Grace Christian Fellowship

1..2..3...BLAST OFF!!!!!!!

2010-02-07T05:55:00.000-08:00

Our blast off 4 new curriculum is this wednesday feb 10th!! Bring a friend and double ALL of the points on your general store cards :) come enjoy pizza and a movie. We will start @ regular time 5:30 but will not end until 7pm (this wendesday only). If you are in need of a ride please let me know as soon as possible. if you ARE bringing friends-please let me know a number so we can insure enough pizza and pop for all!! come and be blessed!!!!!!!!

wow that jan. weather!

2010-01-22T07:06:00.001-08:00

wow-have we got some nasty weather going on or what?? hope everyone is staying save inside and warm! as youa re aware, we did not ahve services last wed because of the ice but will be back on schedule this week: wed. jan 27th. seems like we jsut get started on something and we miss a few nights and have to review. the last time we met we talked about christmas, general store and the new year. i asked each of the kids, " what one question would you like answered this year? ". we had a few different questions but they all thought very ahrd before answering. some had a hard time putting their question in the right words but here they are(in no specific order): How was God created?,made?born?, how was jesus born without sin? how long did it take God to create the world?, how did God create man? How was Jesus born from God?, How did jesus grow up? as you can see, i have work to do :) a couple of these will be quite easy to answer, some will take us some time to look up and go through together AND SOME....let's just say-we will have to wait for God to answer. as for upcomming events, we will have general store the first wed in february. we will also be having a veggie event to be announced in the spring. the church as a family are celebrating valentines day with a mystery meal which everyone is invited toa ttend but parents MUST accompany their children AND paticipate!! we will also be setting times and dates for vbs sometime in february so if anyone has any suggestions we welcome them all. this winter has been tuff for us all but ti will come to an end and spring will bring lots of new and exciting changes for us all :) have a great week!

happy new year!!

2010-01-03T16:18:00.001-08:00

wow-a new year! whats in store for us?? only he knows for sure and all we can do is trust!
that is my goal for the year-trust him more..nomatter what! AND grow childrens church by double....AND update this blog weekly as orginally planned :) this wednesday starts the new year with fun and excitement-General store and Game night!!! It is very cold out there but if you are all like my own children, cabin fever is setting in and even though we love our own families....its time to get back with good friends again and let loose!? services will start at 5:30pm and will end at 6:30pm. Hope to see you all there/ill have the heat cranked!!! HAPPY NEW YEAR!

The Holidays

2009-12-18T06:41:00.000-08:00

Merry Merry Christmas to all!!!! The chidrens church department will not be having services on the next 2 wednesdays: dec. 23rd and 30th but will return to normal time (5:30-6:30) on January 6th. on that night we will have general store and game night :)
The church as a family are having Christmas eve services at 5pm/there is no nursery or childrens services-children will be welcome in the sanctuary. On New Years eve, Grace will also be hosting a New Years eve holy ghost services with prayer and prasie and worship. Children are more than welcome to attend however they must be accompanied by an adult. Afterwards, there will be board games and fellowship-please bring your favorite munchie to share!! Hope to see you there :) The New Years service starts at 7pm and last until ?? I am looking forward to another great year serving your children and His!

snow day !!!!!

2009-12-09T15:24:00.000-08:00

sORRY IF I MISSED ANYONE AND IF YOU HADNT HEARD THAT BOTH CHILDRENS AND YOUTH SERVICES ARE CANCELLED FOR TONIGHT!!!!! stay warm-its coooold out there!

OH HAPPY SNOW!!!

2009-12-07T05:19:00.000-08:00

There will be NO kids church on dec 20th and 30th HAPPY HOLIDAYS @ ALL!!!! Also, if there are cancellations becasue of the snow- it will be announced on carroll radio KCIM and KKRL * i will also try to call and/or eamil as manhy of you as possible ahead of time. Please remember, drive careful out there-we can pick up ifn u need but will again, need to know by 4pm. We will be having a combined church get together New Years eve....event details to follow. On another note, our St. Nicholas veggie event went very well dispite some technical difficulties ( thanks to Isaac R> we got some of them taken care of). The movie was awesome, the cookies were great and of course.....the fellowship was grand :) Thnak you to all the kids for commin out and their parents/allison who drove them! hope you were all as richly blessed as I !!!

