Hello Chapel Hill Families!

This past Sunday we got to unite our two previous stories “Elizabeth & Zechariah” and “Mary’s Good News” with the story of “Mary & Elizabeth”. We talked all about JOY and the things that make us feel joy as we lit the third (pink) candle on our Advent Wreath. This week, we will light the candle for PEACE and learn about “Jesus’ Birth” (Luke 2:1-20).

We sponsor cousins, Neema & Kikwete, who live in the Angel House Orphanage in Tanzania, Africa. We have pledged to give $90/month in order to provide food, clothing and schooling to these children at Angel House. Each Sunday, kids have the opportunity to bring money to put into our offering for Neema and Kikwete. Would you help us meet our goal by sending your child with $1.00 each week? Our former Director of Children’s Ministries, Raegan Brane, has visited Angel House in the past. You can find out more information about the Grassroots Organization and Angel House by clicking HERE.

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.

Please mark your calendars to join us for our annual Candlelight Christmas Eve Service on Friday, December 24th at 5:0o or 7:00PM online or in-person. We have twelve talented CH Kids and Youth participating in the services this year. Bring a friend!

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, 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

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.

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

The time of waiting and preparing for the birth of Jesus is almost over. The Advent season will soon come to a close with the birth of the baby Jesus, in a manger in Bethlehem.

The second chapter of Luke is a familiar one to most of us. Caesar Augustus dominated the Roman Empire and ordered everyone to travel to their hometowns to be registered. The registration of each person was to ensure that taxes were paid by everyone in the empire. Since Joseph was from the house of David, Mary and Joseph had to travel to Bethlehem, even though Mary was about to give birth.

Jesus was born in humble circumstances in Bethlehem. Travelers during this time often stayed in a guestroom in the home of a family they may not know. Since so many people were in Bethlehem, Mary and Joseph could not find a guestroom to stay in. A manger filled with straw was Jesus’ first bed. A manger is simply the place where the family’s stock was fed.

Shepherds were quietly tending their sheep, when the angelic pronouncement that a savior had been born in Bethlehem. The surprise they felt at one angel’s pronouncement must have turned to awe when the entire sky was filled with a heavenly host. The shepherds quickly went to find the baby and confirm what the angels had announced. When they found the baby in the manger, they hurried off to tell others of the holy birth. Mary was left to remember the events and to consider them carefully. I wonder what she must have been thinking.

As you light the candles in the Advent wreath this week, take time to remember the hope, love, and joy you have felt this season. The fourth candle in the Advent wreath is the candle of Peace. Jesus was born to bring peace to the world, to give us hope of a better future, to celebrate the big and small things joyfully, and to share God’s love with all people. Reflect on these things as you light a candle and pray