SojournKids

Testimony: Someone’s Mariam

Jared Kennedy — Mon, 13 May 2013 14:00:37 +0000

I’m thankful for this testimony from one of our Kids servants at Sojourn East, Shannon Overton:

Working with the 2-year olds in Sojourn Kids can sometimes feel wonderful and sometimes feel defeating. On the wonderful days, the kids are calm, we can engage them in a chorus of “Jesus Loves Me,” and I have time to look into their eyes and say, “Jesus loves everything about you,” and see their precious smiles in response. But on the defeating days, it feels like I’m just doing damage control. One kid is crying, one is banging a block on another’s head, one is playing Houdini trying to escape from the room, and one is trying to avoid getting a dirty diaper changed. It’s days like these when I walk out of the room weary and wondering if I did anything that day to help spread the love of Jesus to these children.

And then I remember Mariam. Rewind six years to 2007. I was a new mom in a new town with no established friendships and the nearest relative was a 6-hour car ride away. The birth of our son was one of the best days of my life. But, about 3 months after his arrival – after all the family and friends had made their visits and gone home – I quickly began to feel very isolated. The loneliness of being in the house all day with a baby and the monotony of my daily duties as a mom became more than I could handle. My relationship with Christ was not strong at the time, so I felt like I had no one to lean on but myself, and myself was falling apart.My husband and I were new members at a church, and as a typical first-time mom I was reluctant to put my son in the nursery. One day after church, exhausted with baby in tow, a nice lady approached me, introduced herself as Mariam the nursery worker, and said very kindly but honestly, “Honey, you need to bring your baby to the nursery.” I made the typical excuses – not wanting him to get sick, he might cry the whole time, etc., to which she said, “You need a break and I can give that to you.” The next Sunday I gave in and nervously took my son to the nursery. I hung around for a while until Mariam finally shooed me out of the room assuring me my son would be fine. And after several nervous Sundays, I realized that in Mariam’s loving care, he was fine!

God sent Mariam to me during a time of great need. Sunday mornings became my time to recharge for the week ahead, not only through worship, but also through the break it gave me from my duties as a mother. It was commonly the only time of the week I could carry on a face-to-face adult conversation without interruption. For a glorious 1-1/2 hours, the only item on my to-do list was to worship God. It might not sound like much, but in those days it felt like a mini vacation!

Through this trial, God gave me a heart for mothers with young children. So, on those days with the 2-year olds when it seems like all I did was keep them from hurting themselves or each other, I stop and remember, “This job with which God has entrusted me goes far beyond what happens in this room for 1-1/2 hours with these kids. Maybe a mom of one of these kids had a rough week. Maybe this morning is the only break she’s had from her kids all week. Maybe she’s exhausted and broken. Maybe this time will recharge her for the week ahead. Maybe today I was someone’s Mariam.”

Adventure Bible Website-new resource for teachers and parents

Jared Kennedy — Fri, 10 May 2013 14:00:11 +0000

I’ve recently discovered a new resource for teachers and parents. The Adventure Bible NIV is the Bible that we’ve purchased for classroom sets for our Elementary classrooms at SojournKids. I love this Bible because it provides helpful study aids that are age appropriate for younger elementary children, and NIV is both accurate in translation and readable for younger elementary kids.

Now, the folks at Zondervan publishing have launched a new website for the Adventure Bible (www.adventurebible.com). I’m excited about any resources that encourages kids to read their Bibles. My oldest daughter, Rachael, already enjoys the the Adventure Bible iPhone app that helps her practice Scripture memorization, and I’m excited about introducing her to the games on the new website. At SojournKids, we’ll use the crosswords, word finds, maps, and time lines to help supplement our curriculum. For homeschooling families or Christian schools, the classroom settings look like a great tool for tracking your child’s learning. Check out the video above to learn more.

Behold Your God Family Devotional, week 1: Glory

Jared Kennedy — Tue, 07 May 2013 14:00:16 +0000

“In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all people will see it together. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

Isaiah 40:3-6

Definition: The glory of God is his infinite greatness shining out to the world.

Sermon Passage: Isaiah 40

Memory Verse: Isaiah 40:28 Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.

Family Devotion Introduction: When you color a picture, you put your name in the corner of the page because you made it. God made everything. He also owns everything. And God has written his name in all of the creation to show us that it belongs to him. Psalm 19 says that all of creation declares the glory of God. His creation displays his goodness and his greatness to every person in the world. If you think it’s hard to see in creation, look to Jesus where we see the fullness of God’s glory!

