Schedules – Family Faith Companion

Does your crammed calendar announce commitment to church?

Posted on September 3, 2015October 1, 2015 by Carol Hulbert

I have always considered that September trumps January in the “starting-anew” arena. September means a multitude of fresh possibilities!

Here’s something that may be new to you: Adding “church” to your family calendar.

Here is how my Sundays look:
(It may be how your Saturday looks if you attend at Green Wood)

Is church on your calendar Have you considered the life-giving reasons why “church” should be on your calendar?

(a) Because research shows that active involvement in a faith community is a important factor in children becoming happy, healthy adults. (Want even more statistics? Here are 52 reasons to go to church — one for every week!)

(b) Because church provides folks with a built-in extended family of positive role models.

Get started with purposeful participation: delegate a block of time on your calendar for church!

a blue line

On another chronological note, we’ll be restarting the Workshop Rotation Model soon, after a break featuring our summer movie series.

Our first story of the new year will be The Parable of the Good Samaritan. Read about our story in Luke 10:25-37. (To see a growing list of opportunities to foster faith learning at home for this month’s story, click here.)

On Sundays, at the downtown location, here is the schedule….

Date	Activities for 1st through 6th graders
9/6	Worship with your family. Read ahead of time, the scripture Nancy Lynn will be using: Luke 10:38-42 and James 2:14-17. Last week’s sermon was part one. Listen if you missed it.
9/13	Everyone participates in a Video Workshop in the Social Hall. What a great way for all to be introduced to our story!

For the rest of the month, the 6th graders will do things a bit differently… (including special projects around our current Rotation). On 9/27 they will videotape a puppet show of the story that will be shown to the preschool and K’s on 10/4.

Date	Activities for 1st through 5th graders
	Cooking	Cooking	Art	Art
	Social Hall A	Social Hall B	Room 211	Room 212
9/20	3rd grade	4th grade	1st grade	2nd grade	5th grade will also do Art in Room 215
9/27	1st grade	2nd grade	4th grade	5th grade	3rd grade will have a special Bible presentation class in the Wesley Lounge.
10/4	Worship with your family. It is World Communion Sunday. Read ahead of time, the scripture: Acts 11:1-9. I’m wondering what this will teach us about what it means to live out “Disruptive Christianity.”

And on Saturdays evenings, at the Green Wood location, here is the schedule…

Date	Activity
9/5	Wrap up the summer movie series and find answers to the question: How can we show respect to God through our actions? See here for your family discussion guide.
9/12	The Good Samaritan Video Workshop.
9/19	Worship with your family. Read the scripture ahead of time: Matthew 20:20-28.
9/26	Worship with your family. Read the scripture ahead of time: John 8:2-11. (How do you explain adultery? For young children: A broken promise made between a husband and a wife. For older kids: Adults who did not stay faithful to their husband or their wife.)
10/3	The Good Samaritan Art Workshop.

What’s happening in each workshop?

In the Video Workshop students will watch portions of the animated Veggie Tales video Are You My Neighbor? They will also participate in a “Golden Rule” activity.
In the Art Workshop students will decorate cards for the visitation team to distribute to our home-bound neighbors.
In the Cooking Workshop students will create homemade granola bars to distribute to a “neighbor.” Includes coming up with a broad definition of “neighbor.”

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

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Your mission (should you choose to accept it) – The Great Commission

Posted on April 30, 2015February 23, 2019 by Carol Hulbert

A painting, Jesus gives his disciples the Great Commission, by Otto Adolph Stemler

Our next Rotation follows right on the heels of Jesus’ resurrection.

Jesus appeared to his disciples and gave an important assignment we call the “Great Commission.”

These are marching orders for all of us! Read about Jesus’ words in Matthew 28:16-20. Here is how I paraphrase Jesus’ instructions:

For everyone you meet as you go about your daily life, train them in discipleship, teaching the practice of Christ-like living.

These are not mere suggestions. Jesus clearly states, “Do these things.”
Join us as we explore this story!

See a growing list of opportunities to foster faith learning at home for this story.

a blue line

On Sundays, at the downtown location…

Date	Our workshops for 1st through 5th graders…
	Writing Den	Cooking	Games	Art
	Starts in Room 215 & finishes in 211	Social Hall	Room 204	Room 212
5/3	1st grade	4th grade	3rd grade	2nd & 5th grade
5/10	2nd & 5th grade	3rd grade	4th grade	1st grade
5/17	3rd grade	2nd & 5th grade	1st grade	4th grade
5/24	Worship with your family. It’s Pentecost. Read the scripture from the book of Acts ahead of time.
5/31	4th grade	1st grade	2nd & 5th grade	3rd grade
6/7	Worship with your family. It’s Confirmation Sunday.
6/14	The big game! Are you smarter than a 6th grader?

