We had an amazing week at Kingdom Rock VBS! Thank you to all the lords and ladies of Calvary for the huge amount of donations that came in to support our VBS needs and expenses. We provided materials and food for 400+ kids and 150 volunteers! There was some crazy weather but God blessed us with safety throughout the week. 

His amazing love shined out of our volunteers and so many children came to know our Lord and Savior this past week. A huge thank you to the volunteers for their time and energy. So many seeds were planted this past week! 

A big shout out to Pastor Dave and Jody leading opening and closing with the Youth Drama Team and the awesome VBS Directors, Becca Dryfhout, Amy Kargol, Sandy Mars, Dawn Smit, Yvonne Van Beveren, Mary Vanden Bosch, Jenny Weidenaar, and our Decorating Managers, Donna Kargol and Laura Winthrop. Thank you to everyone for your prayers, they were answered! Praise God!

You can check out all of the photos that we took at VBS on our website right here! 

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!!  

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.

Cost is now $180 

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.

We are busy planning some great Fall events! Download and check out our brochure! Email Miss Tiffany at children@calvaryop.org 

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

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

We are excited to begin our season on Wednesday, September 11.

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

Are you up for the challenge? Well, are you? That's what we're asking preschoolers this month. And, you know what? We're all up for any challenge because we can trust God. He does what He says He will do. That's a hard one for preschoolers because they can't really see God keeping His promises. And, let's face it. It's a hard one for us adults too. God keeping His promises doesn't always look the way we THINK it's going to look. We're sharing two stories this month that show just how great God is at keeping His promises.

The first story we're teaching is the story of Noah. Preschoolers love this one because of all the animals, but be sure to spend some time talking about how God had promised to keep Noah and his family safe. And, He did. Then, there is the promise of the rainbow. That's one of the most beautiful promises God has made. The best part is that we get to remember it every time we see one.

The second story we're sharing is of Gideon. Here was a guy who was just a farmer doing his thing when God called him into action to do something great. And, God kept His promises all the way to the end. Because Gideon trusted God to do what He said He would do, the battle was won with a small army and a quick "battle." Amazing things can happen when we trust in God to keep His promises.

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.

July in The Loft 

Step-Up Day occurred in June. Your child has now moved 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: "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill can't be hidden," Matthew 5:14, NIrV. When we choose to love God by loving others, you will help God's love shine on all 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!

Also, please see important announcements on our  Parent Add-Visor Card!  

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.  

JULY OFFERING CHALLENGE:

(Drum roll please!)

Which do you prefer....popsicles or fruit salad? 

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.  

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 Tiffany. Additionally, if you know of anyone else who would like to be placed on this list, please send information to children@calvaryop.org. 

This month we have two excellent short articles for you to read.  

First, try these tips for encouraging caring relationships in your child's life in order to encourage healthy developmental relationships between youth and adults. Read the article here.

Second, do you need encouragement for self-control in your life? In your child's life? Read this article here! 

Have you checked out our Facebook page?

Come and join the KidsLife Ministries community online right here!