Family Faith Companion

Don’t think of it as summer school

Posted on June 19, 2014May 14, 2015 by Carol Hulbert

We’re off to the movies! This summer, we hope you’ll join us on our movie adventure and also, continue the learning at home.

Summer school! (But don’t tell the kids!) Really! This is to help you pass along your faith to your child(ren)! Here are some questions to talk about at the family dinner table. (Or wherever your family is gathered together.)

You can ask these questions even if you missed the first video showing last weekend!

Parents and caregivers: want to get a feel for the video? Click below to watch the first five minutes of our first video. (Or click here if you are reading this in an email.)

Don’t you agree that this is for adults and their kids? Join us!

You’ll both be learning together at the movies!

And, by using the questions below, you’ll both be learning together at home!

If desired, print out this family discussion guide here. (You can spread this out over several days.)

HAVE SOME FAMILY DISCUSSION…

What is a favorite book that you have recently read?
What if a friend told you that the Bible was their favorite book, what would you say?
Why do you suppose we should read the Bible? (No right or wrong answers!)

Buck Denver, one of the main characters in our video series, asks a BIG question in the first video: What is the Bible? How would you answer that question? (To watch a one minute video of some kids with their answers to this question, view here.)

Tell your kids that you’ve learned how to carry 66 books with one hand! Then show them how you do it, by picking up a Bible! Yep, the Bible is like a library; there are 66 books in the Protestant Bible! [1]
All of the books in the Bible tell us one big story. What would you say is that one big story? (Lots of answers, but the one we are focused on is that the Bible is the story of God and what he’s done for us; something that we like to call “God’s Rescue Plan”).
Take turns remembering stories in the Bible. Then take turns naming what that story tells us about God and what he’s done for us. (For example, our last Rotation, the Walk to Emmaus: Jesus is always with us.)

Sunday School Lady (a professional Sunday school teacher) tells us about the Old and the New Testament, and their different sections. [You can watch this part on-line in a new window.] [2].
First off, what is a “testament? (The word “testament” comes from the Latin word testamentum, which means “oath” or “covenant.” A covenant and an oath are promises with conditions, so the word testament essentially means a “promise.”)
Promises! More about what God has done for us! (His Rescue Plan!) Why do you suppose God made promises? (Hint: it has something to do with love!)

Stay tuned for more each week. See you in church.

[1] For older kids, add in discussion about how the number of books in the Bible is different in Catholic and Protestant Bibles. Do some research starting here and here.

[2] If your child asks about the “end of the world” (mentioned in Sunday school lady’s description of the book of Revelation), admittedly the end of the world sounds kind of scary! Some people use the words “the end of the world” to describe the time when all people will love and care for each other and obey God. (That doesn’t sound bad!) In the early days of the church some followers of Jesus (for example, Paul) thought that this would happen soon! Some even stopped working because they figured, why bother! (Read about it here.) Of course it hasn’t happened yet, so nothing to worry about! Besides it gives us plenty of time to, as John Wesley says, go on to perfection.” (Which means we’re working on Matthew 22:37-39).

Photo credits:
Photos from the producer of our video What’s in the Bible, under a fair usage category.

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Planning your family’s summer weekends? Add worship & movies!

Posted on June 11, 2014May 14, 2015 by Carol Hulbert

How does your summer calendar look?
Hopefully there is room for rest and rejuvenation.

How about room for God?

Have you been looking for a way to add faith conversations in your family? Here’s a suggestion:

A suggestion on what to do as a family on the weekends.

Start this coming weekend — or join us any weekend this summer! Worship at Green Wood at 5 pm on Saturday. (Come in your cut-offs!) Then join us downtown on Sunday’s at 9:30 for our…

Summer Movie Series!

For 1st – 6th graders we’ll be using the DVD series Buck Denver Asks … What’s in the Bible? created by Phil Vischer. (Phil created VeggieTales.® That’s Phil in the lower right corner of the collage of movie characters shown below.)

