Traveling? Use the "Find-a-Church" function to locate a United Methodist Church within the U.S. Click on the globe above to begin your search.

For church locations outside of the U.S., click on the global map below, instead.

Trinity

Scripture

Sacraments

Inclusivity

Free Will

Grace

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Feather River Cooperative Parish
Greenville Community UMC  †  Taylorsville Community UMC  †   Chester Community UMC

Youth Page

Hi, kids! Are you ready to have some fun learning about God and our churches? Good! Use this page to jump to a variety of kid-friendly Christian websites, or join in our Bible study for kids lessons, or check out our 'questions commonly asked by kids" section below. We hope to have a page of local kid photographs soon, too, so be on the lookout for that.

Kid Connection Newsletters
July 2007
October 2007
January 2008
March 2008

Vacation Bible School 2008 was lots of fun! This year's theme was Quest for Truth. VBS kids joined Dakota Joe and his faithful dog, Digger, as they discovered important truths about Jesus. We hope that more of you will join us next year!

L-R, Back Row: Junior Leader Sam B., Catherine S., Brian S., Dominic P.,
Kasie M., Junior Leader Brad U.
L-R, Middle Row: Gannon G., Andrew P., Brian S., Shannon M.
L-R, Front Row: Darian P., Mia H., Tanner M., Charlie F.

 

 

Bible Study for Kids (coming soon)

Cool Kid Websites

Questions Commonly Asked by Kids

Art and Other Work (coming soon)

Photographs (coming soon)

We'd love to see your artwork, stories, news, or whatever you'd like to share. If we can get you to send some, we'll add a page to display your work right on this site and you'll get full credit for it! Send submissions to Elizabeth Bullard-Watson at:

PO Box 215
Greenville, CA 95947-0215

Or, you may eMail it to Elizabeth at:

watbull(AT)frontiernet.net
*Important! Before the eMail address above will work, you have to take out the (AT) and replace it with an @ symbol.

We do have a few rules about stuff you'd like to submit:

~return to top of page~

 

Don't forget that we've got full copies of the Kid Connection newsletter right here on this site! Click on the bird below to go to the newsletters page.

Cool Kid Websites

For Teens:
Teen Topics
Sloppy Noodle
Bible Quizzes
Method X
Devozine

~return to top of page~

For Kids 8-13 years:
Bible Stories for Kids
A Kid's Heart Bible Study
Children's Bible Lessons
Heaven Sent Children's Stories
Pockets
Bible Kids Fun Zone

~return to top of page~

For Kids Under 8 years:
Kidz Under Construction
Perpetual Preschool
Creation Kids
Crayola Creativity Center

~return to top of page~

Questions commonly asked by kids:

1. What is God? God is a Supreme Being. God is the creator of the earth, everything on the earth, the universe, and everything in the universe. God is Spirit, God is more powerful than anything else, God is wiser than anything else, and God is absolutely truthful and perfectly holy. We see God in nature and we know God through His son, Jesus Christ. There is only one true God.
   
   
2. Who is Jesus Christ? Jesus Christ lived a long time ago. God sent him to this earth to help fathers and mothers and boys and girls do the right things. Most of the time, Jesus lived in a land now called Israel. Jesus loved all people, but some of the people were wicked and did not like him. They hung him on a cross. Jesus Christ suffered and died. The people who loved him were very sad. They took his body off the cross and wrapped it in a beautiful white cloth. They carried his body inside a tomb. A tomb is like a cave where people are buried. They gently laid him down. Jesus Christ’s friends closed the entrance to the tomb by rolling a large stone in front of the doorway. Jesus Christ’s friends did not understand that he would come to life again. When Jesus was came to life again it was called resurrection. When Jesus was resurrected, he received his body to join with his spirit, but his body had changed. Jesus’ body became immortal - it changed so that it would never die again but would live forever. When Jesus became immortal, he made it possible for all of us to be resurrected and become immortal. This means that after we have been resurrected, we will never die again. We can live with our families forever. Because of Jesus Christ’s love for us, he made it possible for us to live forever. Through Jesus, we can have the relationship with God that He intended for us when He created us.
   
   ~return to top of page~
   
   
3. What is a Christian? A Christian is a person that follows the teachings of Jesus Christ - a religious person that believes that Jesus is the Christ and that is a member of a Christian denomination. A denomination is a congregation that has its own faith. A Christian is someone who has a living relationship with Christ through baptism.
   
   
4. What is a Methodist? Methodist, along with Methodism and Wesleyan, are words used to describe the movement that resulted from the work of John Wesley and his brother, Charles Wesley. A movement is a group of people with common ideas that work together to reach a certain goal. Those outside of the Wesley group called the group "Methodists" because of the highly methodical way they approached their religion. Methodical means highly orderly. The Methodist name later was applied to the followers of the Wesleys as they actively preached throughout England. Methodist and Methodism are used to refer to a large family of churches and denominations throughout the world.
   
   ~return to top of page~
   
   
5. What is baptism? Baptism is an act of sacrament. A sacrament is something that is holy. When a person is baptized, he or she is cleansed by the Holy Spirit and becomes part of the body of Christ – the universal church. In the United Methodist Church, baptism is performed by sprinkling, pouring, or immersion.
   
