Children's Ministry Blog

It’s cold and flu season, and there are a couple of things we would like for parents to know…

We go to great lengths to keep our KidSpring environments germ free.

• In the nursery, our volunteers sanitize each toy in between services and immediately when it has been in the hands of a child.
• A volunteer team also does a thorough cleaning of all toys and equipment before each Sunday.
• Hand sanitizer is available at the entrances to each environment. Sanitizing your child’s hands is suggested and may be helpful in reducing the spread of germs.

In an effort to provide a healthy environment for all kids, here’s what we need you to do. Please keep your child at home if he or she has shown any of the following symptoms within the past 48 hours:

• Vomiting
• Discharge in or around eyes
• Green or yellow runny nose
• Excessive coughing
• Diarrhea
• Questionable rash
• Any communicable disease
• Fever

If your child becomes ill during church time, we will notify you promptly by flashing your parent identification number on the screen in the adult service.

We are striving to make KidSpring cleaner and more germ free than any other place outside your home! Thank you for helping make KidSpring a safe place for kids to learn about Jesus on their level!

SpringTown & Treehouse (Preschool)

Need to Know: I Will Be Happy Because God Loves Me
Bible Story: Review of David’s Life & David Becomes King, Psalm 57:7-10; 1 Samuel 16-20, 2 Samuel 5:1-4
Memory Verse: “Teach me how to live. Lead me along the right path.” - Psalm 27:11
Motions: “Teach me how to live (hold hands out like holding a Bible/book). Lead me along the right path (march in place).” - Psalm 27:11

Review

Today we learned that we have the best reason to be happy! Knowing that God loves us should make us happier than anything else! In Small Group we talked about the things God has given us that make us happy, and how if we didn’t have those things, we can still be happy because God loves us.

In Large Group Mardy shared David’s story with the sad people on Balloon Island. He told them that our Bible friend David did not know what God had planned for him, but he knew that God loved him. Because David knew God loved him, he chose to be happy and follow God through all of life’s ups and downs. The Balloon Islanders soon learned that they should be happy because God loves them!

We can be like David and be happy no matter what is going on in our lives because we know that God loves us!

This Week At Home

Ask your child to tell you about some good things and bad things that have happened in his or her life. Then talk about how no matter what happens to us, we can be happy because God loves us.

ImagiNation, Jump Street & Shockwave (Elementary School)

Need to Know: I Will Remember That God Has Done Great Things For Me
Bible Story: Israelites Battle Ai & Remember What God Has Done For Them, Joshua 4:15-24, 6:24, 8:3-35
Memory Verse: “Here is what I am commanding you to do. Be strong and brave. Do not be terrified. Do not lose hope. I am the Lord your God.” - Joshua 1:9 (to be continued)

Review

All the great things that happened in the Bible, happened because of God, and all the great things that happen in our lives, happen because God makes them happen.  Today we talked about how continually remembering the great things God has done for us will keep us strong in every battle we face.

In Large Group, Boston and Beans faced their toughest task yet, the Field Manual Memorization Stress Test.  They had to memorize an entire manual, complete physically challenging tasks and answer questions from the manual. Eventually, with God’s help, Boston and Beans were able to pass the test! Sergeant Neice gave each of them a “memory box” with items from past challenges inside to help them remember all the great things God had done for them.

This Week At Home
Your child should have come home wearing a bracelet. Ask him or her about the bracelet, and what it reminds your him or her of. Encourage your child to use the bracelet to remember all the great things God has done, especially in his or her life.

SpringTown & Treehouse (Preschool)

Need to Know: I Will Be Kind When Others Are Mean
Bible Story: David and Saul, 1 Samuel 26
Memory Verse: “Teach me how to live.  Lead me along the right path.” - Psalm 27:11
Motions: “Teach me how to live (hold hands out like holding a Bible/book). Lead me along the right path (march in place).” - Psalm 27:11

Review

Sometimes it is hard to be nice to people who may cut in front of us in line, make fun of us or break our toys. But this week we learned that God wants us to be kind when others are mean. In the Bible, David showed us that this is possible when he was nice to King Saul even when King Saul was really mean to him. David had a chance to hurt the king, but decided to follow God and show Saul kindness instead.

