Dear 3rd Grade Parents,
	I wanted to inform you that on Sunday, ________________ we will be presenting a Bible to your child.

	Now I plan to make a rather “big deal” out of this, by calling the children and their families to come forward, asking the children to kneel at the altar, offering a prayer for them, and speaking God’s word of blessing upon them and their families. If you choose to make a “big deal” out of it by having a cake, a special meal, etc., that would be neat.

	With their Bible, they will also receive a letter to them from me, along with a brief reading list which will hopefully whet their appetite to read other stories or passages.

	Furthermore, on Sunday, _____________ at 1:30pm, I would like to invite your child plus one or both of you parents to come over to the parsonage for about an hour during which we will take some time to get acquainted with: How you read your Bible, How do you find things in there, How often should I read, etc. (I call this a Bible “How To”). At this meeting, I will also present you with the 1st quarter of a Family Devotions booklet which (your church) will send you later.

	If this timing is bad for you on the 1st, please let me know and maybe we can make other arrangements. Once again, I continue to look forward to working with you and your family in carrying on the ministry of  (your church).

Your partner in ministry,

Pastor _______________

(Used during presentation)

Prayer

Father in heaven, for Jesus’ sake, make yourself known to __________________ as s/he reads your Word. Bless his/her life. Bless his/her family. Bless our congregation because of his/her presence. Watch over him/her always. And by the power of your Holy Spirit, guide him/her along the paths that will lead to full life in you. In Jesus’ name, we pray. AMEN.

Dear __________________ ,

	Did you know that you are a very important part of our congregation? Well, you are! And you also need to know that we are very happy that you and your family are a part of our congregational family at _______________________.

	One of the things that families do is celebrate special days and times in each other’s lives. And now that you have entered into 3rd Grade, we think it is time to celebrate – to celebrate the fact that you are growing up so fast and to celebrate what a special person God is helping you to become.

	And so, it is with great pleasure and hope that the people of (your church) give you this copy of the Bible. And while you may not know it now, this is one of the most special and most important gifts that you will ever receive!

	In your hands, you are holding a book that is filled with words and stories which tell us about God and the love God has for us. Some of the stories are funny. Some of the stories are sad. Sometimes the people in the stories do very good things. At other times, they do very bad things. But through it all, in story after story, we read about how God continues to try to bring hope, healing, forgiveness and love into the lives of all the people – even when they don’t deserve it!

	And most importantly of all, the Bible tells us the story of how God became a human being in the person of Jesus. In Jesus, God came to live among us. In Jesus, God came to know what it is like to be a person with feelings, with hurts, with hopes and with dreams. In Jesus, God came to live the kind of life God wants all of us to live.

	For example, when we read the story of Good Friday (list reference page in your version), the day Jesus died on the cross, we learn that God’s love for us is so strong, that God would rather die than stop loving us. Or, when we read about the story of Easter (list reference pate in your version), the day Jesus rose from the dead, we learn that there is nothing in al the universe that can stop or defeat God and God’s plans for us. Even though we might not be able to see him, Jesus is with us all the time and he will never ever leave us alone.

	As you continue to grow up, you will come to have more and more say in how you live your life and what you do with your time, your talents, and your possessions. It is our firm hope at (your church) that reading the Bible, praying to God, joining with others in worship and Sunday School, giving generously of your time, talents and possessions, and daily following Jesus will be a part of what you decide to do.

	To help you learn more about God, and the plans and hopes that God has for your life, we have included a short list of Bible stories and readings that we think you wil find interesting and worthwhile.

	From now on, as each new year of Sunday School begins, we will continue to add to your list, so that by the time you finish High School, you will have had the chance to read a whole lot of important stories that make up the Bible. Who knows? You might even decide to read the Bible from cover to cover sometime!

	Our greatest hope in all of this is that you will come to know Jesus as the one who loves you, the one who defeated the devil and conquered death for you, and the one who will always be with you to be your helper and your guide. And, that in your daily life, you will seek to love and serve God by loving and serving others.

	Once again, we want you to know how happy we are to have you as a part of our family at _________________ . May God richly bless you always!

Pastor

P.S. I would like to invite you to a special meeting at my house next Sunday at 1:30pm when I will try to help you learn more about how to use your Bible. Please bring only your new Bible, your reading list, and one or both of your parents. I hope to see you then!

