It's Beginning To Look Alot Like Christmas!

Hi Everyone!
With Christmas quickly appproaching, here are some things you need to know:

• There are no Sunday services on Christmas Day but we will have three (3) services on December 24th, Christmas Eve. The service times will be 4, 5:30 and 7pm. Children's ministry will only be offered for the 4 and 5:30 service times. If you are interested in volunteering in our children's ministry for one of the services, please let us know!
• No Kids Praise Team practice during Christmas break (December 22nd and 29th)
• There will be NO children's ministry offered on January 1, New Years Day, as we will be having a family service in the main worship center. Bring the kids with you so you can spend time worshipping together as a family!

It's Tuesday and time to post another video for this week's elementary lesson. Enjoy! 

Bay Life Kids

Thanksgiving Week!
Thanksgiving is a great time to spend with family. Enjoy your time together and talk about the many ways God has blessed your family. Pray together giving Him praise and thanks for your wonderful family. Have a great Thanksgiving!

Bay Life Kids

ELEMENTARY LESSON AND VIDEO

BRING YOUR BIBLES THIS WEEK!

HOOPS Challenge (11/13-11/19)
Read Judges 6:11-18. Have you ever felt too little to do something? Think of some times when your size or your age made you think you couldn’t do it. That’s how Gideon felt.
Read Gideon’s story and find out what made Gideon a winner. Was it something he decided to do or something God did through him? Pray with your family for God’s strength to fight for what God has given you.

you.

BAY LIFE KIDS

WHAT’S HAPPENING IN PRESCHOOL? 

During the month of November, the children will learn “I Can Show God’s Love”. The children will be studying the life of David.

Lessons will include these stories and scripture verses:

David Visits His Brothers

1 Samuel 17:12-20

Key Concept: To help children realize that they are needed to help their family.

David and Jonathan

I Samuel 16:15-23; 18:1-4; 19:1-7

Key Concept: To help children show God’s love by being kind to their friends.

David and Saul

1 Samuel 26

Key Concept: To help children know that God helps us be kind to others, even when it’s hard.

David and Mephibosheth

I Samuel 20:14-17, 42; 2 Samuel 9

Key Concept: To help children grow in their ability to share with others.

KEY BIBLE VERSE:

“With love, help each other.” Galatians 5:13

Most young children love to be helpers. Ask yourself these questions to see where you can assist your child to become a better helper.

Does my child see in me a helper attitude? Does your child hear me ask others, “Can I help you?”

Do I notice my child when he or she has been a good helper? Do I thank my child? “Thank you for helping me carry in the groceries.”

Do I let my child help when he or she wants to, even though it might be easier and quicker to do it myself?

(Gospel Light, Family Fun Time Fall 2011)

Ways your child can help at home:

Help carry in groceries

Set the dinner table, place mats and napkins

Pick up toys at bedtime

Put their trash in the trash can

Put their clothes in the hamper

Help with sibling

Parents,

Each week, the three and four year old children will bring home Family Fun Time pages with a synopsis of the day’s Bible story, family activities, conversation and prayer for you and your preschooler to do together at home. These pages provide a fun, interactive way for you to reinforce the Bible stories learned with easy practical ways for you to continue spiritual learning at home.

Serving Him,

Karyn Peterson

Preschool Coordinator

BAY LIFE KIDS ELEMENTARY NEWS!

ATTENTION: NO PRAISE TEAM this Thursday, November 10th.

Strike the Rock!

We are still collecting items for the Women’s Resource Center of Tampa. There are 4 items we are collecting for this service project; jelly, juice, canned fruit and mayonnaise. Students should bring items to their small group on Sunday so it can be counted as one of their service projects working toward that glow-in-the-dark jibbitz!

What are HOOPS challenges?

