Joy!

I’m VERY excited our virtue for December for KidStuf and K-4 Sunday School - JOY! We’ll define joy as finding a way to be happy, even when things don’t go your way. We’ll memorize Philippians 4:4 “Rejoice in the Lord always, I will say it again: Rejoice!” I’ve already been challenged by this verse and this virtue and we're only a week in. We have a reason to rejoice ALWAYS – we have a Savior who has redeemed us and loves us and is with us!

My sister and I often have to remind each other to “Choose Joy.” There are moments, sometimes days or weeks, when Joy is a choice. It just doesn’t always come naturally. I remember passing that little saying on to many of my campers when I was a counselor. “Choose joy” I’d remind them when they started to get homesick or they were bummed out about our next activity. We can make the choice to have God’s character and be joyful! What an impact our young ones can make in their schools if they head to class each day with a joyful attitude! I can’t wait to dive in and celebrate the JOY of Christmas!

Birthday Party for Jesus!

Mark your calendars! There's a party Sunday, December 5th at Faith Baptist Church that you will NOT want to miss! Join us for fun, festive games and crafts, and lots of cake and ice cream! Can't wait to see you there!

Who: Everyone's invited! All ages welcome!
What: Birthday Party for Jesus
When: Sunday, Dec. 5th 2-4pm
Where: Faith Baptist Church (1220 W. Madison St, Washington IA)
Why: Celebrate Jesus, the Name Above All Names

Contact me (Cari) with questions: faithcd@iowatelecom.net/653-4462

TrendSetters in November

This Wednesday, Nov. 3rd: Great music, Great games, and a GREAT message as we look at God’s Plan for our lives. Parents, we’ll be studying Jeremiah 29:11 and Psalm 47:8. Check these verses out with your students for some great discussions!

November, 10th—Operation Christmas Child:

Shopping Spree! We’ll be leaving the church at 6pm to go shopping for presents for Operation Christmas Child. Students can be picked up at the regular time—7:30 pm. Operation Christmas Child is a ministry of Samaritan’s Purse. It’s designed to demonstrate God’s love in tangible ways to needy children around the world. We’re excited to have our TrendSetters be a part of something that will touch the lives of young people across the globe. We’d love to put together as many boxes as possible. Please consider contributing to this special project. Any amount would be greatly appreciated. You can send cash or a check made out to Faith Baptist Church with your child to TrendSetters. Thank you! For more information on Operation Christmas Child, visit http://www.samaritanspurse.org/index.php/OCC/.

November 17th: More great music and games, and another look at God’s GREAT word for our lives. We’ll learn what God’s Word has to say about Overcoming Obstacles in our lives. God does have a plan for us, but it doesn’t mean that life won’t be tough. Parents, read Phillipians 3:13, 14 and James 1:2 with your child to discuss this topic.

November 23rd: Happy Thanksgiving! No TrendSetters.

Uniqueness - our Nov. Virtue for KidStuf & K-5 Sunday School

Bugville
If bugs creep you out, don't read this paragraph. Scientists know there are some 900 thousand different kinds of living insects. That's based on past and present studies. That's 900 thousand species that we KNOW about. Scientists can only guess at the true number of species of insects. Conservative estimates suggest there are 2 million kinds of insects. Other estimates are as high as 30 million. And that's just species of insects. Scientists say that on any given day, there are 10 quintillion individual insects alive and kicking. (That's 10 quintillion, with 19 zeroes.) That represents the largest biomass of animals that live on the land. That's about 300 pounds of insects for every pound of human flesh. And that doesn't include other "bugs" like arachnids (spiders), crustaceans (crabs, barnacles), and myriapods (centipedes, millipedes). Are you feeling outnumbered?

Bug-aphobes, start reading here. Whatever your personal feelings about bugs, all these creepy crawly creatures point to something remarkable: how much we DON'T know about them. Their total numbers, where the undiscovered ones live, what their role is in life. But what we DO know about them, even if that knowledge could fit on a speck on the freckle behind the knee of the very back leg of a centipede, underscores the marvelous diversity of creation and the fantastic imagination of their Creator. In short, knowledge of bugs, or anything God created, helps us better understand HIM.

