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Tuesday, March 09, 2010
 
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Phone: 301-948-9418

Email Kim Mitchel


from Kimberly Mitchel

Director of Christian Education

Kimberly Mitchel

When I was a little girl, I never knew we didn’t have money. A lot of my clothes were second hand. Many of my toys came from yard sales, and my mother often went without a new pair of shoes so that we would have some.

Funny, I never knew. Not because my parents withheld the information from me or tried to hide the fact that we didn’t have much money, but because our simple way of life was very full!

When I came home from school, the cookies on the counter were homemade and not store bought. I didn’t take lots of lessons in gymnastics because I had backyard trees to climb. I never wondered about extra-curricular activities because I lived in the woods and had lots of kids around who played baseball with me and fished in the ponds and went to the beach for picnics and hikes. I never thought that higher education was a choice because we were always learning. I just expected to always continue that learning wherever I went. There was so much to learn from our wild world and from each other!We had family night once a week and played games, made cookies or watched Wild America, Disney and Lassie as a family.

My childhood was meaningful. I learned and loved and connected.

When we had the big snow on Dec 19, 2009, I saw our neighbors for the first time! It was sad to recognize that I don’t really even know them!

Our world has changed from an outdoor world to an indoor world. Have you noticed that?

People used to sit on their front porches and visit, now they are inside on their computers. They used to be outside doing more yard work, now they are buying houses that have no yards.

Where are the opportunities to savor the simpler life? To form lasting wonderful relationships? Where have the pickup baseball games gone, kids who know how to climb trees and make houses together underneath them with pine needles. Where have the simple visits with neighbors in the back yard gone, or visits with friends on the front porch? How about family time on Sunday nights?

Life is too short, friends, to be trapped inside the house, fingers glued to a laptop, or to sit watching dreadful shows on TV about nothing important, or to clutch a blackberry or cell phone as if it were a long lost love.

It is the New Year. I challenge you to change this rat race: Enjoy your children since they are only small for a very short time. Enjoy your grandchildren as they find their way in this interesting world. Form relationships with neighbors and friends because you need each other. Serve God with your hearts and hands and minds instead of spending time trapped with mindless electronics.

Simply follow Jesus!

Visitors are welcome anytime

If you are visiting on Sunday, please see someone at the Yellow Desk downstairs who can help you find the appropriate classes for your children.


Sunday School Classes meet through May for the following age groups:

Older 2s and 3s (9:30 and 11 a.m.) Traditional classes

4- and 5-year-olds (9:30 and 11 a.m.) Bridges to Worship -- In Bridges to Worship, we tell Bible stories and encourage the children to enter into the stories and relate them to their personal experiences. Bridges to Worship is concerned with the spiritual development of each child as an individual. Each class session follows the pattern of the Presbyterian Church order of worship, so children will have a deeper understanding and enjoy fuller participation in the “big church” service.

1st through 5th graders (9:30 and 11 a.m.) Large Group/Small Group --  Children meet for a children’s worship service and then break into small groups where they can reflect on what they learned in the large group. This reflection can take the form of acting, reading, a game, or a craft – all of which are led by caring teachers. Fifth graders have a special class venue from January–May, taking field trips to enhance their curriculum experience and bond as a team before entering the Middle School Youth group.


Registration forms are available online or at the yellow desk.  Someone at the Yellow Desk downstairs will be glad to answer questions or help you find your child’s class.


News on upcoming events and volunteer opportunities:
Needed: Teachers for 9:30 and 11:00 classes.

Teams of three teachers work on a rotating schedule. All training and curriculum is provided. If interested, please call Kim at 301-948-9418 or send an email to kmitchel@gpchurch.org with questions or concerns. There is a place for you in the Education Ministry.

There are lots of opportunities available to positively affect the lives of our children and their families. Please consider lending your time to a child. VIPS, please consider teaching. We would love to have you on the team.


Gaithersburg Presbyterian Church • 610 S. Frederick Ave. • Gaithersburg, MD 20877 • (301) 948-9418  • www.gpchurch.org

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