Today at NewSpring we celebrated Parents’ Day in Adventure Avenue, giving the parents of our preschool dept a chance to participate with their kids in the Adventure Avenue Theater.  Lots of parents commented on how much they enjoyed it.  I met one little boy with his mom & dad in tow and he was saying, “Come on, I will show you where I learn about Jesus and, Dad, don’t forget to sing the songs with me!”  How cool is that?  A dad came up to me as I was leaving and told me how much he appreciated the ministry for kids at NewSpring.  He continued by saying it (KidzWorld) was what brought them to NewSpring, and now they feel there is something for all ages of the family.  He said “This church has given our family new hope and a place to call home.”  Setting environments is what we do at NewSpring and it so awesome to see the whole family enjoy them.  To all those of you who help us set the environments…thank you.

Another little project we are excited about is the chance to minister to families all over Wichita and the surrounding areas.  Dale and the crew is making us a portable puppet stage to take to neighborhoods and parks for puppet shows.  It is going to be great to have a tool to present the message of God’s love and His desire to have a relationship with everyone.  At the end of May we are heading south of Andover to have a our first block party.  We are taking our inflatables and puppet stage and plan to have a blast with the folks there.  I am excited about it and I ask you to pray for us as we try this for the first time.  We hope to offer this in different backyards throughout the area!  We are looking for hosts to invite neighborhood kids and we will provide the program with includes puppets, music and snowcones!  More to come on that exciting opportunity. 

Another thing we are excited about is the possibility of hosting birthday parties for our kids in the community in our Route 252 and Adventure Avenue Theater.  Starting June 2, if you go to our website you will be able to sign up to schedule your party.  A variety of packages will be offered.  One package even includes a custom puppet show for the birthday boy or girl.  This will be open not only to NewSpringers but also the community.  What an awesome way to get people come in and check out our awesome kids’ environments. 

Someone asked me, “Why are you killing yourself and your wife with all this new stuff for kids?”  First of all, we are not killing ourselves–Karla & Darrel are the ones being sacrificed! Just kidding!  Our KidzWorld staff knows for a fact that only 25% of kids in the Wichita area go to church on a regular basis, so that is why we do what we do.

Patience…that is what we will be talking about all month to the kids of NewSpring.  Patience is waiting until later for what you want now.  Isn’t that good?  This Sunday we have a very unique way to get the point across to the kids.  In fact, we are giving them something to take home and they can’t open it up and they have to bring it back with them on May 18th to reap the reward of their patience.  One of the bottom lines for the month is: “If you don’t wait, it could cost you.”  The memory verse is Psalm 27:14, “Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.”  So there you have it a few days before anyone else. 

Pray for Debbie and me as we leave in just a few moments to drive to KC and fly to Denver for a Judgement House meeting.  We are excited about the possibilities of more churches throughout the Midwest doing JH this year.

The bathroom project is going well. They glazed the walls last night and we are waiting on the vanity and this project will be done.  I will post some pictures next week.

Hope to see you this weekend.  Mark has an amazing sermon series on GPS and finding direction in your life.  You don’t want to miss it!  Don’t forget to invite someone to come with you.  Over 70% of people polled said they would come to church if they were just invited by a friend.

Debbie and I are just about ready to leave again and hit the open road (or I should say open sky since we are flying).  We are headed off to Willow Creek Community Church in Chicago, Illinois for a children’s conference.  We are excited to see what other churches are doing that we might be able to try here at NewSpring.  Also, it is a time just to dream big for KidzWorld.  Colleen and Karla are coming along to see the Willow Creek ministry where over 3000 kids show up every weekend to learn about Jesus and how He loves them.  It should be an exciting time. Pray for us as we fly out there and return late Friday night.  Pray for Darrel (Karla’s husband) as he becomes Mr. Mom for a few days and for Colleen’s husband and boys who will be batchin’ it. I am just hoping to have a bathroom door on our bathroom when I get back (hint, hint). 

Then next week we make a very quick trip to Glenwood Springs, Colorado for Judgement House.  It is so exciting to see more and more churches get pumped up about Judgement House and what it can do for their church and community.  We shoot out of here late Wednesday from KC and head back early Saturday morning and hit Wichita around noon.  I know I must be getting “old” because all this traveling throws me off and it takes about 2 days to think clearly again.  But I know it is making a difference in the lives of so many others that it is worth it.  It won’t be long before we are kicking off Judgement House sign-up here at NewSpring. 

I am still so excited about all that happened last week at NewSpring.  It is great to hear about many adults receiving Christ in the Worship Center and all the kids who made the same decision in KidzWorld.  I hope you are taking time to “celebrate” what happened last weekend and let’s get ready to be in our places this weekend. 

My son told me that he watched the kids coming to KidzWorld and they were taking their shoes off as they walked through the tunnel to make sure they weren’t going to miss a second of fun in KidzWorld.  He also overheard a mom telling her son (who was attending for the first time) to have fun. Then she said, “That’s the first time I’ve ever told him to have fun in church.”  Another boy said as he was leaving, “Are you sure it is time to go? It went so fast!”  My favorite one was a granddad who said, “Come on, it’s time to go; they are shutting off the lights!”  Isn’t it cool to have kids and adults excited about being in church?  All these statements are a credit to the great volunteers who help us every week!  You guys are awesome!!!!

