First B Update
March 18, 2010
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Kids Speak Out in Kid Country
by Jackie Tharpe
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What do you get when you combine 56 kids, three skits, nine songs, gymnastics and a cartoon? Answer: The Tweenage Power Company’s Sunday School Musical!
Hannah: “I think this musical is missing something really important.”
Hayden: “What’s that?”
Hannah: “We don’t talk about Jesus very much. He’s the reason we’re doing this musical right? So, we need to find a way to tell people about Jesus. Here’s my idea ... ”
Since January the sound of children’s voices has been heard every Sunday evening in The Point as 3rd, 4th and 5th graders have been practicing their musical.
Listen to these 5th graders' excitement as they anticipate their performance and you will hear their hearts:
Greg: “It’s gonna be really fun. I’m going to invite some friends and my school teacher!”
Andrew: “It’s really fun to do all the songs. My favorite song talks about living my life all for Jesus.”
Samantha: “I like it best because I like to act and sing. I’m really happy to be in it. My favorite song is Follow You because it helps me learn to follow Jesus and helps me know He’s always with me.”
Sara: “My favorite song is Shine Like the Sun because it helps me learn about the Lord a little bit more. He’s pretty important to me.”
“Tweenagers love to worship at this age. They’ll sing, act, do gymnastics, anything,” commented Don Rowe, Elementary/Tweenage Director. “They are willing to worship God in front of other people and are eager to invite their friends and family to attend their performance. It’s always amazing how much they can learn. They can be goofing off but as soon as rehearsal starts, they snap to it. God works through their lives. They are fearless, uninhibited and eager to share God’s love with others.”
Parents often stay while their children are rehearsing. When I asked their thoughts on this activity, the comments were as varied as the kids, yet as common as their love for their children.
 One father stated, “It is an opportunity to interact with other kids, to express themselves; acting broadens and stretches their abilities. It helps them to grow and strengthens God’s Word in their hearts. It is a good thing.” Another felt it was “good that they can participate in a group like this and have fun.”
Mothers, too, agreed. “It gives kids a different avenue to learn about the Lord. It’s exciting for them. Our whole household sings the songs. Even shy kids get involved,” stated Amy Taylor.
Karri Gier added, “I love seeing the kids singing praises to the Lord. It gives me chills. It helps them to tuck God’s Word in their hearts through the lyrics of the songs. I didn’t grow up in church so hearing kids get this at this age grabs and touches my heart.”
As I left the rehearsal, I could hear the children’s sweet voices singing “I’m not cool—that’s okay. My God loves me anyway; I’m not cool—that’s alright; I’m still precious in His sight.” So, what was Hannah’s idea for sharing Jesus? Come to the performance Sunday, March 21, 6:30 pm in the Pavilion Concourse to find the answer!
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Watch Out for Runners
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 This Sunday the Modesto Marathon will be held in downtown Modesto. The start/finish line is at 11th & M Streets, right next to our church campus. The race starts at 7 am and runners will be finishing throughout the morning. To accommodate the race, several streets will be blocked off downtown, including part of M, 11th, 9th and 12th streets. We’re working with the event organizers to ensure access to our parking lots for Sunday services; however, it may take a bit of maneuvering to enter a parking lot. Please be patient and show grace to the people of our community. We suggest traveling down Needham Street and turning onto 11th Street to access our lots.
Let’s demonstrate Christ’s love to the people from the community right next to our campus on Sunday.
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 Rescue from Hunger
We have another opportunity to partner with Salvation Army to help rescue from hunger children and families here in our own community. Door hangers are available in the church office and in the street on Sundays. Take some to pass out to your neighbors, decide on a pick-up date, then bring the donations back to the church by April 11. It’s a great way to meet your neighbors and support our community.
Recently, while putting together a message on trusting God, I was really struggling in my preparation. I don’t think I was doing anything “wrong,” it just wasn’t humanly making sense. I stared and stared at my notes, and tried MY best to make it work. Then it hit me ... the message about trust was just as much for me as it was for everyone who would hear it. Sometimes I think my default is to think about all the great things that other people need to be challenged with, and I’m blind to what God is saying to me. So I finished up and decided to practice what I was going to preach.
~ Jeff Harmon
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