“DISCIPLE-SHIP” NEWS

The “DISCIPLE-SHIP” (Rotation Model Sunday School) for children Grades 1-5 launches every Sunday morning from the Navigation Nave on the second level of the educational building at 10:00 a.m.  Classes conclude at 10:45 a.m.  The weekly schedule and pick up information can be found on the ship’s wheel outside the elevator.

                                         >   PARENTS PLEASE NOTE: Your children need to be picked up promptly at 10:45 a.m.
                                                               This allows the teachers and shepherds to attend the 11:00 a.m. service.

The July Rotation theme on the DISCIPLE-SHIP was Friendship. This  unit focused on the Bible stories In I Samuel 18, 19, and 20 about David and Jonathan and the  special friendship they shared.  The children learned that one way each of us responds to God’s love is by being a faithful friend.  A highlight of this rotation was the Friendship Café, where the children cooked and shared with their church friends some special treats and talked about the special ingredients for friendship as seen in the incredible relationship that David and Jonathan shared.

The September rotation theme was ”RESPECT,” with the biblical focus on the “Golden Rule,” Matthew 7:12. Jesus teaches us to love God and to love others. One way we show love to God and to others is by being respectful. The children have worked on a “Rainbow of Respect” and their covenant for positive behavior. They have played games, worked on art projects, and watched a movie, all of which were intentional about helping them understand that treating others the way they would like to be treated, good manners, good sportsmanship, and accepting others are ways of loving others and being respectful. A special thank you to our September teachers: Clay and Jackie Burleson, Kathy McDuffie, Sherry Bryan, and Mindy Muire, as well as, our shepherds Earl and Sandy Riddle, Mike and Julie Fuller, Robin Fisher, Carr Garner, Brenda Byrd, Kathy Sang, Mindy Muire, and Jenny Steinman.

The October rotation theme was "HOW THE BIBLE CAME TO BE"
“Grass withers and flowers fade, but the word of God endures forever.” (Isaiah 40:8) Do your children ever ask you to tell them about when you were a child? Or when their grandparents were children? And maybe you’ve told them that story many times before, but they want to hear it again. It is amazing to think that that is how the Bible stories were kept alive and that it took more than 1000 years for all of those stories to be written down. In October the children learned how God has used many people of different backgrounds to help preserve the Bible and make it available in many languages. This unit focused on the Bible story from 2 Kings 22:8-23:3. The Bible verse from 2 Kings 22:8 says “I have found the book of the law in the house of the Lord.” While King Josiah reigned, he decided to rebuild the city of Jerusalem. During the repairs of the Temple, Hilkiah, the High Priest, found an important book. God’s laws were written down in this book and King Josiah realized his people had not been following these laws. Once this book was read to the people, they made a new covenant with God to faithfully follow His laws. Our children will also discover the importance of knowing what the Bible says and applying it to their lives. Other passages of scripture that are part of this unit’s focus include Joshua 1:8; Isaiah 40:8; Deuteronomy 6:4-9; and II Timothy 3:1. A special thanks to October teachers Barbara Safrit, Brenda Byrd, Jackie and Clay Burleson, Sherry Bryan, and Melanie Burton and to our October shepherds Earl and Sandy Riddle, Mike and Julie Fuller, Carr Garner, Charlotte Hall, Robin Fisher, Kathy Sang, Mindy Muire, and Michelle Cook. 

The November rotation theme was "MONEY AND TIME"
Stewardship can be summarized as the way we care and share the gifts and talents we have received from God. It is the giving back of our time, our talents, and our money to God and others. Our job is to care for what we have been given and use it wisely to serve God and others. This unit focused on the story of the widow’s offering in Mark 12:41-44. This is a good passage to use with children to teach the Christian perspective on stewardship. Giving is not something we do out of obligation or self-gratification, but like the widow, we need to give out of a sense of gratitude, as a direct response to all God has given us. As we moved through this unit, activities included lessons on time, lessons on talents, and lessons on money to help the children understand that there are many ways to give back to God. As we began this unit on November 2, we collected pennies only each Sunday in a fish bowl. At the end of the unit we will see how much we have collected. This will help the children see how, when each person does a little, great things can happen. A special thank you to our November teachers and shepherds Brenda Byrd, Allen and Michelle Cook, Trish Dunn, Robin Fisher, Mike and Julie Fuller, Carr Garner, Carol Herndon, Tricia Johnson, Kathy McDuffie, Ed Muire, Earl and Sandy Riddle, Kathy Sang, Jenny Steinman, and Teresa Ward.

The December Rotation Theme is “JOURNEY TO BETHLEHEM”
Just as people in Bible times waited with anticipation for the Coming of the Savior, we wait and prepare to celebrate the birth of the promised Savior, Jesus, in this season of Advent which began November 30. The coming of Jesus is the gift of Christmas, something we can remember and celebrate all year. The Journey to Bethlehem has many roads----the road of the young couple awaiting the birth of their child, the road of the shepherd, the road of the angels, the road of the wise men. There is no one single journey to Bethlehem; there are many journeys along many roads. Once again we join millions of other Christians as we all prepare our hearts and minds to take the journey back to the story of the birth of Jesus, God with us here on earth.  The children on the DISCIPLE-SHIP for three weeks will prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus, as they engage in art, games, and storytelling. The activities in each of these rotations will help them recognize Advent as a special time in the church year, locate the story in the Bible and recall the details of the Bible story, and discover what it means to say God is with us.