Next Step
Check back every few days for the latest updates on northKIDS Next Step.
Week 9
By Pastor Brandi
Why Invest in Children?
Well, we are about to start with our mural upstairs and I am so excited! We have volunteers coming in to paint the sketches that our artist (Robert Wilson) has drawn on the walls. It is going to be awesome!
Our Trading Post is almost finished...just a few more details to finish up on it. If you are wondering what the Trading Post is, well, it will act as an incentives store. This means that the kids will "earn" points each Sunday that they attend northKIDS for attendance, bringing their Bible and offering, knowing their memory verses, good behavior during the service, completing their God Time devotion card with their family and for bringing a friend. They will be able to redeem their points at the Trading Post for a variety of prizes! I am really excited about the Trading Post because it will be a tool used to instill great habits in their lives and to encourage learning.
We should have some great pictures for you next week, so don't forget to check back then!
Check out the latest photos here.
Week 8 - Thanksgiving Week
Some new Photos from this week - Check out the latest photos here.
Week 7
"Kids to Adults" – By Pastor Rodney
Today is Gavin’s 15th birthday. He is not a kid anymore.
Since his last birthday he has grown taller than me. My boy is becoming a man. He has to use a razor to clean up spots on his face where hair now shows. Mom is more concerned about this than him. She expects the clean look. He would rather not mess with it.
From a distance Phaedra looks like some lady I may know. And Annabeth, I dropped her off at school today and I thought, “This is the last year of elementary school for my kids.”
Sobering. Time flies, therefore time is of essence.
Our investment in our kids is the greatest investment we will ever make. This is why our kid’s ministry at NORTH is so crucial. We are determining our future through what we do or do not do for our children. I want to do the right things. Investments are about time spent, money given and energy sacrificed. And when done with a healthy motivate, fruit is produced.
The sands of time move quickly as the kids of today at NORTH will be tomorrow’s young adults. My kids are not the only ones growing up to fast, yours are too.
This is the reason behind Next Step for northKIDS. We are investing in our future!
Check out the latest photos here.
Week 6
"The Process" - By Pastor Scott
northKIDS Next Step is a large project for any church to complete, but for a church the size of NORTHchurch to be attempting it & to be done mostly in house, is a Ginormous, but very exciting task. It is a two phase project: Phase I being the downstairs northKIDS lobby & the large upstairs northKIDS room. Phase II will be the 6 northKIDS classrooms downstairs.
Several people have asked me about the process of project this large, especially done mostly in house, so I'm going to give you a brief insight into the process.
It all started with 5-6 creative meetings to find out exactly what the project would entail and some projected deadlines. We immediately started sketching up some preliminary drawings of what the finish project would look like. Robert Wilson, our very talented graphic designer, was the man with the pencil. Meanwhile each member of the team took an area and ran with it. Brandi started started with things like furniture and curriculum, Clint coordinates our construction team, Robert handles the artistic side like some painting, staining & creation of the large 3D elements and then I work on coordination of the team and the details like electricity, tech booth and maybe even some fiberglass work.
This week Robert is finishing up the first of two stain processes on the tech booth and the traiding post. Next week, we’ll begin to construct the two trees. They will be made of styrofoam and then covered with fiberglass and then painted.
We’ll give you more details as we go through the process. Have a great week.
By Pastor Brandi
It is so exciting watching the transformation of the 1st-5th graders classroom! Each week we complete a part of the transformation, the kids get a little more excited about what is to come. The most exciting thing for me though, is to know that the updates, changes and cool stuff we are doing is not just so that we have a fun environment, but that we are using fun, and attractive ways to reach children for the kingdom of Heaven. Everything that we are doing has a purpose and that purpose is to draw children closer to Christ. How exciting to be a part of that! Thank YOU for investing in the lives of the children of northKIDS and this community!.
Check out the latest photos here.
Week 5
By Pastor Rodney
Why Invest in Children?
I believe they are worth the money, the time & the energy!
That is what the wisest man ever, outside of Jesus, thought as he instructed to train (invest your best money, time & energy) children in the way they should go. Why? It is in the long run cheaper, than drug rehab and broken lives. I must invest in them NOW!
I believe it is easier to shape a life than to reshape one!
You have heard it said, "It is hard to teach an old dog new tricks." Well, and then let's teach them right the first time. Let's invest in kids, NOW!
I believe investment in the right areas always pays!
In a time when the stock market is creating much pain from loss I must examine what I am investing in. Invests in 401 K and homes will someday fade in value but the life of a child will live forever.
These are some of the reasons I am investing my money and time and energy into Next Step for northKIDS.
Check out the latest photos here.
By Robert Wilson IV - NORTHchurch Graphics Designer
I was asked early in the process of northKIDS Next Step to design two characters that the kids could identify with and learn from. The main theme is “Exploring God’s Word” so I decided to shoot somewhere in-between Indiana Jones and Calvin and Hobbs (minus the attitude of course) with a twist of Dora the Explorer. My normal illustration style isn’t very cartoony so I took quite a bit from artist like Bill
Waterson (Calvin & Hobbs), Chris Sanders (Lilo & Stitch) and Brian Lee O’Malley (Scott Pilgrim). Any ways here are some preliminary drawings I did.
I did a lot more drawings of the boy because he came a lot more naturally to me.
The girl took me a little while longer to figure out what direction I
wanted to go in. At first she had a ponytail but it was pretty lame and
didn’t have any personality so I decided on a messy bob type of a
haircut.
Week 3
By Pastor Brandi
The renovations are right on schedule and the room looks great! Last
week the guys built our incentives store and it is so cool. The kids
are ready to start earning and redeeming points! This week we will get
started on our new tech booth. This will enable us to run everything
from lights, t.v. and sound all from one central location. It is going
to make our worship and story time even better!!! I'll keep you
posted...
Check out the latest photos here.
Week 1 & 2
By Pastor Brandi
Boy were the kids surprised when they walked in and saw that the formerly big, yellow room was no longer yellow but...BLUE!!! They are so pumped. The plans are coming along as our 1st-5th grade room is transformed into an Aztec ruins/rain forest theme. I can't wait for the kids to see the awesome things that are coming, like our incentives store and our new large group/stage area. It is going to be great when the project is complete and we have our BIG REVEAL!!!
Check out the latest photos here.
