Hello Reign Forest Friends,
This past Sunday, we dove into our theme for May – Perseverance: Refusing to give up when life gets hard.
In Matthew 28:16-20 and Acts 1-2, we listened in on the last conversation Jesus had with His disciples before going back to heaven. He gave them a huge mission—to share His message to ends of the earth. He also promised that they wouldn’t have to do it alone. He would send the Holy Spirit to help. When the Holy Spirit did come at Pentecost, the Spirit gave the disciples power to accomplish the task Jesus set out for them.

Bottom Line: Keep going because God is with you. We all have jobs to do. Some jobs feel completely overwhelming and make us feel like we want to give up. God can give us the strength we need to keep going and finish what we started.
Memory Verse #26: And then he told them, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone.”   Mark 16:15 NLT
Blessings,
Angie, Anita, Cheryl, Kristin, and Jessi

We finished the month with an important moment recorded in John 20:19-29. Although Thomas was one of Jesus’ disciples, he hadn’t yet seen Jesus face-to-face after the resurrection. When the rest of the disciples tried to tell him that Jesus was alive, Thomas couldn’t believe it. Jesus showed up again, went to Thomas and gave him a chance to touch the scars. Thomas knew once and for all that Jesus was alive!
 
Bottom Line: Whatever happens, remember God is bigger than your questions. Questions are a normal part of following Jesus. We won’t always understand what we read in the Bible or why our life looks the way it does. God wants us to be honest about our questions and doubts. We pray that kids will understand that they can have hope knowing God will help them through those doubts.
 
Memory Verse: I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world (John 16:33, NLT).       
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Have a great week!
The Reign Forest Team

Next, we head to an incredible moment John records in John 12:9-16. God’s people had waited for generations for God to send the Messiah. They were overwhelmed when Jesus made His triumphal entry into Jerusalem. God kept His promise. The mission to save the world was happening. This didn’t go exactly how they expected, but God was up to something bigger than they could imagine!

Bottom Line: Whatever happens, remember God keeps His promises. Because God keeps His promises, we can trust Him no matter what. Kids will face moments in their life where they might wonder if God will come through for them. We want kids to understand that God will come through. It might not be as they expected, but they can have hope that God will help them through their situation.

Memory Verse: Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand (Isaiah 41:10, NLT).
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Blessings,
Angie, Anita, Cheryl, Jessi, Kristin

Hello Reign Forest Friends!
We start the month with friends of Jesus who had lost all hope. John records an incredible moment that we find in John 11:1-45. When Lazarus died, Jesus used the opportunity to point people to God. Jesus was stronger than even death itself and raised Lazarus back to life four days after he had died.

Bottom Line: Whatever happens, remember how powerful God is. God can do amazing things in your life. We pray that kids will understand that when they face something difficult or hard to understand that they’ll find hope that God’s power can help us through whatever we face.

Memory Verse: The Lord is my light and my salvation— so why should I be afraid? The Lord is my fortress, protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble? (Ps 27:1, NLT)
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Blessings
Angie, Anita, Cheryl, Jessi, and Kristen

Hello RF Friends,
On Sunday in RF, we finished the month by looking at Matthew 22:34-40.  With the greatest commandment, Jesus clarified what it meant to follow God.  Jesus said we are to love God and love others as we love ourselves.  When we put this into practice, it helps us prioritize love in all of our relationships. 

Bottom Line:  God made me to love others.  We're not meant to do life on our own.  God made us for relationships.  But for those relationships to thrive, we need to put love as the goal.  We hope that kids start to understand how they can love the people God has put into their lives. 

Bible verse:  Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God.  Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God (1 John 4:7).

​Blessings on your week! 
~ The RF Team

For week four, we headed to 1 Samuel 16 and discovered more about the time when God used Samuel to anoint David as the next king of Israel. As the youngest of Jesse’s sons, David was the least likely to be crowned king. Yet God helped Samuel discover that the true worth is not what we see on the outside but who we are on the inside.

Bottom Line: God wants me to see what really matters.
As we learn more about how God sees us, it teaches us how to see ourselves, and it can change the way we see others. We pray that kids start to understand that God wants us to see others how He sees them and treat everyone like they matter.

Memory Verse: Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it (Psalm 139:14, NLT).

​Blessings,
The Reign Forest Team

Last Sunday, we looked at some of what Paul wrote to Timothy in 1 Timothy 4:12. Although Timothy was a gifted leader, he was young. Paul reminds Timothy that he should stay faithful to the task God gave him. Even in his youth, Timothy was able to lead the church and point people to Jesus.

Bottom Line: God made me to make a difference. As we discover more about our individuality, we can begin to realize that God created us for a purpose. God can use our strengths to help others and show them what it means to follow Jesus. Through Timothy’s story, we hope that kids start to understand the purpose God has for them.
Memory Verse: For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him. Philippians 2:13 (NLT) ​
 
Blessings,
The Reign Forest Team

​Hi Reign Forest Friends!
 
BIBLE STORY: Between You and Me The Lost Sheep Luke 15:1-7
BOTTOM LINE: God wants to have a relationship with me.
MEMORY VERSE: God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. (Eph 1:5, NLT)  
 
He will always look for us, and He will ALWAYS find us because He loves us and wants us to be with Him. God wants to have a relationship with me and with you. He wants to talk to us through His Word, the Bible, and He wants us to talk to Him by praying. He wants us to know Him better than anyone else! And He wants us to worship Him through things like singing, giving to others, and doing our best. Those are all great ways to grow in our relationship with God!
 
Blessings,
The Reign Forest Team

Hi Reign Forest Friends!
Hope you had a great week! Below is a recap of what we learned about last Sunday in Reign Forest.
 
We looked closely at Genesis 1: 26-28. When God created people, He did something special. He created then in His image and gave them the job of taking care of creation.
 
Bottom Line: God made me in His image. We hope to help kids understand that being made in the image of God means we can love, show kindness, be creative, solve problems, and care for others all because we reflect and respond to God’s character.
 
Memory Verse: So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. Genesis 1:27 NLT
 
Blessings,
The Reign Forest Team

We close out the month with Matthew 6:1-4. During this part of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus explains that when we serve or give it shouldn’t be in a way that is showy and puts all of the attention on ourselves. Rather than making a big deal about our own acts of service, He says to give to others in secret.
 
Bottom Line: Serve others without looking for applause. Typically, when we do something for someone else, we want everyone to know what we did. After all, having others compliment us feels good. But we hope that kids start to understand that when we decide to give in secret, the act of service becomes totally about the other person and not themselves.
 
Memory Verse: Watch out! Don’t do your good deeds publicly, to be admired by others, for you will lose the reward from your Father in heaven. Matthew 6:1 NLT
 
Have a great week!
 
The Reign Forest Team