   
6. What is communion? Communion is one of the sacraments of the United Methodist Church. A sacrament is something that is holy. The sacrament of communion is sometimes called the Lord's Supper. By taking communion, we remember the Last Supper of Jesus with the disciples. It is a celebration and remembrance of God's grace and mercy in Jesus, of the resurrection of Christ, and of Christ's continuing presence with us.
   
   ~return to top of page~
   
   
7. Why do I go to church? Going to church helps you to grow up properly. Going to church is one way that you learn about Jesus Christ. Learning about Jesus Christ is part of learning about life. When we go to church, we learn how to have a relationship with God through Jesus Christ.
   
   
8. What is the season of Advent? The season of Advent begins with the fourth Sunday before Christmas. The word "advent" means "coming" or "arrival." It is the season of the church year in which we prepare for the coming of Christ at Christmas. We see Jesus as the Light of the World and, so, light many candles and decorate with electric lights. The use of greenery and trees in the home is a tradition that comes from Europe and represents hope and promise in the bleak midwinter. Advent is a time of anticipation of Jesus' birth and of his return, or Second Coming.
   
   ~return to top of page~
   
   
9. What is the season of Lent? The Season of Lent is a forty-day period before Easter. It begins on Ash Wednesday, the seventh Wednesday before Easter. Because Sunday is the day of the Resurrection, we skip over Sundays when we calculate the length of Lent. Lent is a season of soul-searching and repentance. It is a season for reflection and taking stock. By observing the forty days of Lent, Christians imitate Jesus' withdrawal into the wilderness for forty days.
   
   Ash Wednesday is the first day of the Season of Lent. Its name comes from the ancient practice of placing ashes on worshipers' heads or foreheads as a sign of humility before God. Ash Wednesday is a somber day of reflection.
   
   Holy Week is the last week of Lent, the week immediately before Easter Sunday. It is observed in many Christian churches as a time to commemorate and enact the suffering and death of Jesus through various observances and services of worship. The entire week between Palm Sunday and Holy Saturday is included in Holy Week.
   
   Palm Sunday observes the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem that was marked by the crowds, who were in Jerusalem for Passover, waving palm branches and proclaiming him as the messianic king.
   
   Holy Thursday (Maundy Thursday) marks the last day before Jesus was arrested and is observed in various ways in services of worship.
   
   Friday of Holy Week has been traditionally called Good Friday. On this day, the church commemorates Jesus' arrest, trial, and crucifixion and suffering, death, and burial.
   
   See Question 11 for an explanation of Easter Sunday.
   
   ~return to top of page~
   
   
10. Why do we celebrate Christmas? Every year around Christmastime, we hear the words “true meaning of Christmas” - from pulpits, from television personalities, and from just ordinary people that are bewildered by the hectic pace of the season. The search for the true meaning of Christmas is an ongoing one. As much as they are a part of the season, Santa Claus; decorations; and gifts are not the meaning of the season. Christmas is not about the ‘spirit of giving’, or even about the quest for global peace, the importance of family, or the beauty of a snow-decorated silent night. The true meaning of Christmas is about possibility. It is not the kind of possibility that comes from a confidence in our own skill, knowledge, ability, or a positive mental attitude. It is possibility that comes solely from the fact that God is God, and that He is the kind of god who comes into our own human existence to reveal Himself and call us to Himself. It is not just hope, as if it were wishful thinking that things will get better when they cannot. It is hope incarnated into flesh, a hope that can be held in a mother’s arms, a hope that expresses a reality that will live beyond endings and death itself. It is the hope, the possibility, that springs from impossible and insignificant beginnings, infused with the power of God through the Holy Spirit. It is this possibility - this God - that we celebrate at Christmas. We do so with a confidence born, not of our own desire for it to be so, but from the birth of a child more than 2,000 years ago, a child who was the son of God.
    
    ~return to top of page~
    
    
11. Why do we celebrate Easter? Just likeAs with Christmas in our culture, we have many false ideas about what Easter really means. Easter is not about bunnies, or chicks, or colored eggs. The Easter season is a living expression of the hope that God has brought into the world through the death and resurrection of Jesus. The Easter Season is one in which you can bear witness to your faith. Some people consider the Easter season to be the highest point of the Christian calendar as the gospel story culminates in the resurrection of our Lord. The Easter season is one of great celebration, not of chocolate bunnies, but of hope and of God.
    
    
12. What is a missionary? A missionary is a person selected and commissioned to serve in the work of the United Methodist Church or related denominations in other lands or in designated projects in the United States. Missionaries are selected, assigned, and directed in their work by the General Board of Global Ministries.
    
    ~return to top of page~
    
    
13. Are the Bible stories true? Some people teach that the Bible is inspired and authoritative, and that it is an accurate revelation of what God wants us to know about salvation, but room is left for minor errors in non-crucial areas. Classic Christianity teaches us that the Bible is completely accurate. It may contain statements that are (1) figures of speech; (2) non-technical descriptions; or (3) difficult to understand.
    
