Child Abuse Prevention - January 4

This coming Sunday, January 4, 2015 at 9:45am in the Fellowship Hall:

Amber McKeen, a Child Abuse Prevention Trainer from CHOA (Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta) will be here to present a training on child sexual abuse detection and prevention. 

We would love for as many Children’s Ministry volunteers as possible to participate in this training, but all are welcome as well!

Click here to download slides from the First Class Sundays discussion on child abuse prevention from Sunday, January 4, 2015.

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.

Advent Giving, 2014

If your family is looking for a way to serve our community this Advent season, we have several opportunities going on through Roswell Presbyterian Church. 

Check out the website for specific information about giving opportunities. 

You can contact our Associate Pastor for Mission Outreach, Mary Cox, with any questions about service opportunities.

'Room for Christmas'

Last night, after several months of rehearsals, the children of Roswell Presbyterian Church presented their Christmas concert, 'Room for Christmas', directed by our talented Associate Director of Music, Betsy Homer. These children put on a wonderful show that was full of laughs and joy. They reminded us that Christmas is not about all of the shopping, decorations and gifts, but rather it is about celebrating the birth of our savior and how that Christmas gift from God is the most important of all. The audience was asked to bring a donation of an educational toy for the Aspen Pointe 'Play and Learn' program. We filled 2 industrial sized trash bags full of toys for this program! Thank you to all who helped, participated, and attended!

Pictures from the concert can be viewed on our Facebook.

December 7, First Class Sunday

Over and over again we are reminded of the severity of the presence of drugs in our middle and high schools. Matt Meyer, the program director from the Insight Program, an Enthusiastic Sobriety program for youth and young adults who struggle with substance abuse, will talk to us about how to recognize a drug issue in your child as well as how to treat it. We will also explore what we can do to address the drug problem in our schools.

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.

Click here to listen to the First Class Sundays discussion on teen suicide prevention from Sunday, November 9, 2014.

Advent Calendars

This past Sunday we began the season of Advent at Roswell Presbyterian Church. The season of Advent is so important because the birth of Jesus didn't just happen randomly! God always knew this was going to happen. God had always planned that Mary and Joseph would be Jesus’ parents, that he would be born in a stable in Bethlehem, and he would be the savior for all people. It is an amazing story and by far the most important story ever told. This is why we spend an entire month preparing and anxiously waiting to celebrate Jesus’ birthday on Christmas day.

Counting down the days and weeks until Christmas is one way that we build our anticipation and excitement for Jesus’ birthday. In Advent Family Sunday School families created their own Advent calendars to take home and use for the next 26 days in expectation of Christmas.

If you were not able to join us this past Sunday but would still like an Advent calendar packet for your family, please be in touch with Sarah Kate or come by the Church Office during office hours.

Season of Service for F²

The Season of Service

The set apart time of working with our local mission partners through the Season of Service is completed, but the impact of giving on the children of Roswell Presbyterian Church is permanent.

On November 2, 18 fourth and fifth graders, plus their parents, siblings, and teachers traveled downtown to First Presbyterian Church Atlanta to serve breakfast to the homeless. They got up at 5:30a.m. to be downtown by 6:30a.m. and served breakfast to hundreds of homeless men and women. Some families also helped prepare blankets to be handed out, and many kids graciously gave up several bags of their Halloween candy to share with the folks there.

As part of onCore F² on November 5, 19 fourth and fifth Graders helped organize the food pantry at NFCC (North Fulton Community Charities), taking all of the cans, dry beans and rice that were collected on October 30 at WEF and onCore.

Rev. Zac leading Sunday School November 16!

Fourth and Fifth Graders: You will not want to miss Sunday School this coming Sunday, November 16!

Rev. Zac Morton who has been called as pastor to plant a new congregation in Suwanee, GA as part of The Mustard Seed Project, will be leading as the speaker this week.

Zac is excited to introduce himself to all of you, tell you a little bit about what he will be doing in 2015, and introduce your Bible lesson.

Please join us at 9:45a.m. on 45th Street (Room 211)!

Increasing Love, Hope, & The Will To Live

Join us for our November 'First Class Sundays' session, on November 9 in the Fellowship Hall.

