KIDSQUEST@ Country & Town Baptist Church

2010 Here We Come!

noreply@blogger.com (Pastor Tom) — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 17:55:00 +0000

Here we are on the verge of a New Year. Are you ready?
As a dad, I am looking forward to changing a few things I do to help my children walk even closer to their Savior. I desire to be more intentional about taking time during each day to talk about spiritual lessons I'm learning and to find out what my children are learning. I desire to challenge them to look at the world in a Biblical way and to respond to it in the same way.
I have an end in mind for my children. I didn't always have this. I was challenged recently to begin thinking about what I want my children to be in the next 10-20 years. It's my job to shape and challenge them.
As a Pastor, I have the same desires and challenges for all the parents of KidsQuest Ministries at Country & Town Baptist Church. I hope to help equip you and challenge you to think about the ways you raise your children. To help you set new priorities, values and goals for each of your children. We do not know how long we have on this earth and I want to make sure I take each day as a gift from God and use it for his glory.
I look forward to sharing with you all, the challenges God has given me as the leader of the children's ministry.

May God bless you richly in 2010!

Quest Week was a WILD TIME

noreply@blogger.com (Pastor Tom) — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 02:52:00 +0000

This summer over 150 children came and experienced our version of Wildwood Forrest and Quest Week! This year our special guest was TP Kaboom the backwoods brother of our resident wacky professor PT Kaboom! Each night TP came and shared a wild object lesson that reminded us of the day's themes. ( Sometimes it worked.... sometimes it didn't. One the final night our theme was: God is UNFORGETTABLE! TP came with something that was truly unforgettable!! WOW!
What a great week and it was made even better by 11 kids joining the family of God.
Thanks to all the volunteers for making this year's Quest Week one of the best ever!!

CUPSTACKING CANCELLED FOR TODAY!

noreply@blogger.com (Pastor Tom) — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 13:22:00 +0000

Due to weather, Cupstacking for today is postponed!
Sorry Stackers, we will reschedule! Practice at home today!

What's Coming in 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Pastor Tom) — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 13:48:00 +0000

Often times I'm asked about what is coming up for KidsQuest? It's always fun as I look over the calendar and dream about what activities we can provide to encourage our families to grow and have fun together. This coming year in 2009, we will be working hard to provide a variety of things to help encourage and equip our families to become stronger in their walk with Jesus.
If we are going to change our world we must help change our families. We must help them learn to balance what is really important. For some it's learning to evaluate what has eternal importance.
It is our desire at KidsQuest and to provide both pre-school and elementary families the needed training, encouragement, and programming, to help them have a godly balance.

Please pray for me and our Children's Ministry Leadership team as we meet to pray and evaluate everything we do here so that we can focus on the best for you and your family.

We are excited about several new opportunities in 2009.
* A new small group for parents of young children, starting on Jan. 11 6PM with Pastor Tom & April Bump. This small group is designed for prayer, encouragement and training of parents of young children.
* A new offering during Sunday Night B.L.A.S.T. -Bible Drill,Thrills, & Skills, which is a fun time of learning, competition and fun where kids will learn some basics of God's word and also learn who to compete in Bible Drilling. We will have our church competition and those who qualify will move on to the Association competition level.
It should be a great time for all.

So that's a glimpse of what's coming, Merry Christmas and Happy 2009!

Thankful for Jesus!

noreply@blogger.com (Pastor Tom) — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 13:56:00 +0000

As the Christmas season approaches, I hope you and your family will enjoy all the fun activities that are available. Make the most of these times with your children and use them to point to the real reason for the season, JESUS!
We have lots of fun activities coming around KidsQuest and I do hope you and your families will come and enjoy as much as you can.
On Dec. 13, we will have another family fun night here at the church filled with all sorts of activities. Bring a plate of Christmas cookies or another snack to share and we'll have some fun games, competitions and all sorts of craziness!

Merry Christmas!

KidsQuest is so blessed!

noreply@blogger.com (Pastor Tom) — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 13:35:00 +0000

Yes, we are so blessed! To have the opportunity each week to share God's Word with the children that attend, some of whom never make it to Church except for coming to AWANA.
This past week at AWANA we had two boys who came forward at the end of the night ready to give their hearts to Jesus. It was so awesome!
I praise God for every volunteer who serves in every program we offer. I'm excited to see parents honoring God by serving the children and fulfilling the commandments given in Deuteronomy 6.
We are so blessed!

