MUSIKOOL KIDS: song requests please!

There are only 2 sessions left of Musikool Kids this term, before we break for the holidays. We would love to squeeze as many of your favourite songs in as we can. Click on the Comments box below, or send me an email or phone me with your song request and we'll do our best to include it in the next two weeks. We look forward to hearing from you!

Awesome Challenge Number 4

Jesus loves us and is always with us to help us feel better when we are sad. What are some ways that we can show care and compassion and comfort one another?

Perhaps you see a friend is feeling sad, what could you do to cheer them up?

Click on Comments and type in your ideas, or send me an email, or telephone me. All entries get to choose something from the prize box on Sunday.

You can watch some clips of the water-slide fun from parish camp by clicking on this link:


Waterslide videos

Camp Report from Berith

Here is a camp report from our intrepid reporter Berith:

Stars in God’s Eyes-Camp 2014

Christchurch North Methodist Parish camp was an amazing, fun-filled weekend, which I was lucky enough to be a part of. It was great meeting new people and finally getting to experience the fun activities fellow church members had told me about the previous year. There were so many fun things we did such as our very own wacky inventions which included ‘The Rememberator’, ‘The Garden Guardinator’ and the best of them all ‘The Super Dooper Pooper Scooper’. Not to mention swimming at the Water Hole and laughing our heads off when we played ‘Would I Lie to you’.

The highlight of the camp for me was the WATERSLIDE. The feeling of cutting through the air as I sped down the waterslide was absolutely priceless. I remember looking down and watching the children speeding down the waterslide and in my head I was thinking OH MY GOSH I don’t think I’m going to make it out alive!! BUT I ended up going down and I tell you, it was the BEST FEELING EVER!! Not only did the adrenaline kick in but I was left wanting another go.

Overall, Parish camp was an AMAZING experience with fun activities, delectable food and it was a great way to bond as a church community.  I can’t stress enough how fun it is and the only way you can experience this amazing fun is if you come next year. SO if you are interested in anything and everything fun and adventurous then come along next year because it is so WORTH spending your weekend.

Berith giving her camp report

Click here for CAMP PHOTOS

Church led by the Campers

This morning's worship at Christchurch North Methodist was led by a team of people (young and 'not so young') who were at Parish Family Camp in February.


Our theme was 'You're a Star in God's Eyes'.

Richard and William were our leaders and William did a fantastic job introducing the songs. Some of the highlights for me were Berith and Dave's first-hand accounts of their church camp experience, and Berith's beautiful prayer. Also, Netili did a very moving reading, entitled 'You Are A Very Special Person'. A team of actors performed the hilarious story of Edwardo, the Horriblest Boy in the Whole Wide World, narrated wonderfully by Jamie... Dave made an excellent 'Edwardo' and Tomas was a perfect 'little Alec'!


Thanks to all the children who acted in the drama, helped with readings, singing, collected the offering and greeted people at the door. You are all STARS!

Dave, as 'Edwardo' being chased by flies!

Congratulations Jamie and Dylan

This morning Jamie and Dylan shared some exciting news with their church family. They both received medals and trophies for their achievements in club athletics during the week, and did extremely well in their school duathlon, with Jamie winning first place. Jamie also rode in the 18km Geraldine Mountain Bike Challenge last weekend with his Mum. Well done boys (and Mum!)


If any of you other Awesome Kids have some exciting news to share, whether it be about sports, music, dance, school, or anything... we would love to hear from you! So get on the phone, email or send me a comment through the blog and we'll put it up so we can all enjoy your successes and celebrate with you.

Jamie and Dylan

Letters for Papua New Guinea

Fred and Marcia Baker have asked us to write letters about ourselves and our church, which they will send over to our 'soon to be' sister church in Papua New Guinea.

The Awesome Kids have been hard at work over the past few weeks creating some amazing artwork to introduce themselves. We have one week left, as Fred and Marcia would like to post the bundle of letters away. If you haven't started one yet, perhaps you'd like to write a letter or draw a picture of yourself at home and bring it along next Sunday 6th April. We will be finishing them off during Awesome Time.

Marcia with the PNG flag

Fun aplenty at parish picnic

A lovely time was had at our parish picnic at St James' Park this afternoon. A highlight was the volleyball game... who knew some of our supposedly 'more mature' parishioners were so competitive! Thanks to all who came for a thoroughly enjoyable time. Check out the photos below.

Parish Picnic

Parish Picnic - Video Maker

Awesome Kids' Challenge No. 3

YOU'RE A STAR IN GOD'S EYES    This week's challenge is...


First, think of someone in your family - it might be your brother or sister, parent, grandparent, aunt or uncle... then tell us something special about that person. It might be that they are super good at reading you stories, helping you with your homework, they are great at cheering you up when you're sad. Maybe they are a brilliant trombone player, a speed-knitter, or perhaps they make the best chicken soup.


You've got a bit of extra time with this one... the deadline is 29th March. All entries will receive a prize at our Camp Service on 30th March. So, get thinking... and we look forward to reading all about your special person.


Congratulations to last weeks winners: Ella, Quinn, Jamie, Dylan and Monica.