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. 

Contact: Rev. Lyndsay Slocum

Raising self-reliant, appreciative children

We have been informed about a special [and free!] event happening tomorrow evening, Wednesday, October 29 at 7:30pm at High Meadows School. 

Dr. Wendy Mogel will be talking about raising children to be 

self-reliant and appreciative in a nervous and entitled world.

presents  An Evening with Dr. Wendy Mogel New York Times bestselling author of The Blessing of a Skinned Knee and  The Blessing of a B Minus Wednesday, October 29 at 7:30 p.m.  High Meadows School Community Center Bring your friends and neighbors to hear Dr. Mogel discuss how parents can raise self-reliant, appreciative children in a nervous and entitled world.  Admission is free, but donations will be accepted with gratitude at the door. A formal invitation with RSVP link will be sent at the end of September, so there is no need to respond to this email. Dr. Wendy Mogel is a clinical psychologist specializing in parenting. She is a frequent guest on The Today Show and is regularly interviewed by The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, TheWashington Post, and NPR. She has delivered keynote addresses at conferences around the world and serves on the scientific advisory board of Parents Magazine and "Challenge Success"--a child advocacy program of the Stanford University School of Education. Publisher's Weekly described her New York Timesbestselling book,The Blessing of a Skinned Knee, as "Impassioned, lyrical and eminently practical...a real treasure."  Rabbi Harold Kushner (author of When Bad Things Happen to Good People) called her second book, The Blessing of a B Minus, "wise, witty and well-written....a treasury of common sense for anyone dealing with adolescents." High Meadows School | Preschool - Eighth Grade  Established in 1973 | IB World School  1055 Willeo Road, Roswell, GA   770.993.2940 | smacker@highmeadows.org www.highmeadows.org

Serving Simply - October 5

Worship Bags: what goes inside & why does it matter?

This past Sunday concluded our month-long Kindergarten Worship Education series. Kindergartners and their parents spent 4 weeks learning about the parts that make up worship and why it is important for children to be in worship. As part of their celebration for participating in this series, each child received their worship bag to fill with all kinds of good stuff for worshiping with their families. It seemed like this would be the perfect time to talk about worship bags and what should go into them!

Worship bags are essential for children because their little bodies are full of energy, curiosity and excitement. These are all characteristics that make it very difficult to sit still through an entire worship service (although a lot of adults have a hard time sitting still through an entire service)!

Worship bags shouldn't be thought of as just a bag of tricks for keeping kids quiet and occupied for an hour and half. What we put inside a worship bag itself is just as crucial as having it with you on Sunday morning. We know that children learn through stories, activities, and working with their senses. This is why so much glue and glitter is involved in teaching children. What your child does to learn during worship shouldn't be any different from what they’re doing in Sunday School. But please don’t put glue and glitter in your child’s worship bag—that is an inevitable disaster.

Worship bags should contain items that will help your child stay focused on the meaning of Sunday mornings. We are here because it is the Sabbath day and this is the day we worship God and learn about Jesus. After all, you've already gotten them dressed and out of bed on the weekend, shouldn't we make sure they learn something after all that effort?!

We know that realistically your child is not fully engaging in the verb of worshiping while they are sitting in the pew, except for those wonderful moments when they chime in on the Lord’s Prayer at parts they can remember or contribute their "golden epiphany" during the Moment with Children. Other than that, we know that you are just trying to get them to stay quiet and still enough that you and others around you can worship. But just remember this: to God, your children are worshiping when they are sitting in the pews, surrounded by a church family who loves them, singing words of the hymns that aren't quite right, and exercising huge restraint from grabbing more than one cup of communion juice—and that’s good enough for us too.

