Calendar – Page 11 – Family Faith Companion

Cool Disciples Schedule: October 2012

Posted on September 27, 2012September 14, 2016 by Carol Hulbert

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On Saturday nights and on Sunday mornings at FUMC our “Sunday’s Cool” is a different sort of Christian education. We are a Workshop Rotation Model church. That means kids spend a month learning a particular Bible story, each week encountering a different kid-friendly multimedia workshop. In October we are starting a big story: Jacob and Esau. This is such a long story that we’ll be breaking it into two parts. (Part two will be in November.) Read part one in Genesis 25:19-34, 27:1-37, and 27:41-43.

For Sundays at the downtown location, here is the schedule of workshops for the end of September and for October…

Date	Art	Drama	Puppets	Games	Cooking	Video
	Room 212	Room 215	Room 204	Room 211	Social Hall	Pine Room
9/30	1st grade	5th grade	3rd grade	6th grade	4th grade	2nd grade
10/7	Worship and Communion with your family
10/14	2nd grade	4th grade	1st grade	5th grade	6th grade	3rd grade*
10/21	Attend worship: kids will help us to worship!
10/28	3rd grade	6th grade	2nd grade	4th grade	5th grade	1st grade

* On the 14th the 3rd graders will be having a special class on using their Bibles. Parents/guardians are encouraged to attend.

What’s happening in each workshop?

In the Art Workshop students will work cooperatively to create construction paper mosaics illustrating the story of Jacob and Esau. The mosaics will focus on characters and story sequence.
In the Cooking Workshop students will explore why Esau traded his birthright for a bowl of lentil stew, and in the process create and taste “some of that red stew.”
In the Drama Workshop students will enact the story and learn what happened when one brother tricked the other.
In the Games Workshop students will participate in a game of “Bible Baseball” – with the rules changing as the students play! What’s up with that?!
In the Puppet Workshop a puppet storytelling kit will be created and used to tell the story. Encourage your child to use their kit to tell the story at home.
In the Video Workshop students will watch portions of the video The Lion King, and explore what happens when we do things our way.

For Saturdays at the Green Wood location, here is the schedule for October. (For September 29th refer here.)

Date	Workshop
10/6	Puppets Workshop
10/13	Drama Workshop
10/20	No Workshop. Worship with your family.
10/27	Video Workshop

If you are in the area please join us for the fun learning at First United Methodist Church in Ann Arbor, MI

Photo credit: Click here for info on banner photo (not visible in readers or email).

Cool Disciples Schedule: September 2012

Posted on September 6, 2012September 14, 2016 by Carol Hulbert

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For kids, repetition is good. This is one of the primary reasons why we use the Workshop Rotation Model for Christian education on Saturday nights and on Sunday mornings at FUMC in Ann Arbor, MI. The kids hear about the same Bible story all month long. It’s not boring because each week they explore the story using a different style of learning – visual, auditory, or kinesthetic – to name a few.

In September, we are studying “The Woman at the Well.” Read about our story in the New Testament Gospel of John at John 4:4-42. For those of you with younger children, don’t look too hard for this story in your children’s story Bible. It likely won’t be there! Instead, tell the story; tell it multiple times. (Repetition!) Download a story version suitable for younger kids. (<–Click on those words to access the file on a Google doc.) Perhaps older kids would enjoy it as well!

For Saturdays at the Green Wood location, here is the schedule for September:

Date	Workshop	Activity
9/1	No workshop this Saturday	Enjoy worship with your family.
9/8	Games Workshop	Play an interesting game or two.
9/15	Art Workshop	Create water color paintings.
9/22	Video Workshop	Watch the live-action video The Gospel of John.
9/29	Storytelling Workshop	Hear the story as told by the woman who met Jesus at a well.

For Sundays at the downtown location, here is the schedule of workshops…

Date	Cooking	Art 2	Video	Games	Storytelling	Art 1
	Social Hall	Pine Room	Room 215	Room 211	Room 204	Room 212
9/9	2nd grade	5th grade	3rd grade	6th grade	4th grade	1st grade
9/16	1st grade	4th grade	2nd grade	5th grade	6th grade	3rd grade
9/23	3rd grade	6th grade	1st grade	4th grade	5th grade	2nd grade

9/30	This week we’ll start our October workshops. Stay tuned for that schedule.

