Wednesday Nights in March

Wednesday Nights @ First

During the month of March our Preteen, Youth, and Adults will meet in the sanctuary for Lenten Worship. The service will be from 6:00 -6:45pm. There will be a children's time for our first through fourth graders at the beginning of the service. Following, the children will be dismissed to Missions with their Mission Leaders. At 6:30 pm they will go to Children's Choir with Rev. Templeton.

Our Preschoolers will continue their regular Wednesday Night schedule with Mission Friends and Preschool Choir from 6:00 - 7:00 pm. As always, there is childcare for our babies and toddlers.

One special announcement - our Preschool Choir will lead in worship at the 8:45 Worship Service on Sunday, March 8th.

We hope to see you all Wednesday evening and Sunday morning.

Preparing Our Kids for Easter - Step Two

"Israel, listen to me. The Lord is our God. The Lord is the one and only God.   Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. Love him with all your strength.   The commandments I give you today must be in your hearts.   Make sure your children learn them. Talk about them when you are at home. Talk about them when you walk along the road. Speak about them when you go to bed. And speak about them when you get up." Deuteronomy 6: 4-7

Step 2

2. Dinner discussions

Another time God encourages us to engage with our kids is “when you sit.” It’s rare to have families in a place where they all sit down together, but sometimes dinner still gives us that opportunity. To center your conversation during those nights, consider asking four questions: What was your high today? What was your low? What mistake did you make? Where did you see God today? These questions lead to “teachable moments” at dinner and before you know it you may begin discussing something related to faith, God, family or church. And what’s great is that everyone, even Mom and Dad, gets to participate.

Preparing Our Kids for Easter - Step One

4 Steps to Discipleship at Home

As we prepare our children for the important celebration of Easter I thought you may like some simple ways to shape you child's faith formation. For the next several weeks there will be suggestions for ways you can implement discipleship in your home.

Step 1

in Deuteronomy 6:4-9, God tells parents to “impress” his commands on the children and provides four times in which to do that. One of those times is “when you rise.” Mornings can often be rushed, crazy times as everyone is trying to get shoes tied, hair brushed, coffee guzzled and breakfast consumed. In the middle of it all, take just 30 seconds to stop with each child and pray a simple blessing like, “Lord, be with Grace today. May she know that you are with her, that you love her and that you have called her by name and may she return home full of joy and wisdom.”

You will be setting the tone for the day with those simple words and reminding her just how much she is loved by you and by God.

 

Christmas Eve at First Baptist

Christmas Eve Services at First

4:00 PM Family Friendly Service with Live Nativity, Carols, Children's Time, Special Music by Children's and Preschool Choirs.

6:00 PM Candlelight and Communion Service with Special Pre-service music beginning at 5:30 PM

I recently read the following article about the reason that Children Need to Get to Church on Christmas Eve. I thought you may enjoy the author's thoughts...

In most families Christmas Eve and Day are busy, chaotic times.  It is not easy to get a family that includes overly-excited children to church.  But, it is worth the effort.  Children (and their parents) actually need it.  The church helps when it articulates for parents clear reasons to make the effort.  Here is my starter list of reasons. 

To hear the story read or told in an important way on the “night it happened” – Children like hearing the story of their birth on their birthday and celebrating other big events on “the very day it happened.”  So, the story which may have been acted out in a pageant and discussed in church school and read at home, feels more “real” when read on Christmas Eve or Day in the sanctuary.

 

To go to church at night – These days children are at church most often during the day.  To go at night to a decorated, even candle-lit church is almost magical.  When the family makes this an important part of Christmas – even in the middle of the chaos – just being there reminds children what is most important about Christmas.

 

To be with a crowd telling the  story – Joining church friends in a packed sanctuary reminds children that this story is something bigger than just their family traditions.  They are part of a huge family of families who celebrate Jesus’ birth.

 

To sing the carols at least one more time – Not many families sing together at home and not many children’s groups sing religious carols any more.  That means we need to be intentional about singing with the carols with the children.  And, who would want to miss singing “Silent Night” in the Christmas Eve sanctuary while hugging your child!

 

To create a context in which to discover the truth about Santa – If Santa is all there is to Christmas Eve once children learn “the truth,” Christmas is just a greedy gift grab.  But, if Christmas Eve has always circled around the story of Jesus told in the sanctuary, the truth about Santa can be fit into that context and the  Christmas celebration gets richer.

 

To create memories - Worshiping on Christmas Eve or Day as a family creates over the years a treasure trove of memories.  Some of them shine with wonder.  Others make for eye-rolling stories that are retold every Christmas.  These memories are precious for both the children as they mature and the parents as they age.

Parents' Night Out

It's the Final PNO for 2014

Hey First Kids -- It's time for another great night of fun with your friends at First Baptist.

Friday from 5:30 to 8:00 pm we will have childcare for our infants and toddlers, riding toys and games in the Family Life Center for our preschoolers and a field trip to Jump-N-Jax for our kindergarten through fourth grade students. Snacks will be provided for everyone.

If you would like to join us, have your parents register you on the breezeway bulletin board by Wednesday night. Or they can email Sharon. sharon@fbchurch.com

It's going to be a great night for kids and their parents! Hope you can join us.

Operation Christmas Child

First Baptist's Annual Family Ministry Event is Sunday, November 9th.

You and your child/children are invited to participate in Operation Christmas Child through First Baptist Children’s Ministry. This is an opportunity for you to share with your child/children the importance of missions through sharing with children around the world.

We see this as a two-step partnership ministry:

Step One: Your family purchases gifts to be included in Operation Christmas Child boxes. Please include your child in shopping - talking with him/her about this mission endeavor. We will provide the boxes.  You will need to include $7 per box for shipping costs or you may go to the OCC website at http://www.samaritanspurse.org/index.php/OCC/followyourbox/ to make the donation and print out special EZ-Give boy/girl labels for your shoe box gifts. This will allow boxes to be tracked so you can find out the destination of your shoe box gifts. You may like to bring a picture of your child or family to include as well.

Step Two:  On Sunday, November 9th, we will meet in the Family Life Center during Sunday School (10:00 – 10:45).  We will watch a short video presentation and then prepare boxes for Operation Christmas Child. There will be stations for you to construct your boxes, write a letter to the child that will receive your box, and tables of items to fill your box. We will then take the boxes into the 11:00 Worship Service for dedication. This will be at the beginning of the service and you may leave following the dedication prayer (if you attended the 8:45 service).

 

We hope your family will plan to be with us. This event is our way of supporting you in encouraging your child’s heart for missions. If you need more information, please contact me at 252-259-7771.

I look forward to being on mission with your family,

Sharon Bender

Kids on MIssion

Wednesday Nights at First

On Wednesday, November 5th our Children in Action (Grades 1-4) will meet from 6:00 - 7:00 pm with their Mission Leaders. Children's Choir will resume the following Wednesday evening.






Our Preschoolers (Mission Friends) will be practicing on Wednesday night (6:00 - 7:00 pm) to lead in worship on Sunday, November 9th during the 8:45 worship service.






Our adults and youth are encouraged to join us in the sanctuary at 6:00 pm for a concert by our Community Gospel Choir led by Craig Little.

Hope to see you all on Wednesday at First!