Monday- What does it mean for a person to be famous?
Tuesday- What does it mean to say that God is great?
Wednesday- Who should be more famous, you or God?
Thursday- Read 2 Corinthians 4:6. How does Jesus show us the greatness of God?
Friday- What are some ways we can tell other people about how great God is?
Family Experience- Read 1 Corinthians 10:31 together. Go out to eat or make a picnic and talk about what it means to eat, drink, and do all things to the glory of God.

Sign up for the Student Baptism Class!

Jared Kennedy — Thu, 02 May 2013 14:23:04 +0000

We’re encouraging all graduating 5th graders and their parents to register for the Student’s Baptism class. The class will be held at St. Vincent’s in the third floor classroom from 5-7PM on Sunday, May 19th, and it is required for any student (ages 10-18) who wants to be baptized at Sojourn. Even if your 5th grader has never asked about baptism, this is an opportunity for them to hear a clear presentation of the gospel, a clear explanation of baptism, and help you begin to have this conversation with them.

Sign Up Here!

A word for the stressed out children’s ministry leader.

Ashley Stevenson — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 14:45:18 +0000

Have you ever felt like you’re going to have an aneurysm on a Saturday night after you’ve received one or multiple messages from children’s ministry workers saying they can’t make it the next morning? If so, this post might be for you.

Bearing the responsibility for staffing Sunday mornings and other events in kids ministry is a trying task whether you have 25 kids to care for, or 250. Here is my response:

-Calm down.

-God cares for those children. He cares for them a lot more than you do.

I say that as a hypocrite who has (praise God) been growing in grace and truth in this aspect of ministry. I’ve realized that my perception of recruiting stress is much of the time a spiritual matter. Either I’m trusting Him, or I’m operating as if I can add to His work.

You know that God cares for the kids in your care. But how are you displaying this truth to your children’s ministry team? Is anxiety-driven recruiting taking over your children’s ministry and sucking the life, time, and joy out of you and your team? If you don’t know the answer to this question, prayerfully consider much time you spend doing the following each week:

-Worrying

-Making frantic phone calls, or sending frantic emails

-Anxiously working through servant-assignment lists and schedules

-Re-working the lists and schedules

-Re-working them again (I once called all of this “proactive,” but it’s far from that).

If you’re still not sure of the answer to this question, ask and observe your leadership team, ministry assistant, or lead servants. Do they feel the weight of your ministry’s needs in a healthy way? Or do they reflect your anxiety?

Sunday is always coming. Needs will arise. Do faithful work as it makes much of God. Just be on guard against a sin-stricken motivation based in anxiety or self-glory. And know that his grace is sufficient even when our motivations fail. Because they will.

Try not looking at servant needs for a few of your workdays each week. Instead use that time for:

-Encouraging and blessing your servants and teams

-Pouring into the lives of the kids and families in your care and in your community.

-Working on other ministry initiatives.

-Celebrating victories.

You can trust in our great God by resting in the truth that he knows your needs. He will provide. He provided last Sunday, and he will provide next Sunday. Allow the stress of recruiting to hexpose in you your desperate need for Jesus. God cares for the children he has entrusted to you. And that is enough.

Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7

Sing! Preschool Lesson

Todd Balsley — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 15:00:46 +0000

Theme: David the songwriter.
Scripture: 2 Samuel 22
Main Point: Sing! Our God is worthy of praise!

Supplies: Bible, play dough, blank paper, pencils/crayons, visuals from the song and a recording or video of a storm for them to listen to (see Auditory/Visual Center below), cd player, red streamers, bolts of lightning made from poster board, any other props for role play. You will also need at least three teachers who are comfortable leading the three centers.

Lesson Overview

Teachers: Take this lesson, study it, and make it your own. Allow the truths of the Scripture to sink into your own heart. Know what you are saying and say it with confidence. Passion and voice inflection are essential with preschoolers. Repeat the main point over and over again.

Coloring Sheet (10 minutes)
Have the coloring sheets ready when the children first enter the classroom from the assembly. Ask the following questions while the children are coloring:

What are the children in the picture doing? Playing the drums, raising hands, and singing.
Do you like to sing? What do you like to sing about?
Why do we sing to God? Because He is worthy of praise.

Story Circle (15 minutes)

Main Point: Sing! Our God is worthy of praise!

