West Haven Kids & Awana Clubs

05/31/2026

What did your kids learn at West haven today?

Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well reveals the omniscience of Christ and His kindness toward sinners. He asked this Samaritan woman for water, despite how culturally abnormal it was. Jesus knew she had a greater need than just water. She needed forgiveness of sin.

Jesus knew the sins of the woman and, by declaring Himself the Messiah, invited her to embrace Him as Savior. The glory of Jesus impacted the woman and led her to proclaim His power to the townspeople that day and invite others to consider if He was indeed the promised Messiah. Just as Jesus pointed out the woman’s sin, so, too, does the Holy Spirit reveal our sin to us today. And just as the woman proclaimed the Messiah to the people around her, so should we!

🙏 Pray that the Lord will reveal His power to your children. Thank Him for the kindness and mercy He shows while we are still sinners and for His willingness to bring us into His family by faith.

FAMILY TALKING POINTS

📍 STORY POINT
Jesus told the Samaritan woman that He is the Messiah.

✝️ CHRIST CONNECTION ✝️
Jesus pointed out the Samaritan woman’s sin so that she could believe He is the Messiah. The Holy Spirit shows us our sin so that we might turn away from it and turn to Jesus to be saved. Anyone who trusts in Jesus receives the Holy Spirit and eternal life.

⁉️ QUESTIONS & ANSWERS WITH YOUR KIDS

❓Did Jesus ever sin? No, Jesus never sinned.

❓What does this story tell us about Jesus? No matter how different people are from each other, every person has the same problem: SIN (Romans 3:23). Through this story we see Jesus do what others didn’t expect. He sought out a conversation with a woman that a Jewish man would not have spoken to. We see that Jesus cares and has compassion for all people and desires that everyone would come to know Him as their Savior!

❓Why is it important to realize the seriousness of sin? We see that Jesus Himself pointed out the woman’s sin so she could see her need for a Savior and trust Him as the Messiah. When we realize our sin separates us from God, we begin to see the importance of turning away from sin and turning to Jesus to be saved.

❓Who in your life might need to hear about who Jesus is, and what He has done for us? Talk with your kids about all of the places they frequent - visiting family, playgrounds, ball fields, school, etc. Give your kids some statements to say about sharing their faith. Practice it yourself! Many feel a little uncomfortable doing it, but practice makes it so much easier to let the words flow on the spot. Join your kids in writing down some names that they can pray to be bold in sharing their faith with.

📖 MEMORY VERSE 📖
“You know that he was revealed so that he might take away sins, and there is no sin in him.” 1 John 3:5

** Next week: Jesus’ Second Miracle (John 4)

05/24/2026

Today your kids learned from John 3, when John the Baptist led more people to follow Jesus. We also learned that Jesus’ gift of eternal life is ours for the taking when received by faith.

In this passage, we read that both John and Jesus were ministering and baptizing people in the same area of Judea. An argument arose among some of John’s disciples and others. They took their dispute to John, saying, “Rabbi, the one you testified about, and who was with you across the Jordan, is baptizing—and everyone is going to him.”

John, however, wasn’t jealous, nor was he worried about those who listened to him one day and went to follow Jesus the next. John knew who Jesus really is and how worthy He is to be followed. John believed Jesus was the promised Messiah! John even said that he, himself must decrease and Christ must increase – one of my most favorite verses to remind myself when my sin nature wants to rule over me.

The beauty of the gospel is that God cast His wrath upon the Messiah – His own Son – and granted His righteousness to believers, so that all who trust in Him will receive salvation. Jesus took our sin upon Himself so that we may live forever in right relation to God. John understood Jesus was the promised Messiah, and he lived to declare Christ’s truths.

As you talk about this lesson with your kids, pray that God would soften their hearts to see that Christ is the only One worth following, the only One with the power to forgive and save. Ask the Lord to show them His offer of everlasting life and His worthiness as the object of our faith.

FAMILY TALKING POINTS

📍 STORY POINT
John pointed people to follow Jesus as the Messiah.

✝️ CHRIST CONNECTION ✝️
John pointed people to believe in Jesus as the Messiah. When people believe in Jesus as the Messiah, they receive eternal life and can point others to believe in Jesus too!

