JANUARY 2010

C O N N EC T I N G K I D S W I T H C H R I ST T H R O U G H

D I S C I PL E S H I P , F E L L O W S H I P AN D

R E AC H I N G O T H ER S F O R H I M .

Calendar of Events

January

Kids Quest-New Years Party

3rd @ 6:00pm

Sunday School Team

Meeting-Room 174

10th @ 8:30am

Leadership Team

Meeting

12th @ 6:30pm

Gearing up.. to Engage 2010

Children’s Ministry Team

Workshop

30th 9:00-12:00pm.

February- Sharing Jesus’

Love

Sunday school class

field trip to the Food

Pantry

March-

Hams for Families

Written by Tammy Wood

On December 13th, the Kids Quest leaders

and kids partnered with the Food Pantry volun-

teers to serve a spaghetti dinner to the families

that come to the pantry on

a monthly basis. It was

wonderful to have 18 of

the kindergarten thru 5th

grade children help host

this special dinner, as they

learned about how Jesus

would want us to serve to

others.

Many families came with

their children the same age

as our Quest kids. We had

a chance to teach service

to our children as they

seated our 54 guests,

served them a 3 course spaghetti meal and pre-

sented a special Christmas gift packed espe-

cially for our guest children.

The Quest children were led by a quest leader

and other adults available to help. The kids be-

came eager to serve their guests and often asked

what else can they do. Sheila Lueking, the K-

1st grade leader taught her group a few Spanish

words to help the kids communicate with the

guests at their assigned tables. Justin Benedict

made sure he knew the ages of the 6 children at

“his” table, so he knew what presents his group

were to select.

God moved through out our evening as our

guests came into our “restaurant”.

One 9 year old boy received his sealed gift and

told Gil Portillo that he had accidently broken

his toy ambulance and wanted to get a replace-

ment, but his

family didn’t

have the money.

He then opened

his box sitting

on his lap and to

his amazement

there was an

a m b u l a n c e !

Tears filled his

eyes, with joy.

God was there.

At another ta-

ble with 5 chil-

dren, they were

given their boxes, yet to our children’s surprise

didn’t open the boxes. Pam Benedict encour-

aged them to open them, but the mother replied,

“They would like to wait, so they would have

something to open Christmas morning.”

This truly was a night to remember and the

start of something BIG. Thank you to Heidi

O’Donnell, Richard Rivera, the pantry folks,

Quest leaders, kids and everyone who came to

help make this evening possible.

Did you know? We have 365 children participating in our ministries. We have 184 Team volunteers teaching, nurturing,

loving and ministering to the children of ODBC. Remember to THANK them for their devotion!

KidsKidsKids ConnectionConnectionConnection Zoom inZoom inZoom in Pour out our heart like water in the presence of the Lord.

Lift up our hands to him for the lives of your children.

Lamentations 2:19

PARENT POINTS .........…3

WHAT’S HAPPENING IN OUR

CHILDREN’S MNISTRIES…1

MINISTRY MOMENTS~

AND HIGHLIGHTS...……. 2

CHILDREN’S MINISTRY WORKSHOP~

“GEARING UP”……….2

KIDS CONTRIBUTIONS……4

The Harvest of a Generous Heart

TEAM BUILDING

Being part of a team is the framework that allows

ordinary people to attain extraordinary results.

The puppet team from left to right: Jennifer deFranco, Kitty Lou Christiansen

Kara Lueking, Sheila Lueking, Julie Phillips, Adriana Prada, Lindsay Janzegers

All Children’s

Ministry Team Members

Are encouraged to attend…

January 30th

9:00am -12:00PM

Gearing up...to Engage 2010

Children’s Ministry Team Workshop

Built to

Equip, Energize and Encourage our team members

Breakfast will be served

Agenda

Engaging your Team!

Engaging your Kids!

Special Speaker~

Engaging with God!

Written by Sheila Lueking

TOPS stands for, “Think Outside the

Puppet Stage!” Our goal in our Puppet

Ministry is to provide an entertaining

method of presenting an inspirational

message from God’s Word, using music,

drama, humor, and theatrics. The Bible

reminds us that “whatever you do, work at

it with all your heart, as working for the

Lord, not for men,”(Colossians

3:23 NIV), which is why our motto is,

“Our hands, God’s plans”. We want it to

be more than just a “puppet show.” The

effectiveness of puppetry can be found

with a click of the remote to a children’s

television station. Large companies in-

vest in puppetry to get their messages

across to kids. With so many puppet-

centered programs on television, quality

puppetry in the church is even more im-

portant.

We strive for quality in our performances

and the dedication of our team members.