Phil Vischer and some of the characters from What's in the Bible? DVD series

I’ll bet you have questions…

What is this DVD series about?
A cast of lovable, Muppet-quality puppets interact with Phil Vischer and other real people, teaching how all of the stories of the Bible fit together as God’s great rescue plan! We’ll start in Genesis and work our way through the Bible. (But we won’t have enough weeks to cover it all!)
Will I, as an adult, really get anything out of this?
Yes! There’s humor, silly songs, and theological concepts explained! I’ll bet you’ll learn something. (I did!)
Why the change from the usual Rotation lessons?
Summer needs a change of pace; a different way of learning – together as a family!
What about my younger kids?
Green Wood is a relaxed environment for worship and kids of all ages benefit from worship. If needed your younger children can attend lessons held downstairs after the children’s moment.
What about my older kids?
4th grade and up are invited to apply to be a Class Assistant. Contact Beth at church.

What does your summer schedule look like?

Photo credits:
Collages were created using pictures from various sources: What’s in the Bible?, Sunday Software, and from photos taken by church members.

What is this Big Game?

Posted on June 5, 2014June 8, 2016 by Carol Hulbert

Coming up this Sunday at the downtown location is THE BIG GAME!

It’s where we review the year’s stories, and see if the 6th graders are smarter than the rest of us! What’s it look like? Let’s review!

Everyone meets in the Social Hall and gathers in their grade groups. (These pictures are from former year-end Big Games. It’s an annual tradition!)

Everyone gathers together for the big game

The 6th graders (and any adults) get to sit on chairs! But that doesn’t guarantee a winning answer for the 6th graders!

The 6th grade gets to sit on chairs at the Big Game

We work as grade groups to collaborate on our answers to those tough questions…

A group gathers huddles together to work on an answer at the Big Game

Bibles are allowed (but we better be fast!)

The 6th graders search for an answer in the Bible

We take turns being the one to present our answer. Is it correct?

In review, here are the stories we’ve covered since last September (for the Big Game of 2014):

Jesus, as a boy, in the Temple – Luke 2:41-52
Abraham and Sarah – Genesis 12:1-9, 13:14b-18, 15:1-7, 15:18a, 17:1-9, 17:15-17, 18:1-15, 21:1-3
The Wise Men – Matthew 2:1-12
The Ten Commandments – Exodus 19:1-11, 16-19; 20:1-17; 24:1-2, 12-18; 31:18-32:24
The Greatest Commandment – Matthew 22:34-40
The Events of Holy Week – from Palm Sunday to Easter: Matt 21:1-13, 26:3-5, 14-16, John 13:4-15, Matt 26:17-30, 36-46, Luke 22:47-51, Matt 26:55-57, Luke 22:63-23:25, Luke 23:32-56, Matt 28:1-10
The Walk to Emmaus – Luke 24:13-35

Help your kids by reviewing these stories.

And feel free to visit the Big Game and join in on the fun! (We’ll let you sit in a chair if you’d like.)

a blue line

Photo credits:
Photos are from my archives.

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.

Photo credits:
Photos of kids are from my archives (some were taken by other church members).

Remembering… every day

Posted on May 22, 2014April 11, 2020 by Carol Hulbert

a person walks among flag-decorated gravemarkers

On Memorial Day we remember the men and women who died while serving our country. We also reminisce about lost family members and friends.We gather together, decorate graves, salute flags, and attend parades—a worthwhile day of tribute, a day of telling stories about service and honor and good deeds.

Where it falls on the calendar in the northern hemisphere, Memorial Day also signifies the start of summer. Sunny skies, picnics and vacations; more great memories in the making!

All this brings to mind other observances we need to recognize.

Remembering stories of God with us.

Brooklyn Museum - The Pilgrims of Emmaus on the Road (Les pèlerins d'Emmaüs en chemin) - James Tissot

Our children need to hear our stories of God walking beside us.

