In the Beginning

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." Genesis 1:1

Welcome to a new school year!  Fall is a wonderful time of beginnings.
Big kids beginning school in a new classroom, beginning new friendships...and at North Creek Presbyterian Church, beginning Sunday School in new classrooms too!

Our first official Sunday School of the fall is on September 9th.

In the 2's class, we will have a new bible lesson each month.  We begin in September with the story of creation.

Our emphasis will be on teaching our 2 year olds that God created the world and everything in it.

As parents, you can reinforce this lesson at home.  When you read a book or watch a TV show about animals, you can remind them that God made all living things.  Trips to the zoo or farm are a fun way to learn about God's creatures.  Flowers, plants, bugs, seeds, are all wonderful reminders of the breadth of God's creation.

"I am the Lord, sho has made all things, who alone stretched out the heavens, sho spread out the earth by myself."  Isaiah 44:24

If you have any questions about the lessons in the 2's class, please don't hesitate to contact me!

You can email me a: molly@northcreekpres.org, or just stop by on Sunday morning.

Upcoming Nursery events:

*PLAY DATE*

When: September 8th

between 10:00am and noon 

Where: The Village Bean in Country Village, Bothell

What: Coffee, conversation, and a chance to meet parents of kids the same ages, while the kids play! 

Mention this blog post at Second Saturday, and the Nursery will buy you a drink of your choice!  (My personal choice is a skinny caramel latte...mmmm, latte...)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fishers of Men

This month in the 2's class we learned about how Jesus called his disciples to be fisher's of men.

Here are the talking points we use when talking to two year olds about becoming disciples of Christ:

 
What does it mean to be a "fisher of men?" Instead of catching fish we catch men. We tell people about Jesus so that they too want to follow him too.

What do you need to catch fish? You need a net or a fishing pole. If you use a fishing pole, you have to have bait.

What kind of bait can you use to catch fish? night crawlers, lures, bugs, caterpillars, etc.

But what kind of bait do you use to catch men? God's words.

As a family, you can talk about the following ideas that we touched on in class:

Who can be “caught”: friends, family, neighbors, grown-ups or kids

How can you “fish”: sharing God’s word, talking about God’s love, praying for and with people

As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” At once they left their nets and followed him. Matthew 4:18-20

Calendar Note:

Make sure to come to class on Sunday, August 19th!  We will be having a graduation party for our two's class, with treats and diplomas for the kids.  Plus, Mom and Dad, this is a great time for any questions you may have about Sunday School and what you can expect in the new school year!

Support a member of our Nursery Family

Sometimes God moves me in quiet ways.  Today, it was an email from one of our 2nd service volunteers, Mandy Bledsoe.  The email was typical, talking about schedules...what caught me attention was her pinned signature:

I'm raising money to help eliminate blood cancers like Leukemia and Lymphoma.  For more information about why this is important to me or to help by making a donation, please go to http://bledsoebattle.com

I followed the link and discovered that Mandy is walking to raise fund to cure leukemia...after losing her husband to it last year.


I am asking all of our Nursery family to join me in supporting Mandy in her walk.  Donate if you can, and support Mandy with prayer.

In Uganda, a sign at the Kiwoko hospital read: "Doctors treat, God heals."

Thank you for helping me support Mandy and The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.


But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:31

Happy Summer!

Summer in the Northwest!  Every day is a surprise, and a blessing in it's own way. The HOPE Mission Team has had a taste of every kind of weather God has to offer in Washington: sun, rain, wind, even thunder and lightning!

We feel greatly blessed to have been in service to the Lord on the other side of the world, but just as blessed to be safely home again.

If you have questions about the Uganda mission, would like to hear stories and see pictures, please join us TONIGHT (Sunday, July 15th) at NCPC, 7:00pm. We are hosting a dessert potluck, and hope to see you there.

If you can't come tonight, you have a second opportunity, at Second Saturday!  This coming Saturday, July 21st, from 10:00am to noon, I will be at the Village Bean in Country Village, Bothell.  I will bring pictures, stories, and a free coffee if you mention this blog post!

The 2's room has been super busy, learning about the parable of the Lost Sheep, how God has blessed our country on the 4th of July, and in July we have begun the story of the Good Samaritan.

