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.