And here’s what the 6th graders will be doing this month… (They’ll always be in the Pine Room!)

5/3	5/10	5/17	5/24	5/31	6/7	6/14
Discuss our up-coming visit to UMYF (United Methodist Youth Fellowship for 7th-12th graders on Sunday evenings)	Art Workshop	Assist the younger kids (preschoolers and K’s) with an art project	It’s Pentecost! Worship with your family. Read the scripture ahead of time.	Year end party!	Confirmation Sunday. Worship with your family.	The big game! Will we be able to beat the younger kids? Study up!

What’s happening in each workshop?

In the Writing Den Workshop students will learn about “bucket filling” and create instructional signs that that inspire others how to do kind acts. This portion of the workshop will take place in homemade “forts.”
In the Cooking Workshop students will make play dough and create sculptures of how Jesus would live his life today. This process will help kids to see how they might live a life that fulfills the Great Commission.
In the Games Workshop students will play a warm-up game that will help kids remember our Key Bible Verse. Then play a game full of energy and movement (based on Cranium Hullabaloo) that will help the kids learn the story details, Bible organization, and ways that they can be Jesus’ disciples.
In the Art Workshop students will create quilled-paper handprints, to remind kids that Jesus commands them to “go out” in everyday living and look for and use opportunities to teach others about Jesus.

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

Photo credits:
Jesus gives his disciples the Great Commission, a painting by Otto Adolph. Offered by pcstratman, who licensed this photo on Flickr under a Creative Commons License.

Our Schedule for March/April 2015 – Jesus is alive!

Posted on March 18, 2015 by Carol Hulbert

We’ve heard the story so many times it is easy for us to accept. But pause for a moment and consider the shock, and surprise, and joy experienced by the followers of Jesus on the very first Easter. They needed convincing that the resurrection was true! Do we? What does this message mean to us?

Attend our workshops for this Rotation!

He is Risen by artist He Qi

As preparation, read our story in Matthew 28:1-10, and in John 20:1-20.

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

Date	Workshop or Activity
3/21	Art Workshop
3/28	Video Workshop
4/4	Science Workshop
4/11	Cooking Workshop
4/18	To be announced
4/25	Attend worship – led by the 7th-12th graders

And on Sundays, at the downtown location, here is our schedule of workshops:

Date	Our workshops for 1st through 5th graders…
	Art	Cooking	Video	Science
	Room 212	Social Hall	Room 215	Room 211
3/22	4th grade	3rd grade	2nd & 5th grade	1st grade
3/29	3rd grade	2nd & 5th grade	1st grade	4th grade
4/5	Enjoy Easter Sunday worship with your family! The sermon is on Mark 16:1-8. Read it before hand! It will sound very familiar, except for one part. I wonder what that’s about?
4/12	2nd & 5th grade	1st grade	4th grade	3rd grade
4/19	1st grade	4th grade	3rd grade	2nd & 5th grade
4/26	Enjoy Youth-led worship with your family!

And here’s what the 6th graders will be doing this month… (They’ll always be in the Pine Room.)

3/22	3/29	4/5
Stay tuned…	for further details.	Worship with family Easter Sunday!

What’s happening in each workshop?

In the Art Workshop students will create a mini garden/empty tomb scene. Sort of like a crèche scene for Easter!
In the Video Workshop students will watch portions of the animated video from Nest Entertainment, He is Risen.
In the Science Workshop students will explore the difference between magic tricks, scientific facts and miracles. Which one does Jesus’ resurrection fall into?
In the Cooking Workshop students will create “Resurrection Rolls.” Yum. And what a surprise!

Photo credits:
He is Risen, by He Qi, via Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN, offered under a Creative Commons License.

David & Goliath: It’s not about bullies or stones

Posted on February 10, 2015September 29, 2019 by Carol Hulbert

Our kids recently learned about David in the story of David’s anointing as Israel’s next-in-line king. Now we turn to a more familiar story of David, and his encounter with the giant Goliath. Read about our story in 1 Samuel 17:1-49.

