​Determination: Deciding it’s worth it to finish what you started.
 
Hello Everyone! This week we look at Acts 3:1-4:21 for a Bible Lesson- Go the Distance! (Peter and John are taken to the Sanhedrin)  We see that Jesus’ mission isn’t going to be that easy. Peter healed someone in the name of Jesus and caused quite a stir. Peter and John used this moment to share the message of Jesus. Soon though, the religious leaders arrested them and had them stand trial. Peter and John showed determination. They made it clear that no matter what happened to them, they would continue sharing Jesus with others.
 
Bottom Line: Keep going even when it gets tough. Even when we follow Jesus, we’re not promised an easy life. We are promised that God will be with us. Just because a situation we face is difficult, doesn’t mean it’s time to give up. We pray that kids will learn to lean into the power of God to find the determination they need to keep going.
 
Memory Verse: “So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up” (Galatians 6:9, NLT)
 
Next week, our last memory verse for the season will be given.  The REIGN Forest Team encourages you to keep sending your verses in by video either by text or email to Anita Wenrich @ 1(717)475-8455 OR ajwenrich@dejazzd.com. Today there is a fun activity/object lesson included for you and your children to try out. We trust you are all doing well!  It will be so good to see you all again!!! 
 
Peace and Joy through Jesus!
The Reign Forest Team
 
Note to Parents:  Sadly, although the time for meeting together as a church is getting closer…the children will not be able to meet for Reign Forest or Sunday school for an indefinite time.  This is due to social distancing recommendations and to keep everyone safe. For now, continue to send in your verses by video. Some of your children are due a gift for the 5 verses they have said…we will be sending them a small gift in the mail soon!

​Hello Reign Forest Friends!
 
In week two, head to Acts 2:1-41 and find out how the disciples would have the strength to keep going and tell the world about Jesus. As the disciples were gathered together, the Holy Spirit came upon them and empowered them to preach with boldness. Peter preached the message of his life, and over 3,000 people put their faith in Jesus.
 
Bottom Line: God gives you what you need to keep going. When it comes to determination, kids might feel like they’ll never have enough of it to finish what they start. Thankfully, this isn’t something we have to face alone. We can rely on God to give us the strength we need to keep going.
 
Memory Verse: “For I can do everything through Christ who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:13, NLT)
 
Thank you to everyone who is still working hard on memorizing the Bible verses. Continue to feel free to send Anita a video (717-475-8455 or email ajwenrich@dejazzd.com) of your child(ren) reciting a verse. We love to receive these!
 
See the attachments for a fun activity.
 
Blessings:
The Reign Forest Team
Anita, Cheryl, Jessi, Angie, Kristin

​Hi Reign Forest Friends!
 
Hope everyone is doing well and staying safe! I miss everyone!
 
Our theme for the month of May is Determination: Deciding it’s worth it to finish what you started.
 
This past Sunday, we would have looked at Matthew 28:16-20, Luke 24:50-53, and Acts 1:1-11 as we help kids discover more about the final moments of Jesus’ life on earth. Before He went back to His Father, Jesus gave His disciples a huge mission: tell the world about Him. The message of Jesus was for everyone, and it was their job to get the word out.
 
Bottom Line: Keep going even when it seems impossible. A lot can seem impossible to a kid. From learning to tie their shoes to reading paragraphs out loud in class to memorizing those multiplication facts, kids will face all sorts of moments when they feel like everything is too hard, too big, or too long to finish. But that’s where God comes in. We pray that kids will start to understand that no matter what they face— impossible or not—they can trust God to help them through it.
 
Attached is an activity that might be fun to try this week.
 
Thank you to everyone who is still working hard on memorizing the Bible verses. Continue to feel free to send me a video (717-475-8455 or email ajwenrich@dejazzd.com) of your child(ren) reciting a verse. I love to receive these!
 
Memory Verse: “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5, NLT).
 
Blessings!
Reign Forest Team
Angie, Anita, Cheryl, Jessi, and Kristin

​Hello Reign Forest,
 
We hope this message finds you all safe, healthy, and well.
 
In Luke 24:13-35, we find two followers of Jesus on their way to Emmaus. From what we read, it seems they were sad and confused by Jesus’ death on the cross. Little did they know that Jesus was walking with them. He explained how Jesus’ death was the answer to years of God’s promises to the Israelites. They were shocked when they realized that this person was Jesus. They ran back to Jerusalem to tell everyone about what they had just seen.
 
