Parent Email Newsletter
If you aren’t on our parent email list and you would like to be, please contact me via email tommy@fccgreeneville.org
This is the recent parent email newsletter that was sent out today. I’ll be posting these online here as well each month. Below is a copy of the email…
Greetings!
This will be the first of a monthly parent email that you’ll receive. You are getting this email because you are either a parents of a child K-12 or you are a ministry volunteer in the youth or children’s area.
The format: First, some updates and events about what’s going on at church, and then at the bottom of the email is a parent newsletter from a ministry called “Homeword”. It contains some excellent articles and tips on how to be the best parent you can be. I want to encourage you to take the time to read through a couple of the articles each month. This month in particular I’d like to highlight the article about play time as a family. Make an effort this week to schedule some time to play together as a family! Check out the article for some great ideas.
So what’s happening in our ministry right now? We’re gearing up for summer getting ready for VBS and camps. Is your child signed up for camp? It’s not too late! You can still pick up camp forms at the church. There is a small late fee ($20), but the rest of the camp cost is covered by the church. Don’t miss out on this awesome opportunity! We can’t emphasize enough that camp will absolutely engage your child in a unique way. If you have any questions about camp call the church office or email me.
Also, if you are interested in helping with VBS this year we definitely need your help! We still need about 8-10 volunteers to help out as assistants in some various areas.
Our summer calendar for Youth and Children’s events is available at the youth or children’s bulletin boards downstairs. If you haven’t picked one up yet, send me an email reply and let me know and I’ll stick one in the mail for you. Some of the events coming up are:
– Price Caspian Movie – Students grades 6-12 are going to see Price Caspian together at the Phoenix theater in Greeneville on Friday May 16th at 4:00pm. If you want to ride together we’re meeting at the church at 3:30pm or if you’d rather meet us there you can meet us at 3:45pm. You will probably want to purchase your tickets ahead of time since this is the opening day and there is a chance that they may sell out. Tickets are $6.25. (The movie is 2 hrs and 20 min long)
– May 17, 9:00-11:00am is the last VBS training meeting. We’ll be talking about site safety, decorating, and finalizing staff positions.
– May 18th is the Graduates/Mother’s day/Father’s day carry in dinner immediately following Sunday School. We’ll be recognizing graduates at the lunch.
– Skating at Hot Wheels in Greeneville – The children 5th grade and under are going skating Thursday May 29th from 6:00-8:00pm. The cost is only $2 and it does include the skate rental! Come together as a family!
Finally, I’d love to come out and support your child in the activities they may be involved in this summer. If your child has a dance recital, baseball game, piano recital, soccer game, etc. please let me know so that I can come support them. If your child is excited about any event coming up, I’d like to share that excitement with them. Drop off a schedule at the church office, email me, or call me and let me know.
For God’s glory,
Tommy
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Tommy Staggs
Minister of Youth and Family Life
First Christian Church
1130 Temple Street
Greeneville, TN 37745
423-639-0126
tommy@fccgreeneville.org
If you cannot see this properly, click here.
This may sound like an oversimplification, but the family or marriage that isn’t “working” is the family or marriage that isn’t playing together. Playing together is an essential trait of happy, healthy families. Certainly our children need to do their chores, and of course they need discipline with consistency, but what they also need desperately from their parents is a rousing game of hide-and-seek or a monthly Ping-Pong tournament.
For years, Jim Burns has been speaking and writing on the importance of families playing together. There’s no doubt that in our fast-paced culture, finding the time to play together as families is a significant challenge. Yet, as Jim has said many times, “The family that plays together stays together.” If you’re looking for some practical and simple ideas to increase the “play” factor in your family, this article is for you! Here are ten simple games with minimal props and little preparation required.
As Mother’s Day approaches once again, we want to honor moms everywhere by offering up answers to the questions second-graders where asked about the most important women in their lives…
The first few days of summer can be fun for both kids and parents. It is wonderful to break out of the school routine and decompress a bit. But shortly thereafter, reality sets in, and it is time to implement your summer plan. Summer is a wonderful time of relationship building and fun in your kids’ lives. You have the opportunity to make memories that will stay with them for the rest of their lives! And it is also a great opportunity for growth. All of this ‘fun, memory making, and growth’ require advanced thought and planning and the time to begin is now!
In a last month’s edition of HomeWord’s Good Advice Parent Newsletter, we asked our readers to take a brief survey about how they handle discipline with their kids. Here are the results of the survey.
Through my 25+ years of working with high school students I’ve had incredible joys and pains watching them graduate. Maybe the hardest part is seeing students who walk closely with the Lord begin to waver as they later take responsibility for poor choices. Frequently, this is out of ear and eyesight of their families. Following graduation from high school, kids often find themselves on their own for the first time in their lives. What an exciting time as they navigate a multitude of decisions, ranging from budgeting to class choices to more importantly their relationship with God.
If you want to build a happy, healthy family, there are many issues that need your attention. Perhaps being there for your kids, or the importance of consistent discipline hold a high priority for you. If so, great! But, how about the issue of family fun? Too many families overlook the importance of family playtime as a key ingredient for a strong family. Yet, I believe it is one of the basic building blocks for a happy family. I hope you’ll take some time to dig into this issue of Good Advice and learn why family playtime is serious business!Blessings,
Jim Burns
Our gift to you this month! To thank you for your support of HomeWord this month, we’d love to send you a copy of Jim’s book, The 10 Building Blocks for a Happy Family. This book will be another great resource you can use to help build a God-honoring family. So be sure to request your copy when you give your online gift. As always, thanks for your support! You’re a vital part of what God is doing through HomeWord.
Click Here
Listen to HomeWord
with Jim Burns
(25 Min)
Listen to HomeWord
This Week
(25 Min)
Listen to HomeWord
Snapshots
(1 min)
Parenting Issues Survey. Take this brief survey about what you believe are your most important and most challenging parenting issues. Click Here
We are not much of a “touchy/feely” family. Is this okay?
Check out our new Youth Culture blog which is updated frequently with the latest, most significant youth culture news items.