Bible Reading List
(3rd Grade)

Here is a list of 12 Bible stories that we hope you enjoy reading. They are listed by book, chapter and verse. To help you find them more easily, the page number has also been included.
	Verses					Story				Page(s)
Genesis 1:1-2:4a			The Story of Creation	          (list from your version)
Exodus 20:1-17			The 10 Commandments
1 Samuel 17:1-54			David and Goliath
Daniel 6:1-28				Daniel in the Lion’s Den
Luke 1:26-38				The Angel Visits Mary
Luke 2:1-20				The Christmas Story
Matthew 6:9-13			The Lord’s Prayer
Luke 10:25-37				The Good Samaritan
Luke 15:11-32				The Lost Son
Luke 19:1-10				The Story of Zacchaeus
Luke 23:26-56				The Story of Good Friday
Luke 24:1-12				The Story of Easter

Two helpful hints:
1). Before you begin to read your bible, you might want to pray a simple prayer like this: “Dear God, as I read this story, help me to hear the things you want me to hear.” Afterwards, you might like to pray something like: “Dear God, help me to live what I learned from this story.”

2). When you read your bible, it is often helpful to ask yourself some questions like: 
		What is going on in this story?
		Which character is the most like me?
		What does this story tell me about God?
		What does God want me to learn from this story?
		What things or people should I pray for?
(Sometimes, you might have to read through the story 2 or 3 times before you can answer all these questions!)

Asking questions like these can help us to become more aware of what God has done for us, what God wants us to hear, how God wants us to live, and how God wants us to pray.

(To 4th Graders)

Dear Friends in Christ,

	Last year, we gave you a new Bible as a way of celebrating how fast you are growing up. It was also meant to show that we care about you, and that we are glad you are a part of our family here at _____________________ .

	A week afterwards, you and a parent came over to my house for a quick lesson in how to read your Bible. During that time, I gave you a reading list which had about 12 stories or so for you to read on your own. I hope you have been able to do that. Who knows? Maybe you have even read some more on your own. If so, that’s great!

	One of the other things I said was that every year, I would give you a new list of Bible stories to read. I am enclosing that list with this letter; I hope you enjoy reading them. The stories on the front side are from the Old Testament. The ones on the back are form the New Testament, all from the Gospel of Matthew. To help you find them more easily, the page number ahs once again been included.

	On the back of this letter, I have included again the list of “helpful hints” I shared with you last year. Perhaps you will find them to be useful.

	I pray God’s richest blessings upon you and your family. Know that we are excited to have you as a part of our ____________________ family!

Take care and God bless,

Pastor

P.S. Your subscription to (your church’s devotional) expires this month. If you wish to continue receiving it, please have a parent call (your church’s publishing house).

Reading Your Bible
2 Helpful Hints

1). PRAY!
Before you begin to read your Bible, you might want to pray a simple prayer like this:
“Dear God, as I read this story, help me to hear the things you want me to hear.”
Afterwards, you might like to pray something like:
“Dear God, help me to live what I learned from this story.”

2). ASK QUESTIONS!
When you read your Bible, it is often helpful to ask yourself some questions like:
		What is going on in this story	?
		Which character is the most like me?
		What does this story tell me about God?
		What does God want me to learn from this story?
		What things or people should I pray for?

(Sometimes you might have to read through the story 2 or 3 times
before you can answer all these questions!)

Asking questions like these can help us to become more aware of what God has done for us, what God wants us to hear, how God wants us to live, and how God wants us to pray.

Enjoy your reading!

Bible Reading List
(4th Grade)

	Verses					Story			Page(s)
Genesis 2:4b-25			The Garden of Eden	(list from your version)
Genesis 3:1-24			The First Sin & Consequences
Genesis 12:1-9			God’s Call to Abram (Abraham)
Exodus 3:1-4:17			God Calls Moses
Exodus 12:1-36			The First Passover
Joshua 6:1-27				The Fall of Jericho
1 Kings 8:22-61			King Solomon’s Prayer
1 Kings 18:1-40			Elijah and the Prophets of Baal
Psalm 16				A Prayer of Confidence
Psalm 23				God our Shepherd
Psalm 46				A Psalm of Hope
Psalm 100				A Psalm of Praise
Daniel 3:1-30				The Fiery Furnace
Jonah 1:1-4:11				The Story of Jonah
Matthew 1:18-25			The Christmas Story (Matthew’s version)
Matthew 2:1-15			The Wise Men
Matthew 3:1-12			John the Baptist
Matthew 3:13-17			The Baptism of Jesus
Matthew 4:1-11			The Temptation of Jesus
Matthew 6:9-13			The Lord’s Prayer
Matthew 8:23-27			Jesus Calms a Storm
Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23		The Parable of the Sower
Matthew 14:13-21			The Feeding of the 5,000
Matthew 14:22-33			Jesus Walks on Water
Matthew 18:21-35			The Unforgiving Servant
Matthew 21:1-11			Palm Sunday
Matthew 22:34-40			The Great Commandment
Matthew 25:31-46			The Final Judgment
Matthew 26:17-30			The Last Supper
Matthew 27:15-66			The Story of Good Friday
Matthew 28:1-10			The Easter Story
Matthew 28:16-20			The Great Commission