Hello, from Promiseland. I hope your Fall is going well and that you are not too busy to take time as a family to be in God’s Word together. I’m reading a book called Shepherding a Child’s Heart and the author talks about how Scripture teaches that the heart is the control center for life. A person’s life is a reflection of his heart. Proverbs 4:23 states it like this: “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” The picture here is of the heart as a well from which all the issues of life gush forth. The behavior a person exhibits is an expression of the overflow of the heart. Because of this truth, I believe it is imperative for those who are parents to be in the Word of God with their children because it is the Word that will change your child’s heart so they can be who God made them to be, like Him.
We as a church enjoyed an awesome skit written by Megan Mills, and acted out by Megan and Dana Teefey, on the importance of Hiding God’s Word in our hearts. This was done in conjunction with Bibles being presented to our 2yr old and Kindergarten kids. Presenting a bible to your child is one of the tools we as a church want to provide to help equip you as parents to engage faith at home with your child. If you are new to Riverside, please let me know if your child does not have a bible of his own.
This Sunday the kids will get to spend their Bible Bucks at the Promisemart Store. We are still encouraging them to give to the Shoebox Ministry by purchasing items to be sent to kids less fortunate than our kids.
During the second unit of teaching in the 3-5yr room, children will hear true stories of Old Testament kids: Miriam, David, the Little Girl who helped Naaman, and Josiah. During the first lesson, they will hear the basic truth that God is with us. Through the rest of the unit, they will discover that God wants us to help others and we can obey Him.
Continuing through the Old Testament, our K-1st graders will hear about the life of Moses. It begins with baby Moses and teaches about the ways God cares for us and protects us. The second lesson in the unit is the exciting account of the crossing of the Red Sea. The children will discover God is our helper. The last lesson in this unit teaches about God’s provision through the story of manna, quail, and water in the wilderness.
Our 2nd-3rd grade kids are being asked to “Think Big.” We define this as thinking about things that are important to God. The first two weeks, Big Heart and Big Ten, will be spent studying the Ten Commandments. The next week’s lesson, Big Gift, is a presentation of the salvation message. The final week is called, Big Thanks. In this lesson, we will study the story of Joshua and the people of Israel crossing the Jordan River, and learn about remembering to be thankful.
Taking them into the world of Moses, our 4th-5th graders will recognize anew (or possibly for the first time) through the drama that is presented each week, the challenges that Moses faced. Following the Exodus story presented, the kids will have the salvation message presented by comparing the events of Passover with the events surrounding Jesus’ death on the cross for our freedom. Kids will continue through the Old Testament by looking at key characters of the Bible and how their lives reflected their walk with God. Through an exciting game show format, the kids will be introduced to Big doGs (disciples of God) and how their lives influenced those around them. Boaz teaches about following God first, and Gideon challenges the kids to choose to obey God.
Partnering With you,
Dar Muehlhausen