Hey, gang!  It’s almost here … Crocodile Dock will ROCK GraceWorks Church from Sunday, June 14th through Thursday, June 18th from 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM.

If you are a parent of a child/ren who is a rising Kindergartener to a rising 5th grader and who is interested in attending, please register your child prior to June 1st to avoid a late registration fee.  The registration forms are available at the GraceKids check-in counter, or at the following website: http://www.groupvbs.com/webtoybox/myvbs/gracekids .

If you want to volunteer … We need YOU!  Please contact Mandy Tucker at mandy@graceworkschurch.com right away!!  There are still many, many volunteer needs, so please call today.

If you are volunteering, please make sure to mark your calendars for our fantastic Volunteer Training Event set to occur Saturday, May 30th at 10:00 in the Miraculous Monkeys classroom.  You won’t want to miss this … and I don’t want you to miss it either!

If you’d like to donate supplies, please check out the many yellow fireflies we have adorning the Wiggle Worms Nursery Windows … we need LOTS of help!  Please take as many fireflies (the supplies are noted on each one) as you can and don’t forget to sign those fireflies out on the clipboard located on the GraceKids registration counter.

Can’t wait til VBS!!!!!!!

In Christ,

Mandy

Our church is just simply so blessed to have the wonderful blessings that are our faithful servants.  And GraceKids is no exception …

• Just Folks.  This fantastic small group took on the challenge of coordinating everything food-related for our Easter Egg Hunt.  I was able to show them where the groceries were and then they went to town preparing the food, setting up the tables, making sure everything stayed well stocked on the serving table and even made sure that the displays were beautiful.  A special thanks to Lynda Lynn who slaved away despite not feeling well.  I know that I can ALWAYS count on this group to make things happen!
• X-Factor.  What a fantastic group of young adults this group has grown into!  They were there all morning to help me … they hid Easter eggs, made sure that the Easter Bunny arrived , and diligently served our meal and helped watch our little ones.  They are a great bunch of kids, who have wonderful leaders, Neal and Katie.  Neal and Katie continue to be my support in all things GraceKids!
• Eric Montgomery. Wow!  Our Easter Bunny arrived a few minutes early, which put everything ahead of schedule for a few minutes … not a big deal except for our photographer wasn’t set to arrive until 11:30!  Eric stepped in and started shooting pictures until the photographer could arrive.  Quite a pinch hitter, Eric!
• Josh Gilreath. Josh is our faithful photographer for all of our GraceKids events, and he graciously donated his time and profits to go toward Phase Two of our wonderful new playground.  Parents, look for proofs to arrive soon so you can place lots of orders!!!
• Becky Worley.  Becky created that adorable picture-perfect setting for our Easter Bunny pictures.  Great eye, Becky!
• Willie Morris. There just simply aren’t enough words to describe all that Willie does for our church!  Most recently, Willie dedicated a lot of time and energy to make sure that our new playground was installed and ready to go in time for our Easter festivities.  We couldn’t do without our Willie!!!
• Greg Gilbert. Greg was up at the church VERY early on Saturday morning to make sure that our lawn was simply perfect for our egg hunt.  It always looks great, Greg, but it was a great site for our first-ever hunt on our new grounds!
• Paul and Dana Stone.  These fine folks made a wonderful monetary gift to ensure that the Easter Bunny would make his appearance on time AND they were the ones responsible for the inflatable that brought so much enjoyment to the kids.  Thanks a bunch!
• Gregg Underwood.  Gregg volunteered his incredible classic fire truck to “deliver” the Easter Bunny to our party.  The fire truck is always a wonderful addition to all of our church functions.  Thanks for sharing!
• Danny Shiver.  Our fearless fire truck operator was right on cue … thanks for bringing the Easter Bunny to us!!!  What would we have done without him?!?!?!
• Kathy Green.  Thanks for bringing our “real” live Easter Bunnies to visit with!  The kids LOVED petting and holding the baby bunnies … what a special and unexpected treat!
• Mike Pleasant.  What a cool VW bus you have!!!  It made the perfect little den for our live bunnies.  Fantastic!
• Leslie Morgan.  Did everyone catch those cute little bunny ears that lined the hunting area for the little guys?  Leslie made those … ALL of them!  What a cute way to mark their territory!  And, she brought a few little helpers that morning that played a very special role in setting up for the event … thanks so much, Annabelle, Christian, and Keegan!
• Bonnie Gilreath. I couldn’t have gotten everything accomplished if not for Bonnie!  Bonnie helped me with the ginormous shopping list prior to the event, and even made a last minute trip Saturday morning to purchase the lemonade coolers.  Bonnie pays attention to all of the details … big and small … and it really shows.  Thanks, Bonnie!
• Marisa Moyers. Marisa jumped in and “monitored” the inflatable to make sure our little kiddos weren’t doing anything silly that would hurt themselves.  Marisa is always there to step in and take care of anything that I need.  Thanks for always being there for me to call upon!
• EVERYONE!!!  I’m always fearful to list specific people in my thank yous, because I’m always afraid that I’m failing to include someone very important!!!  Hopefully my list is complete, but if I’ve overlooked anyone, it is absolutely NOT because I’m ungrateful … just weary.  Spring is such a full time of year for us at church. 

