Inspired by the elegant showers hosted for us years ago, we have hosted countless showers ourselves. After years of accumulating decorations and supplies, our collection became overwhelming, especially after four of our five children got married! We decided to tackle the mess and organize for future church events.

Step 1: Gather and Sort

We brought all of our shower decor tubs from their various places (home, church closet, storage) to an empty classroom and sorted items into categories like table runners, votives, serving pieces, vases, centerpieces, etc.

Step 2: Create a Storage Space

We repurposed some unused shelves to create a designated storage area. Everything found a home in either a tub or on a shelf. Lastly, we assembled items like tiered trays that were difficult to see when stored in boxes.

Step 3: Inventory

We took photos of each item and created a detailed inventory in Google Drive accessible by both of us. Even our tablecloths! And yes, that did seem to take forever! We measured and labeled each tablecloth round/rectangle with the dimensions.

This project has been a long time in the works. And of course, we could kick ourselves for not taking a BEFORE photo. Not that the room was horrible but like many church workrooms, it can easily become a catch-all place for donated items, or items left scattered about after large events like VBS and things can get out of hand quickly. We wanted it to be more user-friendly and aesthetic when you walk in.

Bible Hour (previously called Bible Adventures) is a fun program designed to teach God's Word to children in an engaging and interactive way. Classes resume Sunday, September 11th at 5:00 PM at Whitehouse Church of Christ.

What to expect:

• Each session is based on a specific Bible story or topic.

• Activities include puppet skits, role-play, songs, games, audience participation, memorization, videos, flip charts, narrative storytelling, and much more!

• A great opportunity for children to learn and grow in their faith.

We are so proud of all of our students for their hard work and dedication this year! We completed 26 weeks of study on Sunday evenings learning about God’s plan recorded in the 66 books of the Bible. This past Sunday, we celebrated our completion with an awards assembly during class.

Want to become more involved in our Bible Hour? Talk to us and we can get you plugged in! We will resume our journey next September! Keep studying God's Word!

Engage your children (or even adults) with this vivid visual about how God created our world! This educational printable can be used as a visual, bulletin board display, or flip chart to help students learn about the first seven days of creation. Read the creation story from Genesis 1:1-2:3. This learning tool is great for centers, Sunday school, homeschool, or just a fun activity to do with your children!

This is a FREE resource in our TPT store.  Check back frequently as we try to provide freebies as often as we can!  

This is a versatile visual that can be used as is, or cut out and mounted on posterboard, or other medium or even a bulletin board!  

At the end of each quarter we plan to combine our younger and older elementary classes for a review day.   We just completed our FIRST review day and the children seemed to enjoy it immensely!

Bible Facts & Places

Rotten Apples

Whooo?

game board

magnets

We used these punch cards to track students' progress with memory work. Each quarter, we send home basic Bible drill information for students to review. Once a card is completely punched, the student receives a small surprise!

I've observed a concerning trend in children's Bible classes: students struggle to locate specific books of the Bible, even if they can recite them orally. To address this, we've incorporated a simple game called "Let's find it in the Bible" into our lesson review time.  This activity highlights the importance of hands-on Bible interaction, especially for young readers who may be accustomed to electronic devices.  To further reinforce Bible book familiarity, we plan to implement additional activities such as:

This game is so easy to make with minimal effort and can be adapted for any biblical study. For now I have my Zap Board displayed on an easel, but once we get our magnetic dry erase board, I will magnetize the back using it on our magnetic board.

While preparing for our Acts lessons, we found free printable worksheets on

biblefunforkids.com

We've found it helpful to have an independent activity for early arrivals, as described in our original post here. After moving into our new building, we updated and revamped all of our worksheets and storage methods. We changed the size from 11x17 paper to 8.5x11 cardstock for easier storage and used a puzzle book from our resource room for most of the worksheets. I also wanted to categorize and color code them by topic for easier organization:

While preparing for our Acts lessons, we found free printable worksheets on

biblefunforkids.com

Excited about our new wall space, we looked for cost-effective alternatives to traditional bulletin boards. We decided to try starching fabric directly onto the wall. Here's how we did it:

We've officially moved into our brand-new building! It's been a whirlwind, but we're so grateful for everyone who came together to make it happen. We're excited to use this new facility to spread God's word.  

I wish I had taken before pictures of my classroom to show the amazing blank wall space. We're thrilled about the teaching possibilities it offers!  

We started by planning furniture arrangements and the placement of our soon-to-arrive magnetic dry-erase board. Then came the fun part!  

Hosting a girls' retreat is a wonderful opportunity to connect with the young women in your congregation. Here are some tips for a successful retreat:

1. Pick a theme: This will help guide your planning and create a cohesive atmosphere.

2. Pick a location: Choose a space that is comfortable and conducive to your planned activities.

3. Have good food: Delicious snacks and meals are essential for keeping everyone energized and happy.

4. Make a tentative schedule: Plan out activities and allow for some free time for socializing.

5. Most importantly, have fun!

I'm rediscovering wonderful treasures as I sort through old files. Here's another poem my oldest daughter wrote for LTC when she was just 12 years old. If you missed her first poem, you can read it here.

I'm rediscovering wonderful treasures as I sort through old files. Here's another poem my oldest daughter wrote for LTC when she was just 11 years old.

Our

congregation

Recognizing the need to enhance my prayer life, I initiated a discussion within our Bible study group and discovered that others shared similar struggles. Despite praying daily, my prayers often lacked focus amidst the busyness of life. Determined to cultivate a more intentional prayer practice, I created a prayer journal/notebook.  Being a visual person, I believe that seeing answered prayers documented will strengthen my faith. I finalized the notebook's structure in mid-August and continued