Merry Christmas!

Here we are 3 days before Christmas and I realize that I won't get to see most of you again until after the New Year. I hope I have had an opportunity to wish each of you a Merry Christmas within the last week. If I have not, I certainly want to do that now. Each and every one of you are very special and very dear to my heart. You each add something special to our meetings and events and make them very interesting for Miss Dawn and me. I believe that God has brought us all together to do something extraordinary for Him here on Earth. I have enjoyed watching each of you grow in your faith and desire to learn about our Lord.

I pray that as you are spending time with your families over Christmas, you will think about the true meaning of Christmas - when Jesus was born, sent to Earth by God to teach us His ways and then ultimately die on the cross to save us from our sins. Remember that we are not perfect and we all do bad things sometimes, but God will forgive us if we just ask Him to. And it all started with Christmas and the baby Jesus being born in a manger!

Before you open your presents, ask your parents to read you the Christmas story from the Bible and say a prayer to thank God for sending His Son, Jesus, to save us all so that we may live forever in Heaven.

I can't wait to see you all in 2009!!

With much love,
Miss Amy

Nativity Canceled ~ No Meeting Tomorrow

Due to unforeseen circumstances, The Living Nativity has been canceled. There simply was not enough adult participation or community assistance to get it off the ground this year.

We will not meet tomorrow night. Enjoy the evening with your families and help your parents get the house ready for Christmas Day!

We hope the children can join us Sunday evening when we go caroling. We will dress up in our Nativity costumes then and create a "Traveling Nativity"!

Prayer for Parents

Dear God, I want to thank you for being such a loving father. You know the challenges of parenting. You know the needs of children. I pray that you will help every parent have the right balance of love and discipline. I pray that you will give wisdom in parenting skills and problem-solving. While every child needs love, each one needs correction to fit them and their offenses, according to their actions, their unique personalities, and their ages. I pray for biblical values and guidance in each parent's heart, mind, and spirit. I pray an extra special touch for single parents who must parent alone. They have their own unique battles to face. Thank you for hearing my prayer on behalf of parents everywhere. And thank you for being such a great father. In Jesus' name, amen.

Don't Forget ~ Parents' Day Out ~ Saturday

Just a reminder and update! Tomorrow is our 2nd Annual Parents' Day Out! Parents have an opportunity to get out and talk to Santa while kids enjoy a movie and a field trip! We will be showing Home Alone in the Bethel Christian Cinema at 4:00 pm with popcorn, soda and candy. We will have a quick hot dog diner and head out to Suwannee Lights on the Bethel bus! We will return to Bethel about 9:00-9:30 pm. Come and join the fun!

Wednesday - Journey to Bethlehem

On Wednesday, we will learn about Mary and Joseph's long journey to Bethlehem for the census. We'll also talk about how our country takes a census and what that means.

Luke 2:1-5 (New International Version)
1In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2(This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3And everyone went to his own town to register.
4So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.

Middle School Band & Chorus Concert

Eric, Allie, Bailey, and Anthony totally rocked in the RMS Band & Chorus Concert Thursday! You guys did an awesome job! What great talented musicians you are! Congratulations on a great success!!

Many Thanks!

K4C and CHAOS owe a big FAT thank you to Mr. Rob, Mr. Jason, Miss April, and Miss Casey for helping with the Christmas Float! It was indeed CHAOTIC, but the kids had a great time! We also want to thank Mr. Roger and Tim for hooking us up with the sound system! In case you missed the parade, Bethel was represented by 17 kids who did a great job singing and wishing everyone a Merry Christmas!

2nd Annual Parents' Day Out!

Saturday, December 13th, we will be holding our 2nd Annual Parents' Day Out! Parents have an opportunity to get out and talk to Santa while kids enjoy a movie and possibly some other festivities! We will be showing Home Alone in the Bethel Christian Cinema at 4:00 pm with popcorn, soda and candy. Then, if we can secure a bus driver, we'd like to journey over to Suwannee Lights at the Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park in Live Oak. We'll keep you all informed. If you can drive the bus and are available on this date from 6:00-9:00 pm, please let us know.

CHAOS & K4C Tonight

We will meet tonight, finally! We missed you guys, but at least we got to see a bunch of you at the parade Monday night! Wasn't that fun?

So, tonight we will start talking about Christmas! We will learn about how the prophet Micah told of Jesus coming 700 years before Jesus was born in Bethlehem. Bring your Bibles and bring a friend if you like.

We just can't wait to see you all!!

CHAOS & K4C in the Chirstmas Parade

Time has just flown and the Christmas Parade is next week!! Yes, that's right, Monday!! The kids had a great time participating last year and we will do it again this year. Rather than walking, we have registered to have a float. This year's theme is "A Magical Christmas"! Our vision of the float is of a modern Christmas scene where children are in their pajamas in a "living room" with a Christmas tree, presents, etc and parents\grandparents telling the Christmas Story from the bible. The Christmas Story will be broadcasting from a sound system. The trailer will be split in half with a "window" and on the back half will be a manger scene. Some of you may recall that this is similar to one we had a few years ago.

We will be working on it Wednesday evening, the 26th at 5:00 pm, and Sunday the 30th after church. Depending on how things are looking after Wednesday, we may have a work day on Saturday afternoon, the 29th. Kids can help by wrapping packages and stenciling a wrap\banner. A few handy men are needed to construct the "window" and trailer railing. And if anyone has an inverter, we would certainly be blessed to use it to light up our Christmas tree. If you can help, please, please come help us. If you have any supplies or tools, please bring them too. More information and a list of recommended supplies can be found here!

Trunk or Treat Photos

Fall Fest Photos

Change of Plans for Saturday!

God is so good! He has provided 2 groups willing to serve at the soup kitchen tomorrow - ours and another. So, we are going to let the other group serve tomorrow. We will still meet and assemble the Veteran Care Packages for the Homeless Veterans. If you want to help, meet us at the church at 11:00 am tomorrow.

