August Service Projects For Your Family July 27, 2009
Posted by rshort in : 3-Missions Projects , comments closedWhat good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. – James 2:14-18
As a parent, I often imagine what kind of men my sons will eventually become. On the top of my list of wishes for them is that they will mature into men who love God and care about others. So how do parents help shape their child’s character into what we hope they will be one day?
I believe that one way to help shape a child’s future faith is by giving them practical and tangible ways to experience personal ministry while they are still young. It’s not enough to just teach children in their Sunday classes that they need to care for others and be servants. They need opportunities to actually experience it, opportunities to see God at work first-hand, and opportunities to see how anyone, no matter how small, can play an important role in God’s story.
Seeking out opportunities to serve together as a family is a great way to help your child see service as a form of worship to God and to instill in them a love for His people. I have two such opportunities in August to share with your family that I encourage you to consider participating in:
1. Beginning August 1/2 and running through September 26/27, our Kid’s Quest missions project is collecting children’s offering and donations for Operations Christmas Child. Operations Christmas Child brings hope and joy to children in desperate situations around the world through gift-filled shoeboxes and the Gospel message. This is a great opportunity for children of all ages to be involved in a hands-on missions project. Families can give to the children’s offering or donate gift and hygiene supplies, empty shoeboxes, wrapping paper, or completed boxes to Kid’s Quest check-in stations during weekend services in August and September. Offering collected is used to purchase additional supplies and to cover shipping costs. Following the collection dates families can serve together by filling the shoeboxes with all the supplies collected on Assembly Day, Saturday, October 3, 10:00 am – 1:00 pm, in Room 2400. Watch for fliers coming out in August for more details. Also in August, be asking your kids if they can guess what Veggie Tales has to do with Operations Christmas Child. We’ll be revealing the big surprise announcement to them in September. Click here to learn more about Samaritan’s Purse, the organization that coordinates the Operations Christmas Child Project. Click here to see a video about the power of a simple gift. Click here to see an instructional video on how to pack a box.
2. Another great family service opportunity is the DC Schools Project, an MBC-wide missions project to make an impact on secular Washington DC by cleaning up every DC school on Saturday, August 22, 7:00am – 1:00 pm. Your children can learn to make a difference in the lives of other children, perhaps even the same age as them, by helping with yard work, sorting library books, organizing classrooms, picking up trash, painting, etc. This project is better-suited for families with elementary-aged children but the whole family is welcome to participate. Click here for details and to sign up. Click on the video below to see it in action.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jELnZ6KgJHY[/youtube]
July Missions July 20, 2009
Posted by rshort in : 3-Missions Projects , comments closedOperations Kindness
For July’s children’s offering we are supporting Operation Kindness, an MBC ministry that provides God’s Word and supplies for soldiers deployed overseas. Funds collected will go towards purchasing care package supplies (we are not collecting items). Click video below to see this ministry’s impact.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXp8MGM-UTU[/youtube]
For more info about the ministry, contact Bob Jepsen at jepsen4@msn.com or www.mcleanbible.org/operationkindness.
Dominican Republic
Do you remember back in January of this year our children joined The Rock Student Ministries to support an orphanage in the Dominican Republic? Click here to see our previous post on this project.
July 17-24, highschoolers from The Rock Student Ministry will be traveling to the Dominican Republic on a mission trip to serve at this orphanage as well as do street evangelism, construction, and baseball and medical clinics. Please pray for the students that will be participating in the missions trip, for their safety and their growth during the trip. Pray for the leaders, including Sue Langlie, Director of Kid’s Quest and The Rock Student Ministries, who will be going as a counselor. And pray for God to move in the hearts of the people our students and leaders come in contact with and that Christ’s love will shine through our people in word and deed.
Kid’s Open Mic Night July 13, 2009
Posted by rshort in : 4-Events , comments closedThe Creative Arts Ministry of MBC presents, Kid’s Open Mic Night on Friday, July 17, at 7:30 pm in Community Room A. Established in 2005, the Creative Arts Ministry Open Mic is an artistic venue and coffeehouse that has grown to include a wide range of acts extending beyond the performing arts. It’s held on the 3rd Friday of every month in Community Room A and is free and open to the public. Gourmet teas, coffees and light refreshments provided. This month is open to talented kids under the age of 13.
