Kids in Missions

KIDS IN MISSIONS GRADUATION DINNER - November 20 2011

2011-12-08T11:55:00.003-05:00

On Sunday evening, November 20th our 2011 ministry season came to a close as we celebrated the graduation of many students who participated in our 16th season of Kids in Missions. It was not only a great night of food and celebration, but also a night to reflect on how God used our team during 2011. From the parade in Smithtown to Smithtown Day, Friend, Nebraska and Peekskill, NY...God had his hand on us in a great way! Pastor Rich Collingridge shared with all the graduates about the excitemant of serving Jesus and to continue to allow Him to use us!
We look forward to 2012 so much with great anticipation!

THE ARBORS IN ISLANDIA, NY - October 9 2011

2011-10-28T16:43:00.002-04:00

For our final outreach of 2011, our team headed to a local assisted living facility in Islandia, NY called "The Arbors." We ministered by way of drama, puppets, gospel illusions, music and the crowd favorite Grandpa Lou (who had some older ladies flirting with him!).
We always look forward to being with these folks...many of whom do not know Jesus as their savior!

AUGUST/ SEPTEMBER REPORT!

2011-09-22T15:43:00.004-04:00

Wow! It is so hard tp find time to sit down and write a blog about what is happening in the Kids in Missions ministry so I have decided to give a report about 3 outreaches that took place in August and September of 2011.

First, let's start with a plane trip we took to the center of Anerica. A place called friend, Nebraska. our ministry was invited by Friend Christian Assembly to go and help run a 5 day Vacation Bible school program. 7 students along with 4 adults went to be a blessing for our Lord as we had well over 50 children in attendance. Our team also had the privilege of sharing tesimonies in the Sunday pm service as well as lead the Youth Group ministry that Wednesday evening. Not only did we share testimonies with the teens but our students also did some of our dramas that were a big hit. It was hard saying goodbye to the kids and adults but we hope some day to return to Nebraska to be a blessing there!

On August 20 & 21 a group of 11 of us went to Hampton Bays Assembly of God in Hampton Bays, NY. on the Saturday, we headed to a park and did many dramas, puppet songs, object lessons and more for a group not only from Hampton Bays Assembly, but also from a catholic organization as well. After spending time on the beach, the following morning our ministry were invited to be the main speakers during their morning services as we agin did dramas, puppet songs and music along with Pastor Dave's puppets. Our group did an awesome job serving Jesus!

Finally, on September 11th a team of 9 students and 3 adults headed north to Peekskill, NY to minister at 1st Baptist of Peekskill. We were asked to minister at their Sunday School Rally Kick-off day before their morning services. our team did 2 dramas "He reigns" & "Arise my Love" as well as 2 puppet songs, object lessons and Grandpa Lou & Shelton the Shark. During 1st Baptist's morning service, to recognize 9/11, our team also ministered with a puppet song called "United We Stand"

You can see it was a great month! We praise God for His strength each day as we serve Him!

OCEAN GROVE NJ/ SGT CHURCH PICNIC

2011-07-27T16:32:00.002-04:00

For the 2nd year in a row, Kids in Missions did a "double dip" by going to Ocean Grove, NJ on a Saturday (July 9th) and then ministering at the church picnic the following day. The weather at Ocean Grove was fabulous and we were all concerned that everyone would be swimming, sun bathing and far away from the beach pavilion. that was not the case as we had a huge crowd of familes trying to avoid the hot sun and watching our program, which featured puppets, music, Sonkist, Shelton the Shark, object lessons and 2 drama "He Reigns" and Arise my love." At the picnic we did a similar program in front of our church family and many approached us to say how blessed they were by our ministry!

