Winter Break Event for 4th & 5th Graders!

RSVP with Sally in the Church Office, 770-649-4527

Every child has to have a completed waiver in order to participate in the Whirlyball event, and they must be at least 52" tall. Please fill out the waiver through this link, or plan to fill one out on the day of the event. No child is allowed to participate without a waiver.

Info for the online waiver:

Date of Event: January 3, 2014

Name of party host or company: Roswell Presbyterian Church or Sarah Kate Dewyngaert (sorry, no short responses to this one!)

Let Sarah Kate know if you have any questions about this event!

Explaining the Virgin Birth...

The virgin birth is undoubtedly a difficult topic for children to grasp and even more difficult for parents to comfortably explain. This part of the Christmas story is one that parents sometimes feel trapped with because it is a crucial part of the story of Jesus' birth and one that shouldn't be overlooked or underappreciated, but explaining virginity to a young child is a conversation most prefer not to have. Jesus was sent to us in the purest form and there is a deep meaning behind this Immaculate Conception. Jesus was fully human and fully God. There is no other like him. But how do we explain this immense imagery that God portrayed through Jesus' birth, to children? 

Here is an article on a couple different ways to phrase the virgin birth to children. The article also includes a link to a YouTube video that does a great job of using "kid terms" in the first 60 seconds. You'll notice, there is not a lot of agreement on the best phrasing. 
A great way it is phrased is to say, "It takes a mommy and a daddy to make a baby. But for Jesus it was different, it was just Mary, and after Jesus was born, Mary and Joseph got married. Jesus was different than any other baby because he was God's son." 

The Virgin Birth and Kids

Children's Christmas Concert



The RPC Children's Choirs (3 years old - 5th grade) did a phenomenal job this past Sunday leading us into the season of Advent with the Children's Christmas Concert, Visions of Advent.

Check out pictures from the performance!

 

Children's Christmas Concert

 

 

 

Family Advent Devotionals

This time of the year, it is nearly impossible to not feel overwhelmed, rushed, or behind. As we enter the season of Advent, RPC wants to ensure that we help our families embrace this season of preparation and anticipation for the celebration of Christ’s birth. We are always wanting to provide ways for families to focus on their relationship with Christ and especially to remember the true reason for Christmas. 

Below are 4 Advent devotions for each week of Advent. These were written specifically for parents and children to read through and understand the season together. Print them out and let the kids color them in!

We look forward to celebrating the Advent season this year with your family.

Advent Education

We had a wonderful and huge group for our Elementary Family Sunday School yesterday. Over 60 families crowded into the Fellowship Hall to learn about the season of Advent and create calendars for their families to help them prepare and anticipate the coming celebration of Christ's birth.

If your family was not able to make it yesterday and would like to make this advent calendar at home, here are the instructions!

Family Sunday School

As part of our First Class Sundays series, we will be having Elementary Family Sunday school on December 1 in the Fellowship Hall. Elementary children and their parents are invited to learn about the different days of Advent, and create an Advent calendar for your family to use this season.

Preschool and nursery children should be dropped off for Sunday school before families come to the Fellowship Hall. 

We will have a Preschool Family Sunday School in the Spring.

Happy Thanksgiving! RPC CM is thankful for all of our wonderful families!

Children's Books for Advent

If you are looking for some great books for your children this Advent season to teach them about the days of Advent, the story of the first Christmas, or the true meaning of Christmas today... here are some great suggestions!

Days of Advent

Story of the first Christmas

True meaning of Christmas today

Winter Registration

Turn in your onCore winter registration tomorrow night at the last Fall onCore and get one of these awesome buttons with our new logo!

Thanksgiving Feast for dinner this week!

Upcoming Events

Make sure you know about the 

2013 Upcoming Events

portion of the RPC Children's Ministry blog, which is located on the right side of the page.You will find general information as well as registration information for all of our upcoming events for children and their families.

Click on the dates for more info!

This Saturday!

One of RPC's local mission partners invites you and your family to a fun, free event!

Please click the image to register. It is required.

Kids Who Serve

This past Sunday I had the pleasure of being the large group speaker for 45th Street, our 4th and 5th grade Sunday school time. We talked about the story of David being anointed as the next king of Israel after King Saul began disobeying God's commands. David was between the ages of 10 and 15 when he was anointed the next king. so we spent the Sunday school hour talking about how when you are young, sometimes others make immediate judgments about your abilities or look down on you and think you are incapable because you are smaller or have less experience. 