- All creative genres accepted.
- Acts must have a positive message suitable for ears of all ages This is a family-fun event and children are always present.
- Material does not have to be original. Cover tunes and crossover material accepted.
- Acts are booked in advance. There are 10 slots available. Submissions are first-come, first-served.
- All acts must comply with submission, tech and performance guidelines.
- Serious kid acts only.
- All acts must be well-rehearsed.
Click here for complete details and click on related links in left-side menu for submission process, guidelines, and tips for success:
Help Needed! Refreshments needed! Can you help provide food? Email openmic@mcleanbible.org if interested.
INFO: Alyce Metallo, 703/639-2000, or openmic@mcleanbible.org.
Summer Curriculum Series July 11, 2009
Posted by rshort in : 2-What We're Teaching , comments closed
Don’t forget that this weekend, July 11/12, is promotion weekend. All Little Adventurers through 4th Graders move up into their new classrooms. Ask the Greeter at check-in if you need assistance locating your child’s new classroom.
This weekend we also kick off our special summer curriculum series. We’re really excited to bring your whole family the same curriculum for both Preschool and Elementary! The series is called Pair-O-Bulls by Empowering Kids and takes a look at 8 of Jesus’ parables. Both groups will hear the same lessons but in an age-appropriate way.
Preschool: Children will join Jana Alayra, Natalie Davis, and friends as they travel to the Beach House and learn about Jesus through puppets and song. Preschoolers will learn the following earthly stories with heavenly meanings and how to apply those meanings to their lives:
- Lesson 1: Who Will Help? The Parable of The Good Samaritan. Jesus told this parable to teach us that we need to love our neighbors as ourselves.
- Lesson 2: The Boy Who Ran Away. The Parable of The Prodigal Son. In this parable, students will hear that God wants us to show compassion to others.
- Lesson 3: The Man Who Did Not Forgive. The Parable of The Unforgiving Servant. In this sad parable, Jesus is teaching us about the importance of forgiving those who have hurt us.
- Lesson 4: The House Built on a Rock. The Parable of The Wise and Foolish Builders. Each child will learn that obedience is the foundation to following Jesus each day.
- Lesson 5: A Sheep Gets Lost. The Parable of The Lost Sheep. This parable teaches us about God’s great love and His gift of salvation through His Son.
- Lesson 6: Planting Seeds. The Parable of The Sower. When we listen and obey God’s word our hearts are like the good soil and we will grow in the Lord.
- Lesson 7: The Sheep and the Goats. The Parable of The Sheep and The Goats. This parable emphasizes the need to care for others who are in need.
- Lesson 8: A Friend Knocks on the Door. The Parable of The Friend at Midnight. Jesus used this story to teach us about the importance of being persistent in prayer.
INFO: Kristin Tomlinson, 703-770-2908 or Kristin.tomlinson@mcleanbible.org.
Elementary: Kindergarteners – 5th Graders will enjoy learning from a pair o’ bulls named Cedric and Carl in a western-themed series that will round up each child and teach them the following parables:
- Lesson 1: The Good Samaritan. Jesus told his story to his followers about a kind Samaritan who reached out and helped a stranger. He used it to teach us that we need to love our neighbors as ourselves.
- Lesson 2: The Prodigal Son. The father in his parable showed great compassion for his son and welcomed him back into the family even after he had made poor decisions and had broken his heart. Students will hear that God wants us to show compassion.
- Lesson 3: The Unforgiving Servant. In this sad parable, a servant was forgiven of a huge debt, yet would not forgive someone who owed him a little. Jesus told this story to teach us about the importance of forgiveness.
- Lesson 4: The Wise and Foolish Builders. This parable tells about two builders who built on different foundations; one who built his house on sand and one who built his house on a rock. Each child will learn that obedience to what Jesus says is the foundation to following Him each day and having a solid faith.
- Lesson 5: The Lost Sheep (Salvation Lesson). This well-known story tells about the good shepherd leaving his flock of 99 sheep to go and search for his one lost sheep. It tells about God’s great love for us and His gift of salvation through His Son, Jesus.
- Lesson 6: The Sower. Jesus told this parable about a man who sowed seeds that fell upon different types of soil but only the seed that fell on the good soil grew. When we listen and obey God’s word our hearts are like the good soil and we will grow in the Lord.
