Children Learn to Always Give God their Best

God accepted Abel’s offering because it was his best, and we too should always give the Lord our best!

Fourteen children in children’s church on Sunday, Oct. 20, heard the story of Cain and Abel and practiced its lesson of the importance of giving God their best. The Rev. Sabrina Gray taught the lesson with assistance from adult volunteers Kemba Gray and Desmond Hall.

The children learned that Cain killed his brother Abel because he was jealous that God accepted Abel’s gift but not his gift. God accepted Abel’s gift because it was the best he could give, Rev. Gray said.

Rev. Gray encouraged the children to always give God their best too, from riding in the car to accompanying their parents to the grocery store. During the service the children also acted out the story of Cain and Abel, she said.

In addition to hearing the lesson, the children prayed and sang songs. The kids also were taught about the importance of bringing an offering to support the church building and an upcoming children’s ministry project.

Can’t Touch His Ways!

The Gospel Message was front and center on Sunday, Oct. 14.

Sister Karen King and Sister Susan Racine taught about 14 children about how Adam and Eve sinned by disobeying God and listening to the sly serpent. They learned that we are sinners when we disobey God and that we are all sinners no matter how hard we try to be good.

In an activity, the teachers had the kids try as hard as they could to jump and reach God (a card with God's name that was posted high on the wall). The activity taught that God's ways are so far above our ways that the kids couldn't reach it. When one of the Sunday School teachers helped to lift each child up physically, like Jesus lifts us up spiritually, we could get close enough to touch God. The students learned that all our sins are forgiven because of Jesus. The children wrote down something they did that needed forgiveness, and they drew a picture illustrating their sins or an illustration thanking God for His forgiveness.  

Sister Carol McMillan, Sister Sandra Walker, and youth helper Kalala Woernle assisted the teachers. Sister Kathy Krebs led the creation song.

Children Ruminate upon What Makes Them Special

On Oct. 7, Sister Kim Willingham, taught a lesson about the sixth day of creation and the creation of man.

Being Serious about Offering
Before getting to the bible story, the children recited the Bethel chant as they marched to our offering basket.  During our march, we had a few giggles and little legs climbing on chairs rather than marching.  We took this as an opportunity to talk about why we don't take our offering time lightly.  Six-year-olds Joanell and Ella reminded us of how we should enter into giving.  Joanell shared that "we give our offering to show God how much we love Him," and Ella admonished that "we have to be serious for God!"

And God Created Adam!
After shaking our tambourines to a fun song we learned about creation, we reviewed what God created during each of the six days.  We discussed how God created everything, except for man, with His words.  God used His hands to create Adam and Eve and, in the words of one child, “His imagination.” We talked about what it means to be God's handiwork and how much time, patience, and thought goes into making a handiwork, or a unique masterpiece.

The children pretended to carefully shape dust into the shape of a man, giving him eyes, a nose, ears, and even belly buttons.  They finished their creations by blowing breath into the nostrils of the men they created, just as God created Adam.  We talked about how God took a part of Adam to make Eve and how God thought about just how he wanted to create her.  This all helped us to think about the care God puts into making each of us.  We looked around the room at each other to notice our similarities - we all have hair, eyes, legs, noses, skin, and attendee Alexander reminded us that we have the same things underneath our skin, too - blood and bones.  We're also very different.  Attendee Kamau noticed he has short hair like his mommy.  Attendee Caden said that he has puffy hair, while attendee Katyra had a ponytail.

“I am God’s masterpiece, and I am…”
For our activity, each child wrote down what makes them special.  They completed the sentence, "I am God's masterpiece, and I am _______________________."  Answers ranged from "I am a helper with my little brother" by attendee Sienna to "I am a great artist" by attendee Kayleena.

The children left with their sentences and the memory verse Ephesians 2:10, “For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”  We ask that parents read with their child daily the sentence their child wrote about what makes them special along with the memory verse.

Special thanks to Sister Kathy Krebs and youth volunteer Mikayla Willingham who helped with the class last week, and also to parent Kendra Thompson for donating snacks!

Children to Learn About Adam and Eve Today!

Today, Bethel’s Children’s Ministry volunteers will teach the children about the significance of Adam and Eve.

Last week volunteers taught the children about creation! Here’s a report from volunteer Kim Willingham, who was one of last week’s teachers:

“We had 23 children in attendance yesterday, many of them new. We introduced ourselves to one another - students and teachers. 

For our lesson, we discussed creation (Genesis 1-2). The children listened to a rhyming story on creation from a phonics bible. To help them remember what God created on each day, I reached into a special ‘creation’ bag and pulled out things that represented what God created on each day. They squealed when I had them close their eyes to get a sense of the darkness that existed before God said, ‘Let there be light,’ only to open their eyes and see the flashlight I shined on them. They especially giggled when I sprayed them with a mist of water from a spray bottle to help trigger their memories of God creating living creatures in the waters of the world. 

After looking at the other items in the bag (a bag of dirt, an action figure to represent people, etc.), the children made creation prayer booklets, drawing something they're grateful for and its connection to creation.  (e.g. They can read because of light. They can swim in the water. Some of them have pets.) We are grateful to parent Dee Hall for donating snacks, volunteer Kathy Krebs, and teen volunteer Demiah Crawford.  A team of teachers taught last week’ creation lesson. They included: Lillie Cousin, Karen King, Susan Racine, Desmond Patterson, Sharon Watson-Beck, and myself Kim Willingham.”

Youth Pastor Candidate Wants to Lead By Example

During a recent youth event at his church in Brooklyn, the Rev. Daryl Lobban didn’t lose his cool when the caterer at the event became angry and “got loud.” A youth who watched the 6’4” Lobban respond calmly told Lobban that his calm response made the youth want to grow closer to God, so he could exhibit such self-control too. 

Lobban, who is a candidate for the youth pastor position at Bethel, told about 50 Bethel children, teens, and adults that he wants to lead by example.  The 24-year-old Lobban was a guest preacher at a youth service on Sept. 23 at Bethel. He also delivered the sermon on Youth Sunday on Sept. 30.

Bethel Children’s Ministry volunteers, who will work closely with the new youth pastor, listened to Lobban deliver a message at the Sept. 23 youth service. They also heard Lobban’s answers to questions from youths and adults, which prompted Lobban to relay the story about the caterer. Questions ranged from why he focuses his ministry on the youth, to what kinds of programs he would organize for the children of Bethel.

Lobban’s message on Sept. 23 was based on 1 Peter 2:9 and encouraged the youths to see themselves as God sees them: as “chosen,” as “holy,” as “special,” and as part of “a royal priesthood.” In delivering the message he asked the youths how they see themselves, how their friends see them, and how they thought God sees them.  Youths and adults answered his questions, and he used the scripture and an example from his youth to describe how God sees them.

Lobban is from New York and majored in theology at Nyack College in New York. He is a master of divinity student at Alliance Theological Seminary in New York City, which . He is the youth pastor at the Crown Heights Church of God of Prophecy in Brooklyn, where his father was the pastor.

Lobban’s sermon during Youth Sunday was titled “There’s a Praise in Our Problem,” and was based on Mark 6:45-53. He told the audience that the passage in Mark illustrates how God orchestrates our problems for our growth.

In addition to being Youth Sunday, Sept. 30 marked the school year’s first session of the Children’s Ministry Sunday worship service.