After School Club

April 2003

Spring has arrived. Holy Week and Easter have passed. After School Club has ended with a very enjoyable pizza party. Our invited guests were all the adults who helped make this year's program a huge success. Without all of their help, the program would have not been so much fun!

In April, Pastor Jim gave a lovely and interactive temple talk on prayer. Mrs. B2 concluded the Fruits of the Spirit temple talk series. Outstanding!!

The Easter craft was a wooden cross on a hillside sprinkled with flowers. Adorable!!! The kids also glued tulips together for the bulletin board. Many thanks to Anya Norden for all her help with the Easter bulletin board.

Thanks to Sonny and Bonnie Babcock for bringing a delicious snack of grapes, cheese and crackers. And thanks to all the kids for cleaning up the leftover snacks...as if that would have been a problem!

Our walkers, Ben and Judy Michaelis, have been the backbone of the After School Club. Whenever we need them to help out at the last minute, they are available to do so. For that, we are very grateful.

Thanks to Tiffany Hines, our high school helper. She has a wonderful spirit and we are very appreciative of her spending time with our program. Small groups concluded with the bookmark project and the bible quiz. Relay races, Simon says, hot potato and duck, duck, goose were enjoyed one windy afternoon. And the biggest hit of the year brought our program to a close: Bible Bingo! What fun it was to hear all the laughter and joy from the children (and adults)!

May God continue to bless each one of you. Again, many thanks for all you have done to help with the After School Club.

Laura Ellis Kruse and Darlene Bostelman
co-directors

March 2003

March was an active month. We exercised and played lots of games to keep us warm (OK...hot!) while it remained a bit chilly outdoors. Laura and Darlene created races and another exercise circuit. While Sue Schink brought some games that challenged our physical abilities. These games should have been for "kids" only, but we adult leaders participated while the kids walked over us. My eyes were closed...it was the safest way to play!! Needless to say, we saw lots of smiles and heard lots of laughter.

Julie Kohout and Julie Mt. Castle brought a puppet craft for the children to sew and design. After two weeks of tireless work, these puppets were taken home and their adorable designs can be a reminder of their faithful talents!

Many thanks to Ben and Judy Michaelis for walking the children safely from Central Middle School to Emanuel. Many thanks to Jamie Bostelman who faithfully brings the Fruit of the Spirit Temple Talk to us each week. Many thanks to Susan and Anya Norden who brought us an ice cream social for snack! It was delicious and we love the fact that so many have offered a helping hand.

With out the help of all the adult volunteers, this programs would not be the huge success that it has become. We are thrilled that Tiffany Hines is back with us as high school helper. She sparkles with enthusiam and the kids enjoy her help!

May God continue to bless each of you as we continue to do His work.

Darlene Bostelman
Co-director,

February 2003

The Love Month

The Temple Talk Series Jamie Bostelman presents focuses on the Fruits of the Spirit. Among these acts are kindness and love. In February, these acts were overflowing with God's grace and guidance.

From the beautiful valentine craft presented by Julie Kohout and Julie Mt.Castle. This project required sewing and decorating to create a special heart. Darlene Bostelman brought heart shape sugar cookies for each child to decorate. Beautiful treats were frosted and decorated to take home and share. To the Valentine greetings drawn and delivered to Emanual's nursing home residents, love came from each child's heart in outreach to give God's love to others.

The commitment and service to God remains steadfast from our walkers, Ben and Judy Michaelis. Snack providers Connie Williams and Sue Kruse. The children wrote down questions they may have concerning God, Jesus or the Bible at the beginning of this program and Pastor Linda Rahe answered these questions one by one. Games were enjoyed with Sue Schink. Lauren Hoffman's helping hand with every task has been God's blessing of love to each of us! Laura Ellis-Kruse brings the most exciting and creative activities for the children. Smiles were overflowing from the young and old! Darlene Bostelman created a very challenging exercise circuit full of running, jumping, passing, balance and coordination with the help of Nancy Schink, Sue Schink, Sue Kruse, Jamie Bostelman, Ben and Judy Michaelis, Lauren Hoffman and Laura Ellis Kruse.

Just when our acts of kindess are meant to help others, we are amazed at God's hands working toward us through the kind acts from others. As we prepare to receive our Girl Scout Cookies to send to military personnel overseas, the children drew the most patroitic and inspirational drawings to accompany the cookies. Darlene Bostelman secured a service man in the Army stationed in Japan to send these cookies and drawings in our efforts to say "Thanks. We are thinking of you!" However, this serviceman felt those serving our country and stationed in Iraq near the front lines would appreciate this sentiment more and forwarded his address to us. In his selfless giving, we pray our message of hope will be with all who are touched by our random act of kindess.

"Dear Friends, we should love each other, because love comes from God. Everyone who loves has become God's child and knows God." 1 John 4:7

January 2003

It was so cold in January...our walkers became drivers! January's frigid temperatures did not deter the excitement of the children's participation at After School Club with the many activities that were planned!

Many thanks to Tiffany Biederstedt and Sue Kruse who filled in as Temple Talk leaders and to Tiffany Hines who filled in as our high school helper. Their strong Christian leadership was well received and their willingness to fill in was very much appreciated!

