e:kidz

Sunday recap

2008-11-04T20:17:00.000-08:00

Wow....tons of kids in 1st service this past week! What fun! Here's what we did in Explorers and Elevate:

Explorers
Main Point: I will obey.
Bible Story: The Wise and Foolish Builders in Luke 6:47-49.
Enforce it: Read the story in Luke. Talk about how each of the builders made a choice to build the house the right or wrong way. Remind them that when we obey, we are like the builder who built his house on the rock. He did the right thing.

Elevate
Lesson Goal: Because God knows everything they do, they should do good in every part of their lives.
Main Point: God Knows Everything!
Bible Verse: O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. Psalm 139:1
-Ask the kids about what Doctor Oppenheimerstein did to try to hide so no one would have any idea what he was doing. And did it work?

Big things happening!

2008-11-04T20:04:00.000-08:00

Things are REALLY moving along with the new building! The nursery looks amazing, and Steve Doolin has had some fantastic ideas for finishing it up! Can't wait to see it when it's all put together. I met with another Elementer tonight about getting the Explorers room started. The primary colors are going on the walls this week and then we will be able to get in there and put the finishing touches on!

I have a fun project that I'd like to have finished by our move-in date, but I think I'm going to need some help with it. One of the walls is going to have a PVC pipe "maze" attached to it. It's basically built into the wall and framed behind plexi-glass. Where I am needing the most help is with spray painting the PVC pipe and then fitting it all together and mounting it on the wall. If this is something that you are able to help with, please contact me ASAP.

Sunday recap

2008-10-26T16:02:00.000-07:00

I must first give huge thanks to the amazing coordinators, teachers, and helpers that we have in our e:Kidz ministry! The last few weeks have run so smoothly on Sunday mornings, with the dedication of so many wonderful people with huge hearts for serving kids!

Explorers - Two weeks ago, we started a new curriculum in Explorers: Elevate, Jr. by Creative Pastors. If you would like to see more about Elevate Jr., go to www.creativepastors.com and click on the Elevate link.

This week in Explorers the kids learned: "I will be kind to others." The scripture they read this week was Luke 10:30-37, the story of the Good Samaritan. They were encouraged to think about kindness this week and ask their parents to set aside time to do something kind for someone. You might make a batch of cookies for a neighbor or friend, take a meal to another family, or just write a card to someone. Make sure that the children are included in the process of choosing what to do as well as the implementation of the plan. Remind your children that we are supposed to be kind to others.

Elevate - Elevate is in their 2nd week of the new unit, Adventures in Science, from the Elevate curriculum, also by Creative Pastors. The lesson goal was to learn that because God made all people, I should love and respect others. The main point was God loves everyone and so should I! The Bible verse this week was Acts 10:34. Dr. Oppenheimerstein was given the assignment to research which type of people God loves the most. Through a series of events, he learned that we are all different from each other in some way. God doesn't want us to all be the same. All activities this week were geared toward teaching your children that God loves everyone and we should too.

I love serving your children in e:Kidz and I thank you so much for giving me that opportunity!

Katie

e:kidz: Behind the Scenes!

2008-10-21T12:09:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to remind everyone that we are hosting our first e:kidz: Behind the Scenes this coming Sunday, October 26th. We are meeting at the Carlson Building - 600 E. Carlson - 12:30 - 2:30 p.m. Lunch is provided and childcare will also be provided for anyone who needs it.

This is a great opportunity for those who have not yet plugged into e:kidz to get information and to find a place to serve. There are many opportunities to serve: teachers, helpers, nursery workers, check-in/check-out, set-up/tear-down, and greeters.

For those already serving in e:kidz, there are many changes going on, so please come to make sure you know what's going on as we progress toward moving into our new building!

See you there!

