Horizons Kids

Summer Transitions

2011-06-28T14:34:00.000-04:00

Hey Parents,

Now that school's out, it's time to think about group transitions. If you have a child that will be moving to a new group (Preschool/age 4-K, Kids Church/1st-6th grade, Youth Group/6th-12 grade), here's all the info and dates you need to know:

If your child completed Kindergarten and is moving to 1st grade in the Fall, he or she will begin attending our Kids Church on Sunday, July 3.

If your child completed 5th grade and is moving to 6th grade in the Fall, he or she can begin attending Youth Group in September. There will be a lock-in one night in August to welcome them and introduce them to the other kids. At Horizons, we consider 6th grade to be a major transition year, and we realize that not all 6th graders make that transition at the same speed. So, although 6th graders are welcome to be a part of the Youth Group, they are also welcome to remain in the Kids Church. They can attend either group, or both, based on their comfort level. If you have any questions about Youth Group, you can contact Scott Mocabee.

If your child completed 6th grade and is moving to 7th grade in the Fall, he or she can attend Kids Church through the end of August. Once September begins, they will participate in our Adult Worship service on Sunday mornings. Beginning in July, your child may start volunteering to be a part of our Ministry Teams. There are many ways for them to get involved, and many kids have found great fulfillment by joining the Nursery or Preschool teams.

If you have any questions about your child's transition, feel free to contact me by email or at the church office (540-288-0018).

Thanks so much for letting me and my team serve you and your family.

- Pastor Jim

It's All About ME!!

2011-04-12T16:24:00.000-04:00

This past Sunday in the Kids Church (1st-6th grades), the kids learned that being a Christ-follower means that we have to battle against our natural instinct to be selfish, because giving our lives to God means we want what He wants.

We talked Judas, and how he was faced with the choice between God's Kingdom and personal gain. We talked about seeking God's Kingdom first, because nothing else lasts.

In our small groups, we asked:

What do you love? We asked the kids to tell us about the things that are important to them.
What does it mean to seek God's Kingdom first? We explained that when we make God #1 in our lives, we care about the things He cares about. We came up with a list of things that God values that people sometimes don't.
How can you make God #1 this week? We explained to the kids that we sometimes have to give up something or do things differently in order to keep God #1. We asked them what they needed to give up or do less in order to show God that He is #1 in their lives. We encouraged the kids not to let anything take the place of God in their lives this week.

Our verse for this week is Matthew 6:21 (CEV) "Your heart will always be where your treasure is."

Overcoming Instincts

2011-04-05T10:34:00.000-04:00

Over the past few weeks in the Kids Church (1st-6th grades), we've been talking about our Instincts.

More specifically, we've been talking about how to overcome our desire to give in to our sinful instincts. In week one of our series, we talked about our desire to fit in. We talked about the story of Jesus riding into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. When the people shouted and praised him, the religious leaders told him to make them stop. Jesus told them that if they stopped, then the rocks would cry out (Luke 19:36-39). He could have hushed them and kept a lower profile, but he knew that their worship was pleasing to God. We used this story to talk about God's desire for us to be peculiar people (1 Peter 2:9 KJV), not worrying what people think of us when we worship and live our lives for God.

In week two, we talked about our desire to let other people deal with problems. The kids learned that being a Christ-follower means that we must care about justice (Psalm 11:7), and not just sit by when we see things happening around us that we know are wrong. We talked about Jesus clearing the money changers out of the temple, because what they were doing was hurtful to others and displeasing to God (Matthew 21:12-17). The kids learned that when they stand up for what's right, God always stands with them.

This past Sunday, we talked about our desire to take the easy way. We talked about Jesus praying in the garden before he was arrested. He knew what was going to happen, and he asked God to find another way. However, he also submitted to God's will (Matthew 26:36-40). The kids learned that living life for God is often the difficult option, because it goes against our sinful desires and instincts (Matthew 7:13). The kids also learned that when we choose the difficult path of following God's will, He blesses us and helps us through it. When we choose the easy way, we miss out on the great things God has planned for us, and we hurt our relationship with Him.

Instinct

2011-03-15T15:07:00.000-04:00

"If you follow your selfish desires, you will harvest destruction, but if you follow the Spirit, you will harvest eternal life." - Galatians 6:8 (CEV)

Just like animals, people have instincts. Because we are born sinful, our natural instinct is often to do what is wrong.

Beginning this Sunday in Kids Church (1st-6th grade), we will begin a new series, called Instinct. During this six-week series, we will learn about the Passion week, and what happens when we give in to, or overcome, our instincts.

The kids will be learning that being a Christ follower means that we have to overcome the desire to fit in, inaction, taking the easy way, materialism, popularity, and clinging to our sinful self.

Each week, we will be learning that following Jesus every day is a choice. Choosing Jesus isn't always easy, but it is the best choice we will ever make!

Check back here each week to follow along with our new series, Instinct.

A Hero is Selfless

2011-02-21T13:55:00.000-05:00

This week in the Kids Church (1st-6th grades), we continued our Be The Hero series by learning that heroes are selfless.

The kids learned the value of putting others first, and not making everything about themselves.