Soup Kitchen Saturday

From Souper Bowl of Caring

We have an opportunity to serve at the Soup Kitchen on Saturday. If you want to help, call Miss Amy or Miss Dawn. We will meet at the church at 10:30 am on Saturday morning. We need a count of who will be attending, so please catch us at Family Night tonight or call us!! Or you can email us:

Miss Amy - amt3976 at hotmail.com
Miss Dawn - mikey02000 at msn.com

No K4C\CHAOS this week...

...or next! We've been having so much fun at K4C and CHAOS! Miss Dawn and I were sad to realize that we won't get to see you guys for the next 2 Wednesdays due to Family Night this week and Thanksgiving next week. :( We hope you get to spend some fun time with your families! We'll be looking forward to seeing you at Family Night tomorrow and church on Sundays in the meantime!

K4C and CHAOS will resume on December 3rd! We can't wait!

Fall Festival, Saturday @ 3:00 pm

Games
Candy
Face painting
Cake walk
Apple bobbin'
old fashioned hay ride
Hot Dogs and Homemade Chili will be served in the Fellowship Hall then we will travel to the Williams’ Farm for an old fashioned hay ride and bonfire.

Hosted by Family Ministries.

Put Your Praise On!

And wear your dancing shoes! Tonight we will learn how to praise God through dance! We will read about how David danced before the ark of the covenant in 2 Samuel 6:11-15. We believe that stories of praise teach us many different ways to praise God. "Let everything that breathes praise the LORD! Praise the Lord!" -- Psalm 150:6

Embrace the CHAOS!

Christ Has All Our Solutions

Did you know that 80% of those who accept Christ as their savior do so before age 20? Bethel's new middle school group is growing and always up to something! It's such a fun, crazy group!

CHAOS is led by Daniel and Brittany with the assistance of Miss Dawn & Miss Amy.

We meet each Wednesday night at 6:00 in the Youth Lounge for a time of growing as a group while also learning about what the Bible says about how we live our life. Sometimes we just hang out and talk about what's going on in Our World, school, home, etc. That includes making good decisions, developing faithful friendships, growing in our roles at home, and knowing we have a support system in our church. And then there's a lot of Four Square!

Fun trips and times of service are also part of this ministry that is growing in more than just numbers.

Come check us out!

Live B.I.G.!!

At K4C, it is our goal to help children come to know the love of God through Jesus by making K4C a place they want to be. We want to help them live out their belief in God in their everyday lives. This week we will begin to dream B.I.G. and bring it to life with Live B.I.G., a DVD-based resource designed to excite and enrich your children's spiritual lives by bringing their everyday real world experience into Wednesday Night K4C!

Live B.I.G. helps children see, hear and live their Belief In God. Short video segments bring faith-filled, high-energy excitement to your children with:

Characters who model B.I.G. behavior
Travel segments featuring B.I.G. ministries by everyday B.I.G. people
Cool music for your kids' ears

We hope you will join us this week as we begin to Live B.I.G. in a whole new way!

This is Just a Test

Pumpkin Fun!

Have you ever seen a field full of pumpkins? Or big piles of them in church parking lots or in front of stores in the fall? Did you know that every single pumpkin you see is special? Just like snowflakes, no two pumpkins are exactly alike. No wonder it takes so long for some people to pick one out!

We'll talk more about this tonight! We'll also watch It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, have popcorn and decorate some pumpkins!

Hope to see you there!

An 8 Year Old King!

Tonight the K4C group will learn about an 8 year old boy who became a king - King Josiah! Even though Josiah was young, God used him in a mighty way. We believe that stories of faithful kings help us to be faithful leaders for God. Josiah was a boy who did great things. There are great things you can do too!

CHAOS will meet in the Youth Lounge with Brittany & Daniel for their weekly small group discussion.

Next week, we will have a mini-movie night and decorate pumpkins!

No K4C or CHAOS tonight!

There is no K4C of CHAOS meeting tonight in the Youth Annex because of Family Night. Everyone is invited to come enjoy the covered dish dinner with their family and friends. It starts at 7:00 pm in the Fellowship Hall. Hope to see you all there! Additionally, I have this prayer for all of our kids today:

Dear Lord, Today I have been reminded that all of our members are students who are studying to advance their education and prepare for careers. For those who are not so diligent, please give them the desire to succeed and to give their best. Help them to understand what they must do to reach their potential. For those who are trying, please bless their efforts and encourage them. I pray that as they take tests, their minds will be clear and the knowledge they need will come forth as they answer the questions and respond to the statements before them. I pray that their answers will be just right. I pray for peace, wisdom, and direction. And I pray that they will always keep their priorities straight, with you at the center of their lives and the top of their list. Thank you. In Jesus' name I pray, amen.

Happy Birthday Eric!

Coming Soon to K4C...

Get a preview here:
The Big Sound
The Station

What an Exciting Sunday!

Sunday was such an exciting day for some of our CHAOS members. Katlin and Eric, along with other members of their families, officially joined our church!

I’m sure you have heard the old African proverb that it takes a village to raise a child. Well, the truth is that it takes a church to raise a Christian. We need one another. We need to pray for one another, to learn from one another, to encourage one another, and at times to challenge one another. We need other Christians to journey with us as we grow in our Christian faith. Church members are those who have committed to growing together.

Sometimes, we often associate the word membership with clubs and associations. But membership in the church is very different. Being a member of a church requires first of all a commitment to Christ and secondly it requires a commitment to a group of people with a specific mission and particular values. When you join in ministry at Bethel, you are also joining in ministry with United Methodist Christians throughout the world.

But membership also means that we at Bethel are committed to supporting you with our prayers, our presence, our gifts, and our service. Membership at Bethel initiates you into a new and bigger Christian family!

We are very happy to have every one of our new members and especially proud when they are involved in our youth programs!

Katlin and Eric, we love you guys and are very excited about your committment!

If anyone has questions about joining a church or making a committment to Christ, you can talk to Miss Amy, Miss Dawn, Pastor Ken, Missy Tammy, or Daniel and Brittany anytime.