We also helped Mardy complete his fourth mission as he traveled to Fun Island. There was an islander named Marten who cut in line for one of the island’s best rides. Mardy had to teach two islanders, Becka and Sten, that God wants them to be kind even when Marten is mean. Mardy taught them this by sharing David’s story of kindness to King Saul.

This Week At Home

Ask your child about people they know who are mean. Talk about ways he or she can follow God and show kindness to that person.

ImagiNation, Jump Street & Shockwave (Elementary School)

Need to Know: I Will Not Give Up On What God Asks Me To Do
Bible Story: Joshua Captures Jericho, Joshua 6:1-23
Memory Verse: “Here is what I am commanding you to do. Be strong and brave. Do not be terrified. Do not lose hope.” - Joshua 1:9 (to be continued)

Review
There are lots of things God asks us to do, and sometimes when things get tough we may want to give up.  If we do, then we will miss out on all the good things He has planned for us! This week we talked about some of the things God asks us to do and how we can rely on His word for the strength to not give up. In Ephesians 6:1-3, God gives us the strength to not give up on obeying our parents. And in Ephesians 4:31-32 God gives us the strength we need to forgive each other by reminding us how Jesus forgave us.

In Large Group Seargent Neice gave Boston and Beans a seemingly impossible task of marching around the entire base in full gear for an unknown amount of time. Boston and Beans tried to fake marching by attaching cardboard dummies to a remote controlled car, but Sgt. Neice quickly caught on to their plan! Sgt. Neice helped Boston and Beans remember what Joshua learned in the battle of Jericho - that God would give him the strength he needed and that he shouldn’t give up on what God asked him to do! They trusted God for strength and never gave up!

This Week At Home

Challenge your child to a new game this week!  Encourage her to not give up.  At the end of the game reward your child for not giving up, and remind her to not give up on what God asks us to do so that she can experience His great plans and blessings.

SpringTown & Treehouse (Preschool)

Need to Know: God Gives Me Friends
Bible Story: Best Friends, 1 Samuel 16:14-23; 18-20, The Beginner’s Bible
Memory Verse: “Teach me how to live. Lead me along the right path.” - Psalm 27:11
Motions: “Teach me how to live (hold hands out like holding a Bible/book). Lead me along the right path (march in place).” - Psalm 27:11

Review

Just like a pool has water and a toothbrush has toothpaste, we have friends. Today we learned where our friends come from—God! As we saw how God blessed David with a friend named Jonathan, we learned that God gives us friends!

In today’s training we helped Mardy with his third mission as he traveled to Treehouse Island. Two people on this island had never talked to each other—they thought they were better off alone. Mardy’s mission was to bring them together and tell them what we’re learning: God Gives Me Friends.

Mardy pulled his Bible from his toolbox and shared the story of two friends named David and Jonathan. Jonathan and David said kind words about each other, Jonathan protected David from his dad, King Saul, and they promised to take care of each others’ families. Jonathan and David showed us what good friends are like, and made the islanders realize that they should be friends.

This Week At Home

Encourage your child to make a new friend this week, and help your child do something kind for one of his or her friends!

ImagiNation, Jump Street & Shockwave (Elementary School)

Need to Know: God Will Make a Way for Me to Follow Him  
Bible Story: Israelites Cross the Jordan River, Joshua 3 & 4
Memory Verse: “Here is what I am commanding you to do. Be strong and brave. Do not be terrified. Do not lose hope.” - Joshua 1:9 (to be continued)

Review

Sometimes God asks us to impossible things like inviting people to church, dealing with our siblings, helping someone in need, or sticking up for someone no one else likes. But these are things we do when we follow God. In our third week of training we learned that God Makes a Way for Us to Follow Him. How does God make a way for us to do this? By giving us the Bible, church, and family and friends who follow Jesus to help us know how to follow Him.

When God asks us to do impossible things, He doesn’t expect us to do them alone—He makes a way for us to follow Him! This is how the Israelites crossed the Jordan River. The river seemed impossible to cross, but God stopped the river’s flow so the Israelites could cross safely. God made a way for them to follow His command to cross the river! And Boston & Beans learned this same lesson as Sergeant Neice provided ways for them to complete the seemingly impossible Wilderness Time Trial.

