You are Invited/Baptized in His Love

We started a new series in Amplify called Foundational Truths. These are the truths that make up what we believe and as Christians it's very important to know what the Bible says! Two weeks ago we learned what Salvation is. We learned first of all that we are loved. We have a loving Father who cares for us so much! He is love. Fathers here on earth may make mistakes but God is the perfect Father. He does what is best for us and He loves us perfectly. Next we learned that we are forgiven. Sin separated us from God but because He is a loving Father and He wants a relationship with us, He sent His son Jesus to die on the cross for our sin. He took our place and because of that we can be forgiven and have a relationship with our Heavenly Father. Last we learned that we are God's child. I John 3:1 says, "See how great a love the Father has for us, that we should be called children of God." When we receive the Father's love and forgiveness we become adopted into His family. (Romans 8:15) God is the King of Kings so that makes us a royal prince or princess. As a prince or princess we get everything that our Daddy has - called an inheritance.

Our royal princes and princesses made bracelets or keychains with words like "princess" "chosen" or "loved" to help them remember they have a Heavenly Father who loves them so much.

This last Sunday we learned about Water Baptism. Baptism does not make us saved. Salvation is a free gift and we don't have to earn it. But we get baptized after salvation in obedience to Jesus and to follow His example (Mark 16:16, Matthew 3:13-17) It is an outward expression of the change that has taken place on the inside of us. It is saying we believe Jesus died on the cross, was buried and rose again. It's saying that we are dead to sin and alive to God and it's saying that our spirits will live on with Jesus because we have eternal life. In place of our regular church service, we will be having a Baptism Service on Monday, September 17th at 6pm at Sue Yeroshefsky's mother's house. For directions or if your child is interested in being baptized, please contact Pastor Harry or Sandra Copen.

Who's My Neighbor?

This was an exciting week in Amplify Children's Ministry. Friday evening we had guests, Pastor Marcus and Bobbie Abernethy from Kidz Dominion with us for our Shift Children's Service. We had a fun time and enjoyed funny skits, games, music, and hearing the Word of God in an exciting way.
Sunday morning our kids filled the altar during praise and worship waving flags! They did this on their own - no one asked them to or prompted them. It warmed my heart to see them praising God. I thought how happy it must make Him to have His children praising Him. The kids also served in the church service by being greeters and taking up the offering.
We finished out our series, "Kids Serve" with a lesson on The Good Samaritan. We watched the story on video and learned that when God says to love our neighbor He means everyone. Our neighbor is the one in front of us and our neighbor is the one the whole way across the globe. It is whoever is in need, whoever we can help, and whoever we can show love to. A true follower of God doesn't just say they love, but they show love. We ended our class by praying for our neighbors in other countries who have needs. We prayed for Zimbabwe - that God would show the people there His love and meet their needs since they live in extreme poverty. We prayed for Somalia - that God would reach them and provide for them because many are dying of starvation. Finally we prayed for Syria - that God would give them peace and protect the people because they are in a civil war.


Following is a link "Stop for the One" This video shows the heart of God. Iris Ministries is a wonderful organization that bears so much fruit. If you are interested in donating or sponsoring a child visit their website for more information.  www.irismin.org

Families Serving

Continuing our series, "Kids Serve" today we learned ways we can serve as a family. We learned about Joshua and how he declared, "As for me and my house we will serve the Lord. (Joshua 24:14-18) Joshua told everyone who'd listen about the amazing things God had done and then he told the people that there's no other god he and his family would serve.  Like Joshua and his people, your family can decide together that "we will serve the Lord."
Kids got into groups of "families" and thought of creative ways they could serve others as a family unit. Whether helping an elderly person with their groceries, welcoming a new family to the neighborhood, or giving to those in need, there are always ways we can serve. This week look for opportunities your family can serve those around you. 

In our time of soaking, we talked about what it's like to have our best friend over for a sleep over. We look for ways to entertain them and pay special attention to them. We wouldn't think of inviting them over and then ignoring them. Well, when we are in God's presence we can "entertain" Him as our special guest as well.  When we pay special attention to God and love Him it is like a sweet aroma to Him. (Ezekiel 20:41) He also loves getting presents from our heart. On gift bags around the room were written "Praise" "Worship" "Hunger" and "Thankfulness" Each child spent quiet time at each station, bringing their "gifts" to God and spending time with Him. It was a beautiful time of soaking in God's presence.



Our kids have learned what it is to serve in our community by collecting school supplies and clothing for the Union Rescue Mission. This morning a few volunteers prayed over the items, asking God to bless each person who would receive them and that they would know His love.

