Children's Ministry News

Last Sunday Discovery Point:  The Character of Easter - The Disciple When Jesus began His ministry, He picked twelve men, or disciples, to follow Him. The disciples were ordinary men with common flaws, but Jesus lovingly poured wisdom and biblical teachings into their hearts and minds. In today’s lesson, the “Character(s) of Easter” are the disciples who most closely followed Jesus. The disciples’ overall desertion of Jesus at His crucifixion teaches us to guard our hearts from sin and to take an honest look at our own faith. Even though the majority of Jesus’ disciples did return to fellowship with Him after the resurrection, we learn from their initial examples that sin weakens our relationships to the Lord. Scriptures used: Matthew 26:36-46, 69-75, Mark 14:10-11, John 19:25-27, Luke 23:48-49
Memory Verse:
“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” Proverbs 4:23 NIV
Suggested Parent/Child Activity:
Give the following scenarios to your child. With each scena…

Last Sunday Discovery Point:  The Character of Easter - The Crowd Before Jesus was crucified, He encountered crowds with drastically different responses to His position as God’s Son. Even though Jesus taught with Godly authority and had performed many miracles and healings, the people He encountered constantly changed their opinions of Him. Today’s “Character(s) of Easter” are the people who were easily swayed by the jealous, Jewish leaders: the crowds who witnessed Jesus’ final entrance into Jerusalem and ultimately sent Him to the cross. We learned to think about our motives when we respond to others. Because of peer pressure, instead of actual guilt, Jesus was crucified. However, God allowed these things to happen because He knew it would lead to Jesus’ resurrection (and victory over sin and death). Scriptures used: John 12:12-19 and Matthew 27:11-26 
Memory Verse:
“Jesus is ‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.’ Salvation is found in no one else, for th…

Last Sunday Discovery Point:  Colossian - Obey and Grow Becoming a mature believer takes dedication to hard work and obedience. Today’s lesson taught us how faithful perseverance shapes our minds to serve God and share the gospel. A mature Christian knows that there are always opportunities to share the love of Christ! As we work for the Lord and grow, we will have an increasing desire to share His love with others so that they too may know Him. And it’s important to know that even as mature Christians we will still sin – the difference is whether we allow God to continue shaping our hearts for His glory even when we mess up. Jesus desires a close, personal relationship with each of us, so we can move forward in our faith with confidence because of His sacrifice. Scriptures used: Colossians 3:23-25, 4:2-6
Memory Verse:
“Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.” Colossians 3:20 NIV
Suggested Parent/Child Activity:
Have an honest conversation with your child ab…

Last Sunday Discovery Point:  Colossian - Put Jesus First The Bible teaches that both our actions and words must match the new life we have in Christ when we become believers. But what does it mean to have a “new” life? How do we even begin to change our thoughts and actions to better represent Him? Today’s lesson taught us the difference between living for Christ and living for ourselves. When we commit to our faith and take steps toward obedience and growth – such as daily Bible study, prayer, and service – then we will begin to notice the emergence of our new lives in Christ! We can think and pray about how God wants us to “set our minds on things above,” and make the decision to obey Him today. Scriptures used: Colossians 1:17, 3:1-4 & 8-11 
Memory Verse:
“He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.” Colossians 1:17 NIV
Suggested Parent/Child Activity:
Help your child clean out his or her closet while discussing what happens to things that are old (they are thro…