CCC Gainesville | Blog
We are pleased to present a new tool for helping children participate in our weekly worship services. Our new Worship Guide is a simple worksheet that asks children to respond to what is happening in the worship service. We are excited about this new tool for several reasons, but most importantly we believe that God desires the worship of children as well as adults and we hope this will help children to more fully engage with what is happening in the worship service.
You will be able to find printed copies of the new Worship Guides each Sunday at the Children’s Welcome Station or at the Resource Desk in the Foyer. You can also view a printable pdf version of the document here: Worship Guide for Children. The guide is designed primarily for children who can read and write, but there is a space on the back for children to draw a picture of something from the sermon that can be used by children of any age.
Our pastor, Rob Pendley, and our Worship Director, Chris Hiatt, will be visiting with our 2nd-5th graders this Sunday, May 25 during the 9 am Education hour to share with them why our worship services are constructed they way they are and how children are a part of the worshiping body of believers, as well as to introduce the new Guide to the children. We encourage children this age to be here this Sunday to hear this important presentation and be able to ask Pastor Rob and Chris any questions they might have.
And finally, Rob and Chris and our Session of Elders are excited to hear about what your child might be learning during our worship services. We want to encourage children to share their thoughts from the Guide or their drawings with Rob, any of the worship leaders, or members of the Session.
Registration is now closed for VBS 2014. We are looking forward to great week!
We are proud to present Children’s Ministry first ever parenting conference. On April 11th & 12th will be hosting the Spiritual Parenting Conference.
What is a Spiritual Parenting Conference?
It’s not about perfect behavior. It’s about passionate hearts.
It’s hard enough to train kids to behave, but good behavior isn’t what Jesus calls for in the Bible. He wants hearts and souls that are shaped in vibrant faith and love toward God and others. In Spiritual Parenting, Dr. Michelle Anthony places the dependence upon God for our child and calls the reader to a heart posture of obedience and faithfulness. The end goal is a vibrant faith that is passed on from one generation to another. During this conference we will learn from author Michelle Anthony through previously recorded conference. The following sessions will be offered:
- Awakening to Spiritual Parenting
- Environments for Cultivating Faith and Storytelling
- Identity and Faith Community
- Responsibility and Course Correction
Details about each of these sessions will be posted on the church blog in the coming weeks leading up the the Conference. You can watch for there at this link through the months of February and March we will be offering more information, registration and reading materials. But here are the details you need now:
When?
Friday April 11th; 6-8pm
Saturday April 12th; 8:30 am-Noon *note time change!*
(Breakfast served for everyone)
Kids? We will have childcare through the whole event. Friday evening will be pizza and a movie, and Saturday will be run like a day camp.
Cost? $25 per couple & $5 per child in childcare
Who? This conference is open to all parents with children in utero thru high school, care providers, prospective parents, grandparents, anyone who serves families or children, your friends from other churches are also invited (please be looking for invitations on the Welcome Station in the month of March).
We are looking forward to offering this resource of learning and community growth to you please be watching for further information soon to come. So save the date!
For the past month our church has been talking about Operation Christmas Child and collection week is finally here!
If Operation Christmas Child is new to you and you have never packed a shoebox gift, please check out theOperation Christmas Child website and this video below which tells more about the project.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQxzM08YDc0
As they say, all it takes is a simple gift to make a difference in a child’s life. I hope you will all pack a box! The deadline to drop off your boxes is this Sunday, November 24. After the second service the boxes will all be taken to one of the local collection centers. (Email harmony812 [at] gmail [dot] com to help take the boxes.)
Here is how to pack a shoebox gift:
Use an empty shoe box (standard size, please), a small plastic container or just grab a box from church. You can wrap the box (lid separately), but wrapping is not required. Most importantly, pray for the child who will receive your gift.
Determine whether your gift will be for a boy or a girl, and the child’s age category: 2-4, 5-9, or 10-14. Print out the appropriate boy/girl label by downloading the artwork from the OCC website. Mark the correct age category on the label, and tape the label to the top of your box.
Fill the box with a variety of gifts that will bring delight to a child. Use the gift ideas provided on the bottom of this page.
Please donate $7 or more for each shoe box you prepare to help cover shipping and other project costs. You can give online by using the “Follow Your Box Donation” option, or you can write a check to Samaritan’s Purse (note “OCC” on memo line) and place it in an envelope on top of the gift items inside your box. If you or your family are preparing more than one shoe box, please make one combined donation.
Place a rubber band around each closed shoe box and drop it off at church.
And if you still need more motivation to pack a box…please visit the OCC Stories page to read story after story of how God uses these simple gifts to change hearts and lives and communities around the world. It is truly amazing to see how God uses something we would consider insignificant to spread his Kingdom and glory all through the Earth.
If you have any questions, please contact kids@christcommunitychurch.com.
