Can You Walk on Water?

On Sunday in Jr. Church we continued with our Dive In! Series, diving further into the life of Peter. Nicolas shared the story from the time that Jesus was walking on water and asked Peter to join him (Matthew 14:22-33). The kids learned about how Peter lost sight of Jesus and started to sink, but that Jesus was there ready to pick him up. We talked about the importance of trusting in Jesus and how he is always there for us. When we asked the kids if they can walk on water they were pretty quick to say that they could, but after some more thinking they realized that they too would probably get scared and that Jesus walking on water was a pretty cool miracle.

The younger kids (preschool and kindergarten) are still working on this memory verse:

“Come and follow me,” (motion hands toward self)
Jesus said. (both hands point up)
“I will send you out (walk in place)
to fish for people.” (cup hands around mouth to make a fish face)
Mark 1:17

But our older kids (grade 1-5) have moved on to this one:

But Jesus, immediately said to them: "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid." 
"Lord, if it's you," Peter replied, "tell me to come to you on the water." 
"Come," he said. 
Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus.
Matthew 14:27-29

We have put a challenge out to the older kids that if they can memorize 5 memory verses than they will win a small prize, but if they choose, they can go for a larger prize by memorizing 10. We are keeping track using a sticker chart in our classroom which also has my name and Tayte's name so that they can see that we are memorizing the scriptures with them and to encourage them to do better than us.

So what about you? Would you have been able to walk on water when Jesus called to you?

Also a reminder that Canoe Cove Christian Camp's Snowball Camps are coming up the first (Grades 4-6) and second (grades 7-12) weekends in February. You can register online at canoecovechristiancamp.org.

- Megan

Catching Men in Fish Nets?

Yesterday in Jr. Church we revisited the story of Jesus sending out Peter to fish for men! I asked the kids if Jesus meant we were supposed to go out and catch people in fish nets. We all laughed at the concept and they explained to me that Jesus meant he wanted Peter to share His story with everyone. We talked about what it means to be a follower of Jesus and played a game of charades to learn what following Jesus looks like. We talked about how following Jesus means listening to our parents, being kind to everyone around us, and when we mess up to ask for forgiveness. We also talked about how if we want to know how to follow Jesus than we have to read our bibles and pray so we know what Jesus would want us to do.

The children are still working hard at memorizing their scripture verse for this series, and I was pleasantly surprised with how many kids knew the verse yesterday. I want to encourage you to keep practicing this verse with your children over the next few weeks:

“Come and follow me,” (motion hands toward self)
Jesus said. (both hands point up)
“I will send you out (walk in place)
to fish for people.” (cup hands around mouth to make a fish face)
Mark 1:17

Spend some time talking with your kids this week about Peter, what it means to fish for men, and what it means to follow Jesus.

Also, if you haven't already please take a moment and fill out this feedback survey:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/DYNLSJT

And don't forget that camp is coming up in a couple of weeks at Canoe Cove Christian Camp! Grades 4-6 camp is on February 2-4 and Grades 7-12 is February 7-11. You can register online at canoecovechristiancamp.org.

Enjoy your week!

- Megan

A New Year!

It is crazy to believe that another year has come and gone! Our church as a whole has gone through many changes over this past year, one of them being that I (Megan) was hired on in October as a full time children's minister and office administrator. Since taking on this role there have been some changes made to our Jr. Church program. The biggest change being that we now send the children to their program for the entirety of the service instead of just a portion. When changes happen it is important to make sure that they were made for the right reason. It is important that the change is a good change and not just change for the sake of change. With that being said, we would like to hear from you! We now have a full semester under our belts of having the children downstairs for the full hour and we want to give you the opportunity to let us know what you think of the changes. Please take a couple of minutes and fill out this quick anonymous survey:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/DYNLSJT

Your feedback is important to us and so a goal for the new year is to keep you in the loop as to what is happening in Jr. Church. This blog will be updated on a weekly basis (at least) with what your children have been learning, any memory verses that they are working on as well as any events that your children may be interested in, etc.

This past Sunday (January 7th) in Jr. Church, we started a new series called "Dive In." This series is going to walk your children through the life of Peter and teach them what it really means to be a follower of Jesus! This week they heard the story of Jesus sending Peter out to fish for men from Luke 5:1-11 and their memory verse for the next few weeks is Mark 1:17 (there are actions in the brackets if that will help your child to memorize it easier):

“Come and follow me,” (motion hands toward self)
Jesus said. (both hands point up)
“I will send you out (walk in place)
to fish for people.” (cup hands around mouth to make a fish face)
Mark 1:17

Winter camps are coming up at Canoe Cove Christian Camp! There is a camp for kids in grades 4-6 which is February 2-4 and a camp for grades 7-12 February 9-11. If you would like to register your child/children for winter camp you can find the registration forms here:

http://www.canoecovechristiancamp.org/registration-and-policies/

I think that is everything for now. I hope you all have a great week!

- Megan