BIG KIDS BIBLE WORKSHOP: LEADERSHIP ROLES

Have you wondered what leading a Big Kids Bible Workshop session would be like? As our trial program progresses, leadership roles are emerging more clearly. Because Angie and Matt collaborate on writing story texts, there is relatively little prep for others, but important ways to help and lead. Here is what leading or volunteering to assist would entail:

Big Kids: Leader

• Lead group of kids (2nd grade on up) with bible story, followed by response time of art or journaling. Stories and materials provided.
• Suggested prep involves previewing provided story and follow-up questions before group meets.

Big Kids: Helper

• Model listening to story, assist leader as needed, interact with kids in group during response time.
• Role does not require prep, though helper could preview story and follow-up questions.

The Story Calendar is posted here...

CHILDREN'S MINISTRY 2011/12 LAUNCHED

This past Sunday, September 18, our Godly Play storyteller, Mr. Matt, resumed the weekly routine of stories and play during worship. Simultaneously, we launched a trial program for an older group of children. Angie R. led the first session of this new program Sunday with four children, telling the story of Noah, remembering Adam and Eve, and how God began to make his Covenant known to us. Here is a schedule of stories for the next several months; following the schedule you can also read the story Angie used this past Sunday. After dwelling in the bible around the theme of the Covenant, the stories will begin to be drawn from the Lectionary around the middle of December.

Story Schedule: 2011-2012

Week 1 – September 18th: God's covenant with Noah - a little background starting f/the Garden (Gen 6-8)

Week 2 – October 2nd: God's covenant with Abraham – the story of Isaac (Gen 17)

Week 3 – October 16th: God's covenant with Moses – a little overview, the 10 commands

Week 4 – November 6th: God's covenant with David - some overview of David's life

Week 5 – November 20th: Overview of the prophets - “God's Rescue Plan” - prep for Advent

Week 6 – December 4th: Zacharias & Elizabeth – story of John the Baptist (Luke 1)

Week 7 – December 18th: The Nativity (f/lection, Luke 1:26-38)

Week 8 – January 1st: Jesus is blessed by Simeon (f/lection, Luke 2:22-40)

Week 9 – January 15th: Jesus calls the disciples (f/lection, John 1:43-51)

Week 10 – February 5th: Jesus heals Simon's mother-in-law (f/lection, Mark 1:29-39)

Week 11 – February 19th: Transfiguration (f/lection, Mark 9:2-9)

Week 12 – March 4th: Jesus rebukes Peter (f/lection, Mark 8:31-38)

Week 13 – March 18th: For God so Loved the world (f/lection, John 3:14-21)

Week 14 – April 1st: Palm Sunday (f/lection, Mark & John)

Week 15 – April 15th: Doubting Thomas (f/lection, John 20:19-31)

Week 16 – May 6th: “I am the Vine” (f/lection, John 15:1-8)

Week 17 – May 20th: Selection of new apostle (f/lection, Acts 1:15-17, 21-26)

Week 18 – June 3rd: Nicodemus (f/lection, John 3:1-17)

Story for September 18: God's Covenant with Noah, including A Little Background from the Garden

We're going to start at the beginning. Well, not all of the way at the beginning, but you guys probably know that story already. We're going to start with God's first covenant to his people. Does anyone know what a covenant is? Or what the word covenant means? Well, basically it's a promise – a really serious promise.
It all began with a piece of forbidden fruit. You remember that story, how the serpent tricked Eve into tasting the fruit, and how Eve shared that fruit with Adam, and then how God found out about it and told them they couldn't live in the wonderful garden anymore? How things would be different after that, how they would have to work hard for their food and everything that they needed? Well a lot of time passed since Adam and Eve had to leave the garden, and things had just gotten worse. There were now many people all over the place, and everyone had forgotten about God and were doing bad things all of the time. All of this made God's heart full of pain. The beautiful world that he had created was being destroyed by the people that he had created to love him.
But there was one man, Noah that still loved God. One day when they were talking (did you know that God loves to talk to us?), God told Noah that he'd had enough. Things had gone terribly wrong. God told Noah that he wanted him to build an ark. That God was going to send a big storm to wash away all of the hate and the sadness, and make everything clean again. God told Noah that he would rescue him, and that the ark would be big enough to hold two of every kind of animal. Noah was going to have to trust God. And he did. He started building that big boat in the middle of the desert with no water around, while everyone was watching him and laughing at him. Have you ever had to do what you knew was right even though you knew that everyone was laughing at you? Well, if you know how that feels, then you know how Noah felt. But Noah just kept doing what God had told him to do. He decided that listening to God was more important and that it didn't matter that people were laughing at him.
Pretty soon the ark was ready. Noah, his family and all of the animals (2 of every kind) loaded into the ark and waited. God closed the door and then it started raining, and raining, and raining. It didn't stop raining for 40 long days. (And we think it rains a lot here...!) But God was with them the whole time. He never left, and even though the whole earth was covered in water, God didn't forget Noah and his family. The ark landed on the mountain of Ararat, and after the last dove sent out did not return, Noah knew that there was dry land. He opened the doors, and the first thing he did was to thank God for rescuing them just as he had promised. Then God made Noah a promise, the first covenant he made with his people. He promised never to destroy the world again, and to make sure that Noah knew he meant it, he put a rainbow in the sky – just where the storm meets the sun. It was a new beginning in God's world and he'd sealed it with a promise, a great covenant with Noah and his family.
It wasn't long before things went wrong and people had forgotten about God again, but God knew that would happen. That's why he had another plan. A plan not to destroy the world, but to rescue it by sending his own Son, the Rescuer.