In the same way, knowledge of OTHERS helps us better understand ourselves. Ever heard a five-year-old compare and contrast himself with a friend? "You like to make worms with the play dough, and I like to run over them with the car." A fifth-grade girl may want to wear lip gloss like her best friend, but she'll secretly note with satisfaction that it looks better on herself. Again, knowledge of others helps us better understand ourselves.

So, come November, we'll be talking about uniqueness (which is learning more about others so you can know more about yourself) and the fact that God made each of us unique. On purpose! By looking for the gifts and talents of other people, a kid can begin to appreciate everyone's importance in God's story, including his own. He can learn that it's okay, even good, to be different and that God made him with a unique blend of talents, abilities, and gifts for a reason. The same God who took the time to design each and every one of those 10 quintillion insects, in all their glorious variety, made each of us. That is truly remarkable.

Here're some things we think are important for kids to understand about themselves, about others, and about God's purpose for them when it comes to uniqueness:

God made everybody different. What is it that makes you stand out? God can use those differences to change lives, yours and others'. Deborah is an impressive case in point (Judges 4:1-24).

God made everybody a somebody. Most everybody has felt like a nobody at some point. Gideon sure did. But God had some big plans for Gideon (Judges 6:11--7:22).

God can use anybody to share His message, even a locust-eating man who lived in the wilds of the Judean desert. Who listens to you? What are your words and actions "telling" others about God? (Matthew 3:1-6)

God gave everybody special abilities. God not only created a package of talents and abilities just for you, He gives you "spiritual gifts" when you become a Christian (1 Corinthians 12:1-11).

We think this is going to be a great opportunity to help kids get to know themselves and others, and even more importantly, their heavenly Father and some of the things He may have planned for them.

"God saw all that he had made, and it was very good" (Genesis 1:31, NIV).

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

Parents, click here for a GREAT video on this month’s virtue. See you tomorrow night, everybody!

Love,
Cari

BEST Messy Game Night EVER - Wed, Oct 27th!

5th & 6th Graders - get ready for the BEST Messy Game Night Ever! Invite your friends for this crazy, fun event! You'll spend the whole evening playing gooey, sticky, slimy games! It's going to be a blast!

Pumpkin Party - Wed, Oct 27!!

Taking Initiative

We’re going to show INITIATIVE this month by seeing needs in our community and doing something about them!
There are people in Washington and the surrounding towns that don’t have the resources to eat or to provide food for their children. We're going to work with HACAP this month to provide food boxes to families. Each box will feed a family of four for three days. Your children will receive a list at Sunday School and at KidStuf of food items they can bring . We’re encouraging kids to bring one or more of these food items each Sunday morning and Wednesday evening this month. That’s INITIATIVE!!

INITIATIVE - New Virtue for October

All through October at Sunday School and KidStuf we’ll be talking about INITIATIVE. Initiative is the ability to act on your own. The enterprising spirit needed to take that first step. The ingenuity to imagine how to solve a problem. SEEING what needs to be done and DOING it.

We’ll be memorizing Philippians 2:4 - Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. What a great reminder for all of us! We’ll spend the whole month taking a look at Nehemiah – an incredible Bible character who showed great initiative.

Here are some things we think kids need to understand and start putting into practice when it comes to initiative, and each one of these is modeled in Nehemiah's life:

When there's a job to be done, first you have to see it. Nehemiah recognized there was a problem in Jerusalem (Nehemiah 1).

When there's a job to be done, don't wait for someone else to do it. Nehemiah stepped up to the plate, even though it wasn't his "job" (Nehemiah 2).

When there are people in need, don't wait for someone else to help them. Nehemiah did something about other people's problems (Nehemiah 5).

When you've done what YOU can do, trust God to do what He can do. Nehemiah consistently did everything he knew to do and relied on God to do the rest (Nehemiah 6; 8).

Click Here for a video about the importance of INITIATIVE. It's going to be an INCREDIBLE month!

We'll be taking INITIATIVE by seeing some needs in our community and meeting them. Check my next post for details.

Teaching Kids to Pray

I spend a good deal of time with junior high and high school students in our church. I'm always a little surprised and a lot disappointed when we're in a small group and none of the students are willing to pray out loud. Prayer is a tremendous gift, a treasure, and an honor. Praying in a group is by no means more meaningful or powerful than praying individually, but I would love to see children and youth so comfortable coming before the Father, that they are eager to pray whatever the occassion. Corporate prayer builds unity and allows us to encourage one another. We read in Acts 2:42 that the early church met often to pray together. Matt. 28:19-20 reminds us of the value of gathering two or more together to pray. It's a blessing for us to come before the Lord in a group as we pray together. I'd love to see the Children in our Children's Ministries learn to LOVE prayer!

