Schedule for Children and Youth-May 2010
Wednesday, May 5th:
Toddler Bible Study (TBS):
2-4 year olds
4:30-5:30 p.m.
Mother's Day tea, Bible lesson, and craft
Please RSVP!
Children's Bible Study (CBS):
Pre-K through 3rd grade
6:00-7:00 p.m.
Bible lesson, games, and pizza dinner!
Please RSVP!
Undershepherds monthly meeting:
Rescheduled for Wednesday, May 12th
-----------------------------------------------------
Friday, May 7th:
No youth group!
--------------------------------------------------------
Sunday, May 9th:
Undershepherds serve during church
Meet Brian LaRue at 10:15 a.m. for duties
-------------------------------------------------------
Wednesday, May 12th:
Mommy morning out
Infants and toddlers are welcome!
10:00-11:30 a.m.
Moms, please come and relax on the porch of the Seagull Cottage or run errands if you wish.
*A $5.00 donation per child would be greatly appreciated!
Please RSVP!
Toddler Bible Study
4:30-5:30 p.m.
Please RSVP!
Children's Bible Study
6:00-7:00 p.m.
Bible lesson, games, and pizza dinner!
Please RSVP!
Undershepherds monthly meeting
6:00-7:30 p.m.
Discussion, lesson, and pizza dinner
Please RSVP!
-----------------------------------------------------
Friday, May 14th
No youth group!
---------------------------------------------------
Sunday, May 16th:
All Sunday school students sing during service
*Meet in Seagull Cottage at 10:00 a.m. for practice!
Making sandwiches for homeless:
12:00-12:45 p.m.
Pizza lunch will be served
Please RSVP!
-----------------------------------------------
Wednesday, May 19th:
Toddler Bible Study
4:30-5:30 p.m.
Please RSVP!
Children's Bible Study
6:00-7:00 p.m.
Bible lesson, games, and pizza!
Please RSVP!
-----------------------------------------
Friday, May 21st:
No youth group!
------------------------------------
Wednesday, May 26th:
Toddler Bible Study
4:30-5:30 p.m.
Please RSVP!
Children's Bible Study
6:00-7:00 p.m.
Bible lesson, games, and pizza!
Please RSVP!
-----------------------------------
Friday, May 28th:
End-of-year bash for youth group (6th-high school students)!
5:30-7:30 p.m.
Your children won't want to miss this!
Please RSVP!
Other important upcoming dates to mark on your calendar
Friday, June 4th and 5th:
Emmaus retreat led by Chrissie Ferguson in Seagull Cottage
8th-high school students attending faith experience and confirmation classes
*Friday, 5:00 p.m.-Saturday, 4:00 p.m.
* Meet again for Sunday morning presentation during 10:30 a.m. church service.
Monday, June 7th, Wednesday, June 9th, and Friday, June 11th
Toddler Vacation Bible School
2-4 year olds are welcome!
9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
*Fee still to be determined
*Space will fill up fast, so please RSVP!
Monday, June 14th-Friday, June 18th
Vacation Bible School
3-10 year olds are welcome to participate.
13 and older are welcome to serve as Junior Counselors.
9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
*A suggested fee of $40.00 per child
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Let the children come to me, for to such as these belongs the Kingdom of God. (Mark 10:14)
Jesus made it clear then and today that the children come first. Why? Because it is in and through them the field of God's dream takes root and emerges. That field here at the Royal Poinciana Chapel is fertile, tillable, and is where the seeds of God's love are being planted, watered and nurtured so that they can take root, grow and bear fruit. The Chapel's ministry to the youngest among us, their friends and families continues to be a source of joy and a sign of the Chapel's growth and vitality.
Summer flew by, but not before leaving the imprint of Jesus on the hearts and minds of many children. During the week of vacation Bible school, on the day the children learned about how God spoke to Elijah, a mother walked in on her five year old child sitting quietly in her bedroom. The mother asked the little girl what she was doing, and the little girl answered, "Shhh Mommy. I'm trying to hear from God."
This was the story of one little girl who attended the Royal Poinciana Chapel's Vacation Bible School, but it was not the only one that I was told. Physically, VBS was very successful, with 50 children, 7 Junior Counselors and 5 counselors in attendance, but Vacation Bible School was even more successful because children were applying the lessons they learned to their everyday lives! During the week of August 10th-14th, children ages 3-10 were divided into five different age groups as they explored David C. Cook's Wildwood Forest." Children learned Bible stories and verses and applied them to their own lives through hands on activities in art, drama, science, sports and Bible study.
Vacation Bible School was so well-received by parents in the community that there was a request for a children's Bible study to be offered each week during the year. With that request, I am happy to announce a class called "M&M" or "Midweek Message", offered to children in Kindergarten thru 5th grade. The class will be offered on Wednesday afternoons, beginning Wednesday, October 7th, from 4:30 p.m.-5:30 p.m.
