Safety First
Because We Love Them
By Gerry Reed Burkholder
February is the month our hearts and minds most associate with love for those around us. Peakland’s children and senior citizens form two very special segments of our church family we all love and about whom we need to show special care.
The safety of both groups is always a major concern. While any environment
contains potential hazards, a church facility — particularly one undergoing
renovation and new construction — may pose physical or structural safety issues.
Peakland’s church leaders and staff continually focus on the issue of safety. While presently, we may be challenged to find storage space for a variety of items — from tables and chairs to Sunday school supplies to equipment used by the Preschool to the youth’s drive-through nativity sets — safety is always foremost in our minds.
Ensuring a safe environment for all God’s people — from the youngest to the oldest — is everybody’s responsibility. While the following guidelines of safety are always in effect, recent events in the church
warrant our bringing them to the congregation’s attention:
Keep an eye open for objects on the floor which may pose a hazard to un-suspecting children or adults.
All adults and youth who see a child running anywhere in the building — from the halls and classrooms to the Sanctuary and Fellowship Hall — need to lovingly remind the child not to run and see that indeed he/she stops. Running children can be unnerving to senior citizens. In addition, when running, a child is in danger of falling and slamming into a fixture, falling down stairs, or knocking somebody over. Running is contagious! When one child starts running, all of the others want to join in the fun!
Parents of preschoolers may need to explain to their child the difference
between playing in the Fellowship Hall as part of Preschool or activity time during Sunday School or Vacation Bible School and appropriate behavior at other times. Even in Preschool, students are not permitted to run unless the teacher is present supervising the activity.
All adults who see an unsafe situation bear the responsibility of correcting
the situation or environment. None of us wants anybody, regardless of age, to get hurt because we love them!
These guidelines are based upon the Safety Statement from the Trustees.
The Safety Statement can be viewed on the hallway bulletin board in the church.
Parenting Class Offered at PUMC
Making Children Mind Without Losing Yours
By Gerry Reed Burkholder
In response to requests from parents for a parenting class, PUMC has secured Dr. Kevin Leman’s video series Making Children Mind Without Losing Yours, (How to bring out the best in your kids by doing what is best for them.)
The class will be offered three times each week for six weeks and is open to church members, preschool parents, and the community. There is a $7 fee for the workbook that accompanies the video series.
The first lesson is Monday, March 10, from 9:30 a.m. until 10:30 a.m. in the Dining Room. The same lesson will be repeated on Tuesday, March 11, also from 9:30 a.m. until 10:30 a.m. and on Wednesday, March 12, from 6:30 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. following the missions committee Wednesday
suppers. Childcare will be available for all three sessions free of charge. The classes will meet for six consecutive weeks, concluding the week of April 14.
Dr. Kevin Leman, an internationally known Christian psychologist, has appeared on Focus on the Family, Oprah, Today, CBS’ The Early Show, and The View with Barbara Walters. He also has served as a consulting family psychologist to ABC’s Good Morning America. I am taken
by his common sense approach to being a parent. He is delightful to listen to and his life experiences add to his credibility.
Lesson titles are:
*Daring to be a Courageous Parent —Developing the courage to do what is best for your kids!
*Why Kids Misbehave — Understanding kids and why they do what they do!
*Becoming the Parent God Wants You to Be — Maintaining authority without being an authoritarian!
*Nine Ways to Be Your Teenager’s Best Friend — How to gain your teenager’s love and respect and keep it forever!
*ABC’s of Self-Image — Helping kids feel good about themselves for all the right reasons!
*When to Let the Little Buzzards Tumble — Turning everyday hassles
into everyday successes!
The most important job we will ever have is that of being a parent.
Regardless of all the degrees we earn or money we make, nothing is as important to society or our child as being an effective parent. We are all called to ministry, and what better place to minister, to serve God, than in our own home.
Registration is recommended so we have the necessary number of workbooks available. To register, please contact the Church Office (384-2791)starting Monday, February 3. In addition, sign-up forms are available on the fliers circulating in the community. When registering, indicate which class — Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday — you want to attend.
