Did you know that one-third of the world’s children struggle with inadequate food and drinking water—let alone having the luxury of soda pop to drink?
Our Boys and Girls November Missionary Challenge is to “Pop Out for Missions.”
We are challenging the kids to give up soda pop (or something else) during the month of November. The money that would have been spent on soda pop would then be given to BGMC, which helps needy children around the world.
Here’s how it works: Kids across the nation are to make a pledge to give up soda pop for the next three weeks, ending on Thanksgiving Day. On that day, kids may once again drink soda pop—remembering not only to be thankful for their own blessings, but remembering the children around the world who don’t get to celebrate the many material blessings that we are thankful for on Thanksgiving Day.
In Good Vs. Evil, your kids discover God is the ultimate winner in the supernatural battle between good and evil. When they’re faced with good or evil choices in daily life, kids will be challenged to live for God and choose good.
What's the Point?
I will stay away from evil and choose what’s good!
Life Verse
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. (Romans12:21, NIV)
Bible Focus
Adam and Eve, Saul and the Witch of Endor, and others
Sunday, August 1st from 5:45PM-7:30PM Mini Golf (Meet at Lakeshore Lanes - 5432 Pacific Blvd SW • Albany) Cost is $6 per person
Sunday, August 8th @6PM Water Games Night (Oak Creek) Bring a towel and be prepared to get wet!
Tuesday, August 10th from 8AM -4PM Zoo Trip Meet at the church @ 8AM and we will be back at the church aprox. @4PM Cost: $6 Sign up by August 8th so we can have a count for transportation Bring: Sack lunch, water bottle, and some spending $ if you choose Wear comfy clothes & shoes!
Sunday, August 15th @ 6PM Inside Out Campout (Oak Creek) Cost $3 (to cover food) Bring: sleeping bag, pillow, PJs, flashlight, Bible We will play games and watch a movie and have Smores & hotdogs Breakfast will be served in the morning. Starts at 6PM and parents can pick up at 8AM(if not spending the night parents can pick up @9PM) Bring a friend!
Tuesday, August 17th @5PM-8PM Family Night Swim @ Swanson Cool Pool (705 Railroad Street SE, Albany) Meet at Swanson Cool Pool Cost: 5yrs and under $2.50, 6-17yrs $3.25, Adults $4, observers $2.00 Must be accompanied by adult
Sunday, August 22nd @6PM Luau Party & Talent Show (Oak Creek) Sign up with Charity to be in the talent show! Bring: a snack to share with everyone!
Winners for our Buddy Barrel Decorating Contest will be announced Sunday! I will post pics of all the Buddy Barrels and the winners soon. Thanks to everyone who voted!
In Ministry Now, your kids discover that God wants to use them in ministry to help change people's lives. They'll learn that ministry begins by following Jesus. Even if it's not always fun or if they're afraid, kids can still please God by serving others in special ways.
What's the Point? I will serve God in every way I can!
Life Verse Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others. (1 Peter 4:10, NIV)
Sorry folks I haven't posted much lately. Lot's of new and exciting things happening in Oak Creek Kids that I want to briefly tell you about. I have good news and I have bad news for you...I will start with the good.
We have been growing in kids church in the past couple months. We have been consistently running 25-30 kids now. It is so exciting to me seeing that there has been steady growth since Scott and I first came to Oak Creek and had 10 kids my first week leading Kids Church. There have been so many great moments where kids are meeting Jesus and growing in their relationships. Woohoo!
The bad news is as more kids come into kids church a stronger need arises for us to have more leaders join us. As more kids attend that means less time for one on one connection time with each kid. Right now, it is just Scott and I leading the kids. Please pray with us as we look for a few people to partner with (And of course let me know if you feel you could and would like to be part of our team).
I also have exciting news....
In June we are launching something that is a huge passion in my heart and I can't wait to get started! We have started a kids ministry team called H2O for 2nd-5th grade kids. It's going to be amazing watching kids have opportunities to grow and serve!
Fill your buddy barrel and decorate and dress it however you want! Bring them in FULL on BGMC Sunday, June 13th for a fun contest!
We will be asking the adults to vote on the funniest, most creative, most beautiful and best overall decoration from June 13th-July 4th. Prizes for 1st, 2nd & 3rd in all categories! So be creative and have fun!
2 Tbs. Vegetable Oil 1⁄2 tsp. Black Pepper 1 lb. Boneless Chicken (cut into small bite size pieces) 1 lb. Pork (cut into small bite size pieces) 2 Cloves Garlic (minced) 1⁄2 c. Cider Vinegar 1⁄4 c. Soy Sauce 2 Tbs. Brown Sugar (firmly packed) Steamed Rice
Heat oil in a saucepan and add chicken, pork, and garlic. Cook until chicken and pork are light brown (about 5 minutes). Drain excess oil. Add black pepper, vinegar, soy sauce, and brown sugar. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes. Stir meat to cook evenly in the sauce. Serve with hot steamed rice.
