Romans 1:12 ‘When we get together, I want to encourage you in your faith, but I also want to be encouraged by yours.’
Kia Ora Bay Kids Whanau,
By the time you read this it will actually be November, and the older grown-ups amongst us will feel the need to say things like, ‘wow where did that year go?!’
As you would have heard by now I am going on Sabbatical in late November. And I’ve been saying that timeframe in my head for so long now that it feels quite sudden that the actual reality is upon me.
It is a privilege and a very kind blessing that I get this wonderful opportunity and I am super grateful. I look forward to the unwinding, the rest, and the re-visioning. And please know that in the midst of that I will miss, what I consider to be, “all my little chickens” - note that that term applies to all Bay Kids of all ages, regardless of whether they see themselves as little or chickens or not.
SABBATICAL INFORMATION FOR YOU:
It has been really humbling and encouraging to have such a wonderful team of people stepping up and stepping in, in my absence. You and your children are going to be well looked after and Sundays will run smoothly in their usual way.
We have a great team of people who regularly serve in Team Bay Seniors. Jen, Mari, and Josie will be overseeing Team Bay Junior, with all our wonderful helpers. And Simone will continue to keep her wonderful Bay Preschool team looking after our littlest ones so well.
I am not going to over-emphasise my upcoming absence to the children, other than some chat around ‘taking a break’. I think that the routines and the rhythms that we have in place, as well as the amazing team of volunteers who serve them each week, will be a great source of consistency and security for them. Plus we have exciting things to look forward to like our upcoming Annual Bay Kids Christmas Extravaganza - Jen will keep you posted on all of this fun!
In truth, the lovely Simone, holds lots of our important Bay Kids details together and most importantly - the food - so all will be well 😊
CURRICULUM:
Our Bay Kids Curriculum, across all three programmes, will take us through to Easter 2026, and we're already underway with that learning, so that will be good for our continuity and familiarity.
In Team Bay Seniors we're looking at ‘13 very surprising sayings and why Jesus said them’. John 7: 14-15 says, "Midway through the festival, Jesus went up to the Temple and began to teach. The people were surprised when they heard him.” It’s important that our children know that Jesus did say some really surprising things. And it’s also important to know that what He said didn’t always make sense to everyone straight away. But we’re not scared to wrestle with some confusion and to dig a little deeper. We’re going to discover the faith-building, life-changing truths that are tucked into these surprising sayings and what they teach us about who God is and how Jesus wants us to live. We’ll be looking at some sayings like, ‘Love your enemies’, ‘The first will be last’, and 'Fish for people’. Keep asking those curious ‘after Church questions’ when your Seniors are eating their lunch - what was weird about today’s story? where were you surprised by Jesus?, and how will what you learnt help you tomorrow at school?
In Team Bay Junior we're looking at ‘13 very cool stories and why Jesus told them’. Matthew 13: 35 says, “I will speak to you in parables. I will explain things hidden since the creation of the world.” This is an exciting opportunity to unpack the meaning behind these wonderful stories. Stories that teach us about Jesus, the Kingdom of Heaven, and our place in God’s Big Story. Jesus is a masterful storyteller - there’s so much power and delight in these stories, and so much that ‘sticks’ regardless of time, because of how clever these stories are shared. I’m hopeful that you’ll be able to share your memories and your questions with your children about these stories like ‘The Good Samaritan’, ‘The Vineyard’, ‘The Found Son’ and ‘Two Builders’. It’s fun to have a favourite.
And in Bay Preschool we're journeying through Jesus's Ministry Years using stories from The Tiny Truths Illustrated Bible. It’s really exciting to learn alongside Jesus’ Helpers just who He really was. We want our littlest children to know the one big story of God’s Great Love for His Children. We want them to know who God is - the One who made everything and everyone, Who we are - His Children, whom He loves no matter what, and What we were made for - to love Him and everyone else. We’ll be learning about Jesus’ teaching, His healings and helpings, as well as some of His stories, and most importantly - His love of children.
And here’s our REMEMBER VERSE for these Curriculum areas from 2 Timothy 3:16 in the NIRV: God has breathed life into all Scripture.
It is useful for teaching us what is true.
It is useful for correcting our mistakes.
It is useful for making our lives whole again.
It is useful for training us to do what is right.
We seek to focus on remembering and not memorising. And although this is a subtle difference, we don't just want to memorise for the sake of competition or reward. The goal here is not to ‘parrot’ something back without context or understanding; but instead to deeply know Scripture as Truth, as a solid reference point in the midst of confusion and uncertainty.
This verse reminds us that Scripture doesn’t just inform us, it forms us. And this is a great verse to anchor faith in. It tells us something deep and steady about God’s Word.
This verse helps us hold onto the truth that the Bible comes from God Himself. It isn’t just a human book, it’s God-breathed, filled with His life and wisdom. That means we can trust Scripture completely as our guide for life and faith.
God’s Word is alive and powerful. It carries God’s breath, His life, and helps us know who He is.The Bible shows us what’s true. When the world is confusing, we can come back to Scripture to see what God says.
It helps us see and fix our mistakes. God’s Word gently shows where we’ve gone wrong and how to get back on the right path. It makes us whole again. God uses Scripture to heal and shape our hearts so we can live the way He designed.
And I love knowing that the verses we help them learn now might stay with them for the rest of their lives. It’s one way we can keep pointing them to God, even when we’re not right there with them.
SOME ENCOURAGEMENT:
‘Small, repeatable moments over time add up to powerful spiritual formation.’
Please remember this as we head into the silliness of the season amidst the beauty of what Advent offers us - a chance to pause and reflect on the Hope, Peace, Love and Joy of God with Us, Jesus our Rescuer and our Saviour.
Be kind to yourselves — look for the small, repeatable moments of discipleship, not just the technicolour, Instagram-worthy highlights. Enjoy some good old-fashioned Christmas Story reading together - even if it takes several attempts and the narrative is lost completely.
Happy Christmas and have a wonderful beginning to 2026
Keep an eye on those beautiful growing children and save me all the stories and photos of the weird and wonderful anecdotes and hilarious moments that I will deeply miss.
Freely make eye contact with me at the supermarket, but don't trust me for a second to not ask questions about the stuff that I'm supposed to be letting go of and resting from - instead regale me with your stories of summer, holiday plans, and brilliant small talk. I will be delighted.
May God’s Grace be with you.
Charlotte