Are you stretching?

The second parable in our series for Wednesday nights is the Parable of the Talents.  The memory verse is "Each of you has been blessed with one of God's many wonderful gifts to be used in the service of others.  So use your gift well." 1 Peter 4:10.  God wants us to do our best with the talents He gives us!  We focused on the fact that although we don't always have everything we want, God expects us to do the best with what we have!  We played a game where the kids were broken up into teams and had to only what they had on them to stretch from one side of the room to the other side.  They could use their sweatshirts, sneakers, shoelaces and even belts but that was all!  It wasn't very easy and they really had to use their minds and work together to make it.  It's really hard to have a bag with everything in it that we need, but God has given us a "bag" that we can carry that is full of our talents and gifts!  We may have different talents but no matter what you can do, that ability is a gift from God and He wants us to do our best with what He has given us!

Getting started!  What can we use?

We did it!

What else can we use?

Working together!

Are you using your talents?  What can you do to stretch what God has given you?

What does Jesus mean?

On Wednesday nights, we have started a new study!  We are studying Jesus' parables.  The first one we covered was the focused on was The Parable of the Yeast in Mathew 13:33.  We learned how a little bit of yeast can spread through a lot of flour...and in turn how we can grow in Him.  We made a Spiritual Growth chart and looked at where we are in our love for God, our service to God and how we can grow because when we grow closer to God, the kingdom of God is growing!  God grows His kingdom in amazing ways-like in us!  Our memory verse for this parable was "But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" 2 Peter 3:18.  The following photos show the kids working on their memory verse.  They had a great time hunting down their set of balls and arranging them into the correct word order!

So what do Noah's Ark, markers, play-doh and shaving cream have in common?

Kidz Zone on Wednesday nights!!!!!!

The past few weeks we have been talking about the story of Noah's Ark.  We have used many different means to explore this amazing story of prayer, belief, God's love and His promise!  As a group, we told the story one sentence at a time.  The kids had some hilarious descriptions about this story...and the best part-if one kid skipped a part in the story another one jumped in next and let us know we missed something.  The kids all had an awesome time telling us adults the story:)  After our story time, the kids all had a chance to draw a mural of their view of Noah's Ark.  Take a stroll through the Kidz Zone hallway and see their vision!

The kids also had an opportunity to talk about what some of Noah's prayer concerns were at that time...some of their responses-land, safety, food!  They certainly know what they are talking about:)  The kids then used play-doh to create something in their life that they wanted prayer about at that time. And in small groups, our older kids led them in prayer.

Shaving cream in Kidz Zone?  What?  Okay, so we played Shaving Cream Pictionary to close out our Noah's Ark lessons!  The kids had a blast using shaving cream to draw pictures for their team to guess what they were drawing.  Of course, there was just as much shaving cream on faces as there was on the trash bags on the walls:)

What an awesome time!  Next up...studying the Parables of Jesus!  What will we get into next?  Stay tuned or better yet...join us as a Kidz Zone Volunteer:)

Wow!

Oh my!  Where has the time gone?  I can't believe that summer has come, gone and we are now heading in to Fall!!!  We have a lot of exciting things happening in Kidz Zone this month.  The first serving opportunity for the kids is the Walk-A-Thon that we have coming up this Saturday, October 15!  We will be walking at Springettsbury Park to raise money for the New Life Children's Home in Guatemala so that they can have an extra special Christmas!  So, if you are already sign up, make sure you are raising some money!!!  If you aren't signed up already, it isn't too late!  Sign up at Sign up Central this week:)  We also have the first ever Family Fall Festival happening on Saturday, October 29th from 1:00 pm-4:00 pm.  Sign up to host a game and have a blast with your family and friends:)  If you can't sign up for a table, bring you friends, family and neighbors for just a fun afternoon!  We can't wait to see all of you out there having a fun time with friends and family:)  Keep your eyes open for some more great opportunities for you and your family!

Want to be a part of the fun future of Kidz Zone?  Join us for an informational meeting about Kidz Zone on Saturday, November 5 from 9:00 am-11:00am in the Ezra classroom.  Donuts and fruit will be provided.  Come on over and see what's coming up!

What will YOU do this summer?