Here are some ideas of items to put in your child’s worship bag so they can keep their hands busy and their ears open to learn:

• A worship sheet that explains the different parts of the service
• Paper
• Notebook 
• Clipboard
• Crayons, markers, pens, pencils
• Small dry erase board and dry erase markers
• Magic Slate
• Offering envelopes for their money or gifts during the offering
• OR they could make their own offering envelope with blank envelopes they decorate and put their name on!
• Books with Christian meaning – click link for a list of titles
• Children’s Bible
• Stickers
• Small photo album of important things in the sanctuary and their names
• Shoelace lacing toys in shapes that represent faith (cross, heart, fish, butterfly, dove)
• Wikki Stix™ 
• Blank note cards and envelopes
• Bible people finger puppets
• If you want to get real crafty, there are lots of items you can make at home that help kids use their motor skills so they can listen and play at the same time (pipe cleaners in an empty spice bottle; rice in an empty bottle, glued closed, with toys inside; deflated balloons filled with rice or beans;)

We want your children to grow up knowing that worship is important and it is something you do as a faithful youth and adult. A well planned and prepared worship bag will make all the difference for helping your child participate and engage in worship! 

Attn: 4th and 5th Graders!

Attention all 4th and 5th Graders! 

Join us for a 'lock-in' on October 17!

RSVP with Sally Heneghan in the Church Office.

World Communion Sunday, October 5

Dear Parents of Elementary Children,

             This coming Sunday, October 5, is World Communion Sunday. There will be several special things happening at RPC this day to celebrate. During Sunday School, the 1st-5th Grade Elementary Sunday School classes will be doing Communion Education lessons. Children should still be dropped-off and picked-up in their usual locations for Sunday School. The Kindergarten classes will do a brief review of the Communion Education they did two weeks ago as part of their Worship Education series. All elementary children 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 make sure to remind the Sunday School 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, so we will have gloves for children with gluten allergies to wear while using the dough if their allergy is contact or airborne. Again, please make sure their teachers know they need this option. They will not be eating the bread dough, just molding the dough. We are so looking forward to this special Sunday because it will be a morning devoted to recognizing the universal celebration of the Lord’s Supper in Christianity. During 11:15 worship, elementary children will be helping carry in the bread for Communion and we will have breads from all over the world. This is truly a very special celebration at Roswell Presbyterian Church.

Also this Sunday, Rev. Lyndsay Slocum will be leading the First Class Sundays session with the topic, Serving Simply, at 9:45 in the Fellowship Hall. First Class Sundays is an open forum for parents, grandparents, and those involved in the life of children and students. 

‘We want our children to be kind and generous and we know it is important to model that behavior. However, we have very busy lives and we cannot always afford an international mission trip. Plus, it isn't always practical to take our children into foreign countries. In October, we will talk about why it is important to serve together as well as look at some important ways to incorporate serving into your family's life. You can make a difference in God's world without boarding a plane.’

Please let me know if you have any questions about World Communion Sunday, or need to inform us of your child’s allergy to anything we will use on Sunday morning. Thank you!

Sarah Kate DeWyngaert

Director  of Children’s Ministry

Roswell Presbyterian Church

sarahkate@roswellpres.org

Direct Line: 770-649-4507

a message from Mrs. Betsy

THIS SUNDAY!

The 1^st-5^th Graders have spent the last 5 weeks learning and song called “Trees of the Field” in Sunday School and in Choir.  This Sunday, September 21^st, they will have the opportunity to help lead worship by singing this song during the Benediction Response at the end of the 11:15 service.

Please have your child come forward to the chancel steps during the final hymn and join the youth choir to sing, “Trees of the Field”!  It will be another great morning of worship at RPC!

Thanks, Betsy Homer

225 Sandwiches

Our 1^st – 5^th Graders made about 225 sandwiches for the Open Door Community during Sunday School this past Sunday! The girls brought deli meat, the boys brought cheese slices, the 4^th and 5^th Graders brought loaves of bread, and together they assembled all of these sandwiches for our neighbors who are struggling and homeless. We are always delighted by the pride these children put into serving others, especially those in our own community.

Our next mission projects for elementary children will be in October. 

4^th and 5^th Graders who are part of F² Leadership on Wednesday evenings will manage a booth at the Community Fall Fest on October 1.

And all onCore children will participate in the Spooktacular Night of Service on October 29.

Kindergarten Worship Education begins this week

Attention Kindergarten Parents:

Our Kindergarten Worship Education Series begins this coming Sunday, September 7th. Roswell Presbyterian Church and the Children’s Ministry feel that it is crucial for children to begin worshiping at a young age and that doing so with their families helps them understand that worship is a devotion and sacrifice that your family values. We will take 4 Sundays during September to introduce your kindergartner to what it means it be dedicated to praising God and worshiping here at Roswell Presbyterian Church.