HOOPS challenges are an opportunity for parents and students to dive into God’s word during the week and talk about it. Start with watch the 60 second review that is posted every Tuesday.  Then read the passage. Finally, use the questions as a starting point for discussion. Talk about what you as a parent think and then find out what your students think too. It’s just that easy!  Students can get credit for a challenge by bringing to small group some of their answers to the challenge questions. Parents can also send an email with some “notes” to wstough@baylife.org

HOOPS Challenge (11/6-11/12)

Read Joshua 3:1-17. What did God ask the Israelites to do? What did the people think about Jericho? Did Joshua look at the walls around Jericho from the people’s perspective or God’s perspective? 

Can you think of a time when things looked really hard in your life? When you look at the bigger picture, God’s perspective, did the problem seem as big?

Bay Life Kids 5th Grade

EXCITING 5TH GRADE NEWS!
The following is a wonderful testimony that we are excited to share. This is from Vicki Rogers, one of our 5th grade coordinators:

October 16, 2011 was a great day. Our 5th grade class has been studying the Old Testament people and events to answer the question “Why did Jesus have to come”? They saw the fall of man through Adam, the calling forth of a people and race through Abraham, Joseph saving them from famine and Moses rescuing them from Egypt. We went through the 40 years in the wilderness, the Ten Commandments, Elijah, and then 800 years later, Jesus comes. We worked on building up to the big day that salvation would come to mankind. The penalty of our sins would be dealt with by the Son of God. Sunday was the BIG DAY. Finally, He came, chose His disciples, taught them, and established the new covenant by going to the cross.

We talked about His sacrifice, His agony, and the extraordinary events that happened that wonderful day. He rose from the dead and salvation was complete with His resurrection and the sending of the Holy Spirit.

I grabbed a dollar bill, held it up high and said “Whoever comes up here and takes this dollar can have it. They all just looked at me. I repeated the phrase. After a bit, two boys came at me and jumped and one of them took the dollar. I looked at him and said, “put it in your pocket and make it yours.’ I said to the class, it was mine to give to whoever wanted it, but this boy reached out and took it. Now it’s his. The rest of you just looked at me. They said, “But it was too easy. We thought you would call us greedy or something.”
I said “A lot of people say that faith alone is too easy when accepting what Jesus did. You have to take His payment as your own. Make it yours, make him your Lord. YOU have to take it. No one else can take salvation for you. It’s your choice.”

One of the boys in the front row looked at me and said, “Can we do it now?”

Now this is the part that I love. My mind raced. I glanced around the room. Every eye was looking at me. Should I leave this to small group time or just go with it? In about a nanosecond I said “Sure, lets all bow are heads. If this is the first time you REALLY understood about what Jesus did for you on the cross that day, and if you want to take His offer of salvation and make it yours, then you need to grab it. If you want Him as YOUR savior and you receive what He did for you, in your place, then raise your hand.”

The room was so thick with the presence of God. Hands were raised as high as they could go and it took our breath away. My mouth fell open, I looked at Ken, he was frozen, I glanced at Susan her mouth was open. I could barely breathe. 17 hands had lifted. 17. All I could do was whisper “thank you Jesus.”

Children's Ministry - Week of October 31st

Parents,
If you haven't had the opportunity to have your young child dedicated, we are offering a child dedication service on November 20th. This is a time where the church pledges to support the parents in raising their children in a Christian home. Completed applications are due this Sunday, November 6th. There will be a luncheon held for those parents dedicating children on November 13th where we will explain the church's part in the covenant and to answer any questions. Applications are available at the INFOdesk in either building. The next child dedication will be held in May.


IN ELEMENTARY......
This week we learned how God provided for the Israelites. God gave them food and water in miraculous ways. We also talked about how God provides for our needs. This week Kids’ Live kicks of “Strike the Rock”, our opportunity for God to use us to provide for others. We are asking students, if they are able, to donate one of four items to area families in need. We are looking for donations of jelly, juice, canned fruit and mayonnaise. All donations will be given to the Women’s Resource Center of Tampa. Student should bring their donations to church on Sunday and give them to their small group leader. These donations are an act of service that is counted toward earning a service jibbitz for each student’s bracelet.

HOOPS Challenge (10/31-11/5)

Read about the rules God gave Israel in Exodus 20:1-21.  Talk about what these commandments mean and how we can follow them.