PRE Daddy/Daughter Serve Day

We are gearing up for our excited event this Saturday as we have dad's and daughter of various ages coming to serve our Benton community together. But of course we cannot do it without a mom's expertise and detailed eye. Some of our FBC mom's spent the night preparing centerpieces, name cards, photo props & you name it- it order to get ready for Saturday's big day!!

Tonight mom's gathered and checked off the post-it note filled of "to-do's." Their anticipation was evident tonight as they talked over and made arrangements of where their daughter might what to serve with their dad or what the end date might be but what spoke louder and without words was the amount of belief that came from their presence and their willingness to believe that God will and do BIG things through this event. May it be the dad stepping up & being the leader, the dad & daughter getting their hands dirty together or the dad showing his daughter how to love and serve Jesus in return. The mom's might of accomplished and completed a post-notes full of jobs & preparations but the mom's did more than just that- they showed up without even knowing it and their presence made reference to the fact that they believe in their husband and their children because they BELIEVE THAT GOD IS BIG & there is more to be done in our city. Our big God is pulling off this God-size event. It's not the effort, the shirts, the luxury breakfast food or date night that is the focus BUT it's the hands and feet of Jesus that will show compassion and love as they go and serve in some capacity.

It goes without saying that we have the best group of Mom's at FBC Benton. We are grateful for their willingness and thrilled that they journey along with us!!

Our Children's Ministry would not be the same or nearly effective without the smiles and love that is shown through helping hands & making it all happen. We need the momma touch!! Thanks a bunch & with lots of love!!

New York New York

GOOOOOOD MORNING!!

Laurie and I were thrilled to get the opportunity to go and visit The Brooklyn Tabernacle in New York for the SPARK Children's Ministry Conference. The last five days were packed with gorgeous views, beautiful history, incredible teaching, helpful tips/information and the Spirit of God. We were/are blessed.

Our days in New York were numbered. We were giddy girls in a pink candy shop. We wanted to see everything and we wanted it all. There was so much to see & we did our very best to fit it all in with our wonderful tour guide, Pauline Bethel :)

As for the conference, we were encouraged and blessed. Our first night at the conference we had not a clue what to expect. We were greeted by Brooklyn Tabernacle greeters in red shirts and handed a name tag & a welcome bag filled with goodies. We walked into this large, beautiful sanctuary filled with friendly faces and loud music. Laurie and I chose a seat and settled comfortably. We were full of anticipation. Andddd..5-4-3-2-1 "Let's stand a sing to the King," was echoed from the microphone on stage. We stood and worshiped together with people from 15 different states & countries- it was amazing! Once we finished singing, the rest of the night was filled with skits, dance motions, teaching, a birthday party and a dessert social (with cupcakes that had unbelievable presentation). YUM!

Day 2: We gathered again together to worship and pray. We heard from the Senior Pastor, Jim Cymbala. He had just landed from a two week trip in Asia but still chose to encourage and teach us. Bless him! We dismissed into our three different workshops shortly after Pastor Cymbala finished. Laurie and I divided and conquered. We separated and visited different workshops and then complied information and thoughts. That night we wrapped our conference up with a prayer meeting. We knelt down and prayed for FBC Benton and kids. We prayed over our kids and asked the Holy Spirit to lead us and guide us as we seek His peace and presence. We were BLESSED. God met with us and we are thankful.

Day 3: It was Sunday and we made plans to join the 9:00 worship service at Brooklyn Tabernacle and then sit in on their children's worship hour at 12:00. It was fabulous. Our eyes and hearts were open and received what God had for us.

We walked away knowing that God IS all and God is FOR all and God DOES all.

I am ready to seek God together and allow God to lay a foundation for our kid's. They are worth it. They are valued and loved. What an amazing privilege we've been given to teach and show the love of Christ in a fun, excited and FBC Benton way!! We're asking God to lead! We welcome you to join us!

Love lots, travel much & ENJOY SPRING BREAK. 

New News

In the words of Michael Altshuler, "The bad news is time flies. The good news is you're the pilot."

Time seems to run away from us. We are caught in the busyness of homework, practices, recitals & car lines. We love it all and most imes would not change a thing. Let's journey through life together to see how Church + Family can create more stability, make you more relevant and bridge community. Our Children's ministry wants to offer just that. Imagine the impact when the two collide. We want to give you the opportunity to be involved in the excitement here at FBC Benton.
Every Wednesday night is FUSION. Fusion is for 1st-5th grade. We have great leaders that seek to influence and instill biblical truth from God's word and also instruct Godly behavior. We see the importance of leading and training a new generation.

