Recommending Seeds Family Worship CDs - all our favourite verses - straight from the Bible - set to great music.

You can listen to the songs online on the seeds website. you can buy direct from the Seeds store, or they are available from UK websites like Amazon or Eden.

Our very own Ilana and Ethan Hardy want to tell you how fab these CDs are. Click to read Ilana's review and Ethan's review

Becky Dawson writes: 'An amazing,, well written, catchy and NON CHEESY series of songs designed to help our kids learn bible verses. All VCS peeps with kids, this a great way to start our kids on their own personal catechism journey. Neil & I spend ages listening to them on you tube, amazed how lovely they are without being cringeworthy...  I love YOUNG - the Timothy verse'

Stuart Hardy writes: 'Couldn't agree more, we bought the full series as stocking fillers direct from the states. They reside in the car and the kids take turns choosing which cd to listen to.
The CDs also come with an additional copy and each of ours have given them to different friends at both school and church. My favourite is Follow Me'

There are two New Wine Kids leaders training days coming up. New Wine kids' ministry is excellent, so I'm confident that these will be great days, full of good stuff about investing in our children.

Guildford - May 11th 9:30-4:00. Details can be found here.

Southfields - May 18th 9:30-4:00. Details can be found here.

On Easter Sunday the children will be joining the adults for worship at the start of the service - the choir will be singing during this time. Children involved in the choir won't miss any group time!

Parents can sign their children into their groups during an extended break at around 10:55. Please don't sign your kids in before this time!

We are excited to have Fusion and Ignite planning some Easter activites for the children in Skittles, Liquorice Allsorts and Dolly Mixtures during their group time. THANK YOU Fusion and Ignite!

On the 2nd February, some of our children and parents went to a Kids in Leadership Training day. This day was run by Rachel Turner who some of you will remember from the Kids' Leaders' training day in October 2011. Some of the children and one of the parents shared their experiences of the day. Please have a listen and be encouraged - it starts quiet, but do keep listening.

Releasing our kids into what God is calling them to is part of our dreams...

A couple of weeks later in the worship time, we invited the Holy Spirit to come - and He showed up :-)

Kelsey, who had done the prophetic art seminar at the training day, led some prophetic art during worship and we had the following (I'm just sorry I don't have the actual pictures to share!)

• Picture of a big yellow star with lots of grey stars around it - representing Jesus as light of the world and we are all the little stars around it he wants to shine on us.
• Lots of daffodils - God wants to remind us that he created everything.
• An aeroplane... !!  No interpretation yet!!! :)

We had children hearing from God and being able and willing to share:

• "He wants us to love our enemies"
• "He wants us to talk to him everyday"
• "He wants to give us a big present - he wants us to know he loves us"

We also had a child bring a story they had heard at school, but wanted to share at church to encourage others:

• We are like a lady who gets given a voucher and holds onto it. When she finally goes to the shop, it's not valid anymore. That's a bit like our talents God wants us to use them and not let them run out.

I am loving hearing stories! More please - especially ones from home and school!

Lorna x

***** Last chance to share your thoughts *****

Thank you to all who have taken the time to share their thoughts about Vineyard Kids - this is the last chance to share your thoughts - the questionnaire will close on next Friday 15th March!

Vineyard kids exists to equip our kids so they understand who they are in Christ; grow a relationship with the creator of the universe; discover their purposes and what God has called them to do.

Parents and leaders - please click on the link and take 10 minutes to share your thoughts! Prizes for every 10th person to complete the questionnaire

Thanks, Lorna x

Parents - just a reminder that it REALLY helps the kids' leaders if you can stick to the timing for sign-in and sign-out:

Sign-in is from 10:20 until 10:30. Signing your child in late causes disruption for the other children and means that your child misses out on the full session that the leaders have planned.

Sign-out if at 12:10 or as soon as the service has finished (and before you stop for a coffee!). We appreciate that you may want to receive prayer - if this is the case, please take advantage of the new tags, and hand your child's tag to someone else, so they can collect your child.

Many thanks!

Have you ever wanted Lent to mean something to your kids other than giving up chocolate? I know I have...

I've been doing some digging and have found a few resources that you may be interested in. These are not tried and tested by me, but have been recommended by other kids' leaders. If you try any of these over lent, or have any other resources to share, I would love to hear from you. Email Lorna.

40acts is a free website which encourages you to do lent generously. There is a downloadable 40acts wallchart for kids with suggestions of 40 small kind things to do over lent. The Easter Story cookies look like fun!

If you want to do this with your kids, adults can also sign up to a daily devotional, and be challenged to a different set of 40acts. You can also find 40acts on facebook and twitter.

Love Life Live Lent challenges you to be the change. There is a kids' book to buy with simple fun things to do to think about others. The book for adults has daily devotionals to go alongside the activities. Check out the sample pages from both books. A kids' wallchart is available to download so they can gain a sticker or smiley face for every challenge completed. Follow Love Life Live Lent on twitter.

Christian Aid inspires you to Count Your Blessings over Lent and give thanks! Focussing on how much we have compared to people in poorer countries, this gets you thinking about the blessing of clean water and being able to go to school. Free online resources include a kids' wallchart as well as wallcharts for adults and youth. A smartphone app is available soon.

The Sanctuary Centre have some creative prayer ideas for worshipping through Lent for individuals and families.

These are simple and visual ways of bringing Easter more visible to you and others, and above all in inspiring a visual prompt for worship and prayer during this time.

***** UPDATE - prizes for every 10th person to complete the questionnaire *****

Vineyard kids exists to equip our kids so they understand who they are in Christ; grow a relationship with the creator of the universe; discover their purposes and what God has called them to do.

Parents and leaders - as we start a new year, I would love to hear your thoughts on Vineyard Kids. Please click on the link and take 10 minutes to share your thoughts!

Thanks, Lorna x

Do you want to parent/lead kids with purpose? Do you want kids to know their calling and do His stuff?

***** UPDATE - more information is here *****

Organised by Rachel Turner (who spoke at our kids leader’ training day in Oct 2011)*, ‘Kids in Leadership’ training day promises to be an excellent space for adults as well as children (school yrs 3-6). There will be sessions aimed at kids, some aimed at adults (parent/leaders) and some ‘all together’ sessions.

If you want to go as a parent or leader and not take your children, you would be most welcome. If you want to take children along, it offers training in many different areas which are applicable to the whole week, not just Sunday mornings. So although we don’t have many opportunites for kids to serve at VKS (yet!!!), there will be training to inspire them to live their lives according to His purposes.

I am intending to go with my kids. You can book online. Email Lorna for further information or to let me know if you are coming.

Lorna x

* You can listen to Rachel’s talk here