2009 Calendars 4 Sale!!

CHAOS and K4C will be selling these awesome 2009 God's Creation calendars for just $6 before and after church!

• 12-month calendar
• Specially selected Scripture verse for each week
• Beautiful professional photographs
• Highest quality materials and presentation
• 9" x 12" overall size
• Wire sprial binding
• Heavyweight card stock
• Matte finish grid page
• High gloss coated photo pages

They make great Christmas gifts! Get yours while supplies last!

Join Us Tonight @ 6:00 pm

We will be meeting as usual this week. The K4C group will continue the AutoBGood series with a lesson on Morality and "shining our light" as told in Matthew 5:14-16. CHAOS will meet in the Lounge and continue the eMerge series with Daniel and Brittany.

Don't forget about the Wednesday Night Fellowship program that starts this week. Dinner is available starting at 5:15 pm. Hope to see you there!

CHAOS Rocks Universal -Thank You Bethel!

The CHAOS group had an amazing time at Rock the Universe. We arrived at our AMAZING ROCK STAR pad on Friday around 5:00 pm. Everyone was assigned a room for the weekend and we headed out to Universal! After a few detours, thanks to Miss Amy's TomTom, we made it and got out tickets with no problem. Unfortunately, we did miss Skillet.

We broke into groups and headed out! Some went to see Relient K and others went to see what the park had to offer. We met up for dinner at the Monsters Cafe and then waited on Switchfoot to take the stage! We hung out for several songs and then were off to the rides again!

By 1:00 am, most everyone was ready to go home! Miss Deb's group didn't slow down once they got headed toward the car and they were the first back to the house! Miss Dawn's group followed shortly, but Miss Amy's group waited for one more ride, Shrek 4D! Once everyone was back at the house, they convinced the chaperones to allow a late-night\early-morning swim! Once it got too loud, everyone was sent to bed!

Saturday morning wake-up calls started around 9:45 am so we could make it to the 10:00 am devotional where Daniel and Brittany led a conversation about the importance of praising God and ways we can do it everyday. Then we were on our own until 4:00 pm when we voted we would leave for Islands of Adventure! We swam, played in the game room, watched TV, and some of us did our homework!

At 4:00 pm we went to Islands of Adventure. We didn't have a lot of time there since they closed at 7:00 pm, but we got in 2 or 3 rides before we headed back to Universal. Back to the rides! We had dinner at Woody's Kidzone Pizza, then went to see Jeremy Camp! After the concert, we all went to the Simpsons and then to Men In Black! It was awesome!!

By midnight, we were wiped out! We went to do some shopping at the Universal Store and then took pictures by the Universal Globe, because Miss Amy said we could NOT leave without those pictures!!

Sunday morning, we had to get up super early, 7:45 am to get ready to head home and to go to the Worship Service at the Fear Factor Ampitheatre. Everyone helped clean up, mostly everyone, and pack the cars. Some of the girls had trouble finding their shoes, probably because Daniel had some trouble finding his "shorts" the night before. But we were out of the house and on our way by 9:20 am!

The Worship Service was awesome, but we were soooo tired! There was a band and Brian "Head" Welch from Korn lead the opening prayer! You should have seen Allie's face! Gary Morgan gave the message - it was about how God sees us for what we can be and not what we are!

We stopped at Backyard Burgers for lunch and milkshakes and were back in Lake City around 4:30 pm! Everyone made it to school and work the next day, except Miss Amy, who isn't as young as she thought! ;)

Wednesday - CHAOS continues...

After an AWESOME fundraiser on Sunday, CHAOS will meet Wednesday to get the final details of our trip this weekend and to continue the eMerge series they started last week. This is a dynamic series designed for spiritually enriching our youth! See you all there!

Wednesday - Boy & Girls Start Your Engines!

K4C will be starting a new video series call Auto B Good. This series is designed to teach Biblical character traits like Respectfulness, Responsibility, Honesty, Truthfulness, Kindness Thankfulness, Dignity, Integrity - just to name a few! We'll meet at the Youth Annex at 6:00 pm.

RTU Band Schedule & House Photos

Friday, September 5th
New Method 5:15 pm - The Yard
Group 1 Crew 5:15 pm - Hollywood
Grits 6:15 pm - The Yard
Skillet 6:45 pm - Hollywood
Relient K 7:45 pm - The Yard
Newsboys 8:45 pm- Hollywood
Switchfoot 9:30 pm - The Yard

Saturday, September 6th
Special D 5:15 pm - The Yard
The Beautiful Republic 5:15 pm - Hollywood
Stellar Kart 6:15 pm - The Yard
Leeland 7 pm - Hollywood
Jars of Clay 7:45 pm - The Yard
Jeremy Camp 9 pm- Hollywood
Third Day 9:30 pm - The Yard

The House

B2S Bash Postponed

Whew! What a week! Talk about CHAOS!

Because things are so crazy with Fay and school closures, etc., we are postponing the CHAOS Back 2 School Bash. So, stay home and keep dry and we'll see ya Sunday!

Go Away Fay!

No K4C or CHAOS this week

K4C and CHAOS will not meet this week, Wednesday, August 20th. Please come enjoy Family Night at Bethel.

CHAOS B2S Bash

On Friday, August 22nd, CHAOS will host a Back 2 School Bash. Middle School students are invited to bring their video game consoles and video games,(Rated E Only!), board games, movies, music, etc. and hang out in the Youth Lounge from 7pm - Midnight. There will be Pizza, Chips, Soda, Candy and lots of fun!!!

Rock the Universe Info for CHAOS Parents

Hey CHAOS Parents,

In case you haven't heard, CHAOS is the name for the new Middle School Group! Here's everything you need to know about the Rock the Universe Trip

Rock the Universe Parent Info! .

See ya Saturday!

Wild Adventures

Videos from Wednesday

Click here to download Big Bibles.

Wednesday ~ Lead Me, Father

K4C will meet at the Sanctuary this week at 6:00 pm for a short Worship Service before we head to the Youth Annex at 6:15 pm.

