What You Can Do THIS SUNDAY for Christmas Eve

 Calling all angels, shepherds, sheep, donkeys, cows, cats (you get the idea!), and wise men:  

We hope participating onstage for the Nativity reading will be a highlight for you and your child during the Christmas Eve service!  You are invited to come to the Glass Room immediately following this Sunday's service, December 22nd.  This is a first-come, first-served basis, and we apologize that we do not have enough costumes for all.  Hopefully, you will find some robe, halo, or other accessory to enhance  materials you have at home.  Mike Veitz will be on hand to assist. 

Things to Remember:

• Arrive early for a good seat! 
• Talk about what to expect (coming onstage;  remaining with you for the duration instead of going to Children's Worship; holding a candle at the end of the service, etc.)
• Borrow a worship bag to help little hands and minds stay occupied
• Return your costume items following the service in the tall, red "COSTUMES"  box. 

Send any questions my way,
Sara Nist

Bottles for Babies

Our Bottles for Babies mercy-giving project is nearly finished.  Monies collected by this Sunday will be taken to Life Centers this week.

For more info on Life Centers of Indianapolis or Heart Change, copy and paste the following links.
Thank you for participating!

www.lifecenters.com
 http://www.heartchangeindy.org/

A Few of My Favorite Things....for Advent

Advent Wreath 

Placing an advent wreath that suits your style on your kitchen table and lighting it every evening for your family meal. We read a scripture verse that corresponds to the week, light the candle, and eat by candlelight.  To end our meal, we allowed a different family member every night choose his or her favorite Christmas carol. 

Christmas Devotional

Finding a devotional to read as a family for dinnertime, bedtime, or any-ol-time is an easy way to be intentional during December without trying to reinvent the spiritual wheel.   Elyse Fitzpatrick has a new one that I am eager to purchase for our family this year, Counting the Days, Lighting the Candles.  Christmas Carols for a Kid's Heart by Bobbi Wolgemuth and Joni Eareckson Tada.  For kids 4-8 years, Christmas Stories for Bedtime by Renae Brumbaugh.

Fisher Price Nativity

 Christmas Classic!!!  My kids adored playing with this fun set - just in December to keep it special.  My good friend did something cool with her 3 and 1 yr olds this year:  When they were prepping to play with the set for the first time this week, she read from Scripture the story of Jesus' birth, and her 3 yr old placed that "figure" in place.  Do this each week of December and your little ones will be well-versed (pun-intended) in the true meaning of Christmas.

Books

Here are some favorite titles:  

The Tiny Star by Arthur Ginolfi

Christmas in the Manger by Nola Buck and Felicia Bond (toddler book - easy to memorize due to the sing-song nature)

The Pine Tree Parable by Liz Curtis Higgs (tear-jerker, especially when pregnant!)

My First Story of Christmas by Tim Dowley (this one is accurate and actually depicts Jesus as a toddler when the Magi find him!)

One Wintry Night by Ruth Bell Graham (the entire Bible succinctly told, from Fall to Redemption, for older kids - picture/chapter book)

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (classic!) 

DVDs

Veggie Tales Saint Nicholas - a great lead-in for explaining the legend of Santa Claus to your kids, whether you celebrate with Santa or exclude him from your celebration, we found it's great to inform your kids in a winsome way so they "get" what all the Santa fuss is about and can be empathetic and understanding.  Santa Claus has come to town and he's  not leaving anytime soon!!!

Max Lucado's Crippled Lamb is so sweet for anyone, and is helpful for any child who feels different.

Little House on the Prairie - Plum Creek and the Christmas They Never Forgot  - it is not Christmas in our home without sharing the love of the Ingalls family.  Amen?

Buck Denver Asks: Why Do We Call It Christmas?  (What's In the Bible series by Phil Vischer - zany and Biblically sound.)

It's Christmas Charlie Brown! -  I get chills every time Linus reads scripture.  

It's A Wonderful Life - Two of my three have graduated from the 45-minute genre fun animated Christmas specials!  We've gotta bring something new to the table this year, and this movie is packed with meaning.  Not sure if this will be the ticket, but we're gonna try!  (13, 11, 8 years old.)

