Children’s Ministry NewsletterPartnering with families to nurture children and youth in life-long discipleship to Jesus Christ

Kelly Dixon, Director of Children’s Ministries,

September 2016

Yorkminster Park Baptist Church, 1585 Yonge Street, Toronto, M4T 1Z9

416-922-1361 kdixon@yorkminsterpark.com

From the Desk of Kelly Dixon

God brings people together on purpose. I am so glad that He does. The community at Yorkminster Park has been a source of great love, joy, kindness and goodness to me. God gave us Miriam on purpose. I am so glad that He did! She shared her love for God and for us in everything that she did. I have learned so much from her. I rejoice over her. I miss her.

You and your children are precious to us. It is a gift and a joy to watch growth and transformation in your families over the years. I love to hear all your stories. In that spirit and in response to a suggestion made by one of our parent-teachers we are introducing a regular section of this newsletter for families to share their stories! Leticia Limgenco gets us started this month as she shares a story of how God makes us better…together! Take a look on the following page.

Also on the next page…Shara Benavidez, our Children’s Ministry Assistant, shares her reflection on the importance of offering. She will teach the children in 252 about it in large group time on September 18th.

Please watch for details of our first Children and Youth Family event on Sunday September 25th after church.

“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever.Amen” Ephesians 3:20-21

We want to remind you that at Yorkminster Park we believe that

children…

Blossom spiritually when home andChurch work together

Are capable of knowing Jesus Christ personally

Will grow spiritually when discipledAre important members of the Church

of todayHave gifts to offer the Church

Mark your Calendars

September 11: Blast Off

September 25: Pizza and Apple Picking (following the church service)

October 2: Parent Meeting, 10:00 AM

Children’s Ministry NewsletterPartnering with families to nurture children and youth in life-long discipleship to Jesus Christ

Kelly Dixon, Director of Children’s Ministries,

September 2016

By: Leticia LimgencoGod is so amazing!I tried to keep my eyes open wider and my heart softer to see what God had in store for us. This summer we, Luke and I, had the opportunity to join the team that went to Oneida. So much happened there and I will forever be changed.Each day our team was there we learned more about the children and their fami-lies. We heard many stories of their struggles and brokenness, our hearts were just breaking.On the Wednesday afternoon of that week, we brought them to the local aquatic centre. Their faces expressed such joy. They all so deserved that and I had wished that we could take them there every day. At one point that afternoon, one of the younger girls asked me to take her to the deep end. She wasn’t old enough and needed an adult to accompany her. In my selfishness I told her that I hadn’t planned on going to the deep end. Thankfully, I realized that this time wasn’t about me and that it was for them. So, we went to the deep end. We spent a good amount of time together, going wherever she wanted, even the wa-terslide, which she had been afraid of. She had so much fun. I saw her body lan-guage change. She was happy and confident; quite opposite from the way she had been the previous two days. All she needed was another person to have fun with her. It reminded me of when my little Michael was in kindergarten and he would tell me: “Two people are better than one. They can help each other in ev-erything they do.” Ecclesiastes 4:9. And it’s so true, God made us better, to-gether. Genesis 2:18 tells us “And the Lord God said, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.”I am beyond grateful for that experience in Oneida. I learned so much about our neighbours just two hours away. I’m still learning from other teammates’ stories even today. And most importantly I learned more about God. He really does show up and has it all under control.My prayer is that we would learn to do community better amongst ourselves. My prayer is also that we would continue to do community with our friends in Oneida, not just one week in the year but throughout the year. We have much to learn from each other. God makes us better, together. “In the same way that iron sharpens iron, a person sharpens the character of his friend.” - Proverbs 27:17.