At 6:15, the K-5 group will move to the Youth Annex to continue our Talking to God series as we learn about Prayer of Direction, focusing on The Lord's Prayer and praying for our friends.

The Middle School group will meet in the new Youth Lounge in the Youth Annex with Brittany & Daniel.

Car Wash & Bake Sale

The Middle School Youth Group will be having a Car Wash & Bake Sale Saturday! All proceeds will help the kids go to Rock the Universe at Universal Orlando. The cost is about $200 per child, which includes, tickets, overnight stay and food, so we really need your help! Come out and support our Middle Schoolers. This is going to be an awesome experience for them!

Saturday, August 16th
10:00 am – 2:00 pm

If you would like to donate items for our Bake Sale, please wrap your items individually and bring your goodies to the fellowship hall at 9:00 am.

Wednesday ~ Your Will, Father

K4C will meet at the Sanctuary this week at 6:00 pm for a short Worship Service before we head to the Youth Annex at 6:15 pm.

At 6:15, the K-5 group will move to the Youth Annex to continue our Talking to God series as we learn about Prayer of Dedication, focusing on Luke 22:42, "Father...not my will, but yours be done." We will read the story of how Jesus prayed at the Mount of Olives and followed God's will when He died on the cross for our sins as told in Luke 22:39-42.

The Middle School group will meet in the new Youth Lounge in the Youth Annex with Brittany & Daniel.

Don't forget your Bibles! Tacos for snack!

Student Participation Forms

Attention Parents: We need permission forms for your children. Please see Miss Dawn for the forms or download them here:

Student Data Form

Student Medical Form

Please return forms as soon as possible. We need forms for all children planning to attend the trip to Wild Adventures on Saturday.

Middle School: Rock the Universe

Our middle school group is planning a fund-raiser so they can Rock the Universe at Universal Studios in Orlando!

If they can raise enough money, they will spend an unforgettable weekend in an awesome resort home with a pool and a game room as they join thousands of other believers for a pulse-pounding weekend of soul-stirring music! Then they'll wrap up the whole weekend with an inspirational Sunday worship service.

Be on the lookout for their fund-raising efforts and give them your support as they help grow this new ministry at Bethel!

Cartoon Song

Click here to download.

Wednesday - Thank You, Jesus

K4C will meet at the Sanctuary this week at 6:00 pm for a new Worship Service before we head to the Youth Annex at 6:15 pm. This will be a combined K-5 & Middle School Worship Service where we will gather for a few minutes to sing and pray together.

At 6:15, K-5 group will move to the Youth Annex to continue our Talking to God series as we learn about Prayer of Adoration, focusing on Psalm 9:1, "I will praise you, O Lord, with all my heart." We will read the story of how Jesus healed the lepers as told in Luke 17:11-19.

The Middle School group will meet in the new Youth Lounge in the Youth Annex with Brittany & Daniel.

Don't forget your Bibles! And remember Miss Lynn is making Banana Splits for snack!!

Going Wild!

We're going to Wild Adventures on Saturday, August 9th! We will depart from the Bethel Fellowship Hall at 9:00 am. Both, K4C K-5 & Middle Schoolers are invited to attend. Admission to the park will be paid and kids should bring a bagged lunch from home. They are welcome to bring spending money for souvenirs and snacks, but it is not necessary. Kids will have the opportunity to go to Splash Island while we are there, so they should bring a towel and clothes that can get wet or a bathing suit. We will return to the church at 6:30 pm. Those who will attend, must sign-up by August 3rd. See Miss Amy or Miss Dawn to sign-up!

Don't forget:
Bagged lunch
Towel
Bathing Suit
Sunscreen
Dry Clothes

~~ Wednesday is Water Fun Night ~~

Join us tomorrow at the Youth Annex for ~~Water Fun Night~~!!! Everyone, K-5 & MS, should come prepared to wet as we play Water Brigade, Water Limbo, Splash Tag and have Slip 'n Slide races!

Kids should wear a bathing suit or something that can get wet and bring a towel. Parents, you may want to bring something for them to wear back home.

We'll meet as usual from 6-7:30 pm!

Middle School Group Meets Tommorow

While the K-5 K4C will not meet tomorrow, the Middle School Group will meet at 6:00 pm. Parents are encouraged to meet them for the covered-dish dinner at Family Night at 7:00 pm in the Fellowship Hall.

Children who are registered for camp will be leaving on Monday, July 21st. Pastor Ken will take them to Camp Willis and Miss Amy & Miss Dawn will pick them up on Saturday.

On Wednesday, July 23rd, the K-5 group will have Water Fun Night! They should come prepared to get WET! and bring a towel.

We would all like to thank everyone who made donations toward the bean bag chairs for the new "Youth Lounge" Daniel and Brittany are putting together! We think this will make a great environment for these kids to grow together as well as in Christ! With the Lord's guidance, Bethel is well on the way to re-building an awesome Youth Program! We can't wait to see what happens next! Come check it out!

Wednesday - I Have Sinned

This week we will continue our Talking to God series as we follow Jesus' example in prayer based on Luke 15:11-24. Our lesson this week is titled "My Prayer of Confession". Our Memory Verse is Psalm 32:5,

"Then I acknowledged my sin to you
and did not cover up my iniquity.
I said, "I will confess
my transgressions to the LORD "—
and you forgave
the guilt of my sin."(NIV)

The Middle School group will meet with Brittany and Daniel. They will spend some time getting to know each other and talking about their interests and ideas for the group as it progresses.

See ya there!

Free Refreshment Wednesday!

This Wednesday we will go to Young's Park to set up our Free Refreshment Stand. We will meet at the Youth Annex at 6:00 pm and return at 7:30 pm. We will be giving out free cookies and juice boxes.