The link below is to an article from Children's Ministry magazine that has a few great ideas for teaching your child how to pray. Blessings!

Teaching Kids to Pray - Children's Ministry

40 Days of Prayer & Fasting for our Nation

Have you heard of the Manhattan Declaration and signed it? A brief synopsis on this important document:

A CALL OF CHRISTIAN CONSCIENCE
Christians, when they have lived up to the highest ideals of their faith, have defended the weak and vulnerable and worked tirelessly to protect and strengthen vital institutions of civil society, beginning with the family. It was in this tradition that a group of prominent Christian clergy, ministry leaders, and scholars released the Manhattan Declaration on November 20, 2009 at a press conference in Washington, DC. The 4,700-word declaration speaks in defense of the sanctity of life, traditional marriage, and religious liberty. It issues a clarion call to Christians to adhere firmly to their convictions in these three areas.

Visit www.manhattandeclaration.org to read more and to sign the Declaration.

I can't help but think about the young children I work with and the significance of these real issues for their lives. We must do our part in seeing this nation return to the Lord and healed by the power of our great God.

Beginning at 7:14 am this morning, a group of Christians has begun 40 days of prayer and fasting for our nation. They will continue their fast and commitment to prayer until 7:14 am October 30. WOW!

"If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land." 2 Chronicles 7:14

Would you join me and many others across the country by committing to pray and consider some level of a fast as well? For more information on this, visit www.prayandact.org. Click here for a prayer guide that will help you know how and what to pray each day for 40 days. I will be using this prayer guide and spending time in prayer over the next 40 days, as well as fasting for a portion of each week.

Father God, we need you. You see how we have turned from you and the evil of our selfish and sinful desires has left us in a state of disarray. Please move in our country over the next 40 days as we commit to this prayer and fast. We love and trust you.

Brothers & Sisters are Precious Treasures

August, 2010 - Cari, James, Kelsey, Mike

My family is one of the greatest blessings in my life. I want to pour that blessing out as praise, and I hope this little glimpse into the importance of siblings will serve as an encouragement to you!

I count my siblings - Mike, James and Kelsey - among my best friends. I've looked up to my brother Mike my entire life. His faith during his high school years is what challenged me to make my faith real. The couple of years we spent in high school and then college together shaped my life tremendsously.

My brother James has the BEST heart - i admire him like crazy! He loves and cares about people and he has such integrity! My faith deepens just by being able to watch James love on young children. The years I spent with James during high school and college also molded me. Having conversations with my brothers on car rides to high school every morning and between Drake and home during college are dear memories. They may never admit it, but we shed tears together (ok, maybe most of the tears were mine), we laughed hysterically, we problem-solved, we reminisced, we prayed, we debated, we talked about life.

Then there's my Sister, the baby of the family, sweet sweet Kelsey Leigh. I think Mike, James and I would all be quick to admit that Kelsey's faith is a real challenge to us all. Her Savior Jesus is the love of her life and she is spending herself on behalf of making him known in her world. Wow! Kelsey is a prayer warrior and the best person to pour your heart out to because she's quick to always offer a biblical perpsective on life's trials.

...sorry for the long intro with lots of details on those three, once i started, i just couldn't stop...

Over the course of my life, I have been asked countless times "How is it that you and your siblings are so close?" or "What did your parents do to make you and your brothers and sisters end up liking each other?" I am not attempting to answer that question - none of us (neither my siblings nor my parents) would even begin to say that we somehow did something right to become the family we are. No - it's completely by the grace of God, a free and beautiful gift of God

Every family is formed and created by the grace of God, a free and beautiful gift of God, and it is only by His grace that we can develop meaningful and real relationships. The uniqueness of your family is a gift that should be treasured and cultivated.

With that said, I believe we should hold this priceless gift with both hands and treat it as the valuable gift that it is. My heart is blessed as I see brothers and sisters that enjoy one another and show each other respect. My heart breaks when I see brothers and sisters fostering hatred and bitterness towards one another.

