Grace

Here is the children’s Sunday School schedule for March, April and May.

March 7
Bible story: Jesus teaches about good fruit (Luke 6:43-45)
Bible point: Our Christ-like actions shows we’re Christians.

March 14
Bible story: Jesus tells the parable of the Lost Son (Luke 15:11-32)
Bible point: God will forgive us when we sin.

March 21
Bible story: Jesus washes the disciples’ feet (John 13:1-17)
Bible point: Jesus wants us to follow his example of serving others.

March 28
Bible story: Jesus is tried and crucified (Luke 19:28-40, 23:1-49)
Bible point: Jesus died to take the punishment for our sins.

April 4
Bible story: Jesus appears to Mary (John 20:1-18)
Bible point: The Good News of Easter is that Jesus is alive.

April 11
Bible story: Apostles defend their faith (Act 5:12-42)
Bible point: Keep following God, even when it is hard.

April 18
Bible story: Saul meets Jesus near Damascus (Acts 9:1-20)
Bible point: Jesus changes our lives.

April 25
Bible story: Peter raises Tabitha from the dead (Acts 9:36-43)
Bible point: God answers when we pray.

May 2
Bible story: An angel frees Peter from jail (Acts 12:1-18)
Bible point: Angels protect and help God’s people.

May 9
Bible story: Lydia is converted (Acts 16:9-15)
Bible point: Be prepared to tell others about Jesus.

May 16
Bible story: Paul’s jailer believes in Jesus (Acts 16:16-34)
Bible point: Jesus saves us.

May 23
Bible story: Paul describes genuine love (1 Corinthians 13:1-13)
Bible point: God teaches us how to love.

May 30
Bible story: Paul explains Christian’s relationship with Christ (Ephesians 1:15-2:10)
Bible point: God’s power saves us.

The youth will be doing a 30 hour famine in March. Here are the details.

What is the 30 Hour Famine?
World Vision’s 30 Hour Famine is a worldwide movement of students who are serious about serving God and fighting hunger – all on an empty stomach. For 30 hours, participants get a taste of hunger by not eating – something more than a billion people around the world experience every day. And by doing fundraising activities, community service projects, and learning more about the facts of world hunger, students are changed in amazing ways as they help others and save lives.
When?
Grace Youth Group will be participating in this event on March 12-13, 2010, from 4:30 pm on Friday until
8:00 pm on Saturday. We will be joining other Covenant youth groups from the northside of Chicago for this
experience. The event will take place at Ravenswood Covenant Church and will include activities, community
service opportunities, educational experiences, music and worship, and games. The fast will be broken at 8:00 pm with communion and small meal following.
What does it take to help a hungry child?
Worldwide, the average cost to feed and care for a child for a month is $30 – just $1 a day. That means that if you find twelve people to each donate $30, you’ve just raised enough money to feed and care for a child for an entire year! It really is that simple (and that impactful). In order to raise money for the cause, we are going to be selling paper chains. Now there are several ways to do this. We will be selling ours for 25 cents a piece. We will have sheets of paper with lines, indicating where they will be cut. Each person will write their name on a chain (or however many they purchase) and then the group will link the chains together as we go. The goal is to sell 29,000 chains (with all the churches)! That would be 7,250 and would represent the number of children that die daily from starvation. When we come together for the famine, we will link each church’s chains together. It’s going to be a very powerful image.

March
2 Youth Meeting (Bible), 7:30pm
7 Confirmation, 11:30am
9 Youth Meeting (Act), 7:30pm
12 30 Hour Famine begins, 4:30pm
13 30 Hour Famine ends, 8:00pm
14 Confirmation, 11:30am
16 Youth Meeting (Intro, cycle6), 7:30pm
21 Confirmation, 11:30am
23 Youth Meeting (Bible), 7:30pm
28 Confirmation, 11:30am
30 NO Youth Meeting-Holy Week

April
4 NO Confirmation, Easter
6 Youth Meeting (Wrap), 7:30pm

Upcoming dates:
May 16th Confirmation Sunday
May 22nd Feed My Starving Children
June 4-6th Junior High Breakout (service trip in Chicago)
August 6-8th-ish (still working it out) Campout
October 29-31 Jesus Style for High School Students

The scripture reading for Sunday, February 21, 2010 will be Romans 10:9-13. Pastor Amanda Olson will be preaching “Rescued: Our Amazing Story”. There is a link to the Scripture passage on the website.

Please remember the following 4th, 5th and 6th graders in your prayers this coming weekend, February 26-28, as they attend the WinterFest Retreat at Covenant Harbor.
Azalyah Pozo, Derek Finney, Diana Okamura, Ethan Oliver, Joash Pfieffelman, Justin Washington, Katie Brink, Maddie Zimmerman, Nicholas Biskup, Pia Mueller, Sophia Burke, Tirzah Reed, and Lee and Becky Edwards (leaders).

Registration for summer camp has now started. Learn more about the many programs offered at Covenant Harbor and Covenant Point Bible Camps by visiting their websites: www.cpbc.com; www.covenantharbor.org. The church offers scholarships for children and youth from Grace who attend Covenant camps, contact the church office for more information.

It’s that time of year again! Calling all contestants for the third annual Grace Church Chili Cook-off after church on March 7. We need Cooks who want to showcase their favorite chili recipes and Cooks who want to bring a dessert to share. The church will provide crackers, drinks, bowls, and silverware. Contact Tom Zimmerman at t.zimmerman(at)sbcglobal.net

Today is Ash Wednesday and marks the beginning of Lent, the Christian season of preparation and prayer before Easter. This is an excellent season to commit in a new way to following in the steps of Christ.

Un-plug: Christians often “fast” from items during Lent. You may want to consider giving up something between Wednesday and Easter Sunday. People often choose a certain food which they enjoy (chocolate, pop) or some type of entertainment (ipod, movies).

Plug-in: You may also want to incorporate a new spiritual discipline into your life, especially to “fill the space” which happens when you un-plug. This may include adding additional scripture reading, keeping a journal or
doing a family devotional.

Prayerfully consider how God is calling you to deeper discipleship this season.

Also, please consider attending an Ash Wednesday service. Though there is not one at Grace this year, many churches have them in your neighborhood.
Here are some additional options:

North Park Covenant Church, 7:30pm, 5250 N. Christiana Ave.
Resurrection Covenant Church, 7:30pm, 3901 N. Marshfield
Edgebrook Covenant Church, 7:15pm, 6355 N. Spokane

Blessings in this season,
Pastor Ryan and Pastor Mandy

The scripture reading for Sunday, February 7, 2010 will be 1 Corinthians 12:12-20. Pastor Amanda Olson will be preaching “Head and Shoulders, Knees and Toes”.

If you are interested in helping with youth or children’s ministries at Grace in the near future and have never attended the Child Safety Training seminar, plan to join us on February 7th at 9am in the Nina Larson Ministry House. Questions? Contact Pastor Ryan.