We began the new year with a familiar small group setting and games with Sue Schink. Sue plans very fun games that brought out the giggles and screams of excitement in many!

Thanks to the kind services of Nancy Schink, Chris and Maureen Peper, and Sonny and Bonnie Babcock snack time was the usual success! Thanks to Pastor Linda who answers all our questions about the bible and the Triune God before we begin our afternoon and offers a prayer of thanks.

We thank Ben and Judy Michaelis and Ken Lange for bringing the children safely to church. Jamie Bostelman continued the Fruit of the Spirit Temple Talk series. Julie Kohout and Julie Mt.Castle chose a very cute puppet craft for the children to create. The puppets were adorable and fashioned with feathers, sparkles and paint!

The creativity periods with Laura and Darlene were spent exercising with relay races one week and kid aerobics another week. January ended with an outstanding show and tell of Lauren Hoffman's trip to Amsterdam and Paris. She showed us her pictures and souvenirs and answered the many, many questions from the kids!

All in all, the cold weather seemed to be a minor consideration after all the excitment that the new year has brought to us!

Laura Ellis Kruse and Darlene Bostelman
Co-Directors

December 2002

December greets the season with new awareness as we seek and search for the true meaning of Christmas. The grace of God brings volunteers with open and willing hearts to help the children hear and learn more about Him.

Pastor Jim lead an inspiring advent series during December. Some days were filled with facts and other days were filled with stories, but one thing is for sure, every moment was enjoyed by the children who displayed exceptionally good behavior each week.

While only a senior at Napoleon High School, Lauren Hoffman, possesses the maturity and leadership that is truly inspiring. She has prepared the snack, plays games with the kids and instructs with crafts. She is a can-do young lady with a spirit that grandly serves the Lord and our church.

We offer many thanks for our regular helpers: Ben and Judy Michaelis for walking the children, Jamie Bostelman for our interactive bible study, Sue Kruse and Sonny and Bonnie Babcock for the delicious snacks, Julie Kohout and Julie Mt.Castle for the cute crafts and Sue Schink for the exhausting but hiliariously fun games.

God has blessed Emanuel Lutheran Church with a great supply of willing and inspiratinal volunteers.

November 2002

Let us pray: "Father, help us today to maintain our promise of faithfulness to you. Give us great courage as we face the challenges of each new day. Amen."

How does one give thanks to those who dedicate their time to the glory of the Lord and extends that joy to our youngest members: The children of the After School Club.

Our Faithful Walkers: Ben and Judy Michaelis and Ken Lange. Our Faithful Temple Talk Leader: Jamie Bostelman, Our Faithful Craft Leaders: Julie Kohout and Julie Mt.Castle, Our Faithful Snack Preparers: Sonny and Bonnie Babcock, Lauren Hoffman and Rita Kryder, Our Faithful Ministers: Pastor Linda Rahe and Pastor Jim Updegraff, Our Faithful Game Leader: Sue Schink, Our Faithful Helping Hands: Ken Lange, Tiffany Biederstedt, and Lauren Hoffman and our Faithful Co-Directors: Laura Ellis Kruse and Darlene Bostelman.

Ministering:
The membership numbers continue to climb as our members have been being their friends join our club. Their work of ministering is awesome.

Witnessing:
Six young high school athletes witnessed to our After School Club members. One beautiful November Wednesday afternoon, these teenagers ate a snack with us, sang with us, prayed with us, played with us and spoke about their Love of Jesus. Their witness and commitment to the Lord is spiritually uplifting. Many thanks to Lauren Hoffman for bringing her friends and classmates to Emanuel.

Sharing:
A Good Samartan helps those in need. Many thanks to Sue Schink for encouraging our Good Samaritan Project via the Billy Graham Crusades to create gift boxes to be sent to those less fortunate during this holiday season. Many thanks to the children and their families for filling these boxes with wonderful surprises.

May God Bless You All.

October 2002

Emanuel's After School Club began on Wednesday, October 2, 2002. There are 14 children attending this year.

We were off to a fast start as the beautiful weather allowed Ben and Judy Michaelis to faithfully walk the children from Central Middle School to church each week.

Pastor Rahe received questions from the children in regards to anything that has to do with God, Jesus or heaven. There are some powerful questions and Pastor Linda's answers are fulfilling and understandable to their level.

Jamie Bostelman conducts interactive Temple Talks. The playdough is a big hit. The concentration and participation the children share in is wonderful.

Cute is the only word that can describe the pumpkin craft presented by Julie Kohout and Julie Mt.Castle. If your child brought one home...you know what I mean. They were adorable!

Sue Schink hosted the outdoor games. Of course, games are always a big hit; however, they always come last and time runs out quickly.

Finally, the snack preparers' and servers did a great job and no complaints were heard!!! Thank you to Nancy Schink, Sue Kruse, Donna Peper and Ben and Judy Michaelis.

Thanks and praise to our wonderful Lord Jesus for bringing together all the volunteers and the beginning of another successful After School Club Program.

Darlene Bostelman and Laura Ellis Kruse
Co-Directors