THE MOLDOVA EXPERIENCE is Almost Here!

Beginning Wednesday December 5, 12, 19 the country of Moldova is about to come alive. Moldova is located in the former Soviet Union and had been locked away from the Gospel of Jesus. But in the last few years God opened the doors and the people in this distant land are beginning to hear the good news of Jesus.

During each of these Wednesday nights kids will experience their culture by eating foods, making crafts and playing games from Moldova. They will also hear the stories of present day missionaries and how God is moving people to follow Jesus.

A few weeks ago, I had the priveledge of attending the commissioning service for 82 Southern Baptist Missionaries. God reminded me that our kids need to know that there are men and women working right now telling other people that Jesus loves them. Don't let your kids miss one week of THE MOLDOVA EXPERIENCE!

Happy Thanksgiving

From my family to yours we want to wish you a happy Thanksgiving. There are so many things for us to be thankful for. I think one of the best things about being your Children's Pastor is that I get to so many happy faces on Sunday morning. Each child comes on Sunday and is filled with so much potential. Sometimes I find myself like a kid in the candy store thinking of ways to help pull that potential out of your kids. We have so much potential packed into our rooms on Sundays to leave a major spiritual mark on the coming culture.

One thing I am more sure of today than I was 18 months ago is that kids need a great Sunday experience, but what they need even more than that is for spiritual conversations to take place at home. Take time to talk with your child each week about Jesus or to read Bible stories together. That will leave the biggest spiritual mark on your kids as the grow up.

Thanks for letting me and our team (which is the finest I know of) partner with your family. I can't wait to hear the stories in 20 years of everything your child has accomplished for Jesus.

Kidz Living For Christ!

The Moldova Experience Coming in December

Here's What's Up in THE NEIGHBORHOOD:

The Kids Christmas Production is coming fast. There will be a dress rehearsal on Saturday, December 1 at 9 am. The Production is Sunday night at 6:30 pm. Stay tuned for more details as the day approaches.

On Wednesday night, December 5 we will have the Moldova Experience. Every year we look at a foreign country and discover their customs, the people, and to see what God is doing in that country. This will take place on December 5, 12, and 19. Don't let your child miss one evening.

Family Christmas Caroling is scheduled for Sunday evening December 16 at 6:30. Make this apart of your family schedule this year. This is one way your family can share God's love this Christmas. More information to come!

Remember you are UNIQUE. Talk to your children about how God has created them very special to do very special things for Jesus.

Coming on www.leavethemark.blogspot.com in the next few days will be one way that your family can spiritual anticipate the coming of Christmas. Thanks for partnering with us so that your child will live for Christ!

You are a Piece of Work!

Atleast that is what God says. He created a you a special one of a kind person. You are UNIQUE. We are going to be talking about UNIQUENESS throughout the month of November. UNIQUENESS is learning more about others so that you can learn more about yourself. We are going to be helping boys and girls learn that God created them special and because of that He loves us so much that He won't ever forget about them. WOW!!! We have 6 FAMILYTIMES Devotionals left. FAMILYTIMES is a monthly tool to help your family integrate the Bible stories we talk about on Sundays into your home on Monday-Saturday. They are $8 and can be purchased at the registration table. They will not be here long so please get yours soon.

Some things to remember:
This Sunday, November 11 is the day to bring your shoeboxes. Please return them to the table in the upstairs hallway. Also, the Kidz Christmas Production is on December 2 their will be an important practice on Saturday, December 1. Please make sure to be there.

I know these are busy days for your family. Please make sure to have conversations in your home about God. Please check out http://www.leavethemark.blogspot.com/ for help this holiday season to make the holidays a spiritual journey for your family.

Please take a moment and complete the poll at the top left of the site. Your answer cannot be tracked backed to you in anyway so please be honest. Thanks for your help.

Gobledegook!

Just a quick update on some loose ends and upcoming events.

Operation Christmas Child is in full swing. You can pick up an informational brochure upstairs at SHOEBOX Central. The big day for shoeboxes to be returned is Sunday, November 11. Please follow the instructions in the brochure and bring it back to SHOEBOX Central. Remember to have your family pray that the boy or girl that will receive the box will know that God loves them.

Upcoming FAITH CLUB. FAITH CLUB is the new christians class for kids and will meet on Saturday morning November 17 from 9:00-12:30. Please RSVP at the registration table upstairs or by email me at richc@fbcmonline.com. If your child is attending I would like for parents to return at 12:00 so that I can talk about what will happen next for your family in your child's faith journey.

Remember Script is a good way to save money for Kidz Camp 2008. For information give us a call at 667-8221. The date for camp is June 9-13.

We will see you Sunday in THE NEIGHBORHOOD and we will have a brand new virtue. I will reveal the new virtue later in the week and let you know what your child will be learning about over the next few weeks.

Coming Soon: www.leavethemark.blogspot.com I believe that the strength of our children's faith will be based mostly on the quality of spiritual conversations that are happening at home. I think parents want to talk about God with their kids, but we just aren't sure their interested or confident in what to say to them. Let's journey together. Deutoronomy 6:4-9 See you there!

Change??????

We are often repelled by change. A couple of weeks ago we made some changes to our Sunday morning experience for kids. Many of you have noticed because your child's class is not in the same location anymore. To tell you the truth I was pretty nervous about. Not because I was unsure if it was the right move, I believed in my heart it was the only thing to do, but because the first few weeks would be hard and maybe even confusing for you and our leaders.

Our Kidz Team is second to none though. They want more than anything for your child to live for Jesus and so they are working even harder to see that become a reality for your family. The big question is why did we make these changes?

Two Reasons:
1. We were out of space and needed to create more room. All of our classes had atleast 25 children in them and some were pushing 35. So we are working to create two classes for every grade (we still need lead teachers, come join a great team and invest in kids that matter to God).

2. We created two large group worship / teaching times in the 9:15 hour. One for K through 3rd grade and another for 4th and 5th graders. This allows us to communicate to those age kids better so that when they leave on Sunday AM they really get it!

Here's the bottom line. Life is too short. We have to help these children live for Jesus. That's why we do what we do. We are working hard to provide great learning moments every week. Don't let your child miss one. Because your child needs every spiritual experience possible!

Tis the Season to Shoebox

It's shoebox time once again! So Ladies here is your chance to go shoe shopping for a good cause.

We are partnering with Franklin Graham's organization ,Samaritan's Purse, and we will provide Christmas gifts to children that live in war torn areas of the world. I think this is one way that we can help our children understand that God does love all the people in the world. This Sunday, October 28, we will have a brochure for you to use as a shopping guide and it will provide you with all the instructions. I encouarage you to take your child shopping with you and talk with them about caring for people all over the world.