Extreme Bible Study (4th/5th Graders)

All incoming 4th and 5th graders are invited to an Extreme Bible study this summer.

Tuesday, July 6, 7:00 p.m. Room 111/112
Tuesday, August 3, 7:00 p.m. Room 111/112

We'll be learning the S.O.A.P. method of Bible study, then doing it on our own throughout the month. Develop the life skill of studying the Bible on your own.

Each time we get together, we'll discuss what we heard from God or what we learned from the Bible. Dessert provided!

Note to Parents: You are welcome to join us for the meetings. If your student can't make both meetings, no problem--just come when you can!

Holy Week Walkabout: March 28, 2010

HOLY WEEK WALKABOUT
Sunday, March 28, 2010
9:30 & 11:00 a.m.

Kids ages kindergarten through 5th grade will experience the ups and downs of Holy Week with costumes and drama--from Palm Sunday, the temple cleansing, Passover, Judas' betrayal, the trial and crucifixion, all the way to the resurrection. We will move from room to room feel firsthand what it was like to be there on that amazing week.

This is a great opportunity to invite young friends to Pulpit Rock!

Kids check in at their usual grade-specific classrooms at the beginning of the hour.

-----------------------------------
EASTER SUNDAY, APRIL 4:
Special Service Times, 9:00 & 10:30 a.m.
Parents, bring your kids ages kindergarten through 5th grade with you to one of our special Easter services at either 9:00 or 10:30 a.m. Remember, worship, and celebrate together as a family in the main auditorium.

There will be no Kingdom Kids program on April 4, but nursery and preschool will be available during both services up to age 4.

Kingdom Kids and Extreme Year-end Wrap Up

Two families have really put their hands and hearts into a ministry that has brought a lot of joy and purpose to kids.

Debbie and Peter Van Wirt, with daughters Zoe and Stephanie, and Charlie and Brenda Lane with sons Chip and Craig, worked with the PRC2 Puppet Ministry for 4 years. Peter and Charlie did technical things like rigging up black lights for the glow-in- the-dark fuzzy dancing puppets and helping wire sound equipment and staging, as well as moving equipment when the troupe went offsite to competitions in Denver. Debbie and Brenda did everything from teaching choreography and puppetry technique to costuming and set design. If it needed to be done, these families did it!

“They brought a lot of enthusiasm and creativity that completed the leadership team. That aspect will be missed as much as the four puppeteers that went with the families’ participation.” Frank Hammitt, founder and leader of the PRC2 team said.

The 5th graders of Pulpit Rock Church graduated into the Middle School ministry Sunday during the first Extreme 5th grade graduation ceremony. Proud parents were introduced by their graduates (surprisingly, many parents of 5th graders had the same names, “Mom and Dad”) and the graduates were challenged by Sandy Ramsey to let Jesus be their compass in the journey ahead.

Mark Tuggle welcomed them into the Middle School ministry with a full schedule of fun summer activities beginning next weekend with their introduction to the Middle School class at 9:30 in Room 115. Then after being presented with their own compass, the graduates were prayed for and released to enjoy the many delicious snacks provided by the 4th and 5th grade parents.

Children’s Ministry and Kingdom Kids will miss our beloved 5th graders and we wish them the best in the exciting years to come.

Spending an Extreme Sunday

What do those kids do in Extreme, anyway? Is it just a nicely decorated room where the kids can draw with chalk, play fooze ball and lounge on pillows? Or, is it a more mature class setting than Kingdom Kids, because they don’t have to sit behind the kindergarteners?

Well, when this reporter decided to break this story, I slipped in to observe the 11:00 class taught, this week, by Brenda White. She had two other adults helping her, Jared Harp and Kelly Rudd. I assumed they were for mob control. What I found was pretty interesting because the day’s focus, the Bible, was supported by several activities that seemed like regular school work. The spelling section was a game where each child was given a letter and asked to work together to spell out words like wisdom, advice, hope, and insight (a particularly tricky one). After each word, Mrs. White asked them where they would find such things. Typical answers were “parents, a teacher, the Bible.” Here, I could tell Mrs. White must not only know creative approaches to the lesson, but also how to deflect typical 4th and 5th grade boy responses like, “I would ask a baker!”

Next was the math section where they had to find the ratios of boys and girls who brought their Bibles. What they found was 1/3 of the girls and 5/14 of the boys brought theirs. Who won? Another tricky question: The girls. You may want to get out your calculators to verify this.

Next, science! They looked at soil samples and discussed farming techniques while reading the parable of the Sower in Mark 4:1-8. And finally art, where they did a 3 dimensional mural of the different types of soil discussed.

So, is all this creativity wasted on these energetic and easily distracted minds? Not at all. Brenda says that many classes have a small group component where the children will sit down and discuss deeper issues. Jessie, one of the students, says, “I am responsible for my relationship with God. I pray and read my Bible.” Another student, Jared, admits, ”I need to work harder to occupy more of my time with church and school and learning more about God.”

What’s more is that the boys are going to have a Friday night social some time this month and the girls need someone to head one for them as well. Think about getting involved because this is a very worthwhile ministry.

Spending an Extreme Sunday

What do those kids do in Extreme, anyway? Is it just a nicely decorated room where the kids can draw with chalk, play fooze ball and lounge on pillows? Or, is it a more mature class setting than Kingdom Kids, because they don’t have to sit behind the kindergarteners?

