Discipline – 1st-5th Grade Big Idea for January

Step It Up

Less is more. We're fond of saying that around here. And much of the time, we're more effective living by it. But sometimes MORE is more. Want a voluminous vocabulary? Read more. Want to nail the lines for your part in a sketch? Rehearse more. Want to master the "Cha Cha Slide" (like for January's large group, grades 4-5)? Practice more. You get the drift. And just like you need to lift more if you want bigger biceps, you need to do some things more if you want to know God better, like:

Read His Book. Can you think of a more foundational, first-step way to get to know Him? Plus, "God has breathed life into all of Scripture. It is useful for teaching us what is true. It is useful for correcting our mistakes. It is useful for making our lives whole again. It is useful for training us to do what is right" (2 Timothy 3:16, NIrV). What better example of the importance of engaging in God's Word than Jesus as a 12-year-old in the temple? (Which happens to be the Bible story for week 1.)
Remember His words. "By using Scripture, a man of God can be completely prepared to do every good thing" (2 Timothy 3:17, NIrV). Jesus showed us (particularly that time He was tempted in the wilderness) we not only need to (Step 1) read God's Word, we need to (Step 2) memorize it, internalize it, and take it to heart so that we'll be ready for whatever comes our way.
Talk to Him. "Don't worry about anything. Instead, tell God about everything. Ask and pray. Give thanks to him" (Philippians 4:6, NIrV). To get to know someone and to strengthen your relationship with that person, you have to talk him or her, right? It's the same way with God. You gotta talk to Him. This week (week 3) will help kids better understand Jesus' answer when one of the disciples asked Him how to pray.
Talk about Him with your friends. "I pray that you will be active in sharing what you believe. Then you will completely understand every good thing we have in Christ" (Philemon 1:6, NIrV). Saying what you believe out loud helps solidify your beliefs. Could this be one reason Jesus asked the disciples, "But who do YOU say I am?" (The story for week 4.)
Make Him more important than anything. "Worship the Lord your God. He is the only one you should serve" (Deuteronomy 6:13a, NIrV). This week (week 5) we'll be taking a look at what Jesus said about "the widow's mite" and how it helps us to worship the only one we should serve.

These are all priorities and habits -- disciplines -- that can help us (A) get to know God better and (B) grow stronger. Kids need to understand that they don't have to wait till they're older to get to know God; God wants them to start now. He's ready to help them, every step of the way, NOW. So this January, 252 Basics is designed to help kids see how discipline, which is doing what you need to do now so you can grow stronger, can help strengthen their relationship with God.
But that's not all. Because SOMETIMES more IS more. So in addition to helping kids understand and experience discipline as a godly virtue, each week in January will also offer practical experiences in the 5 Faith Skills we think every kid should master:

1. Navigate the Bible (survey and locate)
2. Personalize Scripture (memorize and apply)
3. Dialogue with God (public and private)
4. Articulate faith (share and defend)
5. Worship with your life (praise and give)

So get your shoes on, lace up, and let's step it up.
 

By Melanie Williams. © 2010 The reThink Group * www.rethinkgroup.org * All rights reserved. Used by permission.

Compassion – 1st-5th Grade Big Idea for December

Shake This Planet

What kid can resist it? A fist-sized glass orb filled with water and white particles, enclosing a miniature scene of a favorite vacation spot, Mickey Mouse®, or Christmas. Some play music, some stick to your fridge, others are inflatable yard decorations, but whatever their size or shape, snow globes are fascinating. Maybe it's the appeal of an enclosed world protected from outside danger, or maybe it's the power to really shake things up.
Which is what happened when God sent Jesus to this planet. What is that verse about the world groaning? "We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time" (Romans 8:22, NIV). Think about what was going on at the time. For example, slavery was a common and widely accepted practice throughout the ancient world. By the time Jesus was born, one out of three people in the heart of the Roman Empire was a slave. One-third! One of every five people elsewhere on the globe was enslaved. In fact, the Roman economy (among others) was based on slave labor. Some Bible scholars and other historians suggest that the world was nearing a tipping point, that when the enslaved population is greater than the free, civilization becomes unsustainable. But God looked down and shook the planet. "You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly" (Romans 5:6, NIV). He came to set us free, from the most profound slavery, the perfect illustration of God's compassion for us.
So this December, 252 Basics will revolve around Jesus' birth as a perfect example of God's compassion, which is caring enough to do something about someone else's need. Specifically:

Week 1: God saw our need. You have to SEE a need before you can DO anything about it. Compassion requires us to look and see, too. God saw our greatest need. Whose needs do you see?
Week 2: God sent His Son, even though it would cost Him. Compassion costs us something, too. God gave us the greatest gift. What will you give?
Week 3: God gave us hope when He sent us a Savior. Compassion is contagious; it spreads hope. God gave us great news. Who will you tell?
Week 4: God laid bare His great love for us when He gave us Jesus. Compassion demonstrates God's love when we show it for others. God showed the world His love. How will you show the world?

When we work together to show compassion, we can make a difference in this world. So shake it up!

By Melanie Williams. © 2009 The reThink Group * www.rethinkgroup.org * All rights reserved. Used by permission.

Network - 1st-5th Grade Giving Project

This month with 1^st-5^th graders we are talking about cooperation: working together to do more than you can do alone. Your child is taking home a wrist band today that will remind him of our Big Idea for the month of November and our ministry project – Bed Nets for Life. When we heard about the project Covenant Work Relief is doing to protect children from malaria in the Congo, we knew we wanted to be involved! No one person can supply mosquito nets to all the children in the world who need them – it’s an undoable task! So this month we are going to work together with children and churches all over the country to raise money to purchase as many nets as we can for children. The cost is $10 a net. For more information go to www.covchurch.org/cwr

We are asking you to help your children come up with ideas about how they can raise money to be a part of giving back to others. Maybe you can brainstorm ways the entire family can help. Anything you come up with together will make an impression on your child and can help him or her understand that God wants us to work together – because sometime He wants to do something big and miraculous through all of us.

Our goal as a group is to raise $800 over the next 6 weeks. This will purchase 80 nets for Covenant World Relief to distribute to child in mosquito-infested areas of the Congo where malaria is rampant.

We appreciate all of your support! Please contact us if you have any questions.

Cooperation – 1st-5th Grade Big Idea for November

Net Work

"It had taken fifty-two days. When all our enemies heard the news and all the surrounding nations saw it, our enemies totally lost their nerve. They knew that God was behind this work" (Nehemiah 6:15, THE MESSAGE).

Doing the undoable takes more than me.

"But Moses' hands got tired. So they got a stone and set it under him. He sat on it and Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on each side. So his hands remained steady until the sun went down. Joshua defeated Amalek and its army in battle" (Exodus 17:12-13, THE MESSAGE).

Look for ways to help somebody succeed.

"When they couldn't find a way in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof, removed some tiles, and let him down in the middle of everyone, right in front of Jesus" (Luke 5:19, THE MESSAGE).

Friends who trust God work together to change lives.

"The Israelites completed all the work, just as God had commanded. Moses saw that they had done all the work and done it exactly as God had commanded" (Exodus 39:42-43, THE MESSAGE).

Work together to get God's work done.

A government worker turned builder and a pitiful collection of refugees. A couple of "right-hand men" ... and a pitiful collection of refugees. Some guys who just wanted to help a friend. And, a pitiful collection of refugees. These are the people we're going to be talking about in November as we focus on cooperation: Nehemiah, Aaron and Hur, some friends of a paralyzed man, and a ragtag bunch called the Israelites. They were your average Joes, really, beset by everyday kinds of problems, but they all tackled some God-given task that other people might have considered a little crazy, they did everything they could think of to make it a success, they leaned on God throughout the process and trusted Him with the results, and they did it together. As a result, they were able to do more than they could've done on their own.

Which is what we have in mind by suggesting the ministry project that we have for November and December: raising funds to purchase mosquito nets for children living in mosquito-infested areas of the world. Wouldn't it be great if we could all work together to help end malaria? What a way for kids to see God at work, making the undoable possible, and letting them take part! But, whatever "net work" you choose and whatever "network" you're a part of, the important thing is to do what God's given you to do and to let kids have a hand in it. 