⁉️ QUESTIONS & ANSWERS WITH YOUR KIDS

❓ Did Jesus ever sin? No, Jesus never sinned.

❓ What does Messiah mean? Messiah means Savior or Anointed One. God promised to send a Savior. The prophets foretold of the Promised Messiah and Jesus, the Savior, had finally arrived!

❓ What did John mean when he said he had to become less important? The ultimate purpose in our lives is to glorify God and to point other people to Jesus, not draw attention to ourselves or give into our own fleshly desires. John desired for all of the attention to be put on Jesus and not on him.

❓ What is it important to tell others about Jesus? If we know Jesus as our Savior, we have good news to share! Jesus came to save people from their sins and have eternal life. We need to be like John and share the good news – pointing others to Jesus the Messiah.

📖 MEMORY VERSE 📖
“You know that he was revealed so that he might take away sins, and there is no sin in him.”
1 John 3:5

** Next week: Jesus and the Samaritan Woman (John 4)

05/17/2026

Today your kids learned from John chapter 3, where Nicodemus came to visit Jesus, or Rabbi/Teacher," as he called Him. Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus reveals the Lord’s patience and kindness toward us as we earnestly seek Him. Nicodemus was curious about Jesus and ventured to see Him under the cover of night. Jesus knew the internal struggles of Nicodemus and spoke to his curiosity: “Truly I tell you, unless someone is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Jesus' words debunked some Jews’ belief that God’s salvation was their birthright as His people. Jesus likewise declared salvation for all who would place their trust in Him—Jews and Gentiles (non-Jews) alike. Remind your kids that they must have faith of their own - that just because their parents are saved and go to church, that doesn’t mean that they are born into salvation either!

In this conversation with Nicodemus, Jesus even compared Himself to the bronze snake lifted up in Numbers 21. Just as the Israelites had to look to the snake while trusting in God's salvation, so, too, are we called to look to Christ’s work on the cross by faith. Nicodemus no doubt recognized this Old Testament reference; however, he had no way of knowing that Jesus would soon be lifted up on the cross as a sacrifice for his own sin.

Pray that your children would realize that salvation is possible by faith in Christ alone, by grace alone and that they, too, may be born again into the kingdom of God!

FAMILY TALKING POINTS

📍STORY POINT
Jesus taught that people must be born again to enter the kingdom of God.

✝️ CHRIST CONNECTION ✝️
Nicodemus was a religious leader, but he needed to be born again to enter the kingdom of God. Jesus shared how the Spirit causes people to be born again to new life. Anyone who believes in Jesus will be born again and receive eternal life.

⁉️ QUESTIONS & ANSWERS WITH YOUR KIDS

❓Did Jesus ever sin? No, Jesus never sinned.

❓Can only good people enter the kingdom of God? We all sin and fall short of the perfect goodness required to enter the kingdom of God. BUT Jesus perfectly obeyed God in our place and offers His perfect goodness to us. God sent Jesus to save us from our sins and allow us to enter the kingdom of God. We can only enter the kingdom of God through Jesus.

❓What does it mean to be born again? When we trust in Jesus as our Savior, we are born again! God no longer sees our sinful state but instead He sees the perfect life that Jesus lived in our place. The Holy Spirit works in our lives, changing us to be more like Jesus and giving us new life in Him!

📖 MEMORY VERSE 📖
“You know that he was revealed so that he might take away sins, and there is no sin in him.” - 1 John 3:5

** Next week: John Pointed to Jesus (John 3)

05/10/2026

In honor of the many moms that call West Haven their home.
Happy Mother's Day!

05/10/2026

First, Happy Mother's Day to you all! What a joy it is to do motherhood alongside you!

Thank you for your grace as we figured out the temporary space during the remodel, today! We hope it will go even more smoothly next week.

If you missed it - VBS Registration is LIVE! You can find it on the Church Center app - Click the 3 dots in the bottom right, and click "Sign-ups." Or you can access it here: https://westhaven.churchcenter.com/registrations/events/3569627

Today your kids learned about when Jesus cleansed the temple, which affirms His holiness as the Messiah and His willingness to take on our sin so that we, too, may be cleansed. Hopefully this passage is fresh in your kids’ minds since we reviewed this specific story around Easter too!