The New Middle School group will start this week as well! We are very excited that Brittany and Daniel have accepted this challenge and are following God's leading to the ministry! This week will be a very informal, get to know each other meeting and they may go down to the Lake Desoto to give out free waters to the walkers. Regular meeting times for the Middle School Group will be 6:00 -7:30 pm on Wednesdays in conjuntion wiht the K-5 K4C group.

Honduras Mission Presentation

I will be sharing the details of my trip and the impact it has made on my life, tomorrow night, Wednesday, June 25th at 6:00 pm at Bethel. Everyone is invited to attend! I also want to thank everyone who made it possible and those who contributed to the care packages - Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I can assure you they were a blessing to all who received them!

See ya tomorrow,
Amy

Back from Honduras

Miss Amy is back from Honduras and ready to share! She will share on Wednesday, June 25th. The time is still to be determined. Everyone is welcome, this is a church-wide witness! Hope to see you there!

Thank you all for your prayers and well wishes!

Talking to God

We have some fun games and activities planned for the summer. You won't want to miss a single week! Daniel and Brittany will be joining us to lead the Middle School group in a couple of weeks.


This week we will start our Summer series: Talking to God. We will introduce the children to Jesus' example in prayer. This week's lesson is titled "God Hears My Prayers" and comes from Mark 1:29-39.

Free Refreshment Wednesday!

On the first Wednesday of each month during the Summer, we will travel to a place in the community to hand out free treats. This week the K-5 group will be at the Dollar Crazy store and the Middle School group will be at the library.

We will meet at the Youth Annex at Bethel at the usual time, 6:00 pm and travel to our location. We will return for parent pick up at 7:30 pm.

100 Care Packages ready for Honduras!

God is amazing and He works through Bethel UMC! Thanks to the congregation, we have completed our challenge of 100 Care Packages for Honduras! Thank you to everyone who donated and thanks to the kids for putting the bags together!

God's new special agents will be recognized!

Sunday @ 11 am service. All children from K4C will be recognized for their part in the Agents in Action series. We will be calling all parents tomorrow as a reminder and to ask if you could bring the children about 30 minutes early on Sunday so we can go over a couple of things we would like them to do during the service. Basically, they will be asked to read a bible verse and then they will receive a certificate and pin for their attendance.

We will also talk about our New Middle School group! Yes, we are very excited that Daniel Skinner and Brittany Burnham will be leading a Middle School group on Wednesday nights at 6:00! They are planning great things for our kids in or going into Middle School this year!!

We were there!

More than 2,000 showed up in Starke to hear Tim Tebow preach about his faith and we were there! Bethel bused 21 people, mostly under the age of 18, to Starke yesterday to hear the Good News from Tim Tebow! It was an exciting event and youth from several nearby counties were there. Bethel was well represented and the kids were on their best behavior! We were very proud of them all.

The event was sponsored by First Baptist Church of Starke and they did an excellent job. The crowd was well maintained and accommodated, special thanks to Miss Sherry, the High School Resource Officer for helping our kids find seats! And my personal thanks to Miss Lynn and Miss Dawn for taking care of the kids on the bus and making sure they had a snack and PB&J for dinner! Additional thanks to Mr. Richard for navigating and Mr. Coco for driving! We couldn't have been there without your help!

This Week @ K4C

Youth Rally in Starke
Wednesday, May 28th
We will meet at Bethel at 5:15 pm to travel by bus to the Youth Rally in Starke at David Hurse Stadium at 6:30 pm. The Rally will last about 2 hours, so we should return to Bethel around 9:15-9:30. Parents are asked to send a sacked supper for kids. Parents are encouraged to attend as is everyone else!! Wear your Gator Gear or your K4C shirts!!

Mission Accomplished\Agent Pinning Ceremony
Sunday, June 1st, 11:00 am
God's new Special Agents will be recognized during the 11:00 am service at Bethel. K4C will participate and help lead the service!

Upcoming Events

Stuffed with Hugs
Saturday, May 17th, Build-A-Bear Workshop (BABW).
We will leave Bethel at 8:30 am. Please let us know ahead of time if you will attend so we can secure transportation. We will go to BABW, make bears to donate, eat lunch in the Mall Food Court and return to Bethel around 1:00 pm.

Agents In Action - Lesson 13
Wednesday, May 21st, Youth Annex
We will meet at 6:00 pm in the Youth Annex, then at 7:00 we will move down to the Fellowship Hall for the Family Night covered dish dinner. We are meeting this way so we may attend the Youth Rally in Starke on May 28th.

Youth Rally in Starke
Wednesday, May 28th
We will meet at Bethel at 5:15 pm to travel to the Youth Rally in Starke at David Hurse Stadium at 6:30 pm. We are still gathering the details of this event, but there will be a special guest speaker! Ask Miss Amy who it is!

Mission Accomplished\Agent Pinning Ceremony
Sunday, June 1st, 11:00 am
God's new Special Agents will be recognized during the 11:00 am service at Bethel. K4C will participate and help lead the service!

Free Refreshment Stands
Throughout the Summer months, K4C will run a Free Refreshment Stand. On the first Wednesday of each month, we will travel to a place in the community to hand out free treats. Our first stop will be the Dollar Crazy store off Marion Street.

Agents in Action - Getting Even

This is our next to last week for Agents in Action. Our lesson this week is titled "Getting Even". We will talk about Philemon's Choice as told in the book of Philemon and focus on Jesus' words from Luke 6:36, "Be merciful, just as you Father is merciful."

Next week we will discuss "Trash Talk". On June 1st, we will have an Agent Pinning Ceremony during the 11:00 am service for God's new Special Agents!

Honduras Mission

I will be traveling to Honduras with a group of ladies from International Mission Builders next month. We will be taking a week long trip and will have an opportunity to teach Vacation Bible School to the children in the schools there. In addition we will be traveling through rural areas spreading the Good News! I asked Brother Gene, the Missions Director, if there was anything K4C could do to help. He has challenged us to provide 100 "care packages" to be distributed throughout the areas we will be witnessing. In order to prepare the packages, we will need the following items:

Wash Cloths
Bar Soaps
Toothbrushes
Toothpaste - small travel size
Combs
Band-Aids

I assured him that our Bethel Family could put this together with no problem. If you can help, please bring your items to Bethel by May 21st. If anyone is able to provide one item in its entirety, please call me (Amy) before Sunday or catch me before the 11:00 am service. The children will need to have the items assembled and ready for delivery by May 30th.

