Family Movie Night March 7 5:00PM

Everyone is invited to participate in Cornerstone KIDS movie this coming Friday night March 7:00. 5PM
There will be two "theaters" showing different movies that night. The shows will be decided by a drawing. We will post the movies later this week after everyone has had a chance to get their suggestion in the drawing.
Concession stand will be provided. Hot dogs, chips, fruit, and snacks. Everyone is encouraged to bring a snack to share for the "concession stand".
Any questions? Call Teri.

Fruit of the Spirit

The KIDS in The Spot have been talking about Fruit of the Spirit. Here are some pictures of last Sunday when they were discussing Joy. They are enjoying some orange smiles.

Winter Weather Fun

How to Enjoy Ms. Teri's Favorite Weather.

When it's too cold to play outside what do you do? Here are a few ideas to fan the fires of your imagination.

Take a swim in the tub- maybe you don't want to get your swimsuit on and swim but you can have water play. Experiment with what things sink and what things float. Have races to see which items sink fastest. Experiment with how water changes different objects like, paper, chalk, Legos, salt, pepper, etc.

Blow bubbles- this is always a hit, no matter how old your child(ren) is. Here's a simple recipe:

Bubble Recipe (Without Glycerin)

1 cup water
1/2 cup dish soap (Dawn works well)
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1) Put all ingredients in a large cup, plastic jar, or other container. Stir SLOWLY.
Don't limit yourself to factory provided bubble blowers. Look for your own. Tie a shoe lace to form a loop and use it to make bubbles. Experiment to see what works best.

Turn the contents of your kitchen cabinets into percussion instruments. -Kids of all ages love noise, especially if they are providing it. Tap a rhythm and have them repeat it on their instrument. Let them tap and you repeat theirs.

Count things- this could become an all consuming project. Older kids can count the dry beans in the bag or the popcorn kernels. Small kids could count chairs or shoes. Give everyone a cool notebook and pen to write their results in.

Play dress up/Act out a story- Kids have so much fun when playing dress up. Be sure to take pictures and videos to share.

Build a blanket fort - Transform a bedroom or dining room into a far away jungle or mountain top and build a fort there. You could maybe even nap in your new fort or have a sleepover in it.

Build with blocks/Legos / Bristol blocks- There is no end to kids imagination. Take pictures of all of the creations for a scrapbook page.

Make music- if you are not musical just fire up Pandora, go to Family Folk Songs and sing along. The words are silly and the music is fun. You can even make up motions or dances to the songs.

Hide and seek- there are so many variations to this childhood game. Maybe a toy hides and everyone has to find it. Maybe you give clues to say if you are close or totally in the wrong place. Maybe kids hide and parents hunt. Maybe parents hide and kids hunt. Be creative.

Just enjoy being close even if its a bit claustrophobic. The memories will be worth it. Happy frosty days!!

MW KIDS week of August 25

John 13:1-30
READ
We read this passage earlier in the week.  If your family has not had a chance to read it yet, see previous post.  This passage can be read many times as a family and it will continue to draw you closer to Jesus each time you read it.

PONDER
After we read the passage we can go back and see what Jesus was up to.  Jesus was hanging out with his close friends, his disciples.  They belonged together.  The disciples belonged to Jesus.  Jesus belonged to his friends, his disciples.  He was their teacher and they were learning from him what it meant to belong.  When Jesus washed their feet what do you think his actions were showing the disciples?  What was he, as their teacher and friend, trying to get them to understand?  Jesus was serving his friends, doing something for them that a servant should do.  But Jesus as their teacher was washing their feet.  Why would he do this? Serving? What does that mean?  Can you think of ways you could serve others?  Is that what Jesus was trying to teach his friends.....we should serve each other?

CHANGE
Who are your friends?  Do you ever have a chance to serve them?  Who are your enemies?  Would you have a chance to serve your enemies?  What would you need to do to have a chance to serve someone this week?  Seek out someone to serve.  Discuss as a family how you can serve others.  Come to Friends Day at Cornerstone and help serve others.  That is what Jesus did...he served.

MW for KIDS week of August 25

MW for KIDS
John 13:1-30
This is a passage with many complicated parts. We read this passage and see many things we don't really understand. Why would Jesus' friend so something to hurt him? Why is Jesus, God's son, washing people's dirty feet? We will ponder those questions, and more, but one basic thing about this reading is that it is a passage about belonging. Jesus belongs to the Father. The disciples belong to Jesus. Jesus and the disciples belong to a group called Jews. We all belong to different groups. You belong to your class at school. You belong to your family. Maybe you belong to a sports team or a music group. We all want to belong. It seems the disciples were still trying to figure out what it meant to belong to Jesus. That is a good question for us to ponder this week....What does it mean to belong to Jesus?
Below you will see pics of Cornerstone KIDS celebrating their efforts to memorize this Miracle Word we talk about.

KIDS Celebrate August 11 Noon

Each year as we look forward to another year we also like to take a minute to celebrate what has happened in the precious 12 months. We will get together to celebrate KIDS at noon on August 11. We will meet in the activity center. Lunch will be served, stories will be shared, some pictures might be available as well. Please plan to stay. Your whole family is welcome. We will celebrate with KIDS who have just finished K-6th grade. It will be a great time together.