Jesus confronted the immorality taking place in His Father’s house; however, He was not reacting rashly. God’s temple was to be a place of worship and prayer, not a marketplace for people to turn a profit. As the disciples witnessed the scene unfolding before them, they recalled the words of Psalm 69:9, that zeal for the house of God would consume the Messiah. They watched Him cast off the sinful social norms of their day as He fulfilled the will of the everlasting Father.

When the Jews questioned Jesus’ authority in the temple, He responded with these prophetic words: “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it up in three days.” They failed, however, to realize that He wasn’t speaking about the structure in which they stood; rather, He declared that though His body would soon be destroyed on the cross, He would rise again after three days’ time.

Pray that your children will take the holiness of God seriously and thank Him for His willingness to send His Son to take on the punishment we deserve for our sins. Lead them to see that Christ has already borne our shame on the cross and completed the work needed to secure our salvation. May they turn to Him to be cleansed of their sin.

FAMILY TALKING POINTS

📍 STORY POINT
Jesus knew people's sin and cleaned out the temple.

✝️ CHRIST CONNECTION ✝️
Jesus showed His desire to honor God by cleansing the temple of sinful practices. All sin offends God's glory and will be punished. Jesus took the punishment our sin deserves so that anyone who trusts in Him will be cleansed of sin.

⁉️ QUESTIONS & ANSWERS WITH YOUR KIDS

❓ Monthly Question: Did Jesus ever sin? No, Jesus never sinned.

❓ Why was Jesus so serious about keeping the temple holy? God takes sin very seriously, so when Jesus saw the sin happening in God’s temple, He did not let it continue. We should feel the same way about sin in our own lives! We must always be on guard against temptations and when a sin is revealed to us by the Holy Spirit, we need to repent and ask God for forgiveness.

❓ What does it mean that God knows the hearts of people? God knows all of the thoughts and ways of everyone. He knows that all of us are sinners in need of a Savior to save us and cleanse us from our sin nature and give us a new life in Him!

❓ Is being angry about something sinful? Not always! We see in scripture that Jesus was angry about seeing God’s temple used as a marketplace. In His anger, we know He did not sin. Like Jesus, we should always take sin seriously, but also be careful that our anger doesn’t turn into sin. Talk to your kids about some things we can righteously be angry about.

📖 MEMORY VERSE 📖
You know that he was revealed so that he might take away sins, and there is no sin in him. 1 John 3:5

** Next week: Jesus and Nicodemus (John 3)

05/07/2026

Although we have started the remodel in the Kid's Area at West Haven, we are excited to still be able to invite your kids to join us for Emerald Crossing VBS this summer!

At Emerald Crossing VBS at West Haven, your kids will journey through Ireland’s lush landscapes, exploring the powerful words of Psalm 23. They’ll discover the life of the shepherd-king David and will learn how to cross from worry to peace, from fear to faith, and from uncertainty to a firm foundation in God’s Word through a relationship with the Good Shepherd.

Save the Date for June 15 - 19, from 9am - Noon for kids that are completing Kindergarten through those completing 6th grade.
***Don't forget to use the 25'-26' Grade that they are currently finishing up!

VBS is FREE but Registration is required. Click the link to get your kiddos registered today!
https://westhaven.churchcenter.com/registrations/events/3569627

05/03/2026

Don't forget! Next week all of the Kids Ministry classes will move into the fellowship hall as we begin the remodel! 🥳

Today in Kids Ministry at West Haven, your kids learned about Jesus’ first miracle at the wedding in Cana, which revealed His power as the Messiah. Jesus continued to draw people to Himself as He stepped into His public ministry, though He continued to move only in accordance with the will of His Father in heaven.

Jesus transformed pure, basic water into the most spectacular wine of the night. However, He didn’t use this as a huge public proclamation to the start of His ministry, but rather as a selective miracle known only to a few and only in submission to His Father’s will. Christ demonstrated to these onlookers that He is greater than the prophets. Jesus revealed His glory as the one and only Son of God, the One worthy of faith!

