December 2014

Sugar Grove Kids News

Christmas Wishes
All I want for Christmas is
________ Im sure there
are many words for that
blank.peace, joy, prosperity, two front teeth, a
restful night for my
baby.you name it and
someone wants it.
The holiday season is a
very stressful time for everyone. There are turkeys
to cook, cards to mail, gifts
to buy and memories to
make (and please, let them
be good ones!)
Here are some ideas for
making this holiday season
family friendly:
Just Our Family:

Work on a jigsaw puzzle together. Playing

Christmas Carols in the
background extends
the season.

Write thank you notes

together

Look at family photo

albums.
Tell stories
that begin, Remember
when.

Buy a new game as a

family gift for Christmas. Play it together.

Family Friends:

Invite a family that is

different from your own
for dinner.

Get with another family

and each share one
holiday tradition

Have a cookie exchange with other families. Each family brings

cookies and shares the
cookies and recipes.

and go to the zoo. The

weather is nice and
everyone else is hitting
the sales.

Trade child care with

another family to give
each of you a chance to
relax after the hectic
holidays.
Make Hot Cocoa Mix
for your neighbors.
Attach a note with a
Christmas message.
(Pinterest is the perfect
place to find lots of
good ideas for gifts children can make)

Join with other families

Teachable Moments
Follow the Star
Hang a trail of yellow cons tr u c t i o n - p a p er
s t ar s
throughout your house,
and near each star, place a
nativity-scene figure. Hang
the last, largest star over a
cake with candles on it,
and place the baby Jesus
figurine by it.
As a family, follow the
stars. Stop at each one
and talk about that figures

role in the first Christmas. At

the final star, light the candles on the cake.
Say: These candles represent the star of Bethlehem
that shone brightly over
baby Jesus when he came
to earth to save us.
Read aloud John 8:12 and
talk about ways that Jesus
can shine brightly in our lives
each day. Close in prayer:

Sugar Grove
Church of Christ
Childrens Ministry
11600 West Airport
Meadows Place, Texas
281-530-9651
http://kids.sugargrove.org/
Find us on Facebook at
Sugar Grove Kids

FaithWeaver Themes
12/7
John the Baptist Prepares the
Way for Jesus
Mark 1:1 - 8
Repentance makes our hearts
ready for Jesus.

Family to Family:

Reaching children
and partnering with
families, the
shapers of faith

Dear God, thank you for

sending your only Son,
Jesus, to be born for us
on Christmas. Amen.
Then sing Happy Birthday
to Jesus and share the
cake!
And, yes, we
Jesus wasnt
cember 25th
perfect day
anyway!!!

all know that

born on Debut what a
to celebrate

12/14
God Dwells With Us
John 1:1 - 14
Jesus is God.
12/21
.Jesus is Born
Luke 1:26 - 38; 2:1 - 20
We celebrate Jesus.
12/28
Faithful People Thank God for
Jesus
Luke 2:22 - 40
We thank God for Jesus.

Christmas Adventures
As with any birthday celebration,
much of the fun of Christmas is planning forand awaitingits arrival.
Traditions are an important part of
Christmas for many families. They
provide opportunities to keep your
unique legacy going, while focusing
on the true reason we observe December 25. From the simple to the
silly to the sentimental, traditions can
impart key lessons and create meaningful memories. For example, you
might buy a new ornament for each
of your children each year. If you
dont
already have
an
Advent wreath, you can make the
one described below.
Family Advent Wreath
By making this craft together, youll
have a cherished tradition for years
to come. Using a low-temperature
glue gun, secure a white tea candle
in the center of a pie pan. Then glue
four purple (or blue) tea candles
around it evenly. Adults can use wire
cutters to cut flame-resistant greenery to glue around the pans lip. Use

this wreath as the centerpiece of your

familys Advent devotions.
The wreaths circular shape reminds
us that Jesus has no beginning or end.
The candles signify that hes the Light
of the world and remind us to live
and shinefor him. Traditionally, each
candle has a special meaning.
Candle 1The first candle is called
the candle of hope. People in the Old
Testament knew that God had promised to send a Savior. And were filled
with hope because we know that Jesus came to earth on the first Christmas to save us from our sin. Light one
colored candle on your wreath and
read aloud Romans 15:13. Then share
some ways youre filled with hope because you know Jesus.
Candle 2The second candle
represents preparation. Getting our
hearts ready for Christmas is more
important than decorating our home or
even our church. Light two colored
candles, and read aloud Mark 1:3-4.
As a family, brainstorm things you do

to get ready for house guests. Talk

about what youd do differently if Jesus were coming to stay at your
house.
Candle 3The third candle, sometimes pink, symbolizes joy. Light
three colored candles on your
wreath. Read aloud Luke 2:10-11
and discuss the angels big announcement. Then encourage each
person to share one thing theyre
especially joyful about this Christmas.
Candle 4The fourth candle represents love. Christmas happened because of Gods great love for all people. Light all four colored candles and
read aloud John 3:16. Talk about why
we give nice things to people we
loveand why Jesus is the best gift
ever. Close in prayer, thanking our
loving God for sending Jesus as a
baby on Christmas.
The white center candle is called the
Christ candle. Light it on Christmas
Day (along with the other candles in
your wreath) to celebrate Jesus
birthday!

ICYMI: In Case You Missed It

Dear Sugar Grove Family,
It is with much regret that I inform you
that I am resigning as the Children
and Families Minister for Sugar
Grove Church of Christ, effective the
end of 2014. I will continue to serve
this church until the end of this year,
and will always love the children and
families of Sugar Grove.
Jeff and I have been associated with
this church for more than 35 years. I
left my career as a nurse to serve as
your childrens minister over 16 years
ago. I earned a Masters Degree in
Children and Family Ministry at Bethel Seminary so that I could gain
professional credentials and serve
this church more fully. That program
transformed my ministry, as I moved
from a singular focus on children to a
broader focus on equipping parents
to become the faith building agents in
their family. Thats why you have
participated in events like VBS,
Page 2

Camp Imani, and teaching Bible

classes. Thats why Jeff and I have
transparently shared our success and
struggles as parents and as a couple,
in hopes of helping Sugar Grove families to learn from our experiences. I
want to encourage all Sugar Grove
families to continue to be intentional
in their journey with their children in
faith development.
I would also like to remind us all that
as baptized children of God we are
deathless and Gods grace is better
than our ability to be perfect. I pray
that our faith will outweigh our fears. I
encourage my Sugar Gove family to
have courage as we live in the world
we are called into as children of God
and truly extend the hand of equality
to all. This is my prayer for Sugar
Grove: let us live the life of baptized
people who see all persons for who
they truly are in Gods eyes.
I suspect there will be rumors that I

have resigned because I received a

large inheritance after my Dads death.
For those of you who wonder about it,
his inheritance passes on to my
mother where it belongs. I can assure
you that my resignation adds a significant burden on my familys personal
finances.
However, my Dads death has impacted my decision in this way: his
passing has convicted me that everyones days are numbered, our worship
to God is to use our talents, energy
and passion to serve Him. Life is too
short to place ourselves in situations
that do not make the best use of our
giftedness for His Kingdom.
I will always love the children and
families at Sugar Grove. I thank you
for allowing me to be part of your lives
and I will continue to pray for your
journey. Thank you.
Kathy Cameron

Sugar Grove Kids News