Calvary KidsLife Families are beginning a book study on Pray Big For Your Child by Will Jr. Davis.

All parents want what's best for their children. What better place to begin than by praying for them? Prayer expert Will Davis Jr. shows parents how to develop a prayer strategy for our kids.

Join us in this journey as we "unleash the power of praying Scripture for our children. It opens the door for bold, audacious prayers that change lives. This book includes a powerful thirty-one-day prayer guide and twelve around-the-clock reminders to help parents pray for their children throughout the day. Pray Big for Your Child teaches parents how to confidently use the most effective parenting resource available--prayer."

If you are interested in this book study, books are available in our Revelations Bookstore for $10. (Or you can download it on your Kindle for less.) Pick up your copy during the month of October and we will begin to dig in and challenge each other in this mission during the winter months.  

It's baaaack! Trunk or Treat is a safe, Christian alternative to door-to-door trick-or-treating where church members decorate their trunks and pass out candy as the children dressed in their costumes walk from car to car to receive candy or trinkets.

Additional activities will include hayrides out to a "mini pumpkin patch," a pumpkin decorating station, and bounce houses. And since there's no such thing as an event without food, Momtourage, our new mom's group, will be providing food at a low cost. Come and delight in yummy pulled pork sandwiches, hot dogs, chips and beverages!      

Sign Up Your Trunk TODAY!  

It is time to sign up your trunks! Get those creative juices flowing! Trunk Prize Categories include: Best Autumn Trunk, Most Interactive, Most Creative, Coolest Themed Trunk, Funniest and Best Bible Story Trunk. Sign up in the lobby or go online to calvaryop.org to register your trunk.

We are expecting 200+ kids! Extra candy for refilling your buckets will be provided!  

Other ways YOU can help Trunk or Treat:

We are in need of volunteers to cover a few shifts for the Parking Team or Bounce House supervisors. Also, looking for a volunteer photographer for the event, nothing fancy just taking some good shots of the trunks and activities! That's it!

Check out the sign-up sheets online or in the lobby today! We will also be collecting individually wrapped candy donations to refill trunks. Please drop off donations by Wednesday, Oct. 23rd at the Trunk or Treat table.

Well, maybe not, but we're looking for small/medium pumpkins!  

Does anyone know of local farmers who would consider donating small pumpkins or sell them at a low cost for our Trunk or Treat event in October?  

Cadets

We had a great kick-off and a fun Fall Campout completed on the weekend of Sept 20-22. A big Thank You goes to to all the counselors/Dads that helped us with all the tasks involved in keeping 27 boys fed, tented, entertained, warm and having fun during the weekend (or something like that!) :) 

It's never too late to join us or invite a friend to join! Go to www.calvaryop.org/cadets to see and share a promo video!

PLEASE NOTE: There are 5 Wednesdays in October. There are no programs offered on this 5th Wednesday. So after our Oct. 18 meeting, our next meeting will be on Nov. 6. 

Cadet Pancake Breakfast Fundraiser

Saturday, October 19 at 7-11 a.m.

Bring the family to Calvary for our annual Pancake Breakfast fundraiser and enjoy a yummy breakfast as you support this awesome program with your freewill donations!

Are you interested in advertising with us on our Pancake Breakfast placemat? Contact Mark Sullivan soon! 

Questions? Direct them to our new Cadet Coordinators Mark Sullivan, drpaulmarksullivan@gmail.com, and Mike Sluis, sluismichael@sbcglobal.net.

GEMS

78 'Girls Everywhere Meeting the Savior' happens right here at Calvary on the 2nd and 4th Wednesday nights! September meetings were packed full of fun and fellowship!    

Just a friendly reminder that it's never too late to join us or invite a friend to join! Go to www.calvaryop.org/gems to see and share a promo video!

PLEASE NOTE: There are 5 Wednesdays in October. There are no programs offered on this 5th Wednesday. So after our Oct. 23 meeting, our next meeting will be on Nov. 13.  

Mexican Fiesta Fundraiser 

The GEMS are bringing back their popular annual Mexican Fiesta Dinner fundraiser! Please come out to support the GEMS ministry with your family and with your freewill donations!

All GEMS girls will need to assist in prepping and serving the meal.

Don't forget, moms/grandmas are welcomed to join the GEMS team as well! We are looking for a few extra hands! Please contact Chris Stuursma if you are willing to serve at chrisms59@aol.com. 

THE HANGOUT

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!

October's Calendar

Oct. 2nd - Girls Night

Oct. 9th - Boys Night

Oct. 16th - Girls Night

Oct. 23rd - Boys Night

Oct. 30th - NO HANGOUT 

Momtourage

Momtourage is the new name of Calvary's ministry to moms! We meet two Friday mornings a month from 9-11:30 a.m. for discussion, speakers, crafts, and activities as we explore some of the most important issues affecting our lives and our kids. While the group is geared towards moms of young children, all moms are welcome! New this year is Momtourage "After Hours"-evening and weekend activities designed with the working mom in mind. Join anytime! To learn more or to answer your questions, email us at momtourage@calvaryop.org.  

