Well, fall is approaching, like a herd of turtles my husband would say, and LIGHTHOUSE KIDS is gearing up for a fun filled school year.  Our fall curriculum for Sunday morning will begin on Sunday August 29th; during the school year we use a video curriculum created by Creative Pastors.  It is called Elevate, and it is a great way to keep our kiddos interested and allow for quality small group time.  The biggest news in children’s ministry is that AWANA is moving to Tuesday nights.  Big changes, I know, but it is necessary.  Praise God, our children’s ministry and our youth ministry has been bursting at the seams and it is time to split these two groups up.  I am really excited about this and can’t wait to see what God will do with our kids at Lighthouse!  I am looking forward to seeing everyone again as we begin fall at LCC.  Make sure to check the website for more details about AWANA and Sunday mornings.

Ahhh… with the promise of 80+ degree days, I can finally see that summer is certainly drawing near!  I knew it would happen, but in the heart of the cold and snowy days of winter, it was soooo hard to imagine.  Summer holds so many exciting opportunities for families, whether it is spending long warm days just relaxing by the pool with your kids, hanging out at the ball fields, going on picnics, camping, riding bikes, taking a vacation or holding a lemonade stand in the front yard, summer is meant to be spent and enjoyed with your family.  Often there are so many great and worthwhile activities that attending church and enjoying fellowship with other believers can fall into the background.   1 Corinthians 12:12 says… The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. (NIV)  Because the body of Christ is one unit, just as our body is one unit, we feel it when our brothers and sisters in Christ aren’t at church (even if it is only for those dog days of summer)… wouldn’t you miss your foot if suddenly it disappeared?  So… my prayer for the congregation of Lighthouse Community Church this summer is that we would do all the fun things like hanging at the ball field, vacationing and holding a lemonade stand, but that our growth in Christ would continue through our desire to meet with His people in His church.

-Kristan

Well the much awaited Granny Smack Down is over and the “smack down” was not on the Grannies!  I was a little concerned going into this game that we might (would) lose, after all the Grannies play together twice a week and our staff has played basketball together once (last Tuesday’s practice) in the 3 years that I have been with Lighthouse.  However, our primary mission was not to beat the Grannies… our primary mission was to raise funds for our youth’s Challenge trip and to provide great (if not humiliating) entertainment for our audience.  That being said, the mission was accomplished.  We had a great turn out and raised a large amount of money to help fund the Challenge trip, and we enjoyed watching the antics of Pastor Craig (a wannabe Granny) and Loree (fight to the finish) Veith!  Thanks to everyone who came out to support us and to those of you who donated to the cause.  It really was a great event!

-Kristan

Faith Factor… Fear is not a Factor for those who are in Christ Jesus… Philippians 4:6-7 says “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything.  Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.  Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand.  His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

This was our theme for AWANA last night.  We had so much fun looking up the many verses that god has given us regarding fear and trusting God.  Of course, we also had to work in a little food challenge for those who chose to “face their fears”… our Sparks got to touch various things (hidden in a brown bag): marshmallows, cooked noodles, feathers etc… Our T&T group had the option of tasting things: tomato juice, tortilla chips in chocolate, beef and vegetable baby food, sardines, lemon juice, spinach (some of the really brave ones even chose to mix a few together).  Lots of laughing, anticipation and some gagging ensued as we learned that with Christ we can face our fears!

-Kristan

Well, it is finally happening.  I have felt for some time now that our 4^th and 5^th graders need to get a little deeper in their study of God’s word and Pastor Mike and I are ready to provide this opportunity!  We are beginning what we call Group 45 on January 28^th.  This group will meet on the 4^th Thursday of every month from 6:00 to 7:30.  We will be playing games, learning lessons from God’s word, and building Christ-like relationships!  We are really excited about this new group and can’t wait to see what God has in store for all of us!

-Kristan

What a year we have had so far with AWANA…  we had 86 kids on our first night, and have held those numbers (even had more some nights) each week!  I am so blessed to be a part of this program.  We have seen kids having fun, learning, and growing each week.  Last week we did something that we have never done before...