Hello Reign Forest!
 
Hopefully, you heard that we introduced this year's Christmas Play to your children.  All the leaders read aloud our play titled: The Day That Baby Jesus Came to Town, written by Angela Yardy.  We will continue to build on our production each week in Reign Forest so we are ready to perform for you during the Christmas Program on December 23!  So that children can focus on learning and memorizing lines for the play, as a reminder, we will not have any bible memory verses during the months of November and December.
 
Following the read-through of our play, we watched the video story from our normal curriculum:
 
We kick off the month looking at how God’s people cooperated to build the tabernacle. We read throughout Exodus 28, 31, 35, and 39 how God chose people to work together because of how He gifted them. They combined their skills to create a beautiful place to worship God.
 
Bottom Line: God wants us to work together. Sometimes we think it’d be better if we didn’t have to rely on anyone else to get a job done, but this isn’t how God created us. God created us for community, to work together, and do more than we can do on our own. We hope that kids see the value in cooperation because cooperation starts with God.
 
November's Theme:  Cooperation
 
Blessings,
The Reign Forest Team
 

​We wrapped up our study on contentment in Exodus 16:2-21 and 17:1-7 with a look at how God’s people responded to the wilderness. God rescued them from slavery in Egypt, yet when they found themselves in uncomfortable situations, they complained that God didn’t care about them. They even longed to return to Egypt. In spite of that, God continued to meet their needs in the wilderness providing what they needed the whole time.
 
Bottom Line: Don’t miss out on what you have now. If we’re only thinking about what we don’t have, we’ll miss being able to celebrate how God is taking care of us. It’s easy to find something else we think we need that will make us happy, but contentment is finding the joy in what God has provided right here and now. We pray that kids will start seeing the good in their life rather than complain and miss out.  
 
Bible Memory Verse: I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength. (Philippians 4:12–13)
 
I encourage every child to learn the memory verse this week and come back on Sunday and say it to any Reign Forest Leader. We are off to a good start on our Bible Memory Challenge for 2018-2019. Each child will get to pick a prize out of the treasure box after saying five memory verses. In November and December, we will not have any new memory verses. Instead, we will be practicing for the Christmas play. Now is be a great time to get caught up on memorizing some Bible verses.
 
Blessings!
Reign Forest Leaders

This past week we headed to a story found in 1 Kings 21:1-19, 27, where we discovered what happens when King Ahab finds a plot of land he wants more than anything. But there’s a problem, Naboth owns the land, and this land has been in his family for generations. King Ahab and his wife Queen Jezebel go to extreme lengths to take that land for themselves. In the end, though, King Ahab was miserable. 

Bottom Line: Wanting what others have can make you miserable. Many kids have probably experienced this bottom line first hand. Yet, that doesn’t stop them the next time they find themselves working out whatever scheme they can to get something new that they’ve seen at a friend’s house or at school. We want kids to be aware that this happens and trust God to help them find contentment in what He’s already given to them.
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Bible Memory Verse:  Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. (Proverbs 3:5–6)

Greetings from the Reign Forest!
 
This week we looked at Hebrews 13:5. The writer of Hebrews knows something about contentment. He reminds us that nothing we own can ever make us happy. Our focus should be on our relationship with God.
 
Bottom Line: Stuff can’t keep you happy. Getting something new can be exciting, and even make you happy for a time. But as we know, that feeling of happiness doesn’t last forever because what we own was never meant to do that. We hope that kids leave with the idea that only God can satisfy their needs and give them joy in spite of what they do or don’t own.
 
Bible Memory Verse - Hebrews 13:5 NLT  Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.”
  
Blessings,
The Reign Forest Team

Hello Reign Forest Friends,

In our first week of October, we start in Philippians 4:11-13. In this letter, Paul is writing to the church at Philippi to help them understand more about what it means to follow Jesus. Paul shares how they can be content and even have joy regardless of their situation in life. This is something that Paul has had to learn from experience. His example of contentment in the face of difficulty is a lesson we can all learn from.
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Bottom Line: God can help you be OK no matter what. We can’t promise kids that when they follow Jesus that everything in their life will work out just the way they want it to. However, we can promise them that even if life isn’t okay, God can help them be okay with their circumstances. We pray that no matter what kids are facing, they’ll learn to trust that God will give them what they need to get through it.
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Bible Memory Verse- Matthew 6:26 NLT    "Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are?"
 