Ingredients 3-4 carrots 1 large diced onion 21⁄2 lbs. of ground beef 1 c. short grain rice, uncooked 3-4 Tbs. KnorrDelik’at seasoning(we used a steak rub- pretty much the same spices in it) 1 Tbs. pepper 1 tsp. dill weed 2 eggs 2 small cans tomato sauce 1 bunch of fresh parsley, chopped
Directions Fill a large pot with a gallon and a half of water and bring to a boil. Add the diced carrots and onions. In a bowl, combine meat, rice, spices, and eggs. Roll meat mixture into one-inch balls. Place meatballs into boiling water. When meatball cook, sometimes foam floats to the top. Scoop out the foam with a spoon. After about 30 minutes, stir in the tomato sauce. Continue to cook soup over medium heat. Add more seasoning, if desired. Stir in parsley. Let simmer another 20 minutes.
Serves about 10 people. (We served about 24 a small cupful with one meatball each)
It's delicious but a couple kids thought it was a bit spicy, so, you could reduce the amount of pepper if you wanted it to be less peppery. :)
The country we will be learning about on Sunday morning is....Romania! Remember to bring your Buddy Barrels Kids!
On March 31st, @HighPoint Kids the kids met Missionary Tamara Henkes who is a kids missionary in Romania. We are excited to challenge the kids to a deeper level of giving to BGMC this Sunday.
Welcome travelers! Join us on a journey to Alaska’s Denali National Park where we’ll discover just how challenging climbing a mountain can be as we watch our crazy character attempt Mt. McKinley.
In Overcoming Disappointment, your kids will discover how to trust God and choose to do right when they feel disappointed. The patience and persistence they learn through disappointing times will also help them during rewarding times.
What's the Point? When I feel disappointed, I will trust in God!
Life Verse Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. (1 Peter 5:7, NIV)
Today was pretty emotional and packed with hands-on activities that hopefully helped your child really understand and realize just what Jesus chose to do for them on the cross. In fact this may provide a great opportunity for you to talk as a family about what Easter and the cross mean to you.
We retold the story of Easter using a great tool called "Resurrection Eggs." I highly recommend this as a great tool to tell the Easter story to kids and keep them interested and involved. I tweaked it a bit and here's my version of the Resurrection Eggs, which starts with the events that led up to Jesus' arrest, Crucifixion and rising from the dead three days later. You will need an empty egg carton and twelve colorful plastic Easter eggs.
Here is the list of items and explanation. You can make your own and do this at home if you would like.
Resurrection Eggs:
1- Bread or small cracker pieces – For the last meal Jesus ate with His friends (Passover) – Mark 14:22 or Luke 22:14
2- Three silver dimes – Judas takes 30 pieces of silver money from religious leaders then he helps soldiers identify Jesus. – Luke 22:3-5, Luke 22:47-52 and Matthew 26:14-15
3- Rooster (a picture of a rooster or a feather) – Jesus predicted that Peter would lie three different times and say he didn’t know Jesus before the rooster crowed. – Matthew 26:33
4- Thorns – People were mad that Jesus said He was the Son of God, so they made a crown of huge pointy thorns to put on His head to make fun of him being a "King". – Matthew 27:29-31 and Mark 15:17
5- Dice – When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes and played a game (cast lots)to decide who would get his clothes. – John 19:23-24
6- Nails – Jesus was nailed to a cross. They left Him hanging there until He died, even though He hadn’t ever done one thing wrong. – Matthew 27:31 and Luke 23:33 and Luke 23:40-41
7- The Cross – (a small metal or paper one will do- I made one with sticks and string). They placed his cross on a hill between two other men who were criminals. He took our place on the cross to die for our sins.
8- Spear (toothpick) – One of the soldiers pierced Jesus side.
9- Gauze or piece of white cloth – After Jesus died, His friends wrapped Him up with cloth and lay Him in a special cave, a tomb. Luke 23:53 and Matthew 27:57-60
10- Stone or a rock – The ones who had killed him put a large rock over the mouth of the tomb, the cave to make sure no one could get Jesus out. –Matthew 27:62-65 and Matthew 28:66
11- Cinnamon sticks (burial spices) – Three women brought special spices to anoint Jesus body. – Mark 16:1
12- Empty! – Three days later, the huge rock was moved and Jesus was gone from the tomb. An angel said He was alive again! This day is what we celebrate on Easter Sunday. – Luke 24:3,6 and Matthew 28:2-6
The kids watched this video while holding a large piece of ice in their hands, which reminded them of the suffering and pain Jesus went through. It's from a Dr's perspective...
Then kids were invited to taste vinegar to remind them of the bitterness of what Jesus would have gone through and what was offered to Him on the cross when He was thirsty.
