Hello Chapel Hill Families!

I hope everyone had a great weekend. This Sunday, Traci Sharp will be leading Godly Play and worship time for us, and I will officially be joining your wonderful kids in the children’s wing.

Thank you so much to those of you who came to the meeting about VBS last Sunday. I appreciate your willingness to help so much, and can’t wait to see all of the wonderful work we’ll do this summer. Getting to know each of you is at the top of my priority list, and if you have any questions, don’t be afraid to reach out! My email is BMiller@chwichita.org and I’d love to answer any questions you have about our children’s ministry or VBS.

In April, our Faith word is RESURRECTION which means “Hope in God’s promise  for new life in Jesus”. Our Memory Verse is Luke 24:6a “He isn’t here, but has been raised”. Bible Lessons include:

• April 23rd – “Thomas” (John 20:19-31)
• April 30th – “Ascension” (Luke 24:50-53)

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 are now open to the public to fill the last few 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. Child registration is now open and will close once we fill all our spots.  We filled all 250 spots before Memorial Day last year, so do not delay!

Promotion Sunday

Promotion Sunday is fast approaching! For those of you that have rising kindergarteners or 6th graders, May 21st your child will transition to their next phase of ministry at Chapel Hill. Our pre-kindergarteners moving onto kindergarten will get to join us downstairs for their first Sunday School in the children’s wing. Additionally, our rising 6th graders will get to meet our Chapel Hill youth ministry staff, introduce themselves to the other middle schoolers, and will move to the Middle School Youth Room LL-04. If you have a current pre-k student that will be staying behind in pre-k for another year, please email me and let me know!

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,

Rebekah

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 April is “RESURRECTION”.

Since Thomas has not yet seen the risen Lord, the other disciples are telling him about their experience. Thomas, who witnessed Jesus’ arrest and death on the cross, is not sure that he can believe what the other disciples say. Thomas wants to see Jesus for himself.

Because of his stated desire to see the nail marks in Jesus’ hands before he believes that Jesus is alive, Thomas has earned the nickname “Doubting Thomas.” That nickname does a disservice to Thomas because it implies that Thomas’ faith was not as strong as it should be or as strong as the faith of the other disciples. How quickly it is forgotten that the other disciples were not willing to take Mary Magdalene’s word as proof that Jesus was alive. The other disciples wanted to see the empty tomb for themselves and wanted to see Jesus for themselves. In wanting to see Jesus for himself, Thomas is no different than the other disciples. When Jesus does appear to Thomas, he offers to let Thomas touch the wounds in his hands and side and tells Thomas to believe. Jesus met Thomas where he was and gave him what he needed in order to believe. Thomas immediately recognizes Jesus, without needing to touch him, and proclaims that Jesus is Lord. Thomas shows us that it is okay to have a questioning faith. Jesus will meet us where we are and provide us with what we need so that we may believe.

When Jesus says, “Happy are those who don’t see me and yet believe,” Jesus is assuring those of us who were not there to witness his post-resurrection appearances that seeing is not a prerequisite for belief. The Resurrection evokes questions for many, but the writer of John explains that the reason these stories are written is so those who read them may believe Jesus is the Christ, God’s Son.

Listen to “Doubting Thomas” by Nickle Creek. Reflect on the words and journal about the song. Then, write your own poem or thoughts about the Bible story. Prepare your heart and mind to teach the Bible story to children.