Well, January has flown by without any SPONTANEOUS sledding days for Calvary families. Maybe February will be different? If and when the winter snow strikes, check your email and/or "like" our Calvary KidsLife Ministries Facebook page to receive the SPONTANEOUS invitation to join us with your sleds and/or ice-skates at Centennial Park, 15600 West Ave. in Orland Park. It's sure to be slip-slidin' fun!

Join us for fun, food, and fellowship at "Pump It Up," 11411 West 183rd St. in Orland Park, the inflatable party zone! With six giant inflatables and lots more, the kids are sure to have a blast with friends from church! And adults get the chance to mingle!

Cost is $5 per child; adults are free. Pizza, drinks, and dessert are included! We will bounce first and then go into the party room at 7:45 to eat.

Sign up by sending your family name and # of kids and # of adults to children@calvaryop.org or you can sign-up outside Tiny Town or The LOFT. Please pay at the door that night, cash or check to Calvary Children's Ministries.

Matt Donley, a teen at Calvary, wants to thank everyone who donated warm clothes and outside gear for his Honor Society Community Project. Thanks for serving! 

Camp Manitoqua, a local Christian camp we work with, has just begun summer registration. They have many wonderful camp opportunities for your child, whether it's just a one or two overnighter for the young ones, or a full week for 3rd grade and up. We are very excited to have designated "church weeks" this year where hopefully many of our children can attend camp together. To support the high value we place on church camp in a child's life, Calvary offers financial assistance.

Stop by the Camp Table upstairs near The LOFT and Youth area to pick up a Manitoqua packet and a detailed registration letter from the KidsLife and Youth Directors. Have the packet already? You can get the letter right here. Early bird pricing deadline is March 31st.    

Authors and conference speakers Kendra and John Smiley will be coming to Parents' Night Out in March! Together they have co-authored the popular Parenting Like a Pro book series. Kendra and John host "Parenting Like a Pro" radio program and have a regular monthly column called "Family Matters" in Prairie Farmer magazine.  

You will be able to sign your children up for free childcare for that night as you enjoy dinner, desserts and conversation with other parents. You will also be entered into a raffle for FREE P.N.O. for the rest of 2013! More details are coming! Keep your calendars open for what promises to be a great night for ALL parents.

You can also check out a sample of Kendra's teaching by checking out Mom & Dad's Little Helper under the Parents' Resource section below! 

Easter Celebration & Egg Hunt
Saturday, March 30 from 10:00-11:30 a.m.

Bring the family to Calvary for a morning of celebrating Easter with a special craft, goodies, and an egg hunt inside! Don't forget your baskets!

Cadets

The Cadets are looking forward to the Pinewood Derby Race on Saturday, March 2! The boys are busily transforming their blocks of wood into speed racers!

The Cadet Ministry will once again have an open class race where anyone can enter a car to race after the boys have had their turn. Last year this race was reserved for adults only, but this year anyone is welcome! A trophy and ribbons will be awarded! We are running this race as a fundraiser, and suggest a minimum $25 donation to participate. Donated funds will be used to offset the cost of materials to build a work bench, purchase tools and additional shelving for the Cadet/GEMS room. If interested in participating, contact Derrick at dsbrmars@sbcglobal.net.    

Also, mark your calendars for Cadet Sunday, March 10th at all three services.

GEMS

The girls are also preparing for their big GEMS/Gents Night on Wednesday, February 13 where they will once again be having their own Pinewood Derby race. Last year was a blast and fun to see the car designs the girls implemented!

Also, be sure to mark your calendars for the GEMS Annual Pancake Breakfast on

Come out with the family to support this wonderful ministry!

THE HANGOUT

Don't forget that on Wednesday nights we offer The Hangout from 6:30-8:30 p.m. This is a safe place for 2nd-8th graders to come together to "hang out" as well as grow together as Christians. This group works with the rotating schedule of GEMS and CADETS. When CADETS meet, bring the girls to The Hangout and vice-versa when the GEMS meet. Your child can be engaged in an activity at Calvary every week, not just twice a month!

Throughout the year the kids are digging into "Answers in Genesis," a great curriculum that helps the kids learn how to defend their faith and stand solidly on the Word of God.

February Dates:

6th - Girls Night

13th - Boys Night

20th - Girls Night

27th - Boys Night 

The Worship Team, Youth Pastor, and KidsLife Ministries is praying over our families and seeking more relevant ways to worship as a church family and teach our youth the meaning of "big church" and how they can begin to serve their church family. For 2013, 4th Sunday Family Worship will be quarterly, NOT monthly.

Both the children and youth will be very involved in these worship services. Please mark your calendars for the following "Family Worship" Sundays: 

• March 24th, Palm Sunday at the 9:30 and 11:00 services
• June 30th, VBS Sunday at the 9:30 and 11:00 services
• September 29th at the 9:30 and 11:00 services
• December 29th at the 9:30 and 11:00 services

Looking for more information as to why we value 4th Sunday Family Worship at Calvary? Check out our article here.

Calvary's staff has been training and working through how to handle emergencies and other non-emergencies issues that could occur during a worship service or during the week when ministries are in session. Our emergency plan covers procedures on fire alarms, tornado warnings, severe weather and snow warnings, disruption of individual(s) to a service or program and the temporary closing of Calvary Church.