This Week At Home

What impossible things is God telling your family or its members to do? Invite a friend to church, help someone in need, give something up? Pray as a family for God to make a way for you to follow Him.

SpringTown & Treehouse (Preschool)

Need to Know: I Will Do What I Say I Will Do
Bible Story: David & the Giant, 1 Samuel 17:17-52
Memory Verse: “Teach me how to live.  Lead me along the right path.” - Psalm 27:11
Motions: “Teach me how to live (hold hands out like holding a Bible/book). Lead me along the right path (march in place).” - Psalm 27:11

Review

Today we learned that it makes God happy when we do what we say we will do. This means that we do not leave things half-done and we do not give up on doing what we tell someone we will do.

We helped Mardy complete his second mission in his Help Corps training. He traveled to Halfway Island to explain to siblings Aaron and Jamie that they needed to do what they said they would do, finishing the construction they started. To help Aaron and Jamie understand, Mardy shared one of David’s stories with them from the Bible.

Each day David did what he said he would do and took very good care of his father’s sheep. One day his father sent him to check on his older brothers who were fighting in a war. When David arrived at the battlefield, he heard a giant from the other army yelling bad things about God and God’s people, the Israelites. David knew that this giant needed to be taken down, and since all the other soldiers were scared, David said he would do it. David knew that God would help him defeat this giant. So David did what he said he would do and defeated Goliath with just a sling and a stone!

This Week At Home

Today your preschooler colored some Coupon Promises for you. Help your child understand that by giving you these coupons he is saying that he will do the tasks on them whenever you give him a coupon back. Use these to help your child practice doing what he says he will do.

ImagiNation, Jump Street & Shockwave (Elementary School)

Need to Know: God Helps Me Through Others and God Helps Others Through Me
Bible Story: Rahab Helps Two Spies, Joshua 2:1-24
Memory Verse: “Here is what I am commanding you to do.  Be strong and brave.” - Joshua 1:9a (to be continued)

Review

In our second week of training at Ten Hut Boston and Beans learned that they needed each other’s help to complete a rescue mission. To make it through the mission they had to remember the time Joshua sent two spies on a mission to Jericho: 

Joshua sent spies to Jericho to prepare for the Israelites’ attack on the city. The spies needed help hiding, and God provided Rahab. Rahab believed in God and needed help staying safe when the Israelites came to attack Jericho. Sometimes God uses other people to help us, like God used Rahab to help the spies. And sometimes God uses us to help others, like God used the spies to help Rahab. That’s what we need to know: God Helps Me Through Others and God Helps Others Through Me.

This Week At Home

Challenge each of your family members to be on the look out (BOLO) for ways God is using others to help you and ways you can help other people.  Discuss these at dinner each night this week.

SpringTown & Treehouse (Preschool)

Need to Know: God Knows Me and Made Me Special
Bible Story: Samuel Chooses David as King, 1 Samuel 16:1-13
Memory Verse: “Teach me how to live.  Lead me along the right path.” - Psalm 27:11
Motions: “Teach me how to live (hold hands out like holding a Bible/book). Lead me along the right path (march in place).” - Psalm 27:11

Review

This is the first week of our new series Ten Hut where we will train to be soldiers in the Help Corps!

For our first day of training we learned how we are all special in many ways. Some of us have red hair and some of us have brown hair. Some of us may be good at art and some of us may be good at sports. Some of us wear glasses and some of us are tall. No matter what we are like, we are special, and our specialness comes from God. Today we learned that God knows each of us and made us all special!

In Large Group we worked with Admiral and Sergeant Argent to help Mardy, the Help Corps’ newest recruit, complete his assignment on Spy Island. Mardy’s assignment was to tell the spies that their spy skills are special because God knows them and made them special! Mardy proved this to the spies by showing them a story in the Bible about David. David was a boy who took very good care of his dad’s sheep. One day a man named Samuel came to David’s family with a very important message from God—David was going to be the next king! David was so surprised! He was the youngest of all his brothers, and he wasn’t the tallest or the strongest. But David believed that God knew him and made him special. God made David to be the king!

This Week At Home

Talk about the ways God made each of your family members special, and begin practicing this series’ memory verse.

