Pagers Coming to a Pre-K & K Near You!

Beginning the weekend of September 4th & 5th we will be using pagers in the Nursery and Pre-K & K area.

Why?

This improves communication with the parent. Our current system relies on parents seeing the number boards located off to the sides of the stage. Unfortunately, parents do not always notice the number boards. I, myself, have been sitting there in worship or during a sermon and suddenly seen my number and unsure of how long it had been up there. Parents do not always notice the number boards. In addition, the number boards only work if a parent is attending a service in the main sanctuary. For parents attending Vida Nueva or a class in another room or across the street in the Discipleship Center or for parents serving in another area (Nursery/Elementary/Band/Tech), we have no way of reaching them immediately.

Pagers will allow us to communicate to all parents in the above situations. It will also allow you to communicate with me or the Children’s Pastor should you need us for any reason.

How will it work?

1. Parents will pick up a pager at check-in at the HUB.
2. The computers will prompt them to get a pager and request that they type in the pager

number.
3. They will have to do this to receive their stickers.

4. The stickers will print out and include the child’s pager number on both the child’s sticker and

the parent’s sticker.
5. There is 1 Pager/Family.

6. They will drop off children as normal. There are no changes in drop off.
7. At pick-up, parents will return their pager.
8. There will be a box in every room for us to store pagers as they are dropped off.
9. Pagers cannot serve as a pick-up sticker. Parents must still have their pick-up sticker to get

their child.
10. At pick-up, we simply ask parents if they have their pager and take it from them and put in

the box.
11. A parent may not have a pager if they have a child in Nursery as they may have picked that

child up already and returned the pager to the Nursery Room.
12. A parent may wish to hold to the pager if they have a child in Nursery so that they can be

contacted till they get down to the Nursery Room.
13. If we need to contact a parent, we look at the child’s sticker for the Pager Number.

14. We call the HUB (ext. 203) and notify them of the child’s pager number.
15. The HUB will page the parent.

Bottom Line: Pagers picked up by parent at HUB. Pagers returned at Nursery or Pre-K/K Rooms. Pagers cannot be used to pick up a child; parents must have matching pick-up sticker. Leaders should ask for pager back at pick-up but realize that a parent may not have it or want to return it at another room if they have children in both the Nursery and Pre-K&K area. To page a parent find the child’s pager number on their sticker and notify the HUB (ext. 203).

How will parents know?
We are announcing it in the bulletin the next two weeks and the first weekend we begin. Beginning this weekend Pager Facts Postcards will be available at the HUB, passed out at each Nursery Room and during check-in in the Pre-K & K area. Info will also be posted on the Pre-K & K parents’ blog (http://www.parentstoolshed.blogspot.com/) and using Facebook for those families on Facebook.

Parents will have lots of questions and, as with any change, there may be bumps and kinks to work out as we go. But we are excited about having pagers and improving our communication with parents while we are caring for, loving and teaching their children.

Teaching Like Jesus

At Saturday's training we looked at ten qualities that made Jesus such a great teacher. Here are the first three we looked at:

Jesus had a personal relationship with the Father.

• Read John 5:16-47; 8; 10;14-17. Jesus through out the book of John refers to His Father and the relationship He has with Him. Jesus' teaching was grounded in the ultimate Truth - that of a personal relationship with God. He was sent by God.
• We as teachers (and we are all teachers even if our title is just "assistant") must have a personal relationship with Christ. To not have a relationship with Him and then to teach is likes someone trying to teach fishing who has only read about fish in a book and doesn't own a fishing pole. We are not called to perfection (to continue the analogy, an "expert fisherman") but we are called to a relationship with Christ (again to continue the analogy, we should own a "fishing pole").
• You and I have been sent to "make disciples". Matthew 28:19

Possessed knowledge of the Scriptures.

• Throughout the Gospels Jesus quoted from the Scriptures (the Old Testament: the Torah, the Psalms, and the Prophets.
• Read Matthew 4 and Luke 4. Jesus used Scripture to defeat the enemy.
• He used the Scriptures to show the people God's plan of redemption.
• Jesus used Scriptures (Matthew 5:21-48) to help the people see that God's law was not being done away with but being complete in Him. He was moving us forward from the Law.
• We need to study the Scriptures and our lessons. We need to be prepared to share with our kids how the Bible is true and relevant to their lives.
• We need to be able to use all of the Scriptures to teach the kids about God's plan of redemption through Christ and how Christ desires us to move forward and live holy.

Spoke with authority.

• Throughout the Gospels Jesus is seen commanding the demons. Just a brief walk through Mark and you see the word 'commanded' numerous times, often followed by the word 'immediately' signify that Jesus was both a man of action and man for whom things happened as He said with no hesitation. Read Matthew 9:36, 14:14, 15:32, 20:34; Mark 1:41, 6:34, 8:2; Luke 7:13, 10:33.
• The disciples marveled that the "even the winds and waves obey Him". Matthew 8:23-27; Mark 4:35-41
• Jesus' authority came from the two preceding qualities: a relationship with God and a knowledge of the Scriptures. Both of these qualities gave Him His mission: to seek and to save what was lost & to preach good news to the poor, proclaim freedom for the prisoners, recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.
• Our authority comes when we have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ - when we experience it first hand - and when become a continuous student of the Scriptures. It is there - in our relationship and in the Scriptures- that we are given our mission. Our mission is to follow in our Savior's footsteps and proclaim the good news.