Bottom Line: There’s always more to discover about God’s plan. What we help kids understand about God is important. We get to lay a foundation of faith that will set them up to keep learning about God as they grow and mature in their faith. We pray that kids discover that, through Jesus, God has a unique plan for their life, and as they follow Him, they’ll start to see where that plan will take them.
 
Bible Verse:  Show me the right path, O Lord; point out the road for me to follow (Psalm 25:4). 
 
Have a blessed week!
 
~The Reign Forest Team

​Hello Reign Forest Friends!
 
For week two, we celebrate Easter. We’ll see through John 18:12–20:23, how Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection makes it possible for us to have a forever relationship with God. Jesus humbly gave Himself for us as the ultimate sacrifice to rescue us from the consequences of our sin.
 
Bottom Line: Jesus put us first. This is what Easter is all about. Jesus put us first. He gave up everything He deserved to rescue us from the consequences of sin. Jesus conquered death and is alive! We hope that kids leave with a clearer understanding of how much God loves us and wants to have a relationship with us through His Son.
 
Memory Verse: Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love (Ephesians 4:2).
 
Blessings:
The Reign Forest Team
 
Activities and God Time: see attachments.

Hi Reign Forest Friends!
 
Unfortunately, we could not be together again this Sunday. I hope everyone is doing well, and I miss seeing everyone’s smiling faces. Here is an overview of our Reign Forest lesson today.
 
In the month of April, we will be focusing on Humility: putting others first by giving up what you think you deserve. Today, we look at Matthew 26:36-56. Jesus had been with His disciples at a special Passover meal where He demonstrated service and humility as He washed their feet. Afterward, Jesus leads them to the garden to watch and pray. Jesus gave us an important lesson in humility as He prays to His Father, “Not my will, but Your will.” Jesus was soon arrested and put on trial to humbly face the darkest moments of His life. Attached is a fun activity to help your child(ren) act out the story.
 
Bottom Line: Put others first. As we look at some of Jesus’ last interactions with His closest followers, we pray that kids will understand the importance of putting others first. This isn’t always our initial response, but when we choose to show humility and put others first, we get to point others to Jesus.
 
I encourage you to take some time with your child(ren) each day to reflect on this special week leading up to Easter -- Holy Week. See attached link for a fun activity, Easter Story Wreath, to help celebrate this special week.
  
Bible Memory Verse:  Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves.  Philippians 2:3 NLT
 
We would love to continue our Bible Memory challenge during this time. Even though we can’t meet, I would love to receive some videos of your child(ren) saying their Bible Memory Verse. If you and your child(ren) are comfortable, please video them saying their verses and send them to me via text 717-475-8455 or email ajwenrich@dejazzd.com. We will catch up with prizes when we can meet again! We want this to be fun and not a burden to anyone. If you are already feeling busy and overwhelmed with the current situation and helping your child/(ren) with school work, don’t feel that you need to add this to your plate. We will have plenty of time this summer to catch up on verses before our celebration in August.
 
I am praying that everyone is adjusting to the “new norm’ and that you will have a great week! Blessings to each one of you!
​
Reign Forest Team

Greetings, RF friends!
 
Unfortunately, we could not be together on Sunday, but here is an overview of the RF lesson.  It is a continuation from last Sunday..... Jesus’s parable of the Prodigal Son.  Perhaps you may want to throw a little “party” and do some of the attached activities from the lesson.  (The jokes are for fun.....” when you don’t laugh, it feels like you are missing out.”  See Bottom Line below.)
 
In Luke 15:21-32, we pick up the story of the Lost Son, we started in week 4. His father and older brother each responded to the Prodigal Son differently. The Father welcomed him home with open arms and threw a giant party for him. The Older Brother chose not to forgive and become angry with his brother. He not only missed out on a party but also missed out on rebuilding a relationship with his brother.
 
Bottom Line: When you don’t forgive, you miss out. When we choose not to forgive others, we could miss out on rebuilding a broken relationship. We might miss out on friendships or new, fun memories with our family, or peace in our hearts. We could also miss out on the joy that God can give us when we choose to show forgiveness. 
 
Bible Verse: But if we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness (1 John 1:9). 
 