We talked about John the Baptist, who chose to deflect any praise that came his way so that Jesus was given the honor he deserved. We also discussed what the Bible says about being humble, and that every person is equally important to God.

Our verse for this week is Philippians 2:3 (CEV): "Don't be jealous or proud, but be humble and consider others more important than yourselves."

Here's what we talked about in our small groups:

Who do you know that is selfless?

We talked about people in our lives who are selfless, and how those people make a difference in our lives.

Why is important to be selfless?

God wants us to see others as important, because they are important to Him. When we are focused on ourselves, we can't do that.
As a group, we listed some examples of times that we put ourselves first. We talked about how the lives of the people around us would be changed if we were selfless in those situations.

How will you be selfless this week?

We asked the kids to come up with some ways that they will be selfless this week. We encouraged them to show their friends how important they are to God this week.

Next week, the kids will learn that The Hero is Cool-Headed.

The Hero Honors Others

2011-02-14T13:44:00.000-05:00

This week in the Kids Church (1st-6th grades), we continued our Be The Hero series by learning that heroes honor others with the things they say.

The kids learned the value of being encouragers to their friends and families, and that we should use the things we say to build people up, rather than tearing them down.

We talked about Barnabas, who traveled with Paul, encouraging new believers as they began their lives as Christ-followers. We also discussed what the Bible says about the power of our words, and that everything we say, good or bad, has a long-lasting impact on the lives of others.

Our verse for this week is 1 Thessalonians 5:11a (NIV): "Therefore encourage one another and build each other up..."

Here's what we talked about in our small groups:

What is it like to be an encourager?

We talked about times that we have encouraged others, and how we thought that encouragement impacted them.

How does being an encourager make us a hero?

A little encouragement can go a long way. When we build people up with our words, we help them to see how special they are to God.
As a group, we talked about some scenarios in which a person might make a difference. We talked about how that encourage could make a difference to someone.

How will you be an encourager this week?

We asked the kids to think of a friend or family member that needs encouragement this week. We talked about what they would say to build them up this week.

Next week, the kids will learn that The Hero is Selfless.

Be The Hero!

2011-02-09T11:21:00.002-05:00

In every story, there is one person who stands out from the rest. This person is the one that lives by a different code, makes sacrifices that others won't, and makes the world a better place. This person is the hero.

This past Sunday, we began a new series in the Kids Church (1st-6th grades) called Be The Hero. Over the next 6 weeks, the kids are going to be looking at the attributes of a hero, based on the definition of love in 1 Corinthians 13. The kids are going to learn that the hero is content, honoring, selfless, cool-headed, forgiving, and protective.

Our goal in this series is to teach kids that God has called us all to be heroes in the lives of our friends, families, and acquaintances.

In our first week of the series, we learned that The Hero is Content. We talked about how jealousy hurts our relationships with others because it means instead of wanting good things for others, we are focused on ourselves. We also learned that jealousy hurts our relationship with God because it means we are not satisfied with the blessings he has already given us.

We talked about Jesus' teaching on Treasures in Heaven (Luke 12:13-34). The kids learned that Jesus wants us to focus on the Kingdom of God, rather than material possessions that do not last.

Our memory verse for this week is, "It's healthy to be content, but envy can eat you up." -Proverbs 14:30 (CEV)

Here's what we discussed in our small groups:

Have you ever felt really jealous?
Why is important to be content?

When we focus on what we don't have, we lose sight of the ways that God has blessed us.
As a group, we came up with a long list of the ways that each of us are blessed. We pointed out that every kid is blessed in different ways.

How can jealousy keep us from being true friends?

When we are jealous of our friends, we don't truly want what's best for them. A true friend wants others to be blessed.
We asked each kid to think of a close friend and then come up with a way to pray for that friend to be blessed. We encouraged the kids to pray that their friends would be more blessed than they are.

This coming Sunday, the kids will learn that The Hero Honors Others, as we discuss what it means to encourage and build people up, rather than tearing them down.

Repent

2011-01-20T16:31:00.001-05:00

This past Sunday in Kids Church (1st-6th grade), we continued our Build-a-Prayer series. The focus of this series is to teach kids how to communicate and connect with God through prayer.

In this third week of our series, we talked about repenting. The kids learned that when we talk to God, we need to make sure that we deal with any sin in our hearts. We explained that repenting means to ask for forgiveness for our sins, and then stop doing it.

We talked about the story of the Prodigal Son, and the kids learned that in order to truly repent, that must recognize that they are headed down the wrong road, and then turn around and go the other direction.

In our small groups, we discussed the following questions:

Have you ever tried to stop doing something? We talked about times that the kids tried to completely stop doing something that they knew was wrong.

Why is it so important to repent when we pray? We explained to the kids that in our relationship with God, sin always gets between us, so we need to repent so that we are talking to Him with a pure heart. As a group, we came up with a list of sins that are the most difficult for us to stop doing. We encouraged the kids not to give up, no matter how difficult it is.

How do you break a sinful habit? We explained to the kids that getting sin out of our lives takes more than just stopping what we're doing. Repenting means that we turn and go the other way. We discussed some steps that we should take when trying to eliminate sin from our lives (ex., pray about it, read Bible regularly, find a new activity to replace the old one, talk to parents, etc.). We encouraged the kids to repent when they pray this week, and to know that God promises to always forgive us and give us the strength we need.

