E:Kidz @ Element Church

Christmas Eve Eve & Christmas Eve Services @ Element

2011-12-05T10:14:00.002-07:00

Childcare available for all services from infants through 5th grade. Fun Christmas movies & snacks during Christmas services for all children. Tickets are NOT required for children being checked into childcare during worship services. Tickets are required for anyone entering the worship center for Christmas Services.

NO services on Christmas Day December 25th.

KidFaith: Pre-Baptism Class November 27th @ 1PM

2011-08-17T10:45:00.005-06:00

Element Church will be holding Baptism services on December 4th during all services for those who have recently accepted Christ as their personal Savior and would like to take that faith public through Baptism.

Children who are 7 years old and up who have made a decision for Christ are invited to participate in our KidFaith class. The class will be held on November 27th from 1-230PM (directly after 3rd service) in our Ignite classroom. Prior to Baptism each child is required to attend this short class. A parent must attend with their child and we ask that siblings do not attend so we can limit distractions for others. We will briefly cover the topics of Salvation, Baptism, and Communion in a child friendly manner.

KidFaith will be announced to children in our Elevate & Ignite classrooms for several weeks leading up to the date of the class.

Must RSVP to attend as lunch will be provided. call or email please.

Pastor Derek
635-1316
derek@elementweb.net

E:kidz takeover services coming July 10th!

2011-06-13T22:07:00.004-06:00

We're going to try something we have never done before @ Element Church! On July 10th we will cancel our normal e:kidz programming to have combined family services during each of our 3 Sunday morning services. Our volunteer team will present a kid friendly & family oriented lesson so mom's and dad's can catch a glimpse of what a typical Sunday looks like for their children in e:kidz. We are counting on our kids to make sure mom and dad participate in this fun family experience.

We are also busy recruiting KIDS to take part in presenting this unique Sunday program. If you would like your child to participate (5 & up please) please contact Pastor Derek right away.

Kids will be assigned to the following roles: music/motions, audience coaches, ushers/greeters.

Two "training/rehearsal" times are required to be in our program: June 26th practice (during Sunday services) and July 7th for live rehearsal (6-830PM build your own ice-cream sundae social included). Children will perform what they learn LIVE during Sunday morning services on July 10th!

Contact Pastor Derek today: derek@elementweb.net or call 635-1316 today!

KidFaith: Pre-Baptism Class June 12th @ 1PM

2011-05-10T09:49:00.005-06:00

Element Church will be holding Baptism's on June 19th during all services for those who have recently accepted Christ as their personal Savior and would like to take that faith public through Baptism.

Children who are 7 years old and up who have made a decision for Christ are invited to participate in our KidFaith class. The class will be held on June 12th from 1-230PM (directly after 3rd service) in our Ignite classroom. Prior to Baptism each child is required to attend this short class. A parent must attend with their child and we ask that siblings do not attend to limit distractions for others. We will briefly cover the topics of Salvation, Baptism, and Communion in a child friendly manner.

KidFaith will be announced to children in our Elevate & Ignite classrooms each Sunday prior to the class.

Must RSVP to attend as lunch will be provided. call or email please.

Pastor Derek
635-1316
derek@elementweb.net

KidFaith: Pre-Baptism Class March 13th @ 1PM

2011-02-23T21:36:00.004-07:00

Element Church will be holding a Baptism service on March 20th during Sunday services for those who have recently accepted Christ as their personal Savior and would like to take that faith public through Baptism.

Children who are 7 years old and up who have made a decision for Christ are invited to participate in our KidFaith class. The class will be held on March 13th from 1-230PM (directly after 3rd service) in our Ignite classroom. Prior to Baptism each child is required to attend this short class. A parent must attend with their child and we ask that siblings do not attend to limit distractions for others. We will briefly cover the topics of Salvation, Baptism, and Communion and attempt to present them in a child friendly manner.

KidFaith will be announced to children in our Elevate & Ignite classrooms starting this Sunday.

Stop by the E:connect table to pick up a Children's Baptism Application. Must RSVP to attend as lunch will be provided. call or email please.

Pastor Derek
635-1316
derek@elementweb.net

IGNITE Small Group update

2011-01-30T22:40:00.003-07:00

Just finished our 3rd session of the winter season of our Ignite Small group for 3rd/4th/5th grade students this evening and thought I'd give a little update.

We are meeting in the Ignite classroom from 6 to 730PM Sunday evenings. Great time for families with Fusion students & Ignite age kids to get in on a two-for-one drop off evening!

This "winter season" will meet on the following dates. Also listed are the lesson number and titles.

Part 1- The Case for Christ

January 16^th- Opening Night Lesson 1 ( Lydia, Kid missionary)

January 23^rd- Lesson 2 (The Greatest Show in Cincinnati)

January 30^th- Lesson 3 (Predicting Storms)

February 6^th- Lesson 4 ( Did you see Elvis?)

Part 2- The Case for Faith

February 13^th- Lesson 5 (Scavenger Hunt)

February 20^th- Lesson 6 (Soccer Champ)

February 27^th- Lesson 7 (The great ticket scam)

March 6^th- Lesson 8 (PFD means “Pretty Fat Dummy”)

Part 3- The Case for a Creator

March 13^th- Lesson 9 (Happy fourthday to you)

March 20^th- Lesson 10 (Take me out to the derby)

March 27^th- Lesson 11 (Double-spaced)

April 3^rd- Lesson 12 (Holiday vs. Christmas)

Each session I issue a challenge. Most of these are very practical ways the children can exhibit what they have learned during their week. We play a quick game, have some small group discussion, pray & play.

There is still room for your student if they would like to participate.

IGNITE Small Group starts January 16th!

2011-01-09T19:26:00.002-07:00

During the last year of kids ministry at Element I called our pre-teen small group LG45 (small group for 4th & 5th graders). This fall we realigned our entire Sunday lineup. During our Sunday experience our oldest classroom offered for kids is now called IGNITE. It includes 3rd through 5th graders. This Winter season of community makes for a great time to change up the small group experience we offer. So we will get started with our new season for IGNITE small groups this coming Sunday evening @ 6PM and ending @730PM. Open to any 3rd, 4th, or 5th grader. To be better prepared please help me out by sending a quick RSVP to me: derek@elementweb.net or calling 635-1316 if you plan for your child to attend. We are going to be working through a study called "Off my case" by Lee Strobel (writer of Case for Christ and others). This book will give kids some simple ways to defend their Faith in their daily lives.

E:kidz Blog format changes

2010-12-21T21:25:00.004-07:00

In an effort to better utilize my time resources and overall effectiveness I have made the decision to change the overall use of this blog. For nearly 2 years I've placed weekly posts detailing a recap of each Sunday's lessons by classroom. My research shows that these posts do not receive the traffic that would indicate regular use by our kids or parents. Traffic to this blog comes for general ministry announcements, events, or special projects. That will be the primary use moving into the 2011 ministry year! No more weekly recaps ( that you didn't read anyway!)

South Campus coming in 2011

2010-12-21T21:16:00.004-07:00

2011 is less than 2 weeks away! That means time to launch our all NEW Element Church South Campus. Doors open to the public January 9, 2011 at Triumph High School @ 1250 West College Drive. The fantastic child care facility will the the new home of Ekidz South. Volunteers are joining the team daily and I squirm with anticipation to see what God has in store for this new work. Join us Sunday, January 9th when the doors open for the first time! If you are interested in serving at this new location or have any questions about getting involved feel free to contact me anytime!

Excited for 2011 in South Cheyenne!

Sunday Recap for EKidz @ Element Church

2010-12-06T10:31:00.002-07:00

December 5th

Great day of celebration for Ekidz today! Six children made their faith in Christ public through baptism!! If only our faith was a great as a child's this world would be a different place. It is such an honor to be a part of their stories. Please pray that God continues to work through these children in mighty ways.

Congratulations Faith, Abby, Tori, Keyth, Karson, and Aundreya!!

Ignite classroom...
Main point: Giving is receiving.
The purpose of today's lesson was to show the kids that we need to give Jesus our BEST! From the story of the woman who poured the expensive perfume on Jesus' feet to sharing what we have with those in need around us; we learned that God wants our BEST! This was the final lesson for this learning series. I do believe these students have been challenged to allow God to change their view of the world around them!

Elevate classroom...
Main point: I worship God when I serve Him.
Bible story: Luke 7:36-50
Memory verse: 1 Peter 4:10
The purpose of this lesson was to show the children that by serving regular people around us everyday, we worship God.

Explorers classroom...
Main point: I will take care of my body.
Memory verse: 1 Corinthians 6:20b "So you must honor God with your body"
Bible story: Daniel 1:1-21
The purpose of this lesson was to teach the children that God intended for us to maintain and take care of our physical bodies so we are ready to serve Him. By taking a few extra steps to make sure our bodies are in good shape to be used by God we need to make sure what goes in is healthy.

Itty Bitty Toddlers...
The story of Ruth & Naomi. The kids learned that God made us for a reason. He has a special plan for each of us.

Sunday Recap for EKidz @ Element Church

2010-11-29T15:50:00.002-07:00

November 28th

Ignite classroom...
Main point: Seeing is believing.
Bible story: John 13:12-17
The purpose of today's lesson was to show the kids that Jesus wants us to stop talking about serving and start doing it! The kids took part in and then discussed feet washing. A volunteer from each class had their feet washed by the teacher in front of the class. The kids talked about what it means to be a servant and how they can get started serving.

Elevate classroom...
Main point: I worship God when I pray to Him!
Bible story: 1 Kings 19
Bible verse: Psalm 46:10 " Be still, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world." NLT
The purpose of this lesson was simple. We worship God when we pray. Like any relationship, our time with God is best spent in open communication!

Explorers classroom...
Main point: I will help!
Bible story: Acts 6:1-7
Bible verse: Ecclesiastes 4:9 "Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed." NLT
The purpose of today's lesson was to show the kids that God has a design in mind for our church. From very early on The Church grew because regular people got involved. It takes all kinds of people with all kinds of talents to get together to create a great church.

Itty Bitty Toddlers...
topic: Joseph's happy ending!
We learned a little more from our unit about "God made you for a reason" with the continued story of Joseph. We learned that in the end Joseph saved his family even though they mistreated him first.

KidFaith: Pre-Baptism Class November 28th @ 1PM

2010-11-22T15:18:00.004-07:00

Element Church will be holding a Baptism service on December 5th during Sunday services for those who have recently accepted Christ as their personal Savior and would like to take that faith public through Baptism.

Children who are 7 years old and up who have made a decision for Christ are invited to participate in our KidFaith class. The class will be held on November 28th from 1-230PM (directly after 3rd service) in our Ignite classroom. Prior to Baptism each child is asked to attend this short class. A parent must attend with their child and we ask that siblings do not attend to limit distractions for others. We will briefly cover the topics of Salvation, Baptism, and Communion and attempt to present them in a child friendly manner.

Must RSVP to attend as lunch will be provided. call or email please.

Pastor Derek
635-1316
derek@elementweb.net

Sunday Recap for EKidz @ Element Church

2010-11-22T15:04:00.002-07:00

November 21

Ignite classroom..
The Point: Compare and share.
Bible verse: 1 Timothy 6:18 NIV Command them to do good, to be rich
in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.
The purpose of this lesson was to show the kids that God has given us a lot of things in our lives and that we are called to share those things with others around us. I think that it is good for us to remind kids just how good they do have it here in America. Even if we think we are "poor" we have plenty to share!

Elevate classroom...
Main point: I worship God when I sing to Him!
Bible story: Exodus 15, Luke 1 &2
Memory verse: Psalm 33:1 "Let the godly sing for joy to the Lord; it is fitting for the pure to praise him." NLT.
The purpose of this lesson was the show the kids how important it is for us to SING to God. It is fair for us to remind the kids that God- who created the ability for us to have a voice- does in fact enjoy it when we sing praises to Him. We talked about how some of them could get started right away.

Explorers classroom...
Main point: I will use good words!
Bible story: 1 Samuel 25
Memory verse: Proverbs 12:25b "An encouraging word cheers a person up"
The purpose of this lesson was to show the kids that we should use good words. We talked about how bad words don't help anyone. We talked about how good works make our friends feel good about themselves. God wants us to use good words to encourage our friends.

Toddlers classroom...
We continued in our unit : God has a plan for me! We talked some more this week about Joseph and how he allowed God to use him in great ways even in bad situations. We did a little coloring exercise and got our diapers changed!

Sunday Recap for EKidz @ Element Church

2010-11-16T16:43:00.006-07:00

November 14th

Today was HUGE for our kids ministry @ Element! Today we launched our latest addition to the line-up, called IGNITE. We hope to IGNITE in our pre-teen crowd a passion to follow Jesus Christ. Our IGNITE Coordinator, Steven Frausto is doing a fantastic job getting this new classroom up and running. Steven LOVES working with kids and is fueled by a desire to guide each one of them to come to know Christ in their lives. We've designed a great new space with the help of our creative team genius'....THANK YOU STEVE, SABRINA, and JAMIE! This group of kids will not only be more challenged spiritually, they now have the opportunity to engage in a fun video worship experience all their own! This class will focus on community & small group interaction at the very core. I am very excited to see these kids grow!

Ignite (3rd to 5th grade)

Main point: Pour out God’s love on those around you.

Memory verse: Romans 5:5 NIV …God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

Application: God has poured out His love into us. Now what? The purpose of this lesson is to show the kids that we need to “pour” out our lives for others by investing in the people God has surrounded us with. If we claim to have Christ in our lives we should be pouring into others not spilling.

Elevate (K to 2nd grade)

Lesson Goal: The children learned that we should only worship

God. We accomplish this by not letting anything become more important to us than God.

Main Point: Only God Is Worthy Of My Worship!

Bible Story: Jesus Speaks to the Rich Young Man (Mark 10:17 – 22)

Bible Verse: 1 Timothy 1:17 “All honor and glory to God forever and ever! He is the eternal King, the unseen one who never dies; he alone is God. Amen.” NLT

Explorers (P.T to PreK)

Lesson goal: This lesson was intended to show the children the importance of patience and how God honors our patience in day to day things.

Main Point: I Will Wait!

Bible Story: David Waits To Be King. (1 Samuel 16-2, Samuel 2)

Bible Verse: Romans 8:25b (NLT) - We must wait patiently and confidently.

Itty-Bitty Toddlers (1yr to P.T)

Main point: God made me for a reason. The story of young Joseph.

Even when things didn’t go Josephs way he trusted in God’s big plan for him.

