Momentum Kids

The New and Improved Momentum Kids site!

2009-08-29T16:17:00.000-07:00

Up, Up Away to Paraguay

2009-08-23T18:07:00.000-07:00

Today Momentum Kids wound up the last trip of the Up, Up and Away series as we visited Paraguay. As a special treat, Julia Hall was our guest speaker. She shared her experiences from her trip to Paraguay and showed some awesome items from the markets there. Everyone was surprised at how soft the deerskin purse was that she had. And the bracelet and money were interesting to see, too! She shared how little the people there had, but how Jesus gave them eternal hope.

And we enjoyed to pictures that Sam sent us from his trip, as well. Some of the schools in Paraguay use a Spanish version of the Abeka Book curriculum, which shares a lot of God's Word as it teaches. The kids love school, but many are too poor to afford the uniforms and supplies needed to attend.

We talked today about how most of our parents go to work to earn money for our food, homes, and cars. But missionaries spend their days helping the people around them, and usually don't have full time jobs to pay their bills. That's why we send missions offerings to let the missionaries spend their time helping people all over the world learn the most important thing you can ever know:

Jesus loves us SOOOOOOO (said very loud and very long) much....

that He died so we can be in His family forever.

Our entire back to school series has been about this most important fact. It has been fun, and we have been around the world, but next Sunday, we will be back in Woodstock and doing something we have NEVER done in Momentum Kids before. It will be fun. Be early!!!

Up, Up & Away to Ghana

2009-08-16T11:40:00.000-07:00

As we continued our Up, Up, and Away series, Momentum Kids visited Ghana today to see how kids there go back to school. Sam, the puppet, is still traveling the world and reporting back to us each week the things he is finding at schools around the world. Today, we discovered that the kids that live in villages there spend their days very differently than we do here in Georgia. Children who live in villages start their day around 4am to do chores before school, walk to school for classes, enjoy some soccer and end school at 2pm to go home and do more chores. They don't eat lunch at school either, just a snack. Sam forgot to pack a snack, and he was really hungry by the time school was out!

We also learned of the true story of a missionary to Ghana named Murray Brown who was hospitalized after a terrible explosion. While in the hospital, African army ants crawled into his room and onto his bed. You can ask any Momentum Kid to tell you how God protected Murray. One girls said, "That was a miracle!" And it was! What a great way to be reminded that God still performs miracles today. And special thanks to Dr. Atticus and Megain Brown for reenacting the hospital scene for us!

As we continue our travels each week, we are trying to see how all these people are going to learn that most important thing you can ever learn: "Jesus loves us so much, that He died so we can be in His family." We can tell the people we know; at home, at school, at soccer, or wherever we go. And we can help send missionaries to tell those we don't know!

Up, Up & Away to Japan!

2009-08-09T18:52:00.000-07:00

Momentum Kids flew up and away to Japan this morning to see how kids go back to school there. We learned some cool things from Sam, the puppet, who is traveling the world and sending back pictures from each country that he visits. His update from Japan shared some unusual facts; like how the kids take turns serving lunch to their classmates and lunch is eaten in the classroom. Also, that each class is identified by a certain color. Everyone in that class has the same color backpack, and often wear the same color hat as part of their uniform. Japanese students also clean the school as part of their class work. We decided that Momentum Kids are glad they don't have to sweep the hallways at their schools!

We also talked about whether these kids would ever learn the most important lesson you could ever learn. Of course, that is that Jesus loves us so much that He died so we can be part of His family forever! In Japan, religion plays very little part in the day to day life of it's people. We want the kids, and adults, of Japan to come to know Jesus and have His love and joy in their lives everyday! We talked about how some missionaries are helping children their learn about Jesus, with VBS's, songs, stories, crafts and games; all that share that very important fact: Jesus loves us so much!!

Just for fun, we had some eggrolls to snack on today; and then played a "Eat a Gummy Worm Buried in Blue Jello with Chopsticks" game. It was quite a trip. Next Sunday, we will be off to the continent of Africa! You don't want to miss that one. Who knows what we may have for a snack, maybe some fried rhinoceros!

Up, Up & Away To School!

2009-08-02T19:13:00.000-07:00

Even though it seems impossible to believe, summer is over and school is ready to begin! Momentum Kids kicked off a new series this morning that we're calling, Up, Up & Away To School. We "borrowed" the idea from the movie, "Up", and will be setting off each week in search of back to school adventures around the world. While on these adventures, we intend to find out how some kids in other countries go back to school; what is similar to school in Woodstock and what is very different.

