Great Start

It was a great first Sunday of the fall semester!! THANK YOU to all the fabulous teachers and volunteers who made Sunday School and Children’s Worship possible.

What glory and joy it brings to the Lord to see His house filled with those He calls to Him and loves so deeply. He takes such delight in them learning about Him and drawing near to Him!

We hope they continue to draw near to Him throughout the week. We will update you on what your children are learning in Sunday School and Children’s Worship, so you can continue the conversation in the car, in the kitchen, and at bedtime. (Check back for some curriculum details…coming soon!)

Announcement for 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd graders…We would love for your children to experience the gathered Worship Service with you at 8:00 or 10:45 and then be dismissed from the service to experience Children’s Worship with us! So please pick your 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd graders up from Sunday School and take them to the Worship service. Then they will leave with a Children’s Ministry Staff member who will escort them to Children’s Worship in room C316. You can pick your child up in room C316 on the 3rd floor- Glory Mountain- after Worship. 

Starting September 23, we will be offering a new time of praise & worship in room C316 at 9:15 a.m. for 1^st-5^th graders. They will then head to their classrooms for Sunday School.

We are so glad you and your family worshipped with us! We sure do love hearing your children’s voices singing and laughing and their little feet walking running down the halls! 

*** Also anytime you see a C in front of a room number that means Children's building...we hope this helps you navigate through the building ***

Sunday Mornings...New Schedule & New Format!

New schedule and new classes begin on September 9! So make note that Worship services are 8:00 a.m. & 10:45 a.m. and Sunday School starts at 9:30 a.m.

We are so excited about your child being part of the Children's Ministry at Covenant! You will receive a postcard in the mail this week with your child's classroom assignment. On Sunday September 9, when you check your child in at the Welcome Desk, his new name tag will also reflect his new classroom.

Below is a brief overview of what happens during the Sunday School and Children's Worship hours! Scroll/read down to find your child's grade/age group for specific details. 

Pre-School Ministry

Sunday School will begin at 9:30 a.m. Children's Worship will take place during both 8:00 a.m. and 10:45 a.m. Worship Services. For ages 3k-5k, we will transition your child from his Sunday School classroom to his Children's Worship classroom. (You do not need to come get your child after Sunday School unless you are taking them to Worship with you.)

• 3 Year Old-  If your child is 3 by September 1, 2012...WELCOME to Covenant's pre-school ministry!  We are so glad that you are joining us on the 2nd floor - Merry Midlands! Your child will be assigned to either room C222 or C223. They will spend the Sunday School hour being taught from the Great Commission Publications curriculum, which tells the story of what God has done for us through Christ. Your children will see God's story of redeeming love for us unfold through familiar Bible stories of Creation, Adam & Eve, Noah, Abraham, Issac, Jacob, and Joseph. These stories we hope will help reinforce a strong foundation for our children to build trust in our God! It is amazing to watch their little eyes open to the Gospel!
• 4 Year Old- If your child is 4 by September 1, 2012.... WELCOME back to Covenant's pre-schoool ministry! Your child will be assigned to either room C224 or C225. We are so glad to see you on the 2nd floor - Merry Midlands again this year! Your  child will continue to build on the foundation she has started by continuing to study the redemptive story that God has planned for us through Christ. Using the Great Commission Publications curriculum, we will continue to study familiar stories that will help reinforce your child's knowledge of a Great Big God!
• 5 Year Old- If your child is 5 by September 1, 2012...WELCOME back to Covenant's pre-school ministry!  Your child will be assigned to either room C226 or C227.We are so glad that your child will be with us again this year learning about God's love for us and the redemptive story that begins in the Old Testament and points us to Christ our Savior! We look forward to your child building on the foundation of Bible Stories that help build trust in God!
• Children's Worship-  During Children's Worship, children will hear God's Word, sing praises to the Lord, create a craft that reiterates the Bible story, and play. The 3 Year Old classes will remain in room C222, and the 4 Year Old & 5 Year Old classes will be in room C221. (There is a "transition time" for approximately 15 minutes in between Sunday School & Worship. Your child will be escorted to the appropriate classroom, so you do not need to come and get them unless he is attending Worship with you.)

Elementary Ministry

On September 9 Sunday School will begin at 9:30 a.m., and children should go to their new classroom. (Be on the lookout for a postcard in the mail or be sure to check your child's name tag when he checks in at the Welcome Desk on the 2nd floor- Merry Midlands.) Children's Worship starts after children are dismissed from the Worship Service.  