Since brothers and sisters are in our lives forever, (whether the thought inspires or haunts you) we should pour extra effort into developing these forced relationships into chosen friendships. I think this means parents should reinforce the value of siblings to their kids, encouraging their togetherness with one another as much as possible.

Pastor Harald has mentioned a few times lately that we're quick to write people's sinful tendencies off as "the way they are." Saying, "Oh so and so has always been like that and there's nothing we can do about it." In doing so, we neglect the reality that through Jesus we have the power to overcome the old self. All too often it seems we assume that children have a natural disdain for one another that there is nothing we can do about, so we ignore it and cross our fingers hoping they'll grow out of it one day. That makes me nervous.

I want to do my part to encourage the children in my world to LOVE and CHERISH their brothers and sisters as beloved gifts from their Father God. That means I won't listen to their complaints and unkind words about siblings without reminding them of the blessing in the trials. It means I'll work to cultivate sibling relationships by creatively designing opportunities for them to work together and enjoy each other's unique gifts.

There are so many GREAT examples within our Kids of Faith ministries of siblings that treasure each other - that does my heart a whole lot of good!

Weigh in on this for me - parents, what steps do you take to encourage your children to have great friendships?

how to leave comments

Your feedback is SO VALUABLE to me. I really do LOVE hearing from you! Anytime you're browsing through this blog, please take a second to leave a comment and let me know what you're thinking.

It can be a little tricky, so let me explain...
Click on the title of the article, so the article will appear on its own page. Below the article you'll see a space to leave comments. Type your comment and be sure to add your name to the bottom of the comment. Next you'll choose from a drop down menu next to "Comment as". Choose "Anonymous." It will ask you to type the letters that you see appear for security purposes. Type the letters, and then click Post! It's that simple!

Can't wait to hear from you!

How to Communicate?

hi Parents!

I want to hear from you! It's really important to me to make sure you are always well informed about what is going on with Kids of Faith ministries at Faith Baptist Church. If you were at our KidStuf or TrendSetters kick-off last week, you'll know I asked "What's the best way to communicate with you?" I'd love to hear some feedback on this. Let me know how you'd like to hear about what we have going on.

Email, Text, Phone Calls, Mail...what's your preffered method of communication? Leave a comment below and let me know!

Cari

GREAT new resource for parents

Hey Moms & Dads -

Check out www.orangeparents.org for some great information and encouragement. The site is called "orange" parents because it's based on the strategy that families (red) plus the church (yellow) can combine influences to make a greater impact on the lives of children. Families and churches are able to make significant influences standing alone, but the influence of the two combined is powerful!

God Sightings Continued...

Wednesday, August 4 cont'd...
God has opened doors for us to serve our schools in some neat ways this summer! My legs are still sore from pulling weeds at Stewart last week, but I'm really thankful for the chance to serve. I spent two hours Monday morning with Kids of Faith pulling weeds at the front of the school for Summer Serve, and another 3 on Wednesday with some team members from FaithWorks. GOD SIGHTING #3: At first it's hard to see where God is at work when I'm pulling weeds, but I'm pretty sure he was right there, cheering on our efforts. It's really important for me to have GREAT relationships with our elementary schools, and I want to build their trust and respect by proving that I care deeply about the needs of our schools and I'm always eager and available to meet needs. Chad Hippen and Janel Brush were able to greet many teachers and school staff by name as they came in and out of the building, and chat with Principal Harris about our mission trip. Thanks Lord for letting us serve Stewart!

GOD SIGHTING #4: Wednesday evening may have been the most significant part of the trip for me. I saw God at work everywhere! I saw His hands blessing the work of our hands as we made our way from the church parking lot down to Lot 28 in the trailer court and served dinner to our dear neighbors at Parkside Estates. Tears flood my eyes as I try to put words to these memories...God was there. God is there. (It's a good thing I had no time for mascara this morning, I'd be a mess :). For the last year, a team of high school students has walked the trailer court once a week with P. Tony praying for opportunities to love these people and asking God to move in their lives. I firmly believe that those prayers laid the foundation for what was an incredible evening of ministry! We set up a tent, a few tables and LOTS of walking tacos and cupcakes. Within no time, the doors of those dark trailers were opened and out came our neighbors to fellowship with us over dinner. We had no idea what to expect as we knocked on doors and invited them to join us, but God did! We had around 75 people come and eat and chat with our church family. Were there barriers? Oh yes - language and lifestyle like to keep us apart, but no barrier too big for God to bridge!

