Thank you to all who helped with this successful event! Many hands make light work! Thank you to those who donated candy and eggs, those who took time to stuff hundreds of eggs, and those who were able to assist on the event day. The church was covered in eggs and we had a wonderful turnout!

Want a serving opportunity with your family but can't join the summer mission trips? We have a local mission project for Calvary to take part in! Sign up at the Welcome Center to help beautify Camp Manitoqua in Frankfort, IL so it can offer wonderful Christian programs all throughout the year.

Spring Clean-Up Work Day is set for Saturday, April 20 from 9am - 2:30pm. Come when you can! Lunch will be served and childcare provided for ages 4-9. Or have your child work alongside you! 

There are a variety of projects that need to be done that day; painting, weeding/raking, cleaning windows, creating/designing decorations for the summer programs, building projects and more! Calvary families are highly encouraged to make this a "family mission project." Support Camp Manitoqua as well as instill the importance of serving others into your child's heart! Direct any questions to Tiffany Johnston at

Early bird pricing ende  d March 31, but it's not too late to sign up for church camp! Save money now by registering your child for camp this month by visiting www.manitoqua.org.

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. Calvary will continue to offer financial assistance to all regularly attending families. Contact Tiffany for more information at children@calvaryop.org. 

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%. 

Parents, need a night out to refresh yourselves? Sign your child up for P.N.O! Sign-up sheets will be in the lobby this month or email Tiffany directly at children@calvaryop.org. Cost is $5 per child for the whole night for those ages 3 months to 12 years. Dinner and snack included. You must reserve your child's spot no later than Monday, April 29th.   

This summer is going to royally rock! At Kingdom Rock VBS kids will learn they can stand strong for God!

June 24th - 28th

9:00 am - 12:00 pm

Interested in volunteering? Our volunteer registration forms will be coming out within the month! But here are some other opportunities that may interest you before VBS begins:

• Orland Day Parade Float Committee
• VBS Decoration Team

These are great opportunities to get involved in VBS, especially if you can't commit the whole week in June. Contact Tiffany with your questions and interest at children@calvaryop.org.

Cadets

The boys are busy preparing for their annual Cadet Campout at Manitoqua on the 19th and 20th.   As they enjoy the activities the camp has to offer, they will also be joining in on Work Day and being a blessing to Manitoqua! 

SERVING OPPORTUNITY: 

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

SERVING OPPORTUNITY: 

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.

April Dates:

3rd - Girls Night

10th - Boys Night

17th - Girls Night

24th - 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. Calvary is hosting a week-long summer camp experience!  You can visit their website at www.spotlight.org to find out more information!

This year's theme is CAMP Pixar! The kids will learn to act, sing and dance to songs from Disney's Toy Story, A Bug's Life, Monsters Inc., and many more!

To register your child, click here.

EARLY BIRD DEADLINE: JUNE 10

Cost is $165 Early Bird / $180 After

Since Calvary is hosting Spotlight they have offered us a great discount! All new families to Spotlight can use the online code CHURCH13 for $25 off per family. All returning families can use the online code, CHURCHRET13 for $15 off per family.

Tiny Town News

Jesus is alive. Wow! That news really shook up the world. It changed everything. In fact, you could call it "The Great Shakeup."

Our Bottom Line this month is, "Jesus wants me to tell others about Him." We're starting the month sharing the Great Commission with our preschoolers. We want them to get excited about telling others about Jesus and how much He loves them. We're encouraging preschoolers to, "Go tell everyone, everywhere about Jesus."

Then, preschoolers will learn about men who did exactly what God asked of them. They went out and really shook things up. Our preschool friends will learn about Peter who shared about Jesus even when he was in jail. They'll hear the story of Saul and how his life was changed and he became Paul. Finally, they'll hear the story of Paul and Silas and how God really shook things up when they were in jail. All month long, preschoolers will discover how they, too, can shake things up by telling others about Jesus.

Our Memory Verse this month:

"Go and make disciples of all nations." Matthew 28:19

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.  