Today we started with the question:

What is the most important thing you will ever learn?"

Not just in elementary school, high school, or college; but in your entire life. What is the most important thing to know? That Jesus loves us so much, that He gave His life so we can be in His family forever. And, wow, but can those Momentum Kids tell you that ever so loudly!

So as we travel the world, we will see how kids everywhere go back to school, and we will see how they are learning this most important fact. Each week will feature a new country and some music, games, and food that children there enjoy. Next Sunday will be setting off to Japan. Don't miss it!

Today was the day we promoted our preschoolers, as well. Momentum Kids is so excited to have our new members! Mr. Terry and Mrs. Monica will miss them, but they can come and visit sometimes and see what adventures we are taking!

Listening to the Lifeguard

2009-07-26T12:13:00.000-07:00

Summer vacation is winding down and school is just around the corner! Today we blew the whistle at Momentum Beach, gathered our towels and sand shovels, and ended this series. And as we are leaving, we took the whistle as our last lesson from the shore. When the lifeguard sees danger, or something that shouldn't be happening, he blows the whistle. And in our lives, when Jesus sees something that's not suppose to happen, a little whistle may go off in our minds and hearts. That's the little voice that says, "Don't do that." We used the example of when a brother or sister may cause us to get mad, and we really want to hit them, the "whistle" in our hearts says, "Stop, don't do that." And when we listen to the lifeguard, things are always better. So this week, we are listening for our Lifeguard's whistle, and we will STOP and follow his instructions.

We looked at Matt 7:24 when Jesus explained the person who hears His teachings and follows them is wise. And we re-enacted a house on the sand that washed out in the flood, while the house on the rock (really a brick) had a firm foundation no matter how much water poured down. And, of course, everyone had to take a whistle home with them to remind them to listen for the whistle in their heart this week. (my apologies to the parents who had to listen to the whistles in the car on the way home from church)

And finally, we went back to the lesson from Jonah about everyone having a purpose, and did our "Whipped Cream Eating with A Sand Shovel" contest. Check out those pictures below.

Thanks, yet again, to Todd & Celeste Hall who faithfully serve our kids each month. They wore the lifeguard whistles today, and ran our games and visuals. Love you guys!!!

Watch your mail this week for a Sneak-Peek at what's coming in August! You'll love it!

Moses & The Portraits from the Past

2009-07-25T13:30:00.000-07:00

We got a special delivery today from "Portraits from the Past"! It's a photo of Moses, who visited Momentum Kids last Sunday. The parchment paper note included with the photo from Moses said that he had a great time in Woodstock and can't wait for the opportunity to visit again.

Thanks, Moses! And we can't wait for you to come back!

Hope to see you soon!

Moses and the Lifeguard

2009-07-21T09:39:00.000-07:00

Today's blog features our very amazing guest blogger, Heidi Shoemaker, who, along with her husband, Dan, provided Momentum Kids with a special treat last Sunday while I was on vacation. I am very thankful to both Dan and Heidi, not only for allowing me some time to rest, but for their wonderful dedication to bringing God's heart to our children. They are making an ongoing impression on our children through their gifts of puppetry, drama, and selfless love! Here is Heidi's post for Sunday. Moses is sending a picture from Israel, but Bible-times mail was not a quick as today's, so his picture will be posted when it arrives!

"This past Sunday the kids at Momentum had a surprise visit from Moses. This summer’s theme has been the beach and Jesus being our lifeguard for life. Moses came to tell the kids all about God being his lifeguard in many, many situations in his life in the Old Testament. Moses was also a “game-show” host for the kids as he tested their skills in remembering past lessons Miss Barbara has been teaching. Moses was very impressed with how much the kids remembered about the love

God has for them."

Thanks, Heidi!

And don't miss next Sunday as we wind down our "Momentum Beach" series!

A Whale of a Tale!

2009-07-12T16:11:00.000-07:00

This Sunday we talked about "A Whale of A Tale". Of course, that involves Jonah, and his adventures with the great fish! What an awesome display of God's purpose in man and nature. God had a purpose for Jonah; to save Ninevah, a purpose for the storm; to stop Jonah from disobeying God, even a purpose for a whale; to scoop Jonah out of the sea and take him to

Ninevah, like God said in the first place.