Kids in Missions 15th Anniversary Celebration

2011-04-15T12:23:00.005-04:00

On Sunday, April 3rd, Kids in Missions celebrated its 15th anniversary! During the morning services, the missions focus was on missions and children’s ministry. Pastor Dave shared about how the ministry began back in 1996 and how it led to our church hosting a Missions Camp in 2004. During the afternoon, a special dinner was prepared for all alumni of Kids in Missions and over 100 people attended. Not only was a great afternoon of food and fellowship, but many of our alumni shared testimonies of what the Kids in Missions ministry meant to them at a young age and how they are serving the Lord today. It was so great to see the many generations come together as one! In the evening, our busy day continued as we shared at the Missions Focus group about Kids in Missions and our present students and L.I.T.’s presented two dramas for those who attended.

KIDS IN MISSIONS GRADUATION DINNER - Sunday, November 21 2010

2010-12-03T12:26:00.005-05:00

We concluded our 2010 season of Kids in Missions with our almost annual (last year we could not solidify a date) Graduation Dinner. We had a great night of food, fun and fellowship! 12 of our students recieved certificates as each graduated from our Kids in Missions program. Each student and L.I.T. was so enthusiastic! Six of our students shared testimonies about their experiences this past year and we concluded with a huge Graduation cake our guests dived into.

EVANGEL TEMPLE - QUEENS, NY - September 25, 2010

2010-09-30T12:25:00.003-04:00

From the start we knew this was going to be a great outreach! Our shuttle needed a "jump start" and thank the Lord we had no problems. That delayed our arrival to Evangel Temple. The Evangel people also had a late start so all was good. Our team was able to minister by way of 3 puppet songs, 1 drama called "Arise my Love" where the kids use dowels and a fun song. Our team also stayed for a few of the games that were played and one of our team members Geraldine placed second in the "Sword Drills." It was a great day of ministry and we look forward to partnering with Evangel Temple in the future!!

OCEAN GROVE NJ BEACH PAVILION - September 2 2010

2010-09-09T15:32:00.003-04:00

For the second time this summer, a group of 16 eager Kids in Missions students and L.I.T's along with 4 adults ministeed at the Ocean Grove New Jersey's beach pavilion. With a possible threat of Hurricane Earl (which never hit the East Coast), our students werer able to minister by way of two dramas (Heaven came down & Arise my Love) as well as puppets, Tiki the Toucan, Shelton the Shark, object lessons and fun songs. It was a great day of ministry and our team always looks forward to going to this great city to share God's love!

BUSY WWEKEND IN JULY! Ocean Grove NJ and SGT Picnic

2010-07-15T10:34:00.005-04:00

During the weekend of July 10th & 11th, Kids in Missions had 2 awesome opportunities to share the love of Jesus first at a beach and then at our church picnic. A group of 19 from our group cramped into 2 school mini-busses and headed over to our annual Ocean Grove NJ beach pavilion outreach. This has been a tradition of ours since 1997! We drove through many downpours of rain along the way and once we got to Ocean Grove, we did not see very many people on the beach or in the pavilion. Just before we were to begin ministry at 3:00, it began to rain real hard. Many "ran for cover" under the pavilion and we had a decent crowd! Our Kids did a great job doing their dramas, puppet songs and lead with the fun songs. We also had a lot of fun stopping by Day's Ice cream for some awesome ice cream!

On July 11th after our 12:15 pm service, Kids in Missions ministered to a large crowd of kids, parents and grandparents at our annual picnic. In spite of the hot hot weather, we were able to share God's love with many. It is so incredible to think of the freedom we have in this country to share out in the open air about Jesus without being afraid of getting arrested!

It was a great weekend and we know God has lots in store for us this summer!

MEMORIAL DAY PARADE 2010 - May 31, 2010

2010-06-02T15:41:00.004-04:00

We began our 2010 season by once again marching in the Town of Smithtown Memorial Day Parade. It was a beautiful sunny day and we were so blessed to be able to not only march but to give out pens to children to help advertise Vacation Bible school. Our float was a Rainforest theme complete with a hut and rainforest animals. It was a great way to start 2010!!!!

