"All school year long, our weekly LOFT Sunday School teachers pour their hearts and time into teaching Calvary's children," says Tiffany Johnston, KidsLife Ministries Director. "We ask them to take the summer off so they can refuel and come back ready to serve again in the fall. That's where our S.O.S., Save Our Volunteers, summer program comes into play."
 
Three Hours, One Summer
"Twelve Sundays, twelve volunteers needed per Sunday, is all it takes to run our LOFT Sunday School program for kids ages 5 to 5th grade," states Tiffany. "Three simple hours for the summer dedicated to God's children, the generation of today, not tomorrow is what we are seeking out individuals for. If you can give three Sundays this summer during one service hour, you will be planting seeds in so many children's lives."    
 
You Don't Have to be a Kid Expert
Summer programming for kids and students at Calvary is simple and fun. "No experience needed," Tiffany says. "We've created summer programs that don't require educational expertise on the part of our volunteers. If you can play a game with a kid, smile for an hour, or high-five a 5th grader, you can do this. We provide the small group teaching material and all the props and items you need, you just have to implement the material as the teacher or assist with the activities as an assistant. You will be amazed at how simple, easy, and fun it will be."      

The summer time is a great time for parents to get plugged in for a Sunday or two in their child's Sunday School program. Come see what your child is learning and how you can make an impact!  

Prayer Concerns

If you have any prayer concerns or joys to share, please email me, Tiffany, at children@calvaryop.org. I would love to be praying for you! The power of prayer is AMAZING!!  

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 are now in the bulletin as an insert, or you can even sign up online by clicking here.

VBS Volunteer Mandatory Meetings

All volunteers need to attend ONE of these meeting dates: Sunday, June 9 from 11am-12:30pm or Wednesday, June 19 from 6:30-8:00pm in the upstairs area. A letter will be sent to you as well.

There are many 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.

Donations Needed!  

Since VBS is a free cost to the children, we are seeking families who can help offset the expenses of VBS by providing donations.  

Some general items needed as donation or on loan include:

long fabric pieces (solid colors such as red, gold, blues, purples), black lights, royal dress-up costumes, plastic swords/shields, stick horses, crowns, etc. Please drop off these items in the lobby as soon as possible so we can plan accordingly. 

We also need some VBS Celebration Items. Please bring these in no sooner than June 23rd:

• 2-4 pkgs hot dog buns
• 2-4 dozen store bought cookies
• 2-4 large bags of plain potato chips

Thanks for your help!

Need a babysitter and not sure who to contact or trust? How about giving one of our very own Calvary teens a call?! We have a list of Calvary teens who are interested in watching your children! Please make note: this list has been updated from the first one I sent out. If you want to obtain a copy of this list, please see or contact Tiffanyt. Additionally, if you know of anyone else who would like to be placed on this list, please send information to children@calvaryop.org. 

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!

Check out this fun link!!

https://vimeo.com/58912882   

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.

Our Check-In System is in the process of being changed over to a new program. Please bear with us as we all adapt to a new check-in procedure.

Thank you for your patience!

We are so thrilled to announce that Calvary is helping send 58 kids to camp this summer! Please pray for the camp staffers and the kids as they dive into the Word of God and fellowship of Christian friends.

Thank you to all the families who have taken part in our PNO ministry. Keep a look-out for the sign-up sheets in August for our next PNO! Want more info on this ministry? Check out www.calvaryop.org/pno.

Cadets

The 2nd-8th grade boys just wrapped up their ministry season. If you did not receive a CD of Cadet Memories, please contact us at children@calvaryop.org.

We are excited to kick off the new season on Wednesday, September 4. We would like to welcome our new Cadet Coordinators, Mark Sullivan, drpaulmarksullivan@gmail.com, and Mike Sluis, sluismichael@sbcglobal.net. All new attendees can plan on attending the first night to register for the year. Dads are welcomed too! Please contact Mark if you are willing to serve.

GEMS

The 2nd-8th grade girls have ended their season and will begin again Wednesday, September 11.

Thank you to all the amazing GEMS counselors for their compassion and dedication to our girls throughout this year. Chris Stuursma has led another successful ministry season, and to this we are all so appreciative!  

If you did not receive a CD of GEMS Memories, please contact  children@calvaryop.org.

THE HANGOUT

As you plan for the Fall season, don't forget that on Wednesday nights we offer The Hangout from 6:30-8:30 p.m.

Your child can be engaged in an activity at Calvary every week, not just twice a month!

Tiny Town News

That tree outside your window - it was made by God. The sun shining in the sky - it was made by God. That beautiful/handsome face you see when you look in the mirror - it, too, was made by God. God made everything. Everything! Pretty exciting, isn't it?

It's that excitement, wonder and awe that we want to share with our preschoolers this month. Everywhere they look, everything they smell, the grass under their feet - it's all made by God.

Each week this month, our preschool friends will hear about another part of creation. We'll play in water, look at the sky, investigate the dirt, and have fun with animals. We'll end the month talking about God's most amazing creation - you. Me, you, our preschool friends - we were all made by God. That's pretty special.

During the summer months, our large group time will consist of learning the Bible Story through the use of video and music. We will continue with a craft or activity that corresponds with what we learned.

Check out this month's Bible teachings and "Parent/Child Small Talk" here.

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

All weekday programs will take a break during the summer and return in the Fall. Read on for more information!

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

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

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!

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

June in The Loft 

Step-Up Day has now occurred! Your child will move up to the next grade in his/her Sunday School small group. Depending on their age, they may continue to have the same teacher, although summer teachers may vary from their school year teachers.  

Summer small groups consist of 5's-1st Grade, 2nd-3rd Grade, and 4th-5th Grade. All outgoing 5th graders are encouraged to attend Jr. High CrossTraining during the 9:30 service. For more info on our Jr. High programs, contact Dave Grigoletti at daveg@calvaryop.org.

This summer our theme is Base Camp, Getting Back to the Basics.  

When we look at the life and teaching of Jesus, we're reminded how important it is to go back to the basics. Luke gives us some insight into how Jesus grew up. Luke 2:52 notes that Jesus grew in wisdom and in favor with God and others. Throughout our lives, we should also circle back to these ideas as we seek to live like Jesus.

These are the basics: 

When we return to these ideas, we can begin to discover what God is doing in us to change the world around us. This summer we're heading back to Base Camp where we'll learn from the life of Jesus, His teachings, and His example. This is what our Sunday curriculum is all based on.

The monthly memory verse is: "And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and men," Luke 2:52, NIrV. When we respond to God and follow where He leads, we will see ourselves develop in wisdom, faith, and friendship. Then we will be able to set the example for other people.

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 are excited to announce the children have raised and sent $700 since September with their offering collections! Praise God!

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.  

JUNE OFFERING CHALLENGE:

(Drum roll please!)

Which do you prefer....or at least know is better for you...playing lots of video games or reading lots of books?

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.  

We know of TWO families who are looking for childcare for their children and are looking for hired help. If you're interested, read on!  

Childcare Job #1

We often come home from work or have a million things on our to-do-list to get done around the house, that we just pray and hope our children can entertain themselves and not nag us. However, don't forget about the "Power of a Playing Parent."

Have you checked out our Facebook page?

Come and join the KidsLife Ministries community online right here!