VBS Volunteer Survey

Were you a VBS volunteer this year? We want to know more about your experience! Your feedback is super important as we evaluate this year's VBS and plan ahead for next year. Please take just a few minutes to respond to a simple online survey. Thanks so much!

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/2VBSZT2

10 Great iPad Apps for Kids!

Check out this blog for a cool review of 10 iPad Apps that can be great (and educational) for your kids. The Sunday School curriculum that we use even has an app!

http://www.whatisorange.org/orangeleaders/blog/?p=5649

Exciting Updates!

We're a week away from the first day of VBS, so things are busy here at church as we prepare for an awesome week of Panda Mania! Kids and leaders will be exploring Psalm 139 as we learn all about how God is WILD about US! It's not too late to register--visit www.stpaulsorange.org and click on Children and Youth, then the VBS link, to sign up. Registration is $30/child.

In other news, our Sunday morning children's ministry program is still going strong during the summer! We have a lot of cool themes and activities planned for June, July, and August. June's theme is Faith, July will be all about Perseverance, and August's focus will be Grace.

Every other Sunday morning, the youth ministry department will be joining us at our large group opening for music! This is a new development over the past few months. This coming Sunday, June 19th, will be a special one--kids who have signed up for VBS will receive their t-shirts, and we'll be previewing some of the VBS music. Make sure to join us!

VBS Volunteer Needs

VBS will be here in just 32 days! We are gearing up for what is going to be an awesome week of celebrating God's love!

With hundreds of kids joining us for VBS week, we couldn't pull it off without the energy and support of many dedicated volunteers. If you're free the week of June 20-24 from 9am-Noon, we have a position for you! :)

As of this writing, we need 6 more elementary crew leaders and 8 more elementary assistant crew leaders. We are also looking for 2 adults in the nursery, and leaders for our preschool area.

Sign up to volunteer online at www.stpaulsorange.org! Click on Church-Children and Youth-Children-VBS, and follow the link provided. We hope to see you at Panda Mania 2011!

VBS early registration deadline!

VBS 2011: Panda Mania--will be here before we know it! The countdown has begun, and there are only 39 days left! VBS week is June 20-24 from 9am-Noon. This awesome week of fun, friends, and growth in God is open to all upcoming preschoolers through 5th graders. Upcoming 6th graders through high school youth are invited to be volunteers, as well as adults!

The early registration deadline is May 15th for $20/child. Starting on May 16th, the registration will go up to $30/child. Sign up early and save! Register online quickly and easily at www.stpaulsorange.org

Invite friends for what will definitely be a highlight of summer!

New Children's Ministry Check-In System

WHO?

Our new check-in system will apply to ALL children from preschool through 5th grade and their parents. Our children's ministry check-in volunteers and small group leaders will also be working closely with you to ensure the safety of your kids.

WHAT?

1. You will walk up to a manned check-in station run by a volunteer. The volunteer will use a computer to check your child(ren) into our children's ministry programs by entering your family's last name.

2. You will receive a printed stick-on name-tag for your child, that will show their first name, grade, and a unique 3-4 digit letter/number combination. This letter/number combination will also be printed on a security label for you as a parent, that you will bring back with you when you pick up your child. Children may not check themselves in or out.

WHEN?

We will be kicking off our new check-in system on Sunday, May 8th! We will have multiple stations, but as we ease into this new program, there will most likely be a short wait time for the first couple of weeks. Once everyone is more comfortable with the system, we will be able to check-in a family in about 15 seconds! We appreciate your patience in the meantime.

WHERE?

Our check-in stations will be set up in the gym entryway.

WHY?

St. Paul's is initiating this new check-in process for several reasons:

1. to ensure that your children are able to participate in our children's ministry in a safe environment.

2. to keep track of our attendance electronically, and to instantly see records of who is present each Sunday morning.

3. to help all of us get to know each other better--leaders will be able to know each child's name right away!

4. to help our first-time visitors feel comfortable leaving their child with us, and to follow up with them more effectively.

Thank you so much for taking the time to learn more about this new program! If you have any questions, concerns, or ideas, please feel free to contact Celeste Koscik, Children's Minister, at:

(714) 637-2640 or by email: ckoscik@stpaulsorange.org. Feel free to also leave comments or questions right here on the blog, and they will be responded to!

What does it mean to put God first?

...this is the family discussion question that will be on your Fridge Door cards this Sunday morning! We'll be talking in large group and small groups about how Jesus put us first when he chose to obey the Father and go to the cross to bear our sins. Even though He didn't have to do it...He loved us so much that He willingly suffered on our behalf. Wow!

Come and join us at 9:30am in the gym this Sunday as we learn about Jesus' prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane, and how He was arrested and put on trial. Next weekend we'll focus on the crucifixion and what that means for our salvation.

You'll also be receiving an important handout this Sunday with information on our new check-in system coming on May 8th!

April: Humility

Can you believe that tomorrow will be April 1st? With a new month comes a new theme virtue for the children's ministry. Our focus for April will be Humility: "putting others first by giving up

what you think you deserve."

The memory verse will be a little longer, and a little more challenging, but we can do it!

“Don’t do anything only to get ahead. Don’t do it because you are proud. Instead, be free of pride. Think of others as better than yourselves.” Philippians 2:3, NIrV

Check out the link below for a cool preview video of what the themes will be for each Sunday in April:

http://whatisorange.org/252basics/monthly

See you this Sunday at 9:30am in the Gym!

kids and social networking?

Facebook has become the norm for teenagers and adults when it comes to connecting with friends. In many ways, regular emails have been phased out by the ease of sending a facebook message. We can send friend requests, post status updates, and create groups, all with a few clicks of the mouse. Kids often see their parents using facebook, and wonder why they can't have their own account as well.

A site called Togetherville.com is aiming to create a safe, kid-friendly social networking site. In order to use it, a parent with a Facebook account needs to set it up and monitor their child's usage. There are a lot of pros and cons to kids' social networking sites. Check out this review from Common Sense Media for more details on what Togetherville is all about. Let us know what your thoughts are!

http://www.commonsensemedia.org/website-reviews/togetherville

The Lion Sleeps Tonight

March is all about COURAGE here in the K-5th grade children's ministry, and this Sunday's theme will get us into the true story of a courageous guy named Daniel! Daniel "was brave enough to do what he needed to do even though he was afraid." Come and join us at 9:30 in the gym as we learn what happened in Daniel 6:1-23!

Courage isn't the absence of fear--it's relying on God to give us the strength we need in the midst of our fear. Our memory verse for the month says it well: "When I'm afraid, I will trust in You." (Psalm 56:3)

See you this Sunday morning for our final week of learning about courage!

This Sunday's theme!

For the month of February, the virtue we've been focusing on is KINDNESS. Everything we do on Sunday mornings during this month will revolve around God's kindness to us in Jesus, and how we can share kindness with the people around us!

Our new curriculum, 252 Basics, defines kindness this way: "showing others they are valuable by how you treat them." Our memory verse for the month is Luke 6:31, "Do to others as you want them to do to you." (NIrV)

This Sunday, we'll be learning about "the least of these" Jesus talks about in Matthew 25:35-40. Kids will be discovering that when they show kindness to someone in need, they are really showing kindness to God Himself!

See you this Sunday morning at 9:30 in the gym!