In virtual Sunday School, we kicked off our theme of PEACE with an Easter story reading by Olivia (thank you, Olivia!) and resurrection eggs (each egg containing an object that represents a part of the Easter story). We did a virtual Easter egg hunt, looking for hidden eggs in photos. They were not easy to find!  We looked at photos of Easter Eggs from different countries, all decorated in unique but beautiful ways.   We also watched a homemade video supporting the idea that Jesus is our bridge to God. When Adam and Eve disobeyed God, they lost peace with Him. This created a gap between people and God that was impossible for people to fix.  God fixed that gap though Jesus, providing a way for us to have a relationship with Him.

Visit http://youtube.com/parentcue to see what they learned at church this week.

In virtual Sunday School, we continued our theme of PEACE by talking about sibling rivalry. Then we heard a true story about a monkey from China who was separated from his mother and although he was cared for at a shelter, he remained sad until he made friends with a pigeon (an unlikely friendship). Through this story and a demonstration, we learned that although it can be hard, God wants us to find ways to share peace in a world that we often find unpeaceful. Our demonstration consisted of clear water (representing Jesus), murky water (representing the world), and a sponge (representing us). Whatever the sponge soaked up, it squeezed out. We when soaked up the clear water of Jesus and squeezed it into the world, the world became clearer. We also did an activity where the children were given the same exact instructions to draw a simple person. We discovered that each and every child created a unique drawing because God created us all unique and special - something we must remember when we decide to get into an argument with a sibling or friend. We can make peace with others by listening to their ideas rather than thinking our way is the only way.

A new month means a new worship song! Listen to “Even When” and sing along!

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Apple Music: http://bit.ly/AM04Worship

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Amazon Music: http://bit.ly/AZ04Worship

In virtual Sunday School, we heard the story of Isaac and how his refusal to fight with his neighbors over his wells led to peace which let Isaac and his family thrive on the land.  We talked about what can happen when anger gets the best of us.  We watched a  balloon demonstration -the balloon representing us and air representing anger.  When the balloon was filled to the max, it could potentially explode or pop. If we let the air out of the balloon quickly by just letting it go, the balloon would probably fly around in a crazy way. This is similar to  us letting out our anger quickly by arguing and fighting.  Instead, we could let the air out gently or release our anger in a more thought out way.  Suggestions included taking a few deep breaths, praying, writing, reading, talking to a friend, listening to music, and doing something we enjoy.  We looked at a science experiment where anger caused an explosion when self control wasn't used.  We also talked about a very important shape in engineering .  The triangle is the strongest shape for building structures such as bridges because it allows the structure to bear weight when force is applied. We can use the shape of a triangle to help us remember to build peace.  When we keep God (the source of peace) at the top of the triangle, He can give us the strength to walk away from a fight and make peace with others.  

April has been a great month to talk more about peace.

Check out  http://youtube.com/parentcue to find out what we learned today!

In virtual Sunday School, we closed our theme of PEACE by talking about being a peacemaker. We heard the story of Abigail and how her peacemaking skills stopped something that could have been horrible. We talked about opposites and how sometimes people's opposite ideas or opinions can lead them into an argument. We learned that God wants us to be peacemakers and look for ways to help others find peace. That might mean offering to find a solution or offering something we have. It could  also mean getting an adult involved or just making someone laugh. When we are peacemakers we act as bridges between people. Children were challenged to make a bridge using only 1 piece of paper, strong enough to hold a  handful of coins. After trying a few different designs, we discovered a way to make a paper bridge much stronger than we thought possible. We might not feel like we'd make a strong peacemaking bridge but every attempt at peacemaking contains the strength of God.