What’s happening in each workshop?

In the Art Workshop students will explore art works that depict this story and then create a watercolor painting. We’ll have two Art Workshops so that all of the grades will visit Art this month.
In the Cooking Workshop students will discuss changes that occur – both that we can see and those we can’t see. Change ordinary ingredients into a tasty snack
In the Games Workshop students will play a game that illustrates compassion and learn story details about the Woman at the Well.
In the Storytelling Workshop students will hear the story from the woman who was at the well.
In the Video Workshop students will watch portions of the live-action video The Gospel of John.(can’t have a movie without popcorn!)

If you are in the area please join us for the fun learning at First United Methodist Church in Ann Arbor, MI

Photo credits:
Click here for info on banner photo (not visible in readers or email).
Jesus and the Samaritan Woman by tribalicious, who licensed this photo on Flickr under a Creative Commons License.

Vacation Bible Camp starts next week!

Posted on July 5, 2012July 7, 2016 by Carol Hulbert

Next week Vacation Bible Camp starts! Are your kids excited?

The theme this year will be based on the Sky, as in as high as the sky, “Everything is possible with God” (Mark 10:27c). We want kids to discover that by trusting God, everything is possible! (Oh, boy. This could be some learning that I need as well!)

We’ll spend Monday through Friday mornings digging into God’s Word in fun, unforgettable ways. As usual there will be great music. Take a chance to learn the theme song ahead of time! It’s not too late to sign up, do so here.

Got that stuck in your head yet?

I hope we see you there!
~~ Carol (on behalf of the VBC team)

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a blue line

Photo credits:
VBC Logo used by permission of Group Publishing.

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A birthday party! With red cake!

Posted on May 26, 2012August 22, 2022 by Carol Hulbert

This weekend is Memorial Day weekend. It is also time for a birthday party—with red cake!

Red Velvet Cupcakes

Who’s birthday is it? And why red cake?

It is the birthday of the church! The church is another year older. (But who is counting after close to 2,000 years.) We also call this day “Pentecost” because the event that marked the start of the Christian church coincided with the Jewish festival of Pentecost.

What was this church-starting event, and why red cake?

The “event” was the coming of God’s promised helper or advocate, the Holy Spirit. Fifty days had passed since Jesus had been resurrected after the first Easter. Jesus’ followers were gathered together in Jerusalem, in the “Upper Room”—allegedly the same spot where the Last Supper had occurred. Jesus had told them, prior to his ascension to heaven, to wait in the city for the Holy Spirit. (Read about it in Acts 1:4).

Suddenly there was a noise from heaven like the sound of a mighty wind! It filled the house where they were meeting. Then they saw what looked like fiery tongues moving in all directions, and a tongue came and settled on each person there. Acts 2:2-4

Fiery tongues? That sounds scary! Is that why the red cake?

Yep, the color red is associated with Pentecost as it illustrates the “fiery” nature of this event. As frightening as it sounds, it likely was not scary for the original participants. Strange and mysterious? Yes!

The writer of Acts says that the Spirit looked like tongues of fire and sounded like wind. I’ll bet it was hard to describe! Regardless of how it looked or sounded, the early followers of Jesus were lit “on-fire” as they felt empowered by the Holy Spirit to proclaim the good news about Jesus.

So what does this mean for us today, besides some red cake?

Celebrations serve as reminders. God offers us the Holy Spirit. We may not sport flames but we can rest assurcd in the knowledge that God is with us, helping us to become disciples of Jesus and to do his work in the world.

Enjoy some red cake while you discuss Pentecost with your family!

Photo credits…
Red Velvet Cupcakes by vmiramontes, licensed on flickr under CC BY 2.0.

Games at the dinner table

Posted on May 10, 2012June 8, 2016 by Carol Hulbert

Who likes to play games? How about playing a game around the family dinner table? (Or wherever your family is gathered together.) After all, dinner table games can lead everyone into dialogue. And what could be better than a family talking!

Want to know how to bring up Biblical topics in your family time?

