Brrr... Have you noticed any signs of Spring yet??? We pray you are all staying safe and warm during this bitter winter!

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.

Registration is now open!!! Early bird pricing deadline is March 31st! Save money now by registering your child for camp this month at www.manitoqua.org.

Camp Manitoqua, a local Christian camp we work with, has just begun summer registration. They have many wonderful camp opportunities for your child, whether it's just a one- or three overnights for those entering 2nd-4th grade, or a full week for 3rd grade and up. We are very excited to have designated "church weeks" this year where hopefully many of our children can attend camp together. To support the high value we place on church camp in a child's life, Calvary Church will offer financial assistance for overnight camps based on the child's association with Calvary Church.

For 2014, the church financial assistance per child will be $140 for full week Rez, $112 for the 2-night program, or $60 for the one-night program. The $140 can be applied to the other overnight camps that Manitoqua offers: Horse Camp, King's Camp, S.A.M.S.; or other Christian affiliated overnight camps.

Stop by the Camp Table upstairs near The LOFT and Youth area to pick up a Manitoqua packet and a detailed registration/financial assistant letter. Have the camp packet already? You can request just the letter by email, pick one up from the Camp Table, or download it HERE!

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! 

It's time to plan your next date night! Mark Friday, March 7 on your calendar and sign the kiddos up for P.N.O. Go online to www.calvaryop.org/pno to register your child(ren). The deadline to sign up is Monday, March 3. 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. 

As families go through old toys, games, etc, please keep KidsLife Ministries in mind as to where to donate your unwanted items! Some items we are on the look-out for include:

- Gently used thick and thin baby blankets

- Gently used twin/queen size comforters (to keep around during the cold winter months in case of emergency evacuation)

- Baby swing (non-battery operated, plug-in type)

- Board games of all ages (preschool through elementary...great for Parents' Night Out!)

Please let us know if you have any of these items that you are willing to donate. We can arrange a drop-off time.

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.  

Once again, the Cadets are offering an "Open Class" so anyone can join in on the fun. You can build your very own Pinewood Derby car and race it with the Cadets on Saturday, March 1 at 12-3 p.m. in the church gym.

There is a suggested donation of $20 for the car kit. Contact our Cadet Leaders Mark Sullivan ( drpaulmarksullivan@gmail.com) or Mike Sluis (sluismichael@sbcglobal.net) to get your Pinewood Derby kit and let the sanding begin!

Please note that the sign-up deadline to enroll your car is February 16th.

Also, just a friendly reminder: 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!

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!

February's Calendar

Feb. 5th - Girls Night 

Feb. 12th - Boys Night

Feb. 19th - Girls Night

Feb. 26th - Boys Night  

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

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!  

February Sunday Mornings in Tiny Town

Jesus loves everyone. Everyone! He loves you. He loves me. He even loves that lady down the street who never comes outside. He loves the man at the grocery store. He loves the lady at the deli. Jesus loves everyone!

We want our preschoolers to know that simple truth. Jesus loves them and everyone around them. We will hear stories of how Jesus loved during His time on earth. How He loved the woman at the well and the scorned woman even though no one else did. How He loves us even when we do something wrong like He loved Zacchaeus. Our preschoolers will also hear about how everyone needs Jesus and that we should tell others about Him. Each week's lesson will come back to one simple truth: Jesus loves everyone.

MEMORY VERSE

"Love each other as I have loved you." John 15:12, NIV

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. 

Health / Illness Reminder

As we all weather our way through this extreme winter, I want to remind you of our Tiny Town policy regarding health issues. These guidelines are designed to protect the health and well-being of all our precious little ones.

Illness: Please be considerate of all families and workers by keeping sick children at home. A child should not be brought into Tiny Town if he or she is vomiting or has diarrhea, has any contagious condition, or is generally not feeling well enough to play.

Children will be required to leave Tiny Town with any of the following symptoms:

1. Fever above 101 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Severe diarrhea-more than two abnormally loose stools.

3. Severe coughing, croup or whooping like sounds.

4. Yellowish skin or eyes.

5. Unusual rash or spots.

6. Complaints of sore throat or difficulty in swallowing.

7. Pink Eye-red or swollen eyes with abnormal discharge.

8. Runny nose which requires excessive wiping from a SPROUTS worker and/or causes contact with others.

9. Unusually cranky, less active, or loss of appetite.

10. Presence of lice, scabies, or impetigo.

11. Vomiting

Our Tiny Town volunteers will be advised not to admit children with any of the above conditions. This decision will be up to the judgment of the classroom volunteers and/or the Tiny Town Coordinator. Coordinators and volunteers cannot administer medication of any kind to your child.

Thank you for your understanding in this matter. We strive to keep our rooms and toys as germ-free as possible. We want all of our little ones, as well as our volunteers, to stay healthy!

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.

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

Faith is believing in what you can't see because of what you can see. Sometimes we lose sight of what God's doing in our lives. But we can see all of the many other ways God reveals Himself. Through the things we can see, we can believe that what the Bible says about God is true.

When we recognize God at work around us, we respond to Him with trust. We have confidence He has a plan for our lives, and we are willing to take risks to see that plan accomplished. Even in our moments of doubt, God will show us something to remind us to have faith.

We might not clearly see and understand everything about a relationship with God. We can ask questions and read our Bibles to learn more. But faith is believing that what God says is true, that we will live with Him forever, even when we can't see every detail about how it happens.

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 the Parent Add-Visor Card. 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: Silly Socks or Pajamas? The winning item gets to be worn on Sunday, February 23!

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.  

Family Devotionals for Lent 

The season of Lent is right around the corner, starting on Ash Wednesday, March 5th. How will your family prepare their hearts for the preparation of Easter? Check out this family devotional for Lent.

The author, Kimberlee Conway Ireton, comments, "My prayer is that as you embrace this season, your family's life with Christ will grow deeper and richer. I also pray that you will have grace for yourself and your children as you embark on this road from Ash Wednesday to Holy Saturday and, especially, that you will know the loving presence of Christ during your journey through Lent."

ANOTHER 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!