Coolchurch Kids- Abundant Life Church

Welcome from Josh

This Week!

June is here and we are talking about Faith all month long here at Coolchurch Kids. Please check out this weeks verse! I challenge you to see if you can learn it along with you kids. Also check out the crazy review below it.

Don't forget you can always click on the Bible Verse Video page on the right of the page to check out more.

 

Week 3

 

Week 2

Crazy Review

Here is a quick inside look to three months of verse videos. Check it out!

4th & 5th Grade Camp

Parents, registration begins February 28th for our 4th & 5th grade camp. A camp that is for those students who are going into 4th and 5th grade in the fall of 2009.

The dates are June 14th-20th. Our theme is "Nights at the Beach, Battle of the Followers"

The theme is based on the May release of the new movie "Night at the Museum 2, Battle at the Smithsonian"

There are 100 spots available and your soon to be 4th or 5th grader will have a great time building relationships with other children at camp. Not to mention the fact that there will be great adult and youth leaders there at camp with the purpose of investing in the students.

Don't miss out on this exciting opportunity. For more information please email our Camp Director Jennifer Ingram at jennifer@coolchurch.com

Check back for our video promo:

Through the Eyes of a 5 Year Old

Just wanted to share with you a fantastic story about how God is using Abundant Life Church to minister to children. This story is being shared through the experience of Steve Jones a tremendous part of this team and written by his great wife Chris.

So right before Saturday evening service, a little girl about the age of 6-8 years old approached Steve on her way into ALC.  When Steve greeted her, she walked right up to him and shook his hand and said "this is the happiest place on earth" whereas Steve replied "but this isn't Disneyland".  She said "Disneyland isn't the happiest place on earth....this is!  I just can't wait for Saturday to get here so I can come praise Jesus!".  Steve then told her that she was in fact correct....Abundant Life is the happiest place on earth!

 

God is so good! I pray that He will continue to use the people of the church so that all children who enter this place will also feel that this is "the happiest place on earth."

How Can We Help?

What is the best way that we as a church could help you grow as a parent? Earlier in one of the posts I had asked who is responsible for the spiritual development of a child? The consensus from the comments is that parents rather than the church are the ones responsible. There in lies my continual challenge, how can I and more importantly we as a church help equip you as a parent in your effort to see your child or children grow in a strong relationship with God.

Would you like resources (books, DVD's)?

Would you want to attend a parenting type class or seminar on how to help your child grow Spiritually?

Would you like to have a parenting curriculum in your Lifegroup?

Does this blog Help? If so, what topics would be of most help for you as a parent?

Please comment and let me know what you think. 

I Love Music

I love music! There is no other way to say it. What I have discovered over the years is that my love of music has transferred to my children due to listening to music in the car while we take trips or just run errands.

I don't know about you but what I have noticed is that our kid's (4,6,7) really absorb what they hear in the car. That is, when they are not hitting one another or sticking their tongue out or making a sound that annoys the other. No, but in all seriousness I have learned that they are listening. Just last week while driving around we were listening to my newest music purchase off of Itunes, the new release by a great young Christian group called Starfield. The CD is titled "I Will Go". After we listened to the first four songs my 6 year old son Conner said "hey dad, can we listen to that hosanna song." The second song on the CD is titled "Hosanna" and after hearing it once he was hooked. As a parent I love when my children request listening to great music.  Especially music that encourages them to give their love, attention and focus to God.

I thought I would share with you some of the great new Christian Music that we listen to as a family. If your interested you can check them out for your self. Or if you have other musical selections or suggestions please comment and share them.

Edgy Worship Music:

Hillsong United- "All Of the Above" www2.hillsong.com/united

Desperation Band- "Everyone Overcome" desperationonline.com

Starfield- "I Will Go" www.starfieldonline.com

Rush of Fools- "Rush Of Fools" www.rushoffools.com

Steve Fee- "Steve Fee" feeband.com

Hopefully there might be some music here that you as a family can all enjoy. Also, for your little ones check out the page to your left that says Worship music downloads for preschooler's

Let me know what you think!

Here's What We're Aiming For

I wanted to take the opportunity to share with you our goals in ministering to children. In all we do we are seeking to share God’s love by teaching God’s Word and modeling our love for God to the children. We have a phrase that we are beginning to use here in Children’s Ministries called “Most Important Truths” or MIT’s. The most important truths are what we are really trying to communicate, teach and model in this ministry. One of our goals is that all children who participate in any area of our preschool ministry will leave that area of ministry as they grow and move into our elementary area of ministry believing these three most important truths:

God made me

God loves me no matter what

God gave me His son, Jesus

Another goal is that all children who participate in any area of our elementary ministry will leave that area of ministry as they grow and move into Junior High ministry believing and living out these three most important truths:

God wants me to love Him

God wants me to trust Him with my life

God wants me to follow Jesus’ example

By intentionally teaching and modeling these Most Important Truth's we believe that we can be most effective in ministering to children.

What do you think about these Truth's and the idea of really focusing on teaching and modeling them for the different age groups?

Parents, What Do You Think?

When you are attending a church and you have children involved in the children's ministries, how important is it for you to see a consistent person or people ministering to your child? (on a scale of 1-10, 1 being not that important and 10 being of the highest importance)

Similar question but putting yourself into your child or children's shoes, how important is it for them to see a consistent person or people ministering to them in children's ministries? (on a scale of 1-10, 1 being not that important and 10 being of the highest importance)

Please feel to comment and share your response to these questions. If your answers vary on the two scales I would love to hear your thoughts as to why.

Josh

Leading Your Child to Jesus

A couple of years ago I came across a book titled just that, “Leading Your Child to Jesus” by David Staal. This book was very beneficial in my life as a Dad and as a Pastor. I would definitely recommend the book to any parent. Reading the book caused me to wrestle with the following question.

Would I know what to say, if my child said “How can I be best friends with Jesus?”

What I discovered when I first asked that question is that my response was far more complicated than it needed to be.  What I really took away from reading that book was that I wanted to be ready to give an easy answer to my children when they asked, “How can I be best friends with Jesus?”

Can I share with you what my easy answer has been with my boys and what it will be with my daughter?

I share with them the ABC’s and then have them pray through the ABC’s:

A-     Admit your sin and ask for forgiveness (1 John 1:9, Romans 10:9)

B-      Believe in Jesus and that He died to save you from your sin (Acts 16:31, John 3:36)

C-      Choose to receive Jesus in your life and follow Him (John 1:12)

When God draws your child to Himself, be ready!

If you find this beneficial as a parent let me know or if you would like to share a story of how God used you to lead your child to Jesus, please comment.

Josh