2013 Dates

Oct. 4th

Oct. 18th

Nov. 1st

Nov. 15th

Dec. 6th

Dec. 20th

Mark your calendar for the next PNO in November! Go online to www.calvaryop.org/pno to register your child(ren). Sign up forms will show up in the lobby starting October 20. The deadline to sign up is Monday, October 28. There are maximums on the grade levels, so sign up soon!

Simply print and fill out this Volunteer Interest Form and we will get you plugged in! One simple way to volunteer is to be a greeter once a month outside the LOFT! Contact Tiffany for more information at 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 hosts 10-week class sessions throughout the school year. Children ages 6 to 14 are eligible! Go to their website at www.spotlight.org and click on Orland Park to register your child and find out more information!  

Label, Label, Label

We are now offering diaper bag tags to those in the infant room and 2's room. Please take a tag, write your child's name on it, and place it on your diaper bag for continued use. If you wish not to keep it on your bag at all times, please hold on to it to place on your bag when you arrive in Tiny Town. There are also other labels in each room to mark sippy cups and other belongings. With the great numbers we have, we don't want to mix anything up! Thanks for helping us in this organization process!

Serving Hearts

Please read this letter pertaining to serving in Tiny Town.

The expectation is that all families who regularly use the Tiny Town facilities volunteer occasionally to ensure that there are always adequate caregivers for each service. If you have not already done so, please find Luz or Corinne to fill out a form indicating which dates and times you will be available to help out, and return the form to the Tiny Town office.

Sunday Mornings

All preschoolers want to be "super." They dash through the house with towels for capes attempting amazing feats that sometimes find them poised to jump off the dresser to see if they can fly. The thing these kids don't know yet is that you don't have to have special powers to be super. No, you can be super with God's help. And, you can ALWAYS count on God.

This month, on Sunday mornings, our preschoolers will learn they can be brave like Elijah and believe in the one true God. They can be strong like Esther and love God with their whole heart. They can be courageous like Rahab and trust God. They can be wise like Joshua and obey God. When they are like these awesome people whose stories are told in the Bible, they can be a Super Kid and do "super" God's way.

This month's memory verse is: "Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid ... for the Lord, your God goes with you." Deuteronomy 31:6, NIV

I can count on God because he loves me!

Check out this month's Bible teachings and "Parent/Child Small Talk" outside the 3's and 4's room or right here!

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

Fall ministries are here! Our programs are for infants through age 5!

Wednesdays, 9:30-11:00 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 Momtourage 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.  

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!

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

October in The Loft (5s through 5th Grade) 

All of God's creation is important to Him. Jesus told us that God remembers each sparrow, even though there are thousands (Luke 12:6-7). But Jesus said that people are even more valuable to God. In fact, God counts every hair on our heads! God shows us how important we are to Him when He pursues a relationship with us. And He started in the very beginning when He sought out Adam and Eve in the garden. God shows us how much He values us because He loves us.

Like God's honor is fueled by His love for us, we show honor back to God because we love Him. And we follow God's example when we show honor to others. Showing honor demonstrates that we see others as God sees them. Every person we meet has value to God and deserves our honor.

We spend the time to get to know people, we are showing them that their ideas, feelings, and abilities are valuable. We give them honor by recognizing the contributions they can make in our lives.

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 this month's GodTime Devotionals and this month's Add-Visor card. You can also get a hard copy of both outside the LOFT doors.

Offering Update - WE HAVE A NEW FRIEND!  

Abel

Taba

Dipali, our longtime friend who we have supported through prayer, finances and friendship has graduated from Compassion International's program.

We would like to welcome in to our new LOFT family, Taba Aniya. Taba just turned 5 and lives in India with her family.

Abel is now 7 and lives in Mexico.

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.  

OCTOBER'S OFFERING CHALLENGE:

(Drum roll please!)

Popcorn Balls or Taffy Apples?

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. Our commitment is $38 a month for each Compassion child. 

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.  

A DEVOTIONAL CHALLENGE! 

A challenge to dig into devotionals with your family throughout the week!  

God's Word is with you! Many families have smart phones, tablets, or even just a computer. There are so many resources at your fingertips to grow in your faith WITH your child!

We've got an app for that! Find it at: 

https://www.bible.com/app  

Download the app to the device of your choice. Or check out the tabs on the left side of the webpage for your computer viewing options.

Search for the "Family" plan and find the best devotional fit for your family. All devotional apps vary from study length; one may be for 5 days while others may carry you through the year!    

Some suggestions are:  

- Courageous Kids

- Parenting by Design Daily Devotional

- The Creation of Nature

Another idea is to receive a daily scripture verse by email on your phone, tablet or computer. Share the verse with your child and discuss its meaning more in depth. They may have a better understanding of it then you! "Faith like a child!"  

There are many available resources for this, some include:

http://www.klove.com/ministry/encouraging-word/  

http://www.verseoftheday.com   

http://www.thedailybibleverse.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! 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. 

Have you checked out our Facebook page?

Come and join the KidsLife Ministries community online right here!