In week two, we find Jesus at the Jordan River. In John 1:19-42 and John 3:22-36. Jesus’ cousin, John the Baptist, is also at the Jordan River preparing the way for Jesus. When Jesus told John to baptize Him, at first, John refused, feeling far too inferior to baptize Jesus. John knew enough about the Scriptures, and he understood enough about God’s story that he responded to Jesus in a different way.
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Bottom Line: If you want to know God, start with Jesus. The best way to know God is by taking time to find out more about Jesus. Jesus shows us what God is like. God loves us so much that He sent Jesus to make a forever relationship with Him possible. We want every kid to know how important it is to trust Jesus with their life.
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Memory Verse: Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.” John 14:6 NLT
 
Blessings:
The Reign Forest Team

Hello Reign Forest Friends,
 
First, I want to say GOOD JOB to everyone on their part in the Christmas play. The kids did an awesome job and thank you parents for working with your child(ren) on memorizing their lines and bringing them out to the evening practice.
 
We start the month of January in Luke 2:41-52 as we discover a moment from Jesus’ childhood. Jesus was fully God, but He was also fully human. And Jesus recognized something very important. He knew that if He wanted to be a part of God’s story and know the secrets of the world around Him, He needed to be in a place where He could learn what His Father said. For Jesus, studying Scripture was a priority.
 
Bottom Line: Knowing God is the most important thing. Our kids are growing up in the information age. There is no lack of information. However, not all information is as equally valuable. We want our kids to discover that when they focus on knowing God first, the rest will fall into place.
 
Now that our Christmas play is over, we are starting our Bible Memory Verse challenge again. Our verse for this week is “For the Lord grants wisdom! From his mouth comes knowledge and understanding.”   Proverbs 2:6 NLT
 
Blessings,
The Reign Forest Team
Angie, Anita, Cheryl, Jessi, and Kristin

​Hello Reign Forest Friends!
 
We spent the past few weeks practicing for the Reign Forest Christmas Play which takes place during the Worship Service on Sunday December 22. We are so thankful for the patience and hard work from all of our Reign Forest friends as we work through it together! Please continue to practice memorizing lines with your children. Maybe read through their section of the play so they know when their part is coming up and have them try to say their lines in a loud, clear voice, and have them slow down. When memorizing we tend to quickly say what needs to be said before we forget it, but we would like them to slow down so that the audience doesn't miss what they are saying.
 
We would like to have a full dress rehearsal where the kids can actually be on “stage” to practice before the big show! We would love to have everyone join us at church on Thursday December 19 from 6:30 pm to 7:30 pm. If everyone attends, it will be just like the Sunday morning program on the 22nd and everyone will know when and where they are to be on stage come showtime! Please let us know if your child(ren) can or cannot attend.
 
Also, we are looking for a toddler bed for the play. Please let us know if you have one we could borrow or know of someone that might.
 
Thank you!
 
Blessings:
The Reign Forest Team
Angie, Anita, Cheryl, Jessi and Kristin

​Hello Reign Forest Friends,
 
We kicked off November in 1 Samuel 17 with a key person in God’s One Big Story: David. Being overlooked is something that David knew all too well. From being the last person considered the next king of Israel to having people question if he should face Goliath. But God chose him and helped him defeat the mighty Goliath.
 
Bottom Line: Honor others by giving them a chance. From pick-up games at recess to group projects in the classroom, many kids know what it’s like to be overlooked and not given a chance. But what if our kids saw each other as valuable no matter what and learned to give others a chance? This could be a game-changer for kids feeling left out. We pray that kids will start to see that everyone should be honored.
 
There will be no new Bible Memory Verses for November and December as we start our Christmas play. This is a great time to catch up on some missed verses if your child needs to.
 
Blessings!
Angie, Anita, Cheryl, Jessi, and Kristin

​Hello Reign Forest friends!  Here's a summary of our Reign Forest time together on Sunday.
 
We finished the month looking at the story of two guys we read about in Numbers 13–14. Joshua and Caleb demonstrated courage when they were sent with a group of 12 men to scope out the Promised Land. But what they found was intense. So intense, that most of the men were too scared to even attempt entering the land. Joshua and Caleb found the courage to speak up and remind the people that God would provide a way. God honored Joshua and Caleb for having the courage to trust Him.
 
Bottom Line: You can do what you should even when others are afraid. Following the crowd can be all too easy, especially when it comes to fear. But that doesn’t have to be the way. We hope that kids leave this week trusting God a little bit more and seeing how they can be an example to others by the way they have courage.
 
