Christmas Eve Children's Sermon

We have been anxiously waiting for this night for four and half weeks now! Are you so excited? Do you know who is being born tonight? JESUS! Yes! Jesus! A long time ago on a night just like this Jesus was born! And the angels in heaven were so excited they had to tell the shepherds who were watching their sheep to go see Jesus. The angels told the shepherds to go to Bethlehem to find in a manger a baby named Jesus wrapped in a blanket who was the born King of Kings. They followed a bright star to find the baby Jesus lying in a manger. Tonight at the end of our service we are each going to have a light to help us remember the star in the sky and to remember the light of Jesus. We are going to have special lights. I have gotten you all a special Christmas present. After our prayer I will give each of you a special glow stick to shake up and hold at the end of the service.

Dear God, thank you for sending us the Light in baby Jesus. Amen.

Web Wednesday

Here is a new link for you to check out http://www.christianitytoday.com/childrensministry/! They have lots of articles to help develop you as a leader and your volunteers as great leaders. Check it out!

Fourth Sunday of Advent: Love

Fourth Sunday of Advent: Love

“So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in a manger.”
Luke 2:16

Call to Worship
Leader: Let’s get ready!
Children: Let’s get ready!
Leader: Let’s get ready for Baby Jesus!
Children: Let’s get ready for Baby Jesus!
Leader: Only one more week until his birthday!
Children: Only one more week until his birthday!
Leader: Let’s light the Advent wreath!
(There will be a wreath on the table for Advent.)

Joys and Concerns
Have the children share a few joys and concerns they have and follow with a prayer thanking God for our joys and asking God to be with us in our concerns. 

Sharing
Ask: Today is the Fourth Sunday in Advent. The word Advent means the arrival of something. Do you know who we are waiting for to arrive? (Jesus)Yes! Advent is the time we use to get ready for the birth of Jesus.

Listening
Today we are going to read the story about Jesus’ birth from the bible.
Luke 2:1-20 (The Message)

The Birth of Jesus

 ^1-5About that time Caesar Augustus ordered a census to be taken throughout the Empire. This was the first census when Quirinius was governor of Syria. Everyone had to travel to his own ancestral hometown to be accounted for. So Joseph went from the Galilean town of Nazareth up to Bethlehem in Judah, David's town, for the census. As a descendant of David, he had to go there. He went with Mary, his fiancée, who was pregnant.

 ^6-7While they were there, the time came for her to give birth. She gave birth to a son, her firstborn. She wrapped him in a blanket and laid him in a manger, because there was no room in the hostel.

An Event for Everyone

 ^8-12There were sheepherders camping in the neighborhood. They had set night watches over their sheep. Suddenly, God's angel stood among them and God's glory blazed around them. They were terrified. The angel said, "Don't be afraid. I'm here to announce a great and joyful event that is meant for everybody, worldwide: A Savior has just been born in David's town, a Savior who is Messiah and Master. This is what you're to look for: a baby wrapped in a blanket and lying in a manger."

 ^13-14At once the angel was joined by a huge angelic choir singing God's praises:

   Glory to God in the heavenly heights,
   Peace to all men and women on earth who please him.

 ^15-18As the angel choir withdrew into heaven, the sheepherders talked it over. "Let's get over to Bethlehem as fast as we can and see for ourselves what God has revealed to us." They left, running, and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger. Seeing was believing. They told everyone they met what the angels had said about this child. All who heard the sheepherders were impressed.

 ^19-20Mary kept all these things to herself, holding them dear, deep within herself. The sheepherders returned and let loose, glorifying and praising God for everything they had heard and seen. It turned out exactly the way they'd been told!

Exploring
Color and cut out a nativity scene.
http://dailycoloringpages.com/images/nativity-diorama-christmas-coloring-pages-01.png
Benediction
Say: God of our world, thank you for Advent! Amen.

Web Wednesday

I would recommend to everyone the power of Twitter. If you don't already have a Twitter account here are a few reasons why you should get one:

1. So many people have moved to this form of communication. You can talk about what you are working on, ask for suggestions, and post website links.
2. It's a form of free marketing and advertising. If you want people to know about an activity you are planning, they can see your updates and gather that information instantly.
3. Social networking. They say it's all about who you know. Well here you can talk to people all over the world, get ideas, and make new support systems based on your needs.

Twitter is awesome. My twitter profile is this: www.twitter.com/iheartchildren. Check me out and while you are there check out this live feed of all this children's ministry: http://twitter.com/#search?q=kidmin. Anyone who tags their post as #kidmin will be included in this list. 