This will be an awesome opportunity for the kids to actually see the results of their good deeds. I plan to document the trip well by journaling and taking a lot of photos so I can spend time telling the kids about my experience in Honduras. While there, I will also be inquiring about a Pen Pal program and other ways the K4C group can be involved and how our relationship with this organization might grow.

AIA Tomorrow Lesson 11!

We only have a few more lessons in our Agents in Action series. Tomorrow we will talk about Evangelism! We'll learn about how our good actions help others learn about God.

See you there!

Stuffed With Hugs

Saturday, May 17th we will travel to Build-A-Bear Workshop at the Oaks Mall in Gainesville to make a stuffed Pup that will be donated to one of 3 charities - the kids will get to choose! We will need to leave the church at 8:30 am. Please let Miss Amy or Miss Dawn know if you will attend. Click the photo below for more info.

Get a Kick Out of Sharing

We recently heard of a need for soccer balls for children in Rwanda from a parishioner at St. Patrick Parish in Gainesville. He runs a small volunteer lay Catholic outreach ministry at St. Patrick which raises funds and tries to help the Catholic Diocese of Butare in Rwanda, Africa recover from the Genocide of 1994 where 1 million people out of the nation’s total population of eight million were murdered because of intertribal and political genocide. Several millions were forced into refugee status. Some million were orphaned (they have no real number on the orphans as a lot of them ended up living with uncles, aunts cousins, etc.)



The group's primary focus is on the rebuilding and repair of schools that were damaged or destroyed in the Genocide and now building new schools. There is really no money for sporting equipment. Kids tend to make their own soccer balls because a new ball in Rwanda costs between $80.00 and $100.00. That is outrageous but new soccer balls are looked at by the government as LUXURY items – hence the very large customs fees that take the price of a new ball out of reach for any family. Average annual wages for a man in Rwanda are $250.00 to $450.00 (depends on US Dollar conversion values). No family can afford that amount.


In order to assist, we are collecting USED soccer balls. The only requirement for donation is that the ball holds air. The truth is, the more USED it appears, the more likely it is to get through customs and to the children.


Following are some photos of the children and a video demonstrating how they make their own soccer balls.















RWANDA FACTS

The following is some statistical data from Rwanda:

o The population was 8 million people in 1993.

o In 1994 & 1995, 1 million people (12.5%) were slaughtered in a brutal holocaust.

o Violence still occasionally flares up taking lives in small genocidal attacks.

o More than one tenth of all children in Rwanda die before reaching their first birthday.

o Average life expectancy is 41 years.

o Under-5 child mortality is 17%.

o Per capita income is $250 (UN numbers - fluctuates yearly due to exchange rates and droughts).

o Pre-natal care and pre-natal education are rare.

o There are shortages in almost all medicines and medical care.

o People that need refrigerated medicines face great challenges as they have no electricity in rural areas and few refrigerators in large population centers – Hard to believe but people die because of this small issue!

o Several nearby countries (like Burundi, to the south of Rwanda) also suffered in the genocide.

o Rwanda has the largest percentage of population of Christians (60% Catholic, 10% Protestant, 1% Muslim, 29% pagan).

o Each parish has at LEAST one orphanage averaging 200 orphans.

o Each parish has at LEAST 1,000 “registered” orphans living with “sponsored” widows.

o Housing, especially in rural areas, is very rough and similar to conditions in Haiti.

o Many older orphans are severely traumatized because they saw their family butchered.

o Each parish has numerous widows who lost husbands - many lost children in the genocide.

o The four priests assigned to Christ The King Parish in the genocide were brutally martyred while trying to protect their people.

o Many parish schools and churches were destroyed or severely damaged in the genocide.

o AIDS has become rampant (UN figures are in the mid 20% range in cities – higher in the hinterlands).

o Large numbers of children are being newly orphaned as parents die of AIDS.

o Many new orphans and many babies abandoned in fields or at parish doors babies have AIDS.

o The economy is agricultural and suffers frequently from droughts.

o Medical facilities are very limited as many of the hospitals and clinics were destroyed.

o Only 8% of the total population has access to adequate sanitation.

o Only 41% of the population has access to safe water.

Back on Track

After an unexpected cancellation last week due to the passing of Miss Margie Rutledge, a dear friend and amazing servant of God, we will pick up where we left off with Lesson 9 in our Agents in Action series. Our conversation this week will be about Friends. We will talk about how obeying God’s command to treat others like we want to be treated will help us make and keep friends.

We will also start talking about our upcoming car wash to raise funds for a fun field trip and a new mission project!

See you there!

AIA Lesson 8: Love God and obey His commands

Join us tomorrow night when we'll talk about Choices and learn how God’s Word can help us make right choices and build good habits. We'll learn to Sow and Grow in Mark 4:1-20 and we'll focus on Jesus' words in John 14:15, “If you love me, you will obey what I command.”

Boy, was that fun!!

We had a great group attend our Field Trip to the Capital yesterday and it was a lot of fun! We got an early start and beat the crowds, had a healthy lunch and stopped at Dairy Queen on the way home (hey, we had to make up for the health food!)! Kids enjoyed games and prizes and all kinds of giveaways. Pastor Ken even bought them a souvenir from the gift shop! Teh kids were all well behaved and parents should be proud!

We'll continue the fun tonight at our regular K4C meeting. We're approaching the halfway mark of our Agents in Action training. Tonight we'll talk about Bullies and find out how treating others kindly, even while protecting ourselves, helps us show God’s love to others. We'll learn about Elisha’s Surprise in 2 Kings 6:8-23 and focus on Jesus' words in Matthew 5:44, “I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”

Agents in Action - Lesson 6

We are looking forward to getting back in the groove now that FCAT is over! This week we will be talking about Temptation. We will learn that we can pray to God for help in saying no to temptation and living in right ways by reading about how David resists temptation in 1 Samuel 24:1-22 & 26. We will concentrate on Jesus' words in Matthew 6:13, “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”

See you all tomorrow - don't forget your Bibles!

