​Dear RF Friends,
 
Our “word of the month” in RF for the month of November is “contentment.”  On Sunday, we started out 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 had to learn from experience.  His example of contentment in the face of difficulty is a great lesson for all of us. 
 
Bottom Line:  God can help you be content.  We can’t promise kids that when they follow Jesus, 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 can give them what they need to get through it. 
 
On Sunday, the kids were also introduced to our Christmas Nativity play that we will be doing on Dec. 19th.  There are no new memory verses until after Christmas, so this is a great time to catch up if needed!  A reminder, too, that this coming Sunday, the kids will be doing a Thanksgiving parade with the items collected for Hope Rescue Mission. 
 
Blessings,
The RF Team

​Hi RF Friends,
 
This past Sunday, we headed to something Paul wrote to the church in 1 Corinthians 12:12-27. God’s Spirit gives each of us different gifts and abilities. Rather than feeling jealous of others or wanting a gift or skill that someone else has, we should make the most of our own, combine them with what others have, and make a greater difference! This is how the church is meant to work.
 
Bottom Line: We can use our gifts together to make a greater difference.
 
Bible Memory: All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it (1 Corinthians 12:27,  NLT)
 
This is our last memory verse until after the Christmas play. We will take a break from learning memory verses as we practice for the Christmas play. This coming Sunday, we plan to introduce this year’s Christmas play and assign parts.
 
Blessings,
The RF team

​Good morning, Reign Forest Friends!
 
Bottom Line: You can make a difference right now.
 
This week we head to something Paul wrote to Timothy in 1 Timothy 4:12. Timothy was a gifted young leader who Paul mentored. Paul wrote to Timothy and reminded him to stay faithful to the task God gave him. Even though Timothy was young, God could use him to lead the church and point people to Jesus.
 
Bible Memory #6 -  Don’t let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you love, your faith, and your purity (I Timothy 4:12, NLT)
 
Blessings:
The Reign Forest Team

​Hi Reign forest friends,
In week three, we head to Acts 16:13-15. We look at a moment from one of Paul’s travels where we meet a woman named Lydia. Lydia had a unique skill: the art of making clothing with purple dye. This set her apart and gave her standing among the “upper crust” of Philippian society. Lydia also followed God. When Paul and his companions traveled to Philippi, they found Lydia and other women meeting and praying. Lydia became a follower of Jesus and became a leader in the church at Philippi.
 
We practiced retelling the Bible story using story props. Then we shared examples of some spiritual gifts and ways we can help others.
 
Bottom Line: Use your gifts to help others.
 
Bible Memory # 5: God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another (1 Peter 4:10, NLT).
 
Have a wonderful week!
The Reign Forest team

INDIVIDUALITY IS A REFLECTION OF THE CHARACTER OF GOD…Discovering who you’re meant to be so, you can make a difference.
 
Bottom Line: Knowing Jesus changes how you see yourself.
 
In week two, we turn to Matthew 9:9-13 and discover an essential moment from Matthew’s life. As a tax collector, Matthew would have been shunned by Jews and Romans alike. He was seen as a traitor to the Jews. Matthew must have been shocked when Jesus came up to him and asked him to be one of His disciples. Matthew might have seen himself as unworthy, but that would have changed once Jesus made him feel valued
 
Bible Memory # 4: For I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners (Matthew 9:13, NLT)

Hello Reign Forest Friends,
 
For the month of October, we are learning all about INDIVIDUALITY.  Everything God has created is unique and one of a kind, including people created in God’s image. Every person is an original reflection of God in how they love, care for others, imagine, create, and solve problems. To see how we can do this well, we should look to Jesus. Jesus showed us what it means to be created in God’s image in the way He loved all people and helped people feel like they had value—no matter who they were or what they had done. We can reflect this as we discover who we’re meant to be and live out the individuality God gave us.
 
In Genesis 1:26-28, we read that when God created people, God did something special. We reflect God’s image to the world. This doesn’t mean that we physically look like God. Instead, we demonstrate what God is like in the way we create and imagine, show love and kindness, seek justice, and offer mercy. We get to fill the earth with God’s goodness, each in our own individual way. Bottom Line: You were made in God’s image.
 
We had fun painting with chocolate syrup and creating a reflection of our painting. Our picture reflection reminds us that we are made in God’s image and are a reflection of God. It is very important for us to reflect God in everything we do.
 