Our verse for this week is 1 John 1:9 - "But if we confess our sins to God, he can always be trusted to forgive us and take away our sins."

Praise

2011-01-13T15:49:00.000-05:00

This past Sunday in Kids Church (1st-6th grade), we continued our Build-a-Prayer series. The focus of this series is to teach kids how to communicate and connect with God through prayer.

In this second week of our series, we talked about praising God. The kids learned that when we praise God, we show him the respect he deserves. We explained that God desires a relationship with us, and when we focus on praising him first, rather than just giving him a list of requests, we express that are love for him is more important than our needs.

We talked about the book of Psalms and focused on Psalm 100, which teaches us to enter God's presence with a joyful song.

In our small groups, we discussed the following questions:

What's the best compliment you've ever received? We talked about the nice things that people have said about us and the way we felt about it.

Why do we praise when we pray? We explained to the kids that when we praise God, we let him know that we love him and that praise is a sign that we have a real relationship. We went around our group and had each kid come up with at least one praise for God, and explained that because God is so amazing, it isn't difficult to find ways to praise him.

How do we give God the honor and respect he deserves? We explained to the kids that God should be #1 in our lives. As a group, we talked about things that keep us from making God our highest priority. The kids learned that when we pray without praising, we are making our wants and needs #1, instead of God.

Our verse for this week is Psalm 100:2 - "Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs."

Build-a-Prayer

2011-01-04T13:35:00.000-05:00

Hey Parents,

As we begin 2011, the Kids Church (1st-6th grades) will be taking a few weeks to learn how to pray.

We began our Build-a-Prayer series this past Sunday by learning the importance of everyday prayer. We talked about Daniel and his willingness to face death by lions in order to maintain his prayer life.

The kids learned that everyday prayer is important because it helps us to communicate with God and connect to Him. Over the next four weeks, we will learn how to pray by using Praise-Repent-Ask-Yield as our formula.

Our verse for this week is: Colossians 4:2 - "Never give up praying. And when you pray, keep alert and be thankful."

Have a great week!

Pastor Jim

Fall Family Fun Fest

2010-10-27T12:23:00.001-04:00

Every year on or around October 31, Horizons Church holds the Fall Family Fun Fest.

The purpose of this event is to provide a safe and fun evening for families in our church and throughout our community. Though we give out candy and allow people to dress in costumes, we choose not to associate our event with Halloween (you can read more about why here).

So, if you've never been to a Fall Family Fun Fest, here's what you can expect:

Candy. Lots of candy.
Carnival games for kids to show off their skills.
Face painting and balloon animals
Moonbounces
A fun trip through Treat Street. As you arrive, your kids can visit cars with decorated trunks and receive candy.
Some people in costumes. We don't encourage or discourage kids in costumes, but we do ask that they stay away from anything that celebrates Halloween or evil (witches, monsters, etc.)
Youth group bonfire at 8pm.
Food. We will have hot dogs, nachos, and other food available throughout the night.
Many people that you don't know. This event is open to the community, and it is a great chance for us to meet our neighbors. Please invite everyone you know.

The Fall Family Fun Fest is a great opportunity for fun and fellowship, and we look forward to seeing you there.

If you have questions, call the church (540-288-0018) or contact Jim Black (jimb@horizonschurch.com).

The Electric Pickle

2010-09-21T15:41:00.000-04:00

Don't try this at home!

What is the Electric Pickle?

Well, it's a pickle that is connected to 120v of electricity. It lights up, much to the delight of all who witness it.

I wanted to share it with you because it is a great example of what the kids are going to be learning in Kids Church over the next couple months.

Throughout the Fall, we're going to be teaching the kids about spiritual fruit.

We began a couple weeks ago by learning that God's Word in us is like a seed. This past week, the kids discovered that being connected to Jesus causes that seed in us to produce spiritual fruit for all to see (pickle connected to electricity = awesome / us connected to Jesus = way more awesome).

Over the next couple of weeks, the kids will learn that we need to make that fruit grow by strengthening our relationship with Jesus. During the months of October & November, the kids will be learning the Fruits of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, & self-control).

As you pray for your kids in the coming months, please pray that they will learn to produce spiritual fruit in their lives. Most kids are pretty open to accepting Jesus into their lives, but the step from planting the seed to producing fruit is a big one, and it can especially difficult for kids as it can be a pretty abstract concept.

This is going to be an exciting series, and I pray that your children will be changed and will grow spiritually as we finish this year. Thanks for allowing our Kids Ministry team to be a part of your family's spiritual journey.

Pastor Jim

Only 51 Weeks to the Next Backyard Blast!!

2010-07-20T16:09:00.000-04:00

Another week of Backyard Blast has come and gone. Only about 51 more weeks until we do it again.

We started doing the Backyard Blast a few years back. At the time, we didn't have a building, and we were looking for a way to reach out to kids during the summer. When we moved in last year, we decided to keep ministering to kids in backyards, rather than bringing them into our building.