Time for a change

2010-11-08T16:44:00.002-07:00

Effective this coming Sunday, November 14th we begin using our NEW classroom age group format. We are adding a brand NEW class for our pre-teen crowd called IGNITE. These are our NEW age group breakdowns by classroom:

IGNITE- 3rd through 5th graders
ELEVATE- Kindergarten through 2nd graders
EXPLORERS- potty trained to pre-school
IttyBitty TODDLERS- 1yr to potty trained
IttyBitty INFANTS- birth to 12 months

The Lord has blessed this children's ministry with....CHILDREN! We now average well over 200 children each Sunday and it is time for us to make these changes so we continue to offer LIFE in Christ to the children that call Element home both now and in the future.

Any questions about the changes feel free to contact me anytime!

Sunday Recap for EKidz @ Element Church

2010-11-08T16:33:00.002-07:00

November 7

In Elevate...
Main point: I will cooperate and work with others at church!
Bible story: Exodus 36 & 1 Corinthians 12
Memory verse: We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other. Romans 12:5 NLT
The goal of this lesson was to teach the kids that we should work together and cooperate with others to make church the best it can be. The kids learned there are many ways for them to contribute to making our church the best it can be so we are ready to touch the lives of those God sends our way.

In Explorers...
Main point: I will tell others about Jesus!
Bible story: Luke 11:33
Memory verse: Luke 11:34a "Your eye is a lamp that provides light for your body." NLT
The goal of today's lesson is that we can tell others about Jesus. We played a couple of games that gave the kids the chance to practice telling others about Jesus. By simply telling our friends and those around us that "Jesus loves you" we can spread God's love.

In Walkers....
In our lesson this week the kids learned about Adam & Eve. They learned that Adam & Eve chose to not listen to God's instructions in the Garden of Eden. The kids did a little craft exercise by which they made a paper tree to remind us that we should listen to God's rules.

Sunday Recap for EKidz @ Element Church

2010-11-01T14:35:00.005-06:00

October 31st

Fun day across the board in Ekidz this Sunday! We invited the kids to wear their costumes to services today and decided it was a great day to break away from the regular series lessons and do something different. Aside from the oversight on my part to dress like a clown the day went off without a hitch! Our volunteers are the best around and just plain make things happen!! Here is a run down for each classroom.

In Elevate...
The kids learned from a halloween favorite the jack-o-lantern this Sunday. The main point of our lesson: "..You are the light of the world.." from Matthew 5:14. Our main point Bible verse was Matthew 5:16 "In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father." The kids heard the story of Nicodemus from John 3 and how Jesus said we must be born again in order to be part of the kingdom of God. The teachers explained how cleaning out a jack-o-lantern and asking for forgiveness of our sins are similar. The light of Jesus cannot shine through us with all of that sin/pumpkin guts in our hearts. Only by repenting of our sins and asking Jesus to come in and take over are we born again. The kids had the opportunity to pray to receive Christ as their Savior as the Gospel was presented near the lessons end.
We played a number of fun halloween themed games and gave away a handful of prizes. Eileen's cookies were a hit too!

In Explorers....
We went with a little old fashioned story time for our halloween lesson today. Teachers read "The Pumpkin Patch Parable" by Liz Curtis Higgs while passing around props to support the story. The kids were really engaged listening as the teacher read the story aloud. Sometimes the best thing in the world is a little old fashioned story time! This is a great little book for families to read. Each page of the story has scripture references to go along with the reading.
The kids played a handful of different games today and enjoyed time together checking out each others costumes!

Itty Bitty Walkers...
Today's lesson was on how Jesus can take away all the "icky" stuff inside our hearts and make us beautiful again. Angy did a great job today with her props today! Even baked pumpkin bread for all the kids to snack on! The toddlers rounded the day out by making some cute little fridge magnets to take home to decorate with.

I posted some pictures from the days events HERE. Check them out!

Sunday Recap for EKidz @ Element Church

2010-10-26T17:17:00.002-06:00

October 24th

Elevate class...
Main point: I will put Godly things in my mind!
Bible story: Matthew 4:1-11
Memory verse: Philippians 4:8 NLT "And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise."
The goal of this week's lesson was to show the kids how important INPUT is in our lives. Input directly affects the output. God wants us to fill our minds with positive, encouraging, and uplifting thoughts. When we fill our minds with only the negative that is all that will ever come out!!

Explorers class...
Main point: I will take care of what God gives me!
Bible story: Matthew 25:14-37
Memory verse: Matthew 25:21b NLT "You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities"
The goal of today's lesson was to show the kids that there are many different ways we can apply Jesus' teaching from this Bible story in our everyday lives. God gives us all talents and abilities that are unique to each of us. Jesus wants us to use what He has given us to better those around us. This translates into our physical lives in another way: how do we use the THINGS God has given us to better the lives of those around us?

Walkers class....
Another day of creation under our belts in toddlerville. This week we learned that God made the animals and people! Especially important for us!! WE are God's prized creation. What a day it was when He chose to make us!

Sunday Recap for EKidz @ Element Church

2010-10-18T10:44:00.005-06:00

E:kidz Volunteers are THE BEST! Don't care what you say...they are the BEST!

October 17th

Another Sunday in the books in Ekidz @ Element Church in Cheyenne, WY. So far this month feels more like a typical June than it does an October- love how unpredictable the weather is here. Today in kidz we had the great privilege of seeing 228 check-in's over the three services. That's a pretty nice herd of kids! Going with the "autumn theme" of CHANGE we're getting ready for some BIG changes in Ekidz for our Sunday morning experience. Details to follow soon, but God continues to open doors for us to expand our ministry to better reach children with the life in Christ. Stay tuned for upcoming changes headed your way mid-November!!

Yesterday...
In Elevate...
Main point: I will see people as God sees them!
Bible story: John 4:5-42
Memory verse: 1 Samuel 16:7b "The Lord doesn't see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart."
The goal of this lesson was simply to show the kids that God looks at us differently than we look at each other. We tend to see the imperfections and the outward expressions: God gets to see to the heart of the matter. He sees us from the inside out. Our Bible story today was a great reminder for us to keep our eyes open to those around us and to try to see them the same way God does: who they are on the inside!

In Explorers...
Main point: I will forgive others!
Bible story: Matthew 18:23-33
Memory verse: Matthew 18:33 "Shouldn't you have mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?" NLT
The goal of our lesson this week was to show the kids the importance of forgiveness. Jesus himself commanded that we forgive others. We are to forgive others as God forgives us! Jesus held so strongly to this truth he took it to the cross!! To establish ourselves firmly in Christ I feel we must understand forgiveness AND apply it FULLY to our lives. How can we be forgiven if we can't forgive ourselves?

Itty Bitty walkers....
We are looking at the days of God's creation. Today our topic was "Fish & Birds". The kids learned that God created the fish and the birds. We learned that God created these things for us to enjoy and to preserve. God created everything! We can all praise Him every single day for the creation around us.

REMINDER for parents: Your kids are sent home each week with a Family Devotional take-home. This is a GREAT way to invest in the spiritual growth of your child. Most of the activities can be done as a family and usually don't require much of a monetary investment. All you need is to carve out a little time each week, sometimes as little as 20 minutes. The dividends WILL pay on your investment!

Sunday Recap for EKidz @ Element Church

2010-10-11T13:59:00.002-06:00

October 10th

Elevate classroom...
Main point: I will use my words to encourage others!
Bible story: James 3 & Daniel 2:1-48
Memory verse: "Don't use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them." Ephesians 4:29 NLT
The goal of this lesson was to teach the kids that words do matter. We learned that we can & must choose our words wisely because they have a lasting impact in the lives of those around us. We should praise God with our words by encouraging others.

Explorers classroom...
Main point: I will ask for forgiveness!
Bible story: Luke 15:11-24
Memory verse: "...while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming." Luke 15:20b NLT
The goal of this lesson was to show the kids that we should forgive others just as God forgives us. We learned that it's important to ASK for forgiveness when we have done something wrong. God promises to forgive us and we should make a point to forgive those that hurt us too!

Itty Bitty Walkers....
The kids are learning about the days of creation. In this lesson we learned about when God created the stars in the sky. For our craft activity the kids placed the stars in their very own sky!

Sunday Recap for EKidz @ Element Church

2010-09-28T10:16:00.002-06:00

September 26

Elevate class...
Main point: I will take time to listen to God!
Bible story: Matthew 14: 22-33
Memory verse: Proverbs 16:20 Those who listen to instruction will prosper; those who trust the Lord will be joyful. NLT
The goal of today's lesson was to show the children how God wants us to take the time to listen to Him. We heard the story of Jesus walking on water with Peter. God gives us the strength and the wisdom for every situation we face but it starts with listening to Him.

Explorers class....
Main point: I will obey!
Bible story: The Wise and Foolish builders ( Luke 6)
Memory verse: Luke 6:49a "But anyone who hears and doesn't obey is like a person who builds a house without a foundation." NLT
This lesson was to show the kids that the Bible is full of instructions from God on the best way to do things in our lives. The Bible is the "foundation" we need to begin building our lives with Jesus.

Itty Bitty Walkers class...
Creation lesson today. We learned that God made the flowers & trees. We made our very own trees today as we learned about the day God made them for the very first time.

Sunday Recap for EKidz @ Element Church

2010-09-21T13:04:00.002-06:00

September 19, 2010

Elevate classroom...
Main point: I will do helpful things for others to show them God's love!
Bible story: The life of Timothy. (1&2 Timothy, Acts, Philippians, Hebrews)
Memory verse: 1 John 3:18 NLT. "Dear children, let's not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions."
The goal of this lesson was to show the kids that they should do helpful things for others & that their young age isn't a good excuse for not doing it. By giving and helping others we show God's love to them. It's our mission to show God's love to everyone around us!

Explorers classroom...
Main point: I will be kind to others.
Bible story: The Good Samaritan ( Luke 10)
Memory verse: Luke 10:37b. Then Jesus said, "Yes, now go and do the same."
The goal of today's lesson was to show the kids that we need to be kind to others. God has us in a special place every day of the week so we can show kindness to others. We can all learn from the story of the Good Samaritan. It doesn't matter how important we think we are we are never above stopping to help someone in need!

Walkers classroom....
Main point: God made land and water.
The point of each of the lessons in this unit are to explain the days of Creation to the kids. To tell them what God created and when.

Sunday Recap for EKidz @ Element Church

2010-09-13T13:38:00.002-06:00

September 12, 2010

Elevate classroom...
Main point: I will follow God and make good choices!
Bible story: Exodus 13:17-14:31
Memory verse: Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me. Matthew 16:24
The goal of this lesson was to show the kids that it's important for us to follow God in the choices we make. We talked about how God wants us to follow Him through instructions He gave us in the Bible. The kids were challenged to "look at their feet" as a reminder each time they have a choice to make: to think about which direction God would want their feet to be moving!

Explorers classroom....
Main point: I will follow directions.
Bible story: John 21:1-14
Memory verse: John 21:6a Then he said, "Throw out your net on the right-hand side of the boat, and you'll get some!"
The goal of this lesson was to show the children that they should follow directions. The disciples listened to Jesus when he said to throw their nets out the other side of the boat while they were fishing. God honored their obedience with a plentiful catch! Each of our activities today highlighted the need for us to follow directions in our lives, especially those that God gives us.

Itty Bitty Walkers
Main point: God made everything!
The goal of this lesson was simply to teach the children that God made everything. He started with light & dark.

Sunday Recap for EKidz @ Element Church

2010-09-07T15:42:00.003-06:00

September 5th, 2010

Elevate classroom....
Main point: I will love God and love others!
Bible story: Matthew 22:34-40
Memory verse: Matthew 22:37-39 NLT. Jesus replied, " You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind." This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: " Love your neighbor as yourself."
The goal of this lesson was to tell the kids that God wants us to love Him and love those around us. The children in Elevate this Sunday also had the chance to respond to the gospel message: several of them accepting Christ for the first time!

Thank you Steven for sharing the message of Christ with the kids in the house this week!

Explorers classroom....
Main point: I will trust God to take care of me!
Bible story: Matthew 6:25-34
Memory verse: Matthew 6:25a "That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life-"
The purpose of this lesson was to show the kids that Jesus doesn't want us to waste our days away worrying about things he will make sure we get! We learned that God wants us to trust that he will take care of us.

Walkers....
Under the Sea unit 1 lesson 1
God make light & dark!

Sunday Recap for EKidz @ Element Church

2010-09-02T11:11:00.002-06:00

August 29

Elevate lesson...
Main point: I will follow Jesus' example!
Bible story: The Gospel according to Matthew, Mark, Luke, & John
Memory verse: You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Philippians 2:5 NLT
The goal of this lesson to learn that Jesus took the punishment for our sins. Because we believe we should follow His example in our lives.

Explorers lesson....
Main point: Friends share.
Bible story: John 6
Memory verse: John 6:11a. "Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks to God, and distributed them to the people. NLT
The goal of this lesson was to teach the kids that God loves it when we share. He learned more about it and the little boy that shared his lunch in John 6.

Sunday Recap for EKidz @ Element Church

2010-08-24T11:46:00.006-06:00

August 22nd

Elevate classroom....
Main point: I will take a risk to help others!
Bible story: Esther
Memory verse: Luke 3:11b " If you have two shirts, give one to the poor. If you have food, share it with those who are hungry".
The goal of this lesson was to show the kids that we should help people who are in need, even if it means risking our own comfort and safety.

Explorers classroom....
Main point: Friends help others!
Bible story: 2 Samuel 9
Memory verse: 2 Samuel 9:7a ..."I intend to show kindness to you..."
The goal of this lesson was to show the children that God wants me to be a friend by helping others. All of our activities today required that we helped each other to complete them.

Itty Bitty Walkers.....
Abraham & Sarah share was our lesson topic for this week. We've been looking at ways we shoul share with those around us right from the Bible this month.

LG45 Fall Season begins in September. Sign-up your 4th or 5th grader in the Ekidz lobby today! Thanks to my right-hand man Steven Frausto we will have two choices for small groups this fall! Details here.

4th or 5th grader in the house?

2010-08-17T13:30:00.005-06:00

The new season of our popular LG45 (4th & 5th grade lifegroup) begins in September!

This year we will be offering 2 options for your 4th/5th grade student to plug into a small group outside the Sunday Ekidz experience.