Well, I am finishing up this blog in the airport terminal.  Karla has just informed me that everytime she flies she loses her luggage or something else happens to make the trip exciting.  Sooo we got up to the gate and the flight is delayed for about hour because of weather in Memphis, TN.  So our connection in Minnesota might be tight.  I will let you know what happens.

What an awesome day we had in KidzWorld!  Today we gave a lesson about salvation and had opportunity for kids to respond.  We are thrilled and excited to tell you that 13 kids accepted Christ as their Savior today!!!  Some of the kids were invited by friends and it was their first time to be in church.  What a beautiful image of a church.  Kids inviting kids to church and hearing about how Jesus loves them and responding to it!  To every single person that helps in KidzWorld…Rejoice in what God did through you today at NewSpring!

Here is a picture of all the boxes of food the kids have brought for the food pantry at Victory in the Valley.  This coming Sunday is the last day for bringing food. The first week of May we start a brand new offering project.  Can’t wait to tell the kids what it’s going to be.  The kids have been doing an amazing job with all of our offerings and are making a difference in so many people’s lives.

This is a picture of the work that is going on throughout the week in our KidzWorld Theater. This picture shows them pouring the footings for the balcony.  This coming week they will set the steel posts and finish pouring the final layer of concrete.  Nate and Philip had lots of fun with some other people as they hand dug each hole.  Some holes were 4 feet deep and 8 feet long.  They figured they dug out 176,000 lbs of dirt by hand!  Everyone has been working hard on this project but the kicker is that once Friday rolls around, they have to put everything back in place for the weekend. Then they tear it down Sunday evening to get ready to work on Monday.  Thanks to all who have helped keep KidzWorld going.

What an awesome job the kids did today singing in the worship center.  They sang the song “Give me a J” and they really got into it!  So many people commented on how cute and inspiring it was to see hundreds of preschoolers praise the Lord.  Thanks to all the many volunteers that not only help on Sunday but are coming on Saturday and making a difference in the lives of so many kids. 

A new family came today and said, “My children just loved it and they could tell us what they learned today!  We are definitely coming back next week and we’ll bring our neices and nephews with us.”

To all those who volunteer at NewSpring, great job and thanks for allowing God to use you in this way!

Wow! Where do I begin?  Saturday was over the top!  We had planned for around 60 kids to show up….well, we had over 250 kids in KidzWorld!  We had to do some scrambling, but all in all things went well.  The picture on the right is one from the Adventure Avenue Theater. You can see the kids were wall-to-wall and hip-to-hip.  The carnival after the service was great and lots of fun prizes and treats were given away. 

Sunday we had a great time again with all the kids in KidzWorld. In Route 252 we told the story of Jesus and why he came and died on the cross and rose again.  I told the story and my son Nate did a drawing in sand depicting the cross and the tomb.  The kids loved it and it was just a unique way to present the Gospel.  We gave the invitation for kids to talk to an adult about what they had just heard and this morning at NewSpring Church 8 kids accepted Christ!  Boy, that will make your day! 

I can’t say thank-you enough to all of you who helped us out this weekend.  It wouldn’t have happened if you didn’t show up and minister to kids.  I know many of you did double duty and were called on to do things at the last minute and I appreciate so much your willingness to help.  I don’t how God keeps track of everything, but each one of you have a part in those 8 kids accepting Christ.

This weekend at NewSpring we had over 3100 people come and celebrate Easter. Many first time guests experienced the environments that you folks help to create.  May God bless you for all you do.

I am so excited about all the people who have indicated that they want to join the KidzWorld team.  The really cool thing is that it allows us to offer Adventure Avenue Theater on Saturdays.  Words can’t express my excitement and appreciation to all those who have made that commitment to KidzWorld and to the kids of the Wichita area. 

Easter is this weekend and we are planning an awesome weekend for the kids.  First, on Saturday we will open the Adventure Avenue Theater and also have a mini carnival for the kids in the KidzWorld Theater after their large group time.  We will have snow cones, cotton candy, and lots of fun games and don’t forget the inflatables.  Also, we will have a drawing for some great prizes like a John Deere trike, scooter, and wagon plus some gift baskets as well.  Parents, you will need to hang onto your security receipt because that may be your winning number!  Here is some insider information…this Saturday kids who are in 1st-3rd grade are going to be able to experience KidzWorld too.  And then beginning March 29th, 1st-3rd graders will be able to attend KidzWorld every Saturday .  All this is made possible by the wonderful people who have decided to help us take the ministry to the next level.  I would also like to thank all the people who have offered items and services to help us out in KidzWorld.  

This Sunday the kids in Route 252 will experience a story that is told in a very unique way. Parents, you will need to ask your kids about it on the way home or over Easter dinner.  This weekend is going to be great at NewSpring!  Don’t miss it!