Spring is in the air and our bodies are ready to unwind and relax a little from the crazy cold weather. School is getting close to the end but sports and such are just starting up, still causing hectic schedules. We hope that during this time you are able to find peace and commune in worship with God, our amazing Heavenly Father. Checking in with him regularly just makes life all that much better!  

Many of our amazing volunteers, on Sundays and during the weekday programs, have given so much time and dedication to our KidsLife ministries since the start of the school year. Please make sure to take the time to thank them for teaching our precious children more about Jesus' teachings and how to live a Godly life. The list of teachers names in The LOFT and Tiny Town are listed below in the right-hand column.

If you volunteer in a KidsLife program, you are so greatly appreciated! We value the time you give and continue to ask for your serving heart to continue on in one of our many ministries. We love you!!    

We will be celebrating our LOFT and Tiny Town teachers on Sunday, May 18th as we wrap up with our "end-of-the-school-year" party. We are inviting our teachers for a special appreciation brunch between the two services from 10:30-11:00 a.m. We are looking for families who would like to make a dish or provide a variety of brunch goodies for our teachers. If you are interested, please email Tiffany at children@calvaryop.org. Items would need to be brought in no later than 10:15 am that morning. Thank you!

There will be NO LOFT for our elementary kids on Sunday, May 25, but Tiny Town will still be open during all of our services for infants thru age 4.

If you are considering volunteering this summer or in the Fall, we have many ministries and serving opportunities to choose from.   Here is just a quick list:

Summer:

Sunday mornings:

Tiny Town Sunday Nursery Care (Infants-4) - Our rooms are filling up with kiddos and we are in need of more volunteers, especially during the 11:00 service.

The LOFT (Teachers or Assistant teachers) - During the summer our usual Sunday School teachers get a much deserved break, so please consider signing up for a Sunday or two this summer at either the 9:30 or 11:00 a.m. service. All of the material is ready and prepped for you; all you have to do is implement it!

VBS Volunteer 

(pre-prep work or week of June 23rd-27th) - See VBS section below.

Fall: 

Want to do more than just help out two or three times this summer? Contact Tiffany to see where you can get plugged in for the upcoming Fall programs:  

- LOFT Small Group or Large Group teachers/assistants

- GEMS

- Cadets

- Two Fridays a month childcare for our Mom's Group, Momtourage

- Wednesday morning childcare during Coffee Break

Prayer Concerns

Thank you to all who helped with this successful event! Many hands make light work! Thank you to those who donated candy, eggs, and cookies and those who took time to stuff eggs, or were able to assist on the event day. The church was covered in thousands of eggs and we had a wonderful turnout of over 200 kids and their families!

We think it would be so much fun if we got a bunch of Calvary families together and got involved in PASS' Color Fun Run & Hike Fundraiser this June in Frankfort, IL! Check-In would start at 8:15 a.m.

The hikers step off at 8:30 a.m. Hikers will walk from the grounds of Peace Community Church, on the sidewalk along LaGrange Road to Pleasant Hill Road and onto Old Plank Trail through downtown Frankfort to Pfeiffer Road and back again. It is about 4 miles. Participants can walk as little or as much as they desire;  the goal is to have fun and raise money for PASS!

Rooms are filling up fast!!! We only have 10 SPACES LEFT in our Elementary group (age 5 - 5th grade. Ages 4 and under spots are FULL! Go to www.calvaryop.org/pno to sign up your child.

Cost is $5 per child for the night. Dinner (served at 6 p.m.) and snack (served at 8:30 p.m.) included. 

Come on out to Manitoqua, Frankfort for a day of fun with the family!

• 9:30am - 2nd Annual 12,000' Run (register online here! )
• 11:00am to 4:00pm - Spring Into Summer activities begin.   Lunch is served until 3:00pm

Reasons to Join Us:

Calvary families will meet for a fun-filled afternoon of fellowship in June!

More details to come! But for now, please save this date on your calendar! 

Praise God for the ministry they provide. Go to www.manitoqua.org to view the church camp overnight sessions they provide. There may still be some openings for your preferred week! Or give them a call at (815) 469-2319.

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.   

Email Tiffany at children@calvaryop.org to request the financial discount code for the camps.

The remainder of the Cadet season includes their annual Awards/Auction Night on May 7 as well as their campout right here on Calvary's grounds on May 16-17.

The Fall season will start back up in September. All new Cadets can register on the first welcoming night.

