Ministries and Groups at FCC

Christian Education

ATTENTION: Sunday School Field Day - May 26th!

Let's kick off the summer with some fun!
- Wear casual clothes
- Lots of games & activities
- Led by your favorite JAM teachers

VBS 2013: June 17 - 20, 9 a.m. - 12 p.m.

Everywhere Fun Fair takes children to a global celebration with the look and feel of a world's fair. Children will make friends with neighbors around the world and discover that God's love can be found everywhere, including their own neighborhoods. Children will be introduced to special places from all over the world and discover that we are all neighbors and all children of God.

Everywhere Fun Fair is easy to lead with exciting attractions such as interactive Bible storytelling, global games, rockin' music, super science, cool crafts, and more!

There will be a program June 20th at 6:00 p.m., followed by an ice cream social and circus like fun!

REGISTRATION FORM COMING SOON!

April JAM Highlights

In April, the children learned about the Fruits of the Spirit with which God has blessed us. As described in Galatians 5:22-23, the following are the Fruits God blesses us with:

Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness & Self-Control

The fruit of the Spirit is meant to be a list of qualities we strive to have. Just as a fruit tree needs water to grow and produce fruit, we need to ask for God's help in how to properly use the gifts (fruit) that are given to us. We need to remember that God made us and God is perfect. If you want the fruit of the spirit in your life, first, you need to practice using them. The more you use them the more fruit or gifts God will help you have. Remember - we need to Practice!

Challenge: Ask God for help in using these fruits to help others - such as your parents, brothers/sisters, friends, teacher, coach or bus driver. Add water to your fruit tree watch it grow.

John 15:5 - "I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.

Volunteers Needed: Summer JAM

Starting June 2nd, two volunteers will be needed for each of the following rooms during the 10:00am church service. At least one of the volunteers must be 18 or older. The assistant must be in high school or above.

Preschool - 1st Grade class
2nd - 4th Grade class

FYI - The sign-ups for teaching in the summer are on a week-by-week basis and are in Fellowship Hall or on the CE page of the FCC web site. Leading Summer JAM involves no prior planning - the lesson plans, activities, and crafts will be ready to go when you arrive.

March JAM Highlights

Happy Easter from the entire Christian Education Team!

This month the children celebrated Jesus' arrival into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday with parades, making palm leaves with their hand prints, and hunting for Easter Eggs. We discussed how Jesus was not like other kings, as he wore plain clothing, accepted everyone, and rode on a donkey. It didn't matter that he wasn't royalty; people celebrated his arrival.

The story of Easter was carefully told to the children to show how the sad story of Jesus dying on the cross ended in joy because of he rose from the dead. Sadness turned to happiness when the tomb was found to be empty and Jesus showed himself to be alive. The older age-groups experimented with detergent to erase various stains they made on white t-shirts as an example of how Jesus died to clean away our sins. He Has Risen Indeed!

February JAM Highlights

The kids continued to have fun while learning the Bible stories and how they relate to today. We learned about the Covenant between Abraham and God. God told Abraham to move his entire household to another land, and in return, he would make them parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, etc of many, many people.

6 Fun Facts About Abraham & Sarah:
- Abraham moved his household to what is now modern day Iraq
- At the age of 100, Abraham became a father to Isaac (which means laughter).
- Sarah was 90 when she gave birth and gave him Isaac because she laughed when God told her she would have baby
- Abraham and Sarah's names were originally Abram and Sarai prior to God changing them
- Sarah was barren until she had Isaac
- Isaac had a half-brother named who was 14 years older than him
- Abraham and Sarah had to wait 25 years for God's promise to be fulfilled

And so we have, in the story of Abraham, Sarah and Isaac, a lesson for us to be willing to wait on the Lord, to believe His promises and to be obedient.

January JAM Highlights

In January, the children learned how John the Baptist wasn't someone you would expect to baptize Jesus. He wore furry clothing, had a messy beard, and didn't seem to shower much. Despite his appearance, God called on him to preach the good news and prepare the people of Jesus' coming. Some people thought he was crazy. John didn't feel worthy of baptizing Jesus, but in the end, he relented and baptized him in the Jordan River. The Heavens opened and God's spirit descended to Jesus like a dove.

JAM focused on a few key points in this story:

- Although John was unkempt, he had the honor of baptizing Jesus
- What is the sacrament of Baptism?
- God promises to love us always and that will never change. If we do something wrong, we can get a "do-over" with God.
- We will be laying the groundwork for children to understand the abstract ideas of faith.

The four exciting workshops that the children will be attending are:

- Arts & Crafts
- Cooking
- Games
- Computer Lab

October JAM Highlights

Are your kids JAMin'?

Our Sunday School, JAM (Jesus and Me), is held during the 9:00am Worship service. Children (preschool-7th grade) attend the beginning of the worship service with their families. They will be dismissed together and led downstairs to the Children's Worship Center. A Bible story or lesson of our Faith will be presented to the Large Group. Then groups divided by age will head off to the workshop assigned that week. At 10:10am the kids will be lead to their dismissal room.

Please note the change in pick-up procedures.
Preschool-4th grade will be in the CWC (Children's Worship Center and need to be signed out by parents/designated adults. Kids in 5th-7th grade can hang out in the Youth Room or meet their families in a designated place such as Fellowship Hall--5th-7th graders do not need to be signed out by an adult. JAM ends at 10:15

JAM Session 2 (10/7-10/28):Solomon Builds a Temple

The October Lesson is Solomon Builds a Temple. We all have sacred spaces where we regroup, center ourselves, and praise and worship God. This space can be somewhere in your home, outdoors or at the church. It does not have to be in the church sanctuary. Solomon (King David's son) built a temple according to the directions God gave him. It took 7 years to build the beautiful temple using gold, silver and other precious metals. While the thousands of workers toiled to make the temple, God promised to be with us in worship and always.

In October, The kids of JAM will be learning about Solomon, the temple he built, and God's promise to be with us in good times and bad. The following workshops may be used to teach this lesson:
- Science
- Video
- Cooking
- Games
- Computer Lab

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Registration (Permission) Form

Click on the link below for the Youth Registration form. You must complete this form to attend Sunday School. Please turn in to Mrs. Wegener or the church office by Sept. 9, 2012.
Registration Form

First Congregational Church

of Crystal Lake, IL

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