SUMMER SUNDAYS & LITTLE ONES

Things change over the summer. Godly Play and Teen Talk programs stop for a while. Some things do not change: short attention spans of our beloved little ones who do not want to sit through lengthy prayers and preaching during a typical second half of worship.

Should parents with little children stay home from worship over the summer? Threaten kids who misbehave? Or are there better alternatives?

A few parents have expressed interest in coming up with some alternatives. Angie is ready to lead an effort for kids ages 6+ during worship through the summer. Would anyone else be interested to help plan activities for 3-5 yrs olds?

Please contact Teresa Elenbaas.

How much programming is needed? There are eight Sundays available for programming this summer: June 26, July 3, July 17, July 24, August 7, August 14, August 28, September 4. If eight parents willing to lead an effort - four for each of the two age groups - they would each be responsible for just two Sundays over the summer.

Summer Sundays without need for children's programming or nursery:

July 10: ALL FAMILY SUNDAY

July 31: GROUNDWORKS

August 21: ALL FAMILY SUNDAY

September 11: ALL FAMILY SUNDAY

These summer ideas could turn into something new for fall Children's Ministry programming, too, which launches September 18. Sometime in July, Teresa, Angie, Rennie and Eric will convene a brainstorming session around Sunday programming and (if time permits), Parent Ministry. When scheduled, this will be announced and open to any parents or members who would like to participate.

Other summer opportunities include:

Vacation Bible School hosted by Quest Church, July 25-29

Uncle Randy's Summer Bible Camp (maybe in August)

SUMMER SUNDAYS WITH KIDS

Summer time; taking a rest from Godly Play; kids unruly and bored during sermons; time to stay home? No! It's too easy to lose track of one another and kids miss seeing each other. Summer Sundays provide an opportunity to explore different ways of involving our children in worship and fellowship. Veggie Tales upstairs during the sermon; more "kid-friendly" tunes during the opening praise/worship? Anyone else have ideas? Blog away. Also, feel free to speak to our Children's Ministry Deacon, Teresa Elenbaas. Let us not give up meeting together, nor keep our children from worship.

FREELY RECEIVE; FREELY GIVE

GOSPEL READING: Matthew 9:35-10:23

35Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. 36When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.37Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. 38Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field."
1He called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease and sickness.
2These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon (who is called Peter) and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; 3Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; 4Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.
5These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: "Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. 6Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel. 7As you go, preach this message: 'The kingdom of heaven is near.' 8Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give. 9Do not take along any gold or silver or copper in your belts; 10take no bag for the journey, or extra tunic, or sandals or a staff; for the worker is worth his keep.
11"Whatever town or village you enter, search for some worthy person there and stay at his house until you leave. 12As you enter the home, give it your greeting. 13If the home is deserving, let your peace rest on it; if it is not, let your peace return to you. 14If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that home or town. 15I tell you the truth, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town. 16I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.
17"Be on your guard against men; they will hand you over to the local councils and flog you in their synagogues. 18On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. 19But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, 20for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.
21"Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. 22All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. 23When you are persecuted in one place, flee to another. I tell you the truth, you will not finish going through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes.

NOTES: At this point in Matthew's account, Jesus has preached a Kingdom message, and demonstrated Kingdom activity; now he sends his Apostles out to spread the Gospel, in Word and deed. He sends them out w/specific commandments and a new identity, as Kingdom workers in the field. Life will never be the same for them. There are a lot of broad commandments Matthew includes in this lengthy discourse, many of which are spread through Mark and Luke's accounts, in different places. But in Matthew, this commission of the Twelve follows immediately on the heals of a flurry of healing and miracles, and Jesus' commandment to pray for workers in the context of a shortage (9:37-38). There is urgency to develop the Apostles from being mere beneficiaries of his teaching and miracles, to producers of teaching and miracles themselves. In 10:8 we find a Jesus teaching peculiar to Matthew's account, which sums it up: "Freely you have received, freely give." This story tells us a lot, about moving from hearers to doers, about not waiting until we feel fully equipped and ready, about the eventual goal of our discipleship, and all the lessons in these broad commandments, about the nature of Kingdom work, both ups and downs. Much of Paul's Epistle material sheds autobiographical light on his own experience of becoming one of the "workers in the harvest field." Romans 5:3,4 especially speak to the dark times of following and being sent. To any person, Paul or otherwise, with a real sense of their own salvation, their own journey with Christ, this Matthean passage stands as a timeless reminder: "Freely you have received, freely give." It begs reflection on where we are, perhaps remaining in Matthew 9, perhaps being thrust into Matthew 10....