TRUNK OR TREAT 2008

noreply@blogger.com (Pastor Tom) — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 18:57:00 +0000

Trunk or Treat is coming to Country & Town Baptist Church

On October 31 from 6pm -8:30pm in our parking lot.

We are inviting our families here at C&T to get creative and decorate their cars, vans, trailers, or motorcycles and prepare for a fun time of Trunk or Treating with children from our community.

This totally free event is open to the public to come and enjoy food, fun, games and our special family version of SLIME TIME! It will be a great time and it's rumored that PT Kaboom will be around to demonstrate some fun stuff too!

If you are part of the C&T family we are asking you to decorate your vehicle as creatively as you would like to but please nothing scary, or evil looking. If you have questions please contact Pastor Tom. You may register your vehicle in the concourse at the Servant Evangelism table.

Xtreme Journey goes "BELOW THE EARTH"

noreply@blogger.com (Pastor Tom) — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 16:31:00 +0000

In Xtreme Journey, our awesome kids and family worship time we are exploring a new series called, "Journey below the earth." It has been great fun to learn about how real and relevant God's Word can be. Here are the weekly themes:
Week #1: The children will learn to look to the Bible for answers for their daily lives.
Week #2: The children will learn that they should trust God to provide for their needs.
Week #3: The children will learn they should never give up doing what is right.
Week #4: The children will learn that God gave us rules so we could have the best life possible

Week #5: The children will learn that when God asks them to do something they should do it, knowing that anything is possible with God's help.

Week #6: The children will learn that because God has given them everything, they should give back to Him.

Week #7: The children will hear the Gospel Story and have an opportunity to respond.

Week #8: The children will learn that they need to be the kind of person God can depend on.

With the help of Kit Windswept and Agus Fetchenpepper, the kids discover that God's Word should be their guide and not only should they read it but they should obey it.

Parents, you are always encouraged to attend with your children and you can also help them by working with them on the "Family Devotional" page that they bring home each week.

Thanks for letting us partner with you!

Pastor Tom

Kids Pastor

FALL ACTIVITIES BEGIN!!

noreply@blogger.com (Pastor Tom) — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 12:38:00 +0000

AWANA, B.L.A.S.T and Xtreme Journey are all going to be in full swing!

Xtreme Journey our great kids and families worship time has kicked off this past Sunday with our new series, "Journey Below The Earth!" In this series we will learn how important God's word is to our daily lives. Kit Windswept the famous treasure hunter returns on a new adventure as well as each week the children will be challenged to live out what they learn.
Parents are encouraged to take time each week to review the lesson and use the family take-home paper to help the children put into practice the theme of the week.

AWANA, begins its 4th year here at C&T and we are excited about this year. We have several new elements this year beginning with the fact that 6th graders may stay in AWANA to complete their books and earn the top awards AWANA offers.
Also new this year is the SPARKS will be starting a new series of books and themes. The new sparkies will recieve new entrance tests that have an aviation theme. The awards also take a new look with "wings" instead of "crowns" The current Sparks will continue in the current series but we will slowly begin to close out the old themes and replace them over the next 2 years with the new themed materials.

B.L.A.S.T. ( Bible Learning, Arts, Singing, and Theater) will kick-off on September 14th at 6PM
The children will be offered several options to learn and use their talents that God has given them. We will be offering classes in creative arts, choir, drama and Bible Blitz our new interactive time of learning God's word. Each child will have two sessions each evening and will participate in several learning activities.

We look forward to a great fall season and hope that if your not serving somewhere in KidsQuest you will consider joining our team!

Back To School Breakfast

noreply@blogger.com (Pastor Tom) — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 13:18:00 +0000

September 6 9 AM
WAFFLES & ICE CREAM!
CRAFTS & GAMES!
FUN FOR THE FAMILY!

Come join us for some fun and good food!
We'll meet in Fellowship Hall!