Well the children of RPC know this is not true of them. Last week our 3-year-old through 5th graders spent their Wednesday evening gathering food for North Fulton Community Charities. They collected canned goods, bagged 300 pounds of beans and rice, and readied all of this for transportation to NFCC. When these items arrived at NFCC, their gratitude was immense and overwhelming. They told us that they are in great need right now and this was an incredible blessing for them. All because of our children!

On Sunday morning, several of our 4th and 5th graders and their families went down to First Presbyterian Church of Atlanta at 6am to serve breakfast to the homeless. Some of our kids even handed out every last piece of their Halloween candy to the men and women who had come for breakfast. These children graciously served early Sunday morning and then came to Sunday school to hear about how their age should never hinder them from living a Christ-like life, something they already knew and had acted on that morning.

The children of this church are exceptional and are learning every day what it means to have Christ in their hearts. They know that at this church we believe that just because they are young does not mean they cannot serve others and walk with Christ in their lives.

Some of our 4th and 5th graders and their small group leaders.

Breakfast for the Homeless

Money Talks

This coming Sunday, November 3, is another session of our First Class Sundays!

RPC's Director of Commitment, Jody Andrade, and RPC member, Joe Hovorka, will be talking about how we teach our children about money in a way that encourages good stewardship as well as generosity. There will be many practical ideas to help children learn to save, set up a budget, and other important life skills.

Spooktacular Night

Next week, Wednesday October 30, onCore and WEF will join together for.... 

WEF adults will bring in cans that our 3&4 year olds will “trick or treat” for, while the K-3rd graders prepare bags of beans and rice, all going to North Fulton Community Charities for the holiday season.

NFCC's current needs are:

Cereal & Oatmeal 

Meals in a can (ravioli, beef stew, chili, beef-a-roni, etc) 

Canned fruit and veggies (NO green beans or corn )  

Peanut butter and jelly (NO glass containers) 

Meals in boxes (hamburger helper, tuna helper, etc) 

Tomato products & pasta sauce (but NO pasta) 

Canned soup (non-cream based)

Baking items (cake mix, brownie mix, muffin mix, flour, sugar, etc) 

Canned tuna & meats

See you tonight for Pajama Night!

World Communion Sunday

Parents of Elementary Children!

This letter is to let you know about all of the special things happening at RPC this coming

Sunday, October 6, to celebrate World Communion Sunday.

The 1st-5th grade elementary Sunday school classes (kindergarten had their lesson last Sunday) will be doing a special lesson about Communion education. They will learn about the meaning, symbolism and importance of Communion and what the Presbyterian Church(USA) believes about this sacrament.

The younger elementary grades (1st-3rd) will be practicing Communion with crackers—we will provide a gluten free option, but you or your child will need to tell the teacher that they need that option. The older grades (4th and 5th) will be doing an activity

involving raw bread dough—we will NOT be able to provide a gluten free dough

alternative. The older children will not be eating their bread, just creating and molding the dough. If your child has a contact or airborne gluten allergy, please let us know.

Reverend Slocum will be leading the second session of our new series for parents, First Class Sundays. “Come to the Table” will help parents learn what it means to participate in the sacrament of Communion, what Presbyterians believe about the Lord’s Supper and how it is different than other churches. This class will meet in the Fellowship Hall during the Sunday school hour.

We are so looking forward to this special lesson because it will be a morning devoted to recognizing the universalism of Christianity and Communion. In Sunday school and worship we will be celebrating Christians all over the world. During 11:15 worship, elementary children will be helping to carry in the bread for Communion and we will have breads from all over the country. This is truly a very special celebration at Roswell Presbyterian Church and around the world. Please let me know if you have any questions, or need to inform us of your child’s allergy to anything we will use on Sunday morning.

Sarah Kate DeWyngaert

Director  of Children’s Ministry

Roswell Presbyterian Church

sarahkate@roswellpres.org

Direct Line: 770-649-4507

Sunday, October 6.
The topic is "Come to the Table."
9:45 a.m. in the Fellowship Hall

On World Communion Sunday come learn about what it means to participate in the sacrament of Communion. What do Presbyterians believe about the Lord's Supper and how is it different than other churches? How do we talk to our kids about what is happening in the sacrament.

Also, why do we worship the way we do at RPC? Learn about how we are hoping to expand worship to better include children and families.

First Class Sundays is an open forum for parents, grandparents, and those involved in the life of children and students. You will learn about today's hot topics. Normally scheduled for the first Sunday of the month at 9:45 a.m. in the Fellowship Hall.

For more information, contact Rev. Lyndsay Slocum, lyndsay@roswellpres.org, 770-649-4519.