 

By Melanie Williams. © 2009 The reThink Group * www.rethinkgroup.org * All rights reserved. Used by permission.

1st Grade Bible Presentation – November 22

On Sunday, November 22, we will be presenting 1^st graders with new Bibles during the 9:00 am service in the main sanctuary. We are able to do this every year through a memorial fund established by the Tom and Margaret Melander family to remember their son, Michael. I am thrilled to be a part of this wonderful way to bless children and families. God expresses in Deuteronomy 6:19 how important it is for families to be teaching children how to live life His way and they are to do this using His Word. I value and cherish the time my own children have studied God’s Word with their own Bibles. As a parent, you will be able to use this Bible to help lead your child’s spiritual development; and, partnered with the wonderful volunteer leaders in the children’s ministry programs at Arvada Covenant Church, children will grow up to know they can trust God, no matter what. His Word will show them how to make wise choices – God’s choices.

John Mullis,

Children’s Ministry Director                                                                                                                                                                                                                             

We’ll be sending more information to parents of 1st graders within the next week.

Love and Logic Parent Solutions 10.24 at Arvada Covenant Church

From the brochure:

Who should attend:

• Parents with kids of all ages
• anyone who works with kids or…adults who act like kids

What you will learn:

• How to handle defiance and backtalk
• How to increase your child’s motivation to do well in school
• How to handle misbehavior in public
• And much, much more!

Presenters: Jim Fay and Dr. Charles Fay

Location: Arvada Covenant Church

Date: Saturday, October 24, 2009

Times: Morning: 9:00 am – 12:00pm, Creating Respectful and Responsible Kids

Afternoon Session: 1:00pm-4:00pm, Parenting Toddler and Preschoolers

Cost: $30/person/session 

Parenting Session Details

While this seminar is not officially hosted by Arvada Covenant Church, we do approve of what the Love and Logic guys teach. If you want to learn more about being an effective parent, this seminar could be very helpful to you.

Individuality – 1st-5th Grade Big Idea for October

Body Building

Geeks. Jocks. Brainiacs. Skaters. The Pretty Committee. Were you a member of one of these crowds? Maybe you carried a membership in THE group, the one that everyone wanted to join. Interesting, isn't it, that no matter how old we are when we join a "club," whether we give it a name or not, that group of people eventually helps us discover who we are or aren't? We discover our likes and dislikes, strengths and weaknesses, how we are similar and how we stand out, whether we belong to that group or need to move on.
But being an individual is more than just discovering how we are like someone else or different from others - at least for believers it is. Being an individual is also about how our heavenly Father designed us to make a difference in this world. God, the master Architect, has a master plan in which He is weaving together all our character traits and experiences in order to shape and mold us into the people He wants us to become, and He's doing this with each of us, twining our lives together in ways that are intricate, beautiful, and mind-boggling.
So in October we'll be talking about individuality, discovering who you are meant to be so you can make a difference. We'll introduce kids to some not-so-well-known individuals, each of whom made a difference in the lives of people around them:

Week 1: THE Onesimus because when you belong to God, you can make a difference.
Week 2: THE Epaphroditus because when you take care of others, you can make a difference.
Week 3: THE Dorcas because when you use what you have to help others, you can make a difference.

And we'll wrap up the month with a look at some verses in 1 Corinthians about how we're one body with many parts: when you do your part, you can make a difference.

Check the weekly Refrigerator Door Cards and GodTime Cards for more information on the content of each weekly lesson.

Wisdom - 1st-5th Grade Big Idea for September

What's more precious than jewels but available to all who seek it? Screams to get your attention but eludes you if you ignore it? Has a definite starting point but knows no end? Here's a hint:

YES! It's wisdom, which is finding out what you should do and doing it. God says if you accept His words and store up His commands inside you, tune your ear to wisdom and apply your heart to understanding, call out for insight and search for it as you would for hidden treasure, then you will find out how to know Him. He is the one who gives wisdom, knowledge, and understanding, the one who stores up success for His followers, the one who shields them from harm, guards their paths, and leads them in the right direction. (See Proverbs 2:1-11. In fact, see all of Proverbs for a whole trove of the treasures of wisdom.) Put that way, who in his right mind wouldn't dig wisdom? Dig for wisdom? Dig and dig for wisdom?
So in September, we'll be on the hunt for gems of wisdom, helping kids understand that God wants to give you wisdom. Wisdom is worth searching for. If you want to be wise, hang out with wise people. And wisdom is knowing AND doing.
So get your shovel out and let's go dig for wisdom. It's worth it.

