http://www.orangeparents.org/  – connects families to a wider community of parents and leaders.  Expand your ideas, skills, and influence as a parent.

http://myfirstlookblog.com/  – for families with preschoolers.  Fun and creative ideas for home, as well as encouragement for parents.

In order to be good stewards of time and money here at the church, we’ve gone digital with our church-wide newsletter.   We are also going digital with our children’s ministry newsletter “UMKonnect.”   You can access the new UMKonnect using the link:  http://prezi.com/530oua4gdyn9/umkonnect/ Now you can go online anytime, and it’s all right there, no papers needed.

The newsletter is in a “Prezi” format.   This is a glorified form of power point that looks a little more snazzy than clicking through slides.  Instead, you can pull up the whole newsletter and see everything at a glance, and then click near each heading for more information.

Here are some helpful tips when navigating through the new UMKonnect:

• Let it take you through the whole newsletter in about 5 minutes
  with “Autoplay” under the “More” option on the bottom right.
• To make it bigger, click “Fullscreen” under the “More” option on
  the bottom right
• To slow down, or focus on a specific area, just click on that
  area (for example, for more information about children’s church, click on
  “Children’s Church”.)
• To let it take you through the whole thing at a speed you’d like
  to control, hit the gray right arrow at the bottom.  To go back, hit the
  left arrow.
• Hit “escape” to go back down to small mode from fullscreen.
• You can also navigate through the UMKonnect by holding down the
  left button on your mouse and moving it around.  This will move the entire
  page.
• If you want to zoom out or zoom in or see the whole page in its
  entirety, move your mouse over to the middle of the right side of your computer screen, and a blue menu will pop out.  Click the box that looks like a
  house to see the whole page.  Click the + to zoom in, and the – to zoom
  out.

Questions or Comments?  Send Kristen your thoughts to kids@murrayfirst.com.

Vacation Bible School – July 9-13th, 5-8PM

Vacation Bible School is a big deal at Murray First UMC.  Check out the VBS page for more info and to register now online!

July 9-13th

5-8PM

Summer 2012

Register Now:

https://www.groupvbspro.com/vbs/ez/murrayfirst/gpgs/home.aspx

Watch this video to see what Sky VBS will be like!

sky-vbs-all-church-commercial

Nursery Staff:
Heather Ashworth (Director)
Madeline Wrye
Rachel James
Emily Orbeck

Click below to read more about our nursery!

Nursery Handbook Updated 1.23.12

Summer Sunday school starts on June 3rd!

Sunday school is a great way for kids to dig in deep to the Bible lessons.  Our goal is for the children to have an amazing start to their week!

If you or your child would like to get involved in our Sunday school program or have any questions, contact Kristen Schwartz, Director of Children’s Ministries.  She’ll be excited to get you on-board!

Youth and Adult Sunday school classes are offered as well.  Please check out the UMY page and the Adult pages for more information!

Summer Sunday School Locations: (Grades are based on 2011-2012 school year)

• Preschool: Preschool Room (3 and potty trained – 5 years)
• Elementary: Tree-House Theater (K-4th Grade)
• Preteen: 5th-6th Grade Room (5th-6th Grade)

And when we start back in August, here’s what you can expect:

Come join us on Wednesday evenings for Bible lessons, games, music, and a dinner.  Children in preschool-6th Grade will be split into three groups: Preschool (3-5 years), Elementary (K-4th), and Preteen (5th-6th).   Our dinner is served at 5:00PM in the social hall.  A $2 donation per child is appreciated though not required.

Preschool schedule:
5PM Choir Practice
5:30PM $2 Dinner
6PM-7PM Bible Lesson, Games, Crafts, and Play

Elementary Schedule:
Children will be split into K-2nd Grade and 3rd-4th Grade and will travel to different rotation stations of Games, Music, and Bible Lesson.
5PM $2 Dinner
5:30PM Rotation 1
6PM Rotation 2
6:30PM Rotation 3

Preteen Schedule:
Preteens will travel to different rotation stations of Games, Music, and Bible Lesson.  They will also have an opportunity to assist with younger children.
5PM $2 Dinner
5:30PM Rotation 1 (assist with younger children)
6PM Rotation 2 (gym)
6:30PM Rotation 3 (Music and Bible study)

Engaging studies are also offered for youth and adults.  Be sure to check out their pages for more information!  We hope to see you soon!

And when we start back in August, here’s what it’ll look like:

Using the ORANGE 252 Basics curriculum, Sunday nights are divided in a large group/small group model.

Here’s what it looks like:

For K-4th:

5PM: Small Groups (K, 1st-2nd, 3rd-4th) in Sunday school rooms
5:30PM: Dinner in the social hall
6PM: Large Group (K-4th together) in the Tree House Theater
6:30PM: Small Groups (K, 1st-2nd, 3rd-4th) in Sunday school rooms
7PM: K-4th Play time or Early Sign Out (parent’s choice)
7:30PM: Sign Out

For our Preteens:

5PM: Hang out time
5:30PM: Dinner in the social hall
6PM: Small Groups in preteen room
6:30PM: Large Group in Tree House Theater
7PM: Small Groups in preteen room
7:30PM: Sign Out

For more information about 252 Basics visit the ORANGE website at http://www.whatisorange.org/

Dinners are included on Sunday nights.  A $2 donation per child per dinner is requested, but not mandatory.  This helps cover food costs throughout the semester.

Children’s Church is run by Safe Sanctuary trained parents and guardians of the children who attend.  We encourage all parents, guardians, and friends to get involved in this special Sunday morning offering.  Speak with Kristen if you’d like to jump in!

Sunday morning church services:

8:45AM: Early Light (contemporary style with a praise band and words to songs on screens)

11AM: Traditional (traditional Methodist service with choir, organ, and hymnals – words to songs in song books)

No matter your walk in life, or spiritual background, all are welcome!!  We look forward to meeting you and your kids on Sunday mornings!!