November 2015
Grace of Christ Presbyterian Church Children’s Ministries Dept. 9 S. 8th Ave. Yakima WA 98902 509-248-7940 www.yakimagrace.com
Show Gratitude by Giving & Serving
POWERSOURCE ASK GOD: 1. To help your children be grateful for their God-given blessings. 2. To nurture servant hearts and attitudes in your family members. 3. To provide uplifting, gratifying serving opportunities for your entire family.
A 2013 study commissioned by the John Templeton Foundation found that most Americans have a “gratitude gap.” They believe gratitude is important and should be taught to children, but they don’t practice it very often—with one exception. Parents say they express gratitude frequently to their own children. Such modeling is a first step toward helping young people express thankfulness to others. One great way to show gratitude is serving others and forming habits of generosity. And such expressions of gratitude don’t have to be grand. Poet William Wordsworth said the “best portion” of good people’s lives are their “little, nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and love.” Small acts of gratitude can make a big difference.
Follow these tips to help children grow into lifelong givers and servers: Choose fun, age-appropriate serving opportunities for your whole family, and keep them within reasonable time limits. As you serve, discuss with children what you’re doing—and why. As kids get older, encourage them to participate in anonymous serving projects to learn that generosity is its own reward. Let kids brainstorm their own acts of service. Create a family gratitude journal, designating one section for listing ways to give back to God. Reinforce the message that we give to and serve others because we love Jesus, who’s given so much.
Ready, Set, Give! “Kids have a natural affinity to gratitude,” says Dr. Robert Emmons, author of Thanks! How Practicing Gratitude Can Make You Happier. “They often teach parents as much or more about gratitude than the other way around.” Gratitude has side benefits, too. Research shows that thankful kids get better grades, experience less depression, are more content, and maintain a more positive outlook on life. Encourage your kids to be grateful—and to give back—by offering them authentic experiences for sharing and serving. Sure, you may have to do these things alongside your children—but that’s a good thing. Get started with some of these fun ideas.
TEACHABLE MOMENTS Treasure Thanks Hide 100 pennies in a room. Have family members search for the pennies. Afterward, have them name one thing for which they’re thankful for every penny they found. Help younger children as needed. Read aloud Matthew 6:19-21. Ask: What are some things you treasure and why? What does this verse say about our treasures and our hearts? How can thankfulness help us keep our eyes on heaven? Take turns giving away pennies to other family members. With each penny, tell that person one thing about them for which you’re thankful. Then ask: When is it easy or difficult to share our blessings with others? How can we serve others with our blessings from God? Close in prayer, thanking Jesus for his blessings and asking him to show you ways to share those blessings with others.
Giving Challenge Introduce the concept of “love languages” to help children explore different ways of giving. Brainstorm ideas for giving that are related to physical touch (giving hugs and foot rubs), quality time (walking together, doing a puzzle), gifts (making a drawing or bracelet), service (doing a chore), and kind words (writing a letter or story). Creative Blessings Hand out paper and pens or markers. Have family members write or draw a prayer for someone they know. It can be a prayer of thanksgiving for that person or for a specific need. Decorate the borders of the prayers, place them in envelopes, and mail or deliver them. Recognition Cookies Make several batches of cookies while talking about people who help others without much recognition (nurses, teachers, pastors, firefighters, paramedics, police officers, etc.). Have kids choose a group to deliver the treats to and decorate gift tags or write notes of thanks to those people to include with the treats. Marvelous Missions Bank Give family members each a tube of mini M&M’s. While eating the candies, discuss missions organi-
zations and pick one to contribute to as a family. Decorate 3X3½-inch pieces of paper with the group’s name or a picture representing its work. Tape a paper around each empty tube to create quarter banks. After filling the banks (each will hold $20 in quarters), donate the money to that organization. True Servants Collect a variety of household items, and display them on a table. Take turns picking up an item and using it to serve another family member somehow. Read aloud John 13:3-5, 12-17. Discuss how it felt to serve and be served, why Jesus served his disciples, and how you can serve others in the week ahead. Grateful Givers At dinner time, have each family member jot on slips of paper reasons they felt blessed during their day, and place the slips in a Gratitude Jar. Pull out and read the blessings together occasionally. Also use a Giving Jar to collect ideas about ways to serve. Whenever you add a slip to the jar, pull out a giving slip, and start serving! Pitch in Together Ask your pastor or outreach committee about opportunities to serve as a family in or through your church.
“Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.” —Luke 6:38
MEDIA MADNESS
MOVIE
BOOK
Title: Jem & the Holograms Genre: Live-action musical fantasy Rating: PG (for thematic material including reckless behavior, brief suggestive content, and some language) Cast: Aubrey Peeples, Molly Ringwald, Juliette Lewis, Ryan Guzman Synopsis: After a friend uploads a video to the Internet, a small-town girl becomes a pop superstar. The movie is loosely based on an ’80s cartoon and line of dolls. Our Take: Kids who dream of fame may be starry-eyed over Jem’s glam makeover, but the film also reveals the downsides of hitting it big. For older kids and preteens, the movie could spark discussions about how friendships change and how we can use our God-given talents for God’s glory.
Title: The Worst Class Trip Ever Author: Dave Barry Synopsis: The latest kids book from Pulitzer Prize-winning comedy writer Dave Barry centers around a middle school trip to Washington, D.C. When Wyatt and his best friend Matt encounter some strange men with a mysterious device on an airplane, it’s up to the boys to discover the truth and save the world—maybe. Our Take: Barry, who got his start writing humor pieces in his school newspaper, has been writing kids and young-adult books for years. This new adventure seems like goofy fun but also raises questions about not judging people by their appearances—a lesson everyone can stand to learn. The book is geared toward kids ages 9-12.
CULTURE & TRENDS Bible Stories? We often refer to events in the Bible as “stories,” but we may be doing a disservice. Studies show that children with a prior exposure to religion are less likely to be able to differentiate between factual and fantastical stories. (Wiley Online Library) The Value of Boredom Due to the constant stimulation of smart devices, cognitive psychologists warn that children are forgetting “how to be bored” and losing the benefits that come with it—such as creativity and emotional development. (trendbible.com)
QUICK STATS Games, Sites & Apps Disney Infinity 3.0
Art for Kids Hub
Periscope
In the big lead-up to December’s Star Wars movie release, this game features characters from the franchise that can battle with counterparts from other Disney titles. It’s stuffed with nostalgia, thanks to a variety of characters found in the game’s Toy Box or unlocked on the screen by figurines.
A dad started this site to help other families create artwork together. Tutorials show kids how to draw, paint, and sculpt a wide variety of images, including favorite cartoon characters. Low-cost printables and a free subscription are also available. You can find the site at artforkidshub.com.
Twitter’s live-streaming app lets users broadcast video from a cell phone but also allows two-way, real-time communication and instant feedback. In just four months, the app garnered 10 million users. It’s also raised concerns about online privacy and predators, so proceed with care.
This page is designed to help educate parents and isn’t meant to endorse any movie, music, or product. Our prayer is that you’ll make informed decisions about what your children watch, read, listen to, and play.
Underage Uploads Children as young as seven are uploading sexually explicit content. Of images uploaded by kids, 17.5 percent depict children 15 and younger, and 7.5 percent depict children 10 or younger. Nearly 86 percent of the content was created with a webcam, not a cell phone. (Emerging Patterns & Trends Report Into Youth-Produced Sexual Content)
Quality vs. Quantity Quality trumps quantity when it comes to the time we spend with kids. A study published in the Journal of Marriage and Family shows virtually no relationship between the amount of time parents spend with kids between ages 3 and 11 and how the kids turn out. (washingtonpost.com)
November SUNDAY
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Daylight-Saving Time Ends FALL BACK 1 HOUR!
Christmas music in full swing in KidZone!
OCC Shoeboxes due to the church for dedication
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26 Thanksgiving Day
Christmas music in full swing in KidZone!