The best gift we can give your child is to enable and encourage them to play an active role in Jesus story or restoration and redemption. Families, are you ready? We are!

Let's take out our planners and take note of upcoming dates:

March 26, 2014 : There are NO activities on campus (Spring Break- Wahoooo)

April 5, 2014 : Daddy Daughter Serve Day. This new creative & vibrant day will allow Dad's and Daughters to serve Benton together and to walk away with a new perspective of each other and their response to the Gospel. We are anticipating April 5th and it could not get here fast enough! Make sure to buy your tickets & sign up. Tickets will be on sale in the lobby of the worship center until March 23rd. 

April 11, 2014 : Kid's Night Out @ Party Central. 6-10PM. We welcome birth-5th grade. Birth-PreK will stay on FBC campus & K-5th grade will leave from FBC to go to Party Central. 

Questions? Comments? We want to hear from you! Comment below! 

Now, enjoy the nice weather & an ice cream cone!!

Morgan Middleton 

Children's Ministry Associate 

Boo-Whooo & Wha-Whooo

It's time for the day of school!!! It's a day full of cheers & tears. No matter how you feel we hope you'll come join us for a time of fellowship, friends & prayers for this school year!


Bring a friend too!

Back 2 School

Back to school is in full swing!!

Benton schools start Monday so we are inviting moms to come join each other celebrating or mourning the first day of school at our first Boo-Whooo & Wha-Whooo Open House. Fellowship with other moms while enjoying coffee & snacks.


We will meet in Crossover Cafe' beginning @ 7:30. Get the kids to school then come on over...preschoolers welcome ;-)

Back 2 School Bash
Sunday, August 26
4:30-6:30 p.m.
Pre-K 3's & Pre-K will be in the FBC Gym
Kindergarten-5th grade will be @ Party Central
Everyone will have pizza after jump & play time.
Parents, this is your opportunity to find a small group to become involved w/ on Sunday evenings.
Transportation is available for parents in Christian Growth classes. Give us a call in the church office w/ any questions.

All good thing must come to an end

We are headed home & ended the week on a great note!!








Today we celebrated Pastor Edd's birthday!! I am so grateful for him giving his week to be with us. Thanks Jayne & Ethan for sharing him ;-)



I'm also extremely grateful for the counselors that I spent the week with...Jessie Briggs, Jennifer Campbell, Dana Fiedler & Paul Herndon. Paul is the Dixsonville summer missionary & a great young man!! He is marrying Kayla Smith (Steve & Lori's daughter) in January. I was blessed beyond measure to have time with these wonderful folks!!



We've had a great week together!! Thanks to parents for sharing their awesome kids w/ us!! I am truly blessed & love my "job!"


Now I'm ready for a nice, hot shower & some special love from baby girl who I think might be ready to see me...maybe Mr. Daniel is ready to see me also ;-)





Blessings!!
Laurie

All is well!

Tuesday & Wednesday have been great days!!!


We have had lots of fun & have been talking about faith in God as well as obedience to God.


We've learned about "Superheros" like Joshua & the spies going into the Promise Land. Last night, Pastor Mike talked about David sparing King Saul's life instead only taking his spear & water jug.



The kids have also been learning about what a "Quiet Time" is & how to have one. They read a devotion each morning on their bunk to prepare them for the Scriptures & truths we will be talking about that day.








This morning before our church group time, we found the kids had organized themselves a nice game of volleyball in the sand court by our meeting pavilion. It was so much fun!! We are planning another one tomorrow!!








Today is Spirit Day so we've been dressed in RED & being silly with some surprises that have arrived in the mail as well as some special decorated items the kids did before we left...grown-ups too!!!



Rec today was Superheros & Sidekicks. It involved splashballs & blindfolds...sounds like fun huh?!? Haha!








Tonight, we are surprising the kids w/ pizza for supper during a special church group time!! Looking forward some extra time hanging out together.

Quick shout out to the FBC Girls for winning the first day of CLEANEST CABIN!!!! Way to go girls!!!! Parents, which also means they can do it & home!


Thanks so much for the sweet notes & prayers from so many of you!!! We are very grateful!!

Mrs. Laurie