JIREH CHURCH- Marlboro, NJ - December 6, 2009

2009-12-08T13:57:00.005-05:00

What an amazing time we all had at the Jireh Church in Marlboro, NJ. The Jireh church is a church that maakes every effort to reach the chinese community. They invited Kids in Missions to share at their Children's Church program. A team of 19 traveled early Sunday morning and ministered by way of drama, Christmas puppet songs, object lessons, a game (Snowball fight), Grandpa Lou, Shelton and Sonkist and a brief message (The Parable of the Lost Sheep). Our ministry was well received and we look forward to an ongoing relationship with the Jireh Church for many years to come!

JONES BEACH - July 13, 2009

2009-07-15T10:20:00.004-04:00

Along with the SGT Choir and Undignified from Smithtown Christian, Kids in Missions began the evening of ministry doing a new drama called "Into all the world" featuring our First Year Students. Our Second Year students, L.I.T.'s and leaders ministered next with an awesome drama "You are God". Desiree Cirillo did a fabulous job singing that worship song unto the Lord while our students did the "motions". Grandpa Lou also paid a visit with some help from Pastor Dave's kids Kaylee, Tyler and Kassie holding road signs.

After Pastor Rich Collingridge gave a brief salvation message, many gave their hearts to Jesus for the first time. It as a great night of ministry!

OCEAN GROVE NJ BEACH PAVILION - July 11, 2009

2009-07-15T09:48:00.009-04:00

In spite of a strong wind blowing into the pavilion and our puppet stage falling down countless times, our Kids in Missions students, L.I.T.'s and leaders stood strong. We had the privilege of returning to Ocean Grove NJ and their Gospel Music Association which is fast becoming a tradition since 1997. We began with some fun song's, ministered by way of three dramas ("Shout the the Lord", "Meant to Live" and "You are God"). You are God was done while Desiree Cirillo did an outstanding job singing the vocals! Grandpa Lou and Shelton the Shark also paid a visit as well. Holding down the puppet stage, we also did "God's not Dead" and "F.A.I.T.H." To end our busy day, we stopped by Day's Ice Cream right down the block from the beach pavilion in Ocean Grove and on the way home stopped at the "Golf McDonald's" for a quick meal. It was a great day and we look forward to returning on August 14th.

SMITHTOWN DAY 2009 - June 7, 2009

2009-06-08T11:50:00.009-04:00

In spite of a very hot day and working directly in the sun directly in front of Walgreen's, 22 of our students and L.I.T.'s along with our student leaders and many parent helpers handed out pencils and flyers promoting VBS and King's Kids Club. They also gave balloons to children along Main Street as well as wearing costumes (Skip, Priscilla, MC Walker and a chicken). One big hit were the puppets who sang songs while a crowd of people watched and enjoyed the music. Joining Kids in Missions were many members of our Evangelism xposion team who set up our Prayer Station and had opportunites to not only pray with many, but to openly share the gospel. It was an awesome day of not only promoting many events, but to be a "light in the darkness" on one of the most difficult mission fields in the world...LONG ISLAND!!!

2009-05-29T15:35:00.003-04:00

It was a beautiful day in Smithtown, NY as our Kids in Missions team ministered at our town's Memorial Day Parade. Our students and L.I.T.'s handed out pencils to children along the parade route to help promote of VBS program as well as King's Kids Club which meets on Wednesday evenings. It was an awesome day of ministry! Check out the video we made while we marched!

SIDEWALK SUNDAY SCHOOL - April 26, 2009

2009-04-30T13:18:00.007-04:00

We began 2009 with a great opportunity to minister at the SGT Missions Convention. Our students dressed up as clowns and ministered by way of drama, music and puppets.

This occurred at both 8:30 am & 12:15 pm in the Fellowship Center. It was great to see the students so enthusiastic as well as the kids who were watching. The dramas that were done were "You are God" as well as the Chair skit & the Heart skit. This was a great way to begin in ministry for our First Year Students who got a taste of ministry in front of a real crowd!