St Nicholas veggie event :)

2009-12-01T17:44:00.000-08:00

cant wait for the fun and games tommorrow night!!! veggie movie, dance dance dance veggie tales dance off AND cookies!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

growth!!!!!!!!!

2009-11-12T15:28:00.000-08:00

being thankful for so many things this holdiday has been easy! we have seen growth in our numbers but also in the hearts of those in attendance; change has been good!! i am feeling very blessed!!

2009-10-31T07:46:00.000-07:00

Blessing the children of st. anthoney regional hpsoital in carroll was a wonderful evening of giving for ALL of us :) Thank you God for your hands upon this outreach opportunity!!

ATTENTION!!!!

2009-10-14T11:23:00.000-07:00

A decision HAS been made! Wednesday evening children's services will change as of October 21st 2009 * We will start services promtly at 5:30 pm and end by 6:30 * because of time change there will be NO snack served except for general store night or special event. If anyone is in need of transportation please call me @ 712-659-3889 or 712-210-3889 by 4pm the wednesday in need. Also take note of the following dates. We will NOT be having services for the children's church these evenings: wednesday November 25th-Happy Thanksgiving to all! and wednesday december 30th(we will be welcoming in the new year on the eve of the 31st-details to follow as they are arranged :) Please listen to KKRL or KCIM radio stations in case of weather related changes. Please invite your friends to attend....double your sticker points!!

change??

2009-09-27T17:23:00.000-07:00

i have sent out a letter with those who have attended either wednesday evening or sunday morning services concerning possible time changes for our wed nite kids church....we would like to make getting your children to services more often as convienent as possible. the choices range from starting after school to keeping them as they are. if you have any suggested times feel free to email or call me or drop a note in the church office. as for me- i believe if we can help more kids get more of the word, more fellowship with good friends, more fun in Jesus then changes WILL happen in their everyday lives....and therefore, changes are in order!! i will let everyone know this week the final decision. nervous? dont be-it'll be good :)

weekly fellowship

2009-09-01T05:34:00.000-07:00

Ever felt drained from a hectic week, then on sunday...have 2 get up early, get everyone dressed, find all your needed items too AND get in the church door on time? With having 2 little ones and a busy schedule-i have been there many sundays! And even though i love teaching and love being able to be taught Gods awesome word by 2 great leaders-it had been a struggle at times. Looking back, i see i was looking at sunday as the end of the week instead of the beginning :) AHH! The beginning!? The time to be renewed.... refreshed...THE way to start the week off right! What better way to do that than to enjoy some fellowship and relax time before services start: ( yummy coffee ) + ( delicious treats ) x (peaceful fellowship and Gods word) = the perfect equation to start every week off right!!! Wouldnt YOU like to start your week off refreshed and renewed too? Need some comfort? Prayer? Just time with adults? Come! Come get to know our family, let us love on ya a bit (or alot) and jump start your week-you'll neverf regret it! Coffee room opens 8am-9am and then following services 10am-ish * we'd be glad to fill ylour cup!

Game night!!!!

2009-08-17T15:42:00.000-07:00

Thanks be to all who attended and made our veggie event a success :) Thanks to walmart in carroll for donating supplies :) From all the smiles i would say it was a success! i cannot wait for this wed night-learn how God wants us to have fun along with working hard for Him, hang out, play some games, get to know your friends better :) cant wait to see you all there! BRING A FRIEND AND GET DOUBLE GENERAL STORE POINTS......

YOU make crocodile dock rock!!!

2009-08-12T04:54:00.000-07:00

What a week: 27 kids, 30 adults/youth serving, tons of games..crafts....stories..... and 1 GREAT BIG GOD!! what an awesome time! I am full!

In the freezer??