FOR YOUNG ONES: Given the dramatic "shove out of the nest" encountered in Matthew 10, this story is one of those narratives that invites reflection on the feelings of the Apostles. What did they think about Jesus' commissioning of them, immediately following his pronouncement about the shortage of harvest workers in a world ripe for harvest? What about his predictions, some of which are scary? We are often forced to take journeys, or enter situations, we feel less prepared for than we would like. How is following the Lord like that? Perhaps there are stories of such journeys, risks, or situations you can share and help the kids share. Perhaps an adult asked them to take on a responsibility or chore they did not feel equipped to handle, but realized they had been prepared for all along. Perhaps God does not even give us what we need for the journey until we trust him to go (reminds us of Abraham's story and Hebrews 11). What would it be like for Matthew 10:20 to come true? How is Jesus' pronouncement, "Freely you have received, freely give," a "life motto" or basis for our Kingdom identity?

GOD'S CURRENCY: MERCY, NOT SACRIFICE

GOSPEL READING: Matthew 9:9-13, 18-26

9As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector's booth. "Follow me," he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.
10While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew's house, many tax collectors and "sinners" came and ate with him and his disciples. 11When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and 'sinners'?"
12On hearing this, Jesus said, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 13But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."

18While he was saying this, a ruler came and knelt before him and said, "My daughter has just died. But come and put your hand on her, and she will live." 19Jesus got up and went with him, and so did his disciples.
20Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak. 21She said to herself, "If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed."
22Jesus turned and saw her. "Take heart, daughter," he said, "your faith has healed you." And the woman was healed from that moment.
23When Jesus entered the ruler's house and saw the flute players and the noisy crowd, 24he said, "Go away. The girl is not dead but asleep." But they laughed at him. 25After the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took the girl by the hand, and she got up. 26News of this spread through all that region.

NOTES: Jesus leads with deeds, and responds to empty religious criticism with deeply religious words. "Mercy, not sacrifice!" That's how Jesus quotes the prophet Hosea; a pithy summary of Jesus' teaching and reorientation toward God's Law in this "Jewish" Gospel of Matthew, written to show continuity and fulfillment of Moses - laws of love, not loveless laws. How are we tempted to hide behind policy, or put programs before people, in our life? "Mercy, not sacrifice" echoes from Hosea, from Jesus, to our ears and wrenches us back into life of faith/words based on God's currency, currency of the heart. This is Good News for those feeling bereft of "sacrifice" materials, or even smaller congregations bereft of big program resources: anyone, any church, can be rich in mercy, compassion, faith, and love.

JESUS GOES UP: WE GO OUT - ASCENSION SUNDAY

These Luke/Acts readings can be joined; same author, one follows the other
Perhaps your text from Godly Play is from Matthew 28; I'm not sure from the title on the blog, but it fits well with our Ascension Sunday texts, a week before Pentecost 

GOSPEL READING:  Luke 24:44-53

44He said to them, "This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms."
45Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. 46He told them, "This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48You are witnesses of these things. 49I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high."
50When he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them. 51While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven. 52Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. 53And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God.
Acts 1:1-11
1In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach 2until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. 3After his suffering, he showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. 4On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. 5For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit."
6So when they met together, they asked him, "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?"
7He said to them: "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 8But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
9After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.
10They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. 11"Men of Galilee," they said, "why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven."

NOTES: God's goal is Incarnation multiplied: to fulfill what Paul envisions and articulates in Ephesians 1:22, that the church become Christ on earth, multiplication and realization of the Spirit in Flesh to the ends of the earth. In these joint texts, two points of irony stand out: Luke 24:53, in contrast to verse 49, and Acts 1:6, in contrast to verse 8; it is hard for people to comprehend the power/mission God's given us. The first generation of disciples tended to default to religion as they'd understood it; we disciples today still have a hard time moving from ritual to incarnation. But this is why it says so often that Jesus needed to "open their minds" to the Scriptures; and God is not efficient, by our standards, for the process was messy, clumsy, for the disciples and early church to move from Jerusalem on out, including a wider range of people, relationships, etc., letting go of competing/conflicting "restore the Kingdom" visions (Acts 1:6). Where are we along that continuum? "Why do you stand here looking into the sky," asked the two men dressed in white. Are we waiting around? Isn't there a lot for us to do? Are some of us stuck in 24:53? What was the spiritual journey like from Ascension day, to Pentecost, to the point where Paul describes a community in which "...there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all" (Colossians 3:11)?

FOR YOUNG ONES: The idea that Jesus ascended, but is not gone, and that he ascended in order to empower his Kingdom, is something that takes concrete expression in many ways. How can we experientially communicate this? Are there other common relationships analogous to this? Parental perhaps, or teacher/mentor? When do we first get "pushed out of the nest"? When does a leader ask us to follow, but goes quite far ahead of us? Can we trust Jesus to help us move from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth? How have the "ends of the earth" come close to us in our day and age? Do our young ones recognize this Kingdom activity, missional activity, in our church? Why or why not?