LASER TAG @ LASER KINGDOM - November 15, 2008

2008-11-19T11:24:00.009-05:00

Who says Kids in Missions had to be all about doing outreaches. Sure, they are very important as we know, but on Saturday, November 15th we had a great opportunity to have fun together by...shooting each other. I know it doesn't sound very spiritual but for those of you who were there, you can't say you were bored! We spent a rainy afternoon at Laser Kingdom in Farmingdale to bring closure to yet another great year of Kids in Missions. If you missed out, make sure you sign up next year! I know my son Tyler I know had a great time and maybe some day he will be the MVP of Laser Kingdom!

Thanks for coming everyone and we'll see you in 2009!!

GRADUATION DINNER 2008

2008-10-22T12:04:00.003-04:00

Kids in Missions 2008 may have come to a close, but we had a great night celebrating what God did in and through us this past year. It was so great to see all of you there and I can speak for Pat and Andrew in saying it was a privilege to hand you your certificates. Whether you were completing your first year, second year or as a Leader in Training or Student leader, I hope and pray you will always be a light in the darkness. I also hope to see you next year as we begin 2009 classes on March 1st.

Don't forget about Lazer Tag coming up November 15th. Sign up if you haven't done so yet!

GRANDPA LOU WAS KIDNAPPED? or was he?

2008-10-07T14:50:00.003-04:00

It was time to start packing for our October 4th outreach at Lighthouse Mission in Patchogue. We had our puppet stage, puppet curtains, our object lessons, our CD's, Shelton the Shark, Loudmouth & Cry Baby and Grandpa Lou...uh...where is Grandpa Lou? He must be in the Felowship Center basement. After looking everywhere, still no Grandpa Lou. Maybe he is in the Auditorium on top of the stage? No, still no Grandpa Lou. Maybe I left him in my garage? No, he's not there. Okay, time to retrace our steps. It appears the last time Grandpa Lou was used was at the Jones Beach outreach. Did we leave him there? No, we couldn't have! Maybe just maybe the Seniors at SCS decided to kidnap him and wanted to leave a ransom note. I hopwe they don't want a million dollars, I only have 5 dollars in my wallet. Then, I discovered that we did minister at another outreach between Jones beach and October 3rd. Did we leave him in Brentwood? Should I call that church to find out? Where could he be? Is he protesting that I haven't been using him?
The Royal Rangers packed up the church trailer the night before for a weekend campout in inghampton, NY. Is it possible we left him in the trailer for over a month and a half? Well, after a few quick phone calls I finally got through to Tim Reed, one of our Royal Ranger commanders. "Tim, this is going to sound like a strange question but...did you see anything else in the trailer when you packed it last night, like Granda Lou?" "It was too dark to tell but we did see a box covered with a blanket in the trailer." It had to be Grandpa Lou!

During our outreach my cell phone vibrated and I let it go straight to voicemail. Later, I listened to the message that simply said that Grandpa Lou was alive, well, breathing and in fact at a campout with our Royal Rangers in Binghampton, NY. My only fear...I hope that don;t leave him by the camp fire. HE WILL MELT!

Grandpa Lou's "Home sweet Home" from August 16th to October 5th. Poor Guy!

LIGHTHOUSE MISSION - October 4, 2008

2008-10-05T12:54:00.004-04:00

Our final outreach of 2008 was a great one! In spite of taking a scenic route to McDonalds and forgetting puppets (it is impossible to do a puppet show without puppets!) we were able to minister to the children who were bussed into Lighthouse Mission. They loved the dramas, Cry Baby, Shelton the Shark and games at the end. It looks like we will be ministering at Lighthouse Mission many more times in 2009. Please pray for them as they look for a new building and need to leave their present building this December. Great job guys and gals!