K4C Planning Meeting Held

We held a massive planning meeting last week. Here's a brief overview of upcoming events and dates:

March 19th - No K4C
March 22nd - FM Egg Hunt
April 1st - Kids' Day at the Capital
May 4th - Carwash Tickets on Sale
May 24th - Carwash Fundraiser for Six Flags
June 1st - Agents in Action pinning ceremony
July 6th - Undie Sunday Project starts
July 21st - Kids leave for Camp
July 26th - Kids return from Camp
August 2nd - Kids deliver Undie Sunday goods to Christian Service Center
August 8th & 9th - Six Flags over GA
October 5th - Start Christmas Shoe Collection
October 31st - Trunk or Treat
November 15th - Fall Festival
December 13th - Parents' Day Out

More details will be provided as they become available!

Field Trip to the Capital on April 1st

The “Children’s Capital for a Day” is scheduled for Tuesday, April 1 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the State Capitol. The day includes free walking tours of the Capitol, hands-on educational activities for children, and legislators reading and distributing books to children. Dozens of non-profit organizations will host interactive and educational booths for children in the State Capitol Courtyard and Rotunda on April 1st. Live entertainment, children's characters, face-painting and free Children's Week t-shirts to the first 750 attendees. A press conference to dedicate the “Hanging Hands” to the Florida Legislature will be held at 9:30 a.m. in the Capitol Rotunda. We will be making Hanging Hands at our March 26th K4C meeting. We will be traveling by bus, leaving Bethel at 6:30 am.

FCAT & K4C

Well, its that time of year again: the time when the FCAT rules the worlds of our young people! Recognizing that the FCAT and Norm Reference Testing will be ongoing over the next 2 weeks, we have determined it may be in the best interest of our children and parents to cancel K4C on March 12th and March 19th. We will resume our meetings on March 26th at 6:00 pm in the Youth Annex. Please keep all of our students, teachers and parents in your prayers throughout this stressful time!

Agent Training Session #5

We've been having so much fun and learning a lot at K4C! The kids are really opening up and sharing with each other and helping each other see the importance of Christian values. This week we will continue our Agents in Action training as we learn about God's promises for the future using examples in the Adventures of Ruth! We will focus on Jesus' words in Matthew 28:20, "I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

Can't wait to see you all there on Wednesday!

Thank You from NBN

Dear Bethel Kids 4 Christ,

Thanks for doing your part to support Nothing But Nets. Your gift of $568.50 is greatly appreciated!

As you read this, a mother and her children are being given a mosquito net. An aid worker is showing them how to hang the net over their bed. Tonight, she and her children will sleep safely under this net. Later-perhaps tonight, maybe in a week-a malarial mosquito will enter their hut, intent on feeding. It will buzz around the room as they sleep, and they'll be unaware of the killer lurking nearby. As it approaches the family, it will seek rest on the net hanging conveniently close to their bed. But this will be the last act it makes before it's crippled, forever incapacitated by the insecticide embedded in this protective bed cover.

You've just protected someone from malaria. You've sent a net and saved a life. For that we want to say thank you.

Not Sure about Summer Camp?

Check out these video clips! Still not sure, talk to Pastor Ken or Rachel and Allie who have been to camp!

Elementary School Summer camp

(For current 3rd and 4th Graders - Going into 5th and 6th next year)

Middle School Summer camp
(For current 5th, 6th and 7th Graders - Going into 6th, 7th & 8th next year)

Agents In Action - Week 4

Agents in Action training will resume tomorrow evening at 6:00 pm in the Youth Annex. This week we will conquer Fear! We will learn that when we are afraid or worried, we can trust God to help us. We will learn about Gideon's need for proof as told in Judges 6-7. We will focus on Jesus' words "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me." -- John 14:1.
In addition we'll play some games, work with clay and have a time of prayer and worship! Hope to see you all there!

Parents, have you been memorizing your verses and reviewing them with your children? Come in and help your "Agent" earn some Bible Bucks!! To review our past lessons and verses have been as follows:

1. Families & Unslefish Service - “Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant.” --Matthew 20:26
2. Fighting & Living in Peace - “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.” --Matthew 5:9
3. Honesty - “Do not steal, do not give false testimony.” --Matthew 19:18

NO K4C Tonight!

We will not meet this week, but will resume on February 27th at 6:00 pm in the Youth Annex. Enjoy a night with your family at the Lent Fellowship Dinner and Sharing Service.

Summer Camp Registration Deadline Extended

The Summer Camp Registration Deadline has been extended to Monday, February 15th. Please bring your registration form to church on Sunday. There is no money due at this time.

Summer Camp Registration

We are registering early for Summer Camp to ensure our spot! We are registering for the week of July 21-26, 2008. This means children will depart from Bethel on Monday morning, July 21st and return to Bethel mid-day on Saturday, July 26th. Pastor Ken is planning to attend camp with the kids.

Kids are eligible to attend if they will be going into the 4th grade next year, that means they are in 3rd grade this year. Campers are divided into Elementary, Middle and High School groups. Rising 4th and 5th graders attend the Elementary School Camp. Rising sixth, seventh, or eighth graders attend Middle School Camp. And for rising ninth, tenth, eleventh, and twelfth graders, there is High School Camp.

I know we have several 1st time campers this year and parents are full of questions. For all interested parents and children, we will hold a brief meeting and show a video on Wednesday night at 7:30 pm in the Youth Annex. This is in coordination of K4C pick-up. We want to encourage all the eligible kids to attend, it really is really a life changing experience. For more info about camp, see Pastor Ken. Dawn or Amy.

