Announcements for the Week of 4/11/11- FAMILY CELEBRATION WEEK

Greetings families!

We are embarking on a very special week, CELEBRATE FAMILY WEEK, in honor of the people who support and love us. Everyday this week I encourage you to make some special time for your family to spend together; I will be providing ideas on the blog to help ignite your imagination on ideas for good fun quality time!

Monday night is a great time for Family Game Night! Grab some of your favorite games and spend the evening laughing together!

"Different Options for Different Ages

Well, the sky’s the limit. Bear in mind that all good games have a few things in common: they’re easy to understand, they’re different every time they’re played, and they take an appropriate amount of time. For younger kids, games that you can play several times in an evening are ideal. Older kids may enjoy a game of Monopoly that can take the whole evening. In all cases, make sure that everyone feels involved and engaged in the process. If you’re trying out a new game, you might want to have an old favorite as a back-up in case the new one isn’t right for your family.
Game Types for Every Family
Now, the fun part: playing! With over 5,000 games on the market at any time, the choice can by dizzying, but here are some ideas:

• Classics The advantage to these is that everyone knows them, or almost -- and they’ve stood the test of time. Check age gradings, but some suggestions are: Monopoly, Clue, Sorry, Othello, Battleship, Boggle, Parcheesi, Operation, Chutes and Ladders, Candyland, Trouble, Sorry, Pictionary, Trivial Pursuit. Many of these have special interest editions now.
• Strategy Games These games are great for families that like a little more substance to their games. Often story-based, one of the best we’ve seen this year is Parthenon from Z-Man Games where players race to build their civilizations.
  
• Multi-Faceted Games These are games that combine different kinds of skills. Great for diverse families where everyone gets a chance to shine. For older kids and adults, check out Cranium. Cranium Family Fun, Hoopla and Whonu? work for the whole family.
  
• DVD Games Definitely one of the hottest trends in the whole game business Our favorite is Scene It? from Mattel in different versions that cover movies, TV, music, sports and Harry Potter. Pop in the DVD and you simply play along. Choose the version that’s right for the group you’re playing with.
• Skill and Action Games For when you just want to have some silly fun. Try Captain Bones Gold from Spin Master, and Ker-Plunk from Mattel. These are great for kids with tons of energy, and the different outcomes keep families engaged.
  
  Have a fun and relaxing time together!" ( article from Kaboose).

My prayer for your family this week is that you would have lots of quality time together, lots of laughter, lots of great discussions and lots of celebration about the fact that you get to share life together! Coming up this Sunday, it is Palm Sunday. We will be talking about how God gave His life for us in City Kids, the memory verse is "Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends" (John 15:13 NIV). Make time this week to help your family memorize this verse and talk about it. The greatest faith development in kids starts at home. Your kids will love the talks you have with them about God.

Happy Monday!

Announcements for the week of 4/4/11

This is a very exciting time with lots of great things going on! Last Sunday's passover lesson was a lot of fun for the older kids and the littles learned that they are made in God's image while making picture frames.
Memory Verse"'Hosanna to the Son of David!' Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! - Matthew 21:9

This Sunday is slow down Sunday, so our usual children's activities are not happening. Instead, kids are invited to be part of the big group for a fun potluck breakfast. After Kevin's discussion about children last week (listen to it here if you missed it), this is a great opportunity for our community to interact with kids and for kids to be a part of the larger church community. Invite your kids to help make a dish to bring with you to the potluck and they will really feel involved!

Also, beginning Monday April 11th for the whole week we are celebrating a new tradition: FAMILY WEEK! This week is all about connecting with your family and I will be posting special activities, ideas and reflections on the blog and Facebook group to help fire up your creativity to spend more time together as a family celebrating the people who make your family complete (whether biological or chosen family). This is a great opportunity to spend some intentional time together and reflect on what it means to love others as God first loved us.

Let the countdown begin! Easter is only three weeks away and City Church is planning a very special celebration centered around our kids! There will be delicious treats, coloring Easter eggs, and a super fun Easter egg hunt! Invite your friends and come prepared for a morning of fun, laughter and talk about the importance of this special day! This is a great time to invite your neighbor, your child's school friend, our co-worker and their family to experience our community. Pick up some fliers to invite your friends on Sundays at church. We are so excited for this great celebration!! Woo hoo!

*Please save your egg cartons for us to carry eggs home in! Drop them off to Sarah on any Sunday morning prior to Easter. Thank you!! *

Announcements & Updates for the Week of 3/28/2011

Happy Monday everyone!

"'Hosanna to the Son of David!' Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" ~ Matthew 21:9 (Memory Verse for the Week)

Great things are happening in our City Kids program! As we gear up for the Easter season at the end of April kids will be learning about why we celebrate Easter and the story leading up to it. This first week leading up to it we will be learning about Passover, sharing a passover meal together and learning about the meaning of a traditional passover. We will be snacking on unleavened bread, apples, walnuts, grape juice and "...looking at Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey. This fulfills the prophecy in Zechariah 9:9, "Your King comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt" (NIV).