Although there are benefits to having events at the church, there is nothing quite like the Backyard Blast. Every year, we have kids and parents show up and learn about Jesus all because they heard something exciting going on as they walked past. My favorite this year was a young family who had just moved to the area that started talking to us through a fence while we were setting up. They enjoyed it so much that we saw them again the next night.

We haven't finished adding it all up yet, but we had at least 100 different kids who learned about God throughout the week.

So now, while I start planning the next kids event (Basketball Camp, August 9-13), I am so thankful knowing that every ounce of energy that I put into it will be worth it. If God uses our efforts to change one life, it's all worth it. He did far more than that last week. It's honor to have been involved.

Thanks for bringing your family out to be a part of the Backyard Blast last week. Now we've got about 51 weeks to pray for the next one. It's going to be amazing.

-Pastor Jim

Summer Transitions

2010-06-29T16:30:00.000-04:00

If your child completed Kindergarten and is moving to 1st grade in the Fall, he or she will begin attending our Kids Church on Sunday, July 4.

If your child completed 5th grade and is moving to 6th grade in the Fall, he or she can begin attending Youth Group in September. There will be a BBQ in late August to welcome them and introduce them to the other kids. At Horizons, we consider 6th grade to be a major transition year, and we realize that not all 6th graders make that transition at the same speed. So, although 6th graders are welcome to be a part of the Youth Group, they are also welcome to remain in the Kids Church. They can attend either group, or both, based on their comfort level.

If your child completed 6th grade and is moving to 7th grade in the Fall, he or she can attend Kids Church through the end of August. Once September begins, they will participate in our Adult Worship service on Sunday mornings. Beginning in July, your child may start volunteering to be a part of our Ministry Teams. There are many ways for them to get involved, and many kids have found great fulfillment by joining the Nursery or Preschool teams.

Bad Days

2010-06-15T14:10:00.001-04:00

We are starting a new series in Kids Church (1st-6th grade) this week. We are going to be talking about people in the New Testament whose terrible days were made great by God.

Through this series, the kids are going to learn that God takes care of us, saves us, expects action from us, and is not limited by what we consider possible.

Our new Kids Church series begins this Sunday, June 21.

Encourage the Discouraged

2010-06-01T11:42:00.000-04:00

This past Sunday in Kids Church (1st-6th grades), we continued our series called "Imagine". We are learning about Joshua's imaginative leadership and discovering the Promise, Protection, Pathway, Picture and Power that God provides His people.

This is a video series, brought to us by Kidmo. We try to use video lessons a few times throughout the year to keep things fresh and to give us time to plan creative elements for our live stuff.

This week, the kids learned that God wants us to encourage the discouraged. We learned that it is important to know that God makes pathways for us, and that we need to share that knowledge with our discouraged friends.

In our small groups, we discussed the following questions:

Why do you think grownups get discouraged? We talked about things that discourage adults, and that kids can use their imaginations to encourage them.
Being discouraged is a sign that we've forgotten something. What is it? We looked at Psalm 32:8 and talked about what it means to say, "God will make a pathway".
How can you use your imagination to help you trust God in difficult situations? The kids were reminded that "It will be okay when God leads the way." As a group, the kids developed plans for encouraging their discouraged friends.

Memorize It

2010-05-27T10:37:00.001-04:00

This past Sunday in Kids Church (1st-6th grades), we continued our series called "Imagine". We are learning about Joshua's imaginative leadership and discovering the Promise, Protection, Pathway, Picture and Power that God provides His people.

This is a video series, brought to us by Kidmo. We try to use video lessons a few times throughout the year to keep things fresh and to give us time to plan creative elements for our live stuff.

This week, the kids learned that God wants us to know His word. We learned that it is important for us to use God's word to help us make good decisions.

In our small groups, we discussed the following questions:

Why would we choose to memorize God's word instead of just bringing a Bible everywhere we go? We talked about things that we have memorized (phone numbers, address, the Pledge of Allegiance, etc.) and how it is sometimes necessary to be able to remember that info in a hurry.
How can memorizing God's word help protect us from making hurtful choices? We read 2 Timothy 3:16, and discussed the many uses for God's word.
How can you develop a game plan to memorize God's word? We talked about different methods of memorizing verses and encouraged the kids to learn at least one verse this week.

Strong & Courageous

2010-05-20T12:29:00.001-04:00

This past Sunday in Kids Church (1st-6th grades), we began a new series called "Imagine". We are learning about Joshua's imaginative leadership and discovering the Promise, Protection, Pathway, Picture and Power that God provides His people.

This is a video series, brought to us by Kidmo. We try to use video lessons a few times throughout the year to keep things fresh and to give us time to plan creative elements for our live stuff.

This week, the kids learned that God wants us to be strong and courageous. We learned that God wants us to live every day aware that He is right by our sides.

In our small groups, we discussed the following questions:

How can we be strong and courageous when others make us feel weak? We talked about times that we felt like giving up because of something someone else said to us.
Why would God tell us to be strong and courageous? We read Joshua 1:5-9 as a group and discussed why God would tell Joshua to be strong and courageous so many times.
Why would we need God's courage? We talked about reasons someone might become afraid, and how knowing God is with us might change that fear to courage.

Happy Mother's Day!

