Update on Children's Church
On Sunday, August 24th, Children's church opened the morning worship services with a song. They sang "The B-I-B-L-E" to the tune of "B-I-N-G-O". Martin gave a quick message to the children including a magic trick. The children were to be presented with NIV Bibles but they had not arrived yet. They will be given to the children when we receive them.
_______________________________________________
We have been blessed by the presence of two young people for the past month, Bailey and MacKenna Andrews. There were here visiting family while relocating to the Northeast. They have lived in California all their lives but now will reside in Connecticut. They will hopefully get to visit more often since they are now on the east coast.
_______________________________________________
Our contest at Children's church is now in full swing. The children have really been working hard. We are very proud of them. We have had two students, Alec and Kylie, learn the 12 apostles. Alec has also learned 20 of the books of the New Testament in order.
The children have learned the following memory verses:

• John 3:16
• Jesus is the Son of God.
• Love one another as I have loved you.
• Trust the Lord with all your heart. Lean not on your own understanding.

Our youth workers have been extremely helpful. They have participated in and encouraged all the children to participate in the activities.

_______________________________________________

Here is what enquiring minds want to know:

TOP FIVE IN CONTEST:

1. Alec
2. Joy
3. Taylor
4. Casper
5. Kylie

The children need to continue working on the 12 apostles and learning the books of the New Testament.

Communion Meditation for August 24th

SIN

Sin means "missing the mark." The "mark" or target that we are aiming for is the glory of God. His perfect will, which we all have missed. "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23).

Sin is disobedience. It is doing things God has told us not to do and not doing things that he has told us to do.

Disbelief is also sin, perhaps the greatest sin, and ignorance is no excuse.

Sin is deceptive. It offers beauty, pleasure, and fulfillment, but produces ugliness, disappointment, and emptiness. Sin is guilty of false advertising, it thrives on lies. Yet there are many who think that temptation to sin is irresistible.

Sin is destructive. It is a cancer on society and on the human soul. It is habit-forming and has the power to enslave and control us.

Worst of all, sin separates man from God. It keeps him from being what he wants to be and what God has created him to be.

The good news is that this terrible enemy has been defeated. By God's grace, through Christ's death on the cross, we are set free from sin and its hold over us. It is that forgiveness and that freedom that we celebrate here at the Lord's table.

Children's Church Contest

August 3rd we will kick off an exciting new contest with Children's Church. The students will earn points to use towards prizes of their choice. This contest will run for six months. At the end ot the contest we will have a Fun Fair of games and prizes. The children will get tickets according to the number of points they have earned. Choice of Prizes:

• McDonald's Gift Card
• Pizza Gift Card
• Movie Theater Gift Card
• Wal-mart Gift Card

Today begins our contest. This is a breakdown of the points required to gain a prize:
Children who cannot read have to earn 200 points.
· Children who are 1st grade to 3rd grade must earn 250 points.
· Anyone above 3rd grade must earn 300 points.
This is a breakdown of the ways to earn points:
· Attendance-5 points
· Bring Bible-5 points
· Weekly Memory verse-10 points
· Larger memory items-15 points
· Reading Bible -15 points
1. Children who cannot read can be read a Bible story
2. Children 1st grade to 3rd grade-read 5 verses for 5 days
3. Anyone above 3rd grade must read 10 verses for 5 days
· Bringing a visitor-25 points
· If visitor becomes a regular participant-25 points
· Perfect attendance for entire contest-special gift
· Participant with the most points during the contest-GRAND PRIZE WINNER
The extra credit for this week is learning the 12 Apostles:
· Peter
· Andrew
· James
· John
· Philip
· Bartholomew
· Matthew
· Simon
· James the Less
· Thomas
· Judas
· Thaddeus
Our hope is that the participants will build on their knowledge of the Bible while being challenged and having fun. They will be rewarded for all their hard work. Let the games begin!