We then talked about how just one mistake, one wrong thing done, one sin separates us from God... and the price of sin is death but because God loved each of us so much He sent His only Son to be the sacrifice for our sin. The sacrifice on the cross had to be one without sin, perfect. Jesus was "the perfect Lamb" and the only one able to take our place and be the sacrifice for our sin. Each one of us (I named each person in the room) We were the reason Jesus chose to sacrifice himself.
Kids then were invited to come up front to a wooden cross and write their names on a piece of paper. Then(with supervision of course)use a hammer and nail to pound their names into the Cross. Afterwards we wrote with red finger paint our names on poster boards, which reminded us that after asking Jesus to forgive us of sin our names are written in God's book because of Jesus blood covering our sins. Each child was then invited to have communion and a time of quiet reflection.
It was an amazing service with the kids, one I will not forget for a very long time. Ask your child about the service and what their favorite part was today!
Bananas, 1 per child Lime/lemon juice, 1⁄2 tsp. per banana Brown sugar, 1 tsp. per banana Heavy cream, 1 Tbs. per banana Spoons
Preheat oven to 350°. Place unpeeled bananas on a baking sheet or in a shallow pan. Bake for 20 minutes, until the skins are brown. Set the bananas on racks to cool. Make two slits along the length of each banana. Pull the peel back and remove a strip to reveal the fruit inside. Cut a slit along the length of the fruit. Use your fingers to open it slightly. Into the slit, sprinkle lime juice and brown sugar. Ladle one tablespoon of heavy cream over each fruit. Let children eat the fruit out of the peel using a spoon.
Although these are best when served warm and fresh, you can bake the bananas the night before. Do not cut open the skins until ready to serve.
Is the last week of True Love character trait lessons. We have a Valentine Crush look-a-like contest with prizes for anyone who wants to participate. Here's the link for Valentine Crush' bow tie in case your paper was lost or forgotten.
Ingredients 1 Medium sized fryer chicken 1 large onion sliced in rounds 1 large pepper (mild or hot depending on your taste) Several cloves of garlic, minced 3/4 cups of tomato sauce 3 tablespoons sugar Generous pinch of salt Lime or lemon Dash of oil
Directions 1. Wash chicken well and cut into pieces. Rub each piece with the lemon or lime and sprinkle with salt. 2. Heat oil in a heavy pan (cast iron is best, as the pan will then be placed in the oven). 3. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 F and fry the chicken pieces in hot oil. 4. While chicken is frying combine the garlic, sugar, tomato sauce and salt in a bowl. Mix well. 5. After a few minutes add the onion rounds and pepper rounds to the pan, stir well. 6. Within a few minutes the chicken should be well browned. Remove from heat, drain excess oil and add the tomato mixture. Stir well. 7. Place the entire pan in the oven and bake uncovered for 20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked completely. 8. Transfer cooked chicken to a platter and garnish with rounds of raw onion. 9. Tomato paste can be substituted for the sauce. Use 1/2 cup minus one tablespoon of paste. Add three tablespoons of water to the tomato mixture. 10. This dish goes well with diri blan (plain white rice) -- the sauce at the bottom of the pan can be poured on top of the rice.
Tastes similar to Chicken Catchitori! Yummy! All but one kid loved it and wanted seconds!
* In Kids Church we served the Chicken in sauce over plain white rice and minus the raw onion rounds.
On Valentines Day, BGMC Sunday we will be exploring the country of Haiti and learning about the organization Convoy of Hope. Should be very educational and thought provoking to all of us.
BGMC (Boys and Girls Missionary Challenge) is a Missions education program that instills a heart of compassion in kids by teaching them about the world around them and gives them an opportunity to make a difference by praying, giving, and going. BGMC Sunday is the second Sunday of every month.
Our BGMC goal for 2010 is $2,000! Be looking for the many fun ways we plan on using to raise the money this year.
HighPoint disciples your kids to become more like Jesus, one biblical character trait at a time while having fun and traveling to different destinations. We intentionally spend five weeks on each character trait emphasizing the main point and Bible verse every week so the kids truly “get it” and then are able to turn around and live it. And that’s what discipleship is all about, right? Each night is full of hands-on activities, crazy character skits, songs and interactive Bible stories. High Point Kids is character-building discipleship at its best—with Christ at the center.
This is the Theme we are on now:
What's the Point? I will choose to show love because God loves me!
Life Verse [Love] always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. (1 Corinthians 13:7,8, NIV)
The Praying Mantis- The importance of prayer in our lives
Decorated by Hayden Watts
Decorated by Addy Watts
Decorated by Kara Marks
Decorated by Joseph Dunn
Decorated by Shane Rush
Decorated by Makayla Hershfelt
Decorated by Addy Marks
Fill your buddy barrel and decorate and dress it however you want! Bring them in FULL on BGMC Sunday, June 13th for a fun contest!
The country we will be learning about on Sunday morning is....Romania! Remember to bring your Buddy Barrels Kids!
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On Valentines Day, BGMC Sunday we will be exploring the country of Haiti and learning about the organization Convoy of Hope. Should be very educational and thought provoking to all of us.
