Thursday, December 1, 2011

Bay Bucks for Toy Drive!



Hey Parents!

This Sunday, December 4, and the next Sunday, December 11, elementary-aged children will have the opportunity to purchase toys at the Bay Store with their Bay Bucks for our Toy Drive.

Church at the Bay is partnering with Crossover Church in Tampa to distribute toys to 1500 people in their community. You can read more about the project on Hal's blog. We're still collecting new and unwrapped toys in the $5-10 range, which we'll help distribute on December 17.

Please encourage your child to bring some of his or her Bay Bucks to experience the joy of giving to the less fortunate!

See you this Sunday,

April McCullohs
Children's Ministry

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

3rd Graders


Parents of 3rd graders,

Starting this Sunday, September 25, 3rd graders are going to be part of the fun in the new K-3 class.  There will be high-energy worship and games with grades Kindergarten through 3rd grade, followed by discussion time in breakout groups: Kindergarten and 1st grade together, and 2nd grade and 3rd grade together.  Your kids are going to have blast as they learn about God and experience His love.

The BayKids Team 

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

what's up with fun, trust and care?

Check out these short videos that April McCullohs and Alexis Albright made for our children's workers and you'll catch a glimpse of the core values here in BayKids:

Keys to Success in Children's Minstry: #1 "Fun" from Church at the Bay on Vimeo.


Keys to Success in Children's Ministry: #2 "Trust" from Church at the Bay on Vimeo.


Keys to Success in Children's Ministry: #3 "Care" from Church at the Bay on Vimeo.


Oh, and did we mention there's a bloopers reel, complete with a spontaneous song written on the fly? Check it out:

Children's Ministry Video Bloopers from Church at the Bay on Vimeo.





Monday, August 1, 2011

Classroom Adjustments

This past weekend, parents were informed of a few classroom adjustments that will take place starting August 14, 2011.  Just in case you missed it, they are as follows:


Current
Starting August 14
3-K room
3-5 years old
1st-3rd  room
Kindergarten-Second Grade, K-2
4th-5th room
Third-Fifth, 3rd-5th

With moving to two services, these changes will help us create classrooms that continue to engage kids on their level. Good things are happening in BayKids! 


Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Movin' on Up!

This Sunday, July 24, we will be promoting students based on the upcoming school year. Children going into first grade will start attending the exciting 1st-3rd class. Children going into fourth grade will start attending the engaging 4th/5th class, and students going into sixth grade will start the Middle School class.

We're excited about the changes! See you Sunday!

Thursday, January 6, 2011

Perfection is Impossible


As you approach this new year I am sure you have a vision of how you want your kids to develop. Maybe its improvement in school, more consistent obedience, better relationships with siblings, or just keeping their room clean. We all want our kids to be better than they are.

I can tell you from experience that as noble as those goals may be, your kids will disappoint you. The older they get, the more they drift from your perfect picture- because they are not a clone; they are becoming an individual with a will of their own. And that will won't always match yours.

Get ready to accept that reality but know that you are not alone. God knows better than anyone what it is like to deal with rebellious children. If He couldn't always control His kids, you won't either(read the Old Testament!). So maybe its time to stop expecting perfection both from your parenting skills and their behavior. Realize it is a journey with plenty of bumps and detours. Strive for improvement but don't expect perfection.

I made the mistake of expecting perfection but I eventually realized that I was more concerned about them making me look good than coaching them to make good choices on their own. That is a huge shift in mindset. A coach knows he has to develop a player's skills and that includes working through the mistakes until they develop muscle memory and consistent decision-making.

But even that assumes the kid wants to improve; all coaches have found kids that just don't want to play the game that badly so they quit. Parents don't have that option- they have to keep working at it, even when the child's motivation is lacking. So how do you fix a lack of motivation?

If you figure out the answer to that question, be sure to share it with God because He struggles with that same issue with many of His kids. Dump the expectation of perfection and join God in the challenge to develop good decision-makers.