In the last six months, we’ve had many

helping hands allowing us to perform in

Jr. Church (3 Sundays) and at the Family

Festival in October.

Meet our Puppeteers and team

members:

Sheila Lueking -Director

Kitty Lou Christiansen

Jen deFranco

Adriana Prada

Lauren Giller

Nicole Giller

Julie Phillips

Kara Lueking

Derek Lueking

Kim Jackson

Ben Jackson

Matthew Jackson

Tim Lueking....tech support

Jenna Christiansen.....tech support

Children’s Ministry Leadership Team

Children’s Ministry Director- Tammy Wood Nursery- Suzi Norling Pre-school- Patti Easley & Judy Dickerson Pre-school Worship- Kim Robinson Junior Church- *Leader needed Sunday School- Heidi O’Donnell Kids Quest- *Leader needed What are you waiting for?What are you waiting for?What are you waiting for?

Be part of something Eternal! Do you remember the special someone, place, situation or activity that

brought you to asking Jesus in your heart? It is said that it takes hearing something 7 times before it is be-

lieved. Be part of planting the seeds or reaping the harvest! Join our Team! Pick a ministry with immediate

opportunities available.

Nursery Caregiver, Hall Monitor, Preschool Teacher Assistant, 2nd grade Sunday School Teacher,

Kindergarten-Little Junior Church Assistants or Preschool Kids Quest Teacher.

Contact Tammy Wood at tammy.wood@odbclife.org with your interest and for more information.

Written by Tammy Wood

This past November, the children in our

Sunday School classes collected 50 boxes

for Operation Christmas Child. Each

class packed the boxes with various

“necessities” and fun items the kids

across the world would enjoy during their

party. What a pleasure it was for me to

see smiling faces, willing hands and gen-

erous hearts as everything was placed

with care. The kids even wrote letters,

drew pictures and included a class picture

for the recipients to see. It is their great

desire for the kids to feel somehow con-

nected to those who will be receiving

their given box.

Then on November 22nd, 61 children

from the Junior Church classes continued

our celebration by carrying 410 boxes

down to the front of the sanctuary.

You may remember hearing from the

nine children that shared what they were

thankful for and “what generosity means

to them.” We heard from Lily Voetberg,

Carleigh Wood, Emily Davis, Anna

Wood, Samantha Linn, Michael McCor-

mack, Makenna Robinson and Michaela

Reilly. Thanks kids for sharing your

thoughts, stories and generous hearts!

Ministry Moments and HighlightsMinistry Moments and HighlightsMinistry Moments and Highlights

WORLD WATCH

WORLD WATCH Our Junior Church and Sunday school ministries sponsor 2 children through Compassion

International:

Belay Tesfayea, a 10 year old boy living in Ethiopia and

Selamawit Negussie, who is an 8 year old girl also from Ethiopia.

Parent Points As chillier weather sets in, it's time to start a new and

inexpensive tradition: family fun nights. To help fami-

lies get started, author Cynthia Copeland has written

Family Fun Night! Over 300 Great Nights with your

kids!

A mom of three, Copeland has found the things kids

remember most are not expensive family vacations but

"the times when everyone's together and laughing and

having fun, and maybe their parents being a little silly."

Copeland's book is filled with ideas for everything

from recipes based on popular children's books to how

to make your own board game and even 18 last-minute

Family Fun Night Games. She offers these tips for cre-

ating your own tradition of family fun:

1. Put it on the calendar. Once it's scheduled, it's a little

harder to put it off-it's a way to give it importance. Not

sure you'll still stick with it? Invite another family over

to ensure you keep your commitment to family fun.

2. Get the kids excited about it. Buy a roll of tickets at

an office supply store, and throughout the week let the

kids earn tickets when they do something good. Tickets

can be traded in on a family fun night for snacks,

drinks or inexpensive prizes.

3. Don't be frightened off by

the idea of having to establish

some huge, elaborate evening.

"Kids can have fun with the

simplest of games," she says.

Last-minute fun can be had

just by hanging out longer at

the dinner table and playing

word or memory games.

Here's one to get you started:

Perform a skit with chin faces.

Any act delivered by "chin faces" is sure to be outra-

geously funny. To prepare, actors lie on their backs

(ideally on a large ottoman) so their heads are upside

down. The designated makeup person draws eyes and a

nose on each actor's chin and then gently covers the

rest of the face so that only the chin and mouth are visi-

ble. Then let the play begin.

Actors won't be able to read anything because their

eyes are covered, but they can deliver a pre-rehearsed

performance or they can improvise.

Enjoy your family time together! Remember that your

children grow up quickly, right before your eyes.

Savor every moment.

www.chicagoparent.com/magazines/chicago-parent/2009-Excerpts

from an article by Liz DeCarlo.