A game is a great way to have your conversation include faith stories. How about a game of Concentration? Only preparation necessary is to print out the these cards. (Have your kids cut them apart as part of their dinner-prep duties.) At an appropriate time, spread out the cards picture-side down. Everyone takes a turn to see if they can turn over two cards that match. Who ever finds a match, says something about the image on the cards.

Did you know that playing this game sometime this week can help your child to prepare for the big Cool Disciples review game this coming weekend? On Saturday evening and Sunday morning, we’ll be playing a large-group game to review the Bible stories we’ve covered since September. It will be sort of like the old TV game show “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.” This game is always loads of fun.

A group of kids works together to determine an answer

A shot of last years 3rd graders formulating their answer.

Here are the stories we’ve covered since September 2011:

The Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9-15, Luke 11:1-4)
Psalm 23 (Psalm 23:1-6)
Mary and Martha (Luke 10:38-42)
The Story of Jesus’ Birth (Matthew 1:18-23, Luke 1:26-38 and 2:1-20, Matthew 2:1-15)
Moses: Bulrushes to Burning Bush (Exodus 1:1 – 4:17)
Moses: Plagues and Passover (Exodus 5:1-6:13, 7:1-12:42)
The Last Supper (Luke 22:7-20)
Nicodemus (John 3:1-17)

Regardless of whether your child can take part this weekend, add an occasional game to your family dinner. Need another suggestion? Check out last years review game idea.

a blue line

Photo credits:
Concentration card images from WPClipart and Open Clip Art Library. (Images are in the Public Domain.)
Photo of playing the “big game” is from my archives.

Cool Disciples Schedule: May 2012

Posted on May 3, 2012May 3, 2012 by Carol Hulbert

Don’t miss a chance to learn about how to bring faith conversations to your family! Easily read future posts (only one or two a week) by subscribing over on the right. Enter your e-mail address to have posts sent directly to your inbox. Or click on the orange RSS icon to subscribe in a reader. Let’s travel our faith journey together!

On Saturday nights and on Sunday mornings at FUMC our “Cool Disciples” experience Bible stories through kid-friendly multimedia workshops via Workshop Rotation Model™ Christian education. It’s hard to believe we are almost at the end of another school year! As we’ve done in the past, we will be mixing it up in May.

Sometimes there will be a workshop to attend…such as Puppets on a Saturday night.

Puppets are used to tell the story

And other times, instead of the usual focus on a Bible story, we’ll be participating in a variety of activities such as playing a great big review game or going to Youth-led Worship.

Grade groups of kids ponder the answer to a question

Last year at the big game “Are You Smarter Than a Sixth Grader?”

Youth Worship Sunday in 2011

For Saturdays at the Green Wood location, here is the schedule for May:

Date	Workshop	Activity
5/5	Puppets/Creative Writing Workshop	One last workshop on Nicodemus. Explore the mystery behind Nicodemus’ visit. Discuss and write some questions they might like to ask God.
5/12	Games Workshop	A large-group game-show-style review of Bible stories studied this year.
5/19	To be announced
5/26	No Workshop	Worship with your family.

And for Sundays at the downtown location…

Date	Activity	Additional Notes
5/6	Worship with your family. Note: No Communion this week.	Lots of music at this worship service!
5/13	A large-group game-show-style review of Bible stories studied this year: “Are You Smarter Than a Sixth Grader?”	Join us as we honor our graduating sixth graders!
5/20	Youth Worship Sunday	All children are encouraged to attend worship – see where they will be in a few years!
5/27	On Memorial Day weekend, if you are in town (and not at Family Camp) attend worship as a family.	Note: Register now for Family Camp on-line.

If you are in the area please join us for the fun learning at First United Methodist Church in Ann Arbor, MI

Photo credits: Click here for info on banner photo (not visible in readers or email).
Other photos from the archives. The Youth Worship photo by Peter DeHart © 2011. Used with permission.

Cool Disciples Schedule: April 2012

Posted on March 29, 2012April 12, 2012 by Carol Hulbert

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On Saturday nights and on Sunday mornings at FUMC our Cool Disciples experience Rotation Model Christian education, as they learn about Bible stories and concepts through kid-friendly multimedia workshops.

In April, we are studying Nicodemus. “Nic at night” might be a way to subtitle this one, for Nicodemus visited Jesus in the dark of night. Or was it that Nicodemus himself was “in the dark”? Nicodemus had questions for Jesus.

