Brrr... Winter is definitely here! KidsLife Ministries isn't hibernating though - we are alive and busy! Our newest Activities and Events Brochure for January-May 2014 is hot off the press and soon will be arriving in your mailbox! If you can't wait for snail mail, you can check out the brochure HERE. Or even pass it on to your friends!

You may have missed September and November's PNO, so make sure not to miss January's! Go online to www.calvaryop.org/pno to register your child(ren). The deadline to sign up is Monday, January 13. There are maximums on the grade levels, so sign up soon! Cost is $5 per child for the night. Dinner (served at 6 p.m.) and snack (served at 8:30 p.m.) included. 

Be on the lookout for emails and Facebook announcements that will announce a spontaneous sledding day when the weather permits! Bring your sleds and/or ice skates and meet up with some Calvary families at Centennial Park, 15600 West Avenue in Orland Park, for some winter fun! Rental cost of ice skates is $2 or just bring your sled and wear warm clothes! 

Join us for fun, food, roller skating, arcade games and laser tag at Family Fun Zone at 2333 Theodore St., Crest Hill, IL. Cost is $5 per child, adults are free. Sign up outside of The LOFT or Tiny Town during the month of January or sign up online at www.calvaryop.org/familynight.

We're more than halfway through our book study on on Pray Big For Your Child by Will Jr. Davis.

You can ALWAYS join in on the conversation at our blog at

Free DVDs of the Christmas musical performance can be found outside the LOFT and Tiny Town. Great job to all the participants and a huge thank you to Alicia Bonnema and Tricia Brouwers for directing! Thanks to Pastor Dave for videotaping the memories!

We interrupt this football season to bring you...your marriage! Come and discover the best decisions that a couple can make with special speakers Bill and Pam Farrel. A great, strong marriage can and will impact your children. We encourage you to sign up for this great conference. Cost is $30. Register online at www.calvaryop.org/marriageconference. 

Cadets are halfway through the school season with big plans for the remaining winter and spring! Blocks of wood will be sent home this month to be transformed into super-fast racing cars for the annual Pinewood Derby on March 1st. Cadet Sunday (March 9th), their annual awards/auction night, and then a campout right here on Calvary grounds will wrap up the 2013-2014 season.  

This month, due to Christmas break, Cadets will only be meeting Wednesday, January 15.

Just a friendly reminder 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!

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

GEMS

It is almost GEMS/Gents Night for our GEMS participants and their special someone's. On February 12th, GEMS and Gents will partake in their annual dinner and pinewood derby racing. Blocks of wood will be sent home this month to be transformed into super-fast, super-stylish race cars! We had some great entries last year!

GEMS will be having their regular meetings this month on January 8th and 22nd. More happenings to come for the spring; GEMS Pancake Breakfast and their annual Camp Tecumseh retreat.

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!

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!

January's Calendar

Jan. 8th - Boys Night 

Jan. 15th - Girls Night

Jan. 22th - Boys Night

Jan. 29th - NO HANGOUT (5th Wednesday) 

With 2014 in action, please refresh yourself with our emergency and safety plans.  

Calvary's staff has been training and working through how to handle emergencies and other non-emergencies issues that could occur during a worship service or during the week when ministries are in session. Our emergency plan covers procedures on fire alarms, tornado warnings, severe weather and snow warnings, disruption of individual(s) to a service or program and the temporary closing of Calvary Church.

If a fire alarm is activated please exit the building and follow the instruction of staff. Please do not try to retrieve your child(ren) from a program or nursery. Our leaders will gather them, exit with them and await your arrival to dismiss them properly by ID tags. Tiny Town children will be evacuated through the gym west doors and taken to the back of the west parking lot. Children upstairs in The LOFT area will evacuate out the south office doors and will be taken to the back of the west parking lot. You are free to join us in the evacuation process to assist BUT please do not leave with your child until you have officially checked them out with their teacher/leader. We want to make sure we have everyone accounted for first.  