Praying that you all are well and adjusting to new routines.  Blessings to each one of you.
~ RF team
 
Instructions for “Sweet and Sour” activity - see attachment:
WHAT YOU DO: • Give each child a party hat and a lemon slice (real or pictured). • Tell them that when the story seems “sweet” or positive, they should put on their party hats. • When someone or something in the story seems “sour,” they should take off their hats and lick their lemon (or pretend to, if you’re using the paper slices). • Read the “Sweet and Sour Script” out loud, prompting the group as necessary. • Set aside the props and lead kids in a conversation about the Bible story.
WHAT YOU SAY: “The older brother in our Bible story today was sour! He was bitter and angry, and because of that, he learned that when you don’t forgive, you miss out. What did he miss out on? (Invite answers: the big party with food and fun, seeing his little brother for the first time in a while, sharing his dad’s happiness, etc.) He missed out on so much more than a party. He missed a chance to have a relationship with his brother and to share something special with his dad.
“Have you ever missed out on something because you wouldn’t forgive? Maybe you were so mad at your sister for something she said. You sulked the whole time at the park. Or perhaps you sat alone in the lunchroom to get back at your friend and missed out on her mom bringing cookies for everyone.” (Invite kids to share what unforgiveness has cost them.) [Make It Personal] (Share a time when unforgiveness cost you something. Did you miss out on sharing a fun time with friends, or did you lose time in a good relationship because you let something get between you? Make sure you discuss your own feelings and actions and don’t dwell just on what was done to you.)

​Greetings, friends of Reign Forest!
 
Although we couldn’t meet for our face-to-face program, I wanted to give you an opportunity to do a quick home self-study for the lesson that would have been shared on March 22, 2020.  The following summary references the bible story that would have been told.  Please take some time to share the story with your child(ren) and encourage them to continue to memorize God’s word through our Bible Memory Verse Challenge.  Please let me know if you have any questions.
 
March Theme: “D.I.Y. Forgiveness is up to you”
 
In Luke 15:11-24, Jesus shares a parable to help people understand God’s amazing grace and forgiveness. A son came to his father and asked for his share of the inheritance. This broke the father’s heart, but he went ahead and gave the son what he wanted. The son wasted every last penny and hit rock bottom. He decided to go home to his father and ask for forgiveness. The father was waiting with arms open wide and ready to have his son home. 
 
Bottom Line: Everyone needs to be forgiven.  Everyone at some point will do something to hurt another person, and we’ve all done something that goes against what God wants for us. We all need forgiveness. Thankfully, through Jesus, God offers forgiveness no matter what we’ve done.
 
Memory Verse: Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you (Ephesians 4:32, NLT).
 
Blessings to you and your family for good health and safety,
The Reign Forest Team

Hello Reign Forest Friends,
 
We start the month of March with one of Jesus’ parables recorded in Matthew 18:21-35. Jesus told this parable because Peter asked a question about forgiveness. Peter might have thought he was doing pretty well to say he’d forgive someone seven times, but Jesus raises the stakes and says we ought to forgive others even more. Jesus shows what this means with a parable about a servant who is shown incredible forgiveness yet doesn’t do the same in return.
 
Bottom Line: Forgive others because God forgives you. God’s love for us is huge. That love drives God to forgive us when we do something wrong. God can help us to forgive people in our life. When we realize how much God has forgiven us, we can turn around and forgive people who might hurt us. This might be difficult, but God can give us the help we need to love others and show forgiveness.
 
Bible Memory Verse: Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you.  Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others (Colossians 3:13, NLT).
 
Have a blessed week!
Angie, Anita, Cheryl, Kristin, Jessi

​Dear Reign Forest,
In Mark 14:1-9, we see that towards the end of Jesus’ life, He was at the home of a man named Simon. While He was there, a woman approached with an expensive jar of perfume. She surprised everyone as she broke the jar and poured the perfume on Jesus’ head. Many were angry and said she could have sold it and given the money to the poor. But Jesus told the crowd to leave her alone. What she was doing was important for what was to happen as He would go to the cross for us.
 
Bottom Line: Love God with everything you’ve got. Sometimes it’s hard for kids to understand how they can love God. We hope that through this story of the woman who anointed Jesus, they’ll start to realize that loving God can look like singing worship songs, but it can also mean doing their best, being generous to others, or putting others first. We’re all different, so we hope to help kids understand how they can love God individually with everything they’ve got.
 
Memory Verse: But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love (1 John 4:8, NLT).  
 
Have a blessed week!
The Reign Forest Team