We are winding down from another school year and I am looking forward to summer and all that comes with it. This is the last month of our normal Promiseland teaching times before we move to our summer schedule of only one teaching time at the 10:45 service. This will include our 2yr. class through 5th grade and our Guardian Angels. Hopefully all of the volunteers will enjoy their lightened teaching schedules and be refreshed for the fall.
The last shopping day at the Promisemart Store will be May 20 and after that it will close for the summer. We are going to challenge the kids to learn the Lord’s Prayer during the summer months since they won’t have any Bible verses to memorize in their classes. I will give you more information on this in next month’s Chatter.
Don’t forget to put Vacation Bible School on your calendars, July 9th through the 13th at 6:00-8:30. More information will come as we get closer to July.
This month our 3-5yr class will learn that they can follow Jesus. They will hear stories about Jesus, including Matthew throwing a party for Jesus, Jesus healing a paralytic when the man’s friends let him down through the roof, Jesus multiplying a little boy’s lunch, and Jesus spending time with His disciples. Just in case your child can’t remember what the lesson was about, each week they are sent home with a parent letter that tells you about the lesson and has an activity for you to do with them at home.
The k-1st grade will be focusing on the beginning of the early Church. Through four stories about Paul, children will learn that because of Paul and others, more and more people were learning about and believing in Jesus. The Church was growing. These stories will also help kids learn that, just like Paul, they can trust God. Through the story of Paul’s trip to Damascus, children will learn that God has a plan for them, just like He had a plan for Paul. Next, kids will hear about Paul’s escape from Damascus in a basket and learn that God protected Paul and He can protect them, too. The story of Paul and Silas in prison will help children understand that God is always with them, so they don’t have to be afraid. They can trust God like Paul and Silas did. Then kids will hear the story of the shipwreck during Paul’s journey to Rome. Children will learn that God is with them so they can have courage like Paul did. Finally, we’ll review all the stories from this quarter and take a look back at many of the stories we learned earlier in the year and remind children that God wants them to be a part of His amazing story.
Built to last is the theme for the lessons the 2nd-3rd graders are learning. They will hear stories of the birth and growth of the Christian Church and the community the members experienced. Following Jesus’ resurrection and ascension, early Christians devoted themselves to God, each other, and to telling others about Jesus. The Church is built to last because of devotion, community, evangelism, and perseverance.
Through incredible stories of the early Church and present day-people, the 4th and 5th grade kids will be challenged to be History Makers, impacting their world for Jesus. They will be taught about the beginning of the Church with the gift of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Next they will focus on individuals who, through the power of the Holy Spirit, made history by changing their world. 1) Peter boldly preached and healed in the name of Jesus. 2) Paul was the “chief among sinners: but was forgiven and impacted the entire world with his message. 3) Timothy was young, yet was used as a History Maker in the early Church. 4) John was persecuted and exiled because of his faith, and wrote Jesus’ message regarding the “rest of God’s story.”
Please pray for Promiseland Ministry as we continue to grow spiritually and in numbers. One Sunday in April, that was not Easter Sunday, we had 101 kids downstairs for the combined 2 services. Even though God is faithful to provide all we need, your prayers are important to us. May God bless you and your family.
Dar Muehlhausen