Even greater than the miracle of turning water into wine, Jesus has the power to turn sinners into believers, just as He led the disciples to believe in Him by faith (verse 11). Help your kids to see that Jesus has the power to bring us into a right relationship with the Father and mold us into His image as we continue to trust and obey.

FAMILY TALKING POINTS

📍STORY POINT
Jesus changed water into wine and showed His glory.

✝️ CHRIST CONNECTION ✝️
Jesus changed water into wine, revealing His glory and showing that He is God. Like the disciples, we can believe in Jesus. Those who trust in Jesus are saved from their sin and changed to become more like Jesus.

⁉️ QUESTIONS & ANSWERS WITH YOUR KIDS

❓Question this Month: Did Jesus ever sin? No, Jesus never sinned.

❓What does Jesus’ first miracle show us about Himself? Jesus showed that He has power over all things. We also see His love and care for people by providing for people at the wedding feast.

❓How can we trust Jesus to provide for our needs today? First of all, God has already provided for our greatest need: forgiveness of sins through His Son, Jesus. We also see in scripture that He cares for His children - which is us! He promises to provide what we need. Spend some time sharing with your kids about the times that God has provided what you needed.

❓From our story today, how do we see that it is important to obey God even when we don’t understand everything? Today we read that Mary told the servants to do whatever Jesus told them, even though they didn’t know what He was about to do. Mary trusted Jesus, and the servants obeyed and we read about Jesus’ first miracle! Because we trust God, we should trust and obey even when we don’t understand all of the details. We see over and over in scripture how it glorifies God when we obey, and that obedience is always the best way!

📖 MEMORY VERSE 📖
“You know that he was revealed so that he might take away sins, and there is no sin in him.” - 1 John 3:5
(Remember, I will be offering prizes to kids that say this verse to me and show me where the verse is in their Bible!)

** Next week: Jesus at Passover (John 2)

04/26/2026

Hey families of West Haven Kids Ministry!

Today your kids learned about the first followers of Jesus from John 1. We see that Jesus sought out His first disciples, saying to them, “Follow me,” revealing His deep desire to abide with them—not just in the present—but for all eternity. In experiencing the closeness and intentionality of Christ, the first followers of Jesus proclaimed, “We have found the Messiah,” “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the law,” and “You are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel!”

Christ’s invitation to follow Him was simple enough to understand for people who had received little education. His question, “What are you looking for?”, is the same one He extends to people today—even young children! The answer is simple - we are all truly looking for Jesus - the only one worthy of all praise and glory, and worthy of following!

We see from this passage that Jesus knows each of us. Even more so, He desires that we know Him and trust Him to be the answer for all we seek.

It was through word of mouth that even more people heard about Jesus and were invited into a saving relationship with Him. We must tell others, especially our children about the relationship that Jesus invites us into by following Him. Pray that your kids will each accept Jesus’ invitation to trust in Him for salvation and be empowered to share His love with others.


📍FAMILY TALKING POINTS

STORY POINT
Jesus called disciples to follow Him (much like He calls US to follow Him)!

✝️ CHRIST CONNECTION ✝️
Jesus still calls people to follow Him today as His disciples. Everyone who repents and trusts that Jesus died and rose again for their sins is His disciple. Jesus is worth following, no matter what we have to leave behind.

⁉️ QUESTIONS & ANSWERS WITH YOUR KIDS

❓ Is Jesus God or a human? Jesus is fully God and fully human.
What do you think it means to follow God? God’s Word is clear that we cannot be saved from our sin and have eternal life without faith in Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection paying for our sin. Following Jesus looks like turning from our sin, and away from our old lives - walking in the newness of life with Jesus!

❓ Does following Jesus mean we will have a perfect life without trouble and heartache? Even if we choose to walk with Jesus, we will face trials. However, facing trials with Jesus is much easier, better and comforting than facing them without Him! He is the prince of Peace, and we have eternal hope despite the challenges we face!

❓ Think about what or whom you are “following.” Are those people/things helping you follow Christ, or leading you farther away? Give your kids some reminders of who they may be following - friends at school, famous people, youtubers, etc. Be sure to remind your kids that Jesus is the only one truly worth following!

