Reaching Out Together
Reaching Out Together is a Milestone Celebration for the Love & Grace Sunday School group (5- and 6-year-olds) and their parents.
And whatever you do, in word and deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” ~ Colossians 3:17
As children discover that they are a part of a larger family of faith, they discover mutual respect and are ready to become partners in reaching out to the world in which they live. Serving Christ through service to others allows children to follow Jesus’ example and share their faith.
Gifts for Remembrance
Each child receives a clay faith stone to add to their Treasure Box with the symbol for this Milestone: a hand with a heart inside to remind us that the love Christ models for us is the center of all we say and do. Each child was presented with a copy of Jeremy Shapiro’s book, “Sheila and the Magnificent Tail,” a fable about a gecko, her tail, and her discovery about friendship and reaching out to others.
At the celebration, families will have the opportunity to practice sharing and caring for others by assembling “manna bags” and spend time with the special guests the Sunday school group hosted throughout the year.
Books for the Home
For Kids:
- God’s Dream by Desmond Tutu
- Wilfrid Gordon MacDonald Partridge by Mem Fox
- Give Thanks to the Lord: Celebrating Psalm 92 by Karma Wilson
- The Way I Feel by Janan Cain
- Psalms for Young Children by Marie Helene Delval
- Because Nothing Looks Like God by Lawrence and Karen Kushner
- I Like Being Me by Judy Lalli
- Peace Begins with You by Katherine Scholes
For Parents:
- The Five Love Languages of Children by Gary Chapman and Ross Campbell
- Making a Home for Faith: Nurturing the Spiritual Life of your Child by Elizabeth F. Caldwell
Faith Practices for the Home
Caring Conversations
- Notice with your child the diversity that exists in nature (i.e. the many kinds of flowers, the various shapes, colors, and smells). Talk with your child about God the Creator and wonder together why God created things to be different. Offer thanks to God for the world God has made.
- Talk with your child about all people being created in the image of God. Wonder together what it means to be a child of God.
- Talk openly with your child about people who look or act differently from them. Allow your child to ask questions. Notice what makes people similar. Reinforce that everyone is a child of God and has a God-given purpose.
Daily Devotions
- Pray each day with your child. Encourage prayers of praise to God for the many people God has placed in our world and in our lives.
- Read together the stories of God’s people in the Bible. Celebrate the loving relationship that God has had with humankind from the beginning of the world.
Family Traditions
- Attend worship as a family and make a point to sit in a different pew each Sunday. Encourage your child to greet those around him or her with a smile and a kind word.
- Look for opportunities to gather with other families for play, worship, and service.
Servant Acts
- Model acceptance of all God’s children in the way you act and the words you use.
- Learn about the many service opportunities that are available through FPC and make a plan with your family to become involved. Talk about the ways that our church family reaches out in helping, sharing and caring. As a family, take part in reaching out to the community and world.
Professing our Faith: Catechism Connections
Presbyterians have historically professed their faith through their creeds, confessions and catechisms. Belonging to God: A First Catechism provides simple language for parents and children as they profess their faith.
Question 35. What is the church?
Answer: We are the church: the people who believe the good news about Jesus, who are baptized, and who share in the Lord’s Supper. Through these means of grace, the Spirit renews us so that we may serve God in love.
Scripture background: Acts 2:38-47; I Corinthians 12:4-7, 12-13; Ephesians 3:14-19
Faith Development for 5-6 Years Old
This is an important time for language development. Have children tell you about their experiences and feelings. Let their play, imagination, and exploration be filled with positive images of God’s loving presence in their lives through attentive, loving adults. Children are becoming more aware of and interested in outside sources of interactions: friends, television, and the like. They see, hear, and understand more than we realize. These important years can give children a positive self-image that says, “I belong here,” and “I can do it!” Have children participate in service to others – both inside and beyond the home.
They sense the needs of others and balance self-interest with fairness and sharing. This is also a time when children develop personal competencies and a general sense that they can accomplish tasks by themselves. They seek new information and begin to reason how things relate to one another in cause and effect sequences. Some still have difficulty with cause and effect thinking. Expanded cognitive skills help them follow and remember longer stories. Physical skills improve considerable, and a greater sense of independence and ability is a hallmark of this time of life.
From Vibrant Faith Milestones Ministry