Yesterday, June 19th, Jose and Nikki Portillo, Chad and Katrina Davies, Mark and I dropped our total of 4 girls off for their first "week" of camp, Lorayne Minneman, Sofia Portillo, Kara Davies and Leah Davies.  We drove down to Indian Lake Christian Service Camp www.indianlakecamp.org in Darlington, MD.  They are attending the Ice Breakers Camp and we will be picking them up Weds. morning.  While there they will be meeting and playing with children from other churches, having sword drills (Bible races), memorizing scripture, worshiping through song and dance, and deepening their friendships with each other God.  I am so excited about the experience they are all going through in the next couple of days.  Please pray for them as they are all there and away for the first time.

Leah Davies, Kara Davies, Sofia Portillo, Lorayne Minneman

Here they are hanging out on their beds after getting their stuff unpacked!

They are all ready for the parents to leave so they can start their fun!

Last sight of them, posing outside their "purple cabin, Capernaum with one of their dorm "Aunts," Cindy.

Outside FUN!!!!!!

What a FUN night!!!  We started the night with sidewalk chalk writing "God Loves you" around the parking lot and behind all the cars to share God's Love with the adults attending service tonight:)  The kids had such a great time sharing God's Love this way and it was so much fun to watch them find new places to write!

After our sharing time, we played Star Hopscotch.  It was all about having fun while obeying directions.  When God speaks to us, we are expected to listen and if required ACT:)

After Star Hopscotch, we played Toe-Tack-Tick!  It was a life-size version of Tic-Tac-Toe.  The kids broke up into 4 teams of 3.  So we had 2 team X's and 2 team O's.  The teams of 3 then had to work together to figure out where to play so that they could win the game.  They had to choose what square the were going to stand in to win. This game is all about making choices. 

Proverbs 2:6 says "For the Lord gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding."  After the game, we sat down and  discussed "How did you choose to move where you did in this game?"  The kids had many answers, such as, ask team, look at board, etc.  We also discussed "How is this like making choices in life?" The kids again had many answers, such as, ask friends, ask God, etc.  Last we discussed "What should we ask God for when we need to make choices in life?" The kids answered with wisdom, based on Proverbs 2:6.

We have been focusing our Weds night games on working together, since we can't work alone in the Body of Christ!  And we are having FUN doing it:)

Working Together!

This past Weds night in Kidz Zone we played some games and learned about working together as a whole and why that's important in the body of Christ!

One of the games we played "Sitting Circles" helped us learn that everyone is important in the Kingdom of God:)  1 Corinthians 12:27 says "Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it."

In this game, the kids learned to count on others...they couldn't do their part without working with the kids around them!  Every man, woman and child is important to make the body of Christ work in the best way possible!

JESUS IS ALIVE!!!!

Easter Sunday back in Kidz Zone was so much fun!  We talked about being alive in Christ Jesus because of His resurrection or being dead in our sins!  We sang about how amazing God's love is, the One Way and the kids favorite song...Romans 16:19~which says "The God of Peace will soon crush satan, God will crush him underneath His feet!"  This is what happened that beautiful Easter morning many years ago, when Jesus rose again, satan was crushed:) 

We also had some fun outside with cascarones!  Cascarones are a Spanish tradition in which an egg is cleaned out and confetti is put inside.  On Easter morning, you take the eggs, crush them, throw the confetti in the air and yell "Jesus is Alive!"  We had so much fun celebrating the Living Jesus!

Getting ready to "open the tomb"

Hallelujah!  The tomb is empty!  JESUS IS ALIVE!!

The Easter Pageant That Almost Wasn't

Palm Sunday, Kidz Zone put on the Easter Program, "The Easter Pageant That Almost Wasn't."  It was a great show with a lot of laughs and great performances!  The kids worked so hard and had so much fun with it.  They also learned that Easter isn't about the Easter Bunny, chocolate bunnies or pretty clothes!  It is about Jesus loving us so much that He died on the cross to save us~BUT thankfully the story doesn't end there!  He rose again so we can live with Him forever:)

Who is the driver of your life?

This week was our band week...and I just want to give a shout out to our band members, Jose Portillo, Norm Jones and Mark Minneman.  They are doing an awesome job and the kids are having a blast rockin' out with them every other week!

This week we continued our study of the Lord's Prayer in Kid Worship.  We have reached the part "May your kingdom come and what you want be done, here on Earth as it is in heaven."~Matthew 6:10.  We talked about letting God have control of our lives, and not to be a back seat driver!  Someone has to be the driver of our lives, and it should be GOD!  Trying to tell God how life should be, just gets confusing and can be dangerous.  We don't need to be backseat drivers because God knows what is best for us!