Read about our story in John 3:1-17.

For Saturdays at the Green Wood location, here is the schedule for April…

Date	Workshop	Activity
4/7	A special workshop	Children will sing during the worship service and then will head downstairs for a special lesson on Easter.
4/14	Science Workshop	Do experiments to discover the difference between changing on the inside vs. changing on the outside.
4/21	Art Workshop	Create an individual banner to help remember “the Gospel in miniature” – John 3:16.
4/28	Games Workshop	Play a life-sized board game to review story details.

For Sundays at the downtown location, here is the schedule of workshops…

Date
4/1	No workshops. Enjoy Palm Sunday worship & Communion as a family.
4/8	No workshops. Enjoy Easter worship as a family.

	Games	Newsroom	Science	Art 2	Puppets/Creative Writing	Art 1
	Room 211	Room 215	Social Hall	Pine Room	Room 204	Room 212
4/15	2nd grade	5th grade	3rd grade	6th grade	4th grade	1st grade
4/22	1st grade	4th grade	2nd grade	5th grade	6th grade	3rd grade
4/29	3rd grade	6th grade	1st grade	4th grade	5th grade	2nd grade

What’s happening in each workshop?

In the Art Workshop students will create individual banners to remember “the Gospel in miniature” – John 3:16. Two Art workshops will run concurrently.
In the Pupptets/Creative Writing Workshop students will explore the mystery behind Nicodemus’ visit. They will discuss questions they might like to ask God and create question books.
In the Games Workshop students will play a life-sized board game to learn story details.
In the Newsroom Workshop students will create and videotape commercials that sell the desirable qualities of a “New Life.” Watch for videos!
In the Science Workshop students will do experiments to discover the difference between changing on the inside vs. changing on the outside.

If you are in the area please join us for the fun learning at First United Methodist Church in Ann Arbor, MI

Photo credits: Click here for info on banner photo (not visible in readers or email).
A painting by Crijn Hendricksz, Christ talking with Nicodemus at night, is in the Public Domain (via Wikimedia Commons).

Learning the language of faith

Posted on March 16, 2012 by Carol Hulbert

When my kids were little I had a inkling that we should be discussing God and having faith-talks, but how was I to start? I didn’t remember anything from my childhood Sunday school! What was I suppose to say?

Does talking about faith with your family seem foreign?

Are you in this sort of quandary? If yes, might I recommend a seminar I am co-leading on Saturday, March 24th at the downtown FUMC church. It’s part of a workshop called Building a Better Family. Read more about it here. Register on-line here. One of the sponsors of this workshop is the preschool at our church, FUMCN, however that doesn’t mean that only parents of preschoolers need attend! It applies to all ages!

In the meantime… back to the foreign language of faith… and a motto to adopt as you face this dilemma with courage!

I’ll bet you’ve acquired a host of different “languages” along your life journey; some simple, others complex. Back when I started my first “real” job I had to learn the difference between a frappe and a milkshake. (Yeah, I was a soda jerk.) In college I drank in the language of trees and plants; I could present on the pessimistic prospects of a bushy Euonymus alatus vs. rabbits. (This was in the days before concerns about landscaping with non-natives. This plant, otherwise known as the Burning Bush, is now considered invasive in several states!)

Later, after some soul-searching I changed careers and learned more new languages: communicating with computers. COBOL or Fortran anyone? (I guess I just dated myself).

Has your path been like mine? Acquired any new vernaculars along the way?

Since those days, my lifework has changed… again. I’m pursuing another language. It includes a burning bush… but of a different sort. This language includes words that I am often confused about like Incarnation, Annunciation and Atonement. You too?

When my children were little I’m certain that I didn’t try very hard to speak the language of faith because of uncertainty, and embarrassment and a bit of fear.

I don’t want you to repeat my mistake. So here is a motto to repeat to yourself, over and over:

Stumble if you need to.

Go ahead and make a mistake or two or more. It is a process with rich rewards… learning the language of faith… together as a family.

Photo credits: Click here for info on banner photo (not visible in readers or email).
A horticultural Burning Bush by Jennifer Murawski, who licensed this photo on Flickr under a Creative Commons License.