Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Family Game Night


Break out the "Sorry" game or those "Uno" cards and come for a great family night in the Activities Building of First Assembly of God! We meeting at 6 PM until around 8 PM. Bring some finger foods to share and all your friends. This is for all ages. Kids must have an adult with them. 1810 Pleasant Valley Ave. Union City, TN. Call 731-446-4014 for more details. See y'all there! BTW...Pizza Hut has a great deal right now if you want to bring pizza.

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Meet the Team


Full Name: Colton Thomas Rinker

Ministry Area or Position: Sound and Video Tech/Puppets

Family Members: Dad - Michael, Mom - Rhonda, Brother - Connor

Favorite Food: Poppy Seed Chicken

Favorite Bible Story or Verse: David and Goliath

Favorite TV Show or Movie: Burn Notice

Favorite Music: Christian Rock

Name something special the Lord has done in your life: He has blessed me a lot!

What's Your Talent?: Shooting

Thursday, February 04, 2010

Enabling Our Kids to Win Their Friends


The main goal of Building 2-52 in 2010 is to help the kids win their friends to Jesus. Yes, we will continue to teach the truths of the scriptures, encourage memory verses, have great worship and all the other components that make up our Sunday morning services but we don't want to keep all those things to ourselves. We want to encourage and enable kids to win their friends by either sharing Jesus with them or inviting them to church to hear about Christ. So, in order to help them, I have ordered a great tool. I found this booklet on Children's Pastor Tony Kummer's web site Ministry-to-Children, which by the way is an awesome resource! The booklet, Who Will Be King, helps kids to communicate the Gospel with great visuals and is very easy to understand. I'll give these to any of my kids who want them. We tell the kids, "Bring your friends" and they are willing but don't always know how to go about doing it. I've made invitations for events and given them to the kids to pass out. Not just a flier but something that looks more like an invitation to a birthday party. I'd love to hear how you enable your church kids to witness and be inviters!

Tuesday, February 02, 2010

Meet the Team


Full Name: Hailey Marie Crowell

Ministry Area or Position: Building 2-52 Team Member

Family Members: Mom - Wanda and Dad - David

Favortie Food: Anything Italian, Mexican or Chinese

Favorite Bible Verse or Story: Jeremiah 29:11, Philippians 4:13, and Matthew 5:13-14

Favorite TV Show or Movie: Anything on Discovery Health, My Sister's Keeper and Stand By Me

Favorite Music: Christian

Something the Lord has done in your life: Called me into ministry, delivered me from things in my life

What's Your Talent?: Playing the drums and preaching

Monday, January 25, 2010

Meet the Team


Full Name: Brian Allen Johnson

Ministry Area or Position: Building 2-52 Team member and Head of Technology

Family Members: Wife Amy and daughter Brianna
Favorite Food: Anything sweet

Favorite Bible Verse or story: Romans 8:28

Favorite TV show or movie: Titan Football games

Favorite Music: Jeremy Camp, Mercy Me, Casting Crowns

Something special the Lord has done in your life: Kept me alcohol and drug free my whole life

What's Your Talent?: Friendly to others and creativity. (Pastor Lori says, "Brian is our big lovable goof ball!")

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Daddy Date Night

Announcing Daddy Date Night, Friday February 5 @ 6 PM. Dad's opportunity to bring his daughter(s) ages 3 yrs. - 18 yrs. old for a dress up evening of dinner, games and date pictures! Take some time to show our girls how they should expect to be treated by Godly men. Tickets are $12 per couple. Union City First Assembly of God. Extra dads available for those who need to borrow one! Don't forget to order the corsage!