2010-05-11T15:00:00.000-04:00

We here at Horizons' Kids Ministries hope that all of you moms had a great day this past Sunday. You are all so very awesome!

This past Sunday in Kids Church (1st-6th grade), we concluded our Kids at Work series. We continued our discussion of the jobs kids do, and how God wants to use them.

In this fifth and final week of our series, we learned that one of their jobs is to be a part of their families. The kids learned that God wants them to be peacemakers in their homes. We explained that it the responsibility of everyone in a family to demonstrate love and forgiveness to each other.

We talked about being peacemakers and being the first person to apologize and make things right when conflicts arise. We told the story of Jacob and Esau, which began with Jacob cheating his brother Esau out of his birthright, and ended with forgiveness and reconciliation.

In our small groups, we discussed the following questions:

Have you ever had a big fight with a family member? We talked about some of the conflicts we've had with our family members and the things we did to resolve them.

Why is it important to make things right? We talked about the danger of unresolved anger and pain, and came up with examples of ways to make things right when we fight with our families.

How will you be a peacemaker this week? We asked the kids to think of a way to deal with some of their common conflicts in peaceful ways. The kids were encouraged to pray for their families and to ask forgiveness from anyone they've angered this week.

Our verse for this week is Colossians 3:13 - "Put up with each other, and forgive anyone who does you wrong, just as Christ has forgiven you."

BFF's

2010-05-04T16:15:00.000-04:00

This past Sunday in Kids Church (1st-6th grade), we continued our Kids at Work series. We continued our discussion of the jobs kids do, and how God wants to use them.

In this fourth week of our series, we learned that one of their jobs is to be a good friend. The kids learned that God wants to use their relationships with friends to show the world His love. We explained that have the power to have a huge impact on each other.

We talked about being encouragers and letting the joy that comes from knowing Jesus rub off on our friends.

In our small groups, we discussed the following questions:

Who makes you feel good? We talked about friends that make a positive impact on our lives, and the things they do to make us feel good/happy/special.

What does it mean to be an "encourager"? We talked about spreading the joy of Jesus to others around us. We listed reasons why kids might need encouragement and we came up with ways to be encouraging in those situations.

How will you be encouraging this week? We asked the kids to think of a friend who might need encouragement. We shared our plans for spreading joy with them. The kids were encouraged to pray for their friends this week.

Our verse for this week is Proverbs 18:24 - "Some friends don't help, but a true friend is closer than your own family."

Good Citizens

2010-04-27T15:11:00.001-04:00

This past Sunday in Kids Church (1st-6th grade), we continued our Kids at Work series. We continued our discussion of the jobs kids do, and how God wants to use them.

In this third week of our series, we learned that one of their jobs is to be a good citizen of their community and world. The kids learned that they can change the world by changing themselves. We explained that God wants us to live an unselfish life and that it is our job to share the love of Jesus with everyone we encounter.

We talked about the people that Jesus spent his time with and how we can affect the lives of the people we spend our time with.

In our small groups, we discussed the following questions:

What have you done to make a difference in the world? We talked about ways that the kids have touched the world around them. Most kids have participated in some form of charitable giving, food drives, or service projects. The kids shared the experiences that they and their families have had.

What if everyone tried to make a difference? We talked about loving others more than we love ourselves. We imagined what would happen to the problems and suffering of the world if everyone cared more for others' needs than their own.

How can you make a difference this week? We explained to the kids that they are never too young to make a difference. We discussed ways that they could share Christ's love with others this week and encouraged them to pray for others this week and to ask God to show them how they can make a difference.

Our verse for this week is John 13:35 - "If you love each other, everyone will know you are my disciples."

Kids at Work

2010-04-07T12:49:00.000-04:00

We're starting a new series in the Kids Church (1st-6th grade), but before I tell you about it, I want tell you about Easter.

I hope that your kids had a chance to experience Easter at Horizons this past Sunday. In both services, we had shared the awesome message of Jesus with the kids. We showed a couple clips from the cartoon version of Christ's crucifixion, and even in animated form, it was clearly powerful to the kids. It was so awesome to be able to share the emotional roller-coaster of Jesus' death and resurrection. Many kids raised their hands to ask Jesus into their hearts, and I feel pretty confident that it was very meaningful for everyone.

We also served communion in the Kids Church services, and it was a great teaching opportunity for the group. Even though most of the kids are familiar with the practice, it's not always explained in the adult service in a way that they understand. We had a great time of discussing what it meant and answering the kids questions.

I could go on and on about the Easter service, but I'll just summarize by saying that in the 15 years I have been preaching to kids, it was one of the most special and meaningful services I have ever been a part of. It is just awesome when you can see Jesus working in the hearts and minds of kids!

So, on to what's next. Starting this Sunday, our Kids Church series will be Kids at Work.

As a parent, I find myself telling my kids often that certain things are their jobs. Homework, chores, practices, and other things are all part of the work that kids do each day. What we are going to teach the kids is that they have many roles or jobs that they do each day, and God wants to use them to change the world through the work that they do.

We are going to talk about kids' jobs as Role Models, Students, Friends, Citizens/Neighbors, and Family Members. We want the kids to learn that jobs they have are important and special, and that they can show Jesus to the world in everything that they do.