Promotion August 11

The date for promotion is set. The teachers are working on rosters for their new classes.
When you arrive on August 11 you will direct your kids to the appropriate class for their 2013-14 grade. Kindergarten- 4th grade are in The Spot, room 205. Fifth and 6th graders will meet in The Zone, room 208.
All Babies - prekindergarten are in The Meadow.
All groups meet at 11:15 on Sunday morning. Please keep your children (who are not in The Meadow) with you until 11:15. This will give the teachers opportunity to be prepared for your students when they arrive.
We are looking forward to a great year.

Promotion

This is the time of year when we begin thinking about promotion around Cornerstone. Our kids have finished another year in school and identify themselves as one grade ahead. Our Bitty KIDS may be moving to elementary or just ready for a new class in The Meadow. So be watching the Cornerstone Today newsletter for more details on promotion. And you will likely get a call or an email from you child's teacher for fall. Exciting times ahead

Cornerstone KIDS will be heading to Lake of the Ozarks Sunday, Aug.4- Tuesday, Aug. 6.  This is a time for families to hang out together and spend some fairly unstructured time together.  The responsibility for meals will  be shared between the families that are going.  There will be no cost for the trip.  If you are interested in going please sign up by emailing (teri@cornerstone4u.org) or texting 816-805-7774.  More details to follow.

Check In/ Check Out in The Meadow

The KIDS team will be implementing a check-in/ Check-out process in The Meadow starting Sunday, January 27, 2013.
Our goal is to eliminate extra traffic in The Meadow which will help the children feel less anxious, to provide identification for each child, and provide an added layer of protection for the babies/toddlers/preschoolers as they gather.
Upon arriving, proceed to your child's classroom. The doors will be locked for security and you will need to knock. When the teacher answers she/he will hand you a card with a number that will identify your family for the day. That same number will be put on your child's name tag and diaper bag, etc. it is vital when you come to pick up your children you bring that number card with you.
We invite each family with children in The Meadow to participate fully in this important plan. It is a simple yet effective way of providing security for our children and their teachers.
For questions please contact Teri Shipley or any of The Meadow teachers.

Christmas Card Collection

As families we receive Christmas cards throughout this holiday season. Some have photos, others have notes and letters. What do you do with these now that Christmas is over?
There are many things you can do, but one thing I might suggest is a prayer ring. Hole punch all the cards and photos and put them on a binder ring. Put them in your car or in the middle of the kitchen table. Each time you see it you can pray for one or all of the families on your prayer ring. If you prefer you can divide them up and make a ring for each person. You can keep it near your bed and add these friends to your nightly prayers. Friends are some of God's most precious gifts to us. This is a great way to invest in our friends. When you wear the cards out maybe you will have a stack of birthday cards from friends and you can make a new ring.

Surprise Sack

Mysteries have long been the magic that draws children into exploration. The challenge of the unknown, the excitement at the discovery, the intrigue of the clues. We want to channel that kind of enthusiasm into Spiritual mystery and exploration. KIDS here at Cornerstone are going to begin having their own moments of mystery each Wednesday night starting in January. Each week a "Surprise Sack" will go home with some lucky kid. When they get the sack home they will have a week to decide what mystery item they want to put in the sack. The only rules are: nothing alive or previously alive, nothing toxic, must be rated G, and it must fit in the sack. Then they will bring the sack to Friends/Time on Wednesday night. Then I, or another adult, will reveal the mystery item and share a faith analogy related to that item. Of course the goal is to stump the teacher, put something in the sack that can't be related to faith. Let the challenge begin!!!
So be sure you don't miss your chance to take the Surprise Sack home. Plan to get together with your friends on Wednesday nights for dinner at 6:00 and mystery time to follow.

Extra transition on December 2

Greetings,
Just wanting all to know that KIDS will be coming back to worship from KIDS Church after the sermon on Sunday December 2. We will all participate in Chuck's surprise appreciation day. If you have little ones in The Meadow you should pick them up following the sermon as well. You should have received an email outlining the appreciation.
Then following the end of service we will go back upstairs to The Spot and back to The Meadow for Sunday school.
Thank you for your patience as we make this extra transition to assure everyone gets to participate in honoring Chuck.
If you have any questions please call me. 816-805-7774.

Warmly,
Teri Shipley

Revamped KIDS Club Agenda

As a community, a family, at Cornerstone it has always been a goal of KIDS ministry to present as many opportunities for sharing life together as possible. Admittedly, we have done better at that at some times than others. Life becomes busy and it is difficult to always be together. Yet, there is something beneficial when we can share life. It is desirable to create the time and space for that in the best way for the families and situations which make us who we are. Every family's situation is unique and it is not always possible to make every opportunity accessible to all; but that is always the goal.