Starting September 23, your child (1st - 5th grade) will check-in at the Welcome Desk at 9:30 a.m. and make his way to room C316 for Assembly. It will be a time of singing and teaching. After Assembly, children will make their way downstairs to their large group gathering before splitting into their breakout groups! By 9:45 a.m. all children will be in their assigned Sunday School classrooms. 

We are excited about this new format for our elementary age children, and hope to see the Lord do great things in their lives as they hear His Word in a variety of ways throughout Sunday morning! 

• 1st Grade will now engage in a large group gathering for a time of Biblical teaching in room C231 on the 2nd floor - Merry Midlands. Then will break-out into two small groups for a time of organized activities and discussion to support the Biblical lessons learned. The breakout groups will meet in room C231 & C229. 
• 2nd Grade will also engage in a large group gathering for a time of Biblical teaching in room C230 on the 2nd floor - Merry Midlands. Then will break-out into two small groups for a time of organized activities and discussion to support the Biblical lessons learned. The breakout groups will meet in room C228 & C230
• 3rd Grade will also engage in a large group gathering for a time of Biblical teaching in room C323 on the 3rd floor - Glory Mountain. Then will break-out into two small groups for a time of organized activities and discussion to support the Biblical lessons learned. The breakout groups will meet in room C323 (Boys) & C322 (Girls). 
• Children's Worship takes place in room C316 on the 3rd floor- Glory Mountain for ages 1st-3rd grade. Your child will be dismissed from the Worship Service and escorted to room C316 by Children's Ministry Staff member or volunteer. During Children's Worship, your child will hear the teaching of God's Word. 
• 4th & 5th Grade will engage in a large group gathering in room C316 located on the 3rd floor- Glory Mountain. They will then break out into small groups of 4th grade boys (C327), 4th grade girls (C326), 5th grade boys (C324), 5th grade girls (C325).
• 6th Grade will meet in room C321 on the 3rd floor- Glory Mountain. 

***Please encourage your children to always check-in at a Welcome Desk or a Check-in Station, we want to make sure each child is accounted for and in the right spot!***

If you have questions regarding Children's Ministry at Covenant, please feel free to contact us! We are here to serve and help you and your family. We consider it a privilege and joy to love your children and point them to Christ. Please email or call Laura Tucker at ltucker@covpres.com or 205-871-7002 x 141- she can help you find the answers to your questions!

KidzClub...

On Wednesday, August 29 mid-week activities return to Covenant and that means KidzClub & Music Clubs!

The Children's Ministry is excited about the opportunity to share Christ with your children during KidzClub, which meets from 6:30-7:30 for ages 3K-6th grade! Please register your child by visiting the registration table during Wednesday night dinner. We'll be located right outside the fellowship hall and look forward to seeing you!

Signs are located throughout the church with the room numbers for KidzClub.

Just to give you a little insight into KidzClub...it is an evening of hearing God's Word through age appropriate Bible Study, crafts, games, and little praise & worship too!  (PS if you want to join the fun...email Karen Yendle at  kyendle@covpres.com or Laura Tucker ltucker@covpres.com, we would be happy for you to help with one of our fabulous classes!)

Music Clubs kick-off at 5:00 p.m. for ages 4K-6th grade. Children will enjoy singing to Lord together as they prepare for the Christmas musical "Mission Possible". Classes meet in rooms S100, S101, & S104. Registrations forms are available at the church or email Blenda Given at bgiven@covpres.com for more information.

On a separate note, it is almost time for Promotion Sunday! Sunday, September 9 your children will move to new classrooms for Sunday morning activities! You will receive a postcard in the mail prior to Promotion Sunday with your children's new classrooms, and your children's name tags will reflect their new classrooms. Please be sure to always check your child in at one of our Welcome desk. We still a need a few more teachers...so please consider signing up! You'll be amazed how rewarding it can be! Contact Laura Tucker at 205-871-7002 x 141 or ltucker@covpres.com, she'll be happy to help you sign up!

The Children's Ministry considers it a joy to see your children weekly at Covenant! We are so glad that we get to partner with you in pointing your children to our Savior! Please let us know how we can serve you and your family in this common goal! 

Looking forward to all the Lord will do through each of us for His glory!

It feels like fall y'all!

As the seasons start to change, or it could just be a tease with temps in the 80's. School has started back, and the Covenant Day School and Mother's Day Out are busy preparing to start on September 5.  Football season is on the horizon as well as leaves changing, blue jeans, and cooler days. It makes me excited to think about all God has in store for the children's ministry at Covenant this fall!

