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,
Well done us - we made it to Spring - wild weather changes, glorious sunshine, daylight savings and only 75 sleeps until Christmas morning.
Here’s what’s happening this term across all our Bay Kids Programmes:
This term in Bay Preschool, we’re heading back into the New Testament to discover more of God’s Big Story and to learn all about Jesus! We’ll meet John the Baptist as he prepares the way for Jesus, discover how Jesus called His first disciples to follow Him, and explore some of Jesus’ teaching about living in God’s way through the Sermon on the Mount.
We’ll also revisit the story of the very first Christmas, celebrating the arrival of Jesus and remembering that He is God’s special gift to the world. Through Bible stories, play, and creative activities, our little ones will have opportunities to get to know Jesus and discover how much God loves them.
In Team Bay Junior, this term, we’re exploring the Big God Story, discovering how the whole Bible fits together as one big story of God’s love and His rescue plan for the whole world. We’ll begin by looking at the big picture, from Genesis to Revelation, before diving into The Jesus Storybook Bible and travelling back to the very beginning! We’ll discover how God created a perfect world, what happened when Adam and Eve chose to go their own way, how God brought a new beginning through Noah, and what happened when people tried to build a tower to reach heaven. As we explore all of these stories, we’ll be looking for what they show us about who God is and what His big rescue plan is through Jesus. As the term progresses, we’ll begin moving into Advent and Christmas, preparing to celebrate Jesus coming into our world - the central part of God’s amazing story!
And in Team Bay Seniors, we’re continuing our ‘13 Very Bad Days and How God Fixed Them’ series, exploring how Jesus meets people in the middle of some of life’s hardest moments. We’ll discover Jesus’ power through the story of Lazarus, remember His incredible love for us through His death on the cross, and celebrate the hope of His resurrection. We’ll then follow the stories of Stephen, Saul and a jailer, discovering how Jesus rescues us and how God can work in and through people in unexpected ways. We’ll also enjoy a special Team Bay Seniors Sunday Social on Sunday 22nd November (in our usual timeslot) with pizza, games and awards as we celebrate the year together, and particularly our Year 8s as they prepare to move on from Team Bay Seniors to BVC Youth. After this, we’ll turn towards Advent and Christmas, preparing to celebrate Jesus coming into the world and the hope He brings.
Our New Remember Verses for Term 4
And this time … everyone gets actions, because lets face it - actions are super fun!
Bay Preschool
Matthew 4:19a (NIrV) “Come and follow me,” Jesus said
Come
beckon with your hand
And follow me
march/walk on the spot
Jesus said
point upwards / point to Jesus
Team Bay Junior
Psalm 90 v 1&2 (NIrV): Lord, from the very beginning you have been like a home to us. Before you created the whole world and the mountains were made, from the beginning to the end, you are God.
Lord,
point upwards / point to Jesus
from the very beginning
Hold out left hand, palm up, and put right hand pointer finger into the middle of the palm
you have been like a home to us.
Lift both hands up arms out, and then bring them together and make a roof over your head
Before you created
Point both hands back behind you
the whole world
Make a big circle outline with both your hands
and the mountains were made,
Draw mountain shapes and ranges with your fingers
from the beginning to the end,
(repeat this action) Hold out left hand, palm up, and put right hand pointer finger into the middle of the palm
And then do the opposite hand, right hand with left hand pointer finger into the middle of the right palm
you are God.
Left hand up strong, then Right hand up strong, then both hands up together on ‘God’
Team Bay Seniors
Romans 8 v 38a & 39 (NIrV): I am absolutely sure that not even death or life can separate us from God’s love... Not even the highest places or the lowest, or anything else in all creation can separate us. Nothing at all can ever separate us from God’s love. That’s because of what Christ Jesus our Lord has done.
I am absolutely sure
Yell it out and stamp your feet
that not even death or life
Shake your head, arms up crossed as a blocker, arms up high
can separate us from God’s love...
Pull together a love heart fingers from arms outstretched first
Not even the highest places
Jump up pointing high
or the lowest,
Bob down, point low
or anything else in all creation
Spin around
can separate us.
Arms stretched out, bringing into a loud clap in front of you
Nothing at all
Yell it out and shake your head
can ever separate us from God’s love.
Pull together a love heart fingers from arms outstretched first
That’s because of what Christ Jesus our Lord has done.
Point finger, left arm out, right arm out (Cross like), nod your head
A few thoughts on the Big God Story…
You might be wondering why we spend time exploring stories from the Old Testament, particularly when so much of what we teach in Bay Kids is about Jesus.
One of the things I love about the Bible is that it isn’t just a collection of separate stories, or a book of rules about how to live. It’s one big story, and Jesus is right at the centre of it.
In Luke 24, after Jesus had risen from the dead, He met two disciples walking along the road to Emmaus. They were struggling to understand what had happened to Jesus, and why He had to die. Jesus took them back through the Scriptures, showing them how the story had been pointing towards Him all along. Later, in John 5, Jesus tells the religious leaders that the Scriptures themselves testify about Him.
I love that, because it reminds us that the Old Testament isn’t just the backstory before we get to the really important bit about Jesus. It’s part of the story of who God is, His love for people, and His plan to rescue and restore what has gone wrong in the world.
As we explore stories like creation, Noah, Abraham, Moses and David with our Bay Kids, we’re not just learning about people who lived a long time ago. We’re discovering more about God, seeing how His story unfolds, and beginning to recognise the bigger picture of what He is doing. We start to see themes of rescue, promise, hope and God’s faithfulness, all of which help us understand Jesus and why His coming into the world matters so much.
That’s why we talk about the Big God Story across all our age groups. We want our children to grow up seeing how the pieces fit together, rather than seeing the Bible as a series of disconnected stories. And as we move towards Advent and Christmas, we get to celebrate Jesus’ arrival with a little more understanding of the story He stepped into, and the rescue He came to bring.
Of course, our preschoolers and our older children will explore these ideas in different ways, but the heart is the same: helping our kids get to know God, discover His big story, and see how Jesus is at the centre of it all.
Breath Prayers
Some insights and inspiration from spiritual director Kayla Craig that might be helpful for you in this next season…
“Getting into a rhythm of prayer is something we do in the comings and goings of our (seemingly) ordinary days. Borrowing breath prayers is such a simple (but PROFOUND) way to connect with the One who gives each breath, regulate our nervous systems, and become more present to the people and places right in front of us.”
“...When anxious thoughts flood my mind, intentionally praying with my breath is a way for me to reset my mind, body, and soul and reorient myself to the truth that, no matter how chaotic life is, no matter how awful and unjust that last headline was, God is nearer than my next breath.”
“Breath prayers lead me to compassion instead of cynicism. They’re short prayers we say with each inhale and exhale, and can quite literally be prayed in just a few seconds. No matter where you are or what you’re going through, no matter how full your schedule is or where you are (or aren’t) in your faith journey, you already have all you need to pray alongside your breath.”
Some Breath Prayer examples to try together at home:
INHALE: You are with me
EXHALE: In every breath
INHALE: When I’m scared
EXHALE: You are with me
INHALE: You are with us
EXHALE: So we can rest
INHALE: You care about us
EXHALE: Hold our cares for us.
Arohanui,
Charlotte and Simone