Meet the Team


Full Name: Melissa Gaye Lane (Missy)

Ministry Area: Building 2-52 leader

Family Members: Husband Tony, Daughters Alyssa Nicole, Hannah Brooke, and Emmaline Shay Morgan

Favorite Food: Spaghetti

Favorite Bible Verse or Story: 2 Chronicles 7:14

Favorite TV Show or Movie: Grease and Golden Girls

Favorite Music: Christian, K-Love

Something Special the Lord has done in your life: Healed me from a bad car wreck and healed some breast lumps

What's Your Talent? Singing (and Pastor Lori adds anointed in prayer)

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

The Prayer of Jabez Part 4

This weekend raps up our series on the Prayer of Jabez. We will focus on "that you would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain." We will also include the last powerful sentence of the prayer...So God granted him what he requested. Sometimes we forget that part. God is faithful and His Word is true.

Some of the kids have already started quoting the whole 1 Chronicles 4:10 passage. Yes...we are giving them a big incentive but it's so cool to hear a 1st grader quote that whole verse and see their face as they speak it for themselves. They are making it their prayer, not just Jabez's. That's the most important victory.

We are including the story of Joseph. Who better to be an example of how he didn't give in to temptation and cause more pain when many of us would have justified a poor response to being treated as Joseph was?

Saturday, January 16, 2010

Meet the Team


Got this idea from another children's pastor friend of mine and thought it would be cool to do with our team at Union City First Assembly of God!


Full Name: Amy Dawn Johnson

Ministry Area or position: Big Event Coordinator and Building 2:52 leader

Family Members: Husband Brian and daughter Brianna

Favorite Food: Mexican

Favorite Bible verse or story: Ephesians 6:10-18

Favorite TV Show or movie: Anything on Food Network or HGTV

Favorite Music: Kutless, Casting Crowns

Something special the Lord has done in your life: Healed the function of my heart

What's Your Talent?: talking and planning events

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Pray of Jabez Continues

This Sunday in Building 2-52...Part 3 in the Prayer of Jabez series, "that your hand would be with me" and the amazing story of Daniel. Daniel was indeed a man who like Jabez had been blessed by God and his territory mightily increased. He is a perfect example of how God's hand was with him. Love to preach from Daniel!

I challenged the kids to learn the Prayer of Jabez in 1 Chronicles 4:10. This past Sunday, I rocked my team's world by telling the kids not only would they receive 3000 points towards the Redemption Center store if they could say the whole passage BUT if they challenged a Building 2-52 team member to say it and they couldn't that the kid would receive an additional 3000 points! Hey, if a 1st grader can learn it, why can't the leadership? I'm just sayin'!

Monday, January 11, 2010

Great Event!

Mom's Scrapbooking and Kid's Mega Fun Day Event! Saturday, January 16 at 9 AM - 12 PM. Mom's how about 3 kid-free hours of scrapbooking? Your kids ages 2 mths thru 11 yrs. old will enjoy their own crafts, games, stories and snacks. Bring all your supplies and those holiday pics. Coffee, goodies and DOOR PRIZES for the ladies! All at Union City First Assembly 1810 Pleasant Valley Ave.

Monday, January 04, 2010

Am I Leaky?

If I'm not leaky...I sure want to be! Let me clarify before someone thinks I need new personal garments. I am a children's pastor. I have many people who serve with me in the five areas of ministry that I am responsible for at Union City First Assembly of God: a nursery team, a preschool team, a discipleship team, a Building 2-52 team and a bus ministry team. Each one should know my heart and vision for the kid's of our church and city. I should leak vision. When team members see me in the hall at church or even at Wal-Mart, they should automatically think, "Pastor Lori wants to build kids to know Christ and show Christ." If they have the opportunity to invite someone to church they should be able to express to that person our goal in serving kids. I have determined in my heart that in 2010 I will take more time and care to share the vision. I will not apologize for passionately talking to people about "my kids" when I think I'm taking too much of their time. I will write it, speak it, pray it, until I don't think I can say it again. The only way the vision will be a driving force is if it's put out there continually. When God stirs my heart there should be a ripple effect. I want to be leaky!

Monday, December 14, 2009

Christmas 2009





Can I just say I have the most amazing group of kids? They did an awesome job at our Christmas program! I was so proud of them and it was so great to have a full house with people standing at the back of the sanctuary. Thanks to all of the Building 2:52 team, our preschool department and our music pastor and crew. It took a whole village but we made it without anyone falling, crying, vomiting or fighting! Merry Christmas.