We looked at things at the beach that have a purpose. A beach towel is to lay on, a surf board for riding waves. If you tried to surf on your beach towel, it wouldn't work. That's not it's purpose. If God has a purpose for storms and whales, certainly He must have a purpose for His children. And if we choose to follow God closely and listen to him, we will find ourselves in the middle of that purpose. There is no better place to be!! Our memory verse for today was Jeremiah 29:11:

"I know the plans I have for you says the Lord. They are plans for good."

We finished service early today and didn't get a chance to do our "Sand Shovel Whipped Cream Eating Contest". We will reschedule that for two weeks from today, and post pictures! It's sure to be a mess!

Message in a Bottle

2009-07-07T10:19:00.000-07:00

Wait a minute. How did it get to be Tuesday? Sorry for the late post, I guess I am still recovering from the holiday! As we continued our Momentum Beach series, we talked about finding a message in a bottle. And how a person might put a message inside a bottle and sent it out in the water, either for help or just for curiosity to see who would get it and where the message would end up.

We talked about how God sent His Word to us, it's the greatest message we could ever receive! And, in the time that Jesus lived on earth, the Word was written on scrolls and stored in jars or vases. Almost like a message in a bottle! But the most important message ever! We focused on one of the most pivotal scriptures in the Bible, in my opinion, John 3:16; "For God so loved the world, that He gave His one and only son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life." That verse gives us hope! Hope for a blessed and abundant life on earth, and hope of eternity with Jesus! What better message could you hope for?

Everyone took home a bottle of water and a new pen so they could find a special verse from the Bible this week and write out there own message and put it in the bottle as a reminder of God's love for us.

It was very interesting to note that the kids had a hard time imagining being stranded on a deserted island without any way of communicating. Cell phones and internet make constant connection second nature to them!

Deep Sea Fishing

2009-06-29T05:30:00.000-07:00

This week at Momentum Beach, we talked about going deep sea fishing and how the ocean holds a vast display of God's creation. We looked at some pictures of some strange fish and marveled at how creative God was as He designed each one. The focus of this week was on the undisputed fact that God created the world and everything in it. It didn't just happen to fall into place and develop randomly into the amazing world we live in today. Our verse, obviously, was Genesis 1:1 "In the beginning, GOD created the heavens and the earth". Momentum Kids can say this verse VERY loudly, believe me, with the emphasis being on GOD.

I used one of my oldest visuals I use when trying to relate God's truth to kids. My story of my watch. Ask your kids about it! My point was that if I took apart the pieces to my watch and put them all into my clothes dryer at home, how long would it have to tumble before all the pieces fell perfectly into place and made a working watch? The world we live in is so much more complicated than a watch. How can we believe that it all just fell into place accidentally and a planet of living plants, animals, and people happened to evolve to the point we are now?

The understanding the God created everything is foundational to a kid's belief. It is one of three concepts that I strive to make sure are fully embraced by the time kids are moving from elementary age to middle school age classes. They will hear it again! And again!

Todd Hall, being the amazing photographer that he is, took some pics of the kids having some Goldfish Games that will be on the facebook page soon! Check it out!

Parasailing Adventures!

2009-06-14T20:27:00.000-07:00

In our Momentum Beach series we are talking about things you may see at the beach that remind us of our lives with Jesus. Today we looked at parasailing. What an adventure! Flying above the waves and the beach, wind in your face, seeing all the sights for miles! We talked about the two things required for parasailing; a sail to catch the wind, and the boat for the power to lift us up. In our lives, we can have adventures as long as we are willing to "put out our sails" and stay connected to Jesus for our power. This was today's verse:

"To Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we can ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, be glory!" Ephesians 3:20

When we imagine what we would like to do for Jesus, there is no limit!! We looked at the example of David, a young shepherd, who had God's power at work in him, and he was able to kill Goliath! What an adventure! And that verse doesn't have an age limit! Let's put out our sails, be willing to try whatever He leads us to, and stay connected to Jesus; it's His power that we need and His glory that it is all about!

Have an adventurous week!

Welcome to Momentum Beach!