I am looking forward to the coming weeks, and I thank you for giving us the opportunity to minister to your kids and family.

Pastor Jim

Picture Day

2010-04-01T12:01:00.003-04:00

Over the past few weeks, the Kids Church (1st-6th grade) has been doing a message series called Picture Day.

The main idea is that when God created everything, he had a picture in his mind of what everything would be like. So far, the kids have learned that sin messed up that picture and that we only have a small idea of what that picture even looks like.

This week, we are going to learn that what Jesus did on the cross restores the picture that God has for our lives. We are going to talk about what Jesus did, why he did it, and how we can apply it to our lives.

For this Sunday, April 4, we will be doing Kids Church a little different. While the 9am service will be pretty normal, the 11am service will be a very new experience. The kids will be in the Kids Church for the entire 11am service. We will have a live band leading worship, and we'll be teaching about and providing communion.

To accommodate this change, we have expanded our walls, so we'll have lots of space for extra games and fun.

It is going to be a very exciting service and we look forward to this special opportunity to share the awesome story of God's love with the kids of Horizons.

Be Strong

2010-03-15T14:53:00.001-04:00

This past Sunday in Kids Church (1st-6th grades), we finished our "Beefesians" series. We have been going through the Book of Ephesians, learning that God wants us to Belong, Believe, Be Patient, Behave, and Be Strong.

This is a video series, brought to us by Kidmo. We try to use video lessons a few times throughout the year to keep things fresh and to give us time to plan creative elements for our live stuff.

This week, the kids learned that God wants us to Be Strong. We learned that living in a sinful world requires us to rely on God's strength everyday. We talked about putting on the armor of God (Truth, Right Choices, Peace, Faith, Salvation, The Bible, & Prayer).

In our small groups, we discussed the following questions:

What types of things do you need to survive in a desert? We talked about being prepared for the places we go and the trips we take.
Why would we need to put on God's armor everyday? We discussed scenarios where we could "put on" God's armor. We tried to list different ways that we could use each piece of armor daily.
How will you "suit up" with God's armor this week? We tried to come up with some simple hand motions to help us remember to Be Strong.

Our verse for this week is Ephesians 6:10 - "A final word: Be strong with the Lord's mighty power."

New Class Starting in the Nursery

2010-03-10T10:45:00.000-05:00

I am pleased to announce that the Horizons Church Nursery has recently added a class specifically aimed at 3-year-old children.

The reasons for adding this class are:

To give the 3-year-olds weekly Bible lessons that are more age-appropriate than what we offer in the Preschool Class.

To allow those 3-year-olds who are not yet potty trained to participate in a classroom. Potty training has always been a requirement for moving to the Preschool Class.

To help balance the class sizes between the Nursery and Preschool Class.

So, how does this affect your family?

If your child has not yet moved to the Preschool Class, your 3-year-old’s experience at church each week will be changing in a big way. The new class will offer a lesson, activities, games, and worship. We have an extremely talented staff of volunteers who are going to be teaching your kids about Jesus every week, and we expect that your kids are going to have a fantastic time.

If your child has transitioned to the Preschool Class, you have a choice. You can keep your child in the Preschool or move your child to our new 3-year-olds class. Our preference is to move kids to the new class because they will have the best chance to learn in a class that is designed for their age and learning styles. However, every child and situation is different, and we understand that you know your child best, and therefore, you know what’s best for your child and family. We support you and whatever choice you make.

Our new class will take place in the Explorers room of the Nursery. We will be shifting the rooms around so that the Explorers room will be exclusively for 3-year-olds and some 2-year-olds who are ready for a classroom environment. We understand that your child may be hesitant to move back to the Nursery. To help them be willing to try it out, we will be having a very special party in the 3-year-old class on Easter Sunday (April 4). This would be a great chance for your child to come see what our new class is all about.

I am always available to you and your family, so if you have any questions, please feel free to call (540-288-0018) or email me (jimb@horizonschurch.com). Thanks so much for allowing me and my team to serve your family.

Behave

2010-03-08T10:02:00.000-05:00

This past Sunday in Kids Church (1st-6th grades), we continued our "Beefesians" series. We are going through the Book of Ephesians, and learning that God wants us to Belong, Believe, Be Patient, Behave, and Be Strong.

This is a video series, brought to us by Kidmo. We try to use video lessons a few times throughout the year to keep things fresh and to give us time to plan creative elements for our live stuff.

This week, the kids learned that God wants us to Behave. We learned that following Jesus should make us different and should affect our behavior. We talked about how making bad choices after we've asked Jesus into our hearts is like shoveling dirt on something that God has already cleaned.

In our small groups, we discussed the following questions:

When was the last time you really got in trouble? We talked about times that we got in big trouble for making bad choices, even though we knew better.
When you choose to follow Jesus, how does that affect your behavior? We discussed different activities and how they can reflect good or bad behavior. We also talked about how good activities can reflect bad behavior if we do them at the wrong time (ex., reading when you should be doing homework or listening to the teacher, playing sports when you haven't done your chores yet, etc).
How will you remember to choose wisely this week? We tried to come up with some simple hand motions to help us remember to behave, and we talked about doing what is right, even if your friends have different standards or rules.