The Reyes Family

Offering: Simplest act of Trust

By: Shara Benavidez

“…But she, out of her poverty, put in everything –all she had to live on”. Mark 12:44b

At our first official meeting with Children’s Ministry volunteers, Kelly and I were challenged to redefine/reintroduce offering to our kids in a way that they can easily grasp and is relevant to their lives. We discussed the importance of establishing offering as part of their spiritual and concrete habits.I volunteered to make new offering boxes, but did not quite remember how I got to be in charge of launching this initiative until Kelly reminded me that it was her idea. I will introduce offering to the children in the 252 Large Group on September 18th. After a time of prayer, God helped me connect the dots for the kids:

This month, First Look and 252 curriculums are high-lighting the theme of “Trust in God”. This reminded me of a sermon I heard not long ago where they men-tioned that offering is an act of trusting God. Offering is a tool God uses so we learn to trust in Him. Back in Bolivia, I had a great income, living at my parents’, and single; needless to say it was easy to give tithes and offerings at that time. Coming to Canada, as a new im-migrant, student, tenant, and in transition between jobs it was pretty hard to continue that practice. I could hear my parents’ voices in my head reminding me how important tithes and offerings are. This led me to meditate on Jesus’ illustration of the poor window in Mark 12:41-44. Jesus was not only emphasizing the fact that she was poor and was giving all she had in the monetary sense; but that she never thought that what was she was giving was meaningless or not enough compared to what the wealthy people were offering. She was making a bold statement of trust by offering “all she had to live on”. The simplest way to explain offering in this passage is as an act of saying “I trust You Lord and I am an important part of your King-dom”. Also in this passage, I can see that for Jesus of-fering was a relevant part of our walk of faith. I am very glad that in our meeting, we saw the need to make offering a relevant teaching for our kids. My prayer is that they have the widow’s knowing that God is pleased with their offering and that God will always provide for them, all they need is to trust.

Offering: Simplest act of Trust

By: Shara Benavidez

“…But she, out of her poverty, put in everything –all she had to live on”. Mark 12:44b

At our first official meeting with Children’s Ministry volunteers, Kelly and I were challenged to redefine/reintroduce offering to our kids in a way that they can easily grasp and is relevant to their lives. We discussed the importance of establishing offering as part of their spiritual and concrete habits.I volunteered to make new offering boxes, but did not quite remember how I got to be in charge of launching this initiative until Kelly reminded me that it was her idea. I will introduce offering to the children in the 252 Large Group on September 18th. After a time of prayer, God helped me connect the dots for the kids:

This month, First Look and 252 curriculums are high-lighting the theme of “Trust in God”. This reminded me of a sermon I heard not long ago where they men-tioned that offering is an act of trusting God. Offering is a tool God uses so we learn to trust in Him. Back in Bolivia, I had a great income, living at my parents’, and single; needless to say it was easy to give tithes and offerings at that time. Coming to Canada, as a new im-migrant, student, tenant, and in transition between jobs it was pretty hard to continue that practice. I could hear my parents’ voices in my head reminding me how important tithes and offerings are. This led me to meditate on Jesus’ illustration of the poor window in Mark 12:41-44. Jesus was not only emphasizing the fact that she was poor and was giving all she had in the monetary sense; but that she never thought that what was she was giving was meaningless or not enough compared to what the wealthy people were offering. She was making a bold statement of trust by offering “all she had to live on”. The simplest way to explain offering in this passage is as an act of saying “I trust You Lord and I am an important part of your King-dom”. Also in this passage, I can see that for Jesus of-fering was a relevant part of our walk of faith. I am very glad that in our meeting, we saw the need to make offering a relevant teaching for our kids. My prayer is that they have the widow’s knowing that God is pleased with their offering and that God will always provide for them, all they need is to trust.

September 2016

In the groundbreaking book Sticky Faith, Kara Powell and Chap Clark explore how to instill lasting faith in kids. Research shows that when children feel safe to express doubts, their faith tends to grow stronger.

Contrary to popular opinion, questioning God doesn’t mean you’re a weak Christian. Instead, doubts force you to examine the truthfulness of something (or someone) and consider how much you’re willing to invest in it. To truly own their faith, children must critically evaluate it first.

Encourage that process by making your home a “safe zone” for doubts and questions. Listen intently, and don’t shame children for asking questions. Let them know you have

Allow Children the Benefit of Doubts

POWERSOURCEASK GOD:1. To assure your children that

doubts and questions are okay.