After that, Jesus and his disciples had a Passover dinner together. Jesus washed their feet and gave the first communion. We will be talking about what communion means so children will know what Jesus did for them and they will want to know God better. The Passover is celebrated in the spring of the year. It represents a time of birth, life coming from what is dead. The Scriptures prescribe that a lamb be selected on the tenth day of the first month. After being placed on public observation for four days, if the lamb is without fault, it can then be selected for use in the Passover Feast. Jesus' entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday was the tenth day of the month. He taught in the synagogue during the next four days. The spotless Lamb of God on public observation before His trial and crucifixion" (God's Path Curriculum for 4/3/2011). You can read more in Exodus chapter 12. The whole purpose of the Passover is to remember the bitterness of slavery and God's deliverance.

Announcements for the Week of 3/ 21

Happy Spring break! I hope you all are enjoying the tell-tale signs that spring is coming! Crocuses are blooming, the tulips are breaking through the ground and the quince outside my window is opening up it's budded leaves. Spring is here!

Last week was a crafty day with City Kids as paper was cut, glued and colored to make all sorts of wonderful treasures.

On Sunday:
This week we are continuing our creative Sundays through the Old Testament...nursery kiddos will be making be learning how God made the world (Genesis 1:1-31) and will create fun paper creatures to remind them of God's creation.

Elementary kids will begin a series related to Easter as we build up to the celebration in five weeks. This week we will be talking about "the greatest gift" looking at how Mary gave her most precious gift to God in Matthew 26:6-13, Mark 14:3-9.

Middle Schoolers will be going through a series that navigates the big picture of the Bible over 12 weeks. This week will focus on 2 Timothy 3:16-17.

Have a great week and see you Sunday!

Announcements & Updates for the Week of 3/ 14/ 2011

Last Sunday we celebrated the two year anniversary of City Church at McMenamins and had a great time! This Sunday we are back on schedule at the usual time and kids will be doing some great things! In our creative arts series:

On Sunday:
Nursery kiddos will be making paper bag costumes, so if you have any paper grocery bags at home, please bring a few to Sunday school!

Elementary Kids will be continuing our walk through the Old Testament stories looking at the story of Jacob and Esau and how God wants us to trust Him instead of taking things into our own hands to make something happen. We will be doing some acting this week, and kids will get to act out the story!

Middle Schoolers will begin a new 12 week curriculum that will include mentoring and activities around Bible stories and how the story impacts our lives.

FREE CHILDREN'S EVENTS IN BEND:

Did you know that Kiddoz of Bend offers free craft time on Tuesday mornings at 9:30. Get more info at  www.kiddozplaycenter.com 

Get more information on great family events from Central Oregon Family News.

Have a great week everyone!
- Sarah

The Week of 3/6/2011 Announcements/ Update

Last week in City Kids, the little ones in the nursery had fun with finger paint while the elementary and middle schoolers got a chance to talk with Sylivia, our visiting missionary from India about the differences and similarities between our countries and what she does in India. We had a great time! We also are continuing our journey through Old Testament stories, and looked at Genesis 24, seeing Abraham petition God to know His will for his son Issac. We talked about petitions as making a request to God, and then we petitioned God for Sylvia and the people of India to know God's will for their lives and our own.

The memory verse for this week is: Phillipians 4:6-7 which says:

⁶ Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

City Kids is starting a new reward system for kids of all ages...they earn points during Sunday school for good behavior, memorizing the weekly verse and for bringing a friend.

REMINDER: There is no Sunday school on March 13th at McMenamin's, but there will be a children's coloing corner. Kids can recite the memory verse to Pastor Sarah this weekend, and can earn a point for bringing a friend to this extra special breakfast gathering!

Greetings!

Hooray! It's finally here!

City Church's family blog (which will replace our old monthly newsletter) and be filled with weekly updates on activities, resources, craft ideas, outdoor fun and local family friendly events in Central Oregon!

You will find that there are tabs for each age group in City Kids programs with ideas and resources specific to that age group. I will also be posting the Sunday school content from the week to the age-specific site.

Beginning in March we will be focusing on a creative curriculum which will incorporate art, music, movement and puppetry into our lessons, teaching kids regardless of their age, the joy of creativity and imagination! Be watching for costume making, craft projects and even storytelling!

There are also tabs about community events, and family resources you won't want to miss! Join the conversation! Comment, share ideas!

This blog is just in the beginning phases, and will have frequent updates, suggestions and ideas are always welcome!

Questions? Comments? Contact me!

Pastor Sarah, City Church: sarahm@citychurchbend.com