Hello Chapel Hill Families!

This past Sunday we learned about how Saul AKA Paul helped grow the church. This coming Sunday, kids will learn all about Pentecost and the Holy Spirit. Please wear RED on Sunday to join us in celebrating the birthday of the church!

REMINDER:  If you have a 3rd, 4th or 5th grader that has a Deep Blue Bible, please help them remember to bring it with them to Sunday school each week! We don’t have many extras of that particular version at the church and they will be looking up and reading scripture every time they come to church from now on.

If you plan on attending in May, please sign your child up for Sunday School (9:30 ONLY) by clicking HERE. Nursery will be available at BOTH 9:30 and 11:00 services. If you need to change your sign-up, just click the same link to edit, or contact me.

VBS UPDATE

I am still in need of at least 25 more VBS leaders.  Once we have more leaders, I will open up child registration to the public. If you are only available part of the week, we still need you! Grandparents or older siblings are also welcome to help out. ALSO, we provide FREE childcare for volunteers’ kids 3 and under. The nursery will be providing an adapted version of our VBS activities for our littlest friends! Find a friend to partner up with and register to volunteer today! 

KDIC & PRESCHOOL ENROLLMENT NOW OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

Please share these links with your friends and family with little ones at home in need of a safe, loving place to care for them while they get a little break!

• 2021-2022 KDIC Fall Enrollment Link
• Preschool Enrollment Link
• Lunch Bunch Enrollment Link

Don’t forget to check our Chapel Hill Kids Facebook Group regularly for the most up to date information. If you haven’t checked your child’s information on the birthday post from December 29th, please make sure you do so as soon as possible. I have marked it as an announcement so you can easily find it.  If you have moved in the last year, please contact the office so that we have your correct address on file so they can receive some birthday mail. The office number is (316) 684-1117.

Blessings to you and your children,

Allison

Join us for “Discovery on Adventure Island” VBS at Chapel Hill! We are so excited to gather together for this event this year. Child spaces will be limited to 200 and we will make some other adjustments due to the pandemic, but it is sure to be another great year of FUN learning and worshipping together! We have purchased materials that can be easily used in an online format if numbers show that it is not wise to meet in person. Children of volunteers will be the first to register. If you would like to join our team, please click on the image below to sign-up!

Celebrate Wonder is a Sunday school curriculum that engages children’s natural sense of curiosity to help them understand God’s love. It creates a safe environment for kids to ask big questions — helping them explore the Bible in ways that feed their imagination and encourages creativity. Through carefully-selected Bible stories, songs, videos, and hands-on activities, Celebrate Wonder gives children the tools to explore their faith while incorporating it into their daily lives.

Since we were not able to meet in person, I have been mailing Sunday School Kits to families each month with printed lesson plans, activity sheets and craft supplies. Since we will return to Sunday School in May, I will NOT be mailing these packets unless a request is sent to Abigail Deiter. We are happy to accommodate those who are still not able to join us in person.

Each month, our weekly stories will align with a Faith Word. The Faith Word for the month of May is, “Love”.

As Christians, we celebrate Pentecost as the “birthday of the church”—the day God sent the Spirit to the followers of Jesus. Originally, Pentecost was one of three Jewish festivals when the Jewish people would gather in Jerusalem.

Before Jesus died, he promised his followers he would not leave them alone. Jesus told his friends to wait in Jerusalem for the gift of the Spirit. His friends did not know what to expect as they waited. It was a time of uncertainty. They were probably anxious and scared. During this time of waiting in Jerusalem, Jesus’ friends and followers were celebrating Pentecost together. They were gathered together in a home celebrating, when a sound from heaven like the howling wind filled the house. They saw flames like fire above each person’s head, and they began to speak in other languages. The Holy Spirit had arrived.

Essentially, the Spirit can be explained as God’s presence in our lives, guiding, comforting, and strengthening our faith. The Spirit is another way God shows love for us. The main thing you’ll want the children to come away with is an understanding that God is with them through the Holy Spirit.

The concept of the Holy Spirit is hard for children, as well as adults, to understand. It is okay to admit that stories in the Bible are sometimes hard to understand. The mystery of the stories will inspire awe, as well as curiosity, among children. Their natural imaginations will inspire them to wonder and discover other mysteries in the Bible. Tell the children you are also in awe and wonder about some of the stories. Let them know you will explore together the mysteries the Bible holds.

Light a candle and watch the way the flame dances in the breeze, as if searching for the place God is calling it to be. Maybe the flame is still and reaches straight up, as if to say, I am yours, God; do with me what you will. At this moment, what direction is God calling you? Pray for the power of the Holy Spirit to help you do God’s work in the world.