Repeat this over and over again. Get the kids to say it with you every time you see it written in bold. This should be the one thing that the kids remember from the day.

I. Hook – Introduce the lesson. This is short and simple since there will be so much going on in the Book section.

II. Book – Read the passage. Divide the children into groups to experience the story in the three sensory centers. Time permitting, you can allow the children to switch centers, but it may best for them to choose what they would like to do the best.

III. Look – God is our ultimate rescuer through Christ. He is worthy of all of our praise!

**Please Note: The day before, organize your room into three centers, as described below.

Sensory Centers

Tactile

Option One: Have the children make with play-doh what they hear as you read David’s song to them. Have several examples ready for them (e.g., David stuck in the waves of death, a fortress that represents our God, clouds, lightning, the rescue from the deep water, arrows, lamp, shield, or even a battle scene where God rescues David from his enemies, the giants). Read the verses over again to the children and let them use their creativity.
Option Two: Let the children draw what they hear as you read the song to them with pencils or crayons.

Kinesthetic

Act out the descriptions in the song (verses 5-18 would work best for this. Several children can play the part of David, who is in deep distress and needs to be rescued. Others can act out the part of our Rescuer. Have props available like red streamers for fire and bolts of lightning made from poster board.

Auditory/Visual

Listen to the sounds of a storm. Play a recording of a storm or show a video of a storm or hurricane. Have a rain stick for children to play with.
Look at pictures of visuals from the song: fortresses and mountains (vv. 3-4), oceans/hurricane (vv. 5-7, 16-20), earthquake and burning coals (vv. 8-9), storms (10-15), lamp and shield (vv. 29-31)
As children are looking at the visuals, describe them by reading the verses from the song. Discuss how amazing and great our God is, how helpless we would be in the midst of a hurricane, and how awesome it would to see our God coming down to rescue us like David describes.

Hook (Grab Their Attention!)

Have music playing softly in the background.

ASK: Who have we been learning about this week? (David!) David was a shepherd, a soldier, a warrior, and a king. David was also human and sinned like you and me. But did you know that he was also a song writer? David wrote many of the Psalms found in the middle of our Bible (show them). But today we are going to learn about a certain song he wrote after God saved him from his enemies! This is a special and beautiful song that praises our God.

The main point for today is Sing! Our God is worthy of praise! Repeat this until all the kids are able to say it together.)

Book (This is Where You School Them!)

SAY: Today’s lesson is found in 2 Samuel, chapter 22 (show them in your Bible). David had been in a great war with the Philistines, with giants from Gath like the champion Goliath. He had grown weary!

On the day when the Lord saved him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul, David spoke to the Lord the words of a beautiful song. This song is all about our great God! In this song, we see how great and mighty He is! Listen closely because you will need to know all about this song in order to do our fun activities! You know that means? You need to turn up your ears and turn down your mouths so you won’t miss a thing! (Demonstrate.)

3 The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge, my savior; you save me from violence. 4 I call upon the Lord who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies. 5 For the waves of death encompassed me, the torrents of destruction assailed me; 6 the cords of Sheol entangled me; the snares of death confronted me. 7 In my distress I called upon the Lord; to my God I called. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry came to his ears. 8 Then the earth reeled and rocked; the foundations of the heavens trembled and quaked, because he was angry. 9 Smoke went up from his nostrils, and devouring fire from his mouth; glowing coals flamed forth from him. 10 He bowed the heavens and came down; thick darkness was under his feet. 11 He rode on a cherub and flew; he was seen on the wings of the wind. 14 The Lord thundered from heaven, and the Most High uttered his voice. 15 And he sent out arrows and scattered them; lightning, and routed them. 17 He sent from on high, he took me; he drew me out of many waters. 18 He rescued me from my strong enemy, from those who hated me, for they were too mighty for me. 29 For you are my lamp, O Lord, and my God lightens my darkness. 30 For by you I can run against a troop, and by my God I can leap over a wall. 31 This God— his way is perfect; the word of the Lord proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him. 50 “For this I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations, and sing praises to your name. 51 Great salvation he brings to his king,and shows steadfast love to his anointed, to David and his offspring forever.”

SAY: We have three centers that will help you learn more about who God is in this song. In one center, you can make or draw things from the song about David and God. In the second center, you can act out the neat things God does in the song as He rescues David. In the last center, you will have something special to listen to and pictures to look at from the song!

DO: Divide the children into three groups. Encourage them to pick which center they are most likely to enjoy. If time permits, you can allow them to switch centers.