Bible Verse: “Trust the Lord. He is your helper and your shield.” Psalm 115:9 NLT
 
Blessings,
The Reign Forest team

Hi Reign Forest Friends,
 
We kick off October in Exodus 2:1-10 where we meet Moses and his family. Moses was born in a time when Pharaoh commanded that all Hebrew baby boys be killed. Moses mother and sister had courage to keep him alive. God rescued Moses through Pharaoh’s daughter who ended up bringing him into the palace as her own son and raising him as an Egyptian.
 
Bottom Line: You can do what you should even when you don’t know what will happen next. Knowing that God is with us and will help us can give us the courage to keep going, even in the face of fear. We won’t always know what will happen, but we can trust God to work it all out.
 
Bible Verse: “Don’t be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9)
 
Have a great week!
Blessings!
Angie, Anita, Cheryl, Jessi and Kristin

​We see how God is faithful to Joseph in Genesis 41. Joseph seemed to continually find himself in situations where he needed to trust God.  Pharaoh had a dream that no one could interpret.  It’s in this moment the king’s cupbearer, who was in prison with Joseph, remembered how Joseph had interpreted his dream. At once, Pharaoh sent for Joseph. He went and with God’s help interpreted the dreams and offered a plan for helping Egypt survive the famine that God says is coming. Pharaoh put Joseph in charge of the entire kingdom.
 
Bottom Line: When the pressure is on, you can trust God is with you. Kids face moments all of the time when they’ll need to trust God. Rather than getting scared, they can put their trust in God and face whatever comes their way.
 
Verse: But I am trusting you, O Lord, saying, "You are my God!" (Psalm 31:14)
 
Blessings,
The Reign Forest Team

​Hello Everyone!
Today we learn about Joseph and what happens to him in Egypt. In Genesis 40, we discover that while Joseph was thrown into prison for a crime he didn’t commit, God helped him interpret a couple of dreams that came true. He thought this was his chance to get out jail. Instead Joseph was forgotten and stayed in prison several more years. Even though God was with Joseph, he must have been confused at what was happening to him.
 
Bottom Line: When life doesn’t make sense, you can trust God is with you. From not being able to understand something in school to a family situation you never expected, what’s happening in our life won’t always make sense. We pray that no matter what kids face, they’ll trust that God is in control, and they can trust Him to get through it.
 
Bible Verse: So be strong and courageous, all you who put your hope in the Lord! (Psalm 31:24). 
 
Blessings to all,
The Reign Forest Team,
Anita, Jessi, Angie, Kristin, and Cheryl

Hello Reign Forest Friends!
We find out what happens to Jacob’s son, Joseph, in Genesis 37 and 39:1-2. Joseph learned what it meant to trust God through difficulty. Because Joseph was Jacob’s favorite son, his brothers hated him. This only became worse when Joseph had a series of dreams where his brothers bowed to him. The brothers get back at Joseph when they sell him to a band of traders headed to Egypt. He must have felt scared and completely alone. Thankfully, he wasn’t. God was with him the whole time.

Bottom Line: When you think you’re alone, you can trust God is with you. Kids will face times when they feel like they’re alone. We hope this lesson from Joseph’s life will encourage them as they remember that God is always with them.

Memory Verse #2: But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence (Jeremiah 17:7).
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Blessings:
The Reign Forest Team

​We start the month with Jacob. We find his story through various passages in Genesis 25, 27, and 28. Jacob might have wondered how God felt about him after swindling his brother’s birthright and blessing out from under him. But in a dream, God reminded Jacob that He loved Jacob and could be trusted. God renewed the covenant that he started with Jacob’s grandfather Abraham. God always keeps his promises.
 
Bottom Line: You can trust God, no matter what. From being powerful enough to create the universe to being personal enough to love each one of us through Jesus, God has proved that He can be trusted in any and every circumstance. We pray that kids will discover they can trust God with whatever they face in their own life.
 
Bible Verse: Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding (Proverbs 3:5, NLT)
 
We kick off a new season of our new Bible Memory Challenge with the above verse.  We are excited to see all the children that attend Reign Forest participating in the 30 verse challenge this year!  The children may recite verses to leaders before Sunday School and during the designated time in Reign Forest.
 
Blessings to all,
The Reign Forest Leaders
~Angie, Anita, Cheryl, Jessi & Kristin