Uptown

Have you heard about all the excitement going on in Uptown, where all our Kindergarten through 6th graders meet every Sunday morning and Wednesday night?  Our elementary school students are becoming Bible scholars as they travel the ancient roads of the Old Testament patriarchs, heroes and prophets.  Our children are dramatizing tragedies like the destruction of Sodom and Gommorah, and triumphs like the miraculous rescue of Isaac from the altar of sacrifice.  They are sitting around the campfire and counting the stars with Abraham, imagining the great nation that will come from this one faithful man and his wife.  They are reenacting the 10 plagues that struck Egypt before the Hebrew slaves were set free.  They are roaming the hills with nomadic shepherds and tracing the route of the Hebrew slaves as they crossed the desert from Egypt to Canaan.  They are tasting foods like lamb and horseradish as they reenact the Passover Seder, celebrated on the night the Hebrew slaves left Egypt.  They are performing scientific experiments on flotation as they study Noah's ark.  They are being quizzed on Old Testament facts and they are learning Bible verses by heart.  They are praying with one another and for one another.  They are developing relationships with each other and with adult guides and mentors who pray with them and study the Bible, learning right alongside them.

This exciting Bible-learning experience requires many, many loving people, who give generously of their time and talents to make a learning environment that is fun, educational and Spirit-filled.  Ashley Henderson decorates each of the environments where the children spend their time.  Each room reflects the story the children are studying at that time.  We've had tents and stars and rainbows and campfires and lots more cool stuff in those rooms (not real fire!)   Julie Locke makes sure all the teachers have the right curriculum and Mandy Oehlschlaeger makes sure they have all the materials they need.  I have had the privilege of recruiting many wonderful teachers, and will be doing so again in March-April of 2013 (don't think I don't know your name!).  Doug Baker works night and day to love, teach and train this crew.  I could fill up a lot of space with the names of those who helped build the beautiful Uptown lobby, who pray with our children and guide our children each Sunday. 

Please consider accepting an assignment to teach or guide or mentor the children.  The assignments are usually only 2-3 months in duration.  I guarantee you will gain far more than you give in the process!
--Posted by Mama O.