In the Season of Hope...What are We Doing?

 

 

 

 

 

In all of the hustle and bustle of this crazy time of year, I've found myself wishing for January 1. Ready for the crazy to end, and realizing that I'm so tired.

 

 

Are you dealing with Christmas burn out too?

 

 

When we sat in Staff Planning today, Pastor Don started us off the video above. It hit home especially the part about just wanting to survive.

 

 

Christmas isn't about the gifts and the "go." But about the Savior.

 

 

As I look into the upcoming weeks of travel and all the gifts and logistics, I realize that all I want for Christmas is time with family, a chance to breathe, and worship the Savior without running through the lists of lists of lists.

 

Take the time this year to really think about where we are, even as Christians, in the rat race of consumerism and Christmas...

 

 

Where are you? Is it worth it? Do we savor the family and worship the Savior? Might be time to take a moment and think, would I rather have the "stuff" or give more to the Savior of the world?

 

 

Merry Christmas,

 

Elizabeth

BBC Kids Update-December 2012

     ·         December 23: Join BBC for a special Family Style Christmas in the FLC on December 23 at 10:00 am! There is no Sunday School or Children’s Activities on this day. There will be nursery for infant through 3 years old in the FLC.

 

     ·         NO DISCOVERY CLUB AND KID’Z ZONE: On December 23 and 30, there will be NO Discovery Club or Kid’z Zone. We encourage you to keep your children with you throughout the Christmas Season and celebrate together! Children’s Church will resume in January!

 

·         CentriKid 2013: The 3^rd-5^th graders will be attending CentriKid in June! The cost of CentriKid is $270 for the entire week of camp. This will include transportation, meals, t-shirt, room, camp, and all track activities. While we will be having fundraisers to offset the cost of camp in 2013, there is a nonrefundable $50 deposit due to the church office by February 13, 2013. This will guarantee your child’s spot for camp. Please make your check out to Ballardsville Baptist Church.

 

·         Discovery Club Teachers Needed: If you are willing to take a rotation in Discovery Club once every 2 months, please let Elizabeth Horne know. The children in this class are using The Gospel Project videos and music for their lesson. Everything is provided for you!

 

 

The Gospel Project Parent's Help-Unit 4, Session 2

Dear Parents,

Merry Christmas to you! Thank you for entrusting your child to us throughout this year. We celebrate with you and your family the joy of Jesus’ birth. This week’s story in The Gospel Project for Kids was all about Jesus’ birth. When God sent Jesus to earth, He was born of a virgin, fulfilling Isaiah’s prophecy.

As you celebrate, recount for your kids the joyous news the shepherds shared. Help your kids understand the importance of sharing that wonderful news with others. Talk about the humble beginnings of our Savior, Jesus. Pray with your family, thanking God for sending His Son, Jesus, to be the Savior of the world.

Unit 4, Session 2: Jesus Was Born

 

Luke 2:1-20

Christ Connection: The birth of Jesus was good news! Jesus was not an ordinary baby. He was God’s Son, sent to earth from heaven. Jesus came into the world to save people from their sins and to be their King.

Adult Connection Point: Original order: God ruling over Man ruling over Creation.

But sin inverted that order: Creation (serpent) ruling over Man ruling over God. In the incarnation of Jesus, God enters creation in order to reconcile Man to God (save Man from their sins).

 

Family Devotion:

Supplies Needed: Items from your home, Bible, 3 index cards, pen, “He Was Born”song from the Family App

Tell your children to find five items from their bedrooms. (Parents can do this also.) After everyone has returned, direct them to line up their items from left to right in order of importance. Which item means the most to you? Put that item to the far left. Which item is of least importance? Place that item on the far right. Arrange the other three items between these two. Ask your children why they chose this order.

Read Genesis 3:1-6.

Say: From the very beginning, God created man to have a relationship with Him, but sin broke that relationship. Man kept trying to get to God through his own efforts, but it wasn’t until Jesus was born that God’s plan went into action. Now man (and woman) could be in relationship with God again through Jesus.

 

Do: Print the words Jesus, Mary/Joseph, creation on the index cards. Tell your children to put these three cards in order of importance from left to right.

Say: With the birth of Jesus, God was bringing the world back to Himself, and bringing order back to the world. Sin would no longer rule over us, but Jesus would rule over us and defeat sin by coming to save us from our sins.

 

Read Luke 2:1-20.

 

Lead your family in singing “He Was Born.” Thank God for the good news of Jesus

Christ! Jesus is God’s Son sent from heaven.

 

"Deck the Halls" Christmas Skit Update

Dear Skit Parents,

Your children have worked so hard on their Christmas skit! We are ready to present on Sunday. Every child will need to be here at 9:30 am on Sunday Morning. They will go to Sunday School, and I will get them to practice.

Your child needs to wear regular clothes like they were coming in from caroling in the neighborhood. Please do not put the girls in dresses! They will be sitting on the floor! Jeans are preferred for the students to wear.

If your child is in the nativity, I will have their costumes ready for them on Sunday, and we will get ready before church.

We can’t wait to show you all we’ve worked so hard on!