Question: So, what goes on down there in Tiny Town on Wednesday mornings while the moms, grandmas, and "girlfriends" are having Coffee Break Bible Study and on Fridays while the MOPS and More ladies are meeting?

Answer: Well, first of all, our Tiny Town little ones are being lovingly cared for by an awesome group of faithful Calvary volunteers. By this time of the year, the children are well acquainted with their care givers and we hardly ever have separation tears.

The babies in the Garden Nursery are played with, rocked, patted, fed, and loved on each week.

The children from ages two and up get to play in their classrooms, engage in Bible study by hearing the stories that teach them about God's Love throughout history, work on crafts that will remind them of the day's story, have a snack, and then the most fun of all - visit Calvary's Playland!

This year the children have also been introduced to lots of "old time" songs that many of us learned when we were children. You may hear your young ones humming the tunes of such old standards as "This Little Light of Mine," "I Have Decided to Follow Jesus," " Zacchaeus," "Joshua Fought the Battle of Jericho," " I'm in the Lord's Army," "Praise Him, Praise Him, All You Little Children," and of course, "Jesus Loves Me." You can download the music and words to many of these songs from the internet and enjoy having a sing-along at home!

April in The Loft 

Our virtue this month is:

At Jesus' final meal, He spoke with His disciples about what it meant to have a lasting friendship with Him. He said, "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." (John 15:13, NIV)

Days later, Jesus allowed Himself to be crucified on a cross to take the punishment for our sins, setting the example for ultimate friendship. But Jesus demonstrated friendship throughout His life. He walked alongside His friends. He helped their hurts. He never shied away from discussing important topics. He surprised them with acts of service.

Friendship is spending time with someone you trust and enjoy. Just as Jesus spent time with His friends so they could get to know Him better, we can build trust and have fun with our friends as we spend time with them.

But we often take friendship for granted. We have friend requests on Facebook and conversations through email that make us feel hyper-connected with anyone on the other side of the Internet connection. However, real friends are Stuck Like Glue and won't let go when times get tough.

Everyone needs encouragement, especially in tough times. A friend will be ready with helpful words and simple actions to strengthen his friends.

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 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.  

APRIL OFFERING CHALLENGE:

(Drum roll please!)

Due to the discussion on friendship, which would you rather have, "man's best friend (a dog/pet)" or close trustworthy friends?

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.  

By Kendra Smiley, www.kendrasmiley.com

As parents, we want our kids to make good choices. When they are very young, we make the majority of the decisions for them. As they grow up, Mom and Dad relinquish more and more of that responsibility. Whether it is dealing with their friends, teachers, or life decisions, we have a suggestion for you. Teach your kids to ask (and answer) the question, "What's my goal?"

Here's an example...Your 13-year-old daughter has a math teacher who is a perfectionist and demands that the decimal point be put right on the line or the problem is wrong. Furthermore, your daughter does not see why in the world this is so important!

• Teach your child to ask (and answer) the question, "What is my goal?" If the daughter in the example answers the question in this way, "My goal is to get a good grade in math," then she will be able to logically conclude she needs to put the decimal point on the line.
• Answering the question, "What's my goal?" and acting accordingly is very powerful. The 13-year-old can have a feeling of control knowing she is doing what she has determined is best.
• The answer to the question may not be as positive. She may say in all truth, "My goal is to annoy my teacher and convince her she is wrong to demand the decimal point be placed right on the line."
• Even if you completely agree, it is not about winning or losing. Even if your daughter wins this "battle," the odds are she will lose the "war."
• It is all about helping your child develop long-term thinking. It is not just winning an insignificant battle. It is much bigger than that. The goal is to help your child look long-term. Then she will able to reject the honest but negative response and search for an answer that will ultimately benefit her.
• The power of asking and honestly answering the question is good for kids AND adults too! And choosing the productive answer is the Next Right Choice!

Have you checked out our Facebook page?

Come and join the KidsLife Ministries community online right here!