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Calling all Superheros...VBS is here for 2019! It was a wonderful year of laughs and lessons for our kids. We had two of our very own superheros and by the end of the week, we had ALL become heroes for God!
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Neither rain, nor snow will keep us from having our annual Easter Eggstravaganza! We kicked off the day with a fun visual activity that helped explain the significance of Christ's crucifixion. It showed the children that Jesus took away our sin and carried the burden, as only He could do. We then moved on to our main lesson. Twelve volunteers came and helped draw twelve key images that help tell the Easter story. The kids were sure to pay close attention to the order and reason of each item's importance because they would need that knowledge later to reorder the resurrection eggs, once they were found. After the hunt and the hundreds of candy-filled eggs and twelve resurrection eggs were found, the kids successfully reordered them and were able to tell the relation to the Easter story! We ended the celebration with decorating Easter cookies and having snacks from all our donated baked goods! Though it was a little cold outside, our hearts were warmed by the message and fun had by our kids, of all ages!
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While the kids were on Christmas break, we decided to make last minute plans and take our crew to go see "The Star", while it was still in theaters. This cute tale of Jesus' birth, told mainly by the animals, obviously went through the main points of the Christmas story, but was able to express those points in a simple and fun way that was able for the kids to understand and relate. We laughed and cried through this entire Christmas movie, and appreciated watching it through the eyes of our children. This was the perfect film to share together this close to Christmas, to help us remember the true reason for the season!
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This year's Christmas was the best yet! It covered several parts of the Christmas story from the beginning including angel Gabriel visiting Mary, to the ending visit from wise men and everything in between! This year, the kids learned a part that focused on a particular animal and the gifts that they brought and gave to baby Jesus. We had a cute crew of critters including a donkey, cow, dove, camel (and his wise man), and a couple of spunky sheep with their shepherd! The Christmas story is so beautiful and it really blessed our hearts to have such support this year. This little story was a great message of the true meaning of Christmas and helped remind us of the greatest gift of all, Jesus Christ!
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We celebrated this year's Christmas dinner with an evening of great food, friends and fellowship. We stuffed ourselves with some delicious food (how about that cornbread?!) and then enjoyed a playful game with Christmas gifts. It was such a great night and really kicks off the Christmas season! We are so blessed to have such wonderful people making up our church family and we look forward to every opportunity to get together and enjoy each other's company!
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As the Christmas season fills the air, Christmas music fills our hearts. We had a wonderful time visiting and bringing some Christmas spirit to longtime friends and neighbors. We sang classic carols of "Silent Night", "Joy to the World", and "Away in a Manger" and ended each visit with "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" and a small holiday mug filled with treats for the sweet people we visited. The songs, hugs and fellowshipping was enjoyed by everyone, especially our carolers. Once we had sung our final note, we met for pizza and drinks to complete our night. It was a wonderful evening of Christmas cheer...and pizza!
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After collecting items all year long, it was finally time to pack our boxes for Operation Christmas Child. Everyone worked together filling boxes with hygiene items, school supplies, exciting "wow items", and a letter in every single box. We had a great time fellowshipping and working towards this great cause. It is our hope that through these boxes, children will be able to see God's love and feel our support for them. We are thrilled to report that we packed 77 boxes this year! We are so thankful for our church members coming together to support this mission and help children all over the world learn about God!
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Bowling Youth Trip Slideshow
November 2017 |
It's always an adventure when we get the opportunity to go out and do something with our kids, and this bowling trip didn't disappoint! We had some very competitive games going where the playful trash-talk and pins were flying! With every strike and spare made, so was a memory with this sweet group of kids. After playing a few games and letting the winners bask in their glory, we went back to our picnic shelter and had a picnic together. We are so fortunate to get to spend quality time with our young congregation and we cherish every second with them while they are at these fun ages. We look forward to future adventures, as well as opportunities for a re-match!
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This year's theme was "Let's Go Fishin". Our key verses came from Matthew 4:19-20, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. And they straightway left their nets and followed him." In our short skit, our visitors were introduced to a fisherman named Pete, who did not go with his church on a missionary trip. Throughout the week, they get to see Pete's heart be changed with the help of a friendly fish. This skit tied in with our weekly lessons, where our classes learned about the story of Jonah. Jonah was not obedient when God wanted him to go to Nineveh and help save the heathen nation from their sins, but through the help of a great fish, Jonah gets back on track, and obeys God's will. Another great year of fun, food and fellowship! Thanks to everyone that visited and special thanks to our congregation that helped make it happen! See y'all next year!
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Please enjoy our slideshow of pictures from VBS.
July 2017 |
Easter Eggstravanganza Event
March 2017 |
For the past two years, we have had the opportunity to have our "Easter Eggstravangasta" which is one of the fundraisers conducted by our youth group. We have our annual egg hunt, where the kids must find twelve "special eggs" which are our resurrection eggs. Each egg contains a toy that represents a part of the Easter Story. When they are all combined, the kids and visitors are able to hear the lesson of Christ's crucifixion, burial, and resurrection. After the hunt, we got to end the event with cupcakes and drinks. A bake sale was provided this year to help our kids raise money for trips we take throughout the year, and it was a big success! Thanks to everyone who helped and attended!
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This year's Christmas play, "A Candy Cane Christmas," began with our little old storyteller, telling the legend of how the candy cane serves as a both a candy, and a witness to Christ. Each child had to learn their part of the story and present it to the audience. The candy cane's hardness, shape, color and flavor all played a role in making the connection to the message our play wanted to get across: Jesus Christ, the good shepherd, is the sinless rock of ages, who suffered and died for our sins. Our kids helped remind us to keep Christ in the forefront of our minds during this holiday season with this simple, "sweet" play. (Pun intended!)
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"A Candy Cane Christmas"
December 2016 |
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Enjoy our slideshow of pictures from Cleek Farms.
October 2016 |
We were fortunate to have the opportunity to take our youth to Cleek Farms this past fall. Our kids enjoyed their rides in both the cow haul and the tractor wagon when we first arrived. Then, we were all challenged with the clever corn maze. (Thank goodness for GPS!) We then went and had a picnic and got to wind down the trip with the kids playing in the feed troughs and other miscellaneous stations. I think our kids (of all ages) enjoyed the jumping pillow the best! We had lots of laughs and great memories were made here at Cleek Farms and we hope to have the opportunity to come back sometime soon!
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But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin." 1John 1:7 |