After what seems like a much too short summer, we are stepping into our fall schedule this Sunday in Promiseland. Your children will move into their new classes, so please let us know if we have anyone in the wrong room. A reminder to all of the new 4th graders: your class only meets the first service because of small numbers.
Passports will be given out, which means it is time to start memorizing Bible verses again. For those of you new to Promiseland, your children will be given Bible verses to memorize each week. They will earn Bible Bucks for coming to Promiseland, memorizing their verse, bringing their Bibles, or if they bring a friend. Every six weeks the kids will be given time to shop in our Promisemart Store and use their Bible Bucks. We encourage them to use some of their bucks to purchase gifts for the Christmas Shoe Box Ministry our church participates in every year. As of now, they have filled six shoeboxes in 2011.
We will have Bible presentations on Sunday, September 11 at both services. If you have a 2 year old or Kindergartner that has not previously received a bible from us, please contact me so I will know who will receive one.
In September, our 3-5 year old class will learn the foundation for studying the Scriptures. Children will begin by learning the Bible is the best book. They will discover the Bible tells us about God, all its words are true, the Bible tells us, “Jesus loves everyone,” and it tells us to obey.
The K-1st graders will begin an Old Testament journey. As they begin to “look at the pieces” of God’s story, this unit will present the Creation story and God’s desire to have us care for His creation, and the story of Noah, which will challenge children to obey God even when it’s hard. They will then look at the era of the Patriarchs (or First Families). It begins with Abram and his nephew Lot. God called Abram to leave his home and Abram went, even though he didn’t know where God was leading. Next they will hear about Joseph’s betrayal by his brothers and his slavery in Egypt. It teaches the children about trust. The second story of Joseph teaches what happened to Joseph in Egypt and his desire to forgive his brothers. Kids will be challenged to forgive.
Our 2nd-3rd graders begin a sequential journey through the Bible. They will look at Creation and First Families from some of the stories in Genesis and Exodus. This unit is set up as a mystery game. Each week, the kids will be solving mysteries in order to figure out the Bible stories and apply them to their lives.
In the 4th and 5th grade class, kids will dive into the “heart” issues reflected in some of the earliest stories in Genesis. Through the story of Cain and Abel, they will look at what it means to have an Undivided Heart towards God. Abraham models for us an Obedient Heart as he is willing to give up his promised son. Finally, through the lives of Jacob and Esau, they’ll discover what it means to have a Trusting Heart, even when things seem unfair.
We are still in need of two teachers for our two year old class. I really can’t imagine why anyone wouldn’t want to teach this class. The kids are just adorable and you learn a lot of interesting facts about their parents from the little ones. We also are in need of a K-1 teacher for the first service. Please pray and see if this is where God would like you to serve.
Blessings to You,
Dar Muehlhausen