You may have noticed, the Children's Ministry has been very active in our community as part of the Summer of Service:  making care packages for our military overseas, sponsoring a work party to clean up our church, setting up charity lemonade stands, and lots more. 

Our 2's class is learning ways to help and love their neighbor, with the Good Samaritan story as a starting point.  Summer of Service is a great way to connect with YOUR neighbors, and expand your child's understanding of Jesus's message of service.

Want to know more?  Read the SOS blog here: http://ncpcsummerofservice.blogspot.com/

Or sign up for upcoming events here:  http://www.northcreekpres.org/690430.ihtml

Coming soon:  2's class graduation party!  Watch for details in the August Current.

June Bible Story: The Good Samaritan

...so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’

“Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”

The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”

Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

Luke 10: 29-37

Where's Molly?

In about two months, I expect that some of you will walk into the Nursery on Sunday and ask, "Where's Molly?"  As commited as I am to being at the desk every Sunday, I am taking an extended break this summer.

I am going to Uganda with my daughter Kylara and the HOPE Mission Team.  We will be leaving on June 22nd, and returning on July 10th.  With commisioning of the team at both services on June 17th, I will be missing my Nursery kids for four Sundays in a row! 

I have a great team of volunteers who will be staffing the desk for me while I am gone, please thank then when you see them in my usual spot!

If you are curious to learn more about our mission, please feel free to ask anytime!  You can also go to the following websites for more information:

http://www.northcreekpres.org/hopemission

http://newhopeuganda.org/

I would appreciate if you would keep our team, the Anderson family and New Hope Uganda in your prayers.

Also, if you would be interested in helping support our team, we will be having a rummage sale on May 5th.  We are accepting donations of any gently used items in the Youth room between now and noon on May 4th.

Matthew 28:19-20 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.


2 Timothy 2:15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.

Galatians 6:9 And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.

New Life in Jesus

It's the Sunday after Easter, and we still have two weeks of April left.  Most years, April in the two's room is ALL about the Easter story, Easter crafts, eggs, crosses, tombs, more crosses, lilies...but this year, I thought we'd try something different.

For the first two weeks of March, the two's class learned about St Patrick, and how he used the shamrock to illustrate the idea of the trinity to the Irish people.

The second two weeks of March, and the first two weeks of April were devoted to the story of Jesus' death and resurrection.

Last Sunday was a glorious, beautiful Easter, and we had over 30 children in the Nursery and 2's room!

For the next two weeks, our children will be reading a story called, "New Life in Jesus", which uses a butterfly to illustrate the resurrection. 

So, be looking for butterfly crafts and coloring pages, and remember, if you see a butterfly, remind your child that butterflies remind us of Jesus!

In May, our two year olds will be learning about prayer, with a special craft celebrating mother's on May 13th, Mother's Day!

"Whoever is a believer in Christ is a new creation.  The old way of living has disappeared.  A new way of living has come into existence."  2 Corinthians 5:17

Happy Easter!

We've had a busy year so far!  Our 2's class has learned about Jonah in January, God's Love in February, and they've spent the last two Sundays learning the true story of St Patrick.  Our kids heard how St Patrick tought the Irish people about Christianity'   They did crafts with shamrocks, showing how St Patrick used the shamrock to demonstrate the idea of Trinity, with the three leaves representing God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

Now, although it's only March, Easter is right around the corner!  Easter is the second Sunday of April this year, so our two's room is starting their Easter crafts this Sunday, March 18th.

Easter can be a tricky story to teach to 2 and 3 year olds.  Most of what they are exposed to publicly is eggs, bunnys, chicks and chocolate.

Our focus at NCPC is, of course, that Christ died and rose again, to give all people eternal life in Heaven. 

With the preschool kids, I find it helps to relate the secular images of bunnies and eggs to the Resurrection, teaching them that when they see baby bunnies in the store, it can remind them of the new life in Jesus Christ, and that eggs can remind them of Jesus bursting from the tomb...even if the eggs are filled with candy.

In other news, have you been wanting to form a small group, but worried about childcare availability and cost?  Then I have great news for you!  Drop-in, on site childcare is currently available at NCPC, on Tuesday and Weds. evenings, from 7-9pm.  Email me at molly@northcreekpres.org, or call me at 425-743-2386 x 11, if you would like to sign up, or for more information.

Happy Easter!

Molly Pankow
Nursery and Childcare Coordinator
North Creek Presbyterian Church