Sunday, August 24th

Teaching Staff:

Preschool: 9:30 Jessica Coudriet 11:15 Karen Hoffman

Lower Elementary: 9:30 Janie Schwab 11:15 Lisa + Wade Shelden

Upper Elementary: 11:15 Chad Humphrey

Monthly Worship Song: Kids Worship Sunday Prep: This is Amazing Grace, Sing, Sing, Sing, & Holy Is the Lord

This week In Preschool & Lower Elementary...

CNX Kids learned: ” God loves me.”

On Sunday, preschoolers and lower elementary students began a new series called: On Your Mark…Get Set…Go!!

For the first week, we began by reminding kids that God made them. He made each little eyelash and each little freckle, and that makes them so very special.

One of the special things that God gave us are our senses.  By using our eyes, ears, nose, mouth, and hands, we can explore and appreciate God’s beautiful work around us. 

To remember this, kids created collages that appealed to all of the senses reminding them that We are made by God and that God loves us!

This week in upper elementary…

CNX Kids learned: God wants us to live out His big story

What happens when you combine our relationship with God to our responsibility to God???  Combustion!  Explosion!  Diet Coke flying in the air!  This past week in Upper Elementary, the kids learned about the dynamic reaction that can occur when we mix God as our Father with a desire to do work for God’s kingdom.  A mess was made all through the parking lot as we dropped Mentos (representing our responsibility to God) into Diet Coke (representing our relationship with God)….Fizz, Fizz, Fizz!!  The next few weeks will be exploring both our relationships and responsibilities as we look up to what God is in our lives.

Hey Parents,

Want to explore this week’s lesson with your child at home?

Here’s how!!

Preschool + Lower Elementary:

Review the weekly Bible story by reading it together

Genesis 1:26-27

God made us! He made everything from the top of our head to the bottom of our feet. And because God made us, He loves us!

Help your children live out this week’s Bible verse by finding examples of it in their own lives and yours.

“Nothing can separate us from God’s love.” Romans 8:39, NIrV

Try out the following activity:

Grab a bucket of water and head outside. You’re going to make

water handprints! Simply dip your hands in the water and press them onto dry steps, driveway, sidewalk, or garage floor. Look closely at your handprints and watch as the sun slowly dries them up. Ask your child who made his hands. The answer, of course, is God made them, because God made me!

Set aside time throughout the week to pray together:

“Dear God, You are amazing! There is no one else like YOU! No one else can make people—only You can! We just want to stop and say thank You for making us. When I think of all the wonderful people You have made, I just want to say WOW! And the very best part is how You love us. You made us and You love us and that is awesome! So, thank You, God! We love You! In Jesus’ name, amen.”

Upper Elementary School:

Encourage your child to explain to you how they have learned ways that: God wants us to live out His big story

Review the weekly Bible story by reading it together:

Bible Overview — Themes of relationship and responsibility throughout Scripture

Help your children live out this week’s Bible verse by finding examples of it in their own lives and yours.

Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”
— Matthew 19:14

Try out the following activity:

Take some poster board and make a family Covenant & Kingdom poster with your kids. Divide it into two columns and label one “Relationship” and the other “Responsibility.” Write a list or draw pictures under each column of ways you can focus on your relationship with God (prayer, reading the Bible, identity in Christ, etc.) and ways you can focus on your responsibility as kids of the King who want to bring heaven to earth (encouraging, serving, giving, etc.).

Have a Dinnertime Discussion!

At dinnertime this week, ask one of these questions to get your family talking.

• What’s the best part about being a part of this family?
• What’s the best part about being in God’s family?
• Who are some people who have brought a little bit of heaven into our lives?
• Who are some people that we can bring a little bit of heaven to this week?

Use these questions to help kids think about the wonderful love and security that come with being a part of God’s family and how they can bring that love to people in their world as kids of the King.

Set aside time throughout the week to pray together:

God, we are so glad You want us to be a part of Your family and that we get to do big things with You. Help us to listen to You this week so we don’t miss out on any of the good stuff you have in store for our lives.

Amen

Exciting Opportunity!!

Hello Parents!!

For the past several months, I have had the amazing privilege of worshiping with our children on Sunday mornings.  Their beautiful, uninhibited voices and movement are an incredible expression of their love for God.  On Sunday, September 14^th, we will have the opportunity to engage with our young people as they lead adult worship at Connections.  We would really love for as many kids as possible to be a part of this experience and so we invite you to commit to the following schedule:

Mandatory Rehearsal Times (Location: Connections Main Gathering Space)

•  Thursday, September 11^th 6:30-8:00 PM
• September 14^th 8:30 AM

Kids Worship Sunday (September 14^th)

• Arrive at church for 8:30am Rehearsal
• Be present at church until the conclusion of adult worship during our second gathering at 11:30am.  (Children are welcome to leave with their parents at this time or return to CNX Kids) 

Sunday Morning Worship

In addition, we will engage in extended (combined age group PreK-5^th grade) worship during both of our Sunday gatherings for the next three weeks.  We would love to have all of our CNX kids with us as we share in this special time!

