Greetings from Promiseland. This Sunday April 10th, will be Promisemart Shopping Sunday, so make sure you bring all those Bible Bucks! The kids are doing a great job giving to the shoe boxes. We have encouraged them to buy items with their Bucks to place in the shoe boxes for Christmas. We have almost six boxes full after only two shopping Sundays. We’ve seen some awesome acts of kindness and sharing as siblings share and save Bucks for each other as they purchase items from the store. Others have demonstrated great discipline as they save weeks and months at a time for a larger priced item. All of the children are about to learn a lesson about inflation as we raise the prices at the store. We are trying to be very frugal with our spending this year in Promiseland and think we need to spend less on the store, so you might hear some whining when inflation hits this week.
We also would like to give you an update about our on going mission project of supporting Bekalu. Our monthly giving has been good. We are meeting our goal of $35 a month. Periodically we receive a letter from Bekalu and our kids write to him or send pictures of them here at RCC. We are very proud of how generous our children are with their money. Keep up the good work parents, we know it is only through your encouragement this is all possible.
As you might know by know, we divided the K-3rd grade class last Sunday. We now have the K-1st across the hall and the 2nd-3rd graders in the same room as always. It went really well last week. The smaller size was an improvement over some of the chaos we were experiencing previously. We still need another teacher to help but we are sure God will move someone to step up and fill that need. God is faithful as we continue to grow.
During the month of April, the 3-5yr. olds will get a front row seat to the most amazing story ever: the saga of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, His death and resurrection, His appearing to His friends, and His ascension into Heaven.
Children in K-1st grade will discover the 5-Gs of GRACE, GROWTH, GROUP, GIFTS, and GOOD STEWARDSHIP during this month. First they will look at several stories about Peter and GROW in their understanding that God created them to be friends and helpers and to make right choices. Then children will discover what the Bible says about sin and be challenged to GROW in the areas of encouragement, honesty, and obedience. They will look at each of the 5-Gs as they learn that friends of Jesus tell others about Him, do things to help others, use their money in good ways, want to learn more about Jesus, and are part of a group of people who love each other and celebrate together. Finally, children will hear the Easter story and learn abut God’s GRACE.
Our 2nd-3rd graders will be learning about the Holy Spirit. They will learn that Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit to be a helper for us. Children will learn that the Holy Spirit helps us by guiding us and teaching us. His primary way of guiding us is through the Bible. They will learn that the Holy Spirit helps us to remember what the Bible says. They will learn that the Holy Spirit helps us because He never leaves us and we can ask Him to help us to do what is right. The children will have the opportunity to explore situations where they can ask the Holy Spirit for guidance and strength, because the Holy Spirit is our Ultimate Helper.
The 4th and 5ht graders are finishing up with the Armor of God and moving into studying about believers being the light of the world. If they are following Jesus, they have His light inside of them and need to shine their light in our dark world so others will come to know God. Each week kids will learn that in order to shine, they must overcome obstacles that prevent them from shining. They will be taught to overcome their fears and set an example by living life the way Jesus teaches in the Bible. They will be challenged to match their actions with their faith. They will learn that as believers, they are children of God, members of God’s family, and unconditionally loved. They can build their confidence on God’s promises rather than on other things, and have the confidence to shine. Kids will learn to choose encouraging words rather than unwholesome talk, to be joyful and persevere no matter what they are facing.
Have a blessed month,
Dar Muehlhausen