KidzClub kicks off on August 29 at 6:30 pm along with Wednesday Night Interactive. We hope your children ages 3k-6th grade will join us  for a time of hearing God's Word, engaging in crafts and play, as well as building friendships! For more information contact Karen Yendle at kyendle@covpres.com or Laura Tucker at ltucker@covpres.com.

Music Clubs - Music with a Mission- is also a great mid-week activity that kicks off on August 29 at 5:00 pm. It is a fun time of singing together with friends as well as a time of preparation for the Music Club's Christmas performance, which will be "Mission Possible". Kids ages 4k-6th grade can participate. Also if you would like to help with Music Clubs, they would love it! For more information email bgiven@covpres.com.

Sunday School classes will promote on Sunday, September 9 as we start the new Sunday schedule (Worship Services at 8:00 & 10:45; Sunday School 9:30). Be on the look out for your child's new Sunday School classroom. Their new classroom will print on their check-in tag. So be sure to help them locate their new room. If you are new to Covenant and want more information on promotion Sunday or Sundays in our Children's Ministry, feel free to contact Laura Tucker at ltucker@covpres.com or 205-871-7002 x 141 and she'll point you in the right direction.

We are still looking for volunteers to help make everything possible! So please see where your gifts, talents, and resources are best suited to serve and sign-up! Please feel free to contact Jocelyn Martin jmartin@covpres.com or Laura Tucker ltucker@covpres.com or call 205-871-7002 x 141 for more information on serving!

Our hope is that the Children's Ministry at Covenant uses every every opportunity to help your children grow in their knowledge and understanding of our Savior! We look forward to seeing all God has planned for this season at Covenant for His glory!

Get your child excited about missions....

Many of you know about the two teams heading to New England for mission trips. How awesome that our church is part of ongoing relationships in these areas and are a part of reaching people with the Gospel!

Sometimes it is not possible for us to pack up and go on a mission trip, but we can still be a part of the mission trip by PRAYING! What better way to get your children excited about missions than making prayer for missions a regular part of your day.

Below are a couple of ideas for making praying for our New England Mission teams engaging for your family and also a list of things to pray for the missions team... Let me give a disclaimer...I am sure I have seen some of these ideas in some sort of way on Pinterest, but am giving them a twist for our mission trips!

1. Take a jar and fill with beans. Purchase a package of jumbo craft sticks. Write down on each craft stick a member of the missions team or a specific prayer request. Stick the craft sticks into the jar of beans. Each day have someone in your family choose a stick. Then pray for what is written on the stick.

2. Take a muffin tin. Then write down on small slips of paper prayer request or names of mission team members. Fold the slips of paper and place in each hole of the muffin tin. Then take pieces of tissue paper and cover the hole. Each day let your children punch open the tissue paper and pull out the piece of paper. Then pray for what is written on the piece of paper.

3. Insert prayer requests written on slips of paper into balloons. Blow up the balloons and then let a child pop the balloon to get the prayer request out.

4. Write prayer requests on mirrors around the house in magic marker. You could change them each morning or leave them up, so as family members are using the mirrors they are reminded of prayer requests

5. Check out the missions blog www.missionmaine.blogspot.com to get updates! What is more exciting than watching the team actually at work spreading the Gospel!

Hopefully these are some fun ways to get your younger children fired up about praying for our missions team! And sometimes getting our children excited can also re-ignite our fire too!

Here are some prayer requests, but check the www.missionmaine.blogspot.com for more prayer requests!

Prayer Requests for Manchester:
Team (12 total): Lois Callen, Dan/Leslie Edwards (Kolya, Christina), Burney Johnson (Roger), Carter/Monica Stewart (Elson, Bradford, Frances).  Pray for spiritual renewal in each of our lives as we serve as a witness to what God has done for us through Christ.
Pray that our team might have unity of spirit, joy in serving, love abounding for the children.
Pray for families as they prepare to travel north.
Church: Church of the Redeemer established 8 years ago.  60-70 in attendance.  Pray that they will prosper.
Pray for Team travel beginning July 5 - 7.  Return July 14.
Expecting 40-50 campers.  Pray that the camp will be effective in its witness.
Pray for our High Schoolers (as counselors) as they make close relationships with campers.
Pray for Monica, Carter, Burney & Dan as they teach Bible lessons each day.
Camp is held in a City Park that has strict use restrictions.  Pray for no problems here.
Pray daily, Camp is held from 10am until 2pm.  Dates: July 9-13 (Mon - Friday)
First year in Manchester, pray for children/families to be reached.
Thursday night is family night, pray for good connections & outreach to families.
Friday night the team will host an outing with church members.  Pray that we will be an encouragement to them.
Sean/Susan/Bailey Doyle arriving Wednesday.  They will arrive at the end of the Manchester camp & transition to the camp in Portland.
Pray for cool, dry weather.
Pray for Lois Callen for strength & stamina. She is working both camps.