Blessings
Angie, Anita, Cheryl, Jessi, and Kristin

​Hello Reign Forest Parents and Friends,

On Sunday in RF, we finished up our lessons on initiative (seeing what needs to be done and doing it) from the book of Nehemiah.  We headed to Nehemiah 3-4, 6:15-16, and 8:1-17 and read that God helped Nehemiah and the people finish the wall in only 52 days! They were able to celebrate all that God had done for them, not only during those 52 days but also throughout their history as His people. They heard God's Word and remembered how God had been faithful to them. They had a lot to be thankful for!
 
Bottom Line: Look for ways to celebrate what God has done. When we realize that God is doing amazing things in our lives, we can't help but give Him thanks!  We pray that as we heard Nehemiah's story, kids realized how God also helps them each and every day. We hope the kids learn to celebrate God's continued work in their lives.
On Sunday, each child drew a picture on a paper bag of something that he or she wants to praise God for.  We then filled the bags with treats and made little piñatas to celebrate what God has done!  
 
Bible Verse: I will tell of the Lord's unfailing love. I will praise the Lord for all he has done. Isaiah 63:7 NLT
 
Blessings,
The RF Team

In week two, we find out what Nehemiah does with what he found out about the wall in Jerusalem. In Nehemiah 2:11-18 we see that he took initiative and set out to fix the wall. When no one else would step up, he went straight to King Artaxerxes and took action. And it’s that initiative that inspires the entire community to get involved.
 
Bottom Line: Don’t wait for someone else to do what needs to be done. When kids see something that needs to be done, they might think that someone else will take care of it. But what would happen if our kids saw it was possible for them to be part of this job? We want kids to realize that when they see what needs to be done, God might be telling them they can be the one to do it. And if they can’t do it all on their own, they can ask someone they trust for help.
 
Bible Verse: “I will hurry, without delay, to obey your commands.” Psalm 119:60 NLT
 
If you did not receive a Reign Forest information packet on Sunday I have attached the pages to this email. It contains information about Reign Forest and our 30 Verse Challenge. It also contains an information sheet to be completed by Parents/Guardians of our Reign Forest Friends and returned to RF leaders so that we have updated information for everyone this year.
 
Blessings
The Reign Forest Team

INITIATIVE – Seeing what needs to be done and doing it.
In our first week, we start at the beginning of Nehemiah’s story in Nehemiah 1:1-2:9. We discover that Nehemiah was working for King Artaxerxes when his brother brought news from the exiles living in Judah. When he heard about the devastation in Jerusalem, Nehemiah was heartbroken. He recognized the huge need, but before he did anything he prayed. Nehemiah knew that whatever he would do, he’d need God’s help to accomplish it.
 
Bottom Line: Be on the lookout for what needs to be done. Before you can do what needs to be done, you have to see what needs to be done. We hope the story from Nehemiah inspires kids to be more aware of the needs around them. These don’t have to be huge either. Our homes and schools are filled with opportunities where we can show initiative, we just have to be open to seeing them.
 
Here is the First Bible Verse of our new Bible Verse Challenge: “Devote yourself to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart.”  Colossians 4:2 NLT
 
Note:  As team leaders we are going to try to give time for children to say their verses during Reign Forest if they were not able to say them before Sunday School.  Encourage your children to take part!  This is a fun way to hide God’s Word in their hearts.
Blessings!
The Reign Forest Team

Dear RF Friends,

Last Sunday, we finished our two month series on confidence with something Paul wrote in Romans 8:38-39. The church in Rome needed some encouragement . . . and Paul delivered. He wrote, "Nothing at all can ever separate us from God’s love. That’s because of what Christ Jesus our Lord has done" (NIrV). God’s love gives us the confidence to face anything.

Bottom Line: Live like you believe what God says is true. God’s Word is filled with His promises. When we believe them, we can live with confidence that God will be true to those promises and help us through whatever comes our way. 

Mixed up colors of play-doh always kind of bugged me, but I discovered it can actually be used to teach a lesson!  During RF, we purposely mixed 2 different colors of play-doh together and then "attempted" to separate them, but we couldn't do it!  The inseparable play-doh reminded us that nothing can separate us from God's love.  

Blessings,
RF Team