Kids News - March 2013

There are many opportunities for kids to be involved at Holy Covenant! We hope that your family will find a loving, welcoming place to grow in God's love and grace!

Note From Jana

It has been my honor to serve as the Children's Minister at Holy Covenant over the past 9+ years. The families in this church are exceptional, and the kids have been one of the greatest blessings of my life. Many of you know that I am transitioning into a new role as Lead Pastor for The Well, our new Saturday night worshiping community. My focus will shift to planning and leading those services, along with building our Young Adult ministry, etc. You have an amazing Children's Leadership Group who will work diligently to make the transition as easy as possible. I will be working with Tonya (see below) to make sure she has the tools she needs to keep our Children's Ministry moving forward. Please give her your support and encouragement. We place a high priority on kids at Holy Covenant, and I have every confidence that God will continue to bless this ministry. Thank you for all of the love and support you have shown me during my time here. I look forward to continuing to serve with this church family!

Meet Our New Children's Minister

Tonya Martin, a Texas native, comes to Holy Covenant from First United Methodist Church in McAlester, OK. Tonya has been on staff as the Children's Director at FUMC McAlester for the last year and considers her move to Holy Covenant as a homecoming. Tonya was born in Dallas and lived many places around the metroplex growing up. She attended middle school and high school in Carrollton and graduated from R.L. Turner High School in 1994.

Tonya attended the University of Southern Mississippi and received a BA in Communications in 1997. She returned to Dallas shortly after college and worked in the corporate world as a Public Relations professional until moving to Tulsa, OK in 2003. Tonya's oldest child Kylie was born in 2004 and she took on a new role as a stay at home mom. Her youngest child Garrett was born in 2006. Tonya was a very active volunteer in church and for her children in school. She was an active and dedicated Sunday school teacher, VBS leader, MOPS publicity coordinator and Parent Support Group leader and chairperson. During those 8 years as a stay at home mom and volunteer she had several part-time jobs working with children. She taught ballet, tap and tumbling lessons to children ranging in age from 2 -10 years old. She worked in weekday church education programs as a two year old teacher, music and movement teacher and as an assistant director..

Tonya has a heart for children and believes that a child's first experiences in church build a foundation that lasts a lifetime.

Give Tonya a warm welcome this Sunday, March 10!

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Family Activities During Lent

The season of Lent lasts until Easter on March 31. This year, we are emphasizing an all-church focus based on the book "Five Practices of Fruitful Living." The book identifies 5 themes from Jesus' life that promote fruitful Christian lives:

-Radical Hospitality

-Passionate Worship

-Intentional Faith Development

-Risk-taking Mission & Service

-Extravagant Worship

Look for "Families Can Teach" sheets in the narthex each Sunday during Lent. The sheets provide an overview of the week's theme, and provide ideas/activities for families to do together as they experience these five practices.

Easter Egg Hunt

Saturday, March 30 - 4:00 pm
Kids ages Toddler thru 3rd Grade are invited to hunt eggs on the east lawn.

Bring a basket and a kite!

We need items to stuff in 1,000 eggs!

If you would like to help us make this event a success, please bring donations of candy, stickers, and other fun items by Sunday, March 24. When choosing candy, please remember:

-no chocolate (ants like chocolate, too!)

-make sure it's individually wrapped (no jellybeans, etc.)

-make sure it will fit inside a plastic egg (no suckers, etc.)

THANK YOU!!

Save The Date - VBS 2013

An epic adventure is coming to Holy Covenant this summer!

KINGDOM ROCK Vacation Bible School

July 8-12

Registration begins in May

If you would like to serve on the planning team, please contant Donna Roberts or Ryan Baumgardner..

Come To The Well

Join our contemporary worship community on

Saturday nights-5:00-6:00 pm

WEEKLY LAUNCH ON MARCH 16!

Casual & family-friendly...

Worship led by a rockin' band...

Childcare provided for young kids...

Parent's Night Out!

Come to the service, then leave your kids from 6:00-9:00 pm. Cost is $5/child or FREE if you attend the service and show your bulletin. E-mail me to make a reservation.

March PNO is on the 23rd, then the 3rd Saturday of each month beginning in April.

Preschool Sunday School (2, 3, & 4 year olds)

Room 101 - 9:45-10:45 am

Teachers - Childcare Team

Kids will use objects from their everyday world to learn about God's love for them. They will play, have fun, hear stories, and sing songs!

PreK/Kindergarten Sunday School

Room 103 - 9:45-10:45 am

Teachers - Natalie Garcia & Michelle Patterson

Kids will experience the Bible in ways that fit their learning styles thru creative activities. They'll build relationships with each other, watch for God Sightings, and apply Bible truths to their lives.

1st-5th Grade Sunday School

Rooms 202 & 206 - 9:45-10:45 am

Teachers - Sharon Richards, Scarlett Bayard, & Mark Roberts

Kids will explore Bible Points as they rotate through Discovery Centers in small groups. Fun games, music, projects, outreach opportunities, surprises, and service projects build everyone's friendship with Jesus.

**TAKE NOTE OF THIS EXCITING CHANGE!**

Instead of having 2 separate classes for 1st/2nd and 3rd-5th, they will all be split into 2 groups each Sunday and rotate between 2 classrooms during the hour. The groups will be mixed ages, just as we do during VBS. It works very well. The kids will meet upstairs each Sunday, where the teachers will split them into groups and begin rotating.

Many blessings,
Jana Jones

Children's/Young Adult Minister