Next week kids will be serving in our church service upstairs as greeters as well as taking up the offering. We will also be doing promotions for those students moving up to a higher level class in children's church. Please be there with your students. We will be presenting them with certificates for their achievements. 

Kids Serve

Today was the start of our new series entitled, "Kids Serve."  This series is so valuable and important to teach to our children because a life of serving is how the Father wants us to live - to serve God and to serve others. Jesus said He came not to be served but to serve and give His life for us.  (Matthew 20:28)


We had a child volunteer to clean some blocks from the nursery. He came up very excited and ready to help and as he did I handed him a pair of scissor and told him to go ahead. He gave me a blank look as did the rest of the kids. Then I handed him the right tool for the job - some disinfecting wipes. This illustration demonstrated that God has gifted us each with our own special talents that He wants us to use. Scissors are great for cutting but not so great for cleaning. We need to use the special talents that God has given us to serve Him and others. Pastor Harry talked about how the church is like a body.  We each have a function and a purpose. Each part is important and necessary. (I Corinthians 12:12-31)

In our soaking time we learned that our hearts are like radios. We need to be tuned into God to be able to hear what He is saying to us. So many distractions come in and cause static.  These distractions (like television, games, friends, etc.) aren't necessarily bad things but when we spend too much time on them it keeps us from spending time with God. He is constantly talking to us. We just need to get our hearts tuned into Him and hear what He wants to say to us.

Amplify kids serving by making cards to encourage someone.

*Amplify is still collecting school supplies and clothing in good condition for the Union Rescue Mission. We want to serve our community by meeting the needs of the people.  The last date to turn in donations is August 26th.

Amazing Accomplishments

We ended our series on the Ten Commandments this week with "Do not covet" or, to be content with what God gives us. We each shared an accomplishment that we were most proud of and shared what it would be like if someone else accomplished the same thing...but did it better. We discussed that God made us each different, with different gifts. No one else is quite like us - and that's a great thing! We can concentrate on what God has given us, and not wish we were different.  We should also rejoice with others in their accomplishments so we took turns encouraging each other and sharing what gifts God has given each person.


Our next series is entitled "Kids Serve" and we will be learning how God wants each of us to serve Him and others. One way to serve is to give. Throughout the month of August, Amplify Children's Ministry will be partnering with the Union Rescue Mission of Cumberland to collect school supplies and clothing that is in good condition. These will be distributed to kids before the start of the school year so if you would like to help, please turn in your donations to Pastor Harry or Sandra by August 26th.  Kids will receive points this month for participating in activities of serving within the church, community, and even  in helping another nation! We are excited to teach Amplify Children about serving God and giving to others.


We also officially promoted Jess Binnix to the youth group. We are gonna miss her in Children's Church but are excited for her to grow into all that God has for her! Sunday evening we presented her with a Student Bible and certificate.

Big Lie, Little Lie

We started this Sunday with a game in which we read through some different scenarios and the kids decided if they were "big lies", "in-between lies", or "little lies".  Of course the  connection that we made at the end is that, to God, a like is a lie - period. There are no big lies or little lies.  And because God is a God of truth, we tell the truth no matter what.  We should be gentle and kind while telling the truth, sharing the truth with love, but God expects us to tell the truth every time.

Next week is the last week of our series on The Ten Commandments. Students have been memorizing the commandments and will recite them to their teachers this coming Sunday in class for points, so take an opportunity to go over them with your child.


Also, please remember to support the youth and children with our upcoming Shift Event. See Pastor Harry or Sandra with any donations or if you would like to help in any way. This event is  not only to stir something in our students, but to reach out to the kids and youth in our community as well so let's get the word out!

What is God saying?

Prophet Kevin Smith came to speak to our Amplify Kids this week about hearing and obeying God's voice.  Just as we can recognize a familiar friend's voice without even seeing them walk in the room, we can know and recognize God's voice the more we spend time with Him and get to know Him.  He wants to speak to us but we must be willing to take time to listen. God puts people in our lives to tell us things. Our pastors, leaders, and teachers are put in our lives to lead and guide us. They can help us to hear what God is saying. The more we grow in God, we still need the leaders God has placed in our lives, but we can begin to hear God for ourselves. When God speaks to us we must be willing to follow Him. Once we step out in faith, the Spirit will lead and guide us but we must be willing to take that step of obedience.


At the close of our service, Prophet Kevin prayed over each child and spoke into their lives. There were words of healing, encouragement, and freedom.  God has big plans for the children at Kingdom Victory Church and it was awesome to hear what He has in store for them! There are future plans, but He also has plans for them now and He wants to use them now! The greatest miracle this week was the miracle of salvation! We had a boy freed from hurt and anger and he gave his heart to the Lord!