Because of changing needs and circumstances the KIDS team is excited to revamp our mid week get together time so more families might be able to participate with as little drain on the families as possible. We are continuing with our dinner on Wednesday nights from 6:00-6:30. Then KIDs and their families will hang out around the dinner tables from 6:30-7:00 for a family event. There will not be separate classes for ages birth-6th grade and the family session will only last about 20-25 minutes. It will be a time when we will do many things as families. There will be weeks where we will worship as families. Some of the nights we will have guests who might bring puppets or balloon sculpting. Others might share a story or an object lesson. There will be opportunity from time to time to help with a service project. These sessions will be planned by staff and you as families will just need to show up and participate. This change will be implemented immediately, Wednesday November 28, 2012 will be our first night with our new schedule. The sessions until Christmas break will be as follows:
November 28- Decorating for Christmas
December 5- Monthly Birthdays and Christmas Story and Christmas Carol singing
December 12- Object lesson and Christmas carol singing
December 19- All Church Soup dinner and cookie exchange followed by All Church Carol singing.
All input is welcome. Please contact Teri at teri@cornerstone4u.org or 816-805-7774.

The Gospel for KIDS

Do We Need Gospel-Centered Bible Study for Our Kids?

by Trevin Wax on Tuesday, October 30, 2012

This article is courtesy of ParentLife Magazine.

How do you teach the Bible to your kids? Do you worry that Bible study is not impacting their hearts but that the primary message you are giving to your children is simply that they need to "be good?"


What sometimes gets lost in the journey through Bible stories is the good news of what Christ has done to save the lost. In other words, in focusing on behavior, we may be missing the heart-change brought about by the gospel. Check out these four truths that should be a hallmark of a Bible study centered on the gospel.

1. The Bible tells one big story

When we take Bible stories out of context to glean moral lessons from them, we can leave kids with the impression that the Bible is much like Aesop's fables - interesting tales with moral application. Even though the Bible has moral application, it actually tells one overarching story. These stories fit together. They tell us the story of our world - where we've come from and where we are going. It's important that children recognize how these Bible stories are connected.

2. The Bible is about God

Once we recognize that the Bible is telling us a great story, we discover the truth that we are not the main characters. The Bible is about God. He is the hero. These stories provide us with moral application, yes. But before we get to application, we ought to ask, "What does this story tell us about God?" If the Bible's big story is about God bringing about redemption of His fallen world, then what picture of God do we see in the smaller stories?

3. The Bible points us to Jesus

One of the statements I like to make from time to time is that "Bible study won't necessarily change your life." What I mean is this: Just because you know the Bible doesn't mean the Word will bear fruit in your life. It is possible to know the Scriptures, read the Scriptures, revere the Scriptures, study the Scriptures, and miss the point entirely. Jesus told the Jewish leaders of the day that even though they had meticulous knowledge of the Old Testament, they had missed the truth that the Old Testament is ultimately about Him. Whenever we study the stories of the Bible, we need to ask how they point us to Christ. The reason God's Word changes our life is because in the Scriptures we are introduced to Jesus, the Author.

4. The Bible calls for obedience grounded in the gospel and in the power of the Holy Spirit

Now, back to moral principles and application. Biblical behavior should not flow from obligation and compulsion. God cares about our hearts. Our hearts are not changed by the commands of the Law. Our hearts are changed when they overflow with love for the Savior. As we experience the grace of what God has done for us in Christ, our hearts are free to worship and obey. It's important that we take care not to give our children commands without showing them how the Holy Spirit, through the gospel, gives them the strength to obey these commands.

The purpose of Bible study is to know God and make Him known. The Bible unveils Jesus Christ as the focal point of human history. All creation exists by Him, through Him, to Him, and for Him. That's the only kind of Bible study that will change your life.

Drive-In Movie

Don't forget....tonight (Saturday November 10) there is a "drive-in" movie for kids of all ages. Create a car, then drive on over to cornerstone at 5:30 for a night at the movies. Concession stand will be available with lite dinner items and snacks. The feature film will be Madagascar 3. Bring friends. Hope to see you there.
If you don't have a car just bring a sleeping bag and enjoy the fun along with everyone else.

It's A Shoe In

Ok...well maybe not a "shoe in" but many other things can go in the shoebox. We will be packing shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child on Sunday evening November 11. We start with our ministry plan presentation at 4:00 and following that we will order pizza and pack shoeboxes for children all over the world. Please please join us.

The Spot

The Spot (K-4th) is a hopping place on Sunday mornings. The teachers are fantastic. The students are thinkers! The Bible is the basis for our teaching and we like being together. You should come and join us. Sunday mornings KIDS church during the sermon with Sunday School following. Dismissal time is noon.

Following Jesus

Today Noah Hogan made his love for God public by being baptized. He was very excited for this moment. He made a decision 3 weeks back and couldn't wait to take this step. We are all so excited Noah as you step out in faith and see where God is taking you now.

KIDS Club

Hey! Calling all kids!! We are a few weeks into our new KIDS Club session. It is not too late for you to join if you haven't yet. There's an extra bonus of dinner at 6:00. Last night was pizza. Luke was loving the pizza. Hope to see you next Wednesday at Cornerstone Church. Dinner at 6:00. KIDS Club at 6:30.