LOVE & PRAYER FELLOWSHIP - August 16th

2008-08-17T07:57:00.013-04:00

This was our final outreach of the summer of 2008! We started out by going to McDonalds first. In just a 5 minute drive we were at Love & Prayer Fellowship only...no one was there! Were we at the wrong church? A poster on the church door directed us to a park right behind the Brentwood Train Station. After waiting patiently for 90 minutes, running through the blow up obstacle course and sliding down a huge slide, we finally grabbed our gear and did our ministry program. While setting up the puppet stage we realized we forgot the poles for the puppet stage. Ugh! After quick thinking by Kaylee (using scrungees to hold the curtains) we ministered doing Shout to the Lord. God's not dead with the puppets and we closed with You are God. Pastor Dave also had an opportunity to preach. It was his first time preaching with a translator (his spanish speaking skills are lacking. He only knows Feliz Navidad). Thanks everyone (all 12 of you) for being very flexible and for being a blessing!

SMILE FOR THE CAMERA, HEATHER!!

WHO WON? RUSSELL OR RYAN? PHOTO FINISH!!

JONES BEACH - July 30th

2008-07-31T16:15:00.010-04:00

What a great night of ministry at Jones Beach. Kids in Missions was the very first ministry that night. Our first year students did a great job with their "Father, Spirit, Jesus" drama
Our second year students were amazing as they did a drama to Jeremy Camp's song "This Man"
Grandpa Lou paid a visit with some help from 3 friends from the audience

and Skip & Priscilla along with Jacob (the guy jumping in the air) got the audience excited by doing "Jump up."

Pastor Rich shared with us this morning that around 12 people gave their hearts to Jesus that night through the EE ministry on the boardwalk. Praise God!!!

STONY BROOK CHRISTIAN ASSEMBLY - Staying dry in the downpour - July 27th

2008-07-29T15:48:00.005-04:00

I can't remember the last time we had an outreach where it rained so hard! Driving down Rt. 347 felt like rowing a canoe! What was supposed to be an outdoor event with inflatable slides, bouncers and a dunk tank became an indoor event with about 25 kids in a small children's church area. Regardless of all that, God had a plan and that was to share the Good News with the children who were supposed to be there! Our first year students did "Father, Spirit, Jesus" as a prep for Jones Beach. You all did a great job and we are so proud of you all for your dedication to the Lord. One church attender who used to attend SGT bragged about you all for quite a while on how impressed they were!

OCEAN GROVE, NJ BEACH PAVILION- July 26th

2008-07-29T15:21:00.003-04:00

It was a beautiful day in Ocean Grove NJ! The sun was shining, it was a very warm day and best of all you could sense God's presence in a powerful way in the beach pavilion. Our team did an awesome job with the fun songs, dramas and puppet songs throughout our one hour ministry. We had so many positive comments from passerby's and the many who attended. Don Cleaves, the man responsible for the ministry in the pavilion said we have the best program every year. A nice compliment! We also enjoyed hanging out at Day's Ice Cream for a break after the ministry as well as McDonalds especially the playground.

CAMBRIA HEIGHTS GOSPEL CHAPEL: QUEENS, NY - JUNE 21st

2008-06-25T11:44:00.005-04:00

This was our first trip to Cambria Heights Gospel Chapel and their first attempt at hosting an outdoor event they called Children's Day. All in all it was a great day. The kids absolutely loved our Castle Bounce! They also played various games and even tried having a Double Dutch competition. Best of all we were privileged to share the gospel with those who were there, also to those who walked past the church on Linden Blvd. and stopped to see the puppets, dramas and object lessons. Great job guys and gals! We look forward to a long lasting relationship with the great folks at Cambria Heights. Thanks also to our parents volunteers Mr. Robinson, Mrs. Mulligan and Mrs. Sands!

SMITHTOWN FESTIVAL DAY 2008 - Beating the Heat!!!

