This summer Northminster Presbyterian Church is planning an amazing adventure through God’s Word, and you’re invited! We hope you’ll join us for this year’s Vacation Bible School.

Each day children will take part in a fun, Bible learning experience that they can see, hear, touch, and even taste! Bible point experiments, team-building games, lively Bible songs, video visits from Chadder Chipmunk, and Bible drama adventures are just a few of the fun activities that children will enjoy.

SKY Location:	Northminster Presbyterian Church 4324 Clairemont Mesa Blvd. San Diego, CA 92117 858-490-3995
SKY Dates:	Monday-Friday July 23rd through July 27th, 2012
SKY Times:	9:00 AM – 12:00 Noon
SKY VBS Sunday & Carnival:	Sunday July 29th 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM (Parents accompanying children)
SKY Invitees:	Age 3 (potty trained only) through 6th graders

Registration forms and payments will be accepted on a first come-first served basis beginning April 8th. Enrollment is limited to 140 children (40 total Preschool age), so please register early to avoid being placed on the wait-list or missing out. Every child must have a completed registration form and release form turned into the church office.

We are excited to announce the return of our program for six graders combining volunteer efforts on their part as well as participation in VBS curriculum geared toward their age! Older students (entering 7th grade and above) are invited to apply to be VBS volunteer helpers. Limited volunteer spaces are available. All volunteers under the age of 18 will be required to attend a two hour training session prior to VBS. Two dates will be offered: June 23: 3:00 — 5:00 PM and July 22: 1:00 — 3:00 PM.

Please print out the VBS Registration Form and the Release Form, fill them out and return to the church office. Every volunteer and participant must have both forms returned to the office.

We look forward to seeing you at SKY VBS!

– Korin McCoy, VBS Director

Sharing God’s Love

Every year the children at Northminster’s VBS take part in a mission project. Last year the children had a blast tie-dying onesies for babies in our very own community.

This year we plan to double the giving! In addition to tie-dying onesies, we are going to participate in Operation Kid-to-Kid.

Often, children don’t understand the value of money—it’s not a “tangible” need for them. That makes it difficult for them to make a concrete connection between their money and really making a difference in the life of another child.

On the other hand, children are familiar with being outside in the summertime—and the risk of being bitten by mosquitoes. Most children have been sprayed, slathered, and soaked with insect repellent by their parents in an effort to avoid those pesky bites. But imagine if avoiding mosquito bites was a matter of life and death! This year’s Operation Kid-to-Kid gives kids (and adults) the opportunity to share God’s love by providing mosquito protection bed nets for children in the African country of Mali.

Fight Against Malaria

Over the years, Operation Kid-to-Kid has become one of the world’s largest child-to-child service outreach programs. This year we will team up with children around the country in an effort to protect children from a small—but deadly—enemy: Mosquitoes. In many countries (particularly Africa), mosquitoes carry a frightening disease called malaria that is often fatal. Malaria is one of the deadliest diseases impacting poor children around the world.

The gift of simple mosquito nets can go a long way toward keeping children safe. Plus, it’s tangible evidence that someone cares for them. Every $6 donation provides a new bed net that will protect to or more children. These specially treated nets, draped over a child’s bed while he or she sleeps, can last up to 4 years. The nets are powerful weapons against malaria!

How It Works

Participants and Volunteers at this year’s Sky VBS will learn about this special mission project every day in Sky High Movie and Missions. They will also hear about Ami, Korotimi, and Moussa—people whose lives have been saved because of a simple mosquito net. Kids will create Friendship Cards to send to the children who receive the nets.

During the week, everyone at Sky can bring in donations of any amount and take it to the Operation Kid-to-Kid Headquarters. What a wonderful way for children to see that it’s easy to share God’s love! (And it’s a way for children and adults to be God Sightings to others!)

How wonderful it would be if EVERY family at Northminster sponsored a mosquito net! At only $6, we all can help! If you are interested, please place your check in the offering plate any Sunday between now and VBS. Just write “Operation Kid to Kid” in the memo line so it gets credited to the correct place.

