The month of May is a “finishing” month for many of us. It’s when school ends, graduations happen, and the “year” – at least if you work off the school calendar- comes to a close. The month of May is always bittersweet for me. Because I was a classroom teacher for so long my mind and internal clock still tick on an August through May rhythm.
I’m not in a classroom anymore so I’m not sending kids off for summer vacation knowing that come August they will be another teacher’s babies. I’m not packing up my dry erase markers, books, and plan book for a couple of months, but still it’s May just like that…
During this- the fifth month of the year- I feel that same nostalgia that I always felt as a classroom teacher. I look at the fifth graders and realize that in a few short weeks, they will move on to student ministry. I hope and pray that their time in PathFinders has been a foundational time in their walk with the Lord. I look at the younger kids who will soon be moving up to PathFinders from our nursery or preschool area, and think to myself- “How did they grow up so fast?!” These things illicit a deep sentimentality, but also the sweet realization that God continues to move and grow each of us.
Then there is the May heartache that I can’t fully explain in words. This heartache comes from the fact that many children in our community will go hungry all summer. Because my time in the public school system was spent in Title-One schools, where the free lunch program served 90% of our population, I’ve always been hyper aware of what happened when kids went home for the summer. These children – my babies from August to May, would run the risk of having no breakfast, lunch, or dinner every day…most days. I know this hasn’t changed in our community, and there are few things that break my heart more.
May comes between April and June every year. Just like that…
Summer will happen, and much of it will be great. Just like that…
The kids in PathFinders will grow and change, as it should be. Just like that…
Kids in our city- kids your kids know- will go hungry. Just like that…
We can’t change things, but God can- JUST LIKE THAT.
As we enter the summer months, please join me in praying a “just like that” kind of prayer for our kids and our community.
This Week’s Announcements:
Summer Volunteers: WE NEED YOU!
If you haven’t done so, please sign up for a volunteer slot (or two or three) during the summer. Our regular (school year) volunteers take a much deserved break in the summer.
You can sign up one of two ways:
First way…
Sign up for “PathFinders Summer” on Volunteer Spot. Here's how it works in 3 easy steps:
1) Click this link to see our Sign-Up on VolunteerSpot: http://vols.pt/E92UVq
2) Review the options listed and choose the spot(s) you like.
3) Sign up! It's Easy - you will NOT need to register an account or keep a password on VolunteerSpot.
**Note: VolunteerSpot does not share your email address with anyone. If you prefer not to use your email address, please contact me and I can sign you up manually.
PROMOTION SUNDAY: JUNE 7th
Promotion Sunday affects MANY age groups, so please take note carefully.
- Children in room C that are already 2 years old will move up to room D (*Do not move children up UNTIL they turn two)
- Children in room D that are 3 years old OR will be 3 years old ON or BEFORE Sept. 1, 2015 will move to our 3k room
- Children in 3k room who are 4 years old OR will be 4 years old ON or BEFORE Sept. 1, 2015 will move upstairs to our 4k/K room
- Children in 4k/K room who will enter Kindergarten in the fall of 2015 will remain in that room. Children in 4k/K room who will enter 1st grade in the fall of 2015 will move out of that room and join the elementary PathFinders in the main big space upstairs
- Children entering 2nd-5th grade in the fall will remain in the same space they have been in this school year.
**Please note again- these changes happen on JUNE 7th- not before. Thanks!
Special promotion info for rising 6th graders…July 12th!
If your child is FINISHING 5th grade, and will be entering 6th grade this fall, he/she will continue coming to PathFinders on Sunday morning through June and until mid-July. They will join our STUDENT MINISTRY after summer youth camp (“OneCamp”) that happens the week of July 4th. This means they WILL NOT stay in the service and go to middle school small group on Sunday mornings NOR will they go to Sunday night youth until their first official day as part of Student Ministry- Sunday, July 12th. To help them with this transition, rising 6th graders will have a leadership role on Sunday mornings in PathFinders. They will have the opportunity to help lead games, help with technical jobs, and maybe even lead a discussion with younger children. During this transition time, they will have the opportunity to lead in an area they know well. You should hear from our youth pastor, David Scott as the date of transition for rising 6th graders gets closer.
What God is Teaching Us:
This section will have links to lessons. Feel free (I encourage it!) to open, read, and review with your children. Click on the links below to view May lessons.
This link is no longer available
Amazing Things Kids Do and Say…
While teaching the 3k kids and discussing the Truth about Heaven, the comment was made, “If you love Jesus, you go to heaven.” One child chimed in, “Well if you don’t love Jesus, you go somewhere else. I think it’s like the lion’s den- but it’s not the circus!”