2009-06-07T11:26:00.000-07:00

Momentum Beach opened for the summer this morning in Woodstock, GA!! Willy the Whale welcomed all the Momentum Kids as we kicked off a summer of comparing how things we may see at the beach are so much like our lives. We talked about how much the lifeguard at the beach is like Jesus. The lifeguard knows two things: how to have fun and when there is danger. When we have Jesus as our "lifeguard" in our lives, He helps us live the best life ever, and He warns us of danger; we just have to choose to listen to Him! For our first week, we noted that one thing that you always see at the beach is a lot of SAND. Sand is everywhere. Just like in this world, there are a lot of people who need to know Jesus. They are everywhere. We all took home a new pair of sunglasses to remind us to "look" for people who need to know Jesus!
We also announced two outreach opportunities for Momentum Kids. Since people everywhere need Jesus, both here in Woodstock, as well as all around the world, we are going to help both groups. We will be collecting school supplies for Cherokee County's Give A Kid A Chance celebration in July. This link will take you to the list of what is needed. That is for kids close to home. And we are collecting small toys and candy to fill a suitcase and send with the adults on their missions trip to Mexico next month. Now the challenge: Momentum Kids aren't suppose to ask their parents for these items, that would make it their parents missions gift. They are suppose to ask their parents if there is something they can do to earn some extra money so they can buy the gift themselves!

What an exciting month June is going to be at Momentum Beach!

Family Day

2009-05-31T19:58:00.000-07:00

Today was Family Day at Momentum Church and we had some great family moments, including child dedications and water baptisms! I was honored that Pastor Ross had asked me to co-teach with him today in service on Honoring God in our Families. I will admit, I was a bit nervous, Ross is an outstanding speaker, and sharing the stage with him is a bit intimidating! But everyone was kind, and I was able to share some of the lessons we have covered in Momentum Kids over this last series and how kids can honor God at home:

Obey your parents: This got a great response from the parents!! And I admitted that I left Stuart at church once when he was about 8. Hey, Mary forgot Jesus once so I'm in good company.

Get along with your siblings: probably the hardest thing to do, but the thing we have the most opportunities to do. Joseph was our example. If he could forgive, after all the things that his brothers did to him, we can follow that example and forgive, too.

And whatever we need to do, we know that we have help in doing it:

"I can do everything through Christ who gives me strength." Phil. 4:13

Next Sunday kicks off our new series, "Momentum Beach".

You don't want to miss it!

See you Sunday!

Springing has Sprung!

2009-05-24T19:21:00.000-07:00

Today we closed out the series "What is Springing Up in Me?" with a look at generosity. We learned that being generous is giving what you have, even if it doesn't seem like very much. Todd Hall did a great job helping us to see just what a great miracle Jesus did when one boy was generous with his lunch. A Happy Meal doesn't go far among a room of hungry kids, but it helps to visualize how little we have to offer Jesus. And it shows that if we will bring to Jesus what we have to give, whether that's our talents, money, time, or whatever we have to offer, He will bless it and make it to be more than enough for the need.

Congrats to the winners of the "springing" gear, those who took home moon shoes, pogo stick, and bouncers. I hope as you continue to "spring up" on those items, you, and I, remember to keep letting these good things we have studied "spring up" in us, as well!

Momentum Kid's Got Talent!

2009-05-17T12:01:00.000-07:00

And do they! We rolled out the red carpet for the talented Momentum Kids today. What a wide array of talents and gifts were shared. I was inspired by kids who weren't afraid to stand in front of their friends and show us what God had designed special in their lives. From singing, to crocheting, to making birdhouses, to laughing, there were as many different talents as there were kids! I was very proud of them all! But the point of the day wasn't just to show how talented we all are, but to see how we could use those talents to bring God praise or to show His love!

We looked at the example of Dorcus (or Tabitha) in the Bible and how she used her talents to make clothes for orphans and widows in her city. We talked about the fact that gifts and talents aren't just to be used at church. We are only at church one day a week. That leaves 6 more days a week to use what God has put in our lives to show His love!

We tried to video the talent demonstrations this morning, but the lighting in the theater doesn't favor photography! We will put up the pictures/videos that are clear later this evening. I did have a picture of our "Red Carpet Entrance" from today. Check back for more pictures.

Next Sunday will be the final week in our "What is Springing Up in Me?" and we will return to our normal (or should I say, very un-normal, normal) service schedule. We will be giving away our "springing" items, too. The pogo stick, moon shoes, and bouncing balls will all go home with someone next week! Have a great week and use what God has given you to show His love!