THANK YOU to all the Cadet counselors, some who are dads with participating Cadets and others who just like to serve and mentor these young boys. We have had a great year and it is because of the men's dedication and love they have for the ministry. A big thanks to our Cadet Co-Coordinators, Mike Sluis and Mark Sullivan. Wonderful first year as leaders, gentlemen! Thank you!

SERVING OPPORTUNITY: 

Is God laying on your heart to get plugged in at Calvary and serve in a ministry? The Cadet program is a great ministry for men/dads of all ages to get involved. It only meets two Wednesdays a month! Come try it out and see how God can work in your life through this program! 

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

Momtourage

Our ministry for moms will be wrapping up their season on May 23. We invite you to join us in the Fall! The group meets twice a month on Friday mornings and provides childcare for infants thru age 5.  

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

May Sunday Mornings in Tiny Town

My God will meet all my needs," (Philippians 4:19, NIrV). What a powerful thought. God will meet all our needs. Notice the verse says needs and not wants. That's hard for adults to remember, even more for preschoolers. So this month, we will talk about our basic needs and stories where God provided.

We start the month with one of our favorite stories. Jesus tells us not to worry (something we need to hear often) because if God provides for the birds and the flowers, won't He do even more for you? We love the simple beauty of His provision.  

The preschoolers will then hear about Elijah, both how God provided ravens to feed him in the wilderness and the widow with what she needed to make bread for him and her family. These are great stories to show how God provides for our basic needs.

Finally, we'll tell the story of Abraham, and how he trusted God to provide for him even when God asked him to move and promised what he couldn't believe. God will meet all my needs. That's the truth, friends. You better believe it.

MEMORY VERSE

"My God will meet all your needs." Philippians 4:19 

BOTTOM LINE:

God will take care of 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. 

All programs for Infants through Age 5

During our weekday ministries, 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.

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

We are just about to wrap up our program for the school year. But here is a little information about what is to come in the Fall!  

While moms attend Coffee Break Bible Study, Little Lambs (2-3 yrs.) & Story Hour (3-5 yrs.) children will experience exciting Bible stories, crafts, snacks and interactive play with others their age. Care for infants is also provided.  

Hope to see you mothers at Coffee Break and your little ones in Tiny Town in September!

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

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

Like most kids in elementary school, you probably studied inventors-those men and women who work tirelessly to bring us technology that changes our lives. From a movable type printing press which made it possible for the Bible to be published for the masses, to the Internet which now allows multiple translations of the Bible to show up in the palm of your hand. From figuring out how to harness electricity to creating a glass bulb which can light up the night. Inventors have spent countless hours on prototypes, mistakes, or even failures on their journey toward a breakthrough - that one moment when everything comes together making a theory into a reality.

Simply put: being an inventor takes a whole lot of endurance. But let's face it-life in general takes a whole lot of endurance too.

Your kids have been in school for eight or nine months by now. They are tired of the classes, the schoolwork, and the tests. They're ready for summer, yet they know they still have a few weeks left. Like you, we want them to finish strong. That's one of the reasons why we're taking the month of May to look more closely at endurance.

ENDURANCE is sticking with what you started even when it gets tough. When work gets tough, when exhaustion sets in on the soccer field, or when that science project just won't come together, endurance is what gives us that extra something to keep us going until we finish what we began.

The monthly memory verse is:

When we have endurance, we can know that it will be worth it. We'll experience the joy of finishing what we started.

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! Download 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.  

APRIL'S OFFERING CHALLENGE: Boys Vs. Girls - that's an easy one to choose! 

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.  

RECALL NOTICE 

The Maker of all human beings (GOD) is recalling all units manufactured, regardless of make or year, due to a serious defect in the primary and central component of the heart. This is due to a malfunction in the original prototype units code named Adam and Eve, resulting in the reproduction of the same defect in all subsequent units.

This defect has been identified as "Sub-sequential Internal Non-morality," more commonly known as S.I.N., as it is primarily expressed.

The Manufacturer, who is neither liable nor at fault for this defect, is providing factory-authorized repair and service free of charge to correct this defect.

The Repair Technician, JESUS, has most generously offered to bear the entire burden of the staggering cost of these repairs. There is no additional fee required.

The number to call for repair in all areas is: P-R-A-Y-E-R.

Next, download ATONEMENT from the Repair Technician, Jesus, into the heart component.

Please see the operating manual, the B.I.B.L.E. (Best Instructions Before Leaving Earth), for further details on the use of these fixes.

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!