Look (Look At Your Heart. What Should You Do?)

DO: Gather the children you once more, in one group.

ASK: Why did David write this song? (To praise God after He rescued Him.)

SAY: David loved God. He praised Him because of who He is and what He had done. God had rescued David many, many times from bad situations! He knew God was great and mighty! He knew God was worthy of all of His praise!

ASK: Have you ever been in a hard situation that you wanted to be rescued from? (If they need help, give an example from your own life that was hard.) We may not get into situations like David did with giants! But hard things will come to us in life. Know that God will always be there. He is our Rescuer! Call out to Him! And when He rescues you, praise Him!

Sing! Our God is worthy of praise!

SAY: God has already rescued all of us through sending Jesus to die on the cross for our sins. Because Jesus died and rose from the grave, we can now be forgiven from our sins, know God deeply, and one day spend the rest of forever with Him! He rescued us from our sins, and for this reason, we can always have the strength to sing!

Sing! Our God is worthy of praise!

DO: Praise God together through prayer

Snack & Memory (15 minutes)
At the appointed point in the schedule, a team will bring snacks to your classroom. While they are passing out the snack, take time to review today’s memory verse, show the kids the visual illustration of the story, and review the story using the following questions:

Memory Verse:

Psalm 96:2– “Sing to the Lord, praise his name; proclaim his salvation day after day.”

What did David write? A song
What was the song about? How God saved David from all of his enemies.
How is God described in the song? He is like a mighty fortress. He is a hero who rescues David from the waves. He is described as David’s shield and protector.

Why do we sing? Because God is worthy of praise!

Bible Learning Activities (20 minutes)

SAY: Today we have been learning about how David was a songwriter. He wrote songs to tell others about God’s goodness and greatness. We sing about God to tell others about the wonderful things he has done. Sing! Our God is worthy of praise!

Teachers: If you are teaching toddlers, it will be important to pre-cut as many of the microphones as possible before class time

SAY: Now, we’re going to decorate microphones and practice singing praises to God. Have the children color the microphone, cut it out, and sing!

Big Games (15 minutes)

**Three and Four Year-Olds will not have an organized Big Games time, but some games have been provided below for use during Playground time. Kindergarten leaders will not be responsible for leading these games. The leaders at the Big Games area will lead Big Games for Kindergartners.

Fruit basket turnover –

Everyone in the group should sit in a circle. They should each be given the name of a fruit. APPLE, ORANGE, BANANA. When their fruit name is called they should run to change places with someone else that has the same fruit name. So all APPLES should Switch with all APPLES. During the game the leader should shout “FRUIT BASKET TURNOVER!!!” and all of the kids should change seats with someone.

Written by: Kara Jenkins

Coloring sheets and Activities by: Mandy Groce

The North Star Catechism

Jared Kennedy — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 13:00:14 +0000

Whether or not we sail across troubled seas, Christians are all pilgrims. For thousands of years, travelers have been guided on their journey by focusing on a fixed point in the night sky: the North Star. While other stars appear to shift with the passing of time, the North Star remains anchored in the same position. This celestial gift allowed people to know where they were and where they needed to go. Our prayer is that the North Star Catechism will provide this same kind of clarity.

Download the Catechism

Download the Catechism Introduction

Look for flash cards and Scout books soon at the Sojourn book table!

Kids from our last Child Dedication Service New Albany and J-town

Todd Balsley — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 15:00:55 +0000

Jordan and Marissa Perciful present their daughter, Anna Jean Perciful

Our names are Jordan & Marissa Perciful. On August 28, 2012 we welcomed our newest daughter Anna Jean. Anna is our second daughter and joins her big-sister Lucy. We’re grateful to God for blessing us with two healthy girls, and we desire to raise them up in a way that magnifies our Father in Heaven. Since having Anna here, we’ve been the recipients of much grace from God and His people and we are humbled and thankful. Psalm 139:14, “I praise you, for I am fear- fully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.”

David and Kristin Hynes present their daughter, Laura Ruth Hynes

This is Laura Ruth Hynes. Laura is a family name on Kristin’s mom’s side. Laura is also named after Laurel Falls, Kristin’s favorite nature spot. We named her Ruth after Kristin’s great aunt who was a Godly woman, the book of Ruth in
the Bible and several friends named Ruth. Laura was born on March 28, 2012. We’re David & Kristin Hynes and her 3-year-old brother is Jonathan. I, Kristin, have learned and am continuing to learn humility, and God’s grace, through her difficult birth story and amazingly cheerful disposition. Our marriage verse that continues to prove true for our family is Ephesians 3:20-21.