If a fire alarm is activated please exit the building and follow the instruction of staff. Please do not try to retrieve your child(ren) from a program or nursery. Our leaders will gather them, exit with them and await your arrival to dismiss them properly by ID tags. Tiny Town children will be evacuated through the gym west doors and taken to the back of the west parking lot.   Children upstairs in The LOFT area will evacuate out the south office doors and will be taken to the back of the west parking lot. You are free to join us in the evacuation process to assist BUT please do not leave with your child until you have officially checked them out with their teacher/leader. We want to make sure we have everyone accounted for first.    

In the event of a "lock-down," we will lock all classrooms and outside doors of Tiny Town and The LOFT. We WILL NOT release children to their parents until given authorization to do so.

Tiny Town News

Love is in the air! This month we are teaching our children. about Jesus's love for you and me. We are going on a love journey: From finding a lost sheep; To returning home after losing it all; Helping a stranger when in need; Finally having dinner at a man's home that is considered "bad." We are teaching our children that love doesn't come once a year but we have to love at all times the way Jesus loves us!

Our Memory Verse this month:

Ephesians 3:18, "How wide and High and long is the love of Christ."

Questions about our Sunday mornings? Contact Luz Lopez, Weekend Coordinator, luzl@calvaryop.org. 

Little Lambs & Story Hour 

Wednesdays, 9:30-11:00 a.m.

The light's on - come on in! 

While moms attend Coffee Break Bible Study, Little Lambs (2-3 yrs.) & Story Hour (3-5 yrs.) children will experience exciting Bible stories, crafts, snacks and interactive play with others their age. Care for infants is also provided. 

Moppets  

Fridays, twice a month, 9-11:30 a.m.  

Are you a mom with little ones? Then join MOPS and More and bring your kids to Moppets! Actually, no matter what stage of mommyhood you're in, from newly pregnant to kids in high school, there are moms who have been there and can help you with the most pressing issues you face at MOPS & More. We hear from nationally known authors, speakers and experts on discipline, parenting, love, cooking and many other life issues that affect moms. We also have a lot of fun making sure to take care of you-time with plenty of social time, yummy snacks and creative activities. Come and meet new friends, and have a break. You deserve it!

For more information, please contact Corinne Ufferman at corinneu@calvaryop.org.  

February in The Loft 

Our virtue this month is "Peace: proving you care more about each other than winning an argument." What is one thing that often causes you to lose your cool? What is one way your family can remember to keep the peace?

God proved he cared about peace when He sent His Son to pay for our sins. Peace is a part of God's character. And He wants us to reflect that peace in our relationship with others.

Peace is more than just "not fighting." Peace is living in a way that shows you care more about others than being right. It's about building strong relationships through mutual trust.

KIDS: 

Don't forget your Bible. We use it a lot in The LOFT!!

Speaking of the Bible, what is the BEST BOOK EVER that contains 66 books that we are challenging your child to memorize? Like the song goes, THE B.I.B.L.E, yes that's the book for me!

These past few months we started laying it all out there and seeing how many books of the Bible your child knows! We're hoping you are listening to "Everything Fades" on the music CD we sent home!    

- 5's-1st graders are being challenged to know 5 at a time

- 2nd-3rd graders, 10 in a row

- 4th-5th graders, 20 books at a time!

When they accept the challenge and find a teacher to list off the books to, they get to mark it under their name on our "Books of the Bible" board.    

Won't they be proud when they accomplish this awesome feat! Challenge them in the car or at home! They can even challenge you to learn it as well! =)

Get Your Weekly / Monthly Devotionals Here!  

We at The Loft strongly believe that parents are the strongest teachers of God. We're committed to give you parents tools to help you succeed in teaching your children about Christ! Here are February's GodTime Devotionals. You can also download February's Parent Add-Visor card. You can download them and print them at home! 

Offering Update  

Abel

Dipali

We continually teach the kids what compassion is all about. To help them carry out compassion towards others, we challenge them to bring in their offering to go to our Compassion International children. To remind them, we have begun monthly voting ballots. When they bring in their change, they can put it the stoplight of their personal vote.  

FEBRUARY OFFERING CHALLENGE:

(Drum roll please!)

Conversation Sweetheart Candy VERSUS Red Hot Candy    

Which will win the vote? On the 1st Sunday of March, the children will be encouraged to wear the winning garment! Please encourage your children to tithe their allowance they may receive or assist them in bringing offering for our mission children God is calling us to serve.

KidsLife Ministries would like to help support our families. One way we have decided to do this is to use this Parent iResource section to list job opportunities in addition to providing resources that you as a parent can use. You can give a description of what you have to offer (i.e. childcare) or list what you are looking for. We hope to foster a community where we can help each other connect. Any questions or descriptions should go to Tiffany at children@calvaryop.org.  

Want your kids to help you more? "The key" according to Dr. Michele Bordba, an award-winning author of 22 parenting and educational books, "is to let them see you doing a task and inviting them to join." Or as you refer to it in your book Be The Parent, the key is to "Work with your child."  

Have you checked out our Facebook page?

Come and join the KidsLife Ministries community online right here!