By Jennifer Suliga- Newsletter columnist and 2nd grade teacher

Have you ever heard the expression, “seeing is believing”? Ironically, Jesus

claims that just the opposite is true. In John 8:47 He says, “He who belongs to

God hears what God says. The reason you [the disbelieving Jews] do not hear

is that you do not belong to God”. “Believing is seeing” (or hearing, in this

case), not the other way around. Faith precedes understanding. The heart goes

before the head. Once a person trusts Christ as Savior, he receives God’s Holy

Spirit, who then illuminates his mind and helps him to understand the things of

God. Jesus told His disciples (John 16:13), “when he, the Spirit of truth,

comes, he will guide you into all truth.”

Children seem to grasp this concept instinctually. Why is that? Their trusting

nature makes them quick to believe the Lord’s goodness and love. Their hearts

seem naturally responsive to His voice. When they hear His knock, they fling

the door wide open and invite Him in, no questions asked! They humbly ac-

cept their lowly place and lack of ability. They readily admit their dependence

upon others. They know they’ve sinned, and are in need of forgiveness. They

acknowledge their limited understanding, and aren’t afraid to admit it. Their

short life hasn’t allowed time to swallow the world’s way which teaches,

“Never admit you’re wrong”, “the only one you can trust in this world is your-

self”, and “I need proof before I believe.”

I once heard a pastor say, “There is no such thing as an 8 year old atheist.” It

made me cry because it captured the reason I love being a Sunday school

teacher. When I look into the open faces and hearts of these young people, and

see their eager receipt of the Savior, hopefulness floods my soul! What comes

so easily for them is so difficult for us big people. Their simple faith shines

radiant upon the backdrop of our dark and misled world.

I think about the little bit I knew when I was saved at the age of 30 - one Bible

verse (John 8:32), and the awareness that God was good and holy, and I was

not. And I needed Him desperately! Somehow this small amount of truth had

penetrated my hardened heart. It wasn’t much, but it was enough. I believed,

and then I saw.

We have much to learn from these young people in our midst!

Walking in Faith with a purpose.

7 creative ways to encourage your

kids to pray, even more. 1. P.R.A.Y acronym- For Praise, Repent, Ask,

Yield.

2. Adopt-a-leader- 1Timothy 2:1-4 urges “Prayer..

For everyone- for kings and all those in author-

ity.” So consider praying all year for one leader,

such as a government, spiritual or community

leader.

3. Light of the world- In Matthew 5:14-16, Jesus

said, “You are the light of the world… let your

light shine before men..” discus how the children

are the lighthouses in their neighborhoods and

schools.

4. My 10 most wanted- make a list of the 10 peo-

ple they’d most like to see come to know Jesus.

5. Prayer closet-Set up a special “Prayer Place”,

Include a CD player with praise music, a box

with prayer requests from others, and photos.

6. Prayer Super-Hero’s- Boys especially will

resonate with the idea of being a prayer super-

hero. Use an armor of God costume and read

Ephesians 6:10-18, which says, “And pray in the

Spirit on all occasions withal kinds of prayers

and requests.” Read biographies of great spiri-

tual leaders, like George Muller and Amy Carmi-

chael.

7. Five-Finger prayer- Your thumb is the nearest

to you. Pray for those closest to you. The next

finger is the pointing finger. Pray for teachers

who need wisdom in pointing others in the right

direction. The tallest finger, reminds us of our

leaders who need God’s direction. The fourth

finger is our weakest one, which reminds us to

pray for those who are weak and hurting. The

pinky reminds you to pray for yourself.

Compiled from Children’s Ministry Magazine May/June 2004 http://

www.childrensministry.com

Prayer powerPrayer powerPrayer power

Kid’s and parents this is your page to fill

with your artwork, stories, pictures, puz-

zles and much more. Submit your contri-

butions by March 15th, to Tammy Wood

or email to tammy.wood@odbclife.org.

This newsletter is a Quarterly publication.

Next issue will hit the stands in April. Created by Josh Clark age 6

Kid’s ContributionsKid’s ContributionsKid’s Contributions

2nd Grade Sunday School Class~ Kristin Weinzapfel

and Jennifer Suliga are the teachers.

A special, “Thank you” to Kristin who is stepping down

this season. Thanks for your dedication while teaching your

class for over 3 years.

Kids Quest~Outreach Prep!

Elizabeth Wieters, Grace and Faith Pendegrass

make cards for the shoebox gifts.

Kids Quest group posing, while the leaders wrap the

shoeboxes to fill will toys, candy and much more.

Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech,

in life, in love, in faith and in purity. 1 Timothy 4:12