Check the weekly Refrigerator Door Cards and GodTime Cards for more information on the content of each weekly  lesson.

Love - 1st-5th Grade Big Idea for August

Do You Feel the Luuuv?
How does that Beatles' song go? "All you need is love ..." When you think about it, just about everything we do with or for others boils down to love. Which, of course, doesn't come as a surprise to God-followers, the Creator of love. He IS love, after all (1 John 4:16), and the reason we can love at all: because He loved us first (1 John 4:19). Jesus said THE most important commandment is to love God and to love Him with all we've got. When we do that, we'll love others--the second most important commandment. The second most important, yes, but so closely aligned with the first that it's impossible to split the two. John put it this way: "If anyone says, 'I love God,' yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen ... Whoever loves God must also love his brother" (1 John 4:20-21, NIV). And so on that one "peg" (love God/love others) hang ALL the commandments--the 10 Commandments, the Mosaic Law, and the 600 or so laws the Pharisees added to it.
So in August, Launch!1st-5th grade will focus on love, which is choosing to give someone your time and friendship no matter what. We'll begin with the time the Pharisees got their heads together in an attempt to trick Jesus and His reply (which also happens to be our memory verse for the month, Matthew 22:37-39). When you love God, you'll love others.
The second week of August will be all about what takes "first place" and the fact that when you love others, you give them your time, as Jesus pointed out when He visited Mary and Martha (Luke 10).
In week 3, everything will revolve around Jesus' parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15): When you love others, you're quick to forgive.
Week 4 we'll focus on what Jesus told Peter after His resurrection (John 21). When you love Jesus, you'll treat others the way He does.
In week 5, we'll depart from the norm and examine a "faith skill," the faith skill of prayer (dialoguing with God, both public and private). Jesus modeled all kinds of principles about prayer for us. But ultimately, He showed us that talking to God changes things.

Serving Spots - opportunities to connect at ACC

Forgiveness - 1st-5th Grade Virtue for July

Letting Go
Buckets are a fantastic invention. Simple genius, really. There's almost no end to what you can put in a bucket: big or little things, a lot or a few things, good or bad things. There's no doubt buckets are useful. But what goes IN the bucket is key. We put things in buckets that we need to carry around with us. Soapy water and tools are two things I think of right away.

Emotionally speaking, sometimes we put things that we don't want to let go of, burdensome things, as often as not, like pain, hurt, disappointment, and disillusionment. And we tend to accumulate those things, adding them to the bucket until we need a bigger bucket or multiple buckets. We may even dedicate our buckets, labeling them with people's names, especially if they keep on doing us wrong. Eventually we are trapped, weighed down emotionally by buckets we can't seem to let go of. We can't move on, enjoying relationships to their fullest and participating with both hands in enjoyable and worthwhile activities, till we let go of the bucket, till we forgive. Forgiveness is all about letting go of the bucket. It may have to be done on a gradual basis, even intentionally done every day. But when you let go of your bucket, you are then free to jump in with both hands and feet and live as God intended!

So this month, we are focusing on forgiveness, which is deciding that someone who has wronged you doesn't have to pay.

We started off with Jesus' parable of the unmerciful servant (Matthew 18): since God forgives you, you should forgive others.
Week 2 was all about Jesus and Zacchaeus (Luke 19) and the fact that when people are forgiven, it can change them.
In week 3 we'll be talking about getting even God's way and what Joseph did when faced with the opportunity for revenge (Genesis 45). When you want to get even, do the opposite.
And we'll end the month with "go first," what Jesus said about forgiveness in Matthew 5: don't wait to start making things right with others.

Forgiveness is important! Teach your children to love back, not pay back.  That's Jesus' way.