Our children need to be reminded of times when God walked with them.

In a recent Rotation from Luke 24:13-35, we heard Cleopas and his traveling companion reflect on their trip from Jerusalem to Emmaus, when they realized that Jesus had been with them!

Back and forth they talked. “Didn’t we feel on fire as he conversed with us on the road, as he opened up the Scriptures for us?”
Luke 24:32

We need to offer opportunities for our kids to join the “fellowship of the burning heart.”

Let this Memorial Day be the start of an every-day-sort-of-thing: tell remember-when stories about times when Jesus was with you.

The time the car broke down the night before the big trip (rather than on the road).
An out of the blue, call from a friend when you needed to hear from someone just at that moment.
A sunny day after so many grey, dreary ones.
Hearing a Bible verse that was just what was needed.
The list goes on and on!

What are your God-with-you stories?

A Journey of (Strangely Warmed) Hearts

Posted on May 15, 2014April 9, 2016 by Carol Hulbert

This weekend treat your kids to a peek at their potential future self.

the youth perform a skit during Youth Worship 2013

A scene from last year’s Youth Worship service

We won’t be holding Workshops this weekend for grades 1-6, so that our children can learn from an able group of mentors in grades 7-12. Invite them to attend the Youth-led worship service on Saturday at Green Wood and/or downtown on Sunday.

Tell them to listen for some journey stories.

How about a little preparatory discussion prior to worship? Note: Print out just the discussion questions from this Google Doc.

Introduce the concept of a journey by starting off with a dinner table game! Use the book We’re Going on a Bear Hunt to pretend to go on a hunting journey – wading through tall grass, splashing through a river and squelching through mud, in search of a bear. (This is one of those stories where you can add your own adventure to your trip. See this version.)
Ask: What is a journey? What are some long trips that you can recall making?
Life can be described as a journey — we each travel a path that sometimes is straight and smooth, and sometimes windy and twisty. What are some stopping points that you’ve experienced in your life journey? (Adults: Describe some of these too-young-to-remember points for your kids such as their first birthday, or their first step or their first day of school.)
What faith steps have you encountered in your life path? (Adults: now is the time for you to share moments of doubt in God and times of questioning, as well as mountain-top experiences.)
The Bible seems to have many stories of journeys. What are some that you can think of?

This is where you can refer to our just-finished Rotation on the Walk to Emmaus! Ask your child(ren) to re-tell the story from Luke 24:13-35.

Why do you suppose Jesus didn’t reveal himself earlier in their journey?
What were they doing when they finally recognized Jesus? (hint: verse 30)
On our “bear hunt” would it have been as fun if we’d just gone straight to the bear’s cave and skipped the tall grass and the mud and the river? (No, probably not!) All of the parts of the journey were important. They all contributed to our experience.
It probably took some leading-up-to-it-time for the two disciples eyes to be “opened.” At what point in our Bible story do the disciples realize what this was?

They said to each other, “He talked with us on the road. He opened the Scriptures to us. Weren’t our hearts burning inside us during that time?” Luke 24:32

At youth worship do you suppose you’ll hear or see any burning heart stories?
And when you come back to discuss your take on Youth Worship, ask…

What burning heart stories did you hear?

a blue line

Photo credits:
Photo by Richard Rupp. Used with permission.

Moving up

Posted on May 6, 2014May 17, 2015 by Carol Hulbert

Some used-to-be-little kids will soon pass a milestone!

Moving up from Kindergarten to 1st grade! On Sunday we recognized this event. Since many are starting to become readers, they received a gift from FUMC. Ahead of time their family chose a Bible storybook, or a book of devotions. Here they are with their gift books.

Current Kindergarteners with their gift books

They also previewed (via a tour!) what Cool Disciples would be like when they become 1st graders in the fall. Here are a few notable differences about being “upstairs” Cool Disciples:

They will be rotating!
(This is, after all, called the Workshop Rotation Model™, which you can learn more about by clicking on the logo on the right.)