Prayer Requests for Portland:
Team (31 total): Rebecca Acken (Colley, Allie, Marshall), Lois Callen, Sean/Susan Doyle (Bailey), Dan/Leslie Edwards (Jake, Kolya, Christina), Sissy Flynn, Phyllis Hamm, Ingram Link (Hank), Joe/Emily Lassiter (Mary Jane), Catherine Luke, Amelia Megginson, Michael Megginson, Ashley Mince (Emily, Sarah), Susan Ragland (Kate, Elizabeth), Simon Yendle (Hayden).  Like Manchester, pray for spiritual renewal in each of our lives as we serve as a witness to what God has done for us through Christ.
Pray that our team might have unity of spirit, joy in serving, love abounding for the children.
Pray for families as they prepare to travel north.
Pray for travel mercies, most of team travels on Saturday, July 14.
Church: Christ the Redeemer establish 11 years ago & is the largest PCA church in New England.  This is our third year in Portland, so pray for continued joint efforts in spreading the gospel.  Pray that CTR will continue to be a bright light to the Portland area.
We are expecting 120 campers.  We are incorporating a new schedule to accommodate the big numbers.  Pray for a smooth running camp and effectiveness in its witness.
Pray for our High Schoolers (as counselors) as they make close relationships with campers.
Pray for Created for a Purpose that older girls will be challenged.
Pray for Built for a Purpose that older boys will be challenged.
Pray for Ingram, Simon, Sean & Dan as they teach Bible lessons each day.
Camp is held at Lyseth Elementary School in a neighborhood targeted by the church.  Pray for effective work in that neighborhood.
Pray daily, camp is held from 9am - 4pm, July 16-20 (Mon - Fri).
Thursday night is family night, pray for good connections & outreach to families.
Pray for cool, dry weather.
Church is hosting us for a lobsterbake on Tuesday night.  That has always been a celebration as Covenant joins them in ministry. Pray for the church in Portland that they will be overwhelmed as God uses us to encourage them.

Bonus Days

Our 5th & 6th grade students enjoyed an awesome Bonus Days week! They started the week with a lock-in and finished the week on an overnight adventure that included ropes course and white water rafting. There were many fun meals, water park, and service project in between. The students had a great experience learning about Worship and building relationships!

Rising 4th graders get excited for your turn next summer!!!

THANK YOU so much to all the parents who helped make the week a success by driving and chaperoning! We truly appreciate all you do!

Special thanks to Chris Freeman for snapping some great pictures of all the action!

What I learned from VBS

One, the Word of God does not return void! I looked at the hundreds of children walking or running the halls, singing, laughing, etc…and I thought to myself each of these children heard the Gospel in a variety of different ways this week. How exciting it is to imagine all the Lord and His Word will accomplish through the children that attended VBS.

As a parent this reminded me how important it is to daily share the Word of God with my children. To be hopeful for the purposes and plans He has for them and desiring to be a part of pointing them to Jesus. VBS was an intentional week of doing that, and I want to intentionally continue to point them to the Word, so it can accomplish much in them for God’s glory!

The other thing that stood out to me during VBS is that a lot of planning, work, decorating, meetings, etc…go into each an every event that takes place at a church. But what really makes the week great is again that the Word of God does not return void. That all our efforts and our works do not accomplish anything apart from the Holy Spirit. That even our greatest accomplishments, events, efforts, ideas are nothing in comparison to what the Lord has planned!

The Lord is gracious to use us. He is gracious to give us talents. He is gracious to give us ideas and plans. But He does GREAT works apart from and in spite of me!

So as summer rolls on, I hope I can slow down long enough to point my children to the Word of God. I hope I can rest in the fact that Jesus is enough! That sometimes my days activities, attitudes, and emotions will get in the way of pointing my children to Christ! But I know that His power is made perfect in my weakness and that His Word will not return void in their lives.