Advent: Week 3

Third Sunday of Advent: Joy

“So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in a manger.”
Luke 2:16

Call to Worship
Leader: Let’s get ready!
Children: Let’s get ready!
Leader: Let’s get ready for Baby Jesus!
Children: Let’s get ready for Baby Jesus!
Leader: Only two more weeks until his birthday!
Children: Only two more weeks until his birthday!
Leader: Let’s light the Advent wreath!
(There will be a wreath on the table for Advent.)

Joys and Concerns
Have the children share a few joys and concerns they have and follow with a prayer thanking God for our joys and asking God to be with us in our concerns. 

Sharing
Ask: Today is the Third Sunday in Advent. The word Advent means the arrival of something. Do you know who we are waiting for to arrive? (Jesus)Yes! Advent is the time we use to get ready for the birth of Jesus.

Listening
On Christmas morning, boys and girls around the world will wake up early and run excitedly downstairs to see what Santa Claus has left for them... Well, that's not exactly how it goes -- around the world children celebrate the Christmas holidays in many different ways.

In Germany, the 6th of December is a special day:

...There's a special tradition all over Germany on December 6th. [On] the evening of December 5th you put your cleaned (big) boots outside the house in front of the door (or inside). Some people also put a plate there or on the windowsill. The bread in the plate is for the white horse of Santa Claus ... In the morning you see that Santa Claus really was at your house and put nice things into the boots or plates, e.g., all kinds of nuts, oranges, apples, sweets, chocolate, small presents ... But if you [weren't] well behaved the whole year you only get a switch so that your parents can punish you, but they don't!
Kristine and Wiebke, Germany

And in Italy, January 6th is a day long-awaited by many children:

The 6th of January is the day on which the three Wise Men arrive at the Bethlehem cave in which kid Jesus is and give him gold, incense and myrrh and for this reason in Italy children receive presents traditionally brought by the "Befana," a good old witch who comes into their homes through the chimney. This is the last day to the Christmas holiday in Italy.
Elisbetta, Italy

In Sweden, December 13th is a special day that children look forward to all year long:

Saint Lucia [Day] is celebrated all over Sweden on December 13th. The custom with the girl dressed in white with candles on her head has a complicated background ... In our school we celebrate Saint Lucia Day outside very early in the morning while it's still dark. Our Saint Lucia is coming in a carriage pulled by a very small horse. She is followed by Santa Claus on a big horse and a lot of girls and boys in white gowns and a lot of candles. They all sing traditional Christmas songs and read poems. After the ceremony we all eat ginger cookies and bread with saffron. To celebrate is very important to Swedish people.

What are some of the Christmas traditions your family have?

Exploring
A long Christmas tradition is the tradition to send Christmas cards. Today we are going to make a card for someone special!

http://www.daniellesplace.com/Images3/christmascard2003pat.gif
Benediction
Say: God of our world, thank you for Advent! Amen.

This Christmas

This Christmas will be a new experience for me. It will be Andrew and I's very first Christmas together. We have been talking a lot about what we will be doing this season and what traditions we celebrated with our families before that we would like to incorporate into our new Christmas traditions. I am quite demanding about a few things, like we must fall asleep before Santa comes, and that Christmas light drives have to occur for it to feel like the Christmas season. He had different traditions and different demands. He wants Christmas cookie smells and a white light Christmas tree. As a 22 year old you would think that maybe by now I would have grown up a bit and that Christmas would be less exciting. Pondering my inability to see that I should grow up and out of these Christmas traditions, I learned something. Christmas is a time for joy and families. Christmas is about the traditions we all establish. Without these important experiences we miss out on the meanings. The season is such a joyful one. We all get excited about the coming of Christmas. The anticipation. The wonderful things to come. I love Christmas because everyone seems so happy. Jesus is coming and we are all eagerly awaiting that joyful message. It is important that we establish traditions. We make it more real that way I think. Without the Christmas lights everything just feels like any other time. But this season is so unlike any other. More people are helping others, giving to others and feeling good about the coming year. We have hope because of the Christmas season. And the Christmas story has always been one of hope. So I encourage all of you to take some time and talk about what makes Christmas Christmas for you and to find that joy, hope and anticipation that we so easily forget at any other time of the year.

Second Sunday of Advent

Second Sunday of Advent: Faith

“So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in a manger.”
Luke 2:16

Call to Worship
Leader: Let’s get ready!
Children: Let’s get ready!
Leader: Let’s get ready for Baby Jesus!
Children: Let’s get ready for Baby Jesus!
Leader: Only three more weeks until his birthday!
Children: Only three more weeks until his birthday!
Leader: Let’s light the Advent wreath!
(There will be a wreath on the table for Advent.)

Joys and Concerns
Have the children share a few joys and concerns they have and follow with a prayer thanking God for our joys and asking God to be with us in our concerns.

Sharing
Ask: Today is the Second Sunday in Advent. The word Advent means the arrival of something. Do you know who we are waiting for to arrive? (Jesus)Yes! Advent is the time we use to get ready for the birth of Jesus.

