Children’s Minister: Lisa Morris Church Office: (417) 624-4585 Website: www.fbcjoplin.org

…Say Yes! With 2015 comes a new challenge. Kids will be challenged to be a MVP (Memory Verse Professional) by learning key memory verses. There will be three levels in all. Bronze: 10 Memory Verses Silver: 25 Memory Verses Gold: 50 Memory Verses These memory verses will be posted on our website, facebook page, and sent home with the kids. You can start right now with Genesis 1:1 After all, the beginning of the Bible seems like a great place to start! The kids will be presented with certificates for each level they complete in the worship service. HOWEVER, in order to get the certificate they will be tested with random verses they should have memorized. They must be able to recite these verses to go on to the next level. Our goal is for these verses to be truly memorized, not just repeated enough to tell the teacher! So pick up your Bible and let’s get started!

Seeds - PreK & under | Sprouts - K-2nd | The Grove - 3rd - 5th

January/February 2015

Another season of Upward Basketball is here! Teams have already started practicing and the first games begin on January 10th at the South Campus. Games run from 8am - noon. We would love for you to come out and cheer on the kids, meet some new folks and make connections in our community. This is a wonderful opportunity to meet people you would not otherwise meet and impact their life. If you are interested in helping with refereeing, concessions or half-time devotions, please let Jason Smith or Lisa Morris know.

Are you ready to take the…

Help needed!! Loving our little ones

Wednesday nights continue to grow, and we are in need of some extra folks to serve in the PreK/Nursery. You can choose between rocking and caring for our babies and toddlers to having fun teaching/assisting our PreK kids as they learn how much Jesus loves them!

Children’s Minister: Lisa Morris Church Office: (417) 624-4585 Website: www.fbcjoplin.org

Calendar Jan. 1 New Years Day (Office Closed) Jan 7 Women’s Ministry planning meeting Jan. 10 Upward Basketball games begin Jan. 18 Small Group leaders meeting Jan. 25 Business Meeting (Kids activities provided) Jan. 28 Kidz on a Mission service project Feb. 1 Superbowl activities at South Campus Feb. 8 Small Groups resume Feb. 14 Valentines Day Feb. 25 Kidz on a Mission Service Project

Did you know???

Kids 5th grade and down all follow the same scope and sequence in Sunday School. Although the Grove kids use Worship for Life Kids, the Bible lesson, activities, scripture verse etc. can all be found on the Bible Studies for Life app. This app is FREE! So, if your are gone one Sunday, you can use this app to stay on track, and also use it to reinforce what the kids have learned in class.

The Gospel Project app covers the children’s church hour. It does cost .99 cents for phone, and $2.99 for tablet per quarter (3 months). You can download the free sample to get an idea of what the app will do. We are currently in the “Exile” unit (Dec-Feb). This app includes the story video each week. It is a great collection to use over and over again.

Kidz on a Mission With all the excitement around the toys kids received for Christmas, we are starting the year with a unit called Toy Box, which brings Bible lessons using toys as an object lesson. Here is an overview: Stuffed Animal - What do we reach for when we're scared? God wants to be our comfort in times of trouble. The story of Job. Job 1:13-21 Action Figures - Do you play with action figures or keep them trapped in their box? God doesn’t want us to keep our Bibles on the shelf. We have to open them! John 3:16 Barbies - This is a lesson on materialism; we don’t need dream houses and pink corvettes to be happy. Only God can make us truly happy. The parable of the rich land owner. Luke 12:13-21 Favorite Toy - Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. The Rich Young Ruler Matthew 6:19-21. Puzzles - God sees the big picture of our lives. He only lets us see parts of it, so we just need to trust Him. Jeremiah 29:11-13. Yo-Yos - Sin - We push sin away, we bring it back. The only way to get free is to cut the string. The story of Achan Joshua 7:19-26. Crayons - Diversity - God made us all unique and different, and he wants us to love everyone, no matter who they are. The Good Samaritan Luke 10:25-37. Legos - If you want to build a tall Lego building, you need a firm foundation. God can be our firm foundation in life. The wise and foolish builders Matthew 7:24-27. Broken Toy - Things of this world will not last, but God endures forever. Mark 2:1-12. Hot Wheels - Collecting. What do you collect in life? Is it earthly treasures? Song lyrics? Movie quotes? Or do you collect the things of God: scripture, and other people? The story of the Good Samaritan John 4:4-36. Remote Control Cars - RC cars require batteries to run. We need to keep our battery charged by staying connected to Jesus and learning to rest. Exodus 20:8-10. Musical Instruments - Praising God - worshiping God comes not only through music and song, but also in how we live, work, play, and treat others. Colossians 3:17.

Children’s Minister: Lisa Morris Church Office: (417) 624-4585 Website: www.fbcjoplin.org