Don't miss the

Community Fall Fest

TODAY! 

4-7p.m on the grounds of RPC!

Food, music, games and fun

More Information

Worship Education Graduation

Thank you so much to the families that participated in our Kindergarten Worship Education series this month! We had such a wonderful group for this entire series and especially yesterday for our celebration in worship. All of Roswell Presbyterian Church is proud of these children and their families for valuing the importance of their child knowing and understanding worship in ‘big church’. We hope this will be the continuing (or beginning!) of a strong relationship with God and a desire to further their faith journey through worship. Each kindergartener received their own worship bag as a celebration of their completion. We are encouraging the kids to fill them with items, like the ones we provide in the RPC worship bags, that will help them understand and learn in worship.

Yesterday was such a wonderful day for the kindergarten families for their special graduation, but also because both parents and children got to partake in the sacraments portion of the series together. We listened to the book, 

Wilfred Gordon McDonald Partridge

and talked about how special symbols and items help us remember things that we don’t think about every day. Out of Play Doh, the kids molded items that help them remember other things and talked with their families about those special memories. We talked about how the water and bread and juice help us remember how much Christ loves us and sacrificed for us. Families also got to practice taking traditional communion by passing the communion trays to each other and taking cups.

Talk at home about...

1. Your own baptism and your child’s. 

Tell them who came to see it, who helped with the baptism, and what you all did to celebrate.

If you and/or your child is not baptized, talk about why you’ve made that decision and talk to them about their own desire to be baptized.

*Important Information*

This coming Sunday, October 6, will be the kindergartener's first Sunday in G.P.S., our fun time of music, fellowship and lesson introductions.

Kindergarteners will still be dropped off in their Sunday school classrooms on October 6. Their teachers will bring them down to the Gym to join us the rest of the younger elementary children. Beginning October 13, and for the rest of the year, kindergarteners will be dropped-off in the Gym for Sunday school.

Types of Prayer

Yesterday the kindergartners learned about the different types of prayer that we say in ‘big church’. They located all of the times we say a prayer in worship by circling them in the church bulletin. They talked about the different times they pray at home and how sometimes when we pray for something and it doesn't happen, that doesn't mean God didn't listen to our prayer, it just means that God knows what we need better than we do, and just like our parents don’t give us everything we want, neither does God. A lot of the time, we just have to wait and see how God is going to answer our prayers because it can sometimes take a while!

 

They also learned about 5 different kinds of prayer that we say in worship:

Praise (You are awesome, God!)

Thanks (Thank you, God!)

Confession (God, I’m sorry)

Help for me (Comfort me, God)

Help for others (Comfort them, God)

 

They made prayer chains which you can do together at home!

Assign a color to each type of prayer; this is what our colors were in Sunday school:

Praise – red

Thanks – yellow

Confession – orange

Help for me – blue

Help for others – green

Cut strips of these colors of paper. Loop them together and staple or tape to make a chain. Each day, at bed time, dinner time, etc. Have your child rip off a strip and say a prayer that corresponds to the color/type of prayer.

They could also write down their prayer and tape it back into a chain!

 

Talk at home about...

1. Why is it important to us to pray?

2. Why do we tell God when we’re sorry? How do we know God forgives us?

 

Next week we’re learning about the Sacraments; baptism and communion.

 

IMPORTANT INFORMATION!

September 29, is the last session of the Kindergarten Worship Education series! It is going to be a big day for our kindergartners as they will be celebrated in 11:15 worship. Parents will drop-off children in their classroom as usual and join Rev. Slocum in the Fellowship Hall for the kindergarten parent class. The children will go with their class into 9:45 worship to see a baptism, and will then meet their parents in the Fellowship Hall for the remainder of the Sunday school hour. The rest of that Sunday school hour parents and children will do the lesson together.

Parents need to make sure to come to the Fellowship Hall after they drop-off their child; otherwise please make arrangements for your kindergartner to sit with and complete the lesson with another adult in there.

 

Kindergartners will stay with us in the Fellowship Hall because we will take them up to the sanctuary to get ready for their procession into worship. After they process in they can sit with their families for the rest of the service. If they are in the creation choir, they will stay on the steps to sing. They will be recognized later in the service.

We really hope your entire family will remain in worship for the 11:15 service as this is the beginning of your emphasis to your child that worship is important! However, if you have to leave the service early, please try to sit on the outside of the rows and exit down the side aisles, as it is a distraction to our worship leaders to have people leaving through the center aisle once worship has started.

We are very proud of our all of our kindergartners!