Listening
Today is the day we celebrate Saint Nicholas. Does anyone know who St. Nick is?

The origin of Santa Claus begins in the 4th century with Saint Nicholas, Bishop of Myra, an area in present day Turkey. By all accounts St. Nicholas was a generous man, particularly devoted to children. After his death around 340 A.D. he was buried in Myra, but in 1087 Italian sailors purportedly stole his remains and removed them to Bari, Italy, greatly increasing St. Nicholas' popularity throughout Europe.

His kindness and reputation for generosity gave rise to claims he that he could perform miracles and devotion to him increased. St. Nicholas became the patron saint of Russia, where he was known by his red cape, flowing white beard, and bishop's miter.

In Greece, he is the patron saint of sailors, in France he was the patron of lawyers, and in Belgium the patron of children and travelers. Thousands of churches across Europe were dedicated to him and sometime around the 12th century an official church holiday was created in his honor. The Feast of St. Nicholas was celebrated December 6 and the day was marked by gift-giving and charity.

Exploring
Like Saint Nicholas, we are going to draw a picture about what presents we would like to give. If you could give any gift to the people of the world, what would that gift be? Draw a picture of your gift and write a sentence to explain what your gift is and why you chose it.
Benediction
Say: God of our world, thank you for Advent! Amen.
More Exploring

http://www.stnicholascenter.org/stnic/assets/stnic_children_coloring.pdf

http://www.stnicholascenter.org/stnic/assets/puzzle-3.pdf

http://www.stnicholascenter.org/stnic/assets/puzzle-1.pdf

First Sunday of Advent

First Sunday of Advent: Hope

“So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in a manger.”
Luke 2:16

Call to Worship
Leader: Let’s get ready!
Children: Let’s get ready!
Leader: Let’s get ready for Baby Jesus!
Children: Let’s get ready for Baby Jesus!
Leader: Only four more weeks until his birthday!
Children: Only four more weeks until his birthday!
Leader: Let’s light the Advent wreath!
(There will be a wreath on the table for Advent.)

Joys and Concerns
Have the children share a few joys and concerns they have and follow with a prayer thanking God for our joys and asking God to be with us in our concerns. 

Sharing
Ask: Today is the first Sunday in Advent. The word Advent means the arrival of something. Do you know who we are waiting for to arrive? (Jesus)Yes! Advent is the time we use to get ready for the birth of Jesus.

Listening
What are some of the things you do at home to get ready for Christmas? (Decorate cookies, decorate a Christmas tree, etc.) If you look around the room and the church you will see that we already have something different for the season. Can you tell me what you see that is new for today? (An advent wreath) What colors are the candles? (3 purple, 1 pink, and 1 white.) The purple candles tell us that a King will be born on Christmas. Who is that King? (Jesus) The pink candle reminds us that Jesus is a person just like the rest of us. The white candle symbolizes the purity of Christ. Today we lit the first purple candle. This is the candle of hope. It is called the candle of hope because of our hope in the coming of Jesus. God sent us Jesus to teach us about God and the way we should treat each other.

Exploring
Make an Advent wreath for the Advent season!
http://www.dltk-holidays.com/t.asp?b=m&t=http://www.dltk-holidays.com/xmas/images/bpaperadvent1.gif
http://www.dltk-holidays.com/t.asp?b=m&t=http://www.dltk-holidays.com/xmas/images/bpaperadvent2.gif

Benediction
Say: God of our world, thank you for Advent! Amen.

Creatures in God’s World: Animal Homes

Creatures in God’s World: Animal Homes
“Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young at your altars, O Lord of Hosts and my God.” Psalm 84:3
Call to Worship
(Sung to “The Bear Went over the Mountain”)
Let’s worship God, let’s worship God, let’s worship God,
With joyful hearts, with joyful hearts, with joyful hearts,
Let’s worship God with joyful hearts!

Joys and Concerns
Have the children share a few joys and concerns they have and follow with a prayer thanking God for our joys and asking God to be with us in our concerns.

Sharing
Ask: Have you ever seen a bird’s nest? (We have one in our tree at home, etc.)
Listening
During the story, children will play the roll of a bird flying about building a nest. Have the children practice flapping their wings. Tell them that they are to flap their wings three times whenever they hear the word fly.
Say: I am a mother bird. I need to build a nest where I can lay my eggs. I’ve chosen this tree branch as the best place to build my nest. Now I must fly (pause) around and look for materials. Whenever I find something, I’ll bring it back to this branch. Since I am called a Baltimore Oriole, I like to build my nest with lots of materials.
I see some twigs. I’ll fly (pause) down and get those. There are some stalks of grass in that field. I’ll fly (pause) down and get those too. Oh good! I see some string over there on the ground. I’ll fly (pause) down and pick it up. There’s a long piece of yarn hanging from that low branch. I’ll fly (pause) and get that next. Great! There’s a clump of hair from someone’s hair brush. I’ll fly (pause) over near the porch and get that. Now I’ll fly (pause) down and get some more grass. This nest is really coming along! What a wonderful nest for my babies. I’m glad God gave animals the ability to make their own home.
Exploring
Make a Bagel Bird Feeder!