This week in Kindergarten Sunday School, your child’s teachers will work on ‘Defining Worship: Identify the parts and participants of our worship service’ with your child. Each week we will offer a Parent Track class for you during Sunday School so that you can learn along with your child, further helping you to guide them through worship education. This week the Parent Track class will be part of our First Class Sundays series.

First Class Sundays

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. Meets in the Fellowship Hall from 9:45 to 10:45 a.m.

First Class Sundays on Sunday, September 7 will deal with, Presbyterian Worship: What's Different? We are going to look at how Roswell Presbyterian Church's worship service is structured and why.

Be on the lookout for more information next week about the Kindergarten Worship Education Series. We are so excited for your child to begin this part of their faith journey and learn about why worship is important. Please get in touch if you have any questions about this series this month. 

Thank you,

Sarah Kate

First Class Sundays - September 7

First Class Sundays start back this week!

9:45a.m. in the Fellowship Hall.

First Class Sundays

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. Meets in the Fellowship Hall from 9:45 to 10:45 a.m.

First Class Sundays resumes on Sunday, September 7 with Presbyterian Worship: What's Different? We are going to look at how Roswell Presbyterian Church's worship service is structured and why.

Blessing of the Backpacks

This past Sunday as part of Discipleship Kick-Off we blessed our children's backpacks for the upcoming school year during the Moment with Children at 11:15 worship. We also gave each child a button for their backpacks to help them remember how much Christ loves them and how he teaches us to treat others. If your child missed getting a button for their backpack, please let Sarah Kate know and we will make sure he/she gets one!

Register for onCore!

onCore begins September 3, 2014!

It is time to register!!

More Information and Registration

Preschool AND Elementary kids! Join us!

PLEASE REGISTER ONLINE!

VBS Video 2014

We told you about all of the fun we had at Vacation Bible School, but now see it for yourselves!

VBS 2014 Video

Summer FUN at RPC!

See right side tabs for more information about each event. ----->

Click to Register

Registration Deadline, May 31!

The registration deadline for Vacation Bible School is quickly approaching! Your kids will not want to miss this weird, crazy and funky week at Weird Animals so sign them up today!

Register here!

We also still need a lot of items from our wish list so we have created a signup genius in order to reach more people. If you are able to donate something to VBS please signup through this link.

Sunday School on May 25

Rising Kindergartners through Rising 6th Graders and their families are invited to join us for a Family Sunday School on May 25. We will meet in the Fellowship Hall from 9:45-10:45a.m. and will have fun learning about Peter's Escape from Prison. The younger elementary children have been learning stories about Peter all month!

Family Sunday School will be the only option during the 9:45 hour for elementary and 4 year old Preschoolers. Nursery childcare will be available.

Summer Sunday School will begin on June 1. Children will be classified by their rising grade level. Current 5th Graders will move to ryeX this day; all other preschool and elementary grades will remain on their current halls.

IMPORTANT! VBS registration!

Important Information about Vacation Bible School Registration!

We have been experiencing some issues with our VBS Registration site this year. Parents, if you registered your child(ren) as a participant or yourself to volunteer using your iPad, and/or did not receive an email confirmation that looks like the one below (for both volunteer and participant registration) or have not received an informational letter in the mail, then please get in touch with Sarah Kate or re-register using a computer; because this means we do not have record of your registration. The system seems to not read information from iPads. 

Please let us know if you have any questions. Sorry for any inconvenience this error may have caused.

VBS Registration

Don’t forget the VBS registration deadline is May 31!

Kits for Guatemala

Look for these boxes on the Elementary Hall between now and June! Children's Ministry is collecting pencils and crayons for the Guatemala mission team to take on their trip right after VBS! Kids can drop off supplies to these boxes any time before VBS begins. 

They can also drop off travel-size shampoo and soap to these boxes. We will be collecting those items at the kickoff night of VBS on June 8. Kids will be packing 175 hygiene kits for Guatemala, in celebration of RPC's 175th Anniversary and part of the 175 acts challenge.

Encourage your children to want to give to others!