Group #1: Foundations .
An overview of the Christian faith. This group will explore topics such as: understanding God, who is Satan, Why did Jesus die, and how are we part of the story. Each session will include group activity, group discussion, and Bible study/application.
This group will meet in the church offices (Suite 301) from 6-730PM on Sunday evenings Beginning September 5th through November 21st. Weekly planner will be passed out at first session.
Leader: Derek Mowery 307-630-7638 or derek@elementweb.net

Group #2: IN the Family.
This group will look at topics that face elementary age kids today. Each session will include: video presentation, group activity, group discussion, and Bible study/application.
This group will meet in the church offices ( suite 301 ) from 6-730PM on Wednesday evenings beginning September 1st through November 17th. Weekly planner will be passed out at first session.
Leader: Steven Frausto 307-287-9273 or sfrausto@wyhy.org

Sign-up sheets available in the Ekidz Lobby on Sunday mornings or RSVP to Pastor Derek

Sunday Recap for EKidz @ Element Church

2010-08-16T11:30:00.003-06:00

August 15th

Elevate classroom...
Main point: I will show my faith through my actions!
Bible story: Matthew 9
Memory verse: James 2:18b ..."But I say, " How can you show me your faith if you don't have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds."
The purpose of this lesson was to show the kids some ways they can "show their faith" through everyday actions. All students were sent home with Ekidz invite cards to help them in one of those steps!

Explorers classroom...
Main point: Friends stay together!
Bible story: Ruth & Naomi from Ruth 1
Memory verse: Ruth 1:16b..."Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God".
The purpose of this lesson was to show how God wants us to stick with our friends. Ruth was a good friend by staying with Naomi even though it made her life harder.

Walker classroom...
Week 3 of our, "I love to share" unit. Our topic this week was called "A poor woman shares". We learned about the poor woman that shared her good with Elijah. Sharing makes God proud of us!

Sunday Recap for EKidz @ Element Church

2010-08-10T12:24:00.002-06:00

August 8th

Elevate classroom...
Continuing in our Kingdom Tales series this week the goal of our lesson was to learn that we need to learn from people in the Bible and from others in our lives. By applying the lessons learned in the Bible to our lives and following the example from others who also learn from the Bible we will live the lives God wants us to.
Main point: I will learn from people in the Bible and from others.
Bible story: Daniel 5
Memory verse: Proverbs 19:20

Explorers classroom...
Our Spychase lesson this week was another lesson about being friends. This lesson was intended to show the kids that friends work together. We played a couple of games that showed the kids the importance of working together with our friends. God wants friends to work together with each other.
Main point: Friends work together.
Bible story: Luke 5
Memory verse: Luke 5:24b ..."stand up, pick up your mat, and go home."

Walkers room...
Our Under the Sea series topic is " I love to share". This weeks lesson was titled "Elisha Shares". We heard the story of when Elisha needed to feed 100 guests. He shared the food another man gave him and trusted God would make there be enough to go around. Because Elisha shared there God made sure there was enough to go around. God wants us to share our toys, our food, and our friendship with others.

Reward Zone: Extra credit sheets for Elevate & Explorers are displayed on the Reward Zone stations. Great chance for kids to dig in and learn during their week and get 2 bonus tokens for their efforts!

Reward Zone

2010-08-03T13:07:00.007-06:00

This coming Sunday will be the first of many that our kids will have the chance to earn tokens to be used in our NEW Reward Zone machines. Your kids can earn their way to prizes every week: All it takes is a little effort! I'd like for your kids to learn to discipline themselves to memorize scripture, complete family devotional take-homes, bring their friends to church, and develop admiral character traits. Here is what the program looks like.....

Purpose: Program to reward children as they develop in personal character and work towards specific personal devotional goals.

How it works: Volunteers will distribute tokens for the things listed below during the Sunday experience.

Tasks for tokens: Children may present their completed items from below to volunteers during the last 5 minutes of each service to receive tokens.

***Children will NOT have the opportunity to redeem their tokens for prizes during services and will need to do this after services.
***Children MAY share or give away tokens to classmates if they so desire. Tokens will be distributed to Explorers & Elevate age children only. DO NOT allow children to put the tokens in their mouths as they pose a choking hazard.

SINGLE token for….
· Bringing a friend- Bring a friend who has never been to E:kidz before. ( remember that first timers get 2 tokens just for coming )
· Recite the Bible verse- Memorize and recite to a classroom volunteer the Bible verse from a previous weeks lesson.
· Return your devotional sheet- Bring back your completed & parent signed family devotional take-home sheet from previous weeks lesson.
· Character counts- Bring in a COPY of a current Character Counts Award or other character related award you received.

DOUBLE tokens for….
· Bringing a friend- Your friend came back after their first visit.
· Recite the Bible verse- Recite 2 weeks Bible verses.
· Extra credit sheets- Bring back your completed & parent signed “extra credit” sheet from the reward zone display. Extra credit sheets available weekly.
· Serve in the community- Bring evidence that you were involved in a service project at home, in your neighborhood or school, or other organization. (Ex. Newspaper clipping, school newsletter, photograph of event, or parent testimony)

E:kidz LEADERS of TODAY : Do you have what it takes to earn extra tokens?

Tokens will be distributed by volunteers who observe the following leadership habits. Every volunteer will have tokens to distribute during all services.

· Character- Be noticed by a volunteer for your character. Example: Get caught displaying exceptional character during your time in class. Being patient with other kids, showing kindness to a new kid, being honest with the teacher, showing courage by answering questions in front of the class, loving the kids that others have been unkind to, or forgiving a kid who was unkind to you.
· Participation- Be noticed by a volunteer for joining the class in all of today’s activities. Example: Outstanding participation during singing & motions, listening attentively, following instructions, answering questions, doing the craft/project, or engaging other kids to get in the game.
· Awareness- Be noticed by a volunteer for efforts to encourage your classmates. Example: Speaking positively to other kids, encouraging someone who is nervous, helping someone who falls down, welcoming a new kid, outstanding respect for others.

I would love to see these machines get WIPED OUT every single week by kids who are willing to spend a little bit of their time learning about the God that loves them! Support your kids if their efforts: It starts at home!!

Sunday Recap for EKidz @ Element Church

2010-08-03T12:40:00.002-06:00

In Elevate this week...
Main point: I will act with kindness!
Bible story: 1 Samuel 25
Memory verse: Ephesians 4:32
The goal of this lesson was to show the kids that they should treat other people with kindness; they do this with their words AND their actions. Each class found that they have room to grow in this area; many of them struggling to think of a "kind statement" they could use or a "kind action" they could do for someone else.

Explorers...
Main point: Friends say kind words!
Bible story: 1 Samuel 25
Memory verse: 1 Samuel 25:29b ..."your life is safe in the care of the Lord your God" ..NLT
The goal of this lesson was to show the kids that God wants us to be kind to our friends. Making friends is easy when we are kind.

IttyBitty Walkers...
Under the Sea Unit 6: Lesson 1 "I love to share".
The goal of this lesson was to show the kids that we should share. We heard the story of the little boy that shared his lunch with Jesus who fed the crowd and still had leftovers. We learned that God is proud of us when we share and that amazing things happen when we do.

Stay in the loop....

2010-07-28T21:19:00.003-06:00

Become a fan of Ekidz on facebook! Click on the Ekidz logo in the right-hand column to join.

-Stay informed of what lessons your kids are learning.
-Be on the inside track for upcoming events & announcements.
-Catch up when you've been gone.

Sunday Recap for EKidz @ Element Church

2010-07-27T10:15:00.004-06:00

In Elevate...
Main Point: I will make wise choices!
Bible story: 1 Kings 3
Memory verse: Proverbs 2:11
The goal of today's lesson was to teach the kids that God wants us to make wise choices. The lesson showed kids that the decisions we make are either good, bad, or wise. We looked at the story of Solomon and how he chose wisdom over riches and power and how God then rewarded him for making the wise decision.

In Explorers...
Main point: Friends forgive others!
Bible story: Genesis 37: 1-36
The goal of this lesson was to show kids how we should forgive those that have hurt us. We heard the story of Joseph. We saw how he chose to forgive his brothers even though they had sold him as a slave. God expects us to forgive just as he forgives us for doing things he tells us not to.

Walkers learned...
In walkers we heard the story of when some men dropped their sick friend through the roof while Jesus was teaching so that he could heal him. They had great faith that Jesus could do ANYTHING! We learned that Jesus CAN do anything!

Sunday Recap for EKidz @ Element Church

2010-07-22T14:12:00.003-06:00

Elevate classroom...
Main point: I will stand up for what is right!
Bible story: Daniel 3
Memory verse: 1 Corinthians 16:13
Lesson goal: This lesson & it's story were intended to show the kids that God wants us to stand up for what is right. We heard the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and how they chose to take a stand for God...literally. One of my favorite pieces of scripture. God delivers!

Explorers classroom....
Main point: Friends put others first!
Bible story: Genesis 13:1-18
Lesson goal: This series is showing the kids how God wants for us to treat our friends. This lesson showed the kids that we should put our friends first. It's part of making and being a good friend. Friendship is important to God and He even wants to be your friend!

Walkers classroom....
We are learning about individuals from the Bible who showed great faith in their actions. Each of the stories revolves around people Jesus came into contact with. This week we heard the story of the woman who touched the fringe of Jesus' robe in the crowd of people. We learned that because she had faith she was healed.

Sunday Recap for EKidz @ Element Church

2010-07-13T16:08:00.005-06:00

We started a new series in both our Elevate & Explorers classrooms on Sunday. Our new unit in Elevate is called Kingdom Tales. Our elementary age children will study how to live a noble life in the surroundings of a great medieval theme. In Explorers our younger kids will be working through a unit called Spychase. The goal of this unit is that children learn the character traits God is looking for in those who love Him. This unit has an element of mystery to it as we go underground as spy's for 8 weeks.

In Elevate....
Main point: I will do what God wants!
Bible story: Judges 6 & 7. The story of Gideon.
Memory verse: Proverbs 3:5-6
The goal of this lesson was to teach children practical ways they can seek & know what God wants from their lives. We talked about using our Bibles, praying, asking Godly people for advice, and how going to church can help us find what God's will for our lives is.

In Explorers....
Main point: Friends take turns!
Bible story: Nehemiah 2: 1-18 & 4:1-23
This lesson was a great hands on practical presentation about how God wants us to treat those around us. God wants us to take turns with our friends. The story of Nehemiah building the wall was a great way to look into this truth. Everyone involved took turns with different tasks to accomplish the goal of building the wall. The kids even took turns building a wall during their activity time.

In Itty Bitty Walkers....
the children learned from our unit: Jesus can do anything!
We heard the story of when Jesus healed the lepers. 10 sick men came to Jesus to be healed and because they had faith it would happen, Jesus healed them of their disease.

Sunday Recap for EKidz @ Element Church

2010-07-06T15:36:00.002-06:00

This was week 8 of our current learning series in both our Elevate & Explorers classrooms. This is what we learned....

Elevate lesson goal was to teach the children that we can look forward to heaven because Jesus paid for our sins.
Main point: I can look forward to heaven because Jesus forgives me!
Bible story: James 1:12
Memory verse: my favorite John 3:16
The Gospel was presented so clearly today and the kids really connected: 18 of them accepted Christ as their Savior in class! Nothing better than seeing kids reach out for God in their lives.

Explorers lesson today was designed to show kids that we should help others!
Main point: I will help others!
Bible story: Luke 10:30-37. The good Samaritan.
Today we learned that Jesus wants us help others. He doesn't want us to just tell others that we are willing to help people, he wants us to DO IT! We heard the story of the good Samaritan and how he went out of his way to the help the man on the road. Our craft time included coloring pictures of the good Samaritan and attaching a band-aid to it as a reminder that Jesus wants us to help others.

Itty Bitty Walkers lesson today was about Jesus healing a blind man. We learned that by having faith that Jesus could heal that this man's vision was restored. The kids learned that we should be thankful for the sight God has given us too.

Church in the Park: Sunday Recap

2010-06-28T16:26:00.005-06:00

Although we had no kids programming this Sunday as we joined as a church to worship in the park together, kids were still a BIG part of the days events. It was a pleasure to sit back and watch as children worshiped beside their parents and parents worshiped beside their kids. What a perfect day to meet in the park!

The highlight of today's service were all the baptisms. For the childrens pastor the first 7 baptisms of the day are at the top of my list. Seven children who chose to declare their faith in Jesus in front of everyone in the park is humbling to be a part of. Seven kids who want everyone to know that they are on God's team! Three of our candidates today were siblings: another bond they will share forever. Two of our kids were baptized the same day as a parent. The other two just want to be close to Jesus and do the things He tells us to do! What a day! Praise God.

Congratulations Braden, Ally, Trevor, Sabastian, McKenna, Carter, & McKenna!!!

Sunday Recap for EKidz @ Element Church

2010-06-28T16:17:00.002-06:00

Father's Day in Ekidz

I got to spend this week with my family on vacation! A special thank you is owed to Bruce Pagano for filling in for me while I was absent. Smallest number of kids checked in today in over a year. Imagine it was still noisy in Ekidz!

Our Elevate lesson was about giving our best to God. The kids learned that we should give our best to God and to others.
Main point: I will give my best to God!
Bible story: James 5:1-3 & Luke 21
Memory verse: Proverbs 3:9

In Explorers we learned that we should share with others!
Main point: I will share with others!
Bible story: John 6:1-15
We learned about the little boy that shared his food and Jesus was able to feed 5000 people because of his generosity in sharing.

Our Itty Bitty walkers hand-crafted book marks for their dads for a Father's Day surprise. A handsome addition to mark the pages of dad's Bible.

Church in the Park!!! June 27th

2010-06-24T19:52:00.003-06:00

Excited for Church in the Park THIS Sunday @ 10AM. Read about it here in Pastor Jeff's latest blog. See you Sunday!!!

http://elementinsider.com/2010/06/24/church-in-the-park

Sunday Recap for EKidz @ Element Church

2010-06-14T16:36:00.002-06:00

Sunday was our first week with our NEW 1st graders in Elevate! It's like this room got younger over night! Great to see the excitement on these kids faces as they join "the big kids". Lots of extra smiles this week in Elevate! It was also fairly obvious that our 5th graders moved on up to JV Fusion this week. Several of them came to tell me about their first week in youth group!

This week in Elevate our lesson was about learning to pray to God about everything!
Bible story: James 5:13-16b & 2 Chronicles 14-16.
Memory verse: 1 Thessalonians 5:17
In this lesson we learned that we should pray to God about everything. He wants to talk to us and we do that by praying. Our activities tried to show the kids where they can stop and pray during their daily lives.