 

The Gospel Project-Parent Help for the Week of 12/3/12

Unit 4, Session 1: Angels Spoke to Mary and Joseph

Dear Parents,

 Thank you for continuing this journey of The Gospel Project for Kids. We’d like to take a break from the chronological study of the Bible and invite boys and girls into the stories of Christmas. Yesterday's story relates a time when angels came to visit Mary and Joseph. The angel Gabriel came to Mary and startled her with his news. Mary felt unworthy, but she humbly submitted to God’s will for her life.

Joseph learned of Mary’s pregnancy and decided to divorce her quietly, but an angel visited Joseph and encouraged him to follow God’s plan and let the marriage take place as planned. God’s plan was far greater than Joseph’s plan.

 

What were Mary and Joseph’s roles in God’s plan? God had chosen Mary and Joseph to be the earthly parents of Jesus. The baby Jesus fulfilled the prophecies about the Messiah in Isaiah 7:14. This was one of many Old Testament prophecies which Jesus fulfilled.

Please take the time to review our lesson with your students using the Big Picture Question Cards! And we will see where this great adventure takes us next week!!!!

You can also use the devotion below to Connect what you are doing in your adult classes to your kids!

 Adult/Kids Connections

Unit 4: Session 1: Angels Spoke to Mary and Joseph

Luke 1:26-56; Matthew 1:18-24

Christ Connection

 “Therefore, the Lord Himself will give you a sign: The virgin will

conceive, have a son, and name him Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14). The baby Jesus fulfilled

Isaiah’s prophecy, as well as other prophecies of the coming Savior throughout the

Old Testament. Through His life, death, and resurrection, Jesus fulfilled God’s plan of

redemption that God planned from the beginning of the world.

Adult Connection Point:

God desires to be glorified by human beings (Gen. 1:26-2:3).

God created male and female in His image. Yet in God’s call of Joseph and Mary to be

the earthly parents of Jesus, God has called those made in the image of God to parent

the “image of the invisible God” (Col. 1:15).

Family Devotion:

Supplies Needed: Bible

In an open space, pair family members and face each other. Select one family member

from each pairing to be “it.” While standing still, make movements with your hand, body,

or face. The other person should mirror back what he does. After a few minutes, switch

places.

Read Isaiah 7:14 and Matthew 1:23.

Ask: What does the name

Immanuel mean?

Say: God planned to visit this earth in the person of Jesus. Just as we copied each

other’s movements, Jesus is the exact image of the invisible God. Jesus is God in the

flesh. He left heaven to come live with man.

Read Genesis 1:26-27.

Say: We are also created in the image of God. Mary and Joseph were created in

the image of God. God used them to parent baby Jesus. He used them in His plan to

provide a way for Jesus to be born. We will never be the exact image of Jesus on this

earth, but God can use us to tell others that Jesus is Immanuel--God with us.

Pray and thank God for sending Jesus to earth. Thank God for coming to live with man.

Even though we cannot see him we can be assured God is with us.

Take a Moment to Savor the Season...

 

It is hard to believe that Christmas is in full swing around BBC. With the kick-off of Advent last night at Hanging of the Greens, it feels like we are already in a break neck rush to the 25th. I've already had 2 cherry cokes and a regular...But I have to say the children did an amazing job last night. They were all excited, well spoken, and presented God's Word with poise!

We've got Christmas parties, children's productions, and so many other things that fill the calendar this time of year.

So in the midst of it all, I want to encourage you to take time to spend with your kids. Pull out your Gospel Project cards and go through our Big Picture Question and Verses. Ask them what they are learning, and make sure Santa doesn't over shadow the manger. Share a meal and take a breath...

Talk to you kids and their teachers about how things are going. Christmas time brings a lot of changes to a child's schedule. Late night practices and long days of school, parties, and rehearsals can throw even the strongest of adults into chaos. Make sure your child is getting enough rest and work through the changes to their schedule with their teachers both at school and church. Yep, even at church...Sometimes behavior issues can happen because a child's schedule has become too much for them to handle. Take a Saturday and stay home, watch a Christmas Movie, and don't ever get out of your pjs. It is worth the break to remember that this time of year isn't about keeping busy, it is about the Savior!

With all that being said, the Children's Ministry has one more skit practice on Wednesday. We will practice in the Worship Center the entire hour...6:30-7:30. If your child is in Deck the Halls and Trim the Tree, we need them all here for Wednesday Night Practice. Gloria will also practice from 6:30-7:30 that night for the Children's Choir. Deck the Halls will be presented on December 9 at 10:45 am.

We want you, as a family, to worship the Savior and savor the time you have together. Therefore, on Sunday, December 23, there is No Sunday School, Discovery Club, or Kid'z Zone. Everyone will meet in the FLC for A BBC Christmas Celebration-A Time of Connecting and Sharing the Gospel. There will be a lite breakfast at 9:30 and community Christmas worship at 10:45.

On December 30, Sunday School will resume at 9:30 am, but all Children's Church students will remain in worship for 5th Sunday Stay, including Discovery Club!

January 6, all Extended Session student will return to their regular programs of Discovery Club and Kid'z Zone in the 10:45 am worship.

In honor of the holidays, Caleb and I will be embarking on a roadtrip down to Georgia to visit family in Atlanta and Savannah. We leave on December 17, and will be back in town at New Years.

We hope you have a blessed and Merry Christmas. If you have any questions about any of our upcoming events, please contact me at Elizabeth @BBCLife.org.

Elizabeth J. Horne
Ballardsville Baptist Church
Minister to Children
Numbers 6:24-26