ImagiNation, Jump Street & Shockwave (Elementary School)

Need to Know: God Gives Me Courage When I am Afraid
Bible Story: Joshua Leads the Israelites, Joshua 1
Memory Verse: “Here is what I am commanding you to do.  Be strong and brave.” - Joshua 1:9a NIrV (to be continued)

Review

This was the first week for soldiers in our new series, Ten Hut, where will be keeping step with the life of Joshua. After Moses died, God called Joshua to lead His people, the Israelites. This was a tough task, but God told Joshua not to be afraid. God gave Joshua courage and promised to be with him everywhere he went.

In Small Group we talked about some of things we are afraid of, and learned that God is bigger than anything we fear. God gives us courage to battle our fears when we read His word, the Bible. To have courage when we are afraid means that we trust God will take care of us in every situation.

In Large Group we met Boston and Beans who signed up for one of the most highly trained military units of all time…the Nameless Brigade!  Their instructor, Sergeant Niece (pronounced “Nice”), takes learning from God’s word very seriously. Each week Sergeant Niece will send Boston and Beans on different missions where they will have to rely on each other and on God. Their first mission was a night drop where they had to evade search helicopters and guard dogs in order to make it to the rendezvous point. Boston and Beans successfully accomplished their mission because they remembered what they learned in the General’s briefing (Bible story): that God would give them courage!

This Week At Home

Help your child battle his or her fears by gaining courage from the God’s word:

• Psalm 34:4
• Isaiah 41:10
• Deuteronomy 31:6
• Hebrews 13:6
• John 14:18
• Psalm 91:9-10
• 2 Samuel 22:3
• Psalm 46:1
• Deuteronomy 3:22
• Romans 8:39
• Isaiah 12:2

Join us this Sunday as we fall in for our new series, Ten Hut (elementary school) and Ten Hut Jr. (preschool)!

You won’t want to miss it!

Ten Hut Opener from Sydney Haskett on Vimeo.

SpringTown & Treehouse (Preschool)

Need to Know: I Worship God Because He Loves Me!
Bible Story:  Jesus Dies to Take Away Sins (John 3:1-18, 19:1-30, 20:1-9)
Memory Verse: Jesus, let what I think, say and do show that I love you.—Adapted from Psalm 19:14
Motions:  Jesus, let what I think (point to head) say (point to mouth) and do (move arms in running motion) show that I love (cross arms over chest) you (point to God).

Review
Over the last seven weeks we’ve learned a lot about how to worship God.  But WHY do we worship God?  Because He loves us!  We are wrapping up Center Stage with I Worship God Because He Loves Me!

On Center Stage Sally knows that all of her fans love her, but she thought we loved her because of her voice.  Didi set Sally straight by letting her know that all of their fans do love her, but not just for her voice.  Everyone loves Sally because she is Sally.  Didi shared a show-stopping story with her from God’s word about someone who loves her more than all of her fans put together.

The story was about how God loves us most of all!  He loves us so much that He sent His son Jesus to die on the cross to take the punishment for all the wrong things we do.  Sally soon realized that God loves her more than all of her fans do, and that the reason she should sing and worship God is because He loves her this much.

This Week At Home
Worship daily with your child by being thankful, singing, praying, helping others, giving, and loving others. When you are worshiping together remind him or her of why we worship—because Jesus loves us!

ImagiNation, Jump Street & Shockwave (Elementary School)

Need to Know:  I Worship God In Good Times & Bad Times
Bible Story: The Story of Job (Job)
Memory Verse: “Shout to the Lord with joy, everyone on earth! Worship the Lord with gladness.  Come to Him with songs of joy.  I want you to realize that the Lord is God. He made us and we belong to Him. We are his people.” Psalm 100:1-3a, NiRV (Italicized verses continued for 4th-5th graders.  To be continued.)

Review
When things are great, and when things are not so great, God is still worthy of our worship.  When we are having a great day, we’ve got to let God know how much we love Him by thanking Him for all that He has done for us.  And when our day has taken a turn for the worse, we still need to worship God and let Him know that we trust that He’s going to take care of us.