In Explorers we learned that we should control our anger!
Bible story: Cain & Abel ( Genesis 4:1-16)
This lesson showed the kids how we should learn to control our anger. Anger seems to be a big problem even with the youngest of kids. God wants us to control our anger so we have a clear mind to make the best decisions. When we are angry we don't think before we act.

Itty Bitty Walkers learned about when Jesus calmed the storm. Our activity today had the kids in a circle making "waves" with a play parachute. The kids really seem to enjoy the physical activities! Overall a great day in toddler land!

KidFaith: Pre-Baptism Class June 12th @ 6PM

2010-06-07T13:12:00.003-06:00

Element Church will be holding a Baptism service on June 27th directly after our Church in the Park service for anyone who has recently accepted Christ as their personal Savior and would like to take their faith public through Baptism.

Children who are 7 years old and up who have made a decision for Christ are invited to participate in our KidFaith class. The class will be held on June 12th from 6-730pm in our Elevate classroom. Prior to Baptism each child is asked to attend this short class. A parent must attend with their child. We will briefly cover the topics of Salvation, Baptism, and Communion and attempt to present them in a child friendly manner.

For questions please give me a call or shoot me an email!

Pastor Derek
635-1316
derek@elementweb.net

Sunday Recap for EKidz @ Element Church

2010-06-07T12:41:00.002-06:00

In Elevate...
Main point: I will listen and do what the Bible says!
Bible story: James 1:22 & 2 Kings 22 & 23
Memory verse: 2 Timothy 3:16, " All scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right."
Lesson goal: This lesson taught the kids that we should listen to and do what the Bible says. We learned how Josiah took God's instructions seriously and he shared with those under his influence.

In Explorers...
Main point: I will go to church!
Bible story: Mark 10:13-16 & Luke 18:15-17. Jesus spends time with the children.
Lesson goal: This lesson was intended to teach the kids that it's important to go to church. We looked at a time in the Bible when Jesus made sure the disciples knew that kids were important to Him and His church.

Itty Bitty Walkers....
Main point: God made my family!
Bible story: Jonathan & David
Lesson goal: This lesson was designed to tell the kids how important families are to God. That he made each of our families special and on purpose. We learned about the special relationship David & Jonathan shared. The kids made "King David" crowns to take home.

This week marked the last "official" day for graduating kindergarten kids in Explorers and the last day for graduating 5th graders in our Elevate classroom. Hard to imagine another school year is already gone! We are excited for the incoming kids in Elevate BUT sad to see our 5th graders go! They will be in good hands as they begin attending JV Fusion this Wednesday, June 9th!

Sunday Recap for EKidz @ Element Church

2010-06-02T11:39:00.002-06:00

In our Elevate classroom...
Main point: I will use my words to help others!
Bible story: James 3:2 & Exodus 18
Memory verse: Psalm 19:14
Lesson Goal: This lesson taught the children to use their words to be helpful to others and not hurtful.

In our Explorers classroom....
Main point: I will be a good friend!
Bible story: Ruth is loyal to Naomi ( Ruth 1)
Lesson Goal: To teach the children that we should follow Ruth's example from the Bible about being a good friend. Ruth was loyal to Naomi even though that wasn't the easy thing to do!

Itty Bitty Walkers....
God made my family!
We heard the story of Moses & Miriam. We learned how God makes our families special and for a purpose. We should love our family!

Memorial Day

2010-05-30T21:08:00.002-06:00

James the brother of John was killed with a sword during a persecution initiated by King Herod in AD 44.

Andrew was hung on an olive tree around 70 AD.

Doubting Thomas was thrust through with pine spears, tortured with red-hot plates, and burned alive around 70 AD.

Philip went to Phrygia where he was tortured and crucified in AD 54.
Matthew was beheaded sometime after 60 AD.
Bartholomew was flayed after he refused to recant. After the removal of his skin, he was crucified in 70 AD.

James the lesser was taken to the top of the Temple where a crowd gathered. When he refused to recant, he was thrown down. He survived the fall so a mob beat him to death with clubs in 63 AD.

Simon the Zealot was crucified by the governor of Syria in AD 74.

Judas Thaddeus ministered in Mesopotamia where he was beaten to death with sticks in AD 72.

Matthias, who replaced Judas Iscariot, went to Ethiopia and was stoned to death while hanging on a cross in AD 70. According to Eusebius, the third century historian,

Peter thought himself unworthy to die in the manner in which Jesus was crucified so he requested that he be crucified upside-down. And last but not least,

John the beloved is the only disciple who died a natural death, but that doesn't mean he was exempt from persecution. He was exiled to the Island of Patmos and according to legend, thrown into a cauldron of boiling oil.

Sunday Recap for EKidz @ Element Church

2010-05-25T11:04:00.003-06:00

In Elevate....
Main point: I will do the right thing, not just talk about it!
Bible story: James 2:14-20 & Ruth 1&2
Memory verse: James 2:17 NLT "So you see, faith by itself isn't enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless."
Our goal today was to teach the kids that we should do more than just talk about doing the right thing. We need to follow through on our words with actions. Our love for Jesus should OVERFLOW in the form of serving others!

In Explorers....
Main point: I will do what is right!
Bible story: Esther ( Esther protects her people)
The goal of this lesson today was to use Esther as an example of WHY we should do what is right. When we choose to do the right thing the effects may last forever. Esther chose to stand up for her people even though it could have meant death for her.

In Itty Bitty Walkers....
Main point: God made my family!
Bible story: Mary & Martha
Today we learned that God made our families. We learned that even if we disagree with our family that Jesus wants us to love them anyway.

Sunday Recap for EKidz @ Element Church

2010-05-17T16:26:00.001-06:00

Elevate kids ( elementary )
Lesson 2 from the series " To the Depths": A study on the book of James.
Main point: When trouble comes I will praise God!
Bible story: Acts 16:16-40 & James 1:2-4
Memory verse: James 1:2
The purpose of this lesson was to show the kids how we should praise God in the rough spots in life.

Explorers ( 3-K)
Lesson 2 from the series "City Streets the Musical"'
Main point: I will be nice to others!
Bible story: Acts 10
Today we heard the story of Peter sharing the Good News with the Gentiles in Acts 10. We learned that even when we don't feel like talking to someone that God still wants us to share His Good News with everyone: no matter what we think about them. Lots of Pastor Grant "High-fives" going on in Explorers today!

Itty Bitty Walkers
God Made my Family!
Lesson 2: Jacob & Esau

Sunday Recap for EKidz @ Element Church

2010-05-11T13:55:00.002-06:00

We started a NEW series in both Elevate & Explorers this week!

Lesson #1 from the series "To the Depths: An Undersea Adventure" was to teach children that God wants us to show His love to everyone through our actions.
Main point: God loves everyone and so should I!!
Bible story: James 2: 8-9, Luke 10: 30-35
Memory verse: Galatians 5:14

Lesson #1 from the series "City Streets the Musical" was to teach children that we should obey God even when it is hard.
Main point: I will obey!
Bible story: Genesis 12:1-7
We learned about that Abram obeyed and trusted God when he asked him to move his family far away.

Itty Bitty Walkers: Unit 4 Lesson 1. God made my family!
The kids learned about Hannah this week. They learned that God has a special plan for everyone in our family. Our memory verse was 1 Corinthians 13:8b "Love never fails"

Sunday Recap for EKidz @ Element Church

2010-05-03T15:47:00.002-06:00

Final lesson of our Spychase series this week. By far this has been the most engaging series we've done in our elementary classroom. Each week of this series we've looked a different prophet of the Bible and the lessons we can pull from their service to God. The skits presented with this series saw more kids than ever fully engaged in the lesson. It is very exciting to see the whole room participating. Very fun series!

Main point: I will tell others about Jesus!
Bible story: John the Baptist ( Luke 3 )
Memory verse: Colossians 1:28a
The purpose of today's lesson is to teach children that we should tell others about Jesus and what He did for us.

Our Explorers finished up their series called Entourage today.
Main point: Jesus will forgive me!
Bible story: John 18 & 21
The purpose of today's lesson was to teach the kids that Jesus will forgive us. We heard the story of Peter's denial of Jesus and how He forgave him for pretending not to know him after He was arrested. By Jesus dying on the cross our sins against God can be forgiven.

IttyBitty Walkers
Main point: God sent Noah a rainbow.
The purpose of the lesson was to show the kids how God made Noah a promise to never flood the earth again and sent him a rainbow to remind us of that promise.
The kids got to make their own rainbows today. Looked to me like they had a great time!

LG45 on April 28th.....

2010-04-26T16:55:00.003-06:00

Our weekly 4th & 5th grade small group will NOT meet this week (4-28) because of the concert. Here are the details.......

Sunday Recap for EKidz @ Element Church

2010-04-26T16:48:00.002-06:00

April 25th

Elevate
main point: I will show others God's way!
Bible story: Daniel 1: 6-20. Daniel and the King's food.
memory verse: Proverbs 12:28
The purpose of this lesson is to teach children that we should not only follow God, but show others His way as well.

Explorers
main point: I should show Love!
Bible story: Matthew 25: 31-46. The sheep and the Goats
The purpose of this lesson was to show the kids that there are different ways to show people love and that Jesus is love.

Itty Bitty Walkers
main point: I can obey!
Bible story: the Flood.
We learned that we can OBEY just like Noah obeyed God in getting ready for the flood.

Sunday Recap for EKidz @ Element Church

2010-04-19T14:58:00.002-06:00

Such a beautiful spring Sunday in Cheyenne. Days like today make a long cold winter seem like a distant memory. For me another fantastic day serving @ Element Church. I have the best job in the world. I get to work with a great bunch of guys who love the Lord and will stop at NOTHING to follow the call He has placed on their lives. I get to work with such fantastic people every single Sunday: we have the BEST volunteers! I get to see kids leave happy because they had fun at CHURCH: we have the BEST kids! Great day!! Ok, here is our recap for Sunday......

In Elevate our main point is: I will give to God first!
Bible story: Malachi confronts the Israelites about tithing ( Malachi 3:6-12)
Memory verse: 2 Corinthians 9:7
The purpose of this lesson is to teach children that we should joyfully give to God first.

In Explorers our main point was: I can be a friend like Jesus!
Bible story: Zacchaeus from Luke 19: 1-10 and John 15:14
We learned from the story about being a friend like Jesus from the story about Zacchaeus.

Itty Bitty Walkers: I can obey God! Our walkers learned today about God asking Noah to load the Ark with all the animals of the world. The theme was "two by two" just how the Lord asked Noah to load the Ark.

Sunday Recap for EKidz @ Element Church

2010-04-13T10:25:00.003-06:00

All excuses aside for not keeping current on the last couple of Sunday's. Very sorry but I think BOTH of you will make it! Here we go.....

This Sunday. April 11th.
Elevate kids took part in lesson #5 from our Spychase series on the prophet's of the Bible.
Main point: I will praise God!
Bible story: Isaiah's song of hope ( Isaiah 25:1-12)
Memory verse ( memorize for your choice of glorious prizes!): Psalm 47:6
The overall goal of this lesson is to teach children that we can praise God in many different ways.

Explorers...explored lesson #5 from their series called Entourage.
Main point: I thank Jesus!
Bible story: Luke 17:11-19
We learned about when Jesus healed the lepers in the book of Luke. We also learned that only ONE came back to thank Him! We talked about the things we can be thankful for and that we should thank Jesus for those things. My favorite comment from a 5 yr old today: " thank you Jesus for healing my mom when she was sick". Faith OF a child! Love it!!

Itty Bitty Walkers
This week we heard the story of Noah the boat builder! A childhood favorite of mine....and maybe a 2yr old or two at Element Church?? Continuing on the subject of Obeying God we learned how Noah simply obeyed God. Everyone thought he was just crazy..... until it started to rain!

Last Sunday....Easter Sunday!
277 kids + 25 dozen Eileen's cookies + 1,000 pieces of candy + 300 toys + 100 stuffed animals + 66 AMAZING volunteers = 28 decisions to follow the Risen King!!!

Sunday before.........Jesus loves YOU...and ME...and wants to know YOU and ME! The details don't really matter do they?

waiting for rain,

Derek

Sunday Recap for EKidz @ Element Church

2010-03-24T11:00:00.003-06:00

Elevate
Main Point: I will listen to God!
Bible story: Jeremiah 4 & 36
Memory verse: Proverbs 16:20
The purpose of this lesson was to teach children that we should listen to God.

Explorers
Main Point: I will do what Jesus says!
Bible story: Matthew 4:18-22; 10:5-20; 21:1-7
The purpose of this lesson was to learn to do what Jesus says. Our example of doing this in our lives came from hearing how the disciples did what Jesus said.

Itty Bitty Walkers
Our Bible story today was about Ruth & Boaz. We learned how important this special relationship was to us even today. God had a very special plan for Ruth & Boaz!

Sunday Recap for EKidz @ Element Church

2010-03-16T13:06:00.002-06:00

Elevate
Main point: I will have peace when I'm afraid because God is with me.
Bible story: 2 Kings 6:8-23
Memory verse: Psalm 56:3
The purpose of this lesson is to teach children that when we are afraid, we can pray to God for peace because He is with us.

Explorers
Main point: I tell others about Jesus.
Bible story: Luke 3:1-22. John the Baptist.
The purpose of this lesson was to teach the children that we should tell others about Jesus. John the Baptist was given a special mission from God to tell everyone about Jesus. God wants us to do the same!

Itty Bitty Walkers
We learned about Ruth and Naomi this week. We learned how important all 0f us are and that God has a plan for our lives just like He did for Ruth.

Set the course

2010-03-13T21:15:00.002-07:00

" So each generation should set its hope anew on God, not forgetting his glorious miracles and obeying his commands" -Psalm 78:7

Times are a changin'.....TONIGHT!

2010-03-13T16:38:00.002-07:00

Spring is here! Well it was here today anyway. Tonight we set our clocks forward by an hour: always a mark that the season is changing. Don't forget to set your clocks ahead at bedtime Ekidz team. Going to hear about John the Baptist tomorrow: a personal favorite hero of mine!

See you in the A.M.!

Sunday Recap for EKidz @ Element Church

2010-03-09T17:34:00.002-07:00

Elevate kidz started a NEW learning series this Sunday. Spychase is a study of the prophets of the Bible.
Lesson #1
Main point: I will follow only God!
Bible story: 1 Kings 18: 20-39. Elijah followed God.
Memory Verse: Proverbs 1:10
The purpose of this lesson was to teach the kids that we should follow only God and His ways.