📖 MEMORY VERSE 📖
"The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. We observed his glory, the glory as the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth." John 1:14

** Next week: Jesus’ First Miracle (John 2) and a New Unit / Memory verse!

*** While Awana is taking a break for the summer, Kid's Ministry at West Haven will be offering prizes for kids reciting the monthly memory verses all summer long! Have your kids memorize the verse and tell it to me (Ms. Jen) for a prize for the month of May! 📖 “You know that he was revealed so that he might take away sins, and there is no sin in him.” - 1 John 3:5

04/12/2026

Today your kids covered 2 lessons about John the Baptist and Jesus! John began his ministry, humbly declaring both his unworthiness and the supremacy of Christ. He ventured throughout the area near the Jordan River calling the people to repent and receive forgiveness from sin, and be baptized.

We know that John baptized Jesus. While at first glance, it may seem strange that Jesus would seek to be baptized. After all, Jesus never sinned and was not in need of God’s forgiveness. Jesus was fully committed to doing the will of His heavenly Father, which included baptism. Jesus' baptism modeled how His followers are to publicly profess their faith in Him.

As Jesus came up from the water, we saw a beautiful picture of the Trinity: the heavens opened as the Son prayed, the Spirit descended upon Him, and the Father declared Jesus as the Son in whom He is well pleased. Jesus’ baptism represents believers’ death to sin. Just as Christ died on the cross and was raised, so, too, are His followers born again and raised up from the grave into new life.

Lead your kids to see that Jesus lived a perfect life and died as the sacrifice for our sins before rising again, which we celebrated just last week! Help them understand that though we cannot follow God perfectly, we can place our trust in the One who did. This is a great opportunity to talk to your kids about baptism. We know that baptism does not have the power to save us, it is an outward expression of an inward reality in the life of the believer. If your kids have made that decision to follow Christ and follow through in obedience to be baptised, we would love to talk more with you and your child to celebrate this wonderful decision!

FAMILY TALKING POINTS

📍STORY POINT
John prepared the way for the Messiah. Jesus obeyed God by being baptized.


✝️ CHRIST CONNECTION
John prepared the way for Jesus by calling people to repent of their sins. If we turn away from our sins and trust in Jesus, we will be saved. Jesus obeyed His Father by being baptized. Later in life, He obeyed His Father by dying on a cross for our sins and rising again, so that all who trust in Him will receive eternal life.

⁉️ QUESTIONS & ANSWERS WITH YOUR KIDS

❓ Is Jesus God or a human? Jesus is fully God and fully human.
What is repentance and what does the Bible say about it? Biblical repentance is recognizing that our sin is against God and we need to turn away completely in the opposite direction of our sin and instead turn to God.

❓ Can you repent of a sin but continue sinning? If we truly repent, then we are turning away from that sin and asking God to keep us away from it. We cannot live a holy life with God and a sinful life at the same time. There may be times that we struggle with that sin but we can be grateful that God still offers us forgiveness when we make mistakes.

❓ What do people get baptized? Baptism is a symbol that represents a new believer dying to their old self, and being raised again in new life in Christ! It also shows other believers your decision to follow Christ.

❓What is the Trinity? The Trinity is the word used to describe the God-head. It is God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit and we see the trinity all throughout scripture.

📖 MEMORY VERSE 📖
The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. We observed his glory, the glory as the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14

** Next week: Jesus’ was Tempted (Matthew 4, Mark 1, Luke 4)

04/08/2026

Hey Awana Club Families!

🚩 We are excited to see your Clubbers tonight for a regular Awana Night for all Clubs (Puggles, Cubbies, Sparks and T&T). We only have FOUR weeks left of Awana Clubs with your precious kiddos!

🍽️ Dinner tonight is Ham and Cheese sliders starting at 5:15, at $2/person or $10/family!

🏁 Next week the Sparks and T&T will have their GRAND PRIX races! 🏁 Which means there will be no Cubbies or Puggles next Wednesday night.
We do invite you to watch the Grand Prix races that your kids have been working on the last couple of weeks. It's always a fun, chaotic night that clubbers look forward to every year! So be ready to Start your Engines, NEXT WEEK and we will see you for Regular Awana Tonight!

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