Save These Dates!

August 6th - August 10th 
Vacation Bible Camp "ROME: Paul and the Underground Church"
ages 3 years-4th grade
*register at   haumc.org/events

August 12  @ 11:30-12:30
Hennepin Kids Parent Meeting
Church of Youth Room
*childcare is provided


Summer Sunday 
Snap Shot
Love Letters from God

 Last Week (8/5)
Fruits of the Spirit

This Wee k (8/12) 
School Supply Prep

Next Week (8/19)   
                             The Little Lost Lamb
                
Hennepin Has Sponsored 85 Children in Baiwalla!
We are ASTOUNDED by this congregation's generosity! Because of you over 80 children will be able to attend school this year and will be provided a nutritious meal every day. Your contributions are truly life changing. Were you gone the past couple Sundays? If you are interested in sponsoring a child we are still collecting donations! Contact Ann Carlson at 
carlsonaj99@gmail.com for more information.


Let's Talk Summer Camps...

Our Summer Sunday School attendance continues to grow!  However, our Summer Camp attendance continues to decline.  Something is not adding up!  We need to hear from YOU!

Please join us on Sunday, August 12th at 11:30 in the Church of Youth room to share your input and to brainstorm ideas for exciting, new summer ministries for Hennepin Kids for LYFE!  Input is needed from parents and caregivers with children of all ages!

Grab brunch and bring it with you!  We'll have a teen or two to help wrangle kids!


The Very Best Story Ever Told: The Gospel with American Sign Language


The Very Best Story Ever Told shares the Gospel story in a unique and creative way, from God's love for the world to Jesus' life to the Spirit surrounding us today. Each line of this story includes important words reinforced with American Sign Language. As kids learn the signs and repeat the words, visual learning, auditory learning, and kinesthetic learning are fully engaged to equip them to retell the Gospel story again and again.

"This book is a delight! Its charming illustrations, clear retelling of the Incarnation, and presentation of God's love packs a bonus by celebrating and introducing American Sign Language to kids. Children (and their grown-ups) will love it!"--Jennifer Grant, author of Maybe God Is Like That Too

The Very Best Story Ever Told
 is a Junior Library Guild Selection. Junior Library Guild is a curated subscription service for libraries featuring books recommended by expert librarians for building an excellent collection.
Rome Was Amazing!!!
Thanks to all of our campers who attended our ROME Vacation Bible Camp this week!  We have had a great time learning from the Apostle Paul, we have eaten all sorts of new Mediterranean foods, and we are learning great songs to share with our families for the rest of the summer!  A very special thanks to our teen helpers for all of the love and care that they have shared with our Hennepin Kids this week.  An even HUGER shout out goes to Jan Russell, Dennis Behl, and David Focht for their over-the-top contributions this week!

" Beans for Baiwalla" has been the mission project for our Rome themed Vacation Bible Camp.  Everyday we have learned more about life in Baiwalla, and we have kept track of the number of servings of beans that we have collected.  As of Wednesday, we have collected 450 servings of beans!  The Spirit is at work in Vacation Bible Camp!

"Beans for Baiwalla" is a joint project that will supplement the food available for the school lunch program, so that there will be enough lunch for every student. It's easy to help! To make a donation, send bags of dried beans with your children when you drop them off at VBC, or bring dried bean with you to worship on Sunday morning! If you are interested in sponsoring a child, please contact Ann Carlson at carlsonaj99@gmail.com for more information.


The  Values Project is a year-long initiative designed to equip families to raise children who thrive emotionally, socially, and spiritually. Get inspiration, practical ideas, family activities, and parenting tips from our network of seasoned parents and faith leaders, because it takes a village to raise a good human. Each month we'll explore a different value-like honesty, loyalty, creativity, kindness, compassion, and patience.


Discover how American Sign Language helps kids remember the story of the Gospel in this Q&A with author and pastor Robin Curie.

Written by J. Bradley Wigger

Today we are celebrating the release of  The Very Best Story Ever Told: The Gospel with American Sign Language, so we sat down with author  Robin Curie to chat about her new book.

Q: What was your inspiration for the book?
A: My two careers (public librarian for children and ELCA pastor) merged as I considered the best way to share the Gospel message with children: heart, mind and body. (Plus fun!) I have been incorporating body movements into songs and stories for years, ("If you're happy and you know it clap your hands - clap, clap"), but using actual ASL was new for this story. Signing has increased in popularity and accessibility for the hearing population. It is a highly useful second language.

Q: What do you hope readers will learn or discover from reading The Very Best Story Ever Told?
A: By using ASL (sign language) for each rhymed line, the simple and glorious truth of the Gospel is revealed and remembered. It becomes "muscle memory" for children in the same way nursery rhymes and action songs do.

Q: What was the hardest part of writing this book? What was the most enjoyable part?
A: Since this is essentially a story to be told, the best part was telling the story to various age groups over the years and seeing them master the Gospel in a way that reminds in their bodies as well as their minds. The hardest part was describing the ASL in words. The illustrator did an excellent job with the pictures so the entire story is easy to follow for readers.

Q: What sets The Very Best Story Ever Told apart from other children's books?
A: It is not a "read to me" story but one to engage the child and parents in sharing the Gospel together. Like songs that have claps and stomps and gestures, we remember what we engage in fully. What better way to use this learning than with the gospel message?

Q: What advice would you give to parents (or church ministry folks who may purchase this book) about how to engage kids in whole body learning?
A: The more we move and interact physically with the stories and events around us, the more committed to memory they are. Remember the three little pigs? Even if you can't recall which one had a straw house, you remember "Huff and puff and blooow your house down!" because you acted it out. This book offers kids and parents a fun and engaging way to learn and tell the story of Jesus.

To learn more about the book or to purchase, go Here.

Click Here to download free activities that reinforce the value of patience in fun, interactive ways. Your whole family can participate!
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And what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, love kindness and to walk humbly with your God.
- Micah 6:8