In the event of a "lockdown," we will lock all classrooms and outside doors of Tiny Town and The LOFT. We WILL NOT release children to their parents until given authorization to do so.

The individual(s) in authority during an emergency are our pastoral staff or a designated person(s) wearing a LIME-COLORED VEST. If you have any questions or would like to read the full handbook, please contact the church office or Miss Tiffany.

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! Join anytime! To learn more or to answer your questions, email us at momtourage@calvaryop.org.  

2014 Winter/Spring Dates

January

10        Come learn how to get more organized! (Craft: Menu Board)

24        How to overcome hardship (Speaker: Jenny Weidenaar)

February

14        Affordable Fun Ideas (Activity: Cupcake Decorating)

28        Encouragement for Single/Lonely Moms (Craft: Card Making)

March

14        Mini Wellness Fair

21        After Hours Mom's Night Out

April

11        Creating Balance (Craft)

25        Dealing with Loneliness (Craft)

May

9          Does God Have a Plan for Me? (Speaker)

23        Year End Party

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!  

January Mornings

January is going to be full of some of our favorite stories to tell preschoolers. They're stories filled with awe and wonder. They're the stories that make us say, "Hmm, Jesus really can do anything!"

Filling empty nets with fish, feeding five thousand with just a few fishes and loaves. Wow! It's amazing what Jesus did. He walked on the water. He calmed a storm with just a word. God sent His Son to us and He did some truly miraculous things before He did the most amazing thing of all, dying to save us.

MEMORY VERSE

"With God, all things are possible." Matthew 19:26, NIV

BOTTOM LINE

Jesus can do anything!

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. 

Serving Hearts

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.

All programs 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.

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

Knowledge is discovering something new so you can be better at whatever you do. We believe that God's Word is the best place to discover something new about our world and ultimately ourselves. And when we put those discoveries into practice it changes us from the inside out and impacts the choices we make and the way we live. God is the source of all truth. We need to dig into His Word and discover that truth for ourselves.

The knowledge we glean from the 66 books of the Bible tells us how to live our lives day in and day out. But that knowledge is not an end in and of itself. We can know all there is to know about God, but if we don't put any of our knowledge into practice, it is worthless.

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. You can also get a hard copy outside the LOFT doors.

Offering Update  

Abel

Aniya

Thank you for teaching your child the importance of tithing and giving to others in need. Through your child's support, we continue to sponsor two Compassion International children. Abel is now 7 and lives in Mexico and Aniya just turned 5 and lives in India.

Our monthly sponsorship commitment is $38.00 per child, a total of $76.00.

We continually teach the kids what compassion is all about. To help them carry out compassion towards others and to remind them, we have fun monthly voting ballots. When they bring in their change, they can put it the stoplight of their personal vote.  

JANUARY'S OFFERING CHALLENGE: Apple Cider or Hot Chocolate?

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.  

5th Annual Midwest Christian Heritage Father & Daughter Banquet 

Christian Heritage Church is hosting the 5th Annual Midwest Father & Daughter Dinner at DiNolfo's Banquet Hall, located at 14447 West 159th Street in Homer Glen, Illinois.

International Bible teacher, conference speaker, and author, Dr. R.C. Sproul Jr. will share the evening with us, bringing his encouraging perspective on Father-Daughter relationships that's sure to draw a good laugh and maybe a tear.

Our prayer is that God would use this evening to unite the hearts of fathers and daughters and lay a foundation for future generations of faithfulness to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Fathers, you will enjoy a delicious gourmet dinner together, followed by father and daughter games, Dr. Sproul's talk, dessert, and an optional slow dance with your daughter. As you leave, a picture portrait and a surprise gift to remember this special night await you.

See the event website for more details:  www.chcop.org. 

Scaredy Cat 

Every child has fears, how can you help your child overcome those fears? Check out this quick, brief article out by Kendra Smiley. 

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!