In Large Group, Cloud Nine is wrapping up their tour when Kate gets a call saying that her tour has been canceled.  Nate tries to point out to her that she can still worship God.  Kate doesn’t think this is a time to worship, but Nate talks to her about the story of Job.  Kate understands that she can worship God, no matter what’s going on.  Finally, Nate invites Kate to join the band for good! 

This Week At Home
The next time your child is having a really awesome day or a really bad day, help him or her remember to worship by singing, praying, loving others, serving others, giving and obeying. Worshiping God is the first step toward having a better day.

Be a rock star in your child’s life by setting a contagious example of worship. That’s a wrap!  Join us next week for a brand new series at KidSpring—come in your camo gear!

SpringTown & Treehouse (Preschool)

Need to Know: I Worship God When I Obey Him!
Bible Story: A New Home (Genesis 12-17), The Beginner’s Bible
Memory Verse: Jesus, let what I think, say and do show that I love you.—Adapted from Psalm 19:14
Motions:  Jesus, let what I think (point to head) say (point to mouth) and do (move arms in running motion) show that I love (cross arms over chest) you (point to God).

Review
Just like the players in a band obey their band conductor’s instructions, God wants us to obey His instructions. How do we know what God’s instructions are? By reading our Bible and praying. When we obey God it shows Him that we love Him—that’s worship!

Worship is one thing God tells us to do. This week we reviewed all the ways we’ve learned to worship over the last few weeks—loving others, helping others, giving, praying, singing & being thankful.  When we do these things we are worshiping and we are obeying!

This week on Center Stage, Didi & Sally received an invitation to play at the Big Music Festival. The only problem is that the festival is next Sunday. On Sundays Didi & Sally always sing to God at church. Sally is cool with skipping out on church just this once, but Didi knows that God wants us to be at church, and that obeying Him is more important than becoming famous and rich at the festival.

Abraham told us his story of how he obeyed God even when God asked him to do some very hard things. He obeyed by following God’s instructions to move away from the nice, comfortable place he was living. Abraham even obeyed with a happy attitude and without complaining! After hearing Abraham’s story, Sally realized she needed to obey God’s instructions and be at church next Sunday.

This Week At Home
Help your child practice the memory verse we’ve been learning.  If he or she can remember the whole thing next Sunday, he or she will get a prize!

ImagiNation, Jump Street & Shockwave (Elementary School)

Need to Know: I Worship God When I Obey Him
Bible Story: God Calls Abram (Genesis 12:1-9)
Memory Verse: “Shout to the Lord with joy, everyone on earth! Worship the Lord with gladness.  Come to Him with songs of joy.  I want you to realize that the Lord is God. He made us and we belong to Him. We are his people.” Psalm 100:1-3a, NIrV (Italicized verses continued for 4th-5th graders.)

Review
We’ve learned many ways to worship God over the last few weeks—singing, praying, loving others, serving God & giving. Since God tells us to worship him in all of these ways, when we worship, we are obeying Him. And another way to worship God is to obey Him.  When we are worshiping we are obeying and when we are obeying, we are worshiping!

In Large Group, Kate was interviewed by a magazine reporter about her upcoming album and tour. Unfortunately, Kate decided to lie to the reporter, and she tried to convince Nate to lie for her as well. Nate had to explain that lying is not only breaking the rules, but it is also being disobedient to God.

This Week At Home
Help your child memorize the verses from Psalm 100 we have been learning during Center Stage. Have them memorized by next Sunday to win a prize!

Be a rock star in your child’s life by setting a contagious example of worship. Worship is a lifestyle that shows God you love Him more than anything else. Reward and praise your child when he or she applies what they’ve learned. See you back on Center Stage next week!

WOW! KidSpring was rocked out with so many school supplies this past Sunday—the supplies given at our Anderson, Greenville and Florence campuses filled an entire room! You all showed that you know how to worship God by giving!

If you forgot to bring your supplies, you can still bring them this Sunday!

Writing paper & notebooks
Pencils & Pens
Colored chalk
Christian storybooks
Soccer balls & volleyballs

Here are some pictures of all of the things you GAVE for our friends in Kenya!


Pens, Pencils & Chalk


Christian Storybooks


Paper & Notebooks


Balls

WAY TO GO KIDSPRING!!!!!!!!