Bible Memory # 3- Genesis 1:27  NLT
So God created human beings in his own image.  In the Image of God he created them; Male and female he created them.
 
Blessings,
The RF Team

​In our final week, we head 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 celebrated what God had done for them, not only during those 52 days but 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 thank Him. We pray that throughout this month, looking at Nehemiah’s story, kids will see how God helps them every day. We hope they learn to celebrate God’s continued work in their lives.
 
Bible Memory Verse #2: “Come and see what our God has done, what awesome miracles he performs for people!” Psalm 66:5 NLT

​Hello Reign Forest friends,
 
The first Bible memory verse was given this week; please read below!
 
Initiative: Seeing what needs to be done and doing it!
We reviewed the Monthly life application word above. Maybe as parents, you have seen your child take initiative this week to get something done!
 
In week three, we continue the story about Nehemiah rebuilding Jerusalem’s walls. We see how Nehemiah deals with some distractions in Nehemiah 2:19- 20, 4, and 6. Not everyone liked what Nehemiah was doing. He had enemies who tried to get the people distracted from finishing the wall. But Nehemiah sees through their plan and focuses on the job God gave him to finish.
 
Bottom Line: Stay focused on what needs to be done. From cleaning their rooms to finishing their homework, kids have all sorts of things that need to be done. But it often doesn’t take long for cleaning a room to become playing with the toys you’re supposed to be picking up. We hope kids will see that focusing on the task at hand is important. God has all sorts of jobs for us to do. We can trust Him to give us the focus we need to finish them.
 
On Sunday, for interactive application of the Bible story, the children did a “build the wall” relay race and ball toss that required them to stay focused and work together as a team. The children rose to the challenge, worked on communication with each other, and had fun!
 
Attached below is this week’s take-home paper and a coloring page of the Memory verse. If your child likes to color or trace as an aid to learning verses, they should enjoy this. Credit: https://meditateinhisword.com/childrens-devotion-on-hard-work-printables-activities/
 
Memory Verse #1: “Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.” Colossians 3:23 NLT
 
Have a great week!
The Reign Forest team

Dear RF Friends,
 
On Sunday in RF, we continued with Nehemiah's story.  In Nehemiah 5:1-12, we discovered that while everyone was building the wall, an issue arose.  Some of the Israelites were severely mistreating each other.  Even though Nehemiah was in charge of rebuilding the wall, he stopped building the wall to confront the issue.  Helping others who were mistreated was more important than finishing the wall.  He cared enough about the people to help them figure out a solution.  
 
Bottom Line:  Look for ways to make things right.  As they grow up, kids will notice others in need.  They may see when others are being mistreated.  We pray that kids will start to understand how they can be a part of the solution to helping these situations and fixing what's broken.  Maybe they can do this on their own; perhaps they need help from a trusted adult.  Either way, we pray that they take the initiative to help instead of thinking it's someone else's problem.  God can use them along with the trusted adults in their life to make an impact in the lives of others.  
 
We had fun making glasses out of pipe cleaners as a reminder to be on the lookout for situations that need to be made right.  No Bible memory verse for this week yet…stay tuned!
Blessings on your week,
The RF Team

​Dear RF Friends,
 
On Sunday in RF, we finished up the month with something Paul wrote in Romans 12:2.  Don't live the way this world lives.  Let your way of thinking be completely changed.  Then you will be able to test what God wants for you.  And you will agree that what he wants is right.  His plan is good and pleasing and perfect (NirV).  As we put our faith in Jesus and allow His Spirit to change us, we'll not only grow in our relationship with Jesus but we'll also mature in how we see the world and the choices we'll make. 
 
Bottom Line:  Never stop growing in wisdom.  No one ever has all of the wisdom they'll ever need.  Just like we can keep learning about the world around us, we can keep learning how to make the wise choice throughout different circumstances we face.  We pray that this month sets kids on a journey to discover how they can keep growing in wisdom and their relationship with God. 
 
We had a wonderful time on Sunday celebrating the work many of the children put into Bible memorization over the past year!  We talked about the "how" and "why" of Bible memorization, ate cupcakes, and celebrated each child with pom-poms and a small gift.  Each child received a packet of the Bible memory verses from the past year.  Learning and memorizing God's Word is a great way to never stop growing in wisdom!  Our Bible memorization challenge for the next year will be starting soon....stay tuned!
 
Blessings,
The RF Team