Hearing God's Voice

This Sunday, Amplify kids learned about hearing God's voice. We first got a visit from Bubba the kid, who thought he had to sit in certain positions and do crazy things to hear God speaking but found out that God wants to speak to us and all we have to do is listen.


We learned the different ways that God can speak to us - maybe he will speak to our heart and we will hear Him telling us how much He loves us. Maybe He will show us a picture of a friend who is crying and we will know we need to pray for that friend. Just as God will speak to an adult, He wants to speak to children. That is how we have a relationship with someone - because we talk to them, we share things with them, and we listen closely to what they are saying. God wants to have a relationship with us!


We started the first of ten exercises on Hearing God's voice and inviting His presence, called My Heart is a Bucket. In this time we invite kids to sit on the floor and explain how our heart is like a bucket just waiting to be filled by God. This week we looked at our hearts and let God show us if there was any "yucky stuff" that had gotten in there. Maybe we had a bad attitude or hung out with the wrong people or did things that didn't please God. God wants to take away the "yucky stuff" so that we can be close to Him. He wants to clean us up.  We took time to listen to God and let Him show us what was in our heart. When asked if God was showing or telling them anything, almost all of the kids said that He was. I am excited to see what God speaks to the children at Kingdom Victory Church!

The kids are continuing to pray over the Band-Aid cross we did two months ago in the Children's Service. They are so excited about it! We have had different ones come up each week to pray. This week Madison prayed for a friend who has diabetes and we are believing God to heal her!

We Ask God for Wisdom

We started today's lesson with a treasure hunt to find out what our lesson and the series for the next four weeks is about. The kids followed clues around the room to find the answer which was wisdom. Proverbs 2:1-4 says, "My child, listen to what I say, and treasure my commands. Tune your ears to wisdom, and concentrate on understanding. Cry out for insight, and ask for understanding. Search for them as you would for silver; seek them like hidden treasures."

Then the kids were each asked one question - "If you could have anything - anything in the world. What would you ask for?" We had answers like money, a baseball field, two heads, a car, Jesus, God, and love.  The answers that were material things faded away (with the help of disappearing ink) and the answers that included Jesus, God, and love remained.  We learned that material things won't last forever but the most important things we could ask for are things of God.  Wisdom from God never fades away; it lasts forever.

We watched the story of Solomon and how God gave him a dream in which He told Solomon to ask for whatever he wanted and He would give it to him. Solomon said he felt like a little child who didn't know his way around, ruling so many people,  so he asked God for an understanding heart so he could rule over God's people well and to know the difference between right and wrong. Simply put, he asked God for wisdom.  God was pleased with what Solomon asked Him for and so he gave him wisdom along with riches and honor.

The best source of wisdom always has and always will be God.  He loves us so much that He wants to give that wisdom to us.  All we need to do is ask!

Memory Verse: For the Lord grants wisdom. Proverbs 2:6a

The toddler class, Tweeters, will be starting a new lesson next week on creation called, "God Made Me" and will continue it throughout the month with interactive play to effectively teach them.

Please make every effort to have your kids at Kingdom Victory Church next week.  It will be our last time to practice the songs they are doing for Father's Day.  We are honored to partner with you in teaching your child the Word of God!

Our Hope is in God!

Our second lesson in the series on Miracles was about Hope. HOPE is defined as the feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best.  We looked at the story in Mark of Jairus, whose daughter had died.  Most of us would see this as a hopeless situation but Jairus went to Jesus and begged Him to heal his daughter.  He had hope that Jesus could heal her and that she could live again.  Jesus took her by the hand and told her to get up.  Because Jairus placed his hope in Jesus, his daughter lived!  We may be going through things in our lives that seem hopeless but Jesus can turn them around.  He is the Hope in every situation!

We watched a short video of kids sharing situations in their lives that seemed hopeless - from their parents getting divorced, to struggling in school, and moving far away and leaving their friends.  Then we gave the kids an opportunity to share their own situations - anything that felt hopeless that they wanted prayer for. 


We went in a dark room with a flashlight and demonstrated that when our situation seems dark or hopeless that just like a flashlight lights up a room, Jesus can bring light to our situation and make everything better.  We took turns passing the flashlight around, lighting it up, and declaring that "When things seem hopeless, Jesus is our hope!"

Memory Verse:  Be strong and courageous, all you who put their hope in the Lord. Psalm 31:24

Miracles and a Human Hot Dog

Today was our Kid's Service at Kingdom Victory Church. It was great to have the whole church together, adults and kids alike, to learn about God's Word and have fun in the process.