What A Summer!

noreply@blogger.com (Pastor Tom) — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 16:26:00 +0000

God is great!
This summer has been one of the best ever here at KidsQuest! We have seen God use many people to reach boys and girls with the Good News! How I praise God for seeing 17 children come to know Christ during Quest Week 2008. What an awesome week it was, as we sang, played and experienced God's amazing power. I must thank all that volunteered during Quest week, without you we would not have been able to reach those 17 children.
Thank-YOU!!!!

KingdomQuest Camp was also a great success and we were excited to join forces with Mt.Calvary Church from Elizabethtown. Pastor Dick Vaughn (our former AWANA Missionary) is the children's Pastor there and he did brought a great group of kids and staff. We had an absolute blast during the week and I will never forget how God touched those young hearts. We saw several salvation decisions as well as some spiritual growth steps.
Many of the kids commented, "This was the best week ever!" "I can't wait until next years camp!"

As we look to this fall we are desiring to focus more on how to build up our children through their families. Deuteronomy 6 challenges parents to be the lead force in spiritual training of their children and we want to come alongside the parents at C&T to help them fulfill their duty. It is our desire to provide quality programs, trainings and other support so that every parent will feel confident and encouraged to challenge their children spiritually.

Keep watching the blog as well as Pastor Tom's e-mails as we share what's coming this fall!

Why should I send my child to Quest Week?

noreply@blogger.com (Pastor Tom) — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 13:28:00 +0000

Why should I send my child(ren) to Quest Week?

WHY NOT? It's only the most awesome week of the entire summer!

Really, attending Quest Week, could possibly be totally life changing for your children. We will be learning about Jesus and how he did some amazing miracles that totally changed peoples lives. Jesus wants us to experience that same life change too! He wants us to understand God's awesome love for us and how it can totally transform the way we live.

We'll have some awesome games during Hyperspeed Games, exciting experiments and a great action video during Cinema Science and during the Bible Blast, kids will experience for themselves (on our scale) what it was like to live in Bible Times.

There is still time to register you child(ren) Go to www.ctbc.org and click on the link that says Vacation Bible School.

Oh, and I almost forgot..... LOTS of SLIME, will be flowing!!

A SUMMER OF FUN

noreply@blogger.com (Pastor Tom) — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 17:14:00 +0000

Wow, It's hot, HOT, HOT!
And this is just the beginning of June but, it won't stop our Summer of Fun for KidsQuest.
This summer will be a great time for our families to have some fun together. On June 28 at 10:30 AM we will have WATER WARS!! This will be a fun time of splashing and squirting!
Parents, bring your kids,super soakers, some towels, and a picnic lunch to enjoy while you dry off. We will provide the water games, a slip-n-slide or two and lots of water!

Also: QUEST WEEK IS COMING!!!
It won't be long and Quest Week 2008 will be here. Our online registration is available, as well as, sign-ups at our Children's Ministry table.
We are still in need of many volunteers to work with the children who attend. Crew Leaders are needed to help children get the best experience during Quest Week. Serving as a Crew Leader involves no teaching, no major preparation, just lots of love! Crew Leaders serve the children by helping them move through the various parts of Quest Week and you will be helping the children think about God's amazing miracles and how they impact their lives today.
So don't wait, sign up today!
There are two training sessions available on June 12 @ 7-8PM and again on June 22 @ 11:45, light refreshments will be served during both sessions and we are asking all workers to attend 1 session. (Content is the same for both) There is also a Rally Night on July 9 @6PM and a light dinner will be served.

That's it for now, Stay Cool!

QUEST WEEK IS COMING!

noreply@blogger.com (Pastor Tom) — Thu, 01 May 2008 18:30:00 +0000

SLIME will be flowing! Fun will be growing! ARE YOU READY?????

We are opening registrations for both children and volunteer workers. You may click on the link below to take you to our Quest Week website and you will find all the information about how to volunteer and sign up children to attend Quest Week 2008!

This year's theme is : POWER LAB! We will be learning about the miracles that Jesus did while he was here and the challenges that he gave to all his followers. We will see how his POWER can help us live our everyday lives.

If you would like to sign up your children or to volunteer for Quest Week, you may do so here: https://www.groupvbs.com/webtoybox/myvbs/questweek08

Don't miss it!!