Casey and Sterling Smallwood present their daughter, Jolee Sterling Smallwood

Our beautiful blessing, Jolee Sterling Smallwood, is named after her grandmother Rebecca Jo, dad Casey Lee and mom Rebecca Sterling. She was born July 11, 2012. She has an amazing big brother Clay. She brings us so much joy with every smile! She reminds us that while there may be an expectation of what is typical, one can sore above it. James 1:17, “Every good gift and every perfect gift comes from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no varia- tion or shadow due to change.”

Matthew and Tara Thomas present their son, Andrew James Thomas

Our child’s name is Andrew James Thomas, born August 14, 2012 to Matthew and Tara Thomas. His first name means manly and brave. His middle name is after Tara’s grandfather who is a kind man who loves God and his family very much. Since having Andrew, we have learned (and are still learning!) how impor- tant it is to be a team and spend time as just husband and wife.

Sign up for the April 21st Child Dedication

Kids from our last Child Dedication at East Campus

Todd Balsley — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 15:00:20 +0000

Kent and Melissa Morris present their son, Masen Alexander Morris

Our names are Kent and Melissa and our baby is Masen. He was born Dec 31st, 2011. We had poured over many names and narrowed down to a few. When we saw him the first time Masen just seemed to fit. It’s an incredible thing to see a new life developing, learning and growing and it affords parents the opportunity to learn nearly as much as the child. Amongst many things, I think children teach you much about yourself, they are in many ways a reflection of you. John 10:10, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

Travis and Kellie Arnold present their daughter, Layla Nicole Arnold

Travis and Kellie Arnold welcomed their daughter Layla Nicole Arnold to this world on August 30th, 2012. Her first name means dark beauty (which is fitting since she was born with a full head of dark hair,) and her middle name honors Kellie’s sister and mother. Layla is truly a gift from God, and her birth has taught both parents how little control they have over their lives and how God has a beautiful plan for everything. Layla’s birth has not only caused her parents to love one another more, but their love for God has grown tremendously as well.

Matt and Gäbri Warren present their daughter, Emma Rose Warren

We are so thankful for the beautiful blessing of Emma Rose Warren who is the daughter of Matthew and Gäbri Warren. She was born on a beautiful spring morning on June 7, 2012. Her name, which is Hebrew for healer, originally came from a dream her parents had soon after they found out they were pregnant. Emma brings happiness and joy to her parents and those who she’s around. May she grow to be a beautiful and powerful woman of God. May she bring healing and wholeness to a broken world. May she know God’s love for her deeply and be blessed all the days of her life.

Sign up for the April 21st Child Dedication

Kids from our last Child Dedication at Midtown Campus

Todd Balsley — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 15:00:57 +0000

Luke and Heather Barker present their son, Declan Lucas Barker

Declan Lucas Barker was born on March 19, 2012 to Luke & Heather. He is our firstborn son. We were initially drawn to the name “Declan” by its look and sound, but ended up choosing it primarily for its meaning, “man of prayer.” HIs middle name, Lucas, is after his father, with whom he shares the same initials. One scripture that fully describes our past 7 months with Declan is James 1:17, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Fa- ther of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” Declan has truly been a gift from the Lord.

Seth and Sloane Barnett present their son, Ephraim Fielder Barnett

Seth and Sloane Barnett are the parents of Ephraim (*pronounced Eff-rum*) Fielder Barnett. Fielder was born on May 26th, 2012. Ephraim means “fruitful” and Fielder means “dweller in open country”. Since having our son, God has shown us how to love sacrificially as we care for Fielder and serve one another. Psalm 127:3-5 says “Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows to the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them…”

Darren and Brittany Jennings present their son, Beren Brown Jennings

Beren Brown Jennings was born on May 25th, 2012 at 1:50pm. It was amazing and crazy. Beren Brown is named after two great men—one fictional, the other real. Beren is a tragic hero in Tolkien’s The Silmarillion—the first human to marry an elf in the Lord of the Rings. We could geek out about it but we won’t here. Brown was Brittany’s grandpa’s name. Grandpa Brown was gentle and wise—a much loved man of God. The Lord knows how to give good gifts. We have learned to be more gracious to each other and ourselves in these 4 months. Psalm 73:26 is helpful in trying times.