The Easter Program that Almost Wasn't

Wow...it is time to get ready for Easter!  The YCC Kidz Zone Easter Program "The Easter Program that Almost Wasn't" will be April 17th at 6:30pm.  Come on out and support the YCC Kidz!

What's in a Name?

Good afternoon!

The past couple of weeks back in Kidz Zone we have been learning about prayer...BUT not just any prayer...The Lord's Prayer!  We are learning how to pray it and why Jesus taught it to us in Matthew 6:9b-13.

This past week we were focusing on the second line..."hallowed by your name."  So that it is easier for the children to understand, we are using a version that says "may your name always be kept holy."  We talked about how most names have other meanings, for example...Michael and Michelle mean "Who is Like God?," Sofia means "wise," Carmen means "song," Christina means "follower of Christ," and Hannah means "grace,"
just to name a few.  We then started talking about how it makes us feel when someone makes fun of our name.  The kids learned that God is the most important name and by saying "hallowed by your name," we are respecting God's name and saying how much we love God!

This past Sunday, March 20th was the last day of our Penny Wars.  We raised $261.33 to buy animals for struggling families in third world countries through World Vision.  The kids all did a great job and I will announce the winner this coming Sunday during Kid Worship!

Have a great week:)

Are you being a good Sheep Dog?

Life has been crazy the past 3 weeks.  I have learned how precious life is and the necessity of sharing God with others!  Not just through words but through actions.

 During Kid Worship this past Sunday, the kids and I discussed sheep dogs.  Our Bible Text was "The Lord is my shepherd, I have everything I need."~ Psalm 23:1  A sheep dogs job is to take care of the sheep when they get in trouble or fall away from the herd.  The kids learned that Jesus the our Good Shepherd and that we are all God's sheep.  We need to share the love of Jesus with everyone around us and help them if they start to fall away from the herd.  So make sure the rest of the week, you are being good Sheep Dog!

This past Sunday we started our new set of songs!  The kids had a great time and love the new songs...adults are always welcome to come back and see these kids worshipping God!  For the next 7 weeks our discussion time will be focusing on prayer, more specifically how Jesus taught us to pray...The Lord's Prayer. 

God Bless you all:)

What's happening in the back hallway?

Hello everyone!  God is so great:)  Kid Worship is going even better than I ever imagined!  All the kids, nursery-5th grade, are singing and dancing while praising God.  They are learning how God can help them throughout the week and not just on Sunday mornings.  The band is doing a great job together and the kids love singing along with them!

Weds. night game night is a huge success!  The kids are learning many things through playing games.  They are learning to get to know each other, how to work together, trust, the love of God, Bible verses and much, much more.  All involved are sharing laughs and a lot of fun!

Miss Michelle will be traveling to Guatemala with the YCC Mission Team for the next 9 days so Miss Megan and Miss Esther will be running Kid Worship and the Weds. night game night.  Please pray for safe travels for the Mission Team as we go and reach out to the children at New Life Children's Home.

God bless:)

Did you know?

This week in Kidz Worship after singing with a live band (thanks to Norm Jones, Mark Minneman and Jose Portillo), the kids learned about the photo album that Jesus left behind for us to remember Him!  Did you know about this photo album?  We discovered that this photo album is communion.  It isn't a photo album like we have in our homes but it is a way of remembering His life and what He did for us on the cross!  We had a great time singing and dancing for God and His Glory before we celebrated His photo album:) 

Back in Kidz Zone we are preparing for our new Weds night programming...Games On Purpose!  And we are getting ready our Easter program.  If your child didn't pick up an audition packet, don't forget to get one from their teacher this Sunday.  Auditions are Feb 1st and 5th! 

Have an awesome week!

Kid Worship ROCKS!!!

So...we have had 2 Kid Worship times and they have been AWESOME!!!  All the kids are having a great time singing the songs and doing the motions.  This past week we tried something new and before communion we had a little discussion about sin.  Are there such things as Big Sins and Little Sins or is a Sin a Sin?  I really enjoyed having this opportunity to have such an important discussion with the kids.  We then tied this in to how Jesus died on the cross to save us from our sins and how we get to take communion each week to remember Jesus on the cross and to thank him for saving us.  We have such amazing kids at YCC and I love the chance to be with them each week:)