AWANA ENDS

noreply@blogger.com (Pastor Tom) — Thu, 01 May 2008 18:26:00 +0000

We have had a great AWANA club year and I want to say thank you to all the children, parents and especially all my leaders. You are all amazing! I will miss you each wednesday while we are on break!

We will restart in September, so kids keep working on your books during the summer and you'll have a great start when we return in the fall.

noreply@blogger.com (Pastor Tom) — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 12:56:00 +0000

As I mentioned in a previous post, I’ve been praying and asking God to help me realize a better way of helping our children and their families to become “fully devoted followers of Christ” or simply said, Disciples! There is no doubt according to research today that the “Church” hasn’t really succeeded at making disciples as more young people and adults are making choices to compromise and live like the rest of the world. It’s a sad situation and one that causes great concern to me as a Pastor. My heart is burdened as the pressures on families to help the children succeed today, means instead of emphasizing godly habits such as prayer, bible study, and living a life that is clearly Christ-like, we emphasize, sports, music, and keeping them busy.

I know in the past as I have challenged families to slow down, and even cut out other activities so they would have more time for disciple building activities they immediately resist or make excuse for why their kids must play sports instead of attending church, or why they must take so many weekends away and they cannot commit to serving.

What signals does this send to the children about our priorities? What will the next generation do because of our choices today? I want to challenge you and your family to take a break and look at what is priority in your life? Where does God fit? In Xtreme Journey, our kids worship time, we have been doing a series called “Who’s your idol?” It’s a series of lessons that hopefully has helped the kids take a moment and consider if God is truly #1 in their life. It takes more than just words to prove that. It’s a hard question to answer if you are really honest about it. I know for me as I’ve asked God to show me my real priorities, I’ve had to admit I’ve not always had him in the right place. I’ve become to busy, doing “things” instead of being what God desires me to be his disciple.

Let’s make this spring a time to stop, and smell the “spiritual roses” that God has for us. Let’s do a priority check and make sure that we are allowing God to lead our families and we are all committed to becoming disciples of Jesus!

Building for Eternity!

What Kids Need

noreply@blogger.com (Pastor Tom) — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 13:19:00 +0000

I have been researching what it means to make "Disciples of Christ" and I love what Mark Stiener from DiscipleLand (our elementary curriculum publisher) has written on his blog.
I received permission from Mark to use this. ENJOY, PT :)

If we are serious about discipling kids, we must clearly identify what it is we believe that children need in order to develop into fully mature disciples of Jesus Christ. Throughout the DiscipleLand curriculum we have identified 48 needs that we believe must be addressed for our children. But whether you use our materials or not - the reality is you must give careful attention to the spiritual needs of your children as a parent and as a teacher. None of these are addressed by accident.
On this blog I will be posting each of them with some scriptural support to encourage you to give some careful thought to how you can help address these needs in the kids that you love. Here is the first:
KIDS NEED GOD
The Situation: Children ask, “What is God really like?” Schools, friends, television, and other sources expose children to a variety of ideas. Much of what kids hear about “god” does not even resemble the God who reveals Himself in the Bible.
The Solution: God delights to reveal Himself to all who seek Him. Knowing God personally and enjoying His greatness is the highest privilege of every Christian. The Bible is the one inspired place to find out about God—His personality, His attributes, His Names, and His character.
The Suggestion: To know God truly and intimately, encourage your child to explore the characteristics of God. Look for His attributes in the natural world. Reflect on his character as seen through the lessons they are learning at church. Talk about God and often refer to Him. Give Him credit when good things happen, and turn to Him in times of needs expressing for your children to hear your trust in His goodness and love.
The Scriptures: 1 Chronicles 29:11; Proverbs 2:4-5; Acts 17:24-25

Used by Permission. Written by Mark Steiner
http://www.discipleblog.com/ http://www.discipleland.com/

At KidsQuest, it is our desire to partner with parents as they help their children enter into a relationship with Jesus and then to help them take the next step to become a disciple of Christ.
Jesus left us a clear mandate, "...go and make disciples..." Matt. 28:19
We use DiscipleLand curriculum because it does a great job of helping children see the bigger picture of what God what's us to become.

