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DiscipleDispatch>>

March 2008

Why Such an Early Easter?

Christians everywhere celebrate the mystery and majesty of Christ's resurrection on Easter Sunday. But each year we celebrate Jesus' triumph over the grave on a different date. How is the date of Easter determined? Let's solve this mystery!

Unlike other significant dates on the western calendar, which fall either on fixed dates (e.g., Christmas is always December 25th) or on easily-reckoned relative calendar days (e.g., Thanksgiving in the U.S. is the fourth Thursday in November), Easter moves around from year to year in order to preserve its relationship to the astronomical phenomena that most likely occurred at the time of the resurrection.

In the modern era, Easter generally falls on the Sunday following the Paschal Full Moon (i.e., the first full moon of Spring in the northern hemisphere, or the first full moon occurring after the date of the vernal equinox). However, since astronomical observations vary depending upon the location of the observer, the date of Easter is typically calculated from tables.
Calculate Easter
Sunday Date:
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The earliest calendar date on which Easter can fall is March 22, and the latest date is April 25. Easter therefore takes place unusually early this year, as its 2008 date of occurrence is March 23. The last time Easter fell on so early a date was 1913, and the next time it will do so will be in the year 2160. Seeing Easter fall on the earliest possible date, March 22 last occurred in the year 1818, and it will not happen again until 2285. The odds are considerably better for witnessing a late Easter. Many people are still alive from the last time Easter fell on April 25, an event which took place in 1943, and some of those people will still be around when it happens again in 2038.


Free Easter Card

A joyous Easter from all us at DiscipleLand to those of you on the front lines building disciples in the name of Jesus Christ!
Please enjoy sending this Easter card to your family and friends.

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(size: 1,506KB, pdf format)
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Kidology -- Ministry Worker Easter Appreciation

An "egg" themed appreciation note for your volunteers at Easter. Read activity here.

Reprinted with permission from Kidology.org. Find more great ideas for Easter in the Kidology Easter Zone.


Church Spotlight--Woodland Park Baptist Church

Woodland Park is a Southern Baptist Church in Chattanooga, Tennessee. More than 400 kids attend their preschool and elementary ministries. Patrick Newbill is the Children's Pastor.

DL: Tell us about yourself.

Patrick: I became a Children's Pastor while at Southeastern Seminary in 2002. Fortunately Richland Creek Community Church was a small church when I started and they gave me lots of room to "learn/grow" and make some "doozy" mistakes!

DL: How were you introduced to DiscipleLand?
Read entire article >>


Kids Need Good News

(Matthew 19:14; 2 Timothy 3:14-15)

The Situation: Some people say, "Children need to grasp the Gospel's deep significance before they respond." This thinking marginalizes the power of the Good News. As a result, many kids don't become aware that Jesus can help them face difficult challenges. Read entire article>>

The Solution: As soon as children become aware of personal sin, they are ripe to respond to the Gospel. By the age of 8-10, kids develop the ability to think abstractly. They can understand the concept of substitution-that Jesus took their place and died to forgive their sins. Present the Good News to them-clearly and enthusiastically!

What You Can Do: Discern your child's spiritual condition. Is he or she ready to respond, struggling to understand, or resisting the Gospel message? Don't manipulate a child to simply do what you want. After your child responds to God's offer of forgiveness and new life, encourage him or her to publicly profess faith in Christ to friends, family, and others.


Discipleship Tip

Ask God's Spirit to help you become sensitive about sharing the Gospel with your kids. The opportunity might come at any time. Some people hesitate to share the Gospel because they fear presenting it incorrectly. One way to prepare yourself is to acquire tools that help you creatively present Jesus' message. Many are available to choose from. Practice sharing the Good News when you can, so you'll be ready when the Holy Spirit leads you explain the reason for the hope that is in you.


Product Spotlight

Easter is a time to celebrate God's inexpressible gift to people-forgiveness of sins. It is also a time when many people, young and old, trust Christ for the first time, becoming new believers. New Christians need to know "What's next?" My Awesome Adventure is a powerful follow-up resource for kids who are new in their faith. Each lesson introduces one foundational topic (12 in all) for Christian discipleship-the "how-to's" of the faith!

Teach children ages 6-12 the essentials of being fully committed followers of Jesus Christ. Use My Awesome Adventure for self-study, with a mentor, or in a classroom. A Leader Guide and two different Student Workbooks are available.


KidTrendz--Not the Family Hour

A study conducted by the Parents' Television Council found that offensive content during the "family hour" has risen 52 percent since 2000. Between the hours of 8 and 9 pm Eastern and Pacific time (7 and 8 pm Central and Mountain time), TV shows are supposed to be suitable for family viewing. The study by the PTC concluded that there was one instance of unsuitable content every 4.8 minutes during what we call "the family hour." Unsuitable content may be violent or sexual or contain profane language. The most unsuitable content was found on the Fox network. The least was found on CW, although there was still approximately one instance every 6 minutes on that network. On any television network, the shows most likely to be free of unsuitable content were reality shows or talent competitions.

Originally published in January/February issue of K! Magazine, copyright 2008, KidzMatter Inc. Used with permission.


DiscipleLand Training on the Road

We hope to see you in:

Clovis, CA April 4, 2008
Woodstock, GA April 17-18 2008
Racine, WI April 26, 2008

Dick Crider, DiscipleLand Training Consultant, has several weekends available for a Spring Training. Please contact him if you are interested. 877-416-3742


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