Caterpillars and butterflies this Sunday Funday

Hope you’ve had a great week. This Sunday Funday, Richard, Jillian and Alannah will be your Awesome Leaders. You will be transforming caterpillars into butterflies, and there will be a wee prize-giving upstairs for those of you who entered this week’s challenge on the blog.

Keep Sunday 30^th March free, as that is when we will be presenting our Camp Service. If you had a part in the camp service, for example acting in the play or reading something out, we would love you to ‘do your bit’ again on 30^th March for the rest of the church family. If you didn’t have a part up the front, we would still love you to come, to join in the fun and we’ll also show a video from camp with lots of great waterslide shots of course!!!

See you soon!

Awesome Kids Quiz number 2

Congratulations to Jamie and Monica, who answered all the questions in last week's quiz on Papua New Guinea.

This week's challenge...

Sometimes we do hard things, for people we love just because we love them. For example, we might play a dumb game with a younger brother or sister just because he or she loves that game. Or, we might put a friend on our sports team, even though they are not very good at it.

Can you come up with an example of your own? Click on 'comments' and type in your entry, or email or phone me by 9am Friday. There will be prizes!

Footprints in the sand

At Awesome Time today, we created sand and paint art as we listened to the story of Jesus walking in the desert. We talked about making good choices, and how sometimes it is hard to do the right thing. Sue played a game with us, and despite all her temptations all our artists stayed on track, completed some wonderful pieces of art and were finally rewarded for making great choices.

Making sand art (footprints in the desert sand)

Sue trying to tempt Izak away from his task!

Berith & Catherine working hard!

Dylan making footprints

Connor sand-artist at work

Ella staying on task

What choice should I make?

Decision making is hard!

Yay! Ella made the right choice!

Lots of surpises!

Worth the wait!

Patience rewarded!

Well done Ella!

Great decision-making rewarded!

Children's Day at Musikool Kids

Children's Day at Musikool Kids - slideshows

Blessing of the backpacks

Carol sent in this pic from our 'Blessing of the Backpacks' service at the beginning of the term. The children and youth brought their schoolbags or laptop bags to church, and Rev Neti prayed for and blessed all the young people as they started back at school. 

Some of our children had left already, or were busy climbing the tree outside church by the time Carol got her camera out! Here are Jamie, Monica, Izak and Neti. (Thanks Carol!)

How to make a comment

Under the post you want to comment on, click where it says Comments. (It will either say 'no comments' or '1 comment' or however many comments have been made so far.)

In the box that says 'Enter your comment...' type in what you want to say.

Next, where it says 'comment as:' click on the arrow to select profile. Click either Name/URL or Anonymous. A new box will appear, headed 'Edit Profile'. Enter your name (first name only is fine) where it says 'Name:' (You don't have to put anything in the URL box).

Click on 'Continue'.

Click on 'Publish'.

Your comment will be published after it's been approved by the moderator!

The other option, is to type your comment in an email and send it to me, at kosters@slingshot.co.nz, or you can give me a ring. I'd love to hear from you!

Children's Day at Awesome Kids

Children's Day Awesome Kids - slideshows

Awesome Gingerbread People!

Transforming Gingerbread People on PhotoPeach

Awesome Kids' Quiz

In the meantime, here is our first ever Awesome Kids Quiz:
Answer the following questions by clicking on 'Comments' on our blog and be in to win a small prize.

Question 1: Describe the flag of Papua New Guinea
Question 2: What is the capital and largest city in Papua New Guinea?
Question 3: Who (from our parish) has lived in Papua New Guinea?

Awesome Kids' Children's Day

What a lot of fun we had this morning... we had a ball in church (quite literally!) Quite possibly, it was the first time a giant beach-ball had been thrown about among the congregation. When someone caught the ball, our roving reporters were there to ask them a question about their childhood. Some very interesting stories were told, as adults revealed who didn't eat up all their dinner, who was naughty at school, and I wonder if you can guess which elderly lady had a large rubber spider as her favourite toy!

We then went upstairs to transform some ordinary looking gingerbread people into colourful, delicious creations. And, just as we are all different and unique, there were no two cookies the same.

We also talked about a church in Papua New Guinea, and we have decided to write some letters to the children there. We began working on some "Introducing Me..." artworks, which we will continue with in a couple of weeks time. If you missed out today, that's OK, it won't take you long to catch up next time.

Barabara's favourite book was 'Winnie the Pooh.'

Lois got up to lots of mischief while her mother had a nap.

Dave used a rubber-band slingshot to fire clods of dirt at the neighbour's house!

Diane was strapped at school for throwing chalk at a boy!

Gloria got the cane for playing where she wasn't supposed to be!

Mrs Barritt (the Spider Lady!)

William about to toss the ball into the congregation.

Children's Day update

Happy Children's Day everyone!

Looking forward to celebrating with you all as we

* Decorate biscuits with icing and goodies
* Play a game in church with a giant beachball
* Begin an artwork "all about you!"
* Talk about our Papua New Guinea penpal project

Children's Day at Musikool Kids

Childrens' Day at Musikool Kids - what a lot of fun we had!