2008-06-11T14:26:00.008-04:00

It had to be the hottest day in the history of Smithtown Festival Day, but in spite of that, we had an awesome day of ministry. Over 400 frisbee's were handed out, tons of balloons and flyers were distributed, but best of all, many people gave their lives to Christ at the Prayer Station! Thank you so much parents for volunteering your time for this event. These parents include Mrs. Fallon, Mrs Bellini, Mr. & Mrs. Chalgren, Mrs. Gaudio, Mrs. Sheridan & Mr. Frey. Thanks also to Jordan, Kaylee,Jacob & Jeremy for always being faithful every outreach. This had to be one of the smoothest Smithtown Day's in our ten plus years of participating. Thank you all for making it happen. Great job everyone!!

p.s. A company across the street took a picture of you guys doing "You are God" and graciously gave us a copy. Look at photo above!

TOWN OF SMITHTOWN MEMORIAL DAY PARADE

2008-05-28T14:56:00.006-04:00

We could not have asked for a more gorgeous day with sunny skies, a slight wind and many energetic Kids in Missions, Missionettes, Royal Rangers, Rainbows and the SCS Cheerleaders. We had such an awesome representation from our church! We also had some very talented carpenters who built our tree house float which helped us advertise our upcoming VBS this coming July. Our Kids in Missions kids handed out well over 800 frisbees along the parade route, which by the way were ALL given out half way through the parade. As our float went down Main Street in Smithtown, we had music playing declaring the name of Jesus as our puppeteers Jordan Kaylee, Tyler and Jeremy lip synced to the music. Thanks everyone for your involvement. This was our 18th parade!!

THE ARBORS - First Outreach for many!!

2008-04-30T15:18:00.010-04:00

God opened an incredible door for us last Sunday as we ministered in a Nursing Home in Islandia, NY, a stones throw from the good ole LIE! Not only were there many residents from the home in attendance, but many family members as well. Our students did some fun songs as well as our dramas "Shout the the Lord" and "You are God." Skip and Priscilla also paid a visit along with Shelton and Grandpa Lou. Our puppeteers also performed "God's Not Dead." For all of our first year students, this was a first taste of a Kids in Missions outreach and a great experience! The Staff at the Arbors treated us to some Ice cream ( I don't know too many kids who would turn that away!) Great job guys and girls! We still have a lot of work to do but we are headed in the right direction!

BRENTWOOD POLICE DEPT. PBJ EXTRAVAGANZA!

2008-03-27T10:28:00.000-04:00

Hi everyone! This is Pat Loparo - First year teacher. We had a great night last night at the Brentwood Police Department. We had 18 kids helping out (8 were first year students) and together we made well over 1,000 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. These sandwiches are going to be delivered to the Lighthouse Mission in Patchogue to many of the homeless here on Long Island. We joined forces with some local Boy Scouts and the Police Explorer program. I have to say we certainly had a lot of fun but we also experienced seeing peanut butter all over the place. I think we all lost any appetite whatsoever for PBJ (Peanut butter & jelly). It was great seeing you all serve the Lord. Thanks for helping out. You were a blessing!!

PAT LOPARO

GLOBAL CHRISTIAN MINISTRIES

2008-03-26T16:41:00.000-04:00

Wow! What a great day of ministry. Besides getting there late, being greeted by an Easter bunny, a clown and tons of people. We were able to cram our puppet stage onto their tiny stage, do some fun songs. Even in spite of the wacky sound problems, many hand went up for the first time to receive the Lord Jesus as savior and Lord! Great job guys and girls!
Speaking of sound problems, I am so glad Jordan and Kaylee know Sin Protection by heart and were able to voice the characters. Next time, we use OUR sound equipment!

Only 5 more days!

2008-02-26T14:56:00.001-05:00

It's so hard to believe that we are 5 days away from our first classes of 2008. We are already receiving phone calls about outreaches for the coming months! It is exciting to see God's hand in this ministry. I am lookning forward to working with you all!

Pastor Dave

2008 is here

2008-01-02T10:41:00.000-05:00

Kids in Missions is looking forward to another great year of ministry. We are eagerly anticipating what God has in store for us. We are also anxious to see who the Lord will send our way as far as students, new dramas and new ideas. Please check back wioth us and checkour our posts after each rehearsal, outreaches and service projects.

PASTOR DAVE HARFF