Completely Unsolicited Advice

Here is a great article that was shared by one of our Children's Ministry elders, Tricia Patterson, about faith and children.

Completely Unsolicited Advice to Parents

Tithing and Sharing

The kindergartners are halfway through their Worship Education series! Yesterday they learned about tithing our 10% to the church and sharing with others. They learned quite a hard math lesson about percentages by seeing what 10% looks like using 10 pennies and 1 dime. 

They also brought in cans to donate to North Fulton Community Charities and took them over to the sanctuary where they heard all about NFCC and why it is important for each of us to give to others. 

Talk at home about...

1. How does our family give to our church?

2. How much would 10% of my allowance, chore money, birthday money. etc., be?

Try this at home!

Make a tithing bank with your kindergartner! 

You'll need 3 containers (water bottles, mason jars, soup cans, etc.)

Label each container

1. Give

2. Save

3. Spend

Let them decorate their banks!

Help them figure out how much they should put in each bank as they earn money.

 

On Sunday, September 22, they will be learning about the types of prayer we say in big church.
The Parent class will be at 9:45a.m in the Fellowship Hall with Rev. Slocum.

NFCC Can Drive

RPC is participating in a church-wide food drive for North Fulton Community Charities on September 29. Our kindergartners are going to kick-off this food drive for us this Sunday, September 15, as part of the Kindergarten Worship Education series. During their tithing and giving to others lesson in Sunday school they will be dropping off cans in the narthex during the 9:45 service. See the shopping list below for NFCC's needs.

Speak Lord, your servant is listening

Kindergarten

Our kindergartners have begun their worship education series. They are learning all about what happens in 'big church' and what it means to worship, especially here at Roswell Presbyterian, through this series. This past Sunday they talked about defining worship. They learned what the Bible tells us about how we worship by reading and doing the actions in Psalm 100. They also began learning the words to the Gloria Patri which we sing in worship each week.

Talk at home about...

1. What happens in 'big church?'

2. Why is it important to our family to worship and praise God?

Next week we'll talk about tithing and giving to the church and others!

**For this lesson on September 15, kindergartens should bring one canned good to Sunday school to donate to North Fulton Community Charities. The Parent class will meet in the Historic Sanctuary.

Younger Elementary

This week our younger elementary children are learning about Hannah, God's faithful servant who turned her suffering into prayer. Hannah was a woman of profound faith whose life was marked by prayer, and for many years, by sadness. Hannah was not unable to have children and prayed so fervently for a child. After years of praying Hannah gave birth to a son and was eventually blessed by 3 more sons and 2 daughters.

As part of their lesson, our 1st-3rd graders wrote notes during G.P.S. to individuals and families on our church prayer list. We talked about how we can help pray for others who are suffering.

They'll learn more about Hannah on Wednesday during Bible time, including another episode of Leaper's Point!

Talk at home about...

1. Do you remember the meaning of the name Hannah gave her first son?

(Samuel means "I asked God for him" or "God has heard")

2. When was a time you dealt with feelings of rejection or loneliness the way Hannah did?

Bible Verse

Speak, Lord. Your servant is listening.

1 Samuel 3:9

Bible Story

1 Samuel 1:1-2:11, 18-21.

Leap of Faith

I am called to be a servant of God.

Older Elementary

4th and 5th graders talked about creation and trusting God. Noah's family placed their trust in God even though they didn't understand God's will. The Biblical word for this mutual faithfulness is covenant. Being like Noah and walking with God means loving and serving God and caring for our neighbors. Being faithful to God means being open to God's Holy Spirit and trusting that God knows what is best for us.

Talk at home about...

1. Why do you think it is sometimes hard to trust God's will for you?

2. How do you experience God’s promise to be with you in your everyday life?

Bible Verse

But me? I trust you, Lord! I affirm, "You are my God."

Psalm 31:14

Bible Story

Genesis 6:5-9:17

Faith Direction

We put our trust in God even when we don't understand God's will.

First Class Sundays

Join us this Sunday for our first session of the new series for parents...

Reverend Slocum will be discussing social media and children/youth.

#connecting: a panel discussion about social media and our students.

Panel includes Jennifer Leak, Director of Communications at Roswell Presbyterian Church; Tony Sconza, Director of InsideOut ministries at Gwinnett Church; and two of our high school students: Imogen Evans and Oliver Sandreuter. Come learn about what social media our students are using and how to have conversations about healthy ways to stay connected.

Meeting in the Fellowship Hall at 9:45a.m this Sunday, September 8.

This series will occur every first Sunday of the month.