Easter ideas

I love hearing ideas from families about what they do to make holidays meaningful for their children. I asked a group of moms in the church: What is one way your family observes the death and/or resurrection of Christ on Easter?

"We have always gone to church on Good Friday and Easter Sunday, and this year we're also adding something that my husband's parents did when he was a child: Resurrection Eggs."

Corinne, mother of 3

**Resurrection eggs are a great way to talk with kids about the themes of Holy Week. Each egg has an object and corresponding devotional. You can make your own, or purchase them at Hobby Lobby or Family Christian bookstore. There is a storybook, "Benjamin's Box," which can also be read while you open the eggs. Kids love opening the eggs and hearing what each object represents!

"I've done Resurrection Rolls with kids and they've been a lot of fun. Here's a website that explains the process (involves crescent rolls and a disappearing marshmallow!): http://blessingsforlife.com/recipes/holidays/resurrectionrolls.htm while they bake we also color a picture of the cross or empty tomb. http://www.sundayschoolprintables.com/coloring/resurection1.php "

Valerie, mother of 2

"My parents instilled in me the importance of Good Friday, and we are very much trying to pass that on to our kids. Mom and Dad would take us out of school (if we had school that day) and often make a day of remembering Christ's great sacrifice on the cross. I remember going to a Noon service at the Presbyterian Church with my dad when my mom had to work. Maybe this seems a bit Catholic or at the very least depressing; after all, the hope of our salvation is that Christ got off the cross and rose from the dead! But those events could only occur because of Good Friday. Without Christ's sufferings, his horrible death and humiliation on the cross, there would be no Easter. No resurrection! No hope! So we seek to remember His death in a way that stays with us. It's fairly easy to put on a pretty dress, a spring-colored tie, and bake a ham. I want to make sure I know why I have the privilege and freedom to do those things! My favorite Good Friday hymn is "How Deep the Father's Love For Us."
Bethany, mother of 3

"I had lots of different Easter story books (some with really beautiful artwork) that I got out this time of year to read and talk about together. My kids also loved the Jelly Bean poem. Gather a jelly bean of every color in a plastic Easter egg, and then read the poem together and pull out the corresponding color as you go."

Lynndel, mother of 2

"We always made creative Easter eggs, one year they where made to look like Star Wars spaceships (we had two boys) my favorite was taking plant leaves, forming them to the egg and securing with panty hose before dipping in dye. Wallah - instant silhoutte!"

Kathy, mother of 2

Thanks moms for sharing your ideas!

April's question: "How does your family observe the Sabbath and make it special?" Please send responses to breannaflager@yahoo.com

Lessons April 2012

Every month I will be posting lesson themes, Scripture passages and other helpful information about what your kids are learning in Junior Church and Kids Club. You can use this information to introduce the story before Sunday, and/or to reinforce what they learned the week after. Children learn best through repetition and hearing the same idea in different contexts, and it is very important for them to hear these Bible stories and themes outside of Sundays.

KIDS CLUB

April 1: The Easter story (all ages; various Scripture passages from the gospels)
Kids of all ages are invited to come celebrate another great year of Kids Club and even more importantly, to celebrate the good news of Christ's resurrection together!

JUNIOR CHURCH

April 1: Palm Sunday and the Crucifixion
Scripture - Mark 11; 12:1-12; 15:24-39
At home - There will be a family devotional guide for Holy Week available on this blog by April 1. Each day there is a short Scripture reading and activity to do, use this to prepare them for the excitement of Easter morning.

April 8: Jesus is Alive!
Scripture - Luke 24:1-12; John 10:17-18
At home - Talk about a caterpillar that spins a cocoon and emerges as a beautiful butterfly (maybe find a video of this online). This analogy can help young children grasp the resurrection concept. A caterpillar looks like it has died when it spins its cocoon but it comes out alive as a beautiful butterfly.

April 15: David Spares Saul's Life
Scripture - 1 Samuel 26
At home - Let your child use the water bottle they created during craft time throught the week. Look for ways to talk about how God's way is best. Review the Bible story together:

King Saul was chasing David. One night while King Saul was sleeping, David came and took Saul's water jug and spear. David didn't hurt King Saul because God had chosen him to be the king. King Saul asked David to forgive him for chasing him.

April 22: A King Who Prays
Scripture - 1 Samuel 30:1-20
At home - David turned to God in prayer when life got tough. Help your child use the Prayer Journal they made to pray for the people in it. This simple beginning to regular prayer will help your child learn to talk to God when life gets tough.

April 29: No Junior church on the fifth Sunday of a month

Home Grown Parenting Class

Have you ever asked the question…

How can I help my kids trust God when they’re worried or bad things happen?
Is it OK that we don’t have family devotions?
How can I make our home a place where my kids’ faith will grow?