Our Explorers kidz started a NEW learning series as well. Entourage will show the kids that we only worship Jesus.
Lesson #1
Main point: I worship Jesus!
Bible story: Luke 2: 1-21 and Matthew 2:1-12. The birth of Jesus!
Today the kids learned that we are to worship only Jesus.

Itty Bitty Walkers
Joseph's Happy Ending
The kids are learning that God made us each for a reason. He has as special plan for all of us! We learned a little more today about God's plan for Joseph's life.

Elevate kidz blanket collection for CSM

2010-03-02T15:41:00.004-07:00

Update: Very proud of the effort made by our Elevate kidz over the last 8 weeks. Our topic during our latest series has been on servant leadership. We talked each week about bringing an offering to help fill a specific need in the community. For this unit we chose to collect blankets to give to Community Storehouse Ministries here in Cheyenne. They have been collecting winter items for distribution locally in the Cheyenne area. Your kids managed to bring in 50 new or gently used blankets to give to their "neighbors" in need. Many of these blankets came in the door carried by children who were smiling ear to ear because they knew they were helping someone in need. Your kids brought 50 blankets of various shapes, sizes, and colors. All of which will benefit someone who struggles to keep warm. They will be delivered to CSM tomorrow morning. Thank you to all who participated!

Derek

Sunday Recap for EKidz @ Element Church

2010-03-02T15:23:00.001-07:00

Elevate
Main point: Servant leaders help others in need without being asked!
Bible story: Jacob moves to Egypt ( Genesis 45: 16-47 : 12 )
Memory verse: Proverbs 3:27
The purpose of this lesson is to show kids that they need to look for ways to help others before being asked.

Explorers
Main point: God wants me to help my neighbors!
Bible story: Abraham and Lot ( Genesis 13-14: 16 )
In this weeks lesson the kids learned who God was talking about when He said to help my neighbor. We learned ways we can help our neighbors TODAY.

Itty-Bitty Walkers
Our walkers learned about the time Joseph was in jail. We are learning that God has a plan for all of us. God used Joseph even while he was in jail.

Sunday Recap for EKidz @ Element Church

2010-02-26T23:52:00.004-07:00

In Elevate
Main Point: Servant Leaders forgive others!
Bible story: Genesis 45: 1-15 ( Joseph reveals his identity to his brothers)
Memory verse: Proverbs 17:9
The purpose of this lesson is to teach the children that it is important to forgive others.

In Explorers
Main Point: God is good to me, I should be Good to others!
Bible story: Genesis 12:1-9, Galatians 3:9,14 ( The story of Abraham's blessing)
The purpose of this lesson is to teach the kids we should be good to someone else.

In Itty Bitty
Joseph was very special. God did some fantastic things during Joseph's life. In our craft this week we decorated some moon & stars craft pages. We worshiped, and we made a mess!

In LG45 this Wednesday we outlined the books of Nehemiah, Esther, and Job. The kids are really getting involved in some great discussions and asking some great questions as we survey the Bible. I announced plans to "split" the group in the coming months to make room for other kids to attend and to actually have a "small group" for the kids to come to. We've been running right at 20 kids every Wednesday night. Hoping that when we are able to split the class that we keep each group to around a dozen kids. The discussions really open up and the kids connect so much better when there are fewer of them to distract from really digging in! Things are going well in the world of Lifegroups for kids. Positive results and growth on the horizon!

KidFaith class tomorrow at 6PM in the Elevate room for those kids who have signed up to be baptized this Sunday. We will touch on the basics of Salvation, Baptism, and Communion!

KidFaith: Pre-Baptism Class Feb. 27 @ 6PM

2010-02-19T22:28:00.004-07:00

Element Church will be holding a Baptism service on February 28th for anyone who has recently accepted Christ as their personal Savior and would like to take their faith public through Baptism.

Children who are 7 years old and up who have made a decision for Christ are invited to participate in our very first KidFaith class. The class will be held on February 27th from 6-7pm in our Elevate classroom. Prior to Baptism each child is asked to attend this short class. A parent must attend with their child. We will briefly cover the topics of Salvation, Baptism, and Communion and attempt to present them in a child friendly manner.

Please sign up this Sunday at the e:connect table, inside the Elevate classroom, or send me an email.

For questions please give me a call or shoot me an email!

Pastor Derek
635-1316
derek@elementweb.net

Sunday Recap for EKidz @ Element Church

2010-02-16T14:43:00.002-07:00

Lesson 6 in Elevate main point: Servant Leaders are reliable!
Bible story: Judah takes responsibility for Benjamin ( Genesis 42,43,44)
Bible verse: 1 Samuel 20:23
The purpose of this lesson was to teach the children that it is important that others can rely on us to do what we say we will do. When we do this, we are putting the needs of others first.

Lesson 6 in Explorers main point: God will keep His promises!
Bible story: God's promise to never flood the earth again ( Genesis 8:1-9:3)
God promised Noah and his family that he would never destroy the earth with a flood again and God has kept that promise. God will always keep His promises.

Itty Bitty's main point: Adam & Eve disobey.
Bible story: Genesis 3
Adam & Eve were deceived by the serpent and disobeyed God. They ruined their friendship with God. God made them leave the Garden of Eden.

90 days- breaking free!

2010-02-13T19:29:00.003-07:00

Just a thought....

Day 13 for me reading through the Bible in 90 days. My breaking-free challenge includes reading the Bible in 90 and spending more time outdoors just walking. Today as I was casually reading the days assignment I found myself struggling to connect. Deuteronomy is kind of a repeat when read so closely to Exodus. You need to really plant yourself to stay in tune. I tucked my head back into my Bible after a "brief" scan of the facebook happenings to pick it back up starting in verse 15 of chapter 4. The text grabbed me.. "But be very careful!..." vs. 16. "So do not corrupt yourselves by making an idol in any form..."
Well the reason I can't focus on God's Word today is my mind wanders to things that just aren't important in the big picture of life. Being the "all or nothing" personality that I am, today I chose to add a little something to my plan for breaking-free of the status that binds ME. I decided to rid my life of an idol that is standing in my way of really connecting with God. As we just ended our series called: facebook: what's your status? I have changed my status by pulling the plug on facebook. Can't just take a break, I deleted my profile. SO to those of you who are my facebook friends please don't think anything of it. My friendship with you is unchanged. Just cut loose of my very demanding friend....facebook.

breaking-free,

Derek

Sunday Recap for EKidz @ Element Church

2010-02-09T10:36:00.002-07:00

This week in Elevate we learned: Servant Leaders work hard to help others!
Bible story: Genesis 39:2-6, 21-23: 41:37-57.
Memory verse: Ecclesiastes 9:10a
This week we learned about working hard for others from the story of Joseph. Joseph worked hard in every position in life. He was in charge of Potifar's house, in charge of a prison, then all of Egypt. God used him in mighty ways because he always stayed focused and worked hard in every situation. Servant leadership requires us to work hard to help others.

In Explorers we learned that: God wants me to obey!
Our Bible story: Genesis 6:9-7:24
We learned about how God wants us to obey this week. Our Bible story came from Genesis when Noah is asked by God to build the Ark. Obeying God was NOT easy for Noah. God may not ask us to build a gigantic boat for humanity to continue, but He does ask us to follow His commands in our everyday lives. We had a great time making our favorite animal puppets then loading our pretend Ark.

This week in Itty Bitty's.
God made the animals and people.
Bible story: Creation from Genesis 1
This week we learned that God made all the animals. More importantly we learned that God made US. We played an animal game, and colored a picture of Adam & Eve.

Community Storehouse Ministry Project: Elevate kidz have 2 weeks left to bring in blankets to donate to CSM of Cheyenne. Blankets need to be in good condition and ready to be shared!

Have a great week!

Sunday Recap for EKidz @ Element Church

2010-02-02T13:05:00.002-07:00

Sunday, January 31st
Lesson 4 Elevate
Servant Leaders use their gifts to help others!
Bible story: Genesis 40-41:44
Memory verse: 1 Corinthians 12:7
This week we learned about using our gifts, talents, and abilities to help others! Each of our activities highlighted the need for us to share what God has given us: especially our gifts. We heard the story from Genesis 40-41 when Joseph used his ability to interpret dreams to help others despite his situation. When we use the gifts God gives us to help others He will bless us beyond measure.

Lesson 4 Explorers
God wants me to do my best!
Bible story: Genesis 4: 1-17
This week we learned about giving God our best. We learned from the story of Cain and Abel in Genesis that God rewards us for giving our best. We saw how God accepted Abel's offering BECAUSE it was his BEST! Cain didn't offer God his best and God didn't accept his offering. We played a couple different games to highlight the concept of doing our best. We tried to show the kids that winning a game and giving your best are not the same. God doesn't expect us to BE the best at everything: He expects us to GIVE our best!

Lesson 5 in Itty Bitty
God created the fish and birds.
We covered another of God's great creation this week. The fish and the birds were all created by God. We had a Bible story, sang worship songs, and colored a great picture with fish & birds. Really has been fun watching the toddlers get involved each week. Thank an Itty Bitty volunteer for putting so much effort into serving!

Sunday, January 24th
Lesson 3 in Elevate
Servant Leaders protect Others!
Bible story: Genesis 39:1-23
Memory verse: Proverbs 12:26
In this lesson the kids learned that they should do their best to help people around us by protecting them and WARNING them when they are about to do something wrong. Our Bible story covered the story of Joseph and Potiphar's wife from Genesis 39. We talked about how we must make ourselves willing to warn our friends and family when we see them headed for mistakes in their decisions. To develop as servant leaders we need to be ready to warn those around us with Godly wisdom and will help them to avoid doing something that is wrong.

Lesson 3 in Explorers
God wants me to listen to Him!
Bible story: Genesis 3: 1-24
In our lesson this week we talked about how important it is for us to listen to God. God gives us directions through the Bible, from our teachers, and our parents. Our Bible story was from Genesis chapter 3. We learned that Adam & Eve lived in the garden of Eden. We learned that Adam & Eve had to learn a very difficult lesson when they didn't listen to God. Instead they chose to listen to the serpent who led them to make a really bad decision. Sometimes the decisions we make on our own instead of listening to God affect the REST of our lives. All of our activities and craft for this lesson revolved around how important it is that we really use our ears!

Lesson 4 in Itty Bitty
God made the sun, moon, and stars!
Bible story: Genesis 1
Today our toddlers continued their series on the creation story. Today they learned about when God created the sun, moon, and stars. In our craft time we got to make a moon out of foil and put star stickers on a black piece of paper to show what stars look like in the night sky! We worshiped, played, had a snack, and got our diapers changed!!

Sunday Recap for EKidz @ Element Church

2010-01-19T11:04:00.002-07:00

This Sunday in Elevate we learned about another trait of being a Servant Leader: Servant leaders want others to succeed! Today we played a game where the scores were switched at the end resulting in a the opposite team winning. We played a second round where the kids got to see how it looks differently when we do all we can to help others succeed. Its really not our nature to work so hard to help others. Playing a game like this really showed the kids where we all have progress to make when it comes to wanting others to succeed! Our Bible story came from the story about Joseph's brothers jealousy in Genesis 37:18-36. Our memory verse is Proverbs 14:30. Our goal this Sunday was to learn that we should focus on God and trust in His plan for us instead of being jealous of others.

Your Explorer learned that God Gave me my family! We learned about the first family God created from Genesis 2:4-24, 4:1-2. One of our illustrations was to create an outline of what OUR families look like: mom, dad, brothers, sisters, aunts & uncles. We talked about how God wants us to be part of His family. We learned about how important families are to God. We also learned how not all families look the same: how even Jesus was born into a unique earthly family. We learned that we should love the family God put us in! We made chore charts this week to show the kids that we all need to contribute in our families and how that shows love to others in our family.

Our Itty Bitty's learned that God created the plants and trees. Our entire unit comes from the first chapter of Genesis. We're learning about each of the days of creation and the things God created on each day. Our craft this Sunday was to make a flower to remind us that God created the vegetation we all NEED and enjoy in our lives. It has been really fun seeing the reaction of the kids when we break out the craft each week. We are all very excited to be able to offer a simple little lesson for this age group. Make sure to thank our volunteers for their efforts in making this lesson happen for your little one!

Community StoreHouse Ministry update: Elevate kids continue to bring in blankets to donate. We will continue to send home reminders each week until everyone has had the chance to join the collection effort. We hope that kids will change the way they look at tithes and offerings as the pile of blankets continues to grow! Thank you to all who have made your offering!!

Have an awesome week!

Above and beyond?

2010-01-12T10:22:00.004-07:00

During the next 8 weeks in our Elevate classroom we will be learning about Servant Leadership. Part of being a servant leader on God's team is sacrificial giving from the heart. Each week of this learning series we will have our normal offering time for the kids BUT will spend a little time each week talking about how we can give of ourselves "Above & Beyond" the normal tithe we offer. In an effort to make this offering apply more directly to our children rather than a shopping list for mom and dad we have chosen to partner with a growing new ministry in Cheyenne called Community Storehouse Ministries. CSM collects and distributes a number of household items to those in need in Cheyenne and beyond. They are currently in the middle of their winter collection effort. To make things simpler we are going to attempt to collect JUST warm blankets to share with them. This is something that all our homes likely have in abundance that can be shared with someone in need. Any blanket will do: bed sheets, comforters, sleeping bags, fleece blankets. The style is of no importance. Whatever style blanket your child can share will be put to good use!

We will collect blankets during our offering time in EVERY Elevate service on EVERY Sunday in the next 8 weeks. The collected blankets will be transported to Storehouse Ministries at the conclusion of the 8 week offering.

The kids will receive a reminder take home slip each week in hopes that the children express the desire to serve others in this practical way. Lets warm some hearts together!

Sunday Recap for EKidz @ Element Church

2010-01-12T09:03:00.003-07:00

We started our NEW series from Creative Pastors this Sunday called "Starlight Station". In our Elevate classroom we learned that Servant Leaders are Careful of what they say! Our Bible story came from Genesis 37: 1-11. We heard the story about Joseph and the fantastic dreams he had. We learned from Joseph that we need to balance the truth with love when we speak. Joseph failed to communicate his dreams in a way that showed love as he proclaimed the truth that was revealed to him through them. He offended his family and for a time they turned their backs on him. The kids participated in several different activities to illustrate the concept of creating this balance in their lives. Throughout this series we will be taking a closer look at servant style leadership. We have been given numerous fantastic examples in God's Word of people we can learn from. This series will really follow the examples/struggles/victories of Joseph. Our memory verse for this week is Proverbs 13:3. "Those who control their tongue will have a long life; opening your mouth can ruin everything."