A scene showing David slinging a rock at Goliath

Some keys points to take from this story (with help from Rev. Neil MacQueen):

This is not a story about bullies. The “giants” for our kids might be problems with other kids, but that’s where the literal parallel ends. This is a story about using faith in God to take-down our troubles.
The rocks in this story are not secret weapons. David’s slingshot is an improbable weapon; small stones are highly unlikely to dent a giant’s armor. We need to trust God to help us face giants.
David is a role model. He was raised in the faith, and when the time came, his heart was found true and that gave him both the opportunity to serve God, and the courage to do so! How can we raise kids so that they are prepared to serve God, and to courageously do seemingly impossible things?

It all comes down to this:

How does a person develop faith in God?

Journey with us and learn!

On Sundays, at the downtown location, here is our schedule of workshops:

Date	Our workshops for 1st through 6th graders…
2/15	Everyone will gather together in the Social Hall to watch the animated video, The Beginners Bible Series: The Story of David and Goliath. What a great way to start a Rotation!

Date	Our workshops for 1st through 5th graders…
	Drama	Bible Skills & Games	Cooking	A variety!
	Room 215	Room 211	Social Hall	See below
2/22	4th grade	1st grade	3rd grade	2nd & 5th – Games in Room 212
3/1	Enjoy worship and Communion with your family. The sermon is on Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16. Read it before hand! It should sound familiar.
3/8	2nd & 5th grade	3rd grade	1st grade	4th grade – Cooking in the Social Hall
3/15	3rd grade	4th grade	2nd & 5th grade	1st grade – Storytelling in Room 212

And here’s what the 6th graders will be doing… (They’ll mostly be in the Pine Room.)

2/22	3/1	3/8	3/15
Cooking Workshop	Worship with your family.	Games Workshop	Attend the 7th/8th grade Explorer’s Class

And on Saturdays at the Green Wood location, here is the schedule…

Date	Workshop or Activity
2/14	A service project
2/21	Games Workshop
2/28	Drama Workship
3/7	Video Workshop
3/14	Cooking Workshop

What’s happening in each workshop?

In the Drama Workshop students will experience, through performing a skit, how faith in God gave David victory and can give us victory over the giant problems in our lives.
In the Cooking Workshop students will make (and eat!) a giant cookie while learning the story details.
In the Games Workshop students will learn story details by playing a game that involves throwing a “sock rocket” at a giant Goliath.

Photo credit:
David and Goliath copyright MMBOX PRODUCTION, from http://www.christiancliparts.net; used under license.

January – February 2015 Schedule: The Story of Esther

Posted on January 8, 2015January 6, 2015 by Carol Hulbert

Happy New Year! We start off the New Year with a Rotation on the Old Testament story of Esther.

The Old Testament book of Esther is a story of one woman who changed the course of history for the Jewish people. It’s a story with all the ingredients of a Disney fairy tale (or maybe a soap opera, depending on how many details you reveal in the telling). There’s a beautiful heroine, a villain, and surprising plot twists. It is a good story for family read aloud over several nights (if you paraphrase a bit for the younger set). Come join us for our story!

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

Date	Workshop or Activity
1/10	Art Workshop
1/17	Games Workshop
1/24	Cooking Workshop
1/31	Worship with your family.
2/7	To be announced.

And on Sundays, at the downtown location.

Date	Our workshops for 1st through 5th graders…
	Art	Cooking	Video	Bible Skills & Games
	Room 212	Social Hall	Room 215	Room 211
1/11	2nd & 5th grade	3rd grade	1st grade	4th grade
1/18	1st grade	4th grade	3rd grade	2nd & 5th grade
1/25	3rd grade	2nd & 5th grade	4th grade	1st grade
2/1	Enjoy worship and Communion with your family. The sermon is on how to begin again: A new direction!
2/8	4th grade	1st grade	2nd & 5th grade	3rd grade

And here’s what the 6th graders will be doing this month…
(They’ll always be in the Pine Room!)

1/11	1/18	1/25	2/1
Special cooking project	Cooking Workshop	Games Workshop	Worship with your family

What’s happening in each workshop?

Art Workshop: Learn about how prayer ties to the story of Esther. Second through fifth graders will create prayer boxes in the shape of a pyramid out of marbleized paper and make marbleized paper for the next class to use. 1^st grade will decorate a prayer box with a magnetized lid.
Video Workshop: Watch portions of the Veggie Tales video, Esther: The Girl Who Became Queen.
Cooking Workshop: Make Hamantaschen (cookies) & learn about the Jewish festival of Purim.
Games Workshop: Learn story details & story sequence by playing a game of Hangman. (Which is very appropriate for this story!)

Photo credits: Click here for info on banner photo (not visible in readers or email).
Scroll of the Book of Esther by Chefallen, who licensed this photo on Wikimedia Commons under a Creative Commons License.

