Children’s Ministries CHALLENGE
Fall 2020 – BIBLE ESSENTIALS
September 2020
Dear Parents:
For the past six months the COVID19 pandemic has limited life to "the Essentials" - Essential workers, Essential businesses, Essential activities. But what about the essentials of our Faith? This Fall while we continue to stay home in order to stay healthy & safe, Children's Ministries has prepared curricula for children and families that focuses on Bible Essentials to CHALLENGE and to help you make Faith Essential for your children.
There are three different age/grade Bible Essentials curricula components:
- Essential Bible Verses for Elementary grades 1st – 5th
- Essential Bible Stories for Children 2 years – Kindergarten
- Monthly Essentials for newborns – 2 year olds
We have tried to provide a variety of curricula components and options that can be used and adapted as appropriate to each child and/or family. Essential Bible Verses and Essential Bible Stories are hybrid curricula with online and at home resources. The at home resources for Sept - Nov. for children, 2 years old - 5th grade have been prepared and packaged in individual backpacks for children to keep and use at home. Backpacks were prepared and distributed to all registered WCPres children. To register your child and/or request a backpack of at home resources please email children@wcpres.org. The online resources can be found on this page each week. Monthly Essentials is a printed newsletter that will be mailed to homes once a month.
Following are descriptions of the three different age/grade Bible Essentials curricula components:
Essential Bible Verses for Elementary grades 1st – 5th
This curriculum will help elementary children to learn 10 Essential Bible Verses - one each week from Sept. 13th through Nov. 15th. This curriculum will be integrated into the weekly Sunday morning worship services. The weekly Essential Bible Verse will be introduced by Lou in the Sunday morning worship service followed with a worship song based on the Essential Bible Verse.
Online Resources
A video clip of this segment of the worship service will then be posted on the Children’s Ministry page so that it can be viewed again or for the first time during the week by children and families. We also hope to offer a Spotify play list of the worship songs based on the Bible verses.
At Home Resources
In the Blue 1st – 5th grade Bible Essential Backpacks there is an envelope for each of the 10 Essential Bible Verses. The verse is indicated on the label on the front of each envelope along with the week for that verse. There are a variety of activities inside each envelope that children may choose from to complete at home on Sunday morning during or following the worship service or any time throughout the week. If children/families, choose there are enough activities to do one each day throughout the week. Focusing on the verse each day will help children to truly learn the verse!
Each envelope contains:
- A devotional lesson with discussion or journaling questions, a link to a worship song based on the verse, and a way to pray the verse. This is the printed version of what will be posted on line each week.
- A craft.
- 3-4 different worksheets.
- A coloring page.
- A poster of the verse.
Each blue 1st -5th grade Bible Essential Backpack also includes:
- A laminated page and dry erase marker to write out the verse or draw a picture of the verse.
- A laminated progress chart to check off each verse as it is learned by the child.
- A ring of laminated verse cards that can be used like flash cards or individually affixed to the fridge, bathroom mirror, or other prominent place as daily reminders of the verse.
- A box of colored pencils.
- Goldfish crackers.
Essential Bible Stories for Children 2 years – Kindergarten
This curriculum teaches an essential Bible Story each week from the God Loves Me set of 52 storybooks and corresponding coloring pages.
Online Resources
There will be a 2 – 3 minute video each week of the Bible Story that children and families can view online. You might choose to have your child watch the Bible Story video and color the corresponding coloring page in their coloring book while you watch the weekly worship service, at another time on Sunday or anytime during the week.
At Home Resources
Each red 2 year old - Kindergarten Bible Essential Backpacks includes:
- A bound book of 52 Bible Story Coloring Pages
- A box of crayons.
- Goldfish crackers.
Additionally, each family with children age 2 – Kindergarten will be given one (1) set of all 52 God Loves Me Bible Story Cards that they can read together at home and a CD of Bible songs.
Monthly Essentials for newborns – 2 year olds
We are excited to begin offering a new at home monthly curriculum component to support and help families with children under 2 years old. SPLASH is a Faith based age specific monthly newsletter that will be mailed to families. Each newsletter is specific to the age of the child (i.e. 2 months, 6 months, 18 months) and is designed to help families incorporate faith formation into every day events using Bible stories, prayer, worship and devotionals. Each year families will also receive a CD of age appropriate faith based songs.
Monthly SPLASH newsletters will be mailed to the families of children under the age of two that are registered with WCPres. Children’s Ministries. To register your child (or to confirm that they are already registered) please email children@wcpres.org. And if you are expecting a child (especially during this time when we cannot be together) please let us know so that (1) we can be praying for you (2) we can celebrate with you and (3) we can get you started right away with monthly SPLASH newsletters when your little one arrives!
We pray that these newsletters will bless your family and help you to savor the precious first two years of your little one’s life.
It is our prayer that all of this will serve to nurture, support and equip children and families - from a distance, during this time that we cannot gather together as a Family of Faith - in the faith formation and discipleship of your children to be life-long disciples who know, love, follow and serve Jesus Christ.
Blessings,
Luv Lou
Lou Pennebaker
Director of Children’s Ministry
Walnut Creek Presbyterian Church
Call/text: 702 303 2153
Email: lpennebaker@wcpres.org