Our verse for this week is Ephesians 5:7 - "Don't participate in the things these people do."

Be Patient

2010-03-03T11:48:00.000-05:00

This past Sunday in Kids Church (1st-6th grades), we continued our "Beefesians" series. We are going through the Book of Ephesians, and learning that God wants us to Belong, Believe, Be Patient, Behave, and Be Strong.

This is a video series, brought to us by Kidmo. We try to use video lessons a few times throughout the year to keep things fresh and to give us time to plan creative elements for our live stuff.

This week, the kids learned that God wants us to Be Patient . We learned that because God made us all different, sometimes people will bug us. We talked about how we can show love by being patient with those who annoy us.

In our small groups, we discussed the following questions:

What really bugs you? We talked about the things that other people do that make us nuts.
When other people bug us, why should we be patient with them? We discussed why loving someone makes a difference in how we treat them. We talked about ways we can respond to annoyances with love.
How will you act differently this week? We talked about what we could do to react differently to people who bother us this week. We committed to pausing to pray for people that bother us before we react to them.

Our verse for this week is Ephesians 4:2 - "Be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other's faults because of your love."

Belong

2010-02-18T14:55:00.000-05:00

This past Sunday in Kids Church (1st-6th grades), we began a new series called "Beefesians". We are going through the Book of Ephesians, and learning that God wants us to Belong, Believe, Be Patient, Behave, and Be Strong.

This is a video series, brought to us by Kidmo. We try to use video lessons a few times throughout the year to keep things fresh and to give us time to plan creative elements for our live stuff.

This week, the kids learned that God wants us to Belong. We learned that God wants to adopt every person to be a part of His family.

In our small groups, we discussed the following questions:

What does it feel like to be accepted? We talked about times that people welcomed us or made us feel special.
Why would someone want to adopt someone else? We discussed adoption and we talked about why God would want to adopt us into His family. We talked about what it must feel like to be adopted.
How can you be adopted into God's family? We talked about how to accept Jesus into our hearts and make him the leader of our lives. We committed to trying to live each day like sons and daughters of God.

Our verse for this week is John 1:12 - "But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God."

Snow Day

2010-02-06T12:24:00.000-05:00

Hey everybody,

The snow is keeping us away from church this week, so we've got our Kids Church message here for you to enjoy with your kids.

Support our MOPS

2010-02-04T13:06:00.000-05:00

The MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) is a fantastic ministry to families. They provide ministry, encouragement, support, and fellowship to young moms.

Tonight, February 4, you can help support them by eating dinner at CiCi's Pizza on Garrisonville Rd, from 4-8pm. Please don't miss this opportunity to help out,

Pay Attention!!

2010-02-04T12:55:00.001-05:00

This past Sunday, we had our 4th installment of the Be A Champion series in our Kids Church. We learned that in order to be the champion that God desires, we have to pay attention.

We talked about the ways that God speaks to us, and the kids learned that we have to spend time with God everyday in order to stay connected to Him. If we don't stay connected to God, we will miss out on what He wants to say to us.

We learned about the prophet Samuel, who as a young boy learned to hear God's voice and follow His plan. We also learned that God always answers our prayers.

In our small groups, we talked about things we've prayed for in the past and the ways that God responded. We encouraged the kids to keep prayer journals so that they could keep track of God's answers to their prayers.

Our memory verse for this week is Psalm 17:6: "I call to you, O God, for you will answer me."

Do What you Do Best

2010-01-25T12:59:00.002-05:00

Yesterday in Kids Church (1st-6th grade), we continued our Be A Champion series. The focus of this third installment of the series was to know what you're good at and what to do with it.

We learned that our gifts and abilities come from God, and our task is to use them to change the world.

We discussed the story of Jesus visiting Jerusalem as a child and spending time having discussions with the teachers in the temple. The kids learned that Jesus knew who he was and what he was going to be. The kids were encouraged to see their talents and abilities through God's eyes and to try to figure out what God wants them to do with their gifts.

Our key verse for this week is 1 Corinthians 12:5 - "There are different ways to serve the same Lord."

We spent more time in our large group than normal, so we didn't have small groups this week. However, we did spend a good portion of our time talking about specific gifts that kids have and how God could use them. In your discussion times with your kids this week, you can talk about the way God made them and how their gifts, personalities, abilities, etc., can be used in service to God.

Don't Be Scared

2010-01-18T13:48:00.000-05:00

Yesterday in Kids Church (1st-6th grade), we continued our Be A Champion series. We continued our discussion of kids in the Bible who were champions for God.

In this second week of our series, we learned that God's champions have to stand up for what's right, and to do that, the kids have to be brave. We learned that bravery comes from faith in God and remembering that He is always by our side.

We talked about the story of David vs Goliath, and that David had to take action when he heard the giant smack-talking God. He took a stand for what was right.

In our small groups, we discussed the following questions:

Have you ever had to stand up for what was right? We talked about times that the kids had to make a choice to convince their friends not to do something they shouldn't.

When is it difficult to be brave? We learned that standing up for what's right requires us to be brave. We talked about the things that keep us from having the courage to make a stand when others want to do the wrong thing.