Hey guess what?!?!?  Easter is wrapped up … now it’s time to jump start our Vacation Bible School plans!!!!  Everyone mark your calendars for VBS: Sunday, June 14th through Thursday, June 18th.  If anyone can help in ANY WAY … please contact me ASAP!  And pull out your “cajun” stuff.  Crocodile Dock will absolutely rock!!!

In Christ,

Mandy

lotsokids@gmail.com

Easter is almost here, and this year will be so much fun at GraceKids!  It’s our first Easter within our finished facilities, we’ll have our first Young Believers ceremony on Palm Sunday, and our first ever Easter Egg Hunt up on the hill! 

The Easter Egg Hunt is planned for Saturday, April 11th from 11:00 to 1:00.  We’ll all gather on the hill at 11:00 and the hunt will begin around 11:15 … don’t forget to bring your Easter Baskets!  We will also have a separate hunting area for the kids under three years old.  Plus, if any of your children have nut allergies, no need to worry … our Easter Eggs are stuffed with “nut-safe” candy.  If you have other allergy concerns, please contact me directly. 

The Easter Bunny will make a grand appearance during the event and will be available for pictures.  Picture packages will be available for order, with all proceeds benefiting our new GraceKids playground (the first phase of which might even be ready to play on by the 11th! — can’t make promises, but we’re hopeful!). 

We’ll have grilled hot dogs with all the fixin’s.  There will be no “charge” for the meal, but donations will be gladly accepted that morning, and the proceeds of that will go toward the X-Factor program since they are helping us host the event.

We’ll have a huge inflatable jump (what I always refer to as a “moonwalk” …. I guess that shows my age!) ready to romp on, as well as some special rides, and lots of fun!

Grab your Easter Baskets, whip up a batch of cookies to share with everyone, and head on out for a wonderful time!

In Christ, Mandy

P.S. We could still use a few folks to prepare and donate some baked beans, cole slaw, cheese, onions, and drinks, so if you’d like to help, just shoot me a note at lotsokids@gmail.com or call me directly at (423) 413-3200.

OOPS!!!  Being out of town the first week of the month really makes for a mess with my schedule!!!  March is well under way and I was just able to organize myself and plan for our GraceKids March birthdays!  We have lots of birthdays, including:

• Luke T.
• Erin V.
• Edie B.
• Josh G.
• Grace S.
• Carson G.
• Jake H.
• Emily B.
• Aaron M.
• Chloe P.
• Emma M.
• Keeton V.

For those that have already celebrated your birthdays this month, please forgive me … the belated birthday cards are in the mail!

Parents, if you don’t see your child’s March Birthday listed above, please let me know so I can make sure we have your child registered!

On a separate note, I met with part of the Children’s Advisory Council tonight to start our plans for our Annual Easter Egg Hunt … the first that we’ll have in our new church home on the hill!  I’m really excited about our plans … watch for more details soon so you don’t miss out on a fun, fun time!

Have a good rest of the week, and I’ll see everyone on Sunday!

In Christ,

Mandy

For the first “official” blog, I thought I’d start off with a GraceKid of the month…one of my favorite features of the old newsletter.  This month’s GraceKid is . . . .

MORGAN MONTGOMERY!!!

Morgan is one of the fabulous 5th graders that I get to hang out with on Sunday mornings in the GUC class, and she’s currently participating in our church’s first ever Young Believers Class.  She’s a true jewel, and her interview (copied below) was so much fun!!!  So, now let’s get on to learning more about Morgan!

Morgan, what is your favorite thing about being a GraceKid? I love hearing the bible verses and I love helping out in the little kids rooms like the Explorin’ Elephants or the Miraculous Monkeys.
 
What do you like to do in your spare time? Help my neighbors watch their 2 year old nephew, Kyler, and their 3 month old nephew, Kole. I love them so much. They are adorable!
 
What grade and school are you in? I am in fifth grade at Ooltewah Elementary and turn 11 in January.
 
What is the best quality that a friend should have? A friend should definitely be trustworthy.
 
If you could ask God any question right now, what would it be? How will you change my life when I am older?
 
What is the top thing that you want your friends to remember about you? That they could come to me when they needed help.
 
If you were a food, what food would you be and why? I would be a popsicle because I would be tall and skinny.
 
What makes you happy? When I can make little kids happy, spending time with friends and family, going to church, and helping someone who really needs it.

What else should we know about you, Morgan?  I love little kids and babies, and my family just signed up at the Y, so I might (I am 99% sure) take a babysitting course to learn CPR, and what to do if something happens. I hope to start babysitting around 12 yrs. old, or a couple of months after I finish the course.

Hello GraceKids family!  I wanted to start 2009 (a bit late!) off with a different format.  The monthly newsletter was great, but I wanted a way to keep everyone updated more frequently, so I thought I’d try a blog!  I plan to update this blog very frequently, so please check frequently.  You can even subscribe to the blog so you get an update each time something new is posted.  As always, if you have any questions or content, please contact me at mandy@graceworkschurch.com.  Look for a new blog within a few days!