Our Advent Rotation (2014)

Posted on November 20, 2014January 1, 2015 by Carol Hulbert

Our next Rotation is about… Christmas!

A crèche scene

Since Christmas comes every year this allows us the chance to, each year, focus on a different aspect of the story. We’ve done Advent Rotations from the point of view of:

Shepherds and angels,
Wise Men,
Jesus’ mother’s perspective, and
through the eyes of the Old Testament prophet Isaiah.

This year we’ll take a look at the overall birth story of Jesus. Our target is to ensure that kids know the sequence and timing of story events surrounding Jesus’ birth. We’ll also be digging into the concept of “God with us.”

Our story is found by interweaving the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. Read the story as the kids will hear it, in Luke 1:26-38, Matthew 1:18-23, Luke 2:1-18.

On Sundays, at the downtown location of FUMC, our schedule is:

Date	Our workshops for 1st through 5th graders…
	Art	Cooking	Drama	Games
	Room 212	Social Hall	Room 215	Room 204
11/23	1st & 5th grade	2nd grade	4th grade	3rd grade
11/30	4th grade	3rd grade	2nd grade	1st & 5th grade
12/7	Enjoy worship and Communion with your family. Read the scripture to be used in the service.
12/14	2nd grade	1st & 5th grade	3rd grade	4th grade
12/21	3rd grade	4th grade	1st & 5th grade	2nd grade
12/28	Enjoy worship with your family. (One service at 9:30.)
1/4	Enjoy worship and Communion with your family. (One service at 9:30.) We are celebrating Epiphany. Read the scripture ahead of time.

And here’s what the 6th graders will be doing this Rotation…
Lots of special projects! (They’ll almost always be in the Pine Room.)

11/23	11/30	12/7	12/14	12/21	12/28 & 1/4
Watch a short video called “The Coat: A Story of Charity.” Participate in a service project for the Humane Society.	Do baking for Ronald McDonald House families.	Worship with your family. Read the scripture to be used in the service.	Spend the morning with our younger kids! Perform a drama, read storybooks and sing with them.	A Christmas party!	Worship with your family.

And on For Saturdays at the Green Wood location, here is the schedule…

Date	Workshop or Activity
11/22	Work on a service project. (Bring your favorite music to listen to while we work.)
11/29	Game night! Bring your favorite board or card game.
12/6	Art Workshop
12/13	Cooking Workshop
12/20	Drama Workshop
12/27	Worship with your family
1/3	Children will enjoy a special showing of Saint Nicholas – A Story of Joyful Giving.

What’s happening in each workshop?

In the Art Workshop students will help tell the story using various colors of felt, creating a “stained glass window.” They will create a stained “glass” scene made into a Christmas tree ornament that reminds them of the story of Jesus’ birth.
In the Cooking Workshop students will create a nativity snack bag with items to represent story elements. They will get to try out some of this snack at church but will bring home a bag of goodies. Share this snack bag as a family and have your child use it to retell the story!
In the Drama Workshop students will enact the story. What a great way to learn the story details by participating in the story!
In the Games Workshop students will play a quiz game to see how much they really know about the story.

Photo credits:
Click here for info on banner photo (not visible in readers or email).
Crèche photo is from my archives.

Here comes July & August…

Posted on July 3, 2014July 29, 2014 by Beth Pascoe

What’s happening in Christian Education for kids and their caregivers in July and August at FUMC?

Worship and movies !

You can do both together as a family! Our summer film series features selections from What’s in the Bible with Buck Denver. (Yes, these videos are appropriate for adults and kids! Think of the family discussions this will open up!)

Watch a short preview of this series… (if you are reading this in an email click here to view the video).

This summer we are encouraging families to attend worship together at Green Wood and to come to our video lessons on Sunday mornings… YES, as a family… in the air conditioned Chapel. Afterwards there’s Lemonade on the Lawn for some fellowship time.

Join us!

Here is the schedule for July and August downtown on Sunday mornings…

Date	To learn about…
July 6	Attend worship & Communion as a family.
July 13	Watch the story of Jesus in the Gospels; all in one viewing! Can it be done? Big Question: Jesus doesn’t “make” us follow him. He invites us. Why would anyone refuse that?
July 20	Back to the Old Testament. Genesis means beginning! Big Question: Who picked the books to be in the Bible and what does a cannon have to do with it?
July 27	Jumping ahead to songs and poetry books in the Old Testament; the Book of Psalms is the people talking back to God! We can talk back to God?! (Sure! Let him know how you feel.)
August 3	Attend worship & Communion as a family.
August 10	Next stop: History books in the Old Testament. Some history of King Saul and David. King Saul is messing things up, so God sends Samuel out to “anoint” a new king. I wonder who that will be?
August 17	The book of Esther. I wonder if we’ll be casting “purs” and yelling “Boo Haman”?
August 24	Moving on to the book of Acts. Big Learning: Jesus knew that if he left, the Holy Spirit could be everywhere and the message could explode into the world!
August 31	Attend worship/Communion as a family.