Explorers started a fun new unit called "Upside Down Town". Our main point for this week is "God wants me to take care of the world". We heard the creation story from Genesis 1, 3, & 15. God created this beautiful world for us to enjoy but wants us to take care of it. Every single day of creation God made something special. When we respect those things he made we show respect to Him. The Explorers played a game where they put the things of creation in the order they were made. We made little flash cards to help us to remember each of the days and the wonderful things God created on those days.

Itty Bitty Walkers lesson #2 of our Under the Sea series was also about the creation story in Genesis. We learned today that God created land, sea, and sky. Each class participated in 3 toddler worship songs, a Bible story and skit, and a lesson craft. This is only our second week of offering a lesson to this age group. Our fantastic volunteers have been presenting the lesson each week to a varying sized group of kids who show interest. We've had a couple of them show true excitement over this new activity.

As always...Have a great week! Shoot me an email or give me a call if you are interested in serving on the Ekidz team!!

Family Devotional For Elevate & Explorers @ Element Church

2010-01-07T08:41:00.003-07:00

Final week of our Zooplosion & Great Skybridge showdown series in Elevate & Explorers.

In our Elevate classroom this week our main point was: God provides a plan for our future! Our Bible story came from Genesis 6:1-9 :17. We looked specifically at the story of Noah and how things could have looked if Noah wouldn't have followed God's plan and just did what was easy instead. Our memory verse for the week is Jeremiah 29:11 - For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. Throughout this series we have touched on an array of topics that show how animals played an important role in creation and many of the plans God has for his people. What a daunting task Noah had in front of him! To load into a gigantic boat (he first had to build), pairs of animals of every kind must have been overwhelming but Noah continued in what God asked him to do. God had a plan for Noah and He has a plan for you and me!

In Explorers we wrapped up the series with "God will keep His promises". Throughout the series we have followed Moses along the journey God sent him on. Today we looked at the story from the viewpoint of God keeping his promise. There were times when Moses and the people thought God had "left them for dead" wandering in the desert. There were times they waited and waited to hear from the Lord. There were times of joy and times of heartache. In the end there was a promise fulfilled! God keeps his promises!!

Next Sunday: Elevate series "Starlight Station" will follow the life and journeys of Joseph. In Explorers "Upside Down Town" will teach us how to live the way God wants: give, forgive, and keep our spirits up when we get down. Join us this Sunday!

4th/5th Grade LiFeGrOuP starts January 6th!!!

2009-12-30T10:37:00.003-07:00

ONE week left to RSVP for our NEW LifeGroup. Starts WEDNESDAY JAN. 6th!

I would like to extend a personal invitation to you to attend our brand-new LifeGroup for Kidz!! Our records indicate that you are a regular participant in our Sunday Ekidz class Elevate. Our records also indicate that you are currently in the 4th or 5th Grade. Both of these are the only requirements to participate in this New group. If these are YOU…we have a place reserved just for you!!

This small group will be very informal and relaxed. We will dig into the overall theme of Each book of the Bible. We will cover 2 books of the Bible each week and attempt to navigate the entire Bible in 33 weeks! We will participate in group discussion as we cover the material. We will take notes in the form of simple drawings or cartoons that we will save and compile at the end of the course. We are going to have fun, mess around, and learn about the God who made and loves US!
We will meet on Wednesday evenings at 630-730PM in Pastor Derek’s office right next door to Element Church. We will meet for the first time on January 6th, 2010. There is no materials charge for this LifeGroup.

I would like to personally encourage you to jump in and join us! This is a first for Ekidz @ Element Church. Be the First to participate in this exciting new Group designed just for YOU!

To RSVP send me an email: derek@elementweb.net or call 635-1316 today!

Family Devotional For Elevate & Explorers @ Element Church

2009-12-30T10:03:00.002-07:00

Elevate Kids learned that "God provides forgiveness when we ask for it!" Our Bible story this week came from Luke 15: 11-32. Throughout this series our video lesson has contained a short skit that shows "what could have happened" if the men & women in the Bible would have done things differently. This Sunday's lesson was no exception. We got to see what the story of the Prodigal son would have looked like if the son hadn't come home. By looking at each of these stories from a different angle really helps unwrap the story for some of the kids. Our memory verse for next week is 1 John 1:9.

Explorers Kids learned that "God wants me to help my friends". Our Bible story was from Exodus 17: 8-13 when Moses stood atop a hill with his staff raised as Joshua battled the army of Amalek. As the story unfolds we got to see how Aaron and Hur stepped in to help Moses keeps his arms raised so that Joshua would continue towards victory. We learned that God wants us to help our friends just like Aaron & Hur helped Moses. God can do great things through us when we listen to Him. In our story Moses was able to do great things with the help of his friends and God.

Family devotional take home sheets are available every Sunday right next to each classroom exit door. Grab one this Sunday after service. There are a bunch of great activities that can be done alone or as a family every week. I encourage you to take full advantage of this great family devotional resource if you don't already have a system in place in your home.

More than a Birthday.

2009-12-23T10:12:00.002-07:00

Philippians 2: 1-11 (NLT)

1 Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate? 2 Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose.

3 Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. 4 Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.

5 You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.

6 Though he was God,[a]
he did not think of equality with God
as something to cling to.
7 Instead, he gave up his divine privileges[b];
he took the humble position of a slave[c]
and was born as a human being.
When he appeared in human form,[d]
8 he humbled himself in obedience to God
and died a criminal’s death on a cross.

9 Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor
and gave him the name above all other names,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

Thank You Jesus.

Family Devotional For Elevate & Explorers @ Element Church

2009-12-22T14:35:00.003-07:00

This week in our Elevate Classroom our main point was: Salvation only comes from God!
Bible story: The Book of John
Memory Verse: John 14:6. Jesus told him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me".
During this series we have been looking at the animals God created and what we can learn from them. This week we discussed how humans and animals both eat, breathe, sleep, and we hang out in groups. We talked about how we are both born, we both grow up, and we both die. The big difference is that we have a problem with sin. From Adam & Eve's initial disobedience all the way to modern day 2009 we have a problem with sin. Because God is Holy and perfect we are separated from Him because of our sin. God sent his only Son Jesus to take care of our sin problem. The Bible tells us that Jesus is the only way. Today we covered the process of asking God for forgiveness of our sin and inviting Jesus into our lives. Today 23 kids made that very decision! Praise God.

In Explorers our topic was: God provides for my needs!
Our Bible story came from Exodus 16-17:6.
God provided Moses and the Israelites with food and water as they wandered in the desert. We heard the story about how God provided Manna from out of the clear blue sky so they had enough each day to eat. We also learned about the time when Moses struck the rock as God instructed him to which gave them all the water they needed to quench their thirst. We learned about all the different ways that God provides for us. We tried to show kids there is a difference between our NEEDS and our WANTS. Sometimes we get the two mixed up but today we looked at how these really are different. We thanked God for all he provides for us.

Merry Christmas to all! See you Sunday!

Family Devotional For Elevate & Explorers @ Element Church

2009-12-15T15:12:00.001-07:00

In Elevate this Sunday our main point was: God provided Jesus to lead and guide us!
Our Bible story: John 10:1-7.
Memory Verse: John 10:10. The thief's purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.

Jesus is our Good Shepherd. God provided Jesus to lead and guide us towards the best life possible, in this life and the next. In this unit titled Zooplosion we again looked at the similarity between some of the animals God created and how they "shepherd" their own and how Jesus shepherds us. All of our activities revolved around the concept of shepherding. We tried to teach the kids that without some direction in our lives we wander through life LOST. Jesus gives us everything we need to live the best life possible. He is the only way!

In Explorers this week we learned that "God gives me rules to follow".
Our Bible story: Exodus 19,20,34. (covered a lot in one day!)

The meat of our story this Sunday was looking at the RULES God gave to Moses. Rules that still apply in our lives today. We looked at the Ten Commandments ( found in Exodus 20:1-17). God gave Moses some timeless Rules to follow. Rules for all of us to follow! Rules that help us have the best life we can! By following God's rules we can avoid so many heartaches in our lives. We prayed that God would help us to understand and follow the rules He has for us.

Our TakeHome devotional sheets are available at the pick-up doors for each classroom after each service on Sundays. There each have a handful of different family activities and devotional type plans you can use as a family to dig further into the lessons your kids learn each Sunday. Make sure to pick one up next Sunday!

NEW Lifegroup Starts January 6th!

2009-12-08T14:01:00.005-07:00

LG 45 starts January 6th, 2010!

Details....

What is LG45?

LG45 or LifeGroup 4th/5th grade is the first outside Ekidz small group experience just for kids in 4th & 5th grades.

Why don’t you meet on Sunday?

LG45 is meant to connect kids in the 4th & 5th grades outside the normal Sunday program. We encourage you to continue to attend Your Elevate Class on Sundays: This is a small group supplement to your Sunday experience. Our desire is to create a more intimate setting for learning Biblical principles in the middle of the week to show this age group how important it is to Walk a Life of Faith EVERYDAY, not just on Sunday.

What will you learn at LG45?

We are going to learn about each book of the Bible. We are going to study the basics of all 66 books over the course of 33 weeks. We will take notes in the form of drawings or cartoons (no artistic ability required). We will participate in thought provoking conversations about the overall meaning and theme of each of the books of God’s Holy Word. We will compile all of our drawings/notes to record our journey.

Who can participate?

ALL 4th graders & ALL 5th graders may attend. Public, private, and homeschooled kids are ALL invited to participate. Just have to be in 4th or 5th grade! That’s the rule.

Why should I come to church again…..I was here on Sunday?

Just like mom & dad’s LifeGroups: You may not think you NEED a lifegroup….BUT someone might NEED YOU to be in one! Peer influence is big in your life. We want to establish POSITIVE peer pressure in Ekidz. We want you to feel like part of the community that you are! The more you plug into the small groups the more you will feel a part of the large group. This is a perfect chance for you to get in the habit of a midweek discipleship activity so you will be ready when it’s time to enter JV Fusion in 6th grade!

What do I need to get started?

To get started: a desire to learn more about yourself, your church friends, and the Bible. You will also likely need a ride since you won’t be driving for a few more years.

What do I have to buy?

Materials provided. The cost for the materials is $0.00! That’s right…zero…zip…zilch….nada! FREE to ALL 4th & 5th graders who want to learn about the Word of God. The cost will NOT be an obstacle that keeps you from participating.

LG45 will meet in Pastor Derek's office in Suite 301 right next door to the main entrance. We will meet from 630pm to 730pm on Wednesday evenings ( same start time as JV Fusion ).

Questions? email or call me.

In order to have enough materials PLEASE RSVP to derek@elementweb.net or 635-1316 if you plan to join this group!

Family Devotional For Elevate & Explorers @ Element Church

2009-12-08T13:34:00.002-07:00

This week in Elevate....
Main Point: God provides warnings so we can make the best choice!
Bible story: Balaam's Donkey from Numbers 22
Memory verse: Proverbs 3: 5-6 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take."

This week we learned a little more about how God provides for us when we are obedient. The story of Balaam's donkey from Numbers ch. 22 is an exciting story for kids. God used Balaam's donkey to warn him of the mistakes he was making and the big mistake he was heading for. God provided a very unique warning for Balaam. God spoke to him through his donkey!! Don't know about you, but I think I would take very seriously anything my donkey said to me!! We learned that we should trust the warnings God provides for us. We talked about how the Bible is the very best tool to learn about the warnings God has for our lives. God wants the very best for us and we should listen to what He has to say.....even when it comes from the most unexpected place!!

Your Explorer learned.......
Main point: GOD is Powerful!
Bible story: Exodus 8: 1-15, 14: 5-31

This week we Explored the story of Moses & Aaron leading Israel out of Egypt. God showed Pharaoh His power by covering the entire land of Egypt with frogs! Can you imagine frogs everywhere? God was just warming up with the plague of frogs. We also learned about how He parted the Red Sea for Moses & Aaron to lead the Israelites across on DRY LAND. In our craft time today we made a model of this great feat of God's power. We flexed our muscles and shouted God is Powerful as we played a great game of Cross the Red Sea ( yes, there is a game). We learned that our God is Powerful!

Family Devotional For Elevate & Explorers @ Element Church

2009-11-30T16:28:00.004-07:00

Our Elevate class was super high-energy this Sunday! Donuts must have had extra frosting this week. We had 94 kids in Elevate this Sunday....we met a handful of kids who came along with a regular this week. Keep up the good work inviting your friends!

Elevate lesson main point: God provides the courage to live for Him!
Bible story: Daniel and the Lion's Den ( Daniel 6)
Memory Verse: Psalm 27:1 " The Lord is my light and my salvation - so why should I be afraid? The Lord is my fortress, protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble? (NLT)

This lesson headed straight for one of my favorites. Daniel and the Lion's Den from Daniel chapter 6 is one of the first stories that come to mind when I think about COURAGE. Daniel trusted God to take care of him. He had the courage to stand up for God. He continued to pray in public just as he had before the king issued his decree against it. We talked about standing up for God when we have the opportunity. God rewards us for standing up for him. In this story Daniel was saved from the mouth's of Lions because he stood up for God! Will you stand up for your God!

Explorers lesson #3 Main point: God helps me Obey Him!
Bible story: Exodus 3-4

Our Bible story was when Moses was worried about not speaking well to a group and no one in the group believing God had sent Moses to help the Israelites get out of slavery. We learned about how God gives us the tools we need to obey Him. God provided Moses with a brother to speak for him so Moses could help free the Israelites. God provided Moses with a staff that turned into a snake and back again! Moses used this to prove he was sent by God on behalf of the Israelites. We too should use the tools God gives us to obey Him!

Family Devotional For Elevate & Explorers @ Element Church

2009-11-23T14:47:00.003-07:00

This Sunday in Elevate....
Main point: I should trust God to provide for me when I obey Him!
Bible story: 1 Kings 17
Memory verse: Philippians 4:19 "And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus."

Today we learned that we cna trust God to provide for us when we are obedient. We heard the story of Elijah and the ravens from 1 Kings 17. As Elijah obeyed God's instructions his needs were met. We tried to point out that obedience is the key in having our needs met. We really cover those needs outside the basic physical needs that are almost always meet in our American lives. We talked about God providing for us in the way of peace in an uncomfortable situation. Elijah was obedient and God provided. Will you obey God's instructions for you life?