Worship Songs:

1.  This is Amazing Grace

2.  Sing, Sing, Sing

3.  Holy is the Lord

Sunday, August 17th

Teaching Staff:

Preschool: 9:30 Sarah Kinnarney 11:15 Chad Humphrey

Lower Elementary: 9:30 Joe Kinnarney 11:15 Jen McKinnon

Upper Elementary: 11:15 Steve Hand

Monthly Worship Song: ”Our God”

This week In Preschool & Lower Elementary...

CNX Kids learned: ” The Bible is better than gold!”

On Sunday, preschoolers and lower elementary students wrapped up their Pirate Clubhouse Adventure by reviewing all the ways that the Bible is better than gold! For the past 8 weeks, kids have learned:

• The Bible says God made you and me just the way we, are and we are wonderfully made!
• The Bible says God loves us all the time!
• We are part of God’s family! We have a family at home, but the Bible tells us that we also have God’s family here at church.
• The Bible says we are to look for ways to help others.
• The Bible says we can talk to God anytime. Wherever we are, whatever we’re doing, we can always talk to God. He’s always listening.
• The Bible says we should share our stuff.
• The Bible says Jesus wants to be our friend forever!

To celebrate the completion of their unit, kids had a pirate party complete with pirate hats and edible pirate ships!

This week in upper elementary…

CNX Kids learned: God will protect us from temptation and the enemy.

This Sunday, kids in upper elementary learned that sometimes we have problems staying inbounds, not just in sports but also in life. God gives us rules and boundaries to help us to live an amazing life, but sometimes we don’t stay on God’s path. Instead of listening to His voice, we listen to other voices — our friends, our own selfishness, and sometimes even God’s enemy, the devil.

In the same way that Adam and Eve did, sometimes we still think we know better than God. We want to be the boss instead of letting God be the boss. We forget that He’s the King. We forget that He’s our Dad. We forget that He loves us and always wants what’s best for us.

When we’re tempted to do what’s wrong, we’re tempted to think God is holding out on us or that He just doesn’t want us to have fun. But the fact is that He wants to protect us. He always knows what’s best.

Hey Parents,

Want to explore this week’s lesson with your child at home?

Here’s how!!

Preschool + Lower Elementary:

Review the weekly Bible story by reading it together

PSALM 119:72, NCV

Review our Clubhouse Pirate Adventure. The Bible is better than gold.

Help your children live out this week’s Bible verse by finding examples of it in their own lives and yours.

“Your teachings are worth more to me than thousands of pieces of gold and silver.” Psalm 119:72, NCV

Try out the following activity:

Cuddle up with your child and pray. “Dear God, thank You for

being so good to us. Thank You for giving us the Bible so we can know so many wonderful things, like how You made us and love us and Jesus wants to be our friend forever. I pray name of child will always believe those treasures. We love You, God. In Jesus name, amen.

Set aside time throughout the week to pray together:

Dear God, we love the Bible because it has Your words in it. You use it to teach us what is right and good. The Bible is better than gold! You have given us SO MANY treasures! God, we just want to say thank You for giving us so much. I pray we never forget how rich we are just having You and Your words in the Bible. We love You, God. In Jesus’ name, amen.”

Upper Elementary School:

Encourage your child to explain to you how they have learned ways that: God will protect us from temptation and the enemy.

Review the weekly Bible story by reading it together:

The Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:12-13); Adam and Eve (Genesis 1-3)

Help your children live out this week’s Bible verse by finding examples of it in their own lives and yours.

Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one. — Matthew 6:13

Try out the following activity:

Play a family game of tag, designating a home base where the players are safe from getting tagged. Afterward, talk about how everyone was safe as long as they stayed on base. Talk about how God wants to keep us safe from temptation this week by helping us to stay “on base” with Him. Discuss what each family member can do to stay in God’s safety zone when they are tempted.

Have a Dinnertime Discussion!

At dinnertime this week, ask one of these questions to get your family talking.

• Tell us about a time when you were in some kind of danger.
• What are some of the things we do as a family to stay safe?
• Is there any way you’ve been tempted this week?
• Think about the last time you were tempted. Did you spend time in the danger zone thinking about that temptation, or did you run straight to God’s safety zone by praying or moving on? 

Pray with kids, asking God to lead each of you away from temptation and to protect you from evil.

Continue to work on memorizing and praying the Lord’s prayer from Matthew 6 as a family.

Set aside time throughout the week to pray together:

God, You are such a good Dad in heaven. Thank You that You love us and want to keep us safe. I pray that you would help all of us to stay away from temptation this week by listening to You. Please lead us away from temptation and danger and keep us in Your safety zone. Please protect us from our enemy’s tricks. We love you. Amen