Sunday, August 15th

Hello Families! Just a reminder that this Sunday, August 15th is "Be the Church" Sunday. Childrens activities will be available 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. for nursery through preschool age children only (there will be no K-Zone class).

Participating families should check in at the nursery counter and drop their children off at their normal Sunday school classes. Be sure to dress your child in something casual, because we are going to do some serious playing. The kids are going to learn how much God loves, not only them, but people all over the world. We are going to have music, dance, a missions talk with Mrs. Margo, snack, playground fun and then we are making cards to mail to our missionary friends in Japan – Mustard Seed Global Fellowship. If you have not registered you child, please do so immediately by emailing their name and age at margos@fcc-online.org. See you Sunday!

Oh, and be sure and read this great article for some helpful ideas on how to get your kiddos involved in "Be the Church" Sunday:

19 Ideas to Help Kids Serve at Home and Around the World

by Gordon and Becki West

Why is it that we have to beg adults to serve, while children are always ready to give? Children

seem to be born with a desire to serve others. Even a 2-year-old will automatically comfort a

crying baby by sharing a toy.

And Christian children have an added motivation to serve God. They serve the same God and have the same spiritual gifts as the rest of us. And they’ve been given the same challenge and promise from God: "You will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:8). For children, that might sound something like this: "You’ll be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—at home and school, throughout your town, across the country, and to the ends of the earth."

Let’s take a look at the many ways you can incorporate service into the fiber of your ministry from home to church to community to country to the world—just as in Acts 1:8.

Service at Home

It’s not as exciting as a missions trip to Africa, but contributing at home is truly the foundation for a lifetime of service. Here are ideas you can use to get kids serving at home.

• Helper’s Hints—On slips of paper, have kids write or draw a picture of a way to serve each family member. Then place the slips in a decorated shoebox. For example, kids might write, "Make Mom’s bed," "Give a hug," or "Do the dishes." Each morning kids can choose a slip of paper and use the "hint" to serve someone that day. Periodically have kids come up with new ideas to add to their boxes at home.

• Love Language—Discuss with kids how service is doing what someone else needs, not simply doing what we like to do for others. Then ask kids to identify meaningful ways they can show love to their families. Have kids create a service plan for the following week and keep a short journal of people’s reactions to their acts of service. Share reports the following week.

• Service Celebration—Challenge kids to complete one act of kindness for each family member during the week. In your classroom, have kids share ways they served their families so other kids get new ideas. Then serve the kids snacks as a celebration of their service

Service in the Community

Seventy-three percent of kids believe they can make a difference in their communities. We only

need to provide opportunities for children to act on this belief. Try these opportunities.

• Be a good neighbor. Older kids can help neighbors by weeding, mowing, painting, housesitting,or pet-sitting. Preschoolers enjoy leaving flowers or handmade cards on doorsteps.

• Give something special. Encourage families to clean closets by giving gently used clothing and toys directly to less fortunate families or organizations supporting families in need.

• Toy Wash—Children can help your nursery staff by washing toys. Preschoolers and preteens can work together to scrub plastic toys according to your nursery policies.

• Birthday Party for Jesus—Have an "after Christmas" party where children can give their gently used toys to your children’s ministry or a shelter in honor of Jesus

Statistics

When we teach a child to serve, we’re also teaching that child to become a servant for life

because children who serve become adults who serve. Consider these statistics from Engaging

Youth in Lifelong Service (Independent Sector)

• Adults who volunteered as children give more money and volunteer more time than adults who began serving later in life.

• Two-thirds of adult volunteers began serving as children.

• Those who volunteer as children are twice as likely to volunteer as those who don’t.

• Across incomes and age groups, those who volunteered as children give and volunteer more than those who didn’t.

• Those who volunteered as youth and whose parents volunteered became the most generous adults when it comes to giving their time.