Music

It's all good!  But seriously, one year we realized that our Christmas CDs - good as they were - had become too grown-up in the liberties the artists took with traditional Christmas carol melodies.  It was to the point that in church while singing, our kids didn't recognize the songs!  Yikes!  So, while I'm all about artistry, make sure some of your Christmas tunes are true to the original melody and have clear vocals - your kids really do want to sing along!  

Martina McBride has an amazing Christmas CD; 

The Christmas Story:  Through the Eyes of the Friendly Beasts is adorable for young kids - it's classic carols song by kids with narration from the perspective of the animals in the Nativity!

Sara Groves' O Holy Night is so unique, perfect for late December when you cannot tolerate one more mall-tune.

Joy  by Keith and Kristyn Getty is unbelievable; buy it!

Mercy Me's The Christmas Sessions - upbeat and great for parties as secular and sacred unite.

 Advent Wreath from Pinterest 

Thanksgiving - The No-Pressure, Equal-Opportunity Holiday!

I LOVE Thanksgiving!  Love the spiritual history, the rich food, the cozy decorations.  Thanksgiving feels like the no-pressure, equal-opportunity holiday.  Just gather, give thanks, and eat.  And eat.  Repeat!  What I don't love are the tips I read this time of year:  "7 Steps Toward a More Thankful Heart" or "How to Put More Thanks in Your Giving!"  I rebel against the triteness.  And yet, I do want God to cultivate in me a grateful heart; I want my focus to be on him.

So, how can I live as a thankful person?  How can I honor the Giver of every good and perfect gift?  It is not by trying harder to be more grateful.  I do not have to tell myself, "Grit your teeth and be thankful!"  Getting my eyes off myself is the start.  When I dwell on me and my circumstances, I am obviously not dwelling on God!  But when I think on God - who he is, what he has done for me through the person of Jesus Christ, or what he promises to do -  now I'm getting my eyes onto Christ!  After all, the Lord is my portion forever (appropriate for Turkey Day, right!?).  When I am dwelling on Jesus and believing truth as given through the Bible, I have what I need; my heart cannot help but flow with gratitude.  

Some Novembers are replete with suffering; others seem bountiful in blessing.
But one thing will never change- whether it's the 4th Thursday in November or any other day of the year:  "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever" (Hebrews 13:8).  And he's come for me!  He loves me.  He's covered me with his own righteousness.  This Thanksgiving, thinking on these things - telling them to our children -  is the perfect way to "taste and see that the Lord is good" (Psalm 34:8). 

Parents of Kids Connection, we're 10 for 10!

That's right.  "10 for 10."  Curious yet?

On Sunday, October 27th at 10 AM, you are cordially invited to join your child in the Sun Room for Kids Connection 10 for 10.

This will be  casual and brief - 10 minutes.  This is our opportunity to host a sort-of Show and Tell, for 10 minutes.  In Kids Connection, your kids have been memorizing scripture using American Sign Language, and we'd love to demonstrate!  As well, your son or daughter will enjoy showing you his/her artwork as you get a feel for what is being learned about God's character and attributes.
Small group leaders will be standing by to say "hi."

So, slip out of your Connection Class a couple minutes early on October 27th at 10 AM.

We'll be glad you did.

Welcome to the Blog....

...We're glad you stopped by!  

Your kids are of utmost importance to you, and they matter to us. We want each child to feel safe, cared for, and known when they enter the doors of Christ Community Church.   (Come to think of it, we want that for you, too!)  Toward that goal, here are some ways you can maximize your child's experience.

•  Arrive on time!  We don't want your kids to miss a thing.

• Return promptly after your Connection Group or worship service. 

• Say hello to your child's caregiver or small group leader.  We want to get to know you! 

• On the drive home, ask simple questions.  

    "What made you giggle today?" 
    "What grabbed your attention in your lesson today?"  
    "How did you think about [God, Jesus, the Bible, etc] in a new way?"

•  Check out our blog weekly.  www.theccckids.blogspot.com

It is our privilege to spend time with your kids.  We look forward to partnering with you as we seek to Exalt God's Glory, Equip His children, and Extend His Kingdom.

~The Children's Ministry Team 
http://www.christcommunitycarmel.org/children-and-youth/