastating famine to bring healing and restoration of relationships.

The sin and brokenness within Joseph’s family is present throughout all of humanity. But God Himself is present. He has made a way for all who would receive Him to be adopted into His family. In God’s family we’re part of a faith community that stretches beyond our own lifetime, into eternity past and present.

God is the Lord (part 1) in KidQuest (September 25)

This next Sunday in KidQuest we will be looking at what Pharoah says to Moses when Moses asks him to let the Israelites go free.  Not only that but we will look at the plagues God uses to "change" Pharoah's mind.

Over the past few weeks we have heard God's covenant with Abraham and how God declared himself as the King of King by saying I AM in Exodus 3 to Moses.  However, the Israelites needed to learn more about their great God in order to follow him. They needed to trust him, and know He is the Lord.  Not only did God use the plagues to change Pharoah's mind but also to prove to the Israelites and the Egyptians that He is the only real God (I am who I am).

• When God changed the water to blood, God judged the Nile itself, which had been deified as a god.
• The plague of frogs was a judgment on ancient forms of idolatry in Egypt.
• When “dense swarms of flies poured into every place and throughout Egypt, many assert God was judging the Egyptian god, Uaticht.
• Some of the gods of Egypt were identified with figurines of bulls, cows, rams, and other livestock, hence the plague on the livestock.
• The plague of boils was not only painful, but an embarrassing judgment on the Egyptian obsession with physical cleanliness and beauty.
• Through the plague of hail, God proved there “is no one like me in all the earth” (Exodus 9:14), because He controlled the weather.
• God also proved He had control over the sun in the universe, creating the “darkness that [could] be felt.”

Through all of the plagues, God undermined the relationship between Pharaoh and the Egyptians, and the Egyptians and their false gods. By His defeat, God proved He alone had the right to His people; He alone was worthy of their worship.

God Has the Power to Do All He Promises (FirstLook on Sept. 18)

This will be the second week we talk about Abraham.  Last week, your FirstLook student learned that God promised Abraham as many descendants as the number of grains of sand on a beach. Wow, that is a HUGE family, and your child also learned that we are part of that family! So this week, we will continue telling The Big God Story and introduce another character, the son Abraham has as a 100 year old man, Isaac.  For more direct info into specifics about what your child will be learning and an activity to help you introduce Isaac in your home check out this week's HomeFront Weekly that was emailed to you or you can download it here.

To help you out before you set off to tell your children about this great part of God's big story, let us give you a little more background.

Genesis, the book of generations, documents not only the start of human history, but also the plan for the redemption of all mankind. Some scholars believe that each genealogy within this book contrasts the messianic lineage with a nonmessianic lineage, revealing God’s very specific focus to one particular family through whom the Messiah would be revealed.

Throughout the Bible, God refers to Himself in a number of ways. For instance: God Eternal, I AM, and Yahweh. Each time, He reveals a significant attribute about His character. In the first verse of Genesis 17, just before He renews His covenant with Abraham, God reveals Himself as El Shaddai. In English, this translates to God Almighty. Surely, Abraham was shocked that God would promise him a child at the age of 100. Using this name, God was informing Abraham of His ultimate power; He alone is God. He alone is able to accomplish everything He has planned to accomplish.

This moment holds great weight in our lives. God made an amazing promise to Abraham. His covenant with Abraham led to one of the most significant moments in history: the starting point for the family line of Jesus, paving the way to our own salvation. It is because of this family line that we can have a restored relationship with God the Father. We are ushered into God’s family, grafting us into a faith community that stretches around the globe. We have brothers and sisters from every tribe and nation. This family, our family, has the unique opportunity to walk alongside one another in true worship of God Almighty. We can live in such a way that the world will desire to be in relationship with our God—El Shaddai.

In Genesis chapter 17, God met with Abraham to remind him of various aspects of their covenant. Upon hearing this, Abraham was so moved that he fell facedown in awe. This reaction is elicited in other places in Scripture when God reveals His glory to His people. Abraham’s posture of worship demonstrates reverence and submission before a holy God.

Keri Fox, a worship leader, explains, “Sometimes, positioning ourselves in a physical posture of worship—using our bodies to worship Him—can help to move our hearts to worship God as well.”

