Jesus Can Fix It – Our Summer Series! – NWHCM

Our Summer Children’s Church Series was all about Jesus’ Amazing Miracles!

Synopsis: Every single person has done or said bad things. Sin keeps us from being close to God. In this series, little ones will examine the 7 miracles of Jesus recorded in the book of John. Jesus came to fix our damaged relationship with God, so that we can be with Him forever in heaven.

Memory Verse Theme: “Lord my God, I called out to you for help. And you healed me.” Psalm 30:2

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We decorated our cafeteria in a construction theme! With 180-220 children in weekly attendance, we were packed every Sunday afternoon!

We started doing Children’s Church at 4:30pm (instead of during normal church hours) so that kids didn’t feel the pressure to dress in their best.

Each week we learned a new verse, played a few games, participated in crafts/coloring activities, shared a snack, and dived into 7 important miracles.

Our Weekly Lesson Series Included:

The Little Fix
Scripture: John 2:1-11, Jesus Turns Water to Wine
Objective: Kids will say, “Big or small – Jesus fixes it all.”
Fixing Faith
Scripture: John 4:46-54, Jesus Heals the Official’s Son
Objective: Kids will say, “I have faith – Jesus can fix it.”
Unexpected Fix
Scripture: John 5:1-9, The Healing at the Pool
Objective: Kids will say, “Jesus can fix things in ways I can’t think of.”
The Big Fix
Scripture: John 6:1-15, The Feeding of the 5,000
Objective: Kids will say, “Jesus can fix it – I can help.”
Fearless Fix
Scripture: John 6:16-25, Jesus Walks on Water
Objective: Kids will say, “I’m not scared, because Jesus can fix it.”
Know the Fixer
Scripture: John 9:1-17, 27-39, Jesus Heals a Man Born Blind
Objective: Kids will say, “Jesus is God’s son – He can fix anything.”
Unfixable?
Scripture: John 11:1-44, Jesus Raises Lazarus
Objective: Kids will say, “Nothing is impossible for Jesus to fix.”
Jesus Fixed It!
Scripture: John 20:1-23, The Resurrection & John 3:16, God Loves Us
Objective: Kids will say, “Jesus fixed it so I can be with Him forever.”

Every week the children earned points for attendance, memory verses, answering questions, and bringing friends. This summer we tried something new. As a way to earn more points, homework was assigned weekly.

Our weekly coloring sheets had questions already typed on them – relevant to the story. The kids were responsible for hanging onto the coloring sheet, answering the questions at home, and turning it back in the following week during attendance.

For those who can’t read/write – this meant they’d have to go home and seek help from someone who could. It was our hope that the children would not only gain a better understanding from the material, but also encourage them to share with others as they answered their questions.

I wasn’t sure whether it would pan out…whether the kids would take it serious or not. The first week less than half turned in their homework. We made a big deal for those that did! We cheered for them as they handed it in – and their little faces were filled with so much pride! The following week we had 80% of the homework turned in. I honestly was blown away – as we averaged between 75%-85% participation every single week!

Asher thought it “wasn’t fair” that the younger kids got the same points as the older ones… because it was obvious that someone else had to help them. For example, he said that Fabi had to ask Mme Nene for help.

I smiled and said – THAT’S THE POINT! Fabi had to ask for help, which meant she took the time to share about the lesson & work on the questions with someone. I hope every child worked on the homework with someone.

Several of the staff told me that their children came home that evening and immediately shared the story & showed them the questions. One of the cooks told me that it brought her a lot of joy when she got a glimpse into what her daughter was thinking.

Yes, there were a few questions that had very specific answers. Questions about: how many jugs were turned into wine? In what village did a certain miracle take place? What was required so that a specific miracle could happen?

BUT – the homework also had personal reflection questions: “What’s one thing you need God to fix for you? What miracle seems impossible to believe? What verse brings you peace when you are afraid? What do you think the best part of Heaven will be? ”

The cook told me she never even thought to ask her daughter those questions. She honestly never really thought about them herself.

So regardless of how the answers were obtained….I’m so thankful that the coloring sheets weren’t thrown on the floor as soon as our church was over – AND that the lesson was discussed outside the gates!

Below are some pictures from our summer series! I’ll be making a post soon on MoleHaiti.org with pictures from our 4th of July Party. The top 60 children who earned the most points were awarded with a fun-filled and unforgettable night! We even ended with fireworks! 🙂