During the years of raising my kids, the world's landscape changed dramatically.  When I was pregnant, the best selling book (which I had to buy at the bookstore) was "What To Expect When Expecting."

When my boys were small, I attended MOPS and eagerly awaited the monthly newsletter that the president handed out each month.  As they got a little older, we started attending Sunday School at COTHA and again, I eagerly awaited the MAILED newsletter.  

Oh, how I wish I had the technology then that we have today.

Today we have instant access to tens of thousands of websites, apps, blogs, Instagram profiles, FaceBook pages, etc.  It's both a beautiful and vexing situation for parents looking for relevant information and guidance to raise their children.

Where to even begin?

We have been an ORANGE church for several years now.  What is Orange?  The concept came from the idea that BOTH the FAMILY and the CHURCH loved children.  But the CHURCH only has access to children once a week, for an hour, while the FAMILY is with the child much more.  

If you assign YELLOW (light of the world) to the CHURCH and RED (love) to the FAMILY, you get ORANGE!  

It's the CHURCH and FAMILY working together to RAISE children in love with the Lord!

And let's face the harsh truth.  Raising children amidst the chaos of today's world is increasingly challenging, and yet we are commanded to raise our children knowing the Lord.

On August 27th, COTHA is hosting an open house at 9a.  We invite you to visit classrooms and chat with our teachers and leaders to learn more about how COTHA wants to help you do family better. 

Donna Matthews
Administrator
donna@cotha.org
713-502-6518

Hello COTHA Kids families!

We have some exciting news to share with you!  In an effort to better serve our 4th and 5th graders and streamline our student program, Route 56 has been converted into I-45 (Innerfaith 45).  

WHOOP!

It is our hope that I-45 will nurture our 4th and 5th graders' growth in their faith and also form bonds of friendship so that as they enter into the student program they will feel comfortable and secure with relationships that have been formed.  I-45 will use the Orange/252Basic curriculum.

This new ministry will be lead by Jennifer Bolt and Mark Tucker with many of the great COTHA kids volunteers that have already been serving your kids.

Here's What You Need To Know
8/18: 
Meet new friends and kick off the school year with an I-45 lock-in - register at www.cotha.org/events
8/27:
It's FUN FAIR - come see City Centre, the Garage, and COTHA Kids fall curriculum
9/3: 
New Sunday Schedule!!
Join us for breakfast at 9a
Sunday School moves to 9:30a

K-5th grade - check in at City Centre and go to new rooms

6th - 12th grade - meet down in the HUB

Xperience at 10:30a
K-5th grade - follow the banner out for Xperience

9/6: 
Wednesday Night Refuel
K-5th grade - for parents involved in Wednesday night programming and small groups...check in at City Centre

6th - 12th grade - meet down in the HUB
THANK YOU!
As we say goodbye to Route 56, we would like to give HUGE thanks to Luc Huyse and Erick Segarra for all their years of work in the Route 56 program.  Their dedication and commitment were outstanding and a blessing to COTHA.  Luc will continue to help in I-45, while Erick will move into helping in the student ministry.
Sean Nelson
Adult and Family Discipleship Pastor
sean@cotha.org

We all have our special ____.  For some, it’s the mission trips, for some LOTS.  For me, it’s Christmas @ COTHA.  Our church family proves every year to be generous beyond measure.  

This year I was excited about the new Christmas @ COTHA tree that we designed and built. It’s new; it’s cute.  It made me have a little skip in my step every time I looked at it in the foyer.  It’s the little things, right?  

Next is the excitement I feel when making lists for the receiving families.  I get giddy at the thought of those kiddos opening gifts that so much love and joy went into putting the under the tree.  

All of that is exciting…and thrilling…but nothing compared to the excitement and thrill I got on Monday morning.  Darrel texted the staff that we’d had a break in and the Christmas @ COTHA gifts were gone!!!  I’m in Boston, trying to navigate the streets to return a rental car (not easy) and my mind is going 90 to nothing trying to figure what to do next.  I let my human side squeak out and started crying thinking of all the kids that might get let down.  It hurt my heart.  I want so very badly for all the families to get all they ask for, and I was scared that wouldn’t happen.  FEAR.  It’ll get you every time. 

Once at our gate, and we had taken a deep breath, all the steps started falling into place.  

Christmas @ COTHAThis letter was sent to COTHA in response to Christmas @ COTHA...where we look inside our congregation for families that might need a little extra help this time of year. All donations and families are anonymous hence the "open letter".  We collected over 100 gifts for 7 families...a big thank you to all that helped make Christmas that much brighter for someone else!

To our sweet COTHA family,
We want to thank you so much for your generosity and thoughtfulness extended to our family. In the midst of your own busy holiday schedules and "to do" lists, it warms our hearts that you would take time to think of us in such a special way, as to come bearing gifts to place under our tree.
Each day our family enjoys your gifts of prayer, compassion, gentleness, joy, faith, and fellowship; however, it would seem that the saying is true..."the ornaments of our lives are the friends that bless it".
Thank you so much for blessing our lives daily and especially at the season of Christmas and sharing your love and kindness with us. We wish you a very Merry Christmas and most Blessed New Year.

