8-25-22 This Week in Faith
/For Kids in August
Sunday school Begins THIS Sunday Every Sunday from 9:45AM-10:45AM. There are classes for 5th grade and under. Check in at the desk in the foyer. This month we are studying:
THIS Sunday- God Heals Israel with a Bronze Snake
Scripture Memory: Colossians 1:16-17
Catechism: Who made you? God
Children’s Church [8:30AM Service] Children’s Church will only be available during the 8:30AM service. There will be a kids message in both services. 2nd grade and under will be invited to leave for Children’s Church after that in the 8:30AM service.
* We also have a new Children’s Bulletin that is ideal for 3rd-5th graders. It incorporates the worship bulletin but helps kids track through the service, stay engaged, and worship more fully with us. Look for it on the way into the sanctuary with the other bulletins.
For Students in August
Wednesday Nights for Middle School [6-8PM] We are going through the workbook “What’s Up?” talking about the gospel and how it changes us.
Sunday Nights for High School [6-8PM] We are studying the Psalms and learning how the Psalms can help us pray.
Sunday School [9:45AM-10:45AM] Students have the option to serve in a kids Sunday school class, attend the MS class [Understanding the Faith] or attend the HS class [New City Catechism]. CLICK HERE to sign up to serve.
Student Ministry Fall Retreat [Sept. 2-4] This is a great way for middle and high school students to start off the new school year- spending time with each other and with God. CLICK HERE to register.
Pray for Me Campaign Students can sign up HERE to be partnered with a younger kid to pray for the school year.
For Parents in August
Parent Book Discussion [Are My Kids On Track? By Sissy Goff, Dave Thomas, and Melissa Trevathan] Sign up at the kids Sunday school check in desk and get your free copy. Start reading on your own or with your spouse and we’ll get together 2 times to talk about it [September 28 and November 9]. There are only a couple books left!
Pray for Me Campaign- Sign up HERE to be partnered with a K-12th grader to pray for this school year. It is a great way for us to invest in each other’s kids as a church family.
Regular Service Times THIS Sunday! Don’t forget we have returned to our usual service times at 8:30AM and 11:00AM with Sunday school in the middle at 9:45 for kids and 10:00 for adults.
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Bluey and the Maternal Instincts of God
Bluey and God in the same article- count me in! I can totally relate to the amount of kids TV that this author has taken in with his kids. And Bluey is one of my favorites. Our family has a number of regular jokes and sayings from the show. There are a lot of great things about the way the show portrays parenting. This article talks about one episode where the mum assures the littlest one, Bingo, that she will always be there for her, no matter what. Where do we get that sense, that desire, that we want to be there for our kids no matter what? It comes from a God in heaven who assures us he is always there for us. I hope this is a good reminder of the heart of parenting for your kids but an even bigger reminder of the heart of God towards you.
Click here to read the article by Brad Gray.
Jesus Loves You, Tom Brady
I remember, awhile ago, having a conversation with a good friend of mine about his kid’s favorite athlete- a player for the Florida State Seminoles [Go Noles!]. He was trying to help his son know what to do as his favorite player was in the news for some bad decisions he had made. And he told me that as a part of their prayers every night, they started praying that this athlete, that they didn’t know personally, would meet Jesus. What a great idea! It can be hard to help our kids navigate how to view the celebrities and athletes they look up to. I have a tough time with it myself sometimes. But teaching our kids to care about celebrities as people made in the image of God, not just what they produce for our entertainment is important. As football is about to kick off, it is fun to root for teams and players with our kids. But I love this reminder from an article early last year that keeping our heroes in the right perspective is important- for us and them. [Even if your favorite athlete is Tom Brady!]
Click here to read the article by Jared Wilson.
The 3 Words Teenagers Want to Hear as They Go Back to School
This is from a mom whose son is starting his senior year of high school. Seniors face a lot of added stress and anxiety throughout this transition year as they work to finish strong, figure out what they are doing next, and have their role in the parent/ child relationship shift [this is hard for us parents too!]. But really all students are facing higher levels of pressure to perform and keep up with the kids around them. I just read in my email that Oconee County Schools are rated the number one county in Georgia for this past year. I’m grateful that my kids get to benefit from the great work our teachers and administrators do. But I also recognize that only feeds the fire of the pressure to achieve for our kids. Our kids need to know that we love them and are for them no matter how they perform. This is the beauty of God’s love and acceptance of us and what we get to pass on to our kids. They need to hear us say these three words often…
Click here to read the article by Yulee Lee.
PODCAST: Fear Factor in Parenting: Fear of the Teenage Years with Paul David Tripp
I love the way Paul Tripp starts talking in this interview by holding up the value and joy of teenagers. He talks about how people want to be quick to talk about the difficulty of teenagers or the faults of teenagers, but we should be quick to talk about the privilege of raising and investing in teenagers instead. He also talks about the need for humble parenting, 5 questions we can use to help our kids respond to sin as we discipline them, and a whole lot more. Our plan is to read his Age of Opportunity book as part of our parent book discussions in the spring. But this interview lets you benefit from some of his wisdom on parenting today!
Click here [Apple podcast] or here [other platforms] to listen.