K4C on Mission to Spread God's Love

Wednesday, February 13th, K4C will travel to Willowbrook to deliver the Valentines we made last week. We will meet at the Youth Annex at 6:00 pm and travel together to Willowbrook. We will return to the Youth Annex at 7:30 pm.

Soup 'R Bowl Huge Success ~Thank you!!

We'd like to thank our Church Family for being supportive of all of our efforts. Thanks to you we have raised over $1000 within the last 6 months for worthy causes!!! This total includes over $500 to Nothing But Nets and over $500 to the LAD Soup Kitchen!

The Soup 'R Chili Bowl was a huge success! As reported above, we raised over $500 for the LAD Soup Kitchen in Downtown, Lake City. Nationally, $5,601,880 was raised to fight hunger across America!

The children did an awesome job serving lunch at the Soup Kitchen on Saturday. They served with humility and respect. When we arrived there was another Youth Group there from New Hope Baptist Church in Madison to serve as well, so we tackled the job as a true team. It was truly touching for everyone involved.

We'd like to thank everyone who made this event possible including Ms. Faye, Ms. Terri and Ms. Margie & Mr. Terry Lee for making all that delicious soup and Miss Pat Christie for donating the bowls for the Silent Auction!

For more pictures, click here!

K4C Service Blitz

Kids 4 Christ will serve lunch at the LAD Soup Kitchen on Saturday, February 2nd. Kids should meet in the church parking lot at 11:00 am (not 10:30 as originally announced). We will return to the church at 1:30 pm.

Now You Can Get Email Updates from K4C

Simply enter your Email address in the box to the right, and click Subscribe! You will get a verification request Email asking you to verify that you do actually want to receive Email from us. Click on the verification link and you'll get an Email when there is new News from K4C!

New Meeting Schedule

Please note our new meeting schedule:

6:00-6:20 Lesson
6:20-6:40 Art/Project
6:40-7:00 Games
7:00-7:20 Worship
7:20-7:30 Snack

Specifically note that we will adjourn at 7:30 pm.

Letter to Parents

Dear Parents,

Plan now to have your child participate in unique, special-agent excitement at Kids 4 Christ as we train to be Agents in Action. This is a 13-week adventure in discovering what it means to live courageously every day as God’s disciple.

Each Wednesday from 6:00 to 7:30 P.M. in the Youth Annex your child is invited to a time of games, Bible stories, crafts and more! You can see the full scope on the back of this page. Pay special attention to the bible verses, your child will be asking you to memorize them to help them earn Bible Bucks! Yes, you memorize the verses, too! ;)

Agent training will begin Wednesday, January 23rd!

We will not meet on Family Night (the 3rd Wednesdays of each month). In addition, we will not meet April 2nd - Spring Break.

For the first time ever, K4C will participate in the Souper Bowl of Caring this year on Super Bowl Sunday. This is a nation-wide effort to touch lives and teach youth to fight hunger and poverty in their local communities.

We are selling Soup ‘R Chili Bowl tickets to support the LAD Soup Kitchen in Downtown Lake City. Ticket holders will be entitled to All-You-Can-Eat Soup or Chili in the Bethel Fellowship Hall on Sunday, February 3rd at 12:00 Noon. The kids have set a goal to sell 100 tickets!

In addition to the fundraising events, youth are encouraged to participate in the Service Blitz by serving hands-on at the charity of their choice the Saturday before the big game. We will do this by helping to serve lunch at the LAD Soup Kitchen on Saturday, February 2nd. Details (meeting time and place) will be worked out as the date draws closer.

Thank you for your continued efforts in bringing the children on Wednesday nights. If you see room for improvement or want to stick around, let us know! We truly enjoy the time we get to spend with your children. They are a blessing to this church and to each of us!

Your friends at K4C,
Miss Amy
Miss Dawn
Miss Lynn

Agents in Action Training

Beginning January 24th, Kids 4 Christ will start training as Agents in Action! This is a 13-week adventure for children ages 4 to 12. Accomplishing daily missions for God as His special agents will challenge us to live courageously as His disciples. As we study each lesson's Bible verse, all words of Jesus, we will begin to develop an understanding of how to live as God's disciples in everyday life. Each Bible verse gives a truth on which the daily missions of special agents for God are founded. We will learn such truths as the characteristics of peacemakers, the source of generosity with money and possessions, the benefit of treating others in the same way you would like to be treated, and the security God's disciples have because of His awesome promises. A variety of both Old and New Testament Bible characters will lead us in discovering key attitudes and actions exhibited by God's disciples. For example, we will travel with Ruth to her future in a new land and learn of God's promise to be with them, no matter what happens now or in the future. We will walk in the footsteps of Elisha to discover how to stand up to bullies. We will be challenged to follow Jesus' example of unselfish attitudes and actions as we seek to get along with family members. We will catch the vision of Paul's efforts to spread the good news of the Gospel. Woven throughout these lessons is the love God has for His children, and how that love is the motivation for the courageous and compassionate ways He wants us to live.

Soup ‘R Chili Bowl

All U Can Eat Soup or Chili Lunch
$5.00 donation

Sunday, February 3, 2008
12:00 Noon
Fellowship Hall

All proceeds go to the LAD Soup Kitchen in Lake City.

Reasons for Caring

• One in four people standing in a soup kitchen line is a child. -Share Our Strength
  
• Thirty-five million working families are considered food insecure in the U.S. -The Food Research and Action Center
  
• A child’s growth, mental development and academic performance suffer from the lack of food. -Center on Hunger and Poverty Brandeis University
  
• Thirty-seven percent of people requesting emergency food assistance are working citizens. -The U.S. Conference of Mayors 2006 Hunger and Homelessness Survey

“Lord, even as we enjoy the Super Bowl football game, help us to be mindful of those who are without a bowl of soup to eat.”

Kids 4 Christ Resumes This Week!

Now that we've all had time to recuperate from the Holiday season, K4C will resume this Wednesday, January 9th at 6:00 pm. We will start talking about our upcoming fundraiser: Souper Bowl of Caring. See you there!