Pray MKE with Kids
Last month Eastbrook Church was invited to join other area churches in signing up for an hour of prayer, covering our city in 24/7 prayer, around the Covid-19 pandemic. K5-1st Grade Coordinator, Colleen Mittag, signed up her whole family for an hour! Here’s what she learned:
During the month of April, Eastbrook is joining with other churches to pray for Milwaukee. This is an opportunity to teach our kids to set aside time to spend with God praying to Him for our neighbors: Pray MKE. but if there isn’t a convenient time available for your family, you can pray anytime.
If you are interested in participating with your family, below you’ll find the plan our family used to pray together. I designed it to break up the time and to take into consideration kids’ needs for movement and hands on activities. (The Lord knows how wiggly kids are. He made them to grow in attention and understanding.) Your kids may not pray with you the entire hour, but it is good you are modeling for them trust in the Lord through your prayers.
Pray for Milwaukee With Kids
- Remember why we pray (1-2 minutes) – This is good for parents and kids alike. Take a moment to talk about why we pray. God is our good, wise, and powerful King. He loves us, He hears us, and we can trust Him to do good. Read Psalm 121 together.
- Prayer walk around the neighborhood (15 – 20 minutes)– As you walk past houses, pray for the people in that house. If you know their names and needs, pray for those as well.
- Maps-(10 minutes) Print out a map of Milwaukee. Use the following ideas to pray for the city of Milwaukee.
- Locate your house and the houses of friends on the map. Pray for friends across the city.
- Draw churches on the map – pray for other Christians as they love their neighbors and tell about Jesus.
- Put bandaids on the map – pray for people who are sick.
- Draw hospitals on the map – pray for all the healthcare workers.
- Sing (5 minutes)– Choose a worship song to sing together. I chose “Waymaker”.
This all looks very clean and polished on paper, but in reality, there were bumps and disagreements. Some moments, there was a distinct lack of enthusiasm. I am thankful that our prayers don’t have to be perfect or eye catching to get His attention. He loves us. As Psalm 145:18 says, “The Lord is near to all who call on Him.” I know He was pleased that I showed our kids that we can sometimes sit and talk with God for a while and trust Him with big things.
Living Forever FaithMarker
Families of Kids going into K4 this Fall: “Living Forever”, our FaithMarker scheduled for May 2 will be postponed until Saturday, May 9th, and will be conducted via Zoom! Look for an invite in the mail, containing a special craft to do ahead of time. In our meeting, we’ll have a “show and share” time with these crafts, a story time, and a scavenger hunt! A Zoom invite will be sent directly to these families. For more information, please contact Dawn at [email protected].
Looking for a Family Service Project?
Are you looking for a way to involve your kids in serving others during this time of the Covid-19 Outbreak? Consider putting together a care package, with handwritten notes or drawings, for a refugee family on the South side. For more information, contact Laura at [email protected]
Just for Fun!
This week, try a family camp-in! Set up a tent (or blanket-fort) in the living room, add sleeping bags, some string lights, and some wild (stuffed) animals. Read a psalm about creation (Psalm 8 or Psalm 104) and then, check out some of the activities offered from the National Parks Foundation. Here, you’ll find virtual tours of the parks, downloadable activity sheets or crafts for kids, and junior ranger activities. Cap off the evening with some “Indoor S’mores”: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. On a baking sheet lined with foil, lay out graham cracker squares, each topped with chocolate and a marshmallow. Bake for 3-5 until marshmallows are puffy. Remove from the oven, top each marshmallow with another graham cracker square, and serve warm.
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