Dear Congregation,

 

It is my desire to make childcare available for those of you who will want to attend the special meeting on Thursday, April 7, and who will need to bring your children. So that I can get a sense of our needs, if you plan on attending and need childcare, please email me (jess.sperry@gmail.com) by Thursday, March 31, with the names and ages of children who will need care. From there I can plan accordingly and let you know the plan.

 

I also want to let you know that I had the wonderful opportunity to attend the Children Desiring God Conference this March 10-13. The theme of the conference was, "The Sum of Your Word is Truth" and lectures were given on this theme by John Piper, Russell Moore (http://www.russellmoore.com/), David Michael (co-founder of CDG) and Kempton Turner (dynamic young adult pastor at one of Bethlehem's campuses). These lectures were inspiring, encouraging, deep and useful. I also attended several workshops and was able to observe a pre-k classroom in action at Bethlehem Baptist. We are doing many things "right" but as always, there is room to improve and I have come back with some fresh ideas for us. I want to say how thankful I am to have had the opportunity to go on this "retreat." I hope that the things I learned will be of benefit to us as we instruct our young ones in the Lord for His glory. More to come on this at a later date.

 

I brought back a few little books called, Get Wisdom! 23 Lessons for Children about Living for Jesus. I've been using these as morning devotions with my kids, and I really love the book. It is appropriate for pre-k through grade 4. Available on the book table for $8.

 

Another treasure is Sally Michael's, The Names of God. "A full-color guide for parents to teach early elementary children about God s character, as revealed in 26 names in the Bible. Each chapter ends with personal application and activities." Available on the book table for $10.

 

The impetus for the theme, "The Sum of Your Word is Truth," came from a book by John MacArthur, The Truth War, Fighting for Certainty in an Age of Deception. This book was highly recommended at the conference and would be a good companion book for anyone in the Your Word is Truth Sunday school class. It is available on Kindle and to borrow from the church.

 

I also brought back a helpful parenting guide for mothers that work well in conjunction with Shepherding a Child's Heart. Please ask me for one.

 

In Him,

 

Jess