Or if you can’t make Sunday morning then catch the action for kids at Green Wood on Saturday evenings…

Date	To learn about…
July 5	Watch part one of video (#10) that starts the New Testament. The “Big Question” is: How could one man, Jesus, solve the huge problems of our sinful world?
July 12	Watch the story of Jesus in the Gospels; all in one viewing! Can it be done?
July 19	Jumping back to History books in the Old Testament: King Saul and David. King Saul is messing things up, so God sends Samuel out to “anoint” a new king. I wonder who that will be?
July 26	Attend worship with your family.
August 2	The Old Testament book of Esther. I wonder if we’ll be casting “purs” and yelling “Boo Haman”?
August 9	Moving back to the New Testament and the book of Acts. Big Learning: Jesus knew that if he left, the Holy Spirit could be everywhere and the message could explode into the world!
August 16	Back to the first book of the Old Testament. Genesis means beginning! Big Question: Who picked the books to be in the Bible and what does a cannon have to do with it?
August 23	Jumping ahead to songs and poetry books in the Old Testament; the Book of Psalms is the people talking back to God! We can talk back to God?! (Sure! Let him know how you feel.)
August 30	Attend worship with your family.

Photo credits:
Click here for info on banner photo (not visible in readers or email).
Photos of kids are from my archives (some were taken by other church members).

Summer Sunday’s Cool – Part 1 (2014)

Posted on May 29, 2014May 14, 2015 by Carol Hulbert

What’s happening in Christian Education for ~~kids~~ kids and their caregivers (!) in June at FUMC?

Worship, our annual BIG GAME, and the start of a summer movie series!

Hey! Why not do all three together as a family?!

Our summer film series will feature selections from the “What’s in the Bible with Buck Denver.” (Yes, these videos are appropriate for adults and kids!) It will be a fun way for kids to enjoy a change of pace from our school-year Rotation lessons, while learning in this unique way about the Bible. And think of the family discussions this will open up!

This video series is by the creator of Veggie Tales! Here’s a short preview of this film series… (Watch here if you are reading this in an email.)

What’s up with our focus on families?

This summer we are encouraging families to attend worship together at Green Wood and to come to our video lessons on Sunday mornings (in the air conditioned Chapel!). Afterwards there’s Lemonade on the Lawn for some fellowship time. Join us!

Here is the schedule for June downtown on Sunday mornings…

Date	To learn about…
June 1	Attend worship/Communion as a family.
June 8	The BIG GAME! (Where we review the year, and see if the 6th graders are smarter than the rest of us!)
June 15	Let the movies begin! The What’s in the Bible video series. The Big Questions: What is the Bible? Why would the Bible be called “The Most Important Book?” What is God’s Rescue plan? (If you miss this week, to be introduced to all of the characters in this series watch this short video.)
June 22	Movie continues… The Big Questions: Who wrote the Bible? Is this an important question? Why the world doesn’t make sense until you’ve read the first eleven chapters of Genesis? The book of Genesis sets the stage!
June 29	We turn to the New Testament! Big Question: How could one man, Jesus, solve the huge problems of our sinful world?

Or if you can’t make Sunday morning then catch the action for kids at Green Wood on Saturday evenings…

Date	To learn about…
May 31	Cooking Workshop on the Walk to Emmaus – create “Resurrection Rolls.” Discuss how the lesson these rolls teach us ties to our story.
June 7	One last workshop on the Walk to Emmaus…In a Computer/Video Workshop students will see a unique rendition of our story performed by snow people!
June 14	Let the movies begin! The What’s in the Bible video series. The Big Questions: What is the Bible? Why would the Bible be called “The Most Important Book?” What is God’s Rescue plan? (If you miss this week, to be introduced to all of the characters in this series watch this short video.)
June 21	The video series continues…The Big Questions: Who wrote the Bible? Is this an important question? Why the world doesn’t make sense until you’ve read the first eleven chapters of Genesis? The book of Genesis sets the stage!
June 28	Worship with your family.