This Sunday in Explorers.......
Main point: God hear ME when I'm sad!
Bible story: Exodus 1, 2:23-25

Today we learned how the Israelites were forced to do really hard work in Egypt. They had to make bricks from mud and were forced to work as laborers in the fields for hours on end. They were given very difficult jobs to do in very uncomfortable conditions. The Isrealites were upset because the Egyptians were treating them so badly. They cried out to God for help and He heard them! We learned that God listens to all of our prayers! We also learned we need to pray to God every single day: not just when we are sad. God hears our prayers and loves it when we talk to Him. Have you talked to God today?

See you next Sunday. Happy Thanksgiving!

Big day at Element Church.....Big day for my little guy!

2009-11-22T19:45:00.003-07:00

Dozens of Baptisms today at Element Church!

Dozens of people going public with their faith in Jesus Christ!

Very special day in the Mowery household too. The first baptism of the day was my son Ethan. Ethan's coming to faith in Jesus is really a special story for our family. Ethan prayed to receive Christ while he washed his hands in a preschool restroom. He prayed that God wash away his sins just like he was washing his hands. He asked Jesus to live in his heart forever and to help him to be a better boy. Ethan took that decision public today through baptism.

Really an honor for my "first" baptism to be my own son! Thank you Pastor Jeff for allowing me the privilege of baptizing all of the kids today! Such a special honor to participate.

Thank you to everyone on the E:team today. Without ALL your help an event like this just couldn't happen. You are loved and appreciated more than we can ever tell you!

Family Devotional For Elevate & Explorers @ Element Church

2009-11-17T13:57:00.003-07:00

We started NEW units in both Elevate & Explorers this week! We started "Zooplosion" in Elevate and "The Great Sky Bridge Showdown" in Explorers. Zooplosion is taking a look at the role of animals in the Bible. We will cover a wide variety of topics in the next 8 weeks most of which revolve around the world God provided for us and our role in it! Our Explorers unit "Sky Bridge" is exploring characters of the Bible and the plans God had for their lives. We are going to open our imaginations to consider all the different things that God asks different people to do in a life of service to Him.

Week one in Elevate: God provided our World, and we need to take care of it!
Bible Story: Genesis 1 & 2
Memory verse: Genesis 2:15. The Lord God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it.
This week we discussed how God created the earth to be both beautiful and practical. He created us to tend and watch over his creation. Might sound like a PC subject of the day, but at the root of this lesson we see how God didn't create this planet for us to destroy it, but to enjoy it and treat it with respect. Our family take home listed a couple things for you to think about as a family. You might even organize your own family "pickup" day and help clean up the trash in your neighborhood! Show God respect by respecting what is His.

Week one in Explorers: God has a plan for me!
Bible story: Exodus 2: 1-10.
In week one of our new series we heard the story of Moses. This timeless journey of obedience from one of God's chosen is filled with valuable insight for all our lives. Especially important for our 3-6yr. old classroom to see how God will use even the youngest of people to accomplish great things! God's plan for Moses started while Moses was just a baby! You don't have to be a grownup to serve God. How much will you allow God to do through you?

Late....Family Devo for Elevate & Explorers @ Element Church

2009-11-13T22:38:00.002-07:00

We probably don't have a huge following for this blog @ Element BUT I want to make this information available just in case someone missed us this Sunday! If you are a regular at this stop, Thank You for visiting! Thank you for allowing us to be a part of your family!

This week's summary of activities comes to you a little later than normal. This week our staff traveled to Glendive, MT for our annual denominational conference. Fun to hit the road as a team. Great to watch as vision for your church unfolds! Exciting things coming for you!!

Elevate Kidz.....Final week of our mini-series Road Trip!

This week we looked into our 4th rule for RV Living: Make sure you're hooked up right! Our Bible verse for the week comes from Colossians 3:23 Whatever work you do, do it with all your heart. Do it for the Lord and not for men. We discussed how this looks for each of us. We really tried to stress the importance of doing everything well because we do it for Jesus! If we hook up right by spending daily time with Jesus through Bible reading and prayer we will have the tools to live life well.

Explorers.....Final week of our mini-series CrossTown!

Our final week looking at God's plan for US! Perfect week to look into God's very best promise of all, Jesus! Our Bible story looked at the plans God had for Mary & Joseph. You just can't talk about God's plans for Mary & Joseph without talking about God's son Jesus. We learned how the plans of everyone we covered in our series came together in the birth of our Savior. Your Explorer got to make a beaded salvation bracelet this week. Happy to report I am still seeing them on little wrists almost a week later! Hope your child made it home with our handout detailing the meaning of each colored bead so they could share what they learned with you.

This week we begin brand new lessons from Fellowship: Zooplosion in Elevate and The Great Skybridge Showdown in Explorers. Always exciting starting a NEW series!

See you Sunday!!

Family Devotional For Elevate & Explorers @ Element Church

2009-11-02T11:41:00.003-07:00

This week was week 3 of our 4 week mini-series in both Elevate & Explorers.

Elevate kidz....

Third stop on our Roadtrip was a cookout. We learned that just like preparing for everyday life we must STOW THE RIGHT GEAR ON BOARD! You don't go to a cookout without the essentials for preparing a meal do you? God tells us we need to PREPARE for everyday life. Time with Him. Time reading our Bibles. Time praying. Clothe yourselves with the TOOLS God freely gives. Just like out Bible verse this week: Colossians 3:12. You should always clothe yourselves with mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. We talked about some of our favorites cookout foods....AND we talked about how God promises to help us with developing mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience in our own lives. Pray this week that God helps develop this fruits in your life!

Explorers....

We talked about King David this week. How God had a plan for his life! How God has a plan for all our lives! No matter how we see ourselves, God see's us as a helper in his plan for life. We made some fantastic crowns today so we could pretend to be just like King David. I think its really super important that we let our kids know that God has a plan for each of them! God asks us to join forces with Him. What an honor to be invited to be God's friend!!

Have a fantastic week everyone!

Family Devotional For Elevate & Explorers @ Element Church

2009-10-27T09:25:00.002-06:00

October 25th, 2009

Elevate kidz....

Week 2 of our mini series Road Trip. Main point this week: Always dump the sludge! We followed our Road Trip crew on another journey across county in an RV. They quickly learned that if you don't dump the sludge...it effects the whole vessel. Just like dumping the sludge in a recreational vehicle we MUST dump the sludge in our lives. We must dump the anger, bad tempers, and language that bring others down. The Sludge in our lives separate us from our God. We all need a Savior to help us dump the sludge! Our Bible verse we will try to memorize this week comes from the NCV. Colossians 3:8. Put these things out of your life: Anger, bad temper, doing or saying things to hurt others... Our film this week was extra funny...hope everyone enjoyed! Next week: Stow the right gear on board!

Explorers.....

Week 2 in our mini series in Explorers. We are talking about God's plan for ME! This week we learned about the amazing plan God had for Ruth. Following God's plan isn't always easy. What would happen if you didn't follow God's plan in your life? What would have happened if Ruth would have ignored God's plan for her life? Ruth's life effected more lives than she would ever know in her own lifetime. Our Bible story talked about Ruth's grandson becoming a king and many generations later Jesus being born into very same family! How we approach God's plan could change history!! Remember: God has a plan for YOU!! Our unit Bible verse is a reminder: ....The plans of the Lord stand firm forever...Psalm 33:11 NIV. Next week we will learn about God's plan for King David.

Have a fantastic week: JESUS LOVES YOU!

Family Devotional For Elevate & Explorers @ Element Church

2009-10-21T14:06:00.002-06:00

This week in Elevate we started an exciting four week series from Lifechurch.tv called Roadtrip. Our theme is taking us through a four week journey on Rules for Living. This week our rule for living was: Keep your eyes on the road! We talked about how sometimes the distractions in our lives keep us from focusing on Jesus. We get caught up in school, video games, friends, and everything else in our lives. Pretty soon our eyes are no longer on the "road". Our Bible verse is a great reminder to this truth. Colossians 3:2 says, "Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things." Next week: Always dump the sludge!

Our Explorers started a mini-series called Crosstown. We are learning about how God has a plan for ME! Our first lesson we looked at Abraham and the plan God had for him. We talked about how God's plan for each of us in His family is unique. Abraham followed God's instructions for his life and was rewarded for his obedience. Our Bible verse for this series is Psalm 33:11.....the plans of the Lord stand firm forever.... God has a plan for you. God has a plan for me. Next week we will learn about Ruth and the plans God had for her.

Have a great week!

Family Devotional For Elevate & Explorers @ Element Church

2009-10-13T11:42:00.002-06:00

October 11th, 2009: This week marked the final week in our 8 week series in Elevate & Explorers. We had a really good time in our "Journey below the Earth" in Elevate and our series "Ten-Hut" in Explorers.

Lesson 8 in Elevate:

Main Point this week: God is Dependable: He should be able to depend on ME! Our Bible story this week came from Matthew 16: 13-20. We saw how God gave Peter big responsibility and how Peter proved that God could depend on him. We discussed some of the ways that we depend on God and in contrast some of the ways we want God to be able to depend on us. Again this week we discussed how we should apply our unit Bible verse to our lives.

Every one of our Elevate kids should have James 1:22 memorized by now. We have given literally hundreds of prizes to kids who have come in with this one memorized ( guessing we have had a few recite it more than once). All the kids have done a great job applying this truth in class. It is my prayer that it goes home with them too.

Lesson #8 in Explorers....

Main point this week: I will be patient! Our Bible story comes from 1 Chronicles 22: 2-19. We learned about how King David wanted to do something very special for God. God told David he would have to BE PATIENT and accomplish his dream through his son Solomon. David wanted to please God by building a temple in his name but God had other plans for David. God granted King David success in his life while he was being patient. We talked about how it is so hard for us to be patient in our lives. We can ALL take something from this passage and apply it to our lives!

We sent each explorer home this week with a "patience" project to do at home. I encourage you to help your explorer through it. Each child should have received a ziploc bag with all the materials they need along with an instruction sheet that they colored portions of in class. It has all the information you need to complete the project. If you didn't receive your kit I do have extras in the office if you would like! Let me know if you need one.

Next Sunday we will have a special lesson in both classes before we begin our next series! Should be fun. See you Sunday!

Family Devotional for Elevate & Explorers @ Element Church

2009-10-06T07:54:00.002-06:00

Sunday October 4th in Elevate.....

Main point this week: God Loves ME: Jesus Invites me to follow Him!

This week we explored the Gospel story of Jesus Christ. We specifically focused on Matthew Ch. 28 when Jesus sends His disciples out into the world to tell of the Good News. We talked about different ways to talk to our friends and families about Jesus. We talked about what it takes to invite Jesus to be Lord of your life. Today's topic really brings home the power of our unit Bible verse: "But don't just listen to God's word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves". James 1:22. If Jesus' disciples didn't spread the Good News ( if they didn't DO WHAT IT SAYS) the church would not look the same today. This too is our command. Not just at church, not just to our friends who already know Jesus, but to the ENDS OF THE EARTH! We are called to tell others about Jesus!

In our third service today we had two young ladies acknowledge they had prayed to receive Christ after the class prayed together!!! Fantastic. Best part is....they were both first time guests! They heard the Gospel and received it! Thank you Amy for leading Elevate today!

Explorers............

Main point this week: I WILL THANK GOD!

We learned today about being thankful for what God gives us. Our Bible story came from Psalm 136 and Psalm 9:1-2. We learned how King David chose to thank God for everything he was given. We learned that King David thanked God with songs, poems, and prayer. We talked about how much God loves it when we sing songs of thanks and worship to Him. We are very, very blessed in our physical comforts here in America 2009. Most of the rest of the world really struggles in their day to day lives with just the basics. We should always give thanks to our God for the blessings He provides for us. Just like David, we can give thanks through songs, poems and prayer! Saw a handful of proud Explorers showing off the thankfulness hand prints they made in their craft today! Love to see a kid leave with a smile on their face!

The shoes.................

2009-09-20T16:02:00.002-06:00

2787 Pairs of Shoes going to someone in need!

Thank you Element Church! Thank you Ekidz & First Impressions teams! Thank you Jesus!

Amazing you are!

Be the Church!!!

2009-09-19T18:03:00.003-06:00

Be the Church Day tomorrow!

No Regular Ekidz Services!

Explorers & Elevate age kids will be working on what has now become a large scale project. The shoes that have been collected since last Sundays services will be cleaned, sanitized, & organized as part of our outreach project. We will sort and prepare them for transport to New Mexico first thing Monday morning. Such an amazing response to an incredible need. Way to go Element Church. I am humbled by your actions. Thank you!

We have a couple other craft projects we will bless our community with to put a break in the action of our main project. Stop in and see us if you can!

amazed by you,

Derek

Ps. Check out the pix below....here are your shoes Element Church!

Family Devotional for Elevate & Explorers @ Element Church

2009-09-19T17:32:00.004-06:00

Elevate Main Point: God is my helper: I should do what he asks me to do!

Bible story: Joshua 3-4. We learned how God told Joshua to do something that was very difficult and how Joshua handled that mission. God was with Joshua and helped him accomplish "the impossible". We talked about difficult things that happen in our lives and how we God knows about all of those things and that he is with us even in the toughest situations. We learned that God never promised our lives would be easy only that He would be there for us through it all.

During our small group time we did an activity that really illustrated how in a visual demonstration how this works in our lives. We started by trying to pick up a regular ice cube using a single toothpick. Impossible right! Well not with Gods help it isn't. Lay your toothpick on top of the ice cube and apply a small amount of salt (a.k.a. God) to the top of the toothpick and wait about 30 seconds. Now pick it up! With God's help we can do anything he asks us to do and He will be faithful to provide the tools we need.

Explorers main point: I will be happy because God loves me!

Bible story: Psalm 57:7-10; 2 Samuel 5:1-4; 7:8-9

Today we talked about the life of King David. From his days as a shepherd boy to his days on the throne as king. We learned that even though David had really bad times in his life and really good times in his life he knew that God loved him. We learned how important it is to keep this in mind especially when we have bad things happen in our lives.

We made smiley face paper plates today....ALWAYS a hit when you are 4! Simple reminder that we can be happy WHENEVER, because the God of the universe LOVES ME!

Family Devotional for Elevate & Explorers @ Element Church

2009-09-10T10:06:00.003-06:00

Terrific week in Ekidz @ Element Church. An extra special THANK YOU to our ekidz volunteers this week! As a church we did things WAY different than our normal this Sunday. Church happened this week with NO volunteers EXCEPT in Ekidz. Our volunteers would have had the day off too, but that level of CHAOS in the worship center would likely have destroyed the message that needed to be shared. So THANK YOU Ekidz volunteers for carrying the torch this Sunday!

