CHILDREN'S MINISTRIES MISSION STATEMENT To help children discover a closer relationship with Jesus Christ through worship, Biblical teachings, and friendships among peers and teachers and thereby creating the life-long desire for knowledge of the Holy Spirit.
MEET OUR NEW SUMMER CHILDREN'S INTERN:  JESSIE SPECK Hi, I am Jessie Speck, and I am the Children’s Ministry Intern for the summer. I graduated from Wall High School in 2006. I am currently a senior at Angelo State University where I am studying to be a 4th-8th grade math teacher. When I graduate, I plan on moving to Austin and getting my master’s in school counseling from the University of Texas. I have called Sierra Vista UMC my home for the last 8 years and have loved every minute of it. I am extremely excited about this summer and working with the children. When the summer is over, I hope to have reached out to as many children as possible and shown them God’s love. Thank you for this wonderful opportunity to be able to share my faith with others. I believe that this experience will have a great impact on my life and hopefully on others.
June 14 - 17 August 16 - 19 3rd / 4th Grade Summer Camps June 21 - 25 July 5 - 9 5th / 6th Grade Summer Camps June 24 Mission Possible Begins July 2 - August 6 Moms' Weekly Fellowship July 12 CLUB 56 kicks off July 12 Children's Church Begins July 13 and 20 Care and Share July 21 and 28 Picnics with the Pastors August 13 Music Fun Day August 29 Children's Ministry Training  Details for the above events can be found in the articles below.    * * * * * * * * * *   Sierra Vista kids going into 4th, 5th, or 6th grades have been selected to carry out a special mission. This is exactly the type of mission for which they have been trained…  Wednesday, June 24, 2009. Meet at 9:15 am in the Sierra Vista UMC parking lot. Plan to travel to Mt. Carmel Monastery in Christoval. Bring dental floss, mouth wash, laundry supplies, cleaning products, or tuna. There will be a bus — and maybe some vans. Look for the blue shirts. (We’ll distribute them that morning!) Wear comfortable clothes. Bring a non-perishable, sack lunch. (We’ll picnic along the Concho River.) Arrange for reconnection with your people by 1:30 pm at SVUMC.  This Message will self-destruct in 5 seconds…  If you would like a “Mission: Possible” t-shirt, please email kduke@sierravista.org as soon as possible; be sure to include your child’s shirt size. The shirts are going to be bright blue with the “Mission: Possible” logo on the front. We would also ask a $12 donation for each shirt. OVERVIEW Mission: Possible – formerly “Mission Explorer” – is scheduled for the following Wednesdays from approximately 9:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.: June 24; July 1, 22, and 29; and August 5 and 19. We plan to visit the Concho Valley Regional Food Bank, the House of Faith, the Wesley UMC Soup Kitchen, the local synagogue, Mt. Carmel Monastery in Christoval, and Goodfellow AFB’s fire training school.  A more formal mailing to all older elementary kids will be out later in the summer, but adult volunteers are also welcome. Email kduke@sierravista.org or call the Church Office for more information.     Younger elementary kids at Sierra Vista will also get a chance to do mission work this summer! On Monday, July 13, from 10 a.m. to noon, children going into 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grades are invited to spend the morning helping to organize supplies after VBS. On July 20, the kids will meet again to make sandwiches for the hungry. These “Care and Share” mornings will also include snacks and some fun, play time, and additional “Care and Share” plans may be added to the summer schedule. Parents are encouraged to enjoy these simple volunteer opportunities with their children. BLUE REGISTRATION CARDS  The parents of all children who participate in any Sierra Vista activities need to make sure to complete BOTH SIDES of the 2009 registration/permission form and return this card to Children’s Ministries. Parents also need to make sure to include an email address on these cards, as we are working toward making email our primary method of contacting parents. For more information, please call the Church Office or email kduke@sierravista.org.     CLICK ON THE APPROPRIATE BLUE SPLASH FOR A PRINTABLE COPY OF THE REGISTRATION CARD.   Then complete it and return it to Kelly Duke at church. <-------- MICROSOFT PUBLISHER FILE <-------- MICROSOFT WORD FILE The summer calendar for the children, kindergarten through fifth grade, has been made, and, besides Vacation Bible School, there are many other fun things in store for Sierra Vista kids in the coming summer months:   June 24 Mission Possible begins (missions and lunch with St. Luke’s UMC & FUMC) for kids entering 4th, 5th, and 6th grades July 12 Children’s Church begins.   July 12 CLUB 56 kicks off  For kids entering 6th grade. (More to come on this soon!) July 13 and 20 Care and Share For children going into 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grades July 21 and 28 Picnics with the Pastors   August 13 Music Fun Day.   Email kduke@sierravista.org for more information on any of these activities! ATTENTION ALL 2nd, 3rd, 4th & 5th GRADERS Dates for Children’s Camps hosted by the UMC’s Southwest Texas Conference have been set. Note that children should plan to attend camp for the grade which they will be entering in the fall, 2009. call the Church Office or email kduke@sierravista.org to let us know what dates work best:                   3rd/4th Grade                          5th/6th Grade                  June 14-17                               June 21-25                  August 16-19                            July 5-9  You can find more camp information at: http://www.umcswtxprograms.org/pdf/3456campbrochure.pdf   SIMON SAYS April 25-26, 2009 (these pictures will automatically change, but it will take a bit for all pictures to load) (More pictures on the SmugMug site. )  BOY SCOUTS -- PACK 374 Be a part of Something Special  Sierra Vista UMC is the Charter Organization for your Cub Scout Pack 374. We meet on Monday nights from 6:30-7:30 p.m. We welcome some Adult Leadership ideas, help and support. Please consider this wonderful ministry of your church and make a difference in a young man’s life. For more information contact Cub Master Paul Grover.  (Call the church office for contact information) Do your best  -  Do your best  -  Do your best	CHILDREN'S SUMMER SUNDAY SCHOOL All children’s Sunday school classes, grades K through 5th, will meet in Rooms C-2 and C-3 in the Children’s Building (preschool) this summer from 9:45 to 10:45 a.m. These kids will be studying Lead the Way, Jesus, which will teach kids about Jesus' powerful words and actions through interactive Bible stories, dramas, scripture memory, and activities. Come join the summer fun! CHILDREN'S CHURCH VBS was a wonderful experience at Sierra Vista, and we are now preparing to move on to other summer activities. One of those activities is Children’s Church. This opportunity for kids will be during the 11:00 a.m. worship service. Children who will be entering kindergarten through third grade in the fall will have an opportunity to worship with other kids their age on Sunday mornings. Children who want to participate will leave the larger worship service for Room S-1 (right next to the Sanctuary) after Children’s Time and will return before the final hymn. While they are away, they will learn about the same scripture that is discussed in “big church,” but they will have the chance to do so through age-appropriate means. I hope that Children’s Church will allow our kids to grow spiritually in a way that they may not be able to during more mature worship, but it will, at the same time, allow them to experience worship and all it entails more fully. We had originally planned to begin Children’s Church in June, but, with recent changes and scheduling, Sunday, July 12 seems to be a more appropriate date for this to begin. As a result, if you would like your children to be a part of Children’s Church, please mark your calendars for July 12. Thank you for your patience as we begin this new way to minister to our kids. If you have any questions, please feel free to call or email! J  SUMMER CAMP  REGISTRATION DEADLINES Summer camp is almost upon us.. The registration deadlines for our UMC conference’s summer camps begin in less than two weeks! Please remember that scholarships are available. Your camper must have his or her registration form and payment to me by the following dates:  3rd 4th Grade Camp on June 14-17: May 15th deadline 5th/6th Grade Camp on June 21-25: May 22nd deadline 5th/6th Grade Camp on July 5-9:  June 4th deadline You can download the registration form at this link: http://www.umcswtx.org/umcswtx-childrens-camps.html  As ever, let Kelly know if you have any questions! MOMS' WEEKLY FELLOWSHIP On Thursday mornings – July 2 through August 6 – between 10 a.m. and noon, we will begin a new opportunity for Sierra Vista moms; they will meet in Life Center Room 105 to study scripture, discuss their challenges, and enjoy the fellowship of other Christian moms.  Dr. Tim Kimmel’s book, Grace-Based Parenting, will be the first study for this new group. All friends of Sierra Vista are welcome, and childcare will be provided.  CHILDREN'S MINISTRY TRAINING  Saturday, August 29, 2009 8:00 a.m. – 12:35 p.m.  Three sessions: Connecting Kids to the Bible Connecting Kids to their World Reaching Kids and their Families  Lifepoint Baptist Church (former Park Heights facility) 810 Austin Street, San Angelo, Texas  Hosted by the International Network of Children’s Ministry.   Please email or call Kelly if you are interested. The Children’s Ministries appreciate all the wonderful support for the Mother’s Day Rose Sale. With your help, $348 was put toward the cost of the new choir risers bought for programs put on by the children, the youth, and the preschool. Thank you for blessing our church this way! *********  PB 200  The peanut butter drive, by our Children’s Ministry, was very successful! They collected 124 jars of peanut butter  - thank you to all who donated!   *********  NEW BLOG FOR CHILDREN'S MINISTRY    The Children and Family Ministries have a new blog: http://svumckids.blogspot.com/ If you need information, if you have questions, or if you want to post comments, please visit this website. This blog can make our ministry to our children even more dynamic and effective! CHILDREN'S SUNDAY SCHOOL, K-3RD!!!! New sign-in and  sign-out policy Because of requirements by the Southwest UMC Conference, we are implementing a new sign-in and sign-out policy for Sunday school, grades kindergarten through third grade. All kids of these grades must now be signed in and signed out at their Sunday school classroom doors. We appreciate the patience of all the parents as we work to begin implementing this policy!   In April, during the Sunday School hour (9:45 am – 10:45 am), we will hear the stories: People Praise Jesus Jesus Dies and Lives Again Thomas Sees Jesus Jesus Lives Today The Active Games will be: Praise Parade Plate Turnover Color Clues Pack It Up! The Bible verses are: “Sing praises to the Lord.” --Psalm 9:11 “It is true!  The Lord has risen.” --Luke 24:34 “Thomas said to Jesus, ‘My Lord and my God!” --John 20:28 “Jesus said, ‘I am with you always.’” --Matthew 28:20 In the Art Center: Donkey Puppet Butterfly Cards Fingerprint People Shaving Cream Art We will be making a joyful noise singing: “Sing Praises”  “Jesus is Alive” During Worship Time, we will circle up, hold hands, pray and dismiss with the song, “Go Now In Peace”.   Brenda Richardson Nursery Ministries Director