Hello Chapel Hill Families!

This Past Sunday continued our unit on the Faith Word: CALL– “to know we are each chosen by God to do God’s work in the world”. Our memory verse is “Speak. Your servant is listening.” (1 Samuel 3:10b). This month, we will sing “Deep Cries Out” and “I Just Want to be a Sheep“.

Here are the lessons for this month:

• September 11th – “Hannah” (1 Samuel 1:1-28) & “God Calls Samuel” (1 Samuel 3:1-21)
• September 18th – “Samuel Anoints Saul” (1 Samuel 7-8, 10:17-24)
• September 25th – “Samuel Anoints David” (1 Samuel 16:1-13)

A couple of reminders for our new kindergarten 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 September is “CALL”.

Toward the end of Saul’s 40-year reign over Israel, Saul had begun to disobey God. We are told in 1 Samuel 15:11 that God regretted making Saul king because Saul didn’t do what God said. God decided to have Samuel anoint a new king. God told Samuel that the new king was to be one of the sons of Jesse.

David was the youngest of the eight sons of Jesse. It is easy to imagine that with seven older brothers, David might have occasionally felt overlooked, overshadowed, or left out. It is interesting to note that when Samuel asked Jesse to bring his sons with him, David was not even included. It was only when Samuel asked Jesse, “Is that all of your boys?” (1 Samuel 16:11) that Jesse confirmed he had another son who was watching the sheep.

When choosing a king to succeed Saul, God chose and called David rather than his older brothers. Throughout the Bible we see examples of God seeing possibilities in unexpected places and unlikely people. God reminded Samuel that God does not see people as others see them. God knows the talents and strengths we each possess, even those that are not outwardly visible.

In this Bible story, we can see that God calls all persons regardless of outward appearances or social expectations. In our society, children are bombarded with messages about the importance of external appearances. Everywhere they look—on TV, in magazines, on the internet—children are presented with images of “beautiful people” that attempt to shape their definitions of success. It is important to let children know God does not see people the same way society does. God does not call people because they look good. God calls people because of who they are and their heart to serve God and others.

Who is an unexpected leader in your life? Many people have persons in our lives who do not know they possess leadership skills. Sometimes they are called quiet leaders, because they are not always the most outspoken, but they lead by their actions and the way they live their lives. Consider encouraging a “quiet leader” this week. Say a prayer of gratitude for their leadership.