Happy Mother's Day

2009-05-10T17:04:00.000-07:00

Today we talked about Kindness springing up in us and we put that into action by potting some flowers for all the Momentum Moms. Our lesson was about the Good Samaritan and what it means to be kind all the time, not just while we are at church. The kids came up with a lot of examples of ways that they could show kindness this week. Next Sunday, we will check back and see how many of us found a way to be kind to someone around us.

Special thanks to Stephanie Borgogna for hand lettering the Happy Mother's Day signs that went into each flower pot. Only moms can appreciate a pot of impatiens proudly arranged by elementary kids, complete with smudges of potting soil randomly adorning the pot!

Next week, we are having a special day; "Momentum Kid's Got Talent". We will be talking about the gifts and talents that God give us all, and how we can use them for His glory. If your child has a talent they would like to share, please encourage them to do that. If they can draw, or paint, knit, or sew, they can bring a sample for the rest of the class to see. Watch for a letter in the mail this week with the details for the day.

Have COURAGE! We are NEVER alone!

2009-05-03T11:49:00.000-07:00

There was a lot of "springing up" going on this morning before things got going at Momentum Kids! Each week of this series, we have added a new item that springs. Moon shoes, pogo sticks, & bouncing balls were going everywhere this morning. Next week, there will be another new item to bounce on. I can't tell you what it is, but it will be fun! We bounce from 9:45 until 10:02 when service starts. Next week, we will open check in at 9:35 to let kids start bouncing early. Parents can remind their children to get ready for church quickly; so they can have more "bouncing" time before service starts!

Today we looked in chapter 3 of Daniel for our example of courage. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego didn't care what everyone around them was doing. They did what is right. That takes courage. And God was with them to give them that courage. It can still be hard to stand up and do the right thing. But, as we learned this morning, we can have courage because:

We are never alone!

Jesus promised to never leave us, so we always have Him with us to give us courage to make the right choices.

Next week, we have a secret project that we will be completing during service time. I hope to see everyone next Sunday!!

Saying "That's OK!" & Forgiveness

2009-04-26T12:43:00.000-07:00

Wow! Today was fun! Special thanks to Todd & Celeste Hall who not only helped today with their games and activities, but went all out and joined the kids in their "Gumming for Gummies" game. The pictures aren't very clear, the phone camera relay is a bit fuzzy, but I HAD to let you get at least an idea of what these dedicated volunteers are willing to do! And the kids were cheering them on! What a great time!

Our series on What is Springing Up in Me? brought us to forgiveness today. We looked at the life of Joseph in the Bible and that he had good reason to be mad at his brothers for all that they did to him. And when the time came, many years later, that they came to him needing food, he didn't get even. He forgave them.

We talked about how difficult it can be sometimes to forgive others, especially our siblings. We all get mad. But Jesus can help us let forgiveness "spring up" in us, and we learn to say, "That's OK!" The challenge of the week is to remember when someone makes us mad, not to get even, but to say, "That's OK!" and forgive them.

We had some other pictures taken today. As I get them, I will try and post some here for you!

"What's Springing Up In Me?"

2009-04-19T15:56:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the new Momentum Kid's blog! Parents can check here for weekly updates on what their children are learning at Momentum. You may see some tweaking over the next couple of weeks, as we add more links and info, so stay tuned! Also, we will add pictures, with parental consent, of course, so everyone can share in the fun!

Today we kicked off, or I should say "sprung into" our new series, "What is Springing Up in Me?" Taking from the idea that this is spring, and things are beginning to sprout and grow in nature around us, we want to see Christ-like qualities growing in us, too. And, following our Easter service when we declared, "It's not about the bunny!", but about Jesus who rose from the dead, we want these things to rise in our lives. For the next 6 weeks we will talk about obedience, forgiveness, courage, generosity, talent, and kindness.

This morning we sprung into the book of 1 Samuel and talked about King Saul. His disobedience caused him to lose his place as king. We discussed that obedience is better than sacrifice, and that even today, parents are most proud when children obey! The challenge for the week was to "Jump to It". When parents ask them to do something, the children will obey quickly. Each child took home a popper to remind them to Jump to It, when they are asked to do anything.

To help us get in the idea of "Jumping to It" we all tried jumping in some moon shoes. It was fun! Next week we will be having some pogo stick fun along with more moon shoe shuffling!