By Mark Tucker, Ministry Pastor of COTHA Kids Xperience
Christmas at COTHA is a special time of year for children of all ages, from 8 months to 88 years old and beyond. It is a season of joy, peace, love, and family togetherness. Christmas is also the most familiar of the church seasons for our COTHA Kids, who range in age from five to ten years old. Ask any of them, and they will know the true meaning of the season: it’s all about celebrating the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ.
Sure, for my kindergarten crew clear through to the fourth graders, and everywhere in between, Christmas is also about the magic of Santa Claus, stockings, holiday lights, hot chocolate, presents under the tree, and a very intimidating “naughty vs. nice” list. In the same breath, however, they will share the tale of Joseph and Mary, no room at the inn, a baby born in a manger, surrounded by animals, a bright star in the sky and, eventually, a couple of wise men bringing gifts to our newborn Prince of Peace.
They will also tell you something you might not expect from ones so young: It’s also about a season of compassion. “Compassion” is a big, important word and, thanks to our friends at Orange (the ministry curriculum/framework we use here at COTHA), we’re spending the entire month of December digging deep to learn the meaning. Yes, this month’s COTHA Kids Life App is Compassion, which is “caring enough to do something about someone else’s need.” And it’s not just about learning a definition, but it’s the way they apply it in real world form that is global and epic and will melt your heart.
For the past 15+ years, the COTHA Kids have partnered with World Vision to share gifts of compassion with other children around the world. Last year, through our church’s amazing gifts, led by our children’s energy and efforts, we collected enough donations to buy a goat, two pigs, some bibles, a few soccer balls, plus clean water, new clothing, medicine, school supplies, 10 trees, fishing supplies, and seeds.
This year, it’s all about a cow. Yes, I said it, they want to raise enough money to donate a cow! As their pastor, it puts a huge smile on my face and gives me a whole lot to “moo” about. In the past, I have witnessed children emptying their piggy banks into the collection basket, penny by penny. I have seen my student ministry crew members, inspired by the cause and the kids, answer the compassion challenge themselves and donate greatly from their own wallets and purses. My favorite moments are listening to stories of the COTHA Kids who worked odds jobs around the house or in their neighborhoods to earn the money themselves. You see, they are learning early in their lives that the true reward of the season is the joy of giving. That compassion then amplifies their gratitude when receiving gifts themselves. It’s an amazing cycle that continues on in their spiritual growth journey here at COTHA.

Would you please play a part? 
If you are interested in helping the COTHA Kids make their Compassion Challenge goal in support of World Vision, please click HERE
For more details on World Vision, please visit their website: www.worldvision.org.
To learn more about the Orange curriculum, check out http://thinkorange.com.

By Darrel Proffitt, Lead Pastor
One of the many things I like about having gone “Orange” this fall for our children and student’s ministries is the way they architects of the curriculum constantly remind teachers, small group leaders and facilitators what it is that we believe.  They place this in all their material, week after week:
ABOUT GOD
God is the one and only true God, yet He exists in three persons: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. God is the Creator, so everything belongs to Him and is under His control. God is holy, so He is righteous, majestic and loving. God is all knowing and purposeful, so He’s at work to bring about His will. No person, thing or idea compares to God.
ABOUT THE SCRIPTURES
God reveals Himself to us through the Bible, and it is 100% accurate, reliable and authoritative.
 ABOUT PEOPLE
People are made in God’s image and for His pleasure. But everybody falls short of God’s intention, or ideal, for people. In other words, everyone has sinned. As a result, we are all separated from Him, even though He wants an intimate relationship with each of us.
 ABOUT SALVATION
That’s why Jesus, God’s Son, came and lived on this earth, died and rose again. God offers His free gift of salvation to all who believe in Jesus and accept Him as Savior, the only way to be forgiven and reconciled to God. Anyone who accepts this gift is adopted as a son or daughter into God’s family and will live with Him forever in heaven.
 We are using the same wording in the packet we are preparing for all of our Sermon-based Small groups that begin meeting during the week of October 5.  We are doing this to remind us who we are and what we believe.  To be reminded of the very foundation of our faith family is to be empowered to live more fully into who God has called us to be and what God has called us to do.
If you want more information about being in a sermon based small group, let us know at info@cotha.org.

By Sean Nelson, Pastor of Discipleship

Martin Luther was born in 1483 in Germany. His family was classified as peasants but his father was determined to give his son a better life. His father wanted him to be a lawyer but a storm in 1505 altered the curse of Martin Luther. Believing that ST. Anne saved him from the storm he vowed to become a monk. He devoted his life to a Monastery despite the disappointment it would bring to his father. These decisions came from a fear of hell and God instilled by an early education in the church.    
            His Monastery life wasn’t what he thought. It was difficult and the spiritual enlightenment he sought never was found. Along came a mentor who challenged him to focus solely on Jesus and let that become his ambition. This proved to be the stimulation needed for holy discontentment in his life.  Later, Martin received the opportunity to serve the church, which led to more disillusionment. Frustrated and discouraged by the lack of leadership and integrity he witnessed, he enrolled in the University of Wittenberg to escape the madness.  
            This attempt was unsuccessful; he didn’t run away from the madness he was faced it head on.  Time spent reading the Bible helped him see the glaring disconnect between the papacy and the scriptures. Two Scriptures, in particular, changed his life – Psalm 22:1 and Romans 1:17. 
             If you are unfamiliar with how the story ends check it out - http://www.christianitytoday.com/ch/131christians/theologians/luther.html?start=1
            God desires to impact the world around you but he always start from the inside out. All other mechanisms for change are fallible. Working from Salvation is the only spiritual, and logical, result of our life in Christ.  Let God start a spiritual revolt within by reading his word and praying for His will to be done in us.
 O taste and see that the Lord is good. In His presence and with His people