Say: There’s a verse in the Bible that talks about birds who nested at the temple. “Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young at your altars, O Lord of Hosts and my God.” Psalm 84:3. There are birds who live near our church, too. Today we’re going to make a treat for you to give to the birds who live near your homes.
What you need:
Bagel
Plastic knife
Yarn or string
Peanut butter or lard
Birdseed
Split the bagel in half. On the flat side spread peanut butter or lard. Sprinkle the birdseed on a paper plate. Press the peanut buttered side of the bagel into the birdseed. Tie a string onto the bagel and hang in a tree.

Read more: http://kidscrafts.suite101.com/article.cfm/easy_to_make_bird_feeders#ixzz0OwZLzbE8

Benediction
Say: Loving God, Thank you so much for the wonder creatures in our world. Amen.

St. Nicholas Day Celebration

December 6th is Saint Nicholas Day! I am so excited to be celebrating this Saint's day! Saint Nicholas was a Bishop of Myra and is known for secret gift giving. He would put coins in shoes that were left out for him and is the model for our Santa Claus. He did many things for children and lived a very selfless life. We will be celebrating his decision to live a life like Jesus exampled by taking a decorated Christmas tree to a nursing home near our church. We will be practicing our selfless giving and the joy that comes with doing good for others. I think this is a great way to celebrate the Advent season and to teach our children to grow up and be loving people.

Creatures in God’s World: Loving Pets

Creatures in God’s World: Loving Pets
“But the poor man had nothing but one little ewe lamb, which he had bought.” 2 Samuel 12:3
Call to Worship
(Sung to “The Bear Went over the Mountain”)
Let’s worship God, let’s worship God, let’s worship God,
With joyful hearts, with joyful hearts, with joyful hearts,
Let’s worship God with joyful hearts!

Joys and Concerns
Have the children share a few joys and concerns they have and follow with a prayer thanking God for our joys and asking God to be with us in our concerns.

Sharing
Ask: Can you tell us about a pet you have or would like to have? (I have a puppy named Rover, I want a fish, etc.)
Listening
Use two poems about a lamb to help children think about loving pets.
Ask: There’s a famous poem about a girl who loved her pet lamb. What’s the name of the poem? (Mary Had A Little Lamb)
Say: Let’s say the poem together:
Mary had a little lamb, little lamb, little lamb.
Mary had a little lamb its fleece was white as snow,
And everywhere that Mary went, Mary went, Mary went
And everywhere that Mary went the lamb was sure to go.
Continue: There’s a story about a pet lamb in the Bible too. Here’s a poem about that lamb:
There’s a story in the Bible about a little lamb,
Who was loved oh so much by a poor man.
He brought her home and cared for her,
And treated her like a daughter.
He shared his food and his cup,
And everyday he picked her up!
Read the rhyme again, asking the children to repeat each line after you.
Conclude by saying: God has given us pets to love. What a wonderful part of God’s wonderful world!
Exploring
Have the children put on paint smocks and ask them to paint with watercolors on card stock paper a pet they have or a pet they want.
Benediction
Say: Loving God, Thank you so much for the wonder creatures in our world. Amen.

My Wednesday Night Experience

This past Wednesday for our 7 o'clock classes I decided that we would break from our normal routine and all be together. Our various classes have been learning various ways to be with God, inevitably learning that God is in everything, and I have a secret passion for dance, so we all were going to take a break to dance. Now I am talking children from age 4-14 all in a open hallway with Miley Cyrus, John Lennon, Casting Crowns, and many others. I had a plan, which I will post below, but having had some experience in ministry knew that with or without a plan it was going to happen the way it was going to happen. We spent an hour dancing, running, breathing, playing, singing, giggling, and just having fun in the Holy Spirit. It was a great time! After we were done stretching and cooling down I asked the kids what they had learned from all of this. These were their answers: that our body tells us more things than I'm sleepy or I'm sick, that God is with us even when we are just being silly, that we need to watch out for other people so we don't hurt them, and that dancing with God is fun. It was a WONDERFUL experience. I got to share something I love with them and they got to teach me about how God uses our movements for God's love.

Liturgical Dance Lesson Plan

Coloring sheets

Talk about dancing: Our bodies have special knowledge that our heads don't have. Our bodies tell us when we are sick, or sleepy, or happy. We can use our bodies to feel God too. We have been learning