In Elevate this week......

Main Point: God knows what is best for me: I should follow His rules!

Bible story: Exodus 20: 1-17. That's right...the Big 10! We learned that God gives us rules because he knows what is best for us that He created! God wants us to have the best life possible but LOVES us enough to give us the choice to follow His rules or not. What choice will you make?

In Explorers we.......

Main point: I will be kind when others are mean!

Bible story: 1 Samuel 26: 1-25. We heard the story of David's decision to show mercy to King Saul even though he was being treated badly. When Others are mean, I will be KIND! God rewarded David for his decision to spare King Saul. For a time King Saul even backed off his pursuit of young David. We talked about being kind in all sorts of situations in our lives. We practiced by making a stick puppet with "kind" and "mean" faces and playing a game where we decided which face we would show others! Had another wonderful day with our Explorers.

Thank you parents for allowing us to spend time each week with your kids!

Derek

Family Devotional for Elevate & Explorers @ Element Church

2009-09-01T15:05:00.003-06:00

Elevate

This week's main point: God is Righteous, I should keep doing what is Right!

Bible verse: James 1:22. But don't just listen to God's word. You must do what is says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. NLT

Bible story: Nehemiah 1-6. We learned how despite all of the challenges Nehemiah faced as he rebuilt the wall around Jerusalem: He kept doing what was right! God honored Nehemiah for his obedience and surrender. Our activities this week focused on continuing to do the right thing even when things are difficult.

Our take home sheet for this lesson suggests that parents spend some time reading in Nehemiah this week. The first 6 chapters of Nehemiah paint a fantastic picture of this prophets life. Will make for a great family discussion.

Explorers

Main point: God Gives me Friends!

Bible story: 1 Samuel 18, 19, 20. We learned today about the friends that God puts in our lives. We heard how David and Jonathan began their friendship. Through many challenges our friends are there to help. God will make sure you have just the right friends when you need them!

Parents: Check out those take home family devotional sheets we send home each week. If you struggle like I do to find relevant Biblical discussions to have with your kids: look no further! These sheets have an assortment of activities that you can include the whole family in. Best part is: your child has already learned the lesson. This sheet will help you to energize their interest so they know you care about what they are learning about our Awesome God.

Have a great week!

Family Devo for Elevate & Explorers @ Element Church

2009-08-27T12:31:00.003-06:00

Kids who attend Elevate: We worked through Lesson 2 of our series, Journey Below the Earth.

Our Bible story: Exodus 17: 1-7. We heard the story of the people of Israel being tormented by thirst as Moses led them across the desert. They trusted only in themselves & Moses to tend to their needs. We leaned that we must trust God to meet our needs, not man.

Main point this week: God is my provider: I should trust Him to meet my needs.

Our Bible verse is again James 1: 22. This Bible verse will be the underlying theme of the entire unit.

We hit a couple of speed bumps in our first service this week. Once again Bruce jumped right in to save the day and teach an extra service. Parents: Bruce is doing a fantastic job leading in the classroom! The man dances WITH your kids! He teaches with clarity and insight. Valuable asset in ekidz: EVERY WEEK! We are lucky to have this fine man of God on our team. Thanks Bruce!

Explorers!!

In our Explorers classroom this week we also covered our second lesson in our latest series. Our main point today was: I will DO what I say I will DO! Integrity 101 straight from the Bible.

Our Bible story came from 1 Samuel 17: 17-52. We followed the steps of David a little more in his journey with God. David was asked by his father to take food & supplies to his brothers who were engaged in battle. David didn't just do what his father asked! When David found out that Goliath was making fun of his God, he rose to the occasion. David said he would go and fight Goliath: then changed his mind and went running! NOOO. He DID what he said he would DO! David trusted God for protection and followed through with his commitment.

Sometimes I feel like I learn more from the lessons we teach the kids and they do. God wants us to be the very best we can be! Do we show our kids this level of integrity? I urge you to read this passage again with your Explorer. See what truths God speaks to your heart! Are we leading our kids with the heart of David?

247 Kids at Element this week! God is so Good! Lord let us be light for your children!

Family Devo for Elevate and Explorers @ Element Church

2009-08-17T15:10:00.002-06:00

Elevate Kidz

Today was our first Sunday in our NEW series called "Journey Below the Earth".

Main Point: God is my Rock: I should use His Word as my foundation!

Bible story: Matthew 7: 24-29. We took a closer look at the parable Jesus told in this passage about building our lives on a firm foundation. We used a handful of activities to show the kids what a number of different things are like when their foundations are weak. We had the kids walk one balance beam that was supported by cinder blocks and one that was supported by pillows. We passed around a bucket of sand and a bucket of rocks and spent a few minutes asking questions and imagining what it must be like to really build a house on sand. We talked about how we want to build our lives on solid foundations. One of our activities was to discuss the foundation of prayer. We used an acrostic type worksheet to outline a few things we are going to pray for this week. We want to Praise- Request- Admit- Yield to our God in prayer. Spend some time this week with your child in prayer!

Our Bible verse: James 1:22

Explorers

Our Explorers also started a brand NEW series this Sunday. The series is called Ten-Hut and has a "soldier" theme to it. One of our many great Ekidz Volunteers brought us a whole room full of decorations for this unit from his own military uniform collection. He even partnered with our local surplus store to borrow the great camo netting that adorns the ceiling. If you haven't popped in the room yet to check it out I urge you to just that.

Our main point in Explorers today was: God knows me and made me special!

Our Bible story comes from 1 Samuel 16 when God anoints David for His service. Our lesson took a look at how God has a specific plan for each and every one of us: He knows me and made me special! God had David in mind to be king. David wasn't the biggest, best looking, or even the oldest child from his family. God had a plan for him and he has a plan for each of us!

Take a look at the Devotional materials we sent home with your explorer this week. There are some really great questions to go through with your little one using the same Bible story we learned from on Sunday. It's a really good opportunity to open the dialogue that God made your little one special and He has a great plan in store for their lives just like he did King David.

Family Devo for Elevate and Explorers @ Element Church

2009-08-09T21:29:00.002-06:00

Elevate Kidz

Main point: To play on God's Team, I shouldn't Quit when times get tough!

Bible story: John 19-20 and Matthew 29:19. Jesus and His disciples faced lot of difficult times, but they never gave up! We talked about how without the perseverance of the disciples that we might not be having church today! It's that important that as part of God's team we just don't quit!

Bible verse for next week: James 1: 2-3

Today was the end of our 8 week series called Super Sports Spectacular. We talked about all of the different topics we have covered since the beginning of the series and how we should persevere in these areas if we want to be on God's team. We covered today the Gospel message of Jesus Christ. We ended with some time of reflection and the opportunity to receive Christ through prayer. Excited to announce we saw nearly a dozen children join God's team this morning!!!

Explorers

Main Point: I Worship God because He Loves Me!

Our Bible story comes from John 3: 1-18, 19: 1-42, 20: 1-9. We learned about Jesus' death and resurrection. We learned how God loves us so much that he sent His Son to die for our sins. The children decorated some "mosaic crosses" as a craft.

This was our final week of our 8 week series on WORSHIP. Our explorers teachers/coordinator also offered an invitation to receive Jesus today. Pleasantly surprised with over a dozen children receiving the free gift of salvation!

Make sure you are here next week! We start brand new studies in both Elevate and Explorers: DON'T MISS IT!

Have an awesome week! There are only a couple left until school starts!

Derek

Family Devo for Elevate and Explorers @ Element Church

2009-08-03T12:49:00.001-06:00

Elevate

Main Point: To play on God's team, I should be humble!

Our Bible story: Mark 10: 35-45. We heard the story of James and John asking Jesus for the seats of honor to His right and left in the Kingdom. Jesus pointed out that even if they would "drink the cup" that He would: these spots belong to those for whom they have been prepared. Jesus reminded them that "whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all." Jesus himself did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many!

The Bible verse we will memorize for next week: Proverbs 11:2.

Today we applied the lesson on humility to our game of volleyball. The teacher played on one of the teams along with the kids. Without the children knowing, the teacher played to whole game "hogging" the ball. Taking all of the shots. Even taking the ball from his own teammates. Thought for a moment we were going to have a riot on our hands! This showed the children a practical lesson on humility they can practice in their daily lives. Nobody wanted to play on the teachers team because the teacher had to be in the spotlight just like James & John wanted to be "above" the other disciples on Jesus' team.

Explorers

Main point: I Worship God when I obey Him!

Bible story: Genesis 12: 1-20. We learned about how Abraham obeyed God when he told him to leave his family and move to another country. We learned that even though God may ask us to do something difficult that we will be blessed by Obeying Him! In the end Abraham was blessed just as God had promised.

Our craft was an illustration of how we would pack for a trip just like Abraham did in our story. This gave the children the chance to see just how difficult this must have been for Abraham to do.

Today was our second and final week of collections for our SafeHouse donation. We had a number of kids participate. Very good effort for a first time project! Look for more serving opportunities in the near future!

Overall we had a very busy day in Ekidz this Sunday. Thank you for all 190 kids you brought us! WOW. Thank you volunteers.....wouldn't happen without you!

Love you ALL!

Derek

Elevate Kids Donate Food to Salvation Army

2009-07-27T14:36:00.004-06:00

PROUD of your kids is what I am!

Here is a final list of the things THEY brought in that I just dropped off at our Salvation Army Soup Kitchen.

71 CANS of food: veggies, fruit, meat, pasta.
12 BOXED dinners: mac & cheese, Helper, Betty Crocker meals
4 BOXES of cereal
2 BOXES of crackers & cookies
2 BARS of soap
1 BOTTLE shampoo
1 PUDDING
1 PENCIL & eraser combo

and last but not least: 1 GOLF ball: Bright Green! That was funny...whoever you are!

The guys in the picture above helped me to unload the goods into the shopping cart in the picture. You almost had it completely filled to the top. They wanted me to make sure you ALL know how cool it is that a bunch of young kids got together to help a neighbor! These guys are proud of you and so am I!!!

Thank you all for joining in the effort! Serve at ALL times!

Derek

Family Devo for Elevate and Explorers @ Element Church

2009-07-27T10:24:00.002-06:00

Elevate Kids

Topic this week: To play on God's team, I must never give up praying!

Bible story: Luke 18: 1-8. We heard from Jesus' story of the persistent widow. We learned that we should never give up praying. We discussed all the different ways that God answers prayer in our lives. We talked about how He wants us to pray persistently for the things we need in our lives. We played several different games that illustrated the methods by which God answers pray: YES, NO, or WAIT. We challenged the kids to continue to pray for things they want to see in their lives until they see one of these answers from God.

Bible verse for next week: 1 Thessalonians 5:17. Going to have to buy all new prizes after this week! Should see close to 100% memorization on this one!

Today was our 2nd Sunday of collecting our non-perishables for Salvation Army. We have a handsome collection of decorated bags ready to go. I will post later in the week just how much we were able to collect. So proud of all of you!

Explorers

Topic for this week: I worship God when I LOVE others!

Our Bible story came from: Acts 3: 1-10. We heard the story of a lame man who begged for money every day at the temple. We learned how Jesus' disciples Peter and John healed him so he could walk instead of giving him money. The disciples WORSHIPED GOD by showing LOVE to this man instead of just passing him by like so many others.

I am very proud of each of our Explorers! Many of them participated in our effort to collect toothbrushes and toothpaste for kids in need at Safehouse. You still have another week in case you weren't able to make it to the store this week! We will deliver these gift bags following NEXT Sundays services. So don't hesitate to bring those gift bags in. Thank you so much for participating!

Have an awesome week!

Family Devo for Elevate & Explorers @ Element Church!

2009-07-20T14:32:00.002-06:00

Elevate Kids:

Our main point this week: To play on God's Team, I need to Serve and Help those around me!

Bible story: John 13:1-17. Jesus took on the role of the ultimate servant as he washed His disciples feet. We even played a fun little game that involved our own dirty feet.....ask your student about that one!

Our Bible verse we will try to memorize: 1 Peter 5:5b. Our verse tells us that to live a life of excellence we must be willing to serve others!

We collected some of our kids decorated bags from last weeks service project/activity. We are well on our way to donating an impressive spread to the local Salvation Army. So proud of all you have already done! Don't forget to bring your bags in this coming Sunday....You didn't miss out on the opportunity yet!

Explorers

Our main point today: I worship God when I give!

Our Bible story came from Luke 21: 1-4. We heard the story of the poor woman who worshiped God by giving her ONLY two coins as an offering. We talked about how true this story is in the lives of the class (3yrs-K) as we don't have "a lot" of money to offer by worldly standards but it is the "heart" that gives that is what Jesus wants, not our money. God doesn't want our MONEY....He wants our HEARTS!

We practiced giving an offering using paper coins we decorated then giving them away! I can't begin to describe the generosity of our Explorers: very humbling to see a child give ALL they have! Our teachers and helpers are learning more from the kids than they are from us!

We invited our Explorers to participate in their FIRST EVER community service project also. In the spirit of giving we asked each child to decorate a small paper bag that they took home with them yesterday. We are asking that parents take a couple minutes and swing by the local discount store, dollar store, big box store....wherever you like to shop and hand pick a specific item for their bags. We are asking that you and your child pick out a toothbrush and some toothpaste to put in that bag. This will only take $2-3 depending on where you shop! The impact this will have for your child to GIVE to someone who doesn't have should be great! We will collect these items for the next TWO Sundays then donate them to a local organization. We will give our collection to Safe House: where children their ages go EVERYDAY to escape abuse in their homes. When they leave those situations there is not time to grab their toothbrush & toothpaste: so we will do our best to provide for as many of them as we can!

Thank you for participating in our service projects. Help OUR KIDS be the hands and feet of Jesus to someone in our community!

loving Jesus & His children,

Derek

34 Baptisms!

2009-07-20T00:58:00.004-06:00

Element Church sees 34 Baptized this Sunday! What an awesome event! Such an incredible day when 34 people take their Faith public and be Baptized in front of several hundred right out in front everyone! AWESOME DAY!

Great Start Elevate Kids!

2009-07-19T23:28:00.002-06:00

Great start to our Salvation Army Food Drive in Elevate! Fantastic job so far! These bags are all full of great items being generously donated to the Salvation Army. We will collect bags again next weekend if anyone wasn't able to bring theirs in this week. Keep up the Awesome work Elevate kids!