Where does true bravery come from? We discussed what David did and that his bravery came from his faith and from remembering what God had done in the past. We discussed situations in our lives that require bravery and how having faith in God can help us to be courageous enough to make a stand.

Our verse for this week is Philippians 4:13 - "Christ gives us the strength to face anything."

Always be the Good Guy

2010-01-11T16:40:00.001-05:00

Yesterday in Kids Church (1st-6th grade), we started our new series: Be A Champion. The series is all about pro wrestling, kids in the Bible, and being champions for God (and "yes", those all tie together...)

For the first installment of our series, we learned that to be a champion, you should always be the good guy. We talked about how even though the right thing isn't always the fun thing or the easy thing, it is necessary if we want to be a champion for God.

We learned about King Josiah, who took the throne at the ripe old age of 8, and reformed his kingdom according to God's Word. The Bible says that he did right in the sight of the Lord.

In our small groups, we discussed the following questions:

Have you ever made a choice to do the right thing? We talked about times that the kids decided to do the right thing. We talked about the results of their choices and the possible consequences if they had made a different choice.
Why is the right choice always so difficult? We discussed the hard choices that face us each day and talked about what God's Word has to say about our options.
What do you need to do to become the "Good Guy"? We talked about the need to choose to do right and the difference it makes in our lives. We discussed the choices that each of the kids struggle with and prayed about them together.

Our verse for this week is 2 Thessalonians 3:13 - "Dear friends, you must never get tired of doing right."

Be A Champion

2010-01-06T21:21:00.001-05:00

I love professional wrestling. I'm not ashamed to admit it.

I remember how much fun it was as a little kid to watch these giants beat up on each other until only one man was left standing. I loved throwing all the couch cushions on the floor and practicing everything I saw on my little brothers (consequently, I injured my collarbone in high school doing that at camp).

All the wrestlers seemed so amazing and cool, and as great as they were, there could only be one champion. The champion was different than all the rest. The normal guys all had weakness that caused them to lose. They all made mistakes or miscalculations. The champion stood tall as everyone around him fell short.

The Bible is full of champions. There are so many men and women who stood above the rest to stand victorious for the Kingdom of God.

Along the way, there were also kids who knew what it took to be champions. Over the next 5 weeks, our Kids Church will be learning about these kids. We're going to learn that no matter what our age, we can be champions for God.

Check back on back on this blog every Monday for a review of the weekend's services and some follow-up questions you can discuss with your kids.

-Pastor Jim

New MOPS Semester Begins Jan. 14!

2009-12-08T14:28:00.002-05:00

Dear Moms,

You are awesome!

Over the many years I have been serving the families of Horizons Church, I have constantly been amazed by the job that you moms do. This area is tough on families, and you do a great job of holding it all together. Work schedules, activities, sports, church, housework, and dozens of other priorities are constantly working against you.

Did I mention how awesome you moms are?

The good news is that you are not alone. There are many moms like you with the same pressures and stresses, who share the same joys and pains. Whether they be new moms, veteran moms, young moms, less young moms, homeschool moms, working moms, single moms, or married moms, they all need encouragement, support, and wisdom.

So, at Horizons Church, we encourage all moms of Nursery and Preschool age kids to check out our Mothers of Preschoolers (MOPS) program.

At MOPS, you’ll be welcomed, accepted and inspired to reach your full potential and recognize your influence within your family and the world. Our MOPS are led by great moms who want to encourage and support you.

The MOPS meet on the 2nd and 4th Thursday of each month, from 9:30-11:30am in the Horizons Church Fellowship Hall. The MOPS meetings feature speakers, activities, and ample opportunities for moms to connect to one another.

The Spring semester begins January 14. The cost for registration is $66. There is also a $23.95 fee for new moms.

To register, contact Andi Matthews at 612-532-0345, or send an email to andimatthews@hotmail.com. You can also visit www.horizonschurch.com/MOPS for more information.

Thanks again for all that you do, and thank you for giving me the opportunity to minister to your family each week at Horizons Church.

-Pastor Jim

Attention Preschool Parents

2009-12-02T16:08:00.002-05:00

In the coming weeks, our Preschool Class will begin using a computer-based check-in/out system. If you have children in the Nursery, you will be familiar with how it works.

The new system will make your experience more convenient and it will make our classroom more secure.

In order to prepare for this transition, please do the following before Sunday, December 13:

Visit go.kidcheck.com (don't type "www")
Select "I am a parent and want to create a free account"
Fill in the requested fields to complete your registration
Go to "My Kids" and input your child's information

If you have any questions, please contact Pastor Jim at 540-288-0018 or jimb@horizonschurch.com.

Welcome

2009-12-02T15:09:00.001-05:00

This Kids Ministry blog went away for a while, but now it's back with a new name, new purpose, and hopefully, many, many new posts.

In the future, we will be using this blog to keep you up to date with what is happening on Sundays, info about events, profiles of our awesome volunteers, tips for parents, and other useful things.

So bookmark it or subscribe to the RSS (top right corner), because God's doing exciting things in the lives of the kids at Horizons, and you won't want to miss a thing!

-Pastor Jim