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.

Grow. Proclaim. Serve

Children's Ministry at RPC is excited to be starting a new curriculum on Sunday mornings and Wednesday evenings this school year. This year our elementary children will be doing further studies on Wednesday evenings of the Bible stories they have heard on Sunday mornings, which will include video episodes of Leaper's Point. We'll be posting their Bible stories to the blog so that you can stay informed of what your kids are learning in order to go further with these scriptures and concepts at home. I also encourage you to check out the curriculum website for resources, articles, and games! 

Grow. Proclaim. Serve.

This past Sunday and Wednesday  our children learned about Deborah. Deborah was a judge in Israel. She was a wise leader and a great woman. Deborah listens to God when she is called to commission Barack, the military leader of Israel. Deborah and Barack write a poetic song of thanksgiving to God for their victory. Their song is a great example of remembering that our blessings come from God, trusting what God tells us, and taking action.

This is exactly what the kids worked on this Sunday and Wednesday! Their teachers helped them figure out what they are thankful to God for through songs, poems, pictures and prayers.

Talk at home about... 
1. How has God blessed your family?
2. Encourage your child to pray for someone who is not in your family.

Bible Verse
Speak, Lord. Your servant is listening.
1 Samuel 3:9

Bible Story
Judges 4:4-16; 5:1-31.

Leap of Faith
I am called to be a servant of God.