Hello Chapel Hill Families!

We had such an AMAZING weekend! All of our kiddos got to move up one grade level, which was a little scary for some, but everyone handled it so well. Shoutout to our fantastic volunteers who welcomed everyone with open arms including, not just our new kindergartners, but also a new student in almost every classroom. Just a reminder, now that we’ve had Promotion Sunday your children will now be in the classroom that corresponds with the grade they will be in for Fall 2023. I hope to see just as many kids next week, I love it when it’s busy down here!

In May, our Faith word is MINISTRY which means “To answer God’s call and serve the world”. Our Memory Verse is Acts 20:24b “This is nothing other than the ministry I received from the Lord Jesus: to testify  about the good news of God’s grace”. Bible Lessons include:

• May 28 – “Pentecost” (Acts 2:1-41)

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! Interested in helping with VBS but can’t commit to a full week? We have VBS work nights every Wednesday from 5:30-7:30 and would love to see you there! We’re also trying to collect toilet paper rolls, so save those and bring them downstairs next Sunday!

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 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.

Additionally, I have a few items that were lost in the children’s wing over the last couple of weeks. If your child lost a jacket on Palm Sunday, or a personal item from previous weeks, email me at bmiller@chwichita.org so that I can see if I have what you’re looking for!

Blessings,

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 May is “MINISTRY”.

Although as Christians we celebrate Pentecost as the “birthday of the church”— the day God spent the Spirit to the followers of Jesus—Pentecost is not a holiday that originated with Christianity. Pentecost occurred at the Jewish festival more commonly known as the Feast of Weeks. Pentecost was one of three pilgrimage feasts when Jews gathered in Jerusalem. Jesus had told the disciples to wait in Jerusalem for the gift of the Holy Spirit. The arrival of the Spirit was not a calm quiet event, but rather the Spirit came sounding like a violent wind and appearing like tongues of fire. The excitement surrounding the arrival of the Holy Spirit attracted a crowd. Not everyone in the crowd was immediately convinced of the Spirit’s presence. Some joked that they were witnessing the effects of strong wine. Spirit-filled Peter responds to this accusation and begins to preach. It must have been an exceptional sermon because we are told that about three thousand believers were baptized that day! The Spirit did not just come to the disciples, but to each person gathered there. It appears there is plenty of Spirit to go around. It is this Spirit that empowered God’s people to continue to spread the good news of Jesus. The Spirit is still active and at work in the world. We may not hear rushing wind or see tongues of fire descending on one another, but God’s Spirit continues to empower us to do God’s work and to minister to the whole world. The concept of the Holy Spirit is sometimes a difficult one for children and adults to
understand. It is okay to admit to your children that you don’t have all the answers. Mystery is a part of faith.

In the Bible story, the Holy Spirit comes like a fierce wind and spreads God’s love to all. The disciples began to speak in many languages. Faith in God is not limited to language or cultures. God’s love is with everyone. This week, download an app or search online about learning new languages. See if you can learn three new words or phrases or more. As you learn, remember the gift of God and the message of grace is for people of every language, race, culture, and creed.