Well, when this reporter decided to break this story, I slipped in to observe the 11:00 class taught, this week, by Brenda White. She had two other adults helping her, Jared Harp and Kelly Rudd. I assumed they were for mob control. What I found was pretty interesting because the day’s focus, the Bible, was supported by several activities that seemed like regular school work. The spelling section was a game where each child was given a letter and asked to work together to spell out words like wisdom, advice, hope, and insight (a particularly tricky one). After each word, Mrs. White asked them where they would find such things. Typical answers were “parents, a teacher, the Bible.” Here, I could tell Mrs. White must not only know creative approaches to the lesson, but also how to deflect typical 4th and 5th grade boy responses like, “I would ask a baker!”

Next was the math section where they had to find the ratios of boys and girls who brought their Bibles. What they found was 1/3 of the girls and 5/14 of the boys brought theirs. Who won? Another tricky question: The girls. You may want to get out your calculators to verify this.

Next, science! They looked at soil samples and discussed farming techniques while reading the parable of the Sower in Mark 4:1-8. And finally art, where they did a 3 dimensional mural of the different types of soil discussed.

So, is all this creativity wasted on these energetic and easily distracted minds? Not at all. Brenda says that many classes have a small group component where the children will sit down and discuss deeper issues. Jessie, one of the students, says, “I am responsible for my relationship with God. I pray and read my Bible.” Another student, Jared, admits, ”I need to work harder to occupy more of my time with church and school and learning more about God.”

What’s more is that the boys are going to have a Friday night social some time this month and the girls need someone to head one for them as well. Think about getting involved because this is a very worthwhile ministry.

Extreme Gets Crum-my Teachers

Meet Bob Crum. He says he has the worst last name in all recorded history... it is a verifiable fact. Look it up. His kids are Garrett (11 years old, lego master and lord of trivial Star Wars knowledge), Maddie (9 years old, drama queen and art prodigy) and Obie (1 year and change... huge and opinionated). PRC has had Crums for about a year and are proud of it. Read on for some Crum Q and A…

Why did you want to be a teaching team?
I want to be a part of the teaching team because I feel like I need to give back to the Church. My wife and I also have a passion for teaching kids in a way that interests them while remaining true to the message of the Gospel. The secret to working with kids is to be "big kids" on your own... Amy and I love staying connected to youth... and being really goofy.

What would you say is your teaching style?
Chaos. In all seriousness, I am loud and energetic. Amy is the person that brings order to my chaos. We make a great team. She ensures that the message is strong and clear as it can get lost in my zeal for energetic relationship. We use a lot of visual examples coupled with games that teach something... AND we do some goofy stuff without any purpose whatsoever.

What is the focus of your teaching? What are the kids learning?
I want kids to learn that the Bible is the REAL word of God and not just some list of rules that is meant to keep us in line because God is a cosmic killjoy. The Gospel is Good News for a reason! We have an eternal hope based on a God that came near to us and wants to be with us FOREVER... I believe that a Sunday meeting without the Salvation message (in some form) is a missed opportunity.

What have you personally learned from your teaching experience?
Every time we teach we learn some new facet of God's character. I often find myself taking away from the preparation time a new sense of purpose or a conviction to change my behavior in some way. I am not ashamed to say that I learn from kids.

Any special units in the future?
Future units for us revolve around the curriculum. We try to make each one memorable so you never know what will happen on Sunday morning. We encourage everyone within earshot to pray for our inspiration as well as the inspiration of all other teachers and helpers- God's strength works more apparently through our weakness.

Worship is for Kids (Summer worship survey results)

Last month, we asked parents of our elementary kids to take a quick survey about their Summer Family Worship experience. We had 65 responses. When asked if we should do this again:
62 said "yes"
2 said "neutral"
1 said "no"

We wanted to share some of the valuable comments we received from survey participants.
"Just being together was a great experience; our child saw how we worship and what we do in service."
"The kids loved the music and watching what happens in big church. It made for great conversations over lunch. They have learned to have more self control and respect. Children will do what is modeled for them; seeing parents worship with reverence for God, prayer, and song leaves an imprint on their hearts. We have decided to make this the norm for our family. We worship together, then go to our Sunday school classes later."
"Great inter-generational experience."
"The focus to help families worship WITH their own children is imperative to the children catching the value of worship."
"Worshipping together provided a platform to talk about communion and salvation"
Thanks to all who participated in the survey. If you would like to further share your thoughts on Summer Family Worship, you may fill out the survey online at www.pulpitrock.com/kids/survey through the rest of November.

Extreme Kids Rule

This month, the Extreme Team will be studying Rules and why we should love ‘em.
"Of all the commandments, which is the most important?"
"The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. 'The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself. 'There is no commandment greater than these." Mark 12:28-31

The Top Ten-- God’s rules show me the best ways to live.
The Great Temptation-- God’s laws will guide me when it’s hard to decide what’s right. A Man in Need-- Following God’s laws is a matter of love, not just obedience.
Who’s Your Neighbor? Obeying the intent of God’s law helps us break down barriers between people.

Our new group, Extreme!

Fourth and fifth graders will now be together in one big room where worship, a message, activities and breakouts will happen in one place. Upon entering, kids can’t help but be excited about the new look with exciting designs on the walls, bean bags and pillows on the floor, a mini pool table, chalk boards on the walls and a Karoke Machine! All elements will work together to support the focus of creating a unique community of kids who will learn about relating to and praying for each other.
September’s unit will be on success and how God measures it versus the way we do.
We want to welcome the teaching teams Bob and Amy Crum with Brenda White, Bob and Julie Smithouser with Mary Hopper and a few guest appearances with Molly Thompson. It’s going to be a great year!