This week, before you participate our worship service, ask God to reveal Himself to you. Ask Him to free you from distraction so you may hear His voice. As we join with our faith community in a time of corporate worship, be aware of how God is directing you to respond to Him. What is the posture of your heart? What is your physical posture before Him? How does worshipping together with fellow believers impact your time of worship and experience with the Lord?

God is the Lord (part 1) in KidQuest

Over the next few weeks in KidQuest we will be talking about the life of Moses and we are calling this section of The Big God Story, "God is the Lord." Here is a little background to help you out this week as you talk about Moses in your home. If you want an activity to do with your kids to also help you introduce Moses in your home, check out this week's HomeFront Weekly that was emailed to you or can be downloaded here.

When God revealed His name to Moses in Exodus 3:14, He said, “‘I AM WHO I AM [Ehyeh-Asherr-Ehyeh]. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM [Ehyeh] has sent me to you.’” The word Ehyeh means, “to be” or “to become” and the word Asherr means “who” or “what.” Therefore, Ehyeh-Asherr-Ehyeh means, “I am that I am,” or “I am who I am,” or “I am going to be who I am going to be,” etc.

By making Himself known through the name Ehyeh-Asherr-Ehyeh, God revealed that He exists, has always existed, and will always exist (in contrast to the Egyptian gods who did not exist). But He revealed even more than that. The name Ehyeh-Asherr-Ehyeh also implies liveliness, movement, and dynamism. This is nowhere more evident than in God’s incarnation, when He became a man. The name Jesus (Yeshua) means, “Jehovah is salvation.” Through Jesus Christ, God became what He needed to be for the sake of His people: salvation incarnate. Ehyeh-Asherr-Ehyeh, the God of the covenant, became a man in order to fulfill His covenant promise. Through Jesus, God defeated the ultimate barrier to His people’s inability to live with Him and worship Him forever.

In the New Testament, Jesus indicated that He was Jehovah by calling Himself, “I am.” God said in John 15:1, “I am the true vine,” and in John 8:12, “I am the light of the world.” Through these and other confessions, Jesus revealed Himself as the everlasting Ehyeh-Asherr-Ehyeh, who has always been, will always be, and will continue to become what He will be for the sake of His people.

This week's lesson is told through the environment of FAITH COMMUNITY, the thread of worship, and focuses on God as the Lord of Lords, and the King of Kings. God is everything we need, and He is sufficient for us. In Him, we find our comfort, our salvation, our Friend, and our fortress.

Spend some time worshipping the Lord and praying God will reveal Himself as the Lord of Lords in your life—the One who wants you to worship only Him. Pray He will become what you need. Are you feeling anxious? Pray He will be your peace. Are you feeling weak? Pray He will be your strength. Are you feeling sad? Pray He will be your joy. Spend time with God, who is sufficient to meet your every need. Also, allow God to use your faith community to strengthen you. Reach out to others in your church or family, and allow them to be God’s messengers in your life.

Hot Dog Roast and Drive-In Movie

 

On Friday, September 23, KidQuest is hosting a drive-in movie in our church parking lot and we will be showing Gnomeo and Juliet.

Prior to this event, everyone is invited to attend a Hot Dog Roast starting at 6:00pm to meet Caleb Butler, our new worship minister, and his family.

We would love to see you!

The Challenge Starts Again!

That's right, we are starting The Challenge again tomorrow at 6:30!

Here is a chart with all the weeks memory verse to give your kids a jump start on memorizing!

September 7

Psalm 100:5

“For the Lord is good and His love endures forever: His faithfulness continues through all generations.”

September 14

Psalm 36:5-6

“Your love, Lord. Reaches to the heavens. Your faithfulness to the skies. Your righteousness is like the highest mountains. Your justice like the great deep.

September 21
 

Psalm 4:3

“Know that the Lord has set apart His faithful servant for Himself; the Lord hears when I call to Him.”

September 28
 

John 14:15

“If you love me, you will obey what I command.”

October 5
 

Psalm 34:4

“I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.”

October 12
 

Joel 2:13b

“Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity.”

October 19
 

Titus 3:4-5

“But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.”

October 26

Proverbs 3:34

“He mocks proud mockers but shows favor to the humble and oppressed.”

November 2
 

1 John 1:9

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

November 9

Exodus 9:16

“But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.”

November 16
 

The Challenge Party!