Thursday, December 10, 2009

Meet Me at the Manger


This Sunday, December 13, at 5 PM is our kid's Christmas musical, Meet Me at the Manger. I know the kids will do an awesome job of presenting the true meaning of Christmas. We have our big dress rehearsal this Saturday morning followed by a birthday party for Jesus with what I know has to be His first choice of menus...pizza and ice cream!

Invite your family, friends and neighbors! All kids attending the service, whether they were in the program or not, will receive a special Christmas treat box of goodies.
Union City First Assembly of God is at 1810 Pleasant Valley Ave. Meet you there!

Monday, November 30, 2009

Building Houses...Gingerbread Style






We had a blast building gingerbread houses again this year. Sticky, but FUN!

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Family Build a Gingerbread House

There's still time to sign up for this Saturday's Build a Gingerbread House and Pot Luck Lunch event. We are meeting in our Activities Building at 10 AM til 1 PM. This is for ALL ages and a great opportunity to start a new family tradition. Invite some friends and be sure to give me a call to reserve your spot and order a kit. The kits will be $12 and the price includes all "building materials" plus drinks for lunch and all tableware. Call me at 731-446-4014 to sign up.

Fall Outreach



Last Saturday, we at Union City First Assembly hosted our annual Fall Outreach for Obion County. I posted some prep pictures last week and wanted to follow up with the results. We had hundreds of people come through and "shop" for clothing, shoes and household items. They began lining up outside our activities building shortly after 7 AM for our 8:00 opening. We gave a new blanket to about 85 families and about 160 bags of groceries for Thanksgiving dinners. It was an incredible day. I'm so thankful to be a part of such a loving and compassionate church who always give above and beyond of their time and resources.

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

How Pumpkin Pies Are Made


A friend sent me this through e-mail and I thought it was too funny not to share. Ok....so maybe I've been hanging out with kids too long and my sense of humor has been compromised. Tell me you didn't smile!

Monday, November 16, 2009

Annual Fall Outreach






Sunday afternoon, we were busy at the church preparing for our annual fall outreach. We collect gently used clothes for all ages from our congregation and food items for Thanksgiving dinner. We then set up our activities building in giant garage sale fashion and invite the community to come for a FREE shopping trip. We open the doors next Saturday morning at 8 AM and will have people ready to greet, be shopper assistants, check out helpers, prayer teams and grocery givers. Each family can take as many items as they can use. The building is full of great clothes (some with price tags still on), shoes, household items, accessories and much more. When they check out, they receive a bag of groceries and an opportunity to have someone pray for their needs. It is so much fun to see people have these basic needs met and to see the church come together and love all who come through the doors. Can't wait to see how God moves this weekend and the divine appointments we will have. These are some pictures of our preparations.

Tuesday, November 03, 2009

2009 Giant Haystack

Building the Haystack
Family Pictures

Cake Walk

Craft table

Digging for treasure!

We had our second Giant Haystack on Saturday, October 31. It was a spectacular day! The sun was shinning after what seemed like weeks of rain, we had tons of people, AWESOME volunteers, and just plain fun. We hide the numbered balls in the haystack for the kids to find and turn in for a prize like we did last year. We gave out bags of candy for each person and had a drawing for a "Family Movie Night" gift basket. We once again had free hot dogs, coffee, and hot cocoa. But this year, we added a kid's craft table, a bean bag toss, a toddler duck pond game, tattoos, family pictures (to be printed and mailed out with a letter), a drawing for two bikes and the most popular addition...the Quarter Cake Walk! We raised $133 for BGMC with that crazy cake walk! People stood in line to walk. That will be back next year for sure. The kids really liked the craft table, too.

Thanks to all who made it so fun and such a great success. May God bless all and especially our "hay guy" who delivers and picks up the hay and refuses to charge us for it!