    
14. Am I good enough to go to Heaven? It was no small thing for Jesus to die for us. What love God must have for you! Jesus suffered unspeakable agony, so that you would not have to be punished for your sins. His sacrificial death and resurrection mean that you need no longer be in debt to the Eternal Law, and God can now grant you everlasting life if you obey Him -- death no longer has a legal hold upon those who belong to Jesus Christ. What should you do to get to Heaven? Simply put your trust in Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord. Do not put it off until tomorrow. Put your faith in Jesus Christ in the same way you would put your faith in a parachute. You do not just "believe" it will benefit you, you actually trust yourself to it by putting it on. Confess to God that you have broken His Law and sinned against Him. Ask Him to forgive your sins. Thank Him for Jesus Christ's death on the cross in your place, paying for your sins. Believe that He rose again and conquered death for all mankind. Accept His gracious gift of eternal life, a gift that you could never earn. Place your trust in Him as your Savior and Lord. Read the Bible and obey what you read.
    
    ~return to top of page~
    
    
15. Why do innocent people suffer sometimes? This is one of the most difficult questions for Christians to answer. We ourselves do not establish the standards of what is right. Only the Creator of all reality can do that. We need to settle, in our minds and hearts, whether we understand it or not, that whatever God does is, by definition, right. We have faith that what God does is right, even when we are not capable of understanding things that may seem cruel to us. Because we have faith, we are then free to seek ways in which we can profit spiritually from the sufferings in life, as well as from the blessings.
    
    
16. How do dinosaurs fit in with the Bible? When God created the world, dinosaurs were one of His creations. God created all of the animals (Genesis 1:20-25). God made everything in the entire universe--people, stars, planets and all that there is. Like Adam, the bodies of the first dinosaurs were formed from the dust of the earth. All animals, including the first dinosaurs, were created to benefit mankind in one way or another. God's exact purpose for the various dinosaurs is still a mystery. Perhaps the larger dinosaurs kept certain types of lush plant life under control and cleared paths through the forest. Using their long necks, some dinosaurs could have eaten foliage at the tops of tall trees. In a thick forest, this would let light come down to the ground so smaller plants would have a chance to grow. Dinosaur-like creatures are mentioned in the Bible. The Bible uses ancient names like "behemoth" (beh-HEE-moth) and "tannin”. Behemoth means kingly, gigantic beasts. Tannin is a term which includes dragon-like animals and the great sea creatures such as whales, giant squids, and marine reptiles like the plesiosaurs (PLEE-see-oh-sors) that may have become extinct (died out). The book of Job is very old, written after the worldwide flood of Noah's time and probably about 2,000 years before Jesus was born. There, God describes a great king of the land animals like some of the biggest dinosaurs, the Diplodocus and Apatosaurus. It was a gigantic plant-eater with great muscles and very strong bones.
    
    ~return to top of page~
    
    
17. How can stars be millions of light-years away? A light-year is the distance traveled by light in one year. Light gets to us from stars which are millions of light-years away in a universe which the Bible claims is only thousands of years old. First, we must remember that we can never have complete knowledge; only God possesses infinite knowledge. Still, we ask ourselves how it might be possible that the light from stars millions of light years away could already be reaching the earth if the universe is only a few thousand years old. One obvious answer is that, if God created the heavens and the earth, and the stars in the heavens, and if He did so instantaneously, out of nothing, then there is no reason why He could not have created the stars in such a way as to cause their light already to be shining upon the earth at the moment of creation. They were, in a sense, created with the appearance of age, just as Adam and Eve were created as adults, not as infants or embryos. The same could be said for the universe as a whole. For it to have been functioning properly at the time of its creation, it would have been necessary for God to create it with the appearance of age.
    
    
18. Is there an on-line glossary of religious terms? Why, yes. Yes there is. You may visit this link to see a basic glossary of Christian terms. For a more complex glossary, visit this link.
    
    ~return to top of page~
    
    
19. Where can I go to find out about how United Methodists feel about certain social issues? You may visit the MethoPedia to learn more about how United Methodist feel about social issues, such as aging; AIDS; death and dying; abortion; drugs and alcohol; the death penaly, war, gambling, and much more. If the MethoPedia does not address your concern, visit our guest book and ask your question there. You can send a private message to our pastor, if you wish (no one will see your message, except our webmaster and our pastor). Or, you can ask a public question at the guest book in general and see what other visitors have to say about the issue that you have raised.

~return to top of page~

 

Website Administrator: Elizabeth E. Bullard-Watson
Contact Administrator by eMail: watbull(AT)frontiernet.net
*replace the (AT) in the above address with an @ symbol

Copyright © 2006 Indian Valley Community United Methodist Churches
Copyright © 2008 Feather River Cooperative Parish
All rights reserved.

Copyright Notice: This website may contain some private contributions. Said private contributions are so noted and copyright of those private contributions belongs to the original author. You may link any data on this site, but you may not reproduce any of the data electronically, or otherwise, without specific permission in writing from the Feather River Cooperative Parish and/or the private contributor. Commercial use of information on this website is prohibited. Additional copyrights may apply.

This page was created on 21 Sep 2006.
This page was updated last on 24 Jun 2008.