Katie

Smooth Transitions

2008-10-13T11:15:00.001-07:00

Well, we made a few changes down at e:Kidz sign-in/sign-out, and it seemed to flow much better. Itty Bitty still has it's own sign-in/sign-out table at the Itty Bitty entrance. But we have moved sign-in for Elevate and Explorers to one table at the bottom of the ramp, as well as getting new stickers for nametags and security numbers. This week we added two sign-out tables, one located in the Explorers wing, and the other located in the Elevate wing. This alleviated a lot of congestion and confusion during the "between service crunch."

Just wanted to remind everyone that sign-in for first service begins at 8:45, and for second service at 10:15. Our teachers need any time before that to get the classroom ready for the kids.

Also, we are doing volunteer scheduling a little different. The Itty Bitty volunteer schedule is at the Itty Bitty sign-in table, along with Volunteer Packets. Please feel free to sign up in any available time slot. Explorers and Elevate volunteer schedules are located at the e:Kidz sign-in table, along with more Volunteer Packets. There is also a new volunteer schedule at the e:Kidz sign-in table for Registration Volunteers. There are three shifts you can work registration: 8:45-9:15; 10:15-10:45; 11:40-11:50. These are short shifts before or after service and are extremely valuable to e:Kidz. If you are not plugged in yet, and aren't really interested in volunteering in the classroom, I encourage you to get plugged in doing sign-in or sign-out.

Parents, we appreciate your support of this growing ministry, and we value your input and involvement so much. Thank you so much for all you do at Element Church and for giving us the honor of teaming with you in helping your children experience life in Christ, enabling them to be leaders today.

In His Service,

Katie

Important Health Information

2008-10-06T11:15:00.000-07:00

This is not the kind of thing I'd like to blog about on a regular basis, but needs to be done. A child who attended Ekidz on Sunday was diagnosed this morning with head lice. If your children were in either service of Explorers, please check your child for symptoms.

Element Gives Back - Kids

2008-10-05T14:21:00.001-07:00

At the end of service today, everyone received a box with money in it for our 2nd Element Gives Back. Every child from Ekidz should have received an envelope with $5.00 in it to participate in Element Gives Back. If your child did not receive an envelope, please drop by the office sometime this week to pick one up so that you can seize this amazing opportunity to teach your kids about giving. I love serving your children and value them very much.

Katie

Save the Date

2008-10-01T20:26:00.001-07:00

We will be holding our first "Behind the Scenes" meeting for Ekidz on Sunday, October 26th following 2nd service. The meeting will be at the Carlson building, lunch and childcare provided. This is an opportune time to become involved in the exciting growth of Ekidz, as well as a valuable time for anyone who is currently involved. Please save the date on your calendars. Invitations will be sent out soon!

Ekidz Beginnings

2008-09-28T18:50:00.000-07:00

I have to start by saying that I am terrible at this blog "thing" but I'm going to attempt to write an update each Sunday on what's going on in Ekidz. I'd like to give you some Ekidz background.

When we started meeting in the Holiday Inn as the core group of the church plant, there were about 20 kids ranging from 0 - 11. Not really enough to split into classes at that point. We just had them all in one room, and provided childcare for them. October 7, 2007 was the official Element Church launch at the Carmike Theatre and we had those same 20 kids, maybe a few more. We had our three Ekidz areas: Itty Bitty, Explorers, and Elevate. Itty Bitty had about 15 babies! Whew! I had 7 kids in Explorers (3-5 year-olds), and there were 2 in Elevate (1st - 5th grades).

Element's one year anniversary is next week, and we now have the amazing opportunity every Sunday to teach an average of 80 kids about Jesus and how much he loves them! As I reflect on our first year, I am overwhelmed at the grace of God, to allow me to be a part of this humbling experience as the Ekidz Director.

I am often in wonder at the fact that God has entrusted to me 5 children of my own to raise up for Him. I am equally amazed at this grace he has given for me to be a part of raising up another 80 more children, along with their parents, through Element Church. What an awesome honor. Thank God for His grace and mercy and His everlasting love for children.

I will be using this blog as a way to inform the parents of Element Church of what the children are learning each week in Ekidz as well as share the things that God works in my heart through these wonderful kids.