We fed young children who had been left to fend for themselves for the evening, we fed teenage moms who were scared of what the future held, we fed broken families trying to make sense of life, we fed young men searching for hope in all the wrong places. GOD was there allowing broken human beings to serve each other. Our high school students befriended high schoolers they had never spent time with before and invited them to be a part of our actities. Men from FBC befriended men in need of hope and invited them to join in on the roofing project the next day. I hope the picture in my mind of all of us gathered on Lot 28 never escapes me. It's a beautiful image of what the church should be.

God Sighting #5: After dinner, we walked around 25 children up to the church yard for a water balloon fight. Another image i never want to leave...Students and adults from our church walking hand in hand through the trailer court with our neighborhood children. Children are so precious to the Lord! My heart is so full of love for those dear boys and girls! I was SOO blessed to get to pour love into their little hearts for a few short moments that evening. I AM SO GRATEFUL that we did a local missions trip, because all i have to do to follow up with these children and families is hop up from the comfort of my office and make my way down a few hundred yards to their homes! PRAISE THE LORD!! I'm praying for direction on how to continue our ministry to these kids. God is good!

more to come...

FaithWorks - God Sightings #1 & 2

It seems it would be only natural to come to my computer completely exhausted this morning after a long, hard week of serving my community. Quite the opposite is true, however - I'm so energized after seeing God work in amazing ways through my church family! I don't want to forget a single memory of being in awe of the ways God worked...so I'm writing them here to share with you. I call them "God Sightings" - I saw him all over the place last week. Check it out...

Tuesday, August 3
God Sighting #1: We needed water, LOTS of water for FaithWorks. We were planning to hand it out at the Farmers Market, at dinner for our neighbors in Parkside Estates, at Celebrate Washington, and we needed it on hand to keep our work crews hydrated. In a morning meeting with two other pastors in town, Pastor Harald was told there were 1,000 bottles of water in the basement of a local eye clinic that the Dr. was hoping to give away to a good cause. WOW!!! That was God at work already!! I was awfully thankful it saved me a midnight run to Hy-Vee with my hubby!

Wednesday, August 4
Started the morning with a prayer walk with two junior high girls. God Sighting #2: God was with us as we walked the streets. HE opened our eyes to needs in our community that we never seem to see while driving...families saying goodbye to soldiers, children being raised in poverty, lives being destroyed by alcohol addictions. As we walked, I asked God to show us opportunities to minister to people...he answered and my eyes were opened, and my brain is spinning with ideas (more to come...:).

Okay, signing off for a short time...LOTS of God Sightings on the way. Check back in a few hours. :)

FaithWorks - Love you Washington

I can't wait for tomorrow morning! Our church will embark on "FaithWorks" - a mission trip to our hometown of Washington. I so desperately want the love of Christ to be known by every person, young and old, in this city. I pray that the Lord uses our service to change lives in Washington this week. I love Washington! Check it out...

Washington Church Chooses Hometown for Mission Trip Destination

Members of Faith Baptist Church in Washington, IA will spend the next four days on a mission trip in their hometown.

“We want to show love to the community we call home,” says Pastor Harald Gruber. “We’ve had some great experiences on mission trips all over the country and world, but we’ve decided this year we want to invest our time and resources right here in Washington.”

A group of over 30 individuals will begin this trip, called “FaithWorks”, tomorrow morning and continue through the end of the day Saturday. One FaithWorks team will roof a house, paint a house, and repair a front porch.

“As I was walking through my neighborhood one day, I realized a house that could really use a new roof,” Gruber said. “We want to show families in Washington we care about their needs, so we’re providing all of the supplies and labor to give this family a new roof.”

Another FaithWorks team will prepare meals for the Tree of Life Clinic, serve dinner to the church’s neighbors in Parkside Estates, hand out free waters and cookies at the Farmer’s Market, garden and clean at Stewart and Lincoln Elementary, and provide volunteers for Main Street Washington’s Celebrate Washington event on Saturday.

“We want all of our FaithWorks projects to show the people in our community that we love and care about them,” Gruber said. “We’ve been given life and love through what Jesus did for us on the cross, and we want to constantly share that love with others.”

“I Love Washington” is written across the front of the t-shirts that FaithWorks team members will wear throughout the trip.