As Christians, we believe the impossible. From creation, to the story of Noah, to Daniel in the Lions Den, and Jesus' Miracles....God does His best work when it looks impossible.  He specializes in the impossible so we should not be surprised when He performs miracles in and through us.  As our memory verse declares...

"You are the God of great wonders!" Psalms 77:14

We watched the testimony of Carter Fetters, a 6 year old from our Children's Ministry, whose parents were told they should terminate their pregancy with him because of complications. They trusted God with their pregnancy and He saw them through it.  After he was born they were told he would never walk.  At 2 years old he was walking.  He has had many surgeries and was diagnosed with Arthrogryposis but has high spirits and is an inspiration to everyone he meets. He is a living, breathing, walking miracle!  This video and the story of Tony and Holli and their son Carter stirred our hearts and increased our faith in the mighty and powerful God that we serve!

Then we passed out Band-aids to both the children and adults and had them write on the Band-aid a disease or condition or person's name that they wanted to pray for.  Then each individual came up and stuck them to a cross. The kids prayed a powerful prayer over them and the adults prayed over them as well. It was an awesome morning and we are excited to see the miracles God will do!

Then it was on to some fun! We got to see our Preschool- First Grade teacher, Miss Holli Fetters, become a Human Hot Dog in the conclusion of our offering contest. She was a great sport and I'm not sure who enjoyed it more - the kids or adults?  Jess was chosen as the kid who got to help and she did not hold back a bit when squirting Holli with ketchup. Next, Holli's husband Tony eagerly added mustard.  Pastor Harry dumped some relish as Miss Sandra added saukraut.  Last but not least we topped it off with some baked beans...yum!! We love you Miss Holli!!

Amplify Kid's Service

Wish you could throw off your cares and act like a kid for a day?

 Well, Sunday morning you'll have your chance! We are having our Amplify Children's Service upstairs in the main sanctuary!  You'll get to see what your kids have been learning and what a typical children's church service is like for us. You will also get to be involved in some games and activities.  It's gonna be a lot of fun for everyone!


We are gonna conclude the service with the results of an offering contest we have been doing downstairs.  You will get your chance to help see one of our teachers slimed. We have been collecting offering in buckets according to which teacher the kids would like to see slimed. You have your choiceof Miss Holli, Miss Margery, Miss Kristy, Miss Sandra, or Pastor Harry. They are gonna become a "Human Hot Dog" and be slimed with all sorts of yummy hotdog toppings! We are gonna have a blast!

We are Loyal Friends

This Sunday started our 5 week series on Friendship. These lessons not only teach about what it is to be a good friend, but it ties in with the life of Jesus and leads up to His death and resurrection as we enter into the Easter season.

We did an activity with masking tape where students were taped to a partner in a version of dodge ball.  It was hard to "stick" with your friend under those circumstances but we learned that to be loyal means sticking with your friend and being faithful and trustworthy.
Jesus had a circle of friends, His disciples, who supported each other and were loyal friends but Judas, one of Jesus' disciples ended up betraying Him.   

Take some time this week to tell your child how you have shown loyalty to a friend before and pray with them that they will be a faithful and trustworthy friend.


Memory Verse: A friend loves at all times. Proverbs 17:17

We Pray Without Giving Up!

God has been moving powerfully in our services at Kingdom Victory and it is flowing into our children's church! We had our last lesson in the series The Art of Prayer this week where we have been learning simply about talking to God. We discovered today that we should pray without giving up. Sometimes the answer may seem delayed but God's timing is perfect and He knows what's best for us.

What better way to end our series than to have one of our elementary school students see one of her prayers answered that she has been persistently praying about since she started in Amplify Children's Church! Everytime we would ask for prayer requests, this 9 year old requested prayer that her dad would come to church and get saved....Well, he came to church this morning and tonight he went up to the altar, got saved, and experienced God!

I am excited to see what other things God has in store for us and for our children in Amplify Children's Ministry. When we pray with a childlike faith and without giving up God will move mightily in our lives!

God Hears Us When We Pray

Sunday we learned that God always hears us when we pray, no matter where we are or how quiet we are - even if it is quietly in our hearts. We looked at the story of Jonah who disobeyed God and ended up in the belly of a whale. He cried out to God and asked for forgiveness because he knew he had made a mistake. God heard his prayer and caused the whale to spit Jonah up. Whenever we are in trouble or have made a mistake we can cry out to God and know that He will hear us and help us get back on the right path.

