Sunday, August 10th

Teaching Staff:

Preschool: 9:30 Karen Hoffman 11:15 Lauren Kirkman + Randi Baumgartner

Lower Elementary: 9:30 Ant Abraham 11:15 Nicole Humphrey

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 studied John 3:16 and learned that Jesus is our friend who loves us with all his heart!  To begin, we played a game of musical chairs and then talked about how while it was fun, it wasn’t fun when it was time for a friend to leave. Our Bible story taught that Jesus is a friend that will never leave.  He wants to be our friend forever!

To remember that Jesus is the sweetest friend we will ever have, preschoolers and lower elementary students created bracelets and necklaces made of Fruit Loops! All morning long, kids marveled at the sweet smell that came from their work.  It was near impossible to keep them from eating what they had made!

Finally, for our small group time, we talked about forgiveness.  We discussed that God loves us so much that He sent His Son Jesus to give us the gift of forgiveness. When we accept this forgiveness, God erases our sin.  We practiced asking for forgiveness in our prayer journals.

This week in upper elementary…

CNX Kids learned: God wants us to ask for forgiveness and to forgive those who hurt us. 

This Sunday, kids in upper elementary learned that we all make mistakes in life, but the fact is that
all our mistakes aren’t accidents. Sometimes we intentionally do what’s wrong. We do things our
way instead of God’s way. The Bible calls that sin. Sin is when we choose to do the wrong thing or when we refuse to do the right thing. It’s missing the bulls- eye on the perfect life God made us to live.  The good news, though, is when it comes to the wrong things we’ve done, God has given us a free pass.  This is a free pass for us, but it is expensive to God. God sent His Son Jesus to die on a cross to buy our free pass for sin. And now, God erases our sin when we accept Jesus’ gift of forgiveness.

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

John 3:16

The Bible is better than gold and it teaches us that Jesus wants to be my friend forever.

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:

As you bathe your child, or help him get ready for bed, ask him to tell you who his favorite friends are. Talk about the things that make them special as your child names them. Maybe they’re really nice or silly or good at sports. Tell your child: “There is a very special Someone who wants to be your friend forever. JESUS! What makes Jesus special? He’s God’s Son, and He loves us very much!”

Set aside time throughout the week to pray together:

“God, You are our King, and so we want what you want. We know in your kingdom people forgive each other. But sometimes that’s hard... Help us to be kind like our forever friend Jesus and forgive others even though they hurt us.
Amen

Upper Elementary School:

Encourage your child to explain to you how they have learned ways that: God wants us to ask for forgiveness and to forgive those who hurt us.

Review the weekly Bible story by reading it together:

Jesus forgives Peter (John 21:15-17); The Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13)

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

Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. — Matthew 6:12

Try out the following activity:

Use construction paper, crayons or any art supplies you have in the house to make several Free Pass cards for your family. Each card should say something like: “I’m giving you a free pass, just like God did for me!” Put the cards in a bowl on your dining room table and practice giving them
to each other this week when you need to forgive someone in your house. Help kids understand what it means to extend grace to one another instead of holding a grudge or trying to get revenge. Model a forgiving heart for your kids.

Have a Dinnertime Discussion!

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

• Have you ever had a friend disappoint you or hurt your feelings?  How did that make you feel?
• Were you tempted to get revenge or hold a grudge?
• What makes it so hard to forgive others?
• Is there anyone you need to forgive this week or anyone you need to ask to forgive you?

Pray with kids, asking God to help them to forgive those who have wronged them or to ask for forgiveness for themselves.

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 our King, and so we want what you want. We know in your kingdom people forgive each other. But sometimes that’s hard. We need your help to forgive people even though they hurt us.

Amen