2. To help you listen well when your kids express doubts.

3. To offer tangible reminders of God’s never-ending love and constant presence.

questions, too. Reflect on children’s words, and affirm their feelings with phrases such as “You look like you have a question” or “You seem concerned.”

Tough questions help kids verbalize doubts, so don’t feel threatened. View the questions not as signs of rebellion but as opportunities to teach and learn.

And remember, until we get to heaven, we won’t have all the answers. As author Marlene LeFever says, “There are some things we just can’t know for sure. We believe with all our hearts that God is trustworthy, and that allows us to make that leap of faith and accept what we can’t prove.”

Read on to discover more ideas for handling—and encouraging—doubts.

Kelly DixonDirector of Children’s Ministries

1585 Yonge StreetToronto, On, L7M 4W2

416-922-1361kdixon@yorkminsterpark.com

MOVIETitle: StorksGenre: Animation, Comedy, FamilyRating: PGCast: Andy Samberg, Jennifer Aniston, Ty Burrell, Kelsey GrammerSynopsis: These days, storks deliver packages for an Internet retailer. When one bird accidentally manufactures an adorable but unauthorized baby girl, he must fix the situation. With a human buddy, he races to make his first-ever baby drop—and to restore the true mission of his species.Our Take: This looks like a fun story with top-notch voice talent. However, the thematic element of making and delivering babies could be awkward. Parents who take their kids to see this movie should be prepared to discuss the birds and the bees.

MEDIA MADNESS

CULTURE & TRENDS

Pokémon Go—Here to Stay? Even if the craze of walking around and collecting virtual creatures is short-lived, experts say such “augmented reality” games will become the new normal. Through mobile devices, players will see altered versions of the real world, requiring new safety standards and cautions. (washingtonpost.com)

Gaming Diversity In other video game news, characters are becoming more ethnically diverse. Gone are the days when white people act as protagonists and heroes, leaving characters of other skin colors to play villains or supporting roles (ap.org)

QUICK STATSHand It Over! Almost half of children (47%) say they’d confiscate a parent’s smartphone if they could. (lifeway.com)

Start Talking Four out of 10 American adults say they rarely or never talk about religion, even with their own families. (pewresearch.org)

Opportunity Costs Each year that a parent opts to stay home with a child, away from the workforce, can even-tually cost a family more than three times a parent’s annual salary. (bloombergnews)

TVTitle: Just Add MagicNetwork: Amazon original series; loosely based on the fiction book by Cindy CallaghanSynopsis: After Kelly and two middle-school friends discover a magic cookbook in her attic, they try to use it to figure out a mystery about Kelly’s grandmother. They find that not all the effects of magic are positive. Our Take: Overall, the three preteen friends are positive role models who learn important lessons through their experiences. Because of the ties to spells and magic, however, we wouldn’t recommend this show. If you discover that your preteens are watching it, though, don’t panic. The show seems harmless in overall content.

Games, Sites & AppsLEGO Star Wars: The Force AwakensThe popular, kid-friendly “LEGO” gaming series returns to the franchise it began with. Players can step into scenes from the movie in LEGO form. New gameplay concepts include “Multi-Build system” and “Blaster Battles.” Rated Everyone 10+.

Generationon.org/peaceTo honor Martin Richard, the 8-year-old Boston Marathon bombing victim, this website encourages kids to sign up for acts of kindness and service projects. The campaign is mobilizing young people to take action to change the world—and themselves.

Busy WaterWith this educational app, designed for ages 6 to 8, kids tackle puzzles and games based on water physics. Each challenge has multiple solutions to spur critical thinking and creativity. The app ($3.99) uses a fun setting to boost STEM knowledge and develop fine-motor skills.

SeptemberSUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY

1 2 3

4 5Labor Day

6 7 8 9 10

11Blast Off!!8:45-9:45Breakfast Drop-In

12 13 14 15 16 17

18 19 20 21 22First day of autumn

23 24

25Family Event:Pizza and Ap-

ple Picking

26 27 28 29 30