7.10.26

Hey Families! Bring your lunch and join after the 10:30 service for a Rock Painting Party!

Who?: Families with kids (grandparents and other family members are welcome to join as well!)
Where?: the back lawn by the Children's Ministry Wing
What?: bring a lunch and picnic on the lawn with other church families. Then, come and grab some painting supplies (we'll have disposable paint smocks for the kids!) and help us create a fun and encouraging rock garden around our new Children's Wing.
When?: This Sunday, July 12th, from 12-1:30 pm.
Why?: This is a great opportunity to enjoy a fun activity with your kids as well as other families at church!

BDC Begins!

This week kicked off the first of four weeks of Breakaway Day Camp! We are so thankful the Lord has given us the opportunity to love and serve kids in our community and share the Gospel with them. THANK YOU to the team of people it takes to make camp happen; we're so grateful for each of you! Church family, please continue to pray for the campers, counselors and leaders of camp. We look forward to watching God work! 

Summer Sundays Are Full Swing!

With the change in temperature comes a change of schedule! At Sparta Church, lot of our regular programs take a break, but there are lots of special gatherings and opportunities.
Summer is from June 21st- September 6th. 

Watch the video above to get the scoop on Summer Sundays! 

Summer Updates:
  • There are no CORE classes for the summer! 
  • Are you nervous about your kids sitting in the Worship Center? We have a new resource for you: a kids sermon note sheet. This worksheet is a tool to help our kids learn to listen to a sermon. Worksheets will be available to take as you walk in to the Worship Service. This will begin Sunday, June 21st.  At the end of each service during the summer, kids can show their worksheet to the Children's Ministry team at the front Info desk and pick a small reward (ex. small toy, sticker). We love having all ages in  worship together and hopefully this encourages our kids to participate in the Worship Service alongside the adults! Check out the worksheets here
  • We will have "All Together Sunday" Multigenerational Worship services on July 5th and September 6th. These are Sunday services that are intentionally geared towards having our kids in the Worship Center service with us. There will be sermon-based activity sheets available, and some special moments geared towards our younger church family members. On these Sundays, only the Nursery and Family Room will be available.  We encourage families with kids ages 2 and up to have them join us in the Worship Center!
  • 4REAL Worship continues during the summer at 10:30  (except 7/5 and 9/6).
  • Nursery   is available both services every Sunday 
  • The 2-4 year old rooms are available at both services every Sunday except 7/5 and 9/6.
  • The Family Room is available both services every Sunday

CORE Classes Take a Break for Summer! 

This Sunday at 4REAL Worship

God has given each one of us an epic quest—a giant mission. We are called to push back the darkness and usher in the light of Jesus and His love. When we live like Jesus and show His love to the people around us, God’s kingdom grows! That’s why our theme for the summer is “Kingdom Quest: Living the Greatest Adventure.”

This week: The Parable of the Bags of Gold
Through this story, Jesus challenges His followers to be good stewards of the gifts that God has given us. Kids will discover that they can use everything, from their stuff to their time to their talents, to help grow God’s kingdom.
This week's Bottom Line is, "God’s kingdom grows when you use what He’s given you."

Thoughts on Making Summer "Core Memories"

If you are feeling the pressure to make summer special for your kids, consider reading the following article from Amy Payne at the Gospel Coalition. Her article encourages parents that perhaps our job isn't to be the "chief memory maker." She points us to scripture and reminds us that God calls us to remember His faithfulness. 
 
"When I look to Scripture, I find that a particular type of memory is highly valued. Again and again, God’s people are called to remember his works.
This is at odds with my natural memory-making efforts, which can turn into stressful attempts to provide “core memory” opportunities. The value I place on these opportunities starts to feel silly as I dig into what the Word says about remembering. When God’s people remember his works, the Lord uses this recollection to quell our fears, deepen our trust, and align our focus on him..."

Read the Full Article

Sing the Scriptures

This summer, when you're doing chores around the house or riding in the car, lift the mood and redeem the time by memorizing scripture with your kids! Studies show that it's easier to memorize words when they're set to a melody. Below are just a few samples of music that have paired scripture with song. Everybody's musical tastes are different, so check them out and see which suits your family best!

Worship in the Word

Shane & Shane
Long time worship artists Shane & Shane have created a series of albums to help teach kids scripture. If you enjoy their music, you will find this to be a great resource for your family!
Sing the Bible with Slugs & Bugs

Randall Goodgame

Do you kids love all things fun and silly? Slugs & Bugs comes from the imagination of Randall Goodgame. Some albums are all scripture songs and others are a mixture of scripture and good old silly songs. Perfect for the family who loves to laugh while they learn!


Seeds Family Worship: Trust 



Seeds family worship has created over 200 scripture songs for kids and families! They have even created songs in partnership with Answers in Genesis, the curriculum we use in CORE classes.  
Hide 'Em In Your Heart

Steve Green

This one's a throwback for all you 90s kids!  Thanks to streaming, you can relive your childhood scripture songs with your kids even if you wore out your cassette tape!