Alpine Bible Memory Masters

We are excited to announce our Kids Ministry’s new bible memorization program for your family.  Our intention is to support and encourage your discipleship of your children by offering opportunities each week for your children to learn and recite God’s word to loving adults who will celebrate your child’s hard work.  We envision this program being appropriate for 4-11 year old children, but any child who wants to participate is welcome.

Children can recite verses between first and second service or between second and third service at the table in the hallway by the 6-8 year-old classroom. Each child will need to bring their copy of the memory verse sheet, which the listening adult will sign off when the child has recited the verse(s) they have worked on.  New verse booklets are now available!

Starting in September, our reward system will be changing. Now, each verse a child memorizes will earn them one coin. On the last Sunday of each month, the Memory Masters store will be available for participants to spend their coins on prizes. This will help the students focus on their verses, streamline Sunday mornings, and provide a fun way to celebrate and redeem prizes for their efforts. Prizes will range in price from 1 coin to 25 coins.

At the end of the quarter, Alpine Bible Church will host a LATENIGHT for ALL children who have participated in the bible memorization program.  The LATENIGHT will be a time of great celebration and lots of fun (more details to come).

FAQs

  • Is it okay if my child recites the memory verse in a different translation than the one of the memory sheet?  Totally fine, just let the adult who is listening to the child know what translation of the bible you memorized. 
  • If my child has memorized all of the verses on the memory verse sheet can they recite more verses that we are memorizing at home? Yep. We want to encourage the memorization of the God’s word.  if you want our kids to recite more verses it would be helpful if you could provide the memory verse to the listening adult so they can use it to make sure your child is correct.
  • My child has a really hard time memorizing.  Is it okay if they recited the same verse each week to the listening adult?  Absolutely. 
  • My kids are little and I am not comfortable leaving them at a LATENIGHT without me.  Is it okay if I stay?  Yes, we want you to do whatever is best for your family and we would love for you to stay and fellowship with us.
  • Can kids who don’t spend time memorizing at home still participate in the program?  Yes, every week Sunday school teachers and helpers work with the children to memorize the unit bible verse so they should be very familiar with them.  If the child needs extra help, we have volunteers who will work with them and help them be successful.
  • If my child forgets their memory verse sheet at home can they still recite their verse?  Yes, we will keep a binder with a master copy of your child’s progress so they don’t actually need to have their copy with them.
  • If my child only recites one verse on the sheet will they still be able to come to LATENIGHT? Absolutely, we want to celebrate every child we can and if they work really hard and can only memorize one verse that is still important to us. 

John 3:30 He must increase, but I must decrease.

John 1:1-2 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the
Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God.

1 Peter: 5: 10 And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace who has called you
to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.

Jeremiah 29: 11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and
not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

I Thess. 5: 16-18 Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances;
for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

2 Chronicles 7:14 If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and
seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their
sin and heal their land.

2 Peter 3: 9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient
toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentence.

Isaiah: 42: 8 I am the Lord; that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to
carved idols.

James 1:5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without
reproach, and it will be given him.

Psalm 145: 13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures throughout
all generations.

Jeremiah 10: 16 Not like these is he who is the portion of Jacob, for he is the one who formed
all things, and Israel is the rod of His inheritance; the Lord of hosts is his name.

I John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us out sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Deuteronomy 31:8 It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you
or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.

Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.
in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.

Exodus 15:2 The Lord is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation; this is my
God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him.

Matt 22: 37-39 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with
all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

Hosea 13:4 But I am the Lord your God from the land of Egypt; you know no God but me; and
besides me there is no saviour.

Genesis 28:15 Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back
to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.

Galatians 3:29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to
promise.
Colossians 1: 16b-17 All things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

I John 1:14 The Father has sent the Son as savior of the world.

1 Cor. 15:3-4 Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures. And that he was buried
and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures.

Psalm 147:5 Great is our Lord and mighty in power.

Acts 16:31 Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.

The typical rule of thumb when trying to memorize something is to recite it 7 times.  Moving one’s body can be very helpful when memorizing (as long as the movement does not distract from the recitation).  Here some helpful tips and ideas for what to do:

Silly Voices – Have students say the verse using different voices.  Ideas for silly voices include:  whale, Queen, mouse, robot, cowboy, Darth Vader, etc.

Movement– Typically I’ll use ridiculous but simple moves while reciting the verse.  Silly dance moves are particularly popular if the adult does them with the kids.  Ideas for general movement:  hop, jump, jumping jacks, dab, clap, etc.  Silly dance moves:  the lawnmower, floss, silly salmon, stayin alive, etc.

Hand Motions/ASL-most kids respond well to hand motions for key words in a verse or even ASL motions for important nouns or verbs is affective as well.

Taking a Word Away—you can write the verse on a whiteboard and then after every time saying it you can have a student erase a word.

Singing—Singing the verse is a great way to memory especially hard or long passages – YouTube typically has wonderful versions of verses to familiar tunes that can be easily memorized.

Turns—you can either have students throw or pass something  (I suggest a stuffed animal instead of a ball – they roll less) to each other or you can have one side of the room say it (or a portion of the verse) and then another side of the room say the rest  or vice versa. 

Puzzle—for reading children, you can have them build the verse by giving them a pile of paper with one word on each piece like a puzzle but you also need to have them say it multiple times.

Speed—you can say it fast and say it slow.

HopScotch/Obstacle Course—you can have the words /phrases written on individual papers and have the kids jump them as they say them.  This works for non-readers as long as you use different colored papers.  You can also set up an obstacle course and they say different things at each station.  An example of this would be three chairs:  the first chair they stand on and say “in the beginning was the word.”  the second chair they walk around in a circle and say “and the word was with God” and the third chair they sit in and say “ and the word was God.”  Then they go back to the beginning chair, put their hands on the back of the chair and finish the verse “he was in the beginning with God.” Your obstacle course should be simple.