KidsJAM?
KidsJAM stands for a kid's time with Jesus And Me. KidsJAM happens at 9:30 AM on Sunday mornings and is a continuation of the 4Kids & Family's ministry mission: helping to connect the heart of a child to the heart of God. This happens in different ways with different ages on Sunday morning.
Birth-preschool: The goal is for every child, through stories and playtime, to learn these 3 foundational truths:
- God made me.
- God loves me.
- Jesus wants to be my forever Friend.
K-5th grade: The goal for every child in this age group is to learn these 3 basic truths:
- I need to make the wise choice.
- I can trust God no matter what.
- I should treat others the way I want to be treated.
These truths are taught through high energy music and the Storyteller's Bible teaching in a large group. They are applied during Crew Time with fun and thought- provoking activities in small groups. Always, the goal is to connect kids to the heart of God.
Once a month, the new theme is introduced by a cast of zany characters during a Family Production where parents join kids after KidsJAM so everyone hears the same thing at the same time. This fast paced half-hour of skits, media clips, gameshows and hilarious fun introduce the new theme that will start the following Sunday. Family Production generally occurs on last Sunday of the month from 10:30 to 11 AM. Preschoolers and babies are welcome to come with Mom and Dad too.
Parents are further equipped to help their kids carry the theme into real life with the Refrigerator Doors and the GodTimes that come home each week.
- Refrigerator Door is just that, a picture of a refrigerator door complete with Post It Note reminders of the story, verse and theme, as well as, some provocative questions to get the conversation going at dinnertime.
- GodTime is a small folder for each kid that helps establish a special time alone with God four times during the week.
- Starting in fall of 2008, both Refrigerator Door and GodTime will be available online for parents to download. This makes it possible to keep up with the program, even if sickness prevents a child from coming on Sunday morning.
KidsJAM starts the first Sunday after Labor Day in September and runs through the Sunday before Memorial Day.
KidsChurch - A Place Where Wiggles are Welcome
KIDS Church at 11 is designed for children ages 4 years to grade 3.
Children attend 11 AM worship with parents and then move to KidsChurch at 11:15 for a special kids prayer time and an interactive kid-sized "sermon" through storytelling. In KidsChurch we try to...
- Keep
- It
- Dangerously
- Simple
...so that children can understand who Jesus is and how much He loves even His smallest followers. Anyone from 4th or 5th grade is welcome to apply for the job of assistant.
KidsChurch runs through the summer, as well as, during the school year.
For questions about 4Kids & Families Ministry, please contact Peggy Alsdurf, Children's Minister, through the church office at 651.437.4398 or at peggy@hastingsumc.org
A Short Parenting Tip
A Heart Approach is Different
Many parents use a simple behavior modification approach to raise their children today. "If you get your homework done then you can go out and play." "If you clean your room then you can watch a video."
Unfortunately children trained this way often develop a "What's in it for me?" mentality. "If I don't get something out of it, why should I obey?"
God is concerned with more than behavior. He's interested in the heart. The heart contains motivations, emotions, convictions, and values. A heart-based approach to parenting looks deeper. Parents still require children to finish their homework and clean up their rooms but the way they give the instructions is different.
Because the heart contains motivations, emotions, values, and convictions, parents look deeper in the day-to-day interaction with their kids. Instead of just getting things done, parents look for long-term change in their kids. Sometimes children aren't ready to change on a heart level and parents must work to address the heart. Sometimes that means more relationship to open the heart and other times it requires creating a crisis to show kids that they way they're living just isn't going to work.
A heart-based approach shares values and reasons behind rules. It requires more dialogue, helping children understand how their hearts are resistant and need to develop cooperation. A heart-based approach is firm but also relational. It's a mindset on the part of parents that looks for heart moments that then bring about significant change.
As you consider your kids remember the words that God said to Samuel, "Man looks at the outward appearance but the Lord looks on the heart."
(This idea was taken from the book, Parenting is Heart Work, by Dr. Scott Turansky and Joanne Miller, RN, BSN. Watch for more parenting tips in the future.)
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