With the return of many families from summer vacation, Sunday school attendance has blossomed. Attendance at youth group has grown as well. We had our first meeting on Friday, September 11th, with 20 students in attendance. Children in grades 6 thru 8 had fun meeting their youth ministry leaders, playing manhunt, eating pizza, and learning about the evening's Bible lesson. It was wonderful to see so many new faces, and I was thrilled to hear such positive responses from parents and children about the first night back to youth group. Many parents have already asked if their children can bring friends with them to our upcoming meetings!
We have a great year in store for our youth group children. On September 26th, we attended the high and low ropes course at the FAU Boca campus to focus on teamwork and getting to know each other. The youth leaders attended the "Mainstream Orlando Youth Leaders Conference" in early October. Children in grades 6 thru 8 are welcome to attend youth group at the Chapel every Friday night from 5:00 p.m.-6:30 p.m. In January, high school students are welcome to attend from 6:30 p.m.-8:00 p.m.
The children are excited to move into the newly renovated Sea Gull Cottage, as it will be a wonderful, new place for them to play and worship, but they are also excited to continue their work helping those less fortunate in the community. I hope to also reach out to other communities by organizing a mission trip for our children to attend during the summer of 2010.
In Matthew 19:14, Jesus said, "Let the children come to me." I believe that through our Chapel's youth ministry programs that the children are listening to Jesus's command and are flocking to Him, with their hearts and arms wide open.
by Chrissie Ferguson
MEET OUR NEW YOUTH MINISTRY TEAM!
Director of Children and Youth Ministry at Royal Poinciana Chapel:
Chrissie Randolph Ferguson is enjoying the beginning of her second year as the Director of Children and Youth Ministry at the Royal Poinciana Chapel. Chrissie enjoys spending time with her family, joggin& playing the guitar, traveling, and volunteering with the Junior league of the Palm Beaches, which is a nonprofit organization that works to positively impact children's education in our community. Before the birth of her son, landon, she worked at the Palm Beach Day Academy as a fourth grade teacher for five years. Chrissie was born and raised in West Palm Beach, attending St. Ann's Catholic School, Rosarian Academy and Cardinal Newman High School. As a teenager, she attended youth group at Memorial Presbyterian Church. She also attended a Christian camp in Brevard, North Carolina for eleven years, where she was a camper, junior counselor, and a counselor. Chrissie attributes her strong faith and Christian values to the teachings of her parents, schools, youth group and Camp Kahdalea.
Youth pastor:
Joseph LoGrasso is our new youth pastor from Montville, New Jersey. He is a junior at Palm Beach Atlantic University, studying Ministry leadership. Joe's experience includes volunteering for the past two years with Vacation Bible School at his hometown Church, Jacksonville Chapel. This past summer, he was also a student leader for a high school youth group on a mission trip to Philadelphia, and he led a college mission trip to Costa Rica this past spring break. His first mission trip was a three week trip to Namibia, Africa, which he says, "profoundly affected his life". Joe has been a volunteer at many different places throughout the years, including police and fire departments in his hometown, as well as many housing/work sites around the West Palm Beach area.
Youth leader:
Ashley Albert is from St. Charles, Illinois. She is a senior at PBAU and is majoring in business management. When she was a junior in high school, Ashley went on a mission trip to Ecuador with her church's youth group. She says that she was blessed with the opportunity to be in charge of arts and crafts for the Vacation Bible School that they offered to the local children outside of Quito. For the past four years, Ashley has been a camp counselor at her town's park district, working with 4-9 year olds every summer. She loves to fish, read, spend time with her family, and cook.
Praise and worship leader:
Bruce Burk is our praise and worship leader this year. He is from Ft. lauderdale, Florida and is a senior at PBAU. His experience includes leading a mission trip to Guatemala in the summer of 2008 to teach leadership to Guatemalan junior high and high school students. He was also the lead musician at a church called the Grove and was a youth leader at Rio Vista Community church. Bruce was a team leader of Evangelism Explosion, a youth group that went out to local areas of South Florida to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In Bruce's spare time, he likes to read and write and is currently working on a novel. He enjoys skateboarding, working out at the gym and spending time with his girlfriend. He also loves comedy and watches the Tonight Show every night. He is studying international business at PBAU and is planning on going to law school or grad school when he graduates.
Pastor:
Dr. Robert S. Norris
Music Director:
Dr. Jack W. Jones
Director of Ministry to Children and Youth:
Mrs. Christine Ferguson
Chapel Administrator:
Mr. Russ Rykse
The Royal Poinciana Chapel
60 Cocoanut Row
Palm Beach, FL 33480
561.655.4212
Mailing List Update, Click Here