- Lesson 7: The Sheep and the Goats. In this story, Jesus says that there will come a time when He will separate the sheep from the goats based upon what they did to care for others. It emphasizes the need to care for others, who are in need with our actions.
- Lesson 8: The Friend at Midnight. Jesus told a story about a persistent friend who knocked on their friend’s door at midnight asking for bread and wouldn’t go away until they had some. He used this story to teach us about the importance of being persistent in prayer.
Crazy Summer Fun: Elementary children can also look forward to Crazy Summer Fun Days every weekend. Come to Kid’s Quest dressed and prepared for these weekly themes:
- July 11/12 Western Day
- July 18/19 Bring a Friend Day
- July 25/26 Sports Jersey Day
- August 1/2 Beach Party Day
- August 8/9 PJ Day
- August 15/16 Crazy Hair Day
- August 22/23 Bible Character Day
- August 29/30 Hat Day
INFO: Amie Kim, 703/639-2000, x1052 or amie.kim@mcleanbible.org.
Missions Project Update July 6, 2009
Posted by rshort in : 3-Missions Projects, 6-Operations , comments closed“Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. As it is written: “He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.” Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you. Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!” 2 Corinthians 9:6-14 (NIV)
Below are the results of our first quarter of Missions Projects. We encourage you to share with your children the results of their prayers and gifts. We also reccommend emphasizing that while a great many children in need will be served by their monetary gifts, giving to God is a form of worship and not about giving to a cause. Our objective in providing your children with these missions project opportunities to give is not for the purpose of raising money for these causes but rather to teach our children the Biblical principle of giving to God via the church and to provide tangible ways for them to learn how to be givers in accordance with God’s Word.
January: Our children gave $1564.71 to God to be added in with the $55,000 raised at The Rock Student Ministries’ New Year’s Eve event for a total of $56,564.71. This gift was given to an orphanage in the Dominican Republic to be used to purchase Bibles, school supplies, food, housing, and a van. Please pray for the high school students who will be traveling to the orphangae this summer to serve on a missions trip.
Feburary: Our children gave $1030.38 to God to be used to purchase school supplies for children in Daybreak, an MBC ministry that serves children in the Lincoln Heights area of D.C.
March: Our children gave $4092.87 to God to be used to support a Bible and Sports camp at an orphanage in Demidov, Russia this summer. Not only did God provide enough to cover the camp supplies but also support for the Global Impact missions team that will be serving at the orphanage this summer.
April: Our children gave $928.95 to God to be used to purchase food for the Daily Bread Food Pantry, an MBC ministry that provides food for people in our local community. Our children also contributed many food donations.
May: Our children gave $1631.25 to God to be used to help kids in financial need go to our summer Sports Camp. We specifically prayed for provision for 30 half scholarships. This collection enables us to extend financial aid to 34 children!
How do we select our Missions Projects each year? We have several criteria we review in choosing our projects. Our non-negotiable requirements include:
- The organization or individual(s) must be aligned with MBC Core Values
- The project supports either MBC, the local community, the country, or the world and there is a variety amongst the projects selected in a given year
- We know specifically how the funds collected are going to be used (ex. purchase new Bibles)
We also have flexible criteria where we look to meet at least one of the following:
- The project is connected to MBC in some way (ex. MBC-sponsored ministry like Daybreak)
- The project enables partnership between MBC ministries (ex. Turkey Outreach)
- The project lends itself to the whole family participating together (ex. Operations Christmas Child)
- The project can be made real and tangible for children to understand and connect to
- The project encourages the concept of one child giving to help another child
Sometimes our projects include collecting items. We have guidelines for that, too:
- Collection does not compete with another MBC-wide collection.
- Collection encourages the whole family to participate together.
- Items collected can be easily transported to their final destination.
- No back-to-back donation collections from month to month if possible.
Do you sponsor individuals going on missions trips?
Generally, no. The reason for this is we have so many staff, volunteers, and families connected to Kid’s Quest going on missions trips every year that it would not be fair to single out a few to raise their support for them, even for an MBC-sponosored trip. Supporting individuals also typically doesn’t meet most of our flexible criteria. We do on occassion allow our volunteers to pass out support letters only to those they personally know. So you may see a letter from your child’s leader from time to time but it is not going out to any other class and it is not connected to our monthly missions projects.