Filed under: Ashland Church, Cherry Hill, NJ, South Jersey, children, christian, giving, green, kids, making a difference, serving, spring break | Tags: Cherry Hill, cleaning up, Going Green, kids, NJ, spring break
A handful of our church kids (let’s call them kids from the B family, the D family and the F family) age 4 – 9 took some of their time this Spring Break to clean up a patch of forest near their homes. We’ve seen a lot more wildlife (deer, foxes, raccoons, wild turkeys and possums) lately and wanted to help make their home a little cleaner.
We talked about how God created this world for us and we need to be good stewards and take care of it. The eight children cleaned up three trash bags and two paper trash bags worth of litter. Yes, we recycled. The children even realized how fun it is to enjoy God’s creation. We found deer and raccoon footprints, discovered skunkweed, skipped rocks and had stick races in the stream.
Filed under: Ashland Church, Cherry Hill, Easter, Family, South Jersey, Voorhees, christian, church, parenting | Tags: church family, community, NJ, South Jersey, Voorhees
Just a short note since it’s Easter and I’m really supposed to be on printing recipes.
I was just thinking about some of our Easter church experiences this week. For Good Friday we visited a family member’s church and it’s a wonderful church and was a wonderful service and I was moved. But as I sat I thought about the difference of not being at my home church, that really is my home.
I never realized how a big a part the relationships I have within my church community play in my church going experience. Not only do I go to church to worship and learn and grow, I do so with my church family. I go with a sense of a loving community that supports my family and stands beside us, the adults that my kids look up to as Christian mentors and the kids that are their brothers and sisters in Christ. I feel so blessed to be a part of it and pray that everyone would really be a part of their church. Not just come and go and sometimes help out, but really have that sense of family with those worshipping beside you.
Filed under: Ashland Church, Easter, Family, South Jersey, Voorhees, children, christian, parenting | Tags: Easter traditions, teaching kids Easter
Sure we all have our Easter Traditions like egg hunts and the big family dinner, but what are your traditions that teach your kids why we celebrate Easter?
I’d love to hear and share comments on this so we could learn from each other.
You can checkout the previous Easter blogs to see how our church (www.AshlandChurch.org) helps your family celebrate Easter, but what do you do at home?
Filed under: Africa, Ashland Church, Cherry Hill, Family, Ghana, Kwabeng, NJ, South Jersey, Voorhees, children, christian, church, giving, kids, making a difference, parenting, serving | Tags: Africa, Ashland Church, children, Ghana, kids, Kwabeng, making a difference, service project
Recently the children of Ashland Church in Voorhees, NJ (www.ashlandchurch.org) raised money to help build bathrooms for a preschool and kindergarten in Kwabeng, Ghana. They are currently using two outhouses for 250 kids. (To help support this effort go www.africanbookchallenge.org )
Brandon D. said,“I’m so happy we are helping to get those restrooms for Fred’s kids”.
Fred emailed us this after we told him the total that the kids had brought in towards the bathroom project,“I’m equally excited and, in deed, pleasantly surprised by the tally…$1,031.56! I suspect that Brandon’s remark reflects the collective sentiment of all the kids who supported the program so enthusiastically and went out of their way to make it such a success. Our good Lord certainly touched their hearts and I’m sure that He also reinforced in them the spirit of recognizing and sharing their blessings with those in need. That’s a very powerful biblical lesson we as parents need to impart to our children and I’m glad that Ashland kids already know and live by it.”
Filed under: Ashland Church, Cherry Hill, Easter, Family, NJ, South Jersey, Voorhees, arts, children, christian, church, gospel, kids, parenting | Tags: cross, Easter, gospel, Jesus, kids, parenting, stations of the cross
Last night the Youth Director and his talented, devoted helpers set up a great experience for the congregation and community of Ashland Church (www.AshlandChurch.org), a Stations of the Cross Service.
Each person walked through individually and experienced, by sight, sound, touch and smell, the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. You were also challenged to be changed by Christ and walk out differently then you came in.
In Children’s Ministries we try to make things as experiential as we can for kids with different learning styles so this was exciting for me. I have to say, being one that learns more through experience myself, I was moved to tears at what my Savior had gone through and endured for me, to take my punishment and forgive me of the things that I had wronged him with.
I was also tearing up to see my 9 year old son truly taking it in and praying, seeking Christ and to see my husband lead our 6 year old through, explaining it along the way.
Even though Conner (the 6 year old) said it made him think of watching TV (in the beginning there was a TV with white noise to represent the distractions in our lives that you were supposed to turn off as you entered the sanctuary) with a little further prodding, the things that made an impact on him were nailing his sins to the cross and touching the rock that represented the stone that was in front of Jesus’ tomb. Liam’s (the 9 year old) response was that he had a true experience with Jesus.
