March Plans - STAND UP FOR YOURSELF!

3/1 - Who Are You?

• Start on life-size personal portraits
• Discuss personal characteristics and add them to portraits
• Psalm 139: 13, 14 "it was you who formed my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother's womb, I praise you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works."
• Matthew 5:13-16 "You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored...? You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lamp stand, and it gives light to all in the house. Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your father in heaven.

3/8 - Different / Same Sunday

• How are my characteristics different / same as friends, friends expectations, family, family members expectations?
• Compare and contrast life size portraits with other members of Sunday school

3/15 - Do the Right Thing for Yourself!

• Why?
• How do I know what the "right thing" is?
• Matthew 5:43 "You have heard it said 'you shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' but I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you."
• Matthew 7:12 "Do Unto Others as you would have others do unto you."

3/22 - Stand Up for Yourself!

• Peer Pressure
• Parental Pressure
• Societal Pressure
• Matthew 7:13 "Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road is easy that leads to destruction and there are many who take it. For the gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life, and there are few who find it."

3/29 - Combined Service

• Meg and Doug will lead a lesson that is based on some of their experiences in Africa!

Good News for Combined Services

Hello Everyone,

Yesterday we had a very successful combined service at FCC Corvallis. I made up folders with activities in them for the kids who wanted to stay in the service. Meg and another great babysitter took kids who didn't want to stay in the service downstairs to play and watch a Scholastic video.

The great news that came out of yesterday is that Meg and her husband Doug volunteered to teach Sunday school on the combined service Sundays when Steve and I are being folk musicians instead of Sunday school teachers. Meg and Doug have been babysitters (and so much more) for us for quite a while now. We have not seen them in a few months because Meg and her infant son Reed have been in Zambia since September working on gathering data for Meg's graduate thesis project. Doug spent some time over there with them as well. They would like to take time during Sunday school to share some of their Africa experiences with the children. I am very thankful to Meg and Doug for volunteering to share their experiences with our children.

Have a great week!

Emily

Ready?

Stand Up!

Stand Up for Yourself

Stand Up for Your Friends

Stand Up for Your Community

Stand Up for Creation

Stand Up for the World

Stand Up for God

Wednesday February 18, 2009 a group of parents who have children involved in Sunday school at the First Christian Church in Corvallis met together, along with the pastor John Evans, to discuss the church's Sunday school program. At that meeting the parents discussed issues and values that are important to them in the raising of their kids. While the meeting was going on John Evans listened to the comments from the parents and wrote the "Stand Up" phrases that are listed above. The next day I looked at these phrases and decided that I could develop a Sunday school curriculum that joined the organizing structure of the "Stand Up!" phrases with the issues the parents brought to the meeting. I have named this curriculum The Children's Empowerment Workshop.

The Children's Empowerment Workshop will spend a month on each of the Stand Up phrases. We will start with Stand Up for Yourself in March and move onto a new phrase at the beginning of each month. As we discussed at the meeting, I will post lesson plans each month so that you all will know the topics that are being covered each Sunday.

I hope that this blog will be an exciting space for all of the parents and kids in our Sunday school project. This is a space where we can share ideas, stories, and even plan activities. I am hoping that it will strengthen the communication within our community and also offer a way for people outside our community to see what great things are going on at FCC Corvallis's Sunday school. With all of your permission I will also post pictures and videos of what your kids are doing in class so that you all can share in our empowerment workshop.

Love, 

Emily