When we plan for our summer calendar of events, Kailey and I are thoughtful about the ‘why’ behind each of the activities and events. The summer of 2022 has been a rebirth of sorts as we were able to gather in the building, gather in large groups again, and enjoy the goodness and kindness of God.

Ephesians 2:7 says this: “in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of His grace, expressed in His kindness to us in Christ Jesus.” Something that I’ve consistently prayed for this summer is the Church of 2050; our children that we minister to right now and how they will be equipped to lead the Church in the years and decades to come. I am confident that prayer is our number one weapon against the evils that try to destroy and distract our children. I hope that you will join me in this prayer effort. 

As we’ve been able to gather this summer, some of the messages that our children have learned are:

Zoomerang Adventure VBS 

“I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” Psalm 139:14  Our message to both children and adults was simple; you were created in God’s image. It’s a battle against what our society teaches right now. We didn’t evolve from a monkey; we are created in His image for His purpose in our life. The ‘why’ question that we answered was ‘who am I and why am I here?’

Bible Buddies

Children ‘adopted’ a stuffed hedgehog, and it became their reading buddy for the summer. They were given a packet and a buddy and are reading through the book of Acts right now; making notes/creating pictures along the way. Why? It helps with reading skills AND gets kids/parents in the habit of opening God’s Word every day! 

Bubbles, Buddies and Books

Every other week, our preschoolers and younger elementary kids would gather with their parents and dive into a theme of the day. Kids would create with glue, stickers, markers and tape. They would dig in a sensory bin looking for the hidden treasure of the day. We read in a storytime circle about our theme. We ate lunch together, laughed together, made friends and allowed parents to create community. Of course, our mornings always ended outdoors making gigantic bubbles. The why? Allow children to have a mid-week experience to create friendships and parents to connect with each other. 

Deeper Dive

Discipleship took place with our elementary kids through a mid-week ‘deeper dive’ into our weekend teaching. Time was spent on review games, pulling out our Bibles and finding our Scripture passage and praying together. We loved this time together and are so grateful to God for these kids who genuinely desire to know more about the character of God! Why? Discipleship in the small!

Bikes + Burgers

We are still feeling the adrenaline from our B+B event on Sunday. If you haven’t seen the video highlight on our Facebook page, make sure you check it out! From my vantage point, I saw leaders who were here to serve, creating an environment that was colorful, fun and even a soaking bike wash! Adults enjoyed pedal cart races and even a few wipeouts! Parents laughed and connected with each other. Kids rode their bikes with each other and just enjoyed being at church with their bikes! The evening ended with our MC Kids Bike Parade where the kids stop riding and are led to a decorating station with their parents and Miss Natalie. They create a huge parade behind Miss Kailey and Miss Ella and it’s such a joy-filled time as the kids parade by and the parents all wave and clap as they ride by.  Do you know what that is? It’s celebrating God’s goodness and kindness to us as we love, teach and encourage the Church of 2050.

with Joy,

Lisa