FAMILY PLUS Children's - April 28

Hey everyone!

I hope you enjoyed your time of family worship over the Easter holiday. Those are special times and experiences with your kids! This week your kids will be talking about the same "awakening" that we were called too during our Easter worship concert. We will be covering the Easter lesson this week because we did not have connect groups last week.

Here is exactly what we will be talking about:

Scripture: Matthew 26-28-The Resurrection Story


Life Application: I can receive forgiveness and eternal life when I confess Jesus as Savior and Lord.


Memory Verse:  1 John 4:14 “Furthermore, we have seen with our own eyes and now testify that the Father sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.”


I'm praying hard for your kids this week. We are going to be talking about the sole reason our Savior came to this world. May God give His grace to those discussions.


Coming Class:


The New Christians class will be on May 22 and 29 at 10:45AM. This is a class that covers the basics of our faith. We want to ensure the kids who have made or are close to making decisions understand the truth clearly. If you are interested in your child attending this class please email me at jnorris@gladevillechurch.org.

Jared Norris
Children's Minister
The Glade Church 

FAMILY PLUS Children's - April 21

Hey everyone!

I hope you're getting excited about Awakening! I can't wait! This season change is one of my favorite times of the year. Katie, Carter, and I have already taken advantage of the change to go for walks in the park and do some hiking. I know many of you are spending your Saturday's at the park with soccer, baseball, and softball. That is a great place to notice what God is doing around you and begin to bring up Easter. Once as a kid, my family went for a hike around a lake. While on the hike my dad, a former 4H leader and agriculture teacher, would stop and ask us to name a certain type of tree or flower. My brother and I had no clue what those plants were, but what dad did do is o pen our eyes up to what was around us. In the spring, God transforms the dormant of creation into the vibrant creation. It's as if the world has awakened. This is what Christ Jesus has done for those who place their faith in Him. We go from having no hope to having the hope of an eternity with God. Our lives become vibrant through faith in his sacrifice. Use this season change to start a conversation.

This week we have no connect groups or Kidstuf worship; however, I do want to put a few resources in your hands. I hope these are helpful to you and your kids.

Free: Splink - This is a free weekly email that contains 3 ideas with activities to use with your kids to help pass along a Biblical truth. Each of the ideas are easy and helpful in beginning conversations with your kids. To register for the free weekly email cli ck here and type in your info.

$1.99: Fighter Verse App (iPhone/iPad and android): This is an app for your iPhone/iPad or android smartphones that was designed to help with scripture memory. The app contains over 500 verses that are useful to help followers of Christ combat sin in their life. What would happen if your children were equipp ed with God's Word before they were truly tempted?

$9.99 or less: Gameday for the Glory of God by Stephen Altrogge (paperback, kindle, ibook also has it available)  - I know many of your are spending hours out on the field this spring. This may be a helpful guide for you when working with your kids.

Jared Norris
Children's Minister
The Glade Church

FAMILY PLUS Children's - April 14

Hey everyone!

I can't wait for your kids to get back to church this week! We are going to have a big huge blowout in Kidstuf this week! Why? Because this week Jesus Christ is coming back to Jerusalem! You may be saying, "what's the big deal about that?" Jesus entered Jerusalem in the fashion of a king, knowingly walking to his death. This week your child will get to celebrate this truth.

Scripture: Matthew 21:1-11- The triumphant entry


Life Application: I can praise Jesus because He is the Son of God.


Memory Verse:  Matthew 21:9b “Praise God for the Son of David! Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the LORD! Praise God in highest heaven!” 

Prayer for the Nations: China, again this week! (Specifically praying for orphans in China. Josh Savley will be sharing with the kids about the orphans and his experiences from China.)

This week I want to challenge you to connect some dots in the mind of your child. What does the Triumphal Entry mean for the Chinese orphan? Part of the reason we are praying for the nations in Kidstuf is because our children have to have a kingdom mindset. This past week we taught that Christ died for all nations, backgrounds, and types of people. On the way home from church on Sunday you may want to ask the following questions to help reiterate the truth that Christ willingly walked into death that the "world" (John 3:16) might know his Father:

What country did you pray for in Kidstuf today?

What was your story about in Kidstuf today?

Why is it so important for the world that Jesus walked into Jerusalem?

Hopefully, these suggested questions can help begin a simple dialogue with your kids about the significance of Jesus' entry into Jerusalem for the entire world, not just for them.


Jared Norris
Children's Minister
The Glade Church

FAMILY PLUS Children's - April 7

Hey everyone!

Currently we are covering God's love with your children. Last week we talked about how Jesus truly was God's son and how it was a BIG deal that God gave up his own sinless son. This week we will be discussing how God accepts those of all ages and all backgrounds; however, only those who come in a certain way (through child-like faith in Jesus Christ) will get to be a part of His Kingdom.

Here are the details of what we are talking about:

Scripture: Mark 10:13-16

Life Application: I can trust Jesus loves people of all ages.

Memory Verse:  Mark 10:14- He said to them, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children.”

I challenge you to think about how you've treated others. Find a story from your past of how you've treated someone of a different age/background good or bad. Tell your kids the story and talk about what made that experience incredible or what should've happened. Kids latch onto stories, especially their parent's stories. I think the best story times are in the car or at bedtime, but take advantage of anytime.

As we approach this Easter season, I'm praying a prayer of salvation and a deep rooting of faith for your children. That's where my heart is this week as we've prepared for Kidstuf this Sunday. Pray that prayer with me the next few weeks.

New to Kidstuf!- Each week we will be watching a video or viewing photos from the specific country we will be praying for. We are trying to follow along with our church's journey in Operation World. Keep an eye out for the Prayer for the Nations each week in the Family Plus Update.

Prayer for the Nations: This week is China.