Hello Chapel Hill Families!

CH Kids learned about “The Widow’s Coins” (Luke 21:1-4) this past Sunday. We talked about how everyone has something to give to God even if you don’t have money to spare. For our Spiritual Practice, the kids wrote down one way they could give to God on a circle and put it in the offering box. Some of my favorites were:

• “I can give love, food, and water”
• “happiness”
• “I can give kindness”
• “Give food to others”
• “Help others”
• “Help a charity”

Hello March! A new month means a new Faith Word and Memory Verse. Scroll down to take a look what is in store for the month of March. Our Bible Stories will include:

• March 5th – “The Good Samaritan” (Luke 10:25-37)
• March 12th – “The Two Houses” (Matthew 7:24-27) POPCORN SUNDAY!
• March 19th – “The Sower and the Seed” (Matthew 13:1-9)
• March 26th – “The Last Supper” (Mark 14:12-26)

RESIGNATION

It is with mixed emotions that I share that my last day as Director of Children’s Discipleship will be Palm Sunday, April 2nd. I am thankful for my time as a Chapel Hill employee, proud of the work that I have done, and look forward to assisting whoever takes over this position in the future. If you or someone you know would be a great fit, please contact the office to apply. Schedule is flexible outside of Sunday mornings and special events. Approximately 15-20 hours per week. I’m happy to answer further questions, and plan on being a part of the transition process.

-Allison

PALM SUNDAY EASTER EGG HUNT & LUNCH

I hope you and your children will join us for our annual Palm Sunday Easter Egg Hunt and Lunch! Kids will be singing during both 9:30 and 11:00AM services so plan on coming at 9:30 and staying to enjoy a meal until the egg hunt at noon. Lunch proceeds benefit our CH Youth Summer Mission Trips.

If you would like to donate candy or small items to stuff the eggs, please deposit those in the GREEN bins located at the entrances of the church by Sunday, March 26th. Thank you!

KDIC & PRESCHOOL ENROLLMENT

Kids Day in Christ and Chapel Hill Preschool opened their enrollment to current families and Chapel Hill members on February 1st. If you have young children interested in attending these programs, please click the links below to get them signed up. These programs fill fast, and will be open to the public on March 1st to fill any remaining spots.

Summer KDIC

KDIC 2023-2024

Preschool 2023-2024

Lunch Bunch 2023-2024 (Extended Preschool Day)

VBS 2023

Save the Date for VBS at Chapel Hill! Volunteer Registration is now OPEN! Child attendance will be limited to 250 children. To ensure your child gets a spot, join our team to receive a link for EARLY child registration. We will open child registration to the public on Palm Sunday, and will close once we fill all our spots.  We filled all 250 spots before Memorial Day last year, so do not delay!

Information for our new families:

• Our volunteers are supposed to arrive by 9:00, but life happens and sometimes they are running late. Please try to drop off kids between 9:15 and 9:30 AM to avoid waiting on them to arrive.
• Please walk your children back to their classrooms at drop off. We want our volunteers to see who goes with which kid to help speed up our pick up time.
• Don’t forget your pick-up ticket. You will show this to get back to the children’s wing and again to their teacher to pick them up.
• Remember that kids are now promoted to their next grade level so check that their name tags show they are in the right group. Please let Ryan know if it is incorrect.

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.

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 March is “PARABLES”.

The story of the Good Samaritan is one of the more familiar parables. It is told in the context of an interaction between Jesus and a lawyer. The lawyer wants to test Jesus and he asks him a question. However, instead of answering the question directly, Jesus employs an effective teaching strategy. He answers the question with a question.

In answering, the legal expert quotes part of the Shema, the commandment found in Deuteronomy 6:5, which was repeated by Jews twice a day. “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind.” He goes on to add, “and love your neighbor as yourself,” an additional instruction found in Leviticus 19:18. The lawyer asks another question, “And who is my neighbor?” This question was the lawyer’s way of asking for Jesus’ interpretation of societal rules and behaviors. Jesus answers the lawyer’s question with a story.

After telling the story of the Good Samaritan, Jesus asks the question, “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?” The lawyer, of course, responds, “The one who demonstrated mercy toward him.” Jesus’ response to the lawyer continues to challenge us today, “Go and do likewise.”

Jesus often used stories when he was teaching. Many of the stories Jesus told are parables – stories used specifically to teach a lesson. Occasionally Jesus would explain the meaning of the parables he told his disciples. More often, Jesus told these stories without explanation. The work of figuring out what Jesus meant is left to us. Perhaps this was one of the reasons Jesus taught in parables; so that his followers would be inspired to continue to ask questions and seek to understand.

Who has been an influential teacher in your life? This can be anyone who has helped guide and nurture you. What made or makes them such a good teacher? Spend time journaling about teachers you have had, or reach out to them to say thank you and let them know the impact they have had on your life.