Two Homework Assignments

This week your Bible Trek kids had two homework assignments:

1. Make a breastplate of righteousness and a belt of truth.  Post a picture of your creation to our Northgate Kids Facebook page!
2. Find something in the Bible that is true.  Write it down and bring it in next week!

 

These homework suggestions were found on your Field Guide this week.  Doing these activities with your kids during the week is so important to their spiritual development!  Remember, YOU are the greatest influence on your kids!  Make some time tonight or tomorrow to open the Bible with your kids - no matter how young they might be!

Memory Verses - End of the Year

Memory Verses

               End of the year: 2013-2014

These verses will only receive Commitment Coins (not Verse Master credit).  Verse Masters have already been calculated for the year.

June 1

“Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground.” ~ Ephesians 6:13

June 8

“Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place” ~ Ephesians 6:14

June 15 **Verse Master Announcements Today!**

“with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.” ~ Ephesians 6:15-16

Verse to be recited on first day of Summer Trek:

June 29: “Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” ~ Ephesians 6:17

This verse will be included on our Summer Quarter list

Field Guides

Why do we send home Field Guides each week?

Why would we go through the trouble to write out extra activities, on top of the curriculum we are writing?

Why do we use color ink and lots of paper to print the Field Guides?

The answer is simple.

Because we believe in the influence of a parent on their child's spiritual development.

At Northgate our mission statement is to bring people to Jesus Christ, and to build them up in that relationship.  In Bible Trek, one of the ways we build children up in their relationship with God is to help you as parents connect with your kids spiritually.

On your Field Guide each week you will find the following information:
- The main idea of that week's lesson
- The passage of the Bible which we based he lesson around
- That week's memory verse
- Something to do in the car on the ride home
- Something to do as a family during the week
- Something to do in your quiet time (geared toward our 3rd and 4th grade kids, and for parents)

 Main Idea
The main idea of the lesson is what we want kids to understand at the end of service about how the Bible story relates to their relationship with God.  For example, in our Kingdom of God year we taught a lesson in which the main idea was "God sent angels to tell the shepherds the Good News, and God sends us to tell the Good News to our friends!"

During this lesson, we wanted children to see the impact they could have on their friends' lives by telling them about Jesus.  We send home the main idea of the lesson each week so that you will know what your children have been taught, and hopefully will talk with your kids about it throughout the week!  It's a good way to gauge their answer to the question, "What did you learn in Bible Trek?"

Bible Passage
We want kids to understand that they are part of God's story.  That's why we have a big timeline on our classroom wall with the kids' pictures on it.  Part of understanding their role in God's story is recognizing the power of the Word of God.  We send home the Bible passage that we used so that you can look it up and know what your kids were taught each week.  You could also use it as a passage to read during your family devotional time.  We hope the kids are opening their Bibles at home, not just at church.

Car Ride Home
The ride home from church can go many ways.  We hope, though, that it becomes a time of reflection on what God is speaking into your lives as you process what you have heard on Sunday mornings.  The activities we send home for the car ride might seem silly sometimes, but they always have something to do with the lesson your kids just heard - - and you can quiz your kids on how the game relates!

Family Time
It seems to be getting more and more difficult for families to gather around the dinner table these days, let alone find the time for a family activity!  But we truly believe that doing these activities together with your kids will help them learn to become lifelong followers of God.

Quiet Time
Our Quiet Time activities are geared toward the older kids in Bible Trek, but they certainly can be accommodated for younger kids as well.  We hope that you, as parents, are taking advantage of the quiet time suggestions so that you might better understand what your children are learning in church.

Everything we do in Bible Trek has a purpose.  Every conversation, every piece of the curriculum, every picture on the wall, every paper sent home.  Thanks for taking the time to read and understand more about why we do what we do!

This Week's Memory Verse Activity

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.”

~ Matthew 28:19, 20a

 

Memorize this verse for next week to receive TWO Commitment Coins to buy something from our prize locker!
 

Activity: Write this week’s verse on index cards and hide them around the house this week.  When you see one, read it out loud and then hide it somewhere else for someone else to find!

Take a picture of the craziest place someone hid a card and post it to our Northgate Kids Facebook Page!

Devotions

Hey, Parents!

I thought this week you might be interested in doing the devotions that our coaches do in preparation for our lessons.  These devotions go along with the curriculum, and will prepare you to talk with your kids about the lesson this coming Sunday (May 18th), but are meant to be done this week (May 12-16).

Monday - - Read Matthew 28:16-20

When reading this week’s passage, what does Christ say our job is as his disciples? What is his promise to us?

Tuesday - - Personal Reflection Questions

1)  Why did Jesus go to heaven?

2) Is it harder for you to hear Christ’s call to service or to believe his promise of always being with you?

3) How can you help the kids in your small group understand that Jesus is still with us, even though He went to heaven?

Wednesday - - Read Acts 1:1-11

When reading this passage, picture it from a child’s perspective.  How does that change how you read this story?

Thursday - - Discuss this week’s readings with your small group or accountability partner

Even if you can’t make it to this week’s small group, we encourage you to talk through what God is placing on your heart with someone this week.

Friday - - Memorize Proverbs 18:24

“One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” ~ Proverbs 18:24

This Week's Memory Verse

“Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

~ John 20:29b

 

Say the Bible verse as a chant. Make a motion to go with the words: blessed, not seen, and believed. Go through the verse several times.