After our lesson we put what we had learned about prayer into action.  With "stations" set up around the room the kids went to each one and prayed to God using the following prompts:

"Tell God how much you Love Him"

"Tell God what you Thank Him for"

"Tell God a Feeling"

"Tell God a Secret"

"Tell God a Mistake"

We then got together as a group to discuss how they felt praying to God at each "station." We talked about which were the hardest to pray and which were the easiest and how we can incoorporate prayer into our daily lives because God is always listening.  It was a very positive experience and the kids really enjoyed spending time with God in prayer!


Memory Verse: The Lord is far from the wicked, but He hears the prayers of the righteous. Prov. 15:29


The toddler class, "Tweeters" had their first class on Sunday where they learned that "We thank God for our Food." They will continue this lesson throughout the month.  Please remember to pray with them thanking God for the food He gives us and for taking care of us!

We Expect God to Answer us When we Pray!

We continued our series "The Art of Prayer" this week. We discovered that we can expect God to answer us when we pray. It may not come when we want it or how we expect it, but God's timing is perfect and we can trust His plan for our lives because He loves us so much!

Please continue to pray with your child this week.  Encourage them to build the discipline of prayer in their lives. The prayers of a child are pure and honest.  They are powerful because they have an untainted, childlike faith that conquers all doubt!

****Reminder****
Our new toddler class called "Tweeters" starts this Sunday morning. If you have a child between the ages of 18 months and 3 years they will be meeting downstairs when we dismiss the children. We are excited about these little ones being taught the truths of God at such a young age where they are so eager to learn and absorb everything around them!

New Series: The Art of Prayer

We are beginning a new 4 week series in Amplify called "The Art of Prayer". After learning some of the attributes of God it seems only natural to continue by helping our children talk to God. Prayer is essential in our walk with God. It is the easiest way to build and strengthen our relationship with Him. Like any earthly relationship, communication is key.

I like that this series is called "The Art of Prayer" When it comes to art, there are no rules. You are free to express yourself however you want to. It is through prayer that we can express ourselves to God openly and honestly. We can bring anything to Him when we pray. We can express everything from desires, hopes and dreams to our deepest fears, pain and confusion. He wants us to tell Him everything.

Always make time to pray with your children.

Memory Verse:
                                   Never stop praying.   1 Thessalonians 5:17


*** REMINDER***
Our children will be performing a special song during this Sunday morning's service. Don't miss it and be ready to cheer them on!!

February 12th Lesson - God's Love

This week we finished up our series on the attributes of God.  So far we've learned:

• God Never Changes
• God Created Everything
• God Has a Plan For Your Life
• God Is Perfect

This week we learned about God's love. We know that He loves us all the time. We learned that, because God loves us, we should show His love to others. This is how people will know that we are Christians; by our love for one another. 

Encourage your child to pray for someone this week who they are having a hard time showing love to.  Look for ways as a family that you can show God's love to others.

Memory Verse:  Friends, let us love one another, for love is of God.  I John 4:7

***The kids have been working hard at learning a song that they will be singing for the church on February 26th in the morning service. Please make every attempt to have your child/children in Amplify Children's Ministry next week for our last time practicing!

February 5th Lesson: We Worship a Perfect God

This week we learned that God is Perfect. We also learned that His will and His ways are perfect. This can be a comfort in times of distress to know that no matter what, God's way is perfect and what we are going through will make us stronger and strengthen our relationship with Him. It can also be intimidating to know that we fall so far short of that perfection. Satan would love nothing more than to use that against us in our relationship with God. That is what makes the Gospel so wonderful and powerful; God is absolutely perfect in every way, yet He still desires a relationship with us in spite of all our imperfections and mistakes!

Memory Verse: God's way is perfect. All the Lord's promises prove true. Psalm 18:30

Take time this week to go over the memory verse with your child. Talk to them about when God's perfect love has brought you through a tough time and how you have seen His promises prove true in your life.

Introducing Amplify Children's Ministry's new blog!

 We hope you will find this as a helpful way to be connected to our Children's Ministry and for us to keep you updated with important information.  We want you to be a part of what we are learning and to continue living out the truths that are taught on Sundays throughout the week in your home. We will also be listing the weekly memory verses. Students are encouraged to memorize these verses that reinforce each week's lesson and at the end of the series if they have memorized them all they will be rewarded with a prize.
 We just finished our third lesson on the attributes and qualities of God; these are the things that make God who He is. So far we have learned:

• God never changes.
•  He created everything.
•  He has a plan for your life.

We look forward to working with your children this year and seeing them grow in their knowledge of God and in their personal relationship with Him!