29 First Sunday of Avent
Church closed
Salvation Army Giving Tree Kickoff
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DEC. 1
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HEY KIDS! Did you know you can enjoy more fun with Deeb Blue Kids at home? Check out the new app…
Don’t forget…SHOEBOXES ARE DUE BACK HERE ON OR BEFORE NOV.15 *After that please deliver to one of the alternate drop off locations listed below before Nov. 23 Ahtanum Pioneer Church – 8500 Ahtanum Road Christian Life Center – 716 N. 40th Ave. Central Assembly of God – 701 S. 3rd Ave.
In KidZone it is a long standing tradition to participate in worship in December to usher in the holiday season. Kids are already busy in class singing and rehearsing their music for this special day on Dec. 13, 2015. Your attendace in KidZone from now until we sing in worship is extremely important…don’t miss out on the chance to learn the new songs we will be presenting. Plus it’s lots of FUN!!
The 2015 Salvation Army Giving Tree Join us once again as we partner with the Salvation Army in this wonderful project. Grace of Christ Presbyterian Church has blessed an average of 200 children each year for the past 20+ years! Please help make Christmas special for a child in the Yakima Valley. It’s easy…all you need to do is:
Choose a tag from the Giving Tree located in the Garden Room. Purchase the NEW gift named on the tag, or a NEW gift of your choosing. Attach the tag to the UNWRAPPED gift. Bring the gift back to the Giving Tree at GCPC by December 7, OR drop it off at the Salvation Army after that date. They will then distribute the gifts the following week.
Don’t miss this opportunity to make a difference in the life of a child. Thank you for your generosity!
When God closes one door… He is always faithful to open another one! We as a church have been blessed over the years to have had wonderfully dedicated staff members in our children’s ministries department, staff members that are loving, dedicated, and committed to teaching and sharing the love of Jesus Christ with children in our valley. One example of this staff is Michele Lenderman. It was a great day when Michele accepted a staff position in our children’s department. She and her husband Dalk had started serving in KidZone when their daughter Mikaila (who is now a junior at Whitworth) was in kindergarten. Unfortunately, Michele has recently had a change in her hours at her second job at Selah Gym Kids. After 12 years of marvelous service, she has decided to resign from her position here at Grace of Christ as of the end of Dec. 2015. This is a big loss for the children and families in our church, as Michele has been a strong source of love and support, as well as a living example of what it means to be a true disciple of Jesus. Michele’s enthusiasm and love for children has been an inspiration for all of us here at the church. Not only are we losing a great advocate for children, but we are losing a great friend amongst the entire staff. Michele’s extraordinary compassion for children has been a wonderful gift and inspiration to us all. Her beautiful smile, contagious laughter, and cheerful attitude have been a large part of the success in all the programs in the children’s ministries department. From KidZone, VBS, Christmas and Easter…Michele’s energy and enthusiasm has been contagious. I personally consider Michele a dear friend, and I am saddened that she will no longer be here to share in our ministry to children. We will all miss her dearly. However, God has been faithful, and will continue to be faithful in providing gifted people to serve in this department. As this door closes, another opens as Melissa Gray has agreed to accept the position left by Michele. Melissa began attending youth group at FPC in 1991, and became a member of the church in 1994. She then became a member of the 1995 & 96 summer TREK intern program with the youth department under the leadership of Bryce Lund. Melissa and Jeff Gray were married here at FPC in June of 1997 and then moved to the west side of Washington. In 2007 they moved back to Yakima and FPC, where they have raised their 3 boys Dallen, Gavin, and Keaton. Jeff is currently a session member and Melissa has been a lead teacher at Grace of Christ Preschool since 2010. The Gray family has a heart for this community and a strong passion for reaching children with the message of Jesus Christ. God’s faithfulness and timing is amazing, as we see His plan unfold. We are so excited to expand Melissa’s opportunity to minister to the children and families of GCPC, and I am thrilled to have the chance to work more with her. Please take the time to thank Michele for her outstanding service to our families, and be sure to also welcome Melissa to her expanded ministry in the children’s department. God has great things planned for His children, and it is a blessing and honor to be part of that plan!
Susie Woodin
Susie Woodin & Michele Lenderman
Melissa Gray