"Becoming a disciple is a series of small steps, not a giant leap."

Great Weekend!

noreply@blogger.com (Pastor Tom) — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 13:53:00 +0000

This past weekend was great. We hosted our 2nd Annual AWANA Grand Prix. It was a great turnout with many kids inviting friends and family to come and enjoy watching the races. There was a lot of cheering and some very close races. All in all, a very fun day with all of the kids going home winners, just because they participated.
Thanks to all the AWANA Leaders for helping make the day a great success!

On Sunday, one of our kids here at C&T shared with the other children during Xtreme Journey about taking some time to do something very special. Drew Norton and his Father, took some time out to go to Dairy Queen, but not just for some ice cream. They had a higher purpose in going. Drew wanted to share Jesus with people he encountered there. Drew has a real burden for lost people and wanted to do something about it. He put his faith into action.
That is AWESOME! Way to go Drew! I hope they will inspire more of us to join in making the Great Commission more than just words.

Gentlemen, START YOUR ENGINES!

noreply@blogger.com (Pastor Tom) — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 15:35:00 +0000

This Saturday, March 1, will be our 2nd Annual AWANA Grand Prix. We are so pumped and ready for a great day of racing. The Grand Prix cars are wooden car’s made by children and leaders who attend our AWANA program each week. The Race begins at 10 AM, so come and join us for some fun, as Daryl Waltrip would say, “Boogity, Boogity, Boogity, let’s go racing!"

Having Fun!

noreply@blogger.com (Pastor Tom) — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 15:24:00 +0000

Are we having fun yet? Have you ever asked that question? Did you ever wonder where all the fun went? Stop wondering, we have some fun for you! Come and join us this Saturday night, February 16th for our first Family Fun Night! It begins at 6:30 PM until 8 PM.
Bring a board game and a snack to share and come have some FUN! Come and relax and get to know some other families that attend KidsQuest ministries. We'll have some popcorn popping and some music bopping, so come along and you won't have to ask, ARE WE HAVING FUN YET?

Know, Grow, Go!

noreply@blogger.com (Pastor Tom) — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 19:22:00 +0000

Know, Grow, Go! Those words are the key's to our purpose in everything we do at KidsQuest.
Some of you may wonder, what is KidsQuest? and What is our purpose?
KidsQuest is the name given to our overall Children's ministry here at C&T. We know that all kids are on a "quest" through life and that they are searching for truth. Unfortunately, many children find other things to temporarily satisfy them, instead of quenching that thirst for truth permanently.
Our mission is to help children KNOW Jesus in a personal way. We desire to help children understand that Jesus desires a personal relationship with them. We are also going to be offering a class to help parents and children learn more about what this means. This class is called "SIDESTEP." This class will be held on Feb 17 & 24 from 11:45-2:00PM. Both classes will have the same content and you may choose to attend either session. A parent must accompany any child(ren). We will also provide lunch for a donation. Please sign up at the HUB check-in table. This class will also cover some basics of growth such as, Bible reading, prayer, and baptism.
The second part is to help children to: Grow deeper in their faith and in obedience to his word.
In Truth Trek and Xtreme Journey, these ideas are taught and explained so that the children can understand and apply what it means to be a follower of Jesus. It is our desire to really help children learn how to "feed" themselves so that they may grow as Jesus himself did, "in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man." Luke 2:52
Our final part is to help children to: Go out and share their faith and serve the world for God.
Our desire through programs like Mission Expedition and our Choir ministry is to help children learn to use their talents and abilities to serve God. They don't have to wait to begin serving and telling others about their faith.
In the coming days and weeks, I'll expand a little more about how our vision will be put into action at KidsQuest.

Building for Eternity!
PT

Welcome!

noreply@blogger.com (Pastor Tom) — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 16:23:00 +0000

Welcome to the KidsQuest Blog.

Please check back often as we update and add content to this page.

Please be patient, we are working on the subscription setup.

My hope and prayer is that this will be used to encourage each and every family who has children in KidsQuest ministries at C&T.

If you have questions or comments please feel free to email me.

Building for Eternity!

Pastor Tom "PT"