Hello Parents! We believe you (parents) are the most significant influence in your kids' lives and are in the best position to help your kids know God. We also believe that we can uniquely equip and partner with you along the way as a kid’s ministry. With this in mind, this newsletter will highlight resources, events, and opportunities for us to partner together in raising the next generation. 

December Series Description: Christmas is such a special time of year! Preschoolers will experience a lot of excitement and wonder. We all do! But as they get older—and as we take time to stop and remember—we hope that the good news that God gave us Jesus will become the most wonderful part of Christmas. So get ready because we are hopping aboard the CHRISTMAS TRAIN, and it’s carrying the true story of Christmas!

Monthly Memory Verse: “God loved the world so much that He gave His only Son.” John 3:16 GNT

Monthly Bottom Line: Ask your child: HOW DO WE KNOW GOD LOVES US? Say with your child: GOD GAVE US JESUS.

Weekly Bible Story and Focus: 

Find the weekly videos and parent guides on our Preschool Resources Page.

December Series Description: There are so many things to love about Christmas - music, presents, decorations, bad sweaters, and crazy Uncle Sal dressed as Santa! And to top it all, the twinkling lights. Christmas is sometimes referred to as the season of lights. Not just because of the colorful lights you see hanging on houses and trees, but because we celebrate the birth of Jesus - the Light of the World. During “Light It Up,” kids will get clues about the contents of a present. At the flip of a switch, the present will light up, magically revealing the contents and shedding light on the amazing story of Jesus’ birth. 

Key passages, verses, and questions for this month: Read the passages together as a family and ask the following questions. Also, take the time to watch the weekly lesson video (around 10 minutes) together as a family.

December 3: Zechariah and Elizabeth

Big Idea: God is gracious, so we can find joy in the gift of His Son. 

Bible Basis: Luke 1:5-25

Key Verse: “The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.” Psalm 145:8

Discussion Questions for younger kids: What was your favorite part of this story? Why do you think Zechariah had a hard time believing what the angel told him?

Discussion Questions for older kids: What do you think this story teaches us about God? Why do you think it was such a big deal that Zechariah didn’t believe what the angel told him? 

Watch the weekly lesson video together as a family.

December 10: John the Baptist is Born

Big Idea: Jesus is the reason we celebrate Christmas, so we can prepare our hearts for Him. 

Bible Basis: Luke 1:57-80

Key Verse: “Create in me a clean heart, oh God, and renew a right spirit within me.” Psalm 51:10

Discussion Questions for younger kids: What was your favorite part of this story? Why do you think baby John jumped for joy in his mom’s belly? 

Discussion Questions for older kids: Why do you think God sent John to help people get ready for the coming of Jesus? What did John do to help people get ready for Jesus? 

Watch the weekly lesson video together as a family.

December 17: The Greatest Gift: Jesus is Born

Big Idea: Jesus is the greatest Christmas gift of all time, so we can give glory and praise. 

Bible Basis: Matt 1:18-25; Luke 2:1-20

Key Verse: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish by have eternal life.” John 3:16

Discussion Questions for younger kids: What was your favorite part of this story? Do you think Jesus is the greatest gift ever? Why or why not? 

Discussion Questions for older kids: What do you think this story teaches us about God? Do you think Jesus is the greatest gift ever? 

Watch the weekly lesson video together as a family.

December 24: Christmas Eve

There is no FG Kids Programming! We will be gathering for Family Worship on Christmas Eve (1 PM, 3 PM, and 5 PM). Have a very Merry Christmas! 

December 31: New Year’s Eve

There are no in-person FG services! We will have a service available for streaming at 11 AM on New Year’s Eve. 

Find the weekly videos and parent guides on our Elementary Resources Page

December Series Description: This month, as we prepare for Christmas, we will take a look at the story of Zechariah and Elizabeth, John the Baptist, and finally the birth of Jesus! We will explore why Jesus is the greatest gift we can receive this Christmas. We will learn how we can prepare our hearts for his coming, exalt Him during this season, and live in the hope that he brings!

Key passages, verses, and questions for this month: Read the passages together as a family and ask the following questions. 

December 3: A Joyful Gift

Big Idea: God is gracious, so we can find joy in the gift of his son.

Bible Basis: Luke 1:5-25

Key Verse: “The Lord is gracious, kind and tender. He is slow to get angry and full of love.” Psalm 145:8

Discussion Questions of the week: What is the difference between having joy and being happy? Why is making this distinction important? Why should the gift of Jesus make us feel joyful? How can you share the joy you have for Jesus with your family and friends during Christmas time?

Please see your preteen’s weekly family guide for further activities and questions.

December 10: A Holy Gift

Big Idea: Jesus is the reason we celebrate Christmas. We can prepare our hearts for him and exalt him this season.

Bible Basis: Luke 1:39-80

Key Verse: “God, create a pure heart in me. Give me a new spirit that is faithful to you.” Psalm 51:10

Discussion Questions of the week: How can we prepare our hearts for Jesus this Christmas? How can we prepare our hearts for Jesus this Christmas? What things can you do differently to exalt Jesus during this season?

Please see your preteen’s weekly family guide for further activities and questions.

December 17: The Greatest Gift

Big Idea: Jesus is the greatest Christmas gift of all time, so we can give glory and praise to God!

Bible Basis: Luke 2:1-20, Matthew 1:18-25

Key Verse: “God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son. Anyone that believes in him will not die but will have eternal life.” John 3:16

Discussion Questions of the week: Where do we see the birth of Jesus prophesied in the Old Testament? Why was Jesus’ birth so important in the 1st century? Why is Jesus’ birth still important to us today?

Please see your preteen’s weekly family guide for further activities and questions.

December 24: Christmas Eve

There is no FG Kids Programming! We will be gathering for Family Worship on Christmas Eve (1 PM, 3 PM, and 5 PM). Have a very Merry Christmas! 

December 31: New Year’s Eve

There are no in-person FG services! We will have a service available for streaming at 11 AM on New Year’s Eve. 

Meet one of our Thrive students: Emma Blackburn

How old are you? I’m 20 years old. I’ll be 21 in February.

How long have you been a part of Fellowship Greenville and Thrive? I’ve been part of Fellowship my whole life! My parents have been members since before I was born.

Fun fact about yourself? Birthdays are my favorite thing ever. In my family, after we sing "Happy Birthday" to the birthday boy or girl, and they’ve blown out the candles on their cake, my mom relights the candles, and everyone then sings "Happy Birthday" to me, and I get to blow out the candles again.

What is your favorite thing about Sunday mornings? I love seeing my friends in my class and singing songs.

FG Kids Holiday Schedule: 

• December 24 - Family Worship! There will be no FG Kids Programming. 
• December 31 - No FG in-person services. Online service available at 11 AM. 

FG Kids Serving Needs: We need leaders for 5 pm service, Thrive, Preschool Upper 11am, and K-3rd 9am & 11am. If you are interested in serving, please fill out the serving interest form online.

Next Gen Stepping In Class - Sunday, January 28 at 11 AM: We believe that the act of baptism is significant in the life of a believer. Baptism is a wonderful way to share and celebrate your commitment to follow Jesus. This is why we have designed a special Next Gen Baptism Celebration for our kids and students. The first step in our Next Gen Baptism process is for kids and their parents to attend a Stepping-In class. Stepping-In is a fun and interactive class that will help your child understand what baptism is, discover exactly what the Bible says about it, and build their confidence in sharing their faith with others. You can register for this class on our website. 

Can you believe it? Christmas time is right around the corner!

This year, we want to invite you to participate in a Christmas celebration that you and your family will not want to miss! It’s called “Gingerbread Bash!”.

“What’s a Gingerbread Bash?” you ask.

It’s an at-home gingerbread nativity building party designed for the whole family. In addition to building and decorating your own gingerbread nativity, you’ll get to play games, sing songs, hear the Christmas story from the Bible, and discover the good news of Jesus. It’s a truly sweet way for your family to celebrate the birth of our Savior!

You can access the video and other materials HERE, or you can copy and paste the following address into a web browser: https://gocurriculum.com/parent-portal-gingerbread-bash-23

The password is: NATIVITY (all caps)

The next step is just for you and your family to have fun! 

Merry Christmas from the FG Kids Team!