Early bird pricing deadline is March 31st!!! Save money now by registering your child for camp this month by visiting www.manitoqua.org.

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.

Never been to Camp Manitoqua?? Drop by their Open House on Tuesday, March 19 between 4-7 p.m. for a tour and activities! Manitoqua is located at 8122 West Sauk Trail, Frankfort, IL.

Additionally, 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. Don't forget that early bird pricing deadline is March 31st.    

Authors and conference speakers Kendra and John Smiley will be coming to Parents' Night Out in March!   

Reservations are now being accepted! Sign up in the lobby, on our website, or by emailing us at children@calvaryop.org. You will receive 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! Keep your calendars open for what promises to be a great night for ALL parents.

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

On Sunday, March 24, both the children and youth will be involved in 9:30 and 11:00 worship services. Tiny Town will still be open for ages 0-4.

The elementary children (and younger ones can join) will each receive a palm branch to process down the aisles at the beginning of the service. PLEASE ARRIVE 20 MINUTES PRIOR TO EACH SERVICE TIME. The children can also greet at the doors and pass out bulletins before the service. We will then gather them to enter the worship center together as they wave their palms. The children will also join the Youth Band in singing a worship song that we have been practicing in The LOFT.  

This will be a GREAT family celebration of Palm Sunday and the Holy Week!

Also, please mark your calendars for the following "Family Worship" Sundays: 

• 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.

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! This is open to the community so tell your friends and neighbors!

We are now accepting donations of candy for our Egg Hunt. Please place items in the basket near the Welcome Center, by Sunday, March 24. 

It's hard to believe, but Bob and Larry, the two familiar stars of VeggieTales are turning 20 years old! They're throwing a birthday party and YOU'RE invited!

It's a very Veggie birthday, and you are invited! Join Bob & Larry and the entire VeggieTales crew as they put on the biggest birthday party ever celebrating VeggieTales' 20 years of stories, songs and fun.

The show is filled with silly song favorites and memorable entertainment for the whole family! You won't want to miss this one-of-a-kind celebration!

This birthday party will be touring the country and will be stopping at Family Harvest Church in Tinley Park. If you're interested, tickets can be purchased at iTickets or at Family Harvest Church. There is a limited amount of discounted tickets available at Family Harvest Church (FHC). Discount is 20%. 

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!

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

Is God laying on your heart to get plugged in at Calvary and serve in a ministry? The Cadet program is a great ministry for men/dads of all ages to get involved. It only meets two Wednesdays a month! Come try it out before the end of this ministry season (May) and see how God can work in your life through this program! 

GEMS

The girls are preparing for the GEMS Annual Pancake Breakfast on

Ladies...Is God laying on your heart to get plugged in at Calvary and serve in a ministry? The GEMS program is a great ministry to get involved in. It only meets two Wednesdays a month! Come try it out before the end of this ministry season (May) and see how God can work in your life through this program!     

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.

March Dates:

6th - Girls Night

13th - Boys Night

20th - Girls Night

27th - Boys Night 

Does your child show interest in drama, dance, or singing? Spotlight Theater is a great place to get them plugged in to learn more skills in this area. Classes offered include Dance, Drama, Musical Theater, Voice 2 and Tune Town.

New class sessions are starting at Calvary! Tuesdays from 4:45-6:45 p.m. from March 5th to May 7th. It's not too late to join! Children ages 6 to 14 are eligible to sign up. Go to their website at www.spotlight.org  to register your child and find out more information!

We will also be hosting them for a one-week Summer Theater Camp from July 22-26 for ages 5-12. For more information on this and to register, click here. 

Tiny Town News

Every time we think about the amazing gift God gave us, we just have to say, "Wow!" I mean, think about it. God sent His Son to die for you and for me. Pause on that a moment. It will make you say, "Wow!" too.

That's what we want for our preschoolers this month. We want them to say, "Wow!" We want them to be wowed by the miracles that Jesus performed while He lived among us. We want them to be wowed by the awesomeness of His power. We want them to be wowed by His entrance into Jerusalem, and we want them to be wowed by the fact that He came alive on Easter day.

It is a month of WOW moments. Take time to really discuss them with your preschoolers. Help them to see that Jesus was the ONLY one who could perform those amazing miracles. Help them to feel the excitement of Palm Sunday. Help them to experience the joy of Easter. Discussing each of these stories is a time to treasure our Savior and the amazing gift He gave us.

Our Memory Verse this month:

"I am with you always." Matthew 28:20

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.  

March in The Loft 

Our virtue this month is:

God told Abraham that he would be the father of a great nation of people - and he was!

God told the Israelites that He would provide for them in the desert - and He did!

God told Joshua that the wall of Jericho would fall if the people marched around it for seven days - and it did!

God told Mary that she would have a baby boy - and she did!

Jesus said He would die and rise again three days later - and He did!

Honesty is important because it builds trust. Honesty is choosing to be truthful in whatever you say and do. What God says is true; He has shown us that time and time again. And that's one of the reasons we know we can trust God.

But the same should be true in our own lives. If we want other people to trust us, we need to live honest lives. When we tell the truth and we follow through with our promises, other people learn to trust us. But when we cover up who we are, what we've done, or we constantly break our promises, then the people around us stop trusting us. They begin to wonder if, in the Moment of Truth, can you be trusted?

The monthly memory verse is spoken in two different versions, but the same meaning: "An honest person has respect for the Lord," Proverbs 14:2a, NIrV. Or Proverbs 14:2a NIV, "Whoever fears the Lord walks uprightly."

Living a life of honesty shows that we respect God and the people we care about. We can find a way to be truthful and still careful of the feelings of those we care about.

Are you being honest with your kids? Are you expecting honesty back? Jesus expects it, and deserves it.

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! You can pick up the monthly devotionals and the Parent Add-Visor Card outside The LOFT, near the kiosk screens. Or you can download them with the links provided! 

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.  

MARCH OFFERING CHALLENGE:

(Drum roll please!)

Lions or Lambs??? March may come in "like a lion, but out like a lamb (hopefully!)"    

Which will win the vote? 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.  

Material provided by Jack and Kathy Stockman, founders of Celebrations and Traditions, and The Advent book we promoted here at Calvary at Christmas 2011. Their website is FULL of ideas! You can download the Lent and Easter materials right here. 

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!