2009-06-18T10:01:00.000-07:00

According to Dr. Gupta, putting your childs stuffed animals in the freezer for several hours, once a week will usually kill any dust mights they have aquired....
soooooo, i wonder if there are dust mights in antartica?? random, i know!

catch the buzz

2009-06-04T17:08:00.000-07:00

the past few months of sundays we have been using "Ifs, Ands and Buts childrens sermons" by Mary grace Becker. they are wonderful short lessons tht can be adapted very easily for large or small groups. the kids all seem to enjoy AND understand them. they take the little words and teach on how each little word ( if,and,but) can change the meaning of the weekly verse. It's been good!! On wednesdays, we have started the "true or false" by josh mcdowell (beyond belief). the main 2 points of each evening will be a BIG truth in the bible and a BIG lie the world tells us ( focusing on several verses but 1 main 1). the first lesson is how God wants us 2b His friend-how we were made 2b His friend....how good is that !?! with general store comming this wed and sunday we will be taking a short break 2 relax, watch a movie, enjoy some popcorn and great company and be blessed with being able to spend some points and recieve a gift. we will also be working on this years vbs on wed nights if anyone would like to come out and join us :) good to see so many happy little faces again! catch the buzz-come join us!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

what a week

2009-05-14T12:05:00.000-07:00

WOW, what a week! 2 great nites of kids church with a wonderful group of kids! looking forward to an awesome summer :) this weekend will be yet another adventure..watching my olderst-shelbi-graduate from college. thats right! college! i am so so old! cant wait! amy r. will be taking over kids church this sunday but i'll be back for wed nite services...tired i'm sure but i'll be back! dont forget to mark your calanders for wed may 27th as it is a special nite for dave and cindy peterson-we are having an open house at grace to bid them farewell, share stories, and photos...laugh alittle and cry alot. we'll have plenty of kleenex so you might as well just show up and join us :( we have been truelly blessed to have them for so long and their new adventure sounds to be a great one!! anyone with pictures from the last few years is asked to email or get them to the secretary (allison wood) by this weekend...we are in need of more :) have a blessed week!

we'rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrre baaaaaaaaaaaack!

2009-05-07T12:03:00.000-07:00

our 1st wed. nite back was a great evening filled with vbs songs, prizes and a great lesson on patience: "haste makes mistakes". we had a wopping 10 in attendace and are praying for future growth. all offering goes to vbs 2009. we are going to offer it free again to those who register in time/july something or other-will set a final sign up date soon. next week we are going to be talking about having faith nomatter what. on sunday we are going to be talking about why it's important to follow directions....and try to attempt an air craft with out directions and then with directions. we are a bit behind (if u r following the calendar) and i apologize for that. we kinda "wing it" a bit ( holy spirit wings of course) when there are only a few of us but it is ALWAYS GOOD! just as he is always good! following his lead means sometimes we just gotta get off the path set b4 us and sit back and reflect on our journeys......care to join us????

VBS-Get in on it!

2009-04-27T05:28:00.001-07:00

This years vacation bible school is Crocodile Dock! It will be hosted @ GCF in August from the 3rd to the 7th; from 5:15 to 830pm. Signing up ealier is best and most appreciated :) You can register online: www.groupvbs.com/webtoybox/myvbs/gcffamily.com * it's easy! You will also be able to register by phone soon. on the calander below are tentative dates and times for anyone wanting to assist in decorating needs-please check it often as this may change ( or give me a call: 712-659-3889 ). We appreciate everyones help!
Wed. night kids church will be starting back up the first wed. in may ( may 6th ). kindergarten-5th graders welcome :) We will still be having general store the first sunday of each month but will also have movie/general store night the first wed. of each month (excluding the first one of course). You can get points to spend in the store each week by attending, bringing offering, bringing your bible and/or bringing a friend. upcomming wed's off will be posted on the calander below. i will try to also post them monthly as needed. Come and experience the love and joy that God has for YOU! and YOU! and YOU!!!

WELCOME!!

2009-04-16T15:54:00.000-07:00

Come welcome dave and sue our new pastors! pastors??? yep-both of them! i am sooo excited! we are welcoming them this sunday with a potluck following services....service times will soon be changing so i WILL post that later so there is no confusion :) dave and sue also pastor in denison iowa @ cornerstone and they live in manning. thats kinda about all i know right now but i have met them and they seem as excited as i am about getting wed night kids church up and going again and about growing the church in general :) yeah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! good days ahead!

good times :)

2009-03-08T20:05:00.001-07:00

today we had a wonderful time re-telling the story of the caterpillar and the butterfly....first with props then with our own bodies/then we all commited to a new life with Jesus as our Lord!! to reinforce the lesson we read a wonderful story that each family got to take home along with memory verse key chain clip hologram to help remind each of them that they are a new creation when they give their life over to Christ! we also played a fun game of butterfly bingo. We finnished up with general store. all of the children were very good shoppers :) what great listeners we had this week-thank you! thank you!

THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

2009-02-20T05:30:00.000-08:00

Thank you to everyone who attended our veggie tale movie event-i had a good time! Grace hopes you did also. We hope you took home a little bit of something in your heart as well as a full tummy :) you are all welcome anytime. kids church at this time is sunday mornings from 10-11:30! C YA !!!!!

2009-02-11T12:28:00.001-08:00

oh yea-we have another pastor comming in-afterwards there will be a potluck so youll have a chance to meet him. his name is michael gilbertson. he will be here this sunday feb 15th 10am for services! we'd love you to come and be blessed!

PARTY TIME!!!!

2009-02-11T12:22:00.000-08:00

ARE you ready for another veggie tale adventure? how about abe and the amazing promise/now out on dvd! If you would love to see the movie, play some games and enjoy some delicious pizza ALL ON US)be at grace christian fellowship on wed night feb 18th @ 7pm-8:15pm and we will be blessed to learn about abe and his amazing patience! PATIENCE??? oh no!!!~think we all need to watch this one folks- so i better see you all there! if you could rsvp to me : 712-659-3889 i would appreciate it so i can make sure that we have pizza for all! tootles!

upcomming event

2009-01-16T17:30:00.000-08:00

Sunday, Feb 1st * speaker: Reverand Adam Hirschy
time: during services * 10am-11:30am
potluck to follow services @ grace ( bring a dish to share )
EVERYONE WELCOME!!!!!!!!

Bible Fun Stuff

2009-01-12T12:02:00.000-08:00

We have started a new book on sundays : IFs, ANDs, & BUTs Children Sermons By Mary Grace Becker and Susan Martins Miller. Each week will teach a Bible truth, a Bible verse and a "God print". The sermons are short and fit most age groups easily along with either a large or smaller croud-so it fits us nicely as we never know the number to expect each week. It highlights the shorter words IF, AND, & BUT then has the children talk about and think about how that small word makes a GREAT difference in the verse and in their own lives. We are also going to be learning and using a new sign each week and sometimes some spanish (depending on the time and the ages of our group). This week the children learned how to say look/seek, face all and heart. IF you too would like to join in the learning just stop on in ..... or watch the slide show over there < and practice...it comes pretty easy once you use it regularly! Please be sure to check the calendar below for updates/if you click on the sunday you should be able to see what will be going on. I did get a request from one of the children to bring back the sue of puppets-if anyone is interested in filling that role for us, starting in may, feel free to stop by or drop me a line. Blessings to all!

from Group's childrens magazine:

2008-11-12T17:00:00.000-08:00

72% of preschoolers recieve praise from their parents at least 3 times a day. When children get to elementary school, the number of them recieving daily praise drops to 51% - a dramatic difference!

SOOOOOOOOOOOOO- YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS?! WE ARE GETTING AN F IN PARENTING FOLKS! YEP, AN F AND IF THEY HAD AN F- THAT WOULD BE US! OR THE MAJORITY OF US ACCORDING TO THE STUDY. LET'S SEE IF WE CAN CHANGE THE ANSWERS TO NEXT YEARS STUDY! LET'S GET TO PRAISING THOSE WHO ARE TALLER THAN OUR KNEE CAPS! EVERY DAY-ATLEAST 4 TIMES ( THEY HAVE IT HARDER THAN THE LITTLE ONES SO LETS GO ABOVE AND BEYOUND K? )! CALL THEM IF YOU HAVE TO-IT'S NOT LIKE THEY DONT HAVE CELL PHONES! OR TEXT- AND HEY, IF YOU CANT DO THAT, THEN THERE IS ALWAYS FLOERS!? OR THERE IS ALWAYS THE OLD STAND BY: WRITE A LETTER OR EMAIL...THEY MAY NOT SAY IT BUT THEY'LL LOVE IT! AND SO WILL THEIR CHILDREN...AND THEIR CHILDREN AND EVEN THEIR GRAND CHILDREN! NOW GO! RIGHT NOW AND TELL YOUR KIDS HOW PROUD YOU ARE OF THEM/AND DO IT 4 TIMES!