3 down; 7 to go.

Questions to think on/ask yourself:

1. Do I have a personal relationship with Christ? In other words, have I made a decision that I am going to follow Him?
2. Do I talk to God other than when I am in trouble or in need?
3. When was the last time I thanked Him both for who He is and for what He has done for me?
4. When was the last time I shared with Him my dreams and ideas and concerns?
5. How often do I bring to Him the needs of others?
6. Do I spend time studying God's Word?
7. Do I look over the lesson for the weekend in advance or do I wait till that morning?
8. Do I look for ways to apply what I am learning through my reading, through the kids' lessons, through the sermons each weekend?
9. Am I living holy? This doesn't mean perfection but rather attempting to live in a way that is "whole"/"complete", that is pleasing to Christ, that is good and just and right?
10. When I fail - as we all do - do I seek God's forgiveness, comfort and wisdom on how to continue and move forward with Him?
11. Do I know how to study God's Word?
12. If not or if I am unsure, am I asking for help? (There are many different ways to study and learn God's Word. There is no one "right" way. If you are interested in ways to help you learn more from God's Word email me or keep an eye on the blog for more posts about that.
13. Am I lacking confidence?
14. Have I asked Christ to give me confidence and wisdom when teaching?

Missions Weekend - Aug 29 & 30

On your CD (the blue CD) you will find in the Curriculum Folder the lesson for this weekend: Special Services - Missions Weekend - Aug 29 & 30.

In the lesson there are 3 activities I would like to highlight:

1. Loud & Quiet (Main Room Activity)
2. Red Light, Green Light (Main Room Activity)
3. No Way! We Will Always Say That Jesus Is The Way (Closing Room Activity)

These are activities that you can do in your class to open up the lesson or to end with. They are great to do when you are done with the lesson and craft as both a way to review and a way to keep the kids occupied during Check-Out Time.

Here are a few tips for making the story come alive as you teach it:

• Bring duct tape or tape and a rope. These can be used as a tangible way to point out that the leaders wanted Peter and John to be quiet and not speak. And when they wouldn't listen they were tied up and taken to jail.
• Stick your legs out & have the kids try to pick them up. When talking about the lame man in this weekend's story to help the kids get a visual of the fact that he couldn't walk, stick your legs straight out and then try to lift them. When you "can't" get them off the ground ask the kids to help lift your legs. Pretend that not even they can get them to work b/c when they get your leg off the ground and let go it just falls back down.
• Do the crawl. Ask the kids how would they around if they couldn't walk. Have them crawl around the room using just their arms.
• Have the kids pretend to be Peter and John and pray for you. Lead them in a prayer asking Jesus to help your legs work. When they are done...JUMP UP!
• Have kids sit down in circle with legs straight out. When you tap them on the head they are to immediately JUMP UP!

Also be sure to remind the kids that Peter and John didn't just ask Jesus to heal the man's legs but told the man about Jesus. Help the kids to learn that Jesus cares about all of us but the most important part to know is that He loves us and wants us to tell others that He loves them too.

Week 6 Lesson Tips & Sharing Helps

This week's lesson is pretty simple. A few ideas to help the story come alive are:

• Bring a stick or cane or umbrella. Let the kids take turns pretending to be Mephibosheth.
• Bring a stuffed animal. Explain to the kids that they are going to take turns holding the bear as you tell the story. Their job is to sit quietly and listen to the story. When they are holding the stuffed animal they are to be kind to it (hugs, kisses, high fives, etc.). When you point to them they are to "share" the stuffed animal with the person next to them and give it to them.
• With the help of the other leader(s) in your room act out some scenarios for the kids and ask them to tell you how they should share. Examples: Bring water bottle and pretend to be very hot - should you share with the other leader who is very hot? Bring a snack and the other leader is very hungry - what should you do? Bring some coloring pages and have the other leader have the crayons - what should the both of you do? Fight with your leader over the same chair - what should you do?

Here are some good ideas/tips that we can use to help our kids learn to share:

• Remind kids when they are not sharing that this might make his friends not want to share with him or play with him.
• Take the toys in question away; if the kids won't share then neither of them can play with the toys.
• When you see a child sharing, thank her for sharing her toys with others.
• When a child becomes upset because he has to share, point out other toys that they can play with as well.
• When a child becomes upset because she has to share, point out what she can now do together that she couldn't do before by herself.
• When kids are fighting over toys, have them take turns playing with the item. Be sure to put a time limit on the turn that is fair and reasonable for the child.
• Many times when a preschooler is upset about sharing it isn't about sharing exactly but about the idea of fairness/justice. Perhaps another child simply took something without asking. Perhaps another child pushed them over to get to their spot. In this situation help the other child learn to ask to play with the toy or play in the same spot. Many times this simple act of respect can cause a child to want to share.

New Memory Verse this Weekend

NEW MEMORY VERSE

All men will know that you are my disciples,

if you love one another. John 13:35

Week 5: Lesson Tips

This week's lesson is a review of our 1st four lessons: how God takes David from a shepherd to the King. It is a reminder of how God was with David when no one knew him and his own family forgot him to when he was a hero who killed the giant Goliath to being chased by King Saul and having to hide in caves to becoming the King of Israel as God promised him many years before.

It's a lesson about how no matter what is happening in our lives we can be happy because God loves us.

To help the kids review and have fun at the same time there will be 6 balloons in your room. If you do not use this teaching tip it is okay b/c the balloons go along with the theme of Marty visiting Balloon Island.

Each balloon represents 6 key points of the story of David - from shepherd to King. As you review with the kids the 6 points, take down a balloon and tie to a chair.

The 6 points are:

1. David was chosen by Samuel who God sent to his house. David was chosen to be King. Even though his brothers and father didn't think he was important enough to be called inside when the very important man named Samuel came, God saw him and knew him and chose him to be king.

Have kids put a crown on their head.
Ask: Why could David be happy when chosen to be king?
Answer: Because God loved him no matter what.
Ask: Can we be happy?
Answer: Yes! Because God loves us no matter what.

2. David fought the huge giant, Goliath. When everyone else was afraid David was brave because he knew God was with him.

Have kids pretend they are throwing a slingshot.
Ask: Why could David be happy when he fought the giant?
Answer: Because God loved him no matter what.
Ask: Can we be happy?
Answer: Yes! Because God loves us no matter what.

3. David became a soldier in King Saul's army. He was very brave and won lots of battles. The people loved David and cheered for him.

Have kids shout, jump and cheer.
Ask: Why could David be happy when everybody liked him?
Answer: Because God loved him no matter what.
Ask: Can we be happy?
Answer: Yes! Because God loves us no matter what.

4. Pretty soon King Saul became angry because the people liked David so much. He didn't want David to be king because he was king. He started trying to hurt David and David had to run away and hide. King Saul chased David and David had to hide in caves and leave his friends and family.

Have kids pretend to be hiding from King Saul.
Ask: Why could David be happy when he was sad and being chased by King Saul?
Answer: Because God loved him no matter what.
Ask: Can we be happy?
Answer: Yes! Because God loves us no matter what.

5. David played music and sang to God when he was happy and when he was sad. When David was fighting and brave and when he was running and hiding from King Saul David would talk to God and sing to him.

Have kids pretend they are playing an instrument.
Ask: Why could David be happy and talk and sing to God when things were good
and when things were bad?
Answer: Because God loved him no matter what.
Ask: Can we be happy?
Answer: Yes! Because God loves us no matter what.

6. Then one day God made David king just like God had promised. All the people loved David and David was in charge of the whole kingdom.

Have kids pretend they are putting on a crown.
Ask: Why could David be happy when he was King of Israel?
Answer: Because God loved him no matter what.
Ask: Can we be happy?
Answer: Yes! Because God loves us no matter what.

When you are all done have kids dance and shout and cheer around the balloons because God loves them.

Week 4 Lesson Tips

Main Point: I Will Be Kind When Others Are Mean
Bible Story: David & Jonathan - 1 Samuel 17:17-52
Memory Verse: Let your light shine before men that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in Heaven. Matthew 5:16

Lesson Review

This week's story is built on last week's story. take a few minutes to review with the kids what they learned last week.

• David and Jonathan were friends (remember the happy faces?)
• King Saul didn't like David (remember the angry face?)
• King Saul wanted to hurt David (remember the scared faces?)
• But Jonathan helped David to get away and they promises to always be friends (remember the happy faces?)

This week the King is still mad at David and is being very mean. He is being so mean to David that David is having to run and hide all the time. Begin this week's story.

Hide and Sneak

A great way to help your kids remember the lesson is to get them actively involved in the story. Here are a couple ideas.

1. Hide & Find - Hide an object in your classroom. Either before or after you tell this week's story have the children quietly - "just like David" - search for the object. They must learn to "sneak" around to find the object "just like David" had to sneak up to Saul to take his spear. You can have one item they all search for or several items.
2. Hide and Sneak - After telling the kids this week's story have them act out the story. Choose a child to be the King, another child to be David and another to be David's friend. The rest of the children are to be the King's soldiers. Place the King in the middle of the floor surrounded by his soldiers. Have them pretend to be sleeping - lay down and snoring. Then have David and his friend tiptoe through the soldiers and next to the King and take the King's spear. Have David and his friend hurry out and stand on the other side of the room (the hill) and then holler at the King and his soldiers. You can do this several times with different kids playing the part of the King, David and David's friend.
3. For fun, at the end of the lesson or at the beginning (just be aware of who your kids are and how many as it may be harder for them to settle down for a story if you do this first), pretend to be the King who is chasing David and "chase" the kids around the room. The kids have to scurry and "hide" from you. Make up some rules about how they can "hide" - they must tiptoe (because they have to be quiet), they have to tell you what they are pretending to hide behind (a bush, a tree, a cave) and you have to "chase" different ways - a skip, a hop on one foot, like a monster, on all fours, etc.