Racing fans get ready!  It’s pinewood derby time again.  The kits are available here at MCA for just $6 (this covers registration for the MCA event and your car kit).   Commander Chuck Niemann has them and they can be picked up here on Wed. night or on Sunday.  This is a great project for kids and their dads or moms.  Commander Chuck has also informed me that if you need help cutting your car out he has all the equipment needed to do just that.  Please contact him if you need help (chuxn@alaska.net or call 330-2108).

One of the questions that is frequently asked is:  Can girls be a part of the pinewood derby also?  YES!   It is not exclusively for Royal Rangers.  So, you go girls and pick up your kit today Let’s get creative and get those cars ready for speed!

The MCA race will be held on Friday evening, March 6th, with registration at 6:00 pm. and racing at 7:00 pm.  On Saturday, March 7th, the Alaska District race will be held with registration starting at 9:00 am and races beginning at 10:00 am.  On Saturday there is an additional $6 registration fee to participate in the race.  If you have any questions you can call 330-2108 or email me at pamhodges@mcaonline.org.

Here at MCA we are blessed to have a wonderful event coming up.  The Holy Spirit Conference will be held January 11 - 14.  We will not only have wonderful services for the adults, we will have special services each night for our kids. 

Do children need to be empowered by the Holy Spirit?  Absolutely.  They need the Spirit working and moving in their lives just as much as any adult.  Many adults wonder if kids really understand the working and moving of the Holy Spirit.  I can tell you that they are able to understand some things and there are some aspects they don’t always understand.  I can say that for myself too.  However, I have watched many children over the years respond to the gentle nudging of the Holy Spirit.  I have observed them as they feel the presence of the Lord and are touched and filled with all that God has for them.  It is one of the most exciting times in their spiritual lives!  The Holy Spirit loves to minister to everyone that opens his heart, including children.

I hope that you will attend the conference and bring your children.  Sunday night our MCA team will minister to the children.  Monday and Tuesday evenings we will have special guests that will minister.  Wednesday night we will have our Mpact and Royal Ranger programs as usual.  Each evening we will have nursery and preschool also.  Make it a priority for your family to start out the year spiritually uplifted and empowered. 

This month my son will turn 30.  I can’t believe it.  I can’t be old enough to have a child of that age!  But, it’s true.  As I reflect on being a parent (and now a grandparent of 5 adorable children) I realize that I don’t remember all the presents I gave my kids at Christmas over the years.  Just a few are memorable but for the most part they are long gone.  However, there are some gifts that I have given that continue to keep on giving.   They aren’t the latest computers, video games, dolls or bicycles.  These gifts cannot be bought with money and will never break or get old.  That is why I am recommending these 3 gifts to give your child this Christmas and throughout the year.

1.  The first gift is time.  In kid language love is spelled T-I-M-E.  Make sure that you take time to connect with your child each day.  Give him/her your undivided attention, without any distractions, for even just a few minutes each day.  It could be awkward at first but as you start communicating, it will become easier and it will pave the way for good communication during those rocky teenage years.

2.  The second gift is prayer.  Pray for your child each day.  Pray for him/her and with him/her.  Let your child see that the answers to life’s questions and problems lie with the Lord. This will prepare him for facing problems in adulthood. A great way to pray for your child is to pray the scriptures. Ask the Lord to give you specific scripture to pray and to hold on to during difficult times.  3 of my favorite scriptures to pray are:

Psalm 1:3 - He (put your child’s name in there) will be like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields it’s fruit in season and who leaf does not wither.  Whatever (he/she) does prospers.

Philippians 1:6 - He who began a good work in (your child’s name) is faithful to complete it.

Isaiah 44:3 - For I will pour water on the thirsty land and streams on the dry ground.  I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring, and my blessing on your descendents.

3.  The third gift is to make it a priority to see that your child receives good spiritual training.  No responsible parent would feed their child only occasionally when it fits into the schedule.  No responsible parent would keep their child out of school.  A responsible parent will do whatever it takes to make sure his/her child is healthy and happy.  We are three part beings.  We have a physical body, emotions and a spirit.   Most parents do their best to take care of the first two parts.  But, many parents neglect or even ignore their child’s spiritual needs.  Statistics say that most people receive Jesus as their Savior when they are very young, under age 14.  So, make it a priority to bring your children to church, send them to camp, talk with them about spiritual things, have a devotional time with them and be a living testimony of what it means to be a follower of Jesus.

You can’t buy these gifts, but they will cost you something.  You will be so glad you invested.  These gifts will last for an eternity!

Wow, what a great combination:  cookies, hot chocolate and Boys and Girls Missionary Challenge!  On Sunday night, December 7th, right after our Children’s Christmas Production we will have a fundraiser for BGMC in the Community Cafe.  There will be plenty of cookies, brownies and other desserts along with hot chocolate for a donation to BGMC.  Our Mpact girls (formerly MIssionettes) have also made some wonderful gift jars with cookie mixes and hot cocoa mixes to sell for BGMC.  This was a great project to help them not only raise money for missions, but to fulfill a community badge requirement. 

We could still use some help in getting wonderful desserts for that special night.  If you would be willing to help, please call Sharon Marchand at 338-5889.  Please come and congratulate our children on a job well done and give to a worthy cause.  Thanks

Come one come all!  This Friday, October 31st at 6:30 p.m. is our annual kids fun night called FaDazzle Wazzle.  Our theme this year is a county fair.  So dust off your country costumes and come enjoy a night of fun, food, games, and most of all, CANDY, CANDY, CANDY!  We will have old tyme carnival games and a Bucking Bull, a Bungee Run, Tiger Bouncing, a Rock Wall and our own Typhoon Teddy. 

Invite a friend to come.  We will have a gospel presentation from 8:30 to 9:00 p.m. and we hope that lots of boys and girls (parents too) will come to know Jesus as their Savior.   I’m so glad that we serve a God who enjoys having fun!

See you there!