You are invited to join us for practical, real-world advice about how to help your kids know and love God—and how to build a home where you can grow in faith together.

HOME GROWN PARENTING

Sundays April 15 - May 20, 5:30-7pm
April 15 - Noah’s Event Center
April 22 - May 20 - Rocky Mountain Presbyterian Church
$20 registration fee, due April 15
Includes book, notes, snacks and childcare at the Goddard school
Register by April 8 at the table in the back of the sanctuary

Chronicles of Parenting: First Thoughts

I have been struggling to find my parenting niche. I had hoped this would just come naturally (ha!). I read a lot of books on Christian parenting, and in case you haven't done much reading, there are a LOT of opinions on how to biblically raise your child. Which would be very helpful, if they didn't consistently appear to contradict one another. Your definition of biblical can be very different from the the next guy. So, my mind bounces around between these ideas and I end up feeling: guilty, confused, stressed, guilty, anxious, overwhelmed, and...guilty. In the span of about 30 minutes. I think I have already blown this whole parenting thing, and 'Zippy' is only 15 months old.

Zippy is a joyful and spirited child. 'Spirited' is the upbeat way of saying strong willed, stubborn, independent, determined, "don't tell me what I can't do" (yes, that was totally a LOST reference). She never stops moving and her curiosity and energy know no bounds. So depending on what book I have read that week, I respond by patiently explaining why she can't do something (met with whining and arm flapping), firmly saying no (met with a shriek and throwing of objects), yelling no (not recommended in any books, but just my patience breaking; this is always met with a massive meltdown), or redirecting her to another activity (met with any combination of the above). Of course, all of this is very normal behavior for a toddler, but I always expected compliance would be more like 75% of the time, instead of the actual 5%. It is a constant battle of wills. I hate it. It is exhausting. I struggle to choose the battles to fight, and always feel like the loser by the end. And I ask: what does God want me to do in these crazy situations? How much can I even expect from such a young child?

I took a step back today to think about God and how he disciplines me. There are many instances where I have been jolted out of my sin through a painful encounter or harsh consequence. God has given me a divine version of a kick in the pants. But more often than not, this is not how I come to repentance. These situations are rare in my daily life compared to how I usually face my sin. A message in church, the testimony of another, the wisdom of a favorite Christian author, the prompting of the Holy Spirit, truth spoken by a friend, the unmerited love and acceptance I receive from my spouse, a beautiful time of prayer when the house is still...these moments reveal my heart and reconcile me to my Heavenly Father. There is an important connection that needs to be made between how God loves and disciplines us and how we are to do the same for the children He entrusted to us. These concepts are still developing in my mind...

so I invite you all to join me in processing parenthood. I will continue to explore what this looks like, and hope you will share your own thoughts so we can learn together. The irony is, I will have this parenting thing "figured out" when my baby is leaving for college, but that's the nature of the beast. And please don't judge me. Well, you can a little, but just don't say it out loud. I need heapings of grace just as much as Zippy.

Parenting with Hope

Welcome! I am so excited to have a new format for sharing about children's ministry at RMPC and all the things I am discovering along the way. The only thing I have ever created online is a Facebook profile, so this is brand new territory. I hope this is a great resource for your family and makes you feel a little bit more connected to what is happening.

I am passionate about this job, but I haven't always felt that way. Honestly, ministry is hard! It has been a struggle to carve out a place in a position never formally held by anyone else. I work great within existing structures, but here I have had to create structure along the way and face challenges I never before thought I could handle. But God is so good! He walks with me through highs and lows and sustains me when I am ready to give up. Now it is hard for me to imagine ever leaving what I have here at RMPC.

All this to say, I am far from having all the answers and everything figured out. I created this blog as a way to make you a part of what is happening in children's ministry, and also to share what I am experiencing as a parent. I am a little terrified to be transparent about my parenting fails, but I find comfort in knowing I am not the only one to be stumbling in this role. We are in this together, and any wisdom I have is only as a result of learning the hard way, and reading a lot of good books.


Each month I will post a list of topics children in each age group will be covering in Junior church and Kids Club. This will include the Bible passage, theme, memory verse, and any other relevant information that can aid you in bringing what they learn on Sundays into your home. I will also be notifying you of upcoming events, reviewing and recommending parenting resources, sharing what is on my heart, and informing you of important changes happening in children's ministry.


Please join me in praying that God would work in the hearts of our little ones, that they will grow up not knowing a day apart from Him. AMEN!!

**A big shout out to Jennifer Stone for helping me create this, thanks so much!!