Thank you all for your support!

— Korin

God hasn’t retired yet, you know.

He’s as busy now as he’s ever been.

But until you see that with your own eyes, it’s tough to have a vibrant faith.  God can seem distant or impersonal.

God is active in our everyday lives…we just have to learn to look.  We have to make it a habit to keep an eye out for the daily overwhelming evidence that God is doing great things all around us.

At Sky VBS, children will be encouraged to look for God Sightings—everyday clues that God is present, passionate, and powerful.  A God sighting is simply an acknowledgment that God has done something.  It’s giving God credit where credit is due.  It’s developing a God-focused view and a grateful heart.  Children will discover that they can see God in things like Scripture, people, circumstances, and nature.

As participants make God Sightings part of everyday life, their faith will grow.  Why?  Because they’ll actually see God at work.  Not because he’s suddenly shown up but because they finally have eyes to see…and at last, they’re looking.

During Sky High Movie children will receive a Watch For God wristband that they will wear all week.  These colored bands remind them to keep their eyes open for things that God is doing all around them.

I would love for you all, as a congregation, to share your own personal God Sightings.  I think it would be wonderful for the children to hear examples from you as to what makes you see God all around.  If you would be so kind as to write down your God Sightings and put them in the offering plate occasionally or e-mail them to the church office, we can read them out loud to the children doing Sky High Movie.

As always, thank you for your time, love and support!

— Korin

Believe it or not, preparations are already well under way for this year’s VBS!  The theme this year is SKY:  Everything is Possible With God!

Sky will be filled with incredible Bible-learning experiences children will see, hear, touch and even taste!  Sciency-Fun Gizmos, team-building games, cool Bible songs, and tasty treats are just a few of the Sky activities that will help faith flow into real life. Plus, we will all help children discover how to see evidence of God in everyday life—something we call God Sightings.

The children will also participate in two mission projects this year.  The tie-dyed onesies were such a hit that we have decided to do them again in new colors!  VBS children will also help children in Mali, Africa with mosquito nets!

Mark these dates on your calendar

July 23rd through July 27th.
Registration will begin in April.

As with all things our church does, this year’s VBS will take a village.  We need all of your time, talents and treasures to help spread the word of God’s love!  Keep your eyes and ears open for ways you can help!

Thank you!
— Korin

This Sunday was the culmination of a fantastic week at Northminster with 155 kids in our VBS program.  The message this week was taken from the theme of VBS which was Psalm 139:1-14.

Theme – This week at Vacation Bible School, we learned all about God’s love for us from Psalm 139.  In a nutshell, we learned that God thinks—no, God knows—that each of us is wonderful!  Why?  Because God made us!

I saw a news story today about a new movie documentary called “Babies,” the story of the first year of life for four babies in different parts of the world. Just watching the short clips that I saw, all I can think is, “It doesn’t matter where we come from, we’re not that different.”

It also reminded me of how important it is to raise our children well. If you have kids, you want to raise your kids well. And as a church, we want to participate with you in raising your kids well.

To do this, we offer programs like Vacation Bible School (July 26-30) and Sunday School. But we want to do more for our kids! We’re committed to that!

As a result, 50% of this year’s Pentecost Offering (which will be received the next two Sundays) will go toward Northminster’s Children’s Ministry. At this time, we have only a very small budget for our Children’s Ministry, which means that a lot of times the cost of teaching a Sunday School class comes out of our teachers’ own pockets.

I’m so grateful to our Sunday School teachers and their willingness to pay for supplies themselves, but I’d love for all of us to get behind them and support our children as a whole church!

The other 50% of the Pentecost Offering will also go to children’s ministries, primarily children at risk. Here are the other areas of ministry that will be blessed by your giving:

• Ministries with youth and young adults
• Young Adult Volunteers
• Child Advocacy Ministries

Please give generously to the Pentecost Offering over the next two weeks. You will bless not only the children of our own church, but also children and youth all over the world!

Blessings,

Pastor Markus