While in Kindergarten, the workshops came to the kids. As 1st graders they’ll be visiting the workshops – physically moving – to a different workshop each week.

How do we figure out where they go?

Starting in 1st grade, kids attend worship until the Children’s Moment. After that, they are dismissed (with a song!) to their workshops. Check out the Children’s Ministries page (it’s usually buff colored) in the bulletin to see where they are headed. Remember, your child’s workshop location changes every week.

OR (here’s a better way) look ahead of time at home. (Or from your smartphone on your way to church – not the driver of course!) Check out the schedule post on this blog. Listed in the schedule post are descriptions of what each workshop will be doing. To generate a little bit of excitement I’d say, make a new habit: check it out on… Wednesdays!

But after the children’s moment in church, there is a large mob of kids – how does my 1st grader survive the crowd?
We’ve got a system! First graders are big kids, but the older kids can look bigger! To help out with this, the 1st graders gather in the hallway outside of the Sanctuary. This allows all of the older kids to ~~run excitedly~~ walk ahead to their workshops. A volunteer Shepherd greets the 1st graders outside of the Sanctuary. (Look for the person holding the orange 1st grade banner.) After the older kids have disbursed, the first grade goes as a group to their workshop.
On the first few weeks next fall, you may want to help your child find the banner and say goodbye in the hall; then once they are familiar with the process, you can let them leave the Sanctuary by themselves.

Do I need to sign them in and out?
Nope. 1st and 2nd graders will wait after class with an adult in their workshop, for pick-up by a parental unit. (3rd grade and up are dismissed to meet their families.) When you pick up your child do at least make eye contact with your child’s Shepherd!

What is a Shepherd (and how else can I get involved in this great program?
Glad you asked! Shepherds rotate with a class. They get to know the kids and help out as directed by the Workshop Leader (by taking attendance, forming groups of kids for a game, or assigning roles to puppeteers). Ideally Shepherds would serve twice a month from Sept. through May. There are many other ways to get involved. Email to ask more questions!

Anything else?
Why, yes! Perhaps your family has already implemented this…

Do your at-home-work!

That’s where you nurture your family spiritually; homeschooling in the ways of faith and grace.

It can be hard to teach how faith fits into life. That’s where this blog comes in…

Helping you build disciples with everyday moments.

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Photo credits:
Photos are from my archives. (Sorry for the group photo quality. I tried but it can be hard to get a decent picture of a ready-to-go group!)

Where will Jesus show up today?

Posted on May 1, 2014January 19, 2022 by Carol Hulbert

They didn’t expect to see Jesus. So they didn’t notice?
Just like I almost missed seeing the Dutchman’s Breeches.

A wild flower known as Dutchman's Breeches

There they were! At the edge of the walkway. How long had they been out?

How had I missed seeing them?

Dutchman’s Breeches are a tiny, early spring flower, getting their apt name from their appearance: petite, white, hanging-upside-down, pantaloons strung on an invisible clothesline. I hadn’t expected to see them yet. (Spring is rather slow in coming to these parts.)

Where will Jesus show up for you today?

The same sort of abrupt awareness came to the two disciples who were traveling from Jerusalem to Emmaus. They hardly noticed that an individual had joined their journey. They were so caught up in their grief-filled discussion over the death of Jesus, their expected rescuer. They didn’t realize that Jesus was walking besides them!

These Dutchman’s Breeches stir up deep connections for me. Do you treasure your grandmother’s recipe for Chocolate Chip Cookies? Do stories gush forth when the making of those cookies happens? The emergence of wild flowers does it for me. Memories flow.

My Aunt Doris brought me a Dutchman’s Breeches plant from her garden many years ago. I recall her bending to the soil to poke them into earth. Doris has since gone on to her heavenly home. Seeing the delicate white flowers brings to mind Doris and her love of Jesus. The way she so readily and passionately shared her faith!