Children's Ministries Update

Hello families!

As we come to the end of the Program year, there are a lot of celebrations, marking of milestones for our kids in formation and choir, and getting ready for Vacation Bible School - and that is just at church! It is a busy time and you are getting lots of asks to help out. I remember it well. I feel it in the air even now. It can be an overwhelming time and may stress you out.

But what if we reframe this time of year. What if we take time at dinner to look back over the year and see how we have grown, what we really loved, what we have let go of and what we have learned.

What if we really take 5 or 10 minutes to Be Still and Know God, meditate, pray, or lay on the grass and look at the clouds and be thankful for our many, many blessings.

Then, and only then, after this shift to gratitude, we act, we do something out of our gratitude, not out of our "shoulds" attitude. Sounds simplistic, but research backs up the change in our joy, our mental wellness this simple shift to action can make when it is springing from gratitude instead of "another thing I should do".

The trick is to get quiet. Reflect in the middle of the chaos and parties and dinners. Set aside time and Pray. See your abundance instead of any lack. "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want."

Peace,

Kathy

This Sunday, April 30

Nursery : 8:30-12:30

1st fl. of the Pritchett Center

Children's Church: 8:45 gathering; 9:00 service Need a volunteer!

2nd fl. of the Pritchett Center

Children's Formation: 10::20-11:05

2nd fl. of the Pritchett Center

** Children's Church Greeters Needed **

I need greeters to help with Children's Church for the last 4 Sundays we have left. We always need two adults present to meet our Diocesan Safeguarding God's CHildren protocols. And it is Fun!

If you haven't stayed with us yet, it is easy and a great way to meet your child's friends. Go to the Sign Up Genius Here

Vacation Bible School Registration

VBS June 5-9; 9:00-12:00

Aftercare until 5:00

The registration link is ready! Go to VBS Registration

All of the info is there, but here are the main points:

Best Deal in Town: VBS -$50 for first child for the week; $30 for each

additional child

Aftercare - $60 for first child for week; $40 for each

additional child

Rising Kindergartners - 5th graders ( 5th graders will be campers and Counselors in Training, learning how to lead for next summer but able to do all the fun stuff too!)

6th - College Age can be Counselors - register them or email me. They do not need to pay. We will have a short training lunch on June 4th after the 9:00 service.

Kids learn about their faith while forming relationships with kids of all ages and adults from their church family. They always love their "counselors" and seeing them on Sundays after spending so much time with them.

Deep dive into the Bible Stories. 45 minutes on a Sunday is really hard to do a deep dive into any of the stories. At VBS, the kids use different modes of learning about each story to really bring the story home, to reach all different kinds of learners, and to learn that we all have different gifts to offer. Johnny may be great at games, but need Susie's help in the Art Room. Jill might be great at Science experiments, but need help from Adam for acting out the story in the Drama room.

So sign up now! Bring a friend, a neighbor, or 4 or 5! Let's make this the biggest, best VBS ever!

** We will need parents to help with all things.**

VBS can't happen without a team of volunteer adults to run the classrooms. You don't have to have any great skills - just an ability to come have fun, dance with the Holy Spirit in this amazing adventure with our children, and follow a very easy lesson all prepared for you.

Can you grab snacks and get them set up each day? Can you run the Science Room ( very easy director guide and lots of fun and good helpers), Drama Room, Game Room, or Art Room. Can you come help decorate the weekend before or clean up the weekend after? Can you help with our ending celebration on Friday. Whether you can do 1 or 2 days or the whole week, email me and let me know - you can also put it on the registration.

Call me with any questions

404-267-4272 office

Moving Up Celebration and Blessing for

Rising 3rd and 5th Graders

May 14, 9:00 service in the Church

(no Children's Church that day)

Two Milestone Moments for our kids are coming up soon.

3rd graders that have spent four years in Children's Ministries learning over 40 stories of our faith and wondering what they might be teaching them and us about out lives today, will be moving up into our tween program, Club 45 for 4th and 5th graders. They move into the clubhouse - their own space set aside from the "little kids" and they start a new curriculum that finds connections between the stories they have learned. They also learn about our Core Ministries and spend time serving with each of them - stepping more deeply into our philosophy of this faith journey, Learn It and Live It.

5th graders that have spent 2 years in Club 45 making connections in the Bible stories and practicing their servant leadership by helping with the canned goods drive with Midtown Assistance Center, collecting and sorting clothing with Threads, making Blessing Bags to hand out at the Covenant Community Thanksgiving Dinner, celebrating with our Refugee Ministries families at Halloween or VBS or at Swim Buddies, and more will be moving up into the Youth Program on the 3rd floor of Pritchett, the Attic.

Come help us mark this moment as Holy and Good.

Be witnesses of their journey and let them know that you are always lifting them up in prayer, but especially on this day.

Sign their Bible, shake their hands, ask them what has been especially meaningful so far for them as a member of this church family - you may be surprised by the answer and it may shine a new light on your own journey!

The Welcome Table:

Sunday Evening Worship Service and Dinner

Sundays beginning April 30,

Courtyard hospitality at 5:00 p.m.

Worship at 5:15 p.m. in the Chapel

We invite you to a re-imagined evening worship service in the chapel, where we experience God’s hospitality and love for the world. The service includes beautiful music from a variety of traditions, accompanied by piano and a solo instrumentalist. We’ll share communion together, light candles as a symbol of our prayers, and enjoy a meal together afterwards. The sermon is brief and preached from the floor. The prayers invite your participation. The space is set up like a dinner gathering, in the round.

Bring a friend or neighbor. Invite someone that you have not seen at church lately. Call your grown kids and meet them here for the service and dinner. We will see you here!

Coming Up - Save the Date