Thank you to the youth director and his little elves for sharing this experience with us and I would encourage more people to take advantage of it when it comes around next year.
Question: Did you go through it and if so what was your reaction or your children’s if they went?
Filed under: Ashland Church, Easter, Family, NJ, South Jersey, Voorhees, children, christian, church, egg hunt, gospel, kids, parenting | Tags: Ashland Church, children, Easter, egg hunt, kids, NJ, South Jersey, Voorhees
Though it was a bit chilly we were thrilled to have around 65 kids (infants – 5th grade) and their families join us for the egg hunt! Not only did the kids get eggs full of candy, a prize and different crafts but they all went around and met all of the Bible Characters from the Easter story. A big thanks to our actors! Each family got to hear the gospel though the story of each character. It was a great day!
Thank you to all those who shared their resources, time and talent and took time to reach out to our community.
I’d love to hear responses if there’s any feed back from your kids.
Forecast says just clouds and the sun will be coming out!
Thank you God for this nice weather.
See you all at 11:30 (10:30 if you’re setting up).
Filed under: Africa, Family, Ghana, Kwabeng, children, christian, church, giving, kids, making a difference, parenting, serving | Tags: Africa, Ghana, Kwabeng, making a difference, parenting, serving
We are please to announce the launch of our new ABC (African Book Challenge) website.
Please check it out at www.AfricanBookChallenge.org
and share the site with everyone you know
Just an update on ABC:
We are finally close to shippping all of your school supply, clothing, computer, and book donations from our VBS and church families and local businesses.
We’re at least 1/3 of the way towards our goal of providing bathrooms for the PreK & K (they currently share two outhouses for 250 kids and their teachers). Thank you for all your donations and thank you kids for your penny drive that brought in $1031.56 + (some is still coming in)!
Just another way for kids and families to get involved and make a difference. Serving and giving with your kids does not just effect the people you’re serving. It will have a memorable impact on your children as well.
Parent’s Question: What are some ways you and your children have been able to serve together or what are some opportunities out there that families can help out with?
(One service project coming up at Ashland – we’ll be asking families to sign up and care for our community vegetable garden for a week at a time. The kids planted seeds this past Wednesday. Stay tuned for more details)
Filed under: Easter, Family, NJ, South Jersey, Voorhees, children, christian, church, kids, parenting | Tags: Ashland Church, Easter, egg hunt, Family, kids, NJ, services, Voorhees
Join us for Easter at Ashland Church
Egg Hunt – THIS Sat. March 16 from 11:30 am – 1:30 pm Egg Hunt (infants, preschoolers & grade-schoolers), candy, prizes, crafts and food! Meet all the special guests and get another prize. Raindate – March 22
Palm Sunday – Services at 9:30 and 11:00 am Sunday School during 9:30 service and nursery and kids church during 11:00 service. Wee Worship will be singing!
Stations of the Cross – THIS Sunday March 16 from 5 pm – 9 pm (come and go as you please during these hours) a personal journey through the stations of the cross for older elementary children (parents choice depending on child and parent), teens and adults. Childcare will be provided from 5 pm – 7 pm only.
Tenebre Service – Ashland Church will be hosting a special Tenebrae service the evening of Maundy Thursday, March 20 at 7:30 p.m. This evening will consist dramatic readings to help us reflect upon the passion of our Lord, including a celebration of Holy Communion. Childcare will be provided.
Easter Sunday – Services at 9:30 and 11:00 am Sunday School during 9:30 service and nursery and kids church during 11:00 service.
www.AshlandChurch.org
Filed under: Family, arts, children, christian, kids, parenting | Tags: arts, children, christian, kids, parenting
Many times we think that our kids are too young to be exposed to the arts. Too young to learn about the great minds and artists that came before us and surround us today. However I think we need to give them more credit and to broaden their horizons a bit. I can tell you from experience that my kids both survived and enjoyed the art Museum (although Conner seemed to think that the sculptors were interactive and kept the guards looking at us and now wants to decorate with all of the modern furniture, which of course is very practical and affordable). They’ve taken in musicals and ballets and lived to tell the story.
You can also do this on a budget. Go to the Philly art museum on a Sunday, when it’s by donation. See a local play (Cherry Hill East does an amazing job) where tickets are cheaper or even free (such as at local parks in the summer). Rent a DVD of a musical, or borrow one from someone you know. Check out what’s coming up on TV even. We watched “The Phantom of the Opera” as a family and my kids know more scripture from viewing “Godspell” over and over then I could ever memorize.
What does this have to do with their faith. We serve a very creative God. We can have a relationship with the creator of the universe. As his image bearers, we in turn have creativity. There were great creative minds that came before us that painted masterpieces and composed beautiful pieces that taught God’s word or praised him for what he’s done. Maybe someday the budding artists in our homes will do the same.
Any ideas on ways to introduce your children to the arts?
