January 4

Happy New Year!

We will start off this new year with an exciting Sunday, especially for our 2nd graders. Everyone should plan on having a larger group, since it's a new year AND a special Sunday.

Advent Evaluation

Thank you to all of you teams for rolling with the new Advent curriculum we experimented with. We'd love to know what you thought of this Advent structure and materials. Please tell us in the poll below:

feedback surveys

BYOB (Bring Your Own Bible)

As we support and celebrate the gift of God's Word to our 2nd graders, please remember to bring YOUR own Bible to church this Sunday. We will raise our Bibles high in worship as we praise God for the Scripture together, and I hope that each of you will take a moment to share your own copies of the Bible with your groups during your time together.

Let the kids see what God's Word means to you!

Alive Team

With Cindy's move to serve on the 1st grade team this semester, the Alive team now consists of:

Brett Graves – 664-6040
Dale Helton – 639-1073
Pete Kik -741-6283
Kim Minor – 552-0333
Durand Minor – 767-7298
Elizabeth Straub 609-2333

January Curriculum

Wow, this sneaked up on me! All spring curriculum is now posted and linked on the Schedule & Curriculum tab on the blog. To start off the new year, you Alivers get to talk about What Really Matters. Here's a breakdown for this series:

January 4
What Really Matters? - Is Being Liked What Matters?
 
January 11
What Really Matters? - Is Being Right What Matters?

January 18
What Really Matters? - Is Being the Best What Matters?

January 25
What Really Matters? - Is Being Happy What Matters?

Thank you.

It is quite amazing to walk down the hall on Sunday mornings and see you all laughing, telling Bible stories and loving on the kids in your groups. Thank you for your ministry!

December 28 - Last week of Advent

Merry Christmas! I wish I could hug and high five each and every one of you in celebration of our Lord's birthday. It was wonderful to see you sharing the story of Christ's birth with your groups this past Sunday, and with Christmas behind us we will begin the Epiphany story this coming week.

There are not words to thank you enough for the way you are serving with joyful, flexible, loving hearts. I thank God for you!

Last week of Advent

This is our last week of this new and different Advent curriculum. For the last time, 1st-5th graders will begin in Room 005 together, and you get to lead that opening time! Only one person really needs to fill this role, but you can divide it up if you'd like. Talk amongst yourselves!

Here is the outline for leading that opening time:

1. Welcome and opening prayer (10:10)
1. Remind them of the meaning/purpose of Advent
2. Introduce the story of the morning: The Magi
2. Play video (lasts about 5 minutes)
1. Debrief video - ask them to describe what happened and ask their own questions
2. Introduce them to the characters/words in the "Story At a Glance" portion of the leader guide.
3. (optional) Play the video again now that they know what's going on
4. Dismiss one group at a time to classrooms.

After the video and story intro, all groups will return to your rooms for discussion and story activities provided in your curriculum.

On the following week (January 4), we'll return to our regular curriculum, which you will find in your classroom this week if you haven't already received it.

December 28 - The Magi

Video Preview
Curriculum:  Grades K-2nd   &  Grades 3rd-5th
Team leading the intro time in Room 005: Alive (4th-5th grade)

As you plan out your message for each week, please reach out to Karen, Cindy or Sarah with any questions or ideas that you want to try out. We are creating a plan to provide all the lesson planning help you need, but if we overlook something, don't hesitate to send out an e-mail or make a phone call, and we are all avid texters too! We're here to help.

Other questions? Send an e-mail, phone call or text - we're here for you!

December 21 - Fourth Sunday of Advent

Merry Christmas!

Does it seem like Advent is speeding by to anyone else? Wow! This is such a wonderful, exciting, complicated, anxious, patience-inducing season, and I can think of no better way of experiencing it than through the eyes of children. I'm excited to join you in your Advent small group times this Sunday.

Advent Format

This week 1st-5th graders return to 005 to kick things off with an introduction to the story and a short video.

Kindergartners should still have a TV and DVD of the video for you to play in your classroom.

After the video and story intro, all groups will return to your rooms for discussion and story activities provided in your curriculum. Pickup will be in classrooms. 

December 21 - Jesus is Born

Video Preview
Curriculum:  Grades K-2nd   &  Grades 3rd-5th
Team leading the intro time in Room 005: 3rd Grade

December 28 - The Magi

Video Preview
Curriculum:  Grades K-2nd   &  Grades 3rd-5th
Team leading the intro time in Room 005: Alive (4th-5th grade)

As you plan out your message for each week, please reach out to Karen, Cindy or Sarah with any questions or ideas that you want to try out. We are creating a plan to provide all the lesson planning help you need, but if we overlook something, don't hesitate to send out an e-mail or make a phone call, and we are all avid texters too! We're here to help.

Other questions? Send an e-mail, phone call or text - we're here for you!

December 14 - Toy Sunday

You are all invited to Toy Sunday this week at 10:05 am in Fellowship Hall. Parents accompany their children for this special toy give-away event.

No curriculum or small groups this week. We'll see you Sunday!

December 7 - Second Sunday of Advent

Welcome to the second Sunday of Advent! This is such a wonderful, exciting, complicated, anxious, patience-inducing season, and I can think of no better way of experiencing it than through the eyes of children. I'm excited to join you in your Advent small group times this Sunday.

New Advent Format

If you were here last Sunday, you saw a different curriculum for our small groups during Advent. This curriculum will be posted here each week, and hard copies will be available in your classrooms by the end of the day Tuesday if you would like to pick them up.

In addition to new curriculum, 1st-5th graders will also meet differently during Advent. Those grades will begin each week in Room 005 together where we will view that week's video and introduce the story for that morning. Each grade level team (1st, 2nd, 3rd, and Alive) has been assigned to one of those Sundays to lead this 10 minute opening time.

After the video and story intro, all groups will return to your rooms for discussion and story activities provided in your curriculum. Pickup will be in classrooms. 

December 7 - Mary & Elizabeth

Video Preview
Curriculum:  Grades K-2nd   &  Grades 3rd-5th
Team leading the intro time in Room 005: 2nd Grade (Steve Jones)

December 14 - Toy Sunday in Fellowship Hall 
(no curriculum)

December 21 - Jesus is Born
Video Preview
Curriculum:  Grades K-2nd   &  Grades 3rd-5th
Team leading the intro time in Room 005: 3rd Grade

December 28 - The Magi

Video Preview
Curriculum:  Grades K-2nd   &  Grades 3rd-5th
Team leading the intro time in Room 005: Alive (4th-5th grade)

As you plan out your message for each week, please reach out to Karen, Cindy or Sarah with any questions or ideas that you want to try out. We are creating a plan to provide all the lesson planning help you need, but if we overlook something, don't hesitate to send out an e-mail or make a phone call, and we are all avid texters too! We're here to help.

Other questions? Send an e-mail, phone call or text - we're here for you!

Spring Semester

As this year begins to wind down, we are looking at the spring (January-May) semester. Would you please contact Cindy Bagley or Karen Larimore to confirm that you are ready for a second semester with your group or that you will take a break? Of course, we hope that each one of you will continue!

Special Kid Support

Becky Powers, our coordinator for special needs ministries, has worked with me for the past several months to develop resources for you to use in your classrooms. We're ready to unveil! Please make use of these resources to help children focus, enjoy, communicate and receive the blessings you're giving them. 

Call Becky

If there's a child in your class that concerns you or that you'd like some ideas for how to engage, just give Becky a call! She'd love to hear from you at 502-245-9943. 

Use a Request for Resources Form

In your rooms this Sunday, you'll see a large envelope that says "Request for Resources". Inside will be simple forms and pre-addressed envelopes. If you would like some fidget busters, noise canceling headphones, allergy-free snacks, manipulatives, or just advice for a particular child, fill out a form, put it in an envelope and drop it in the mail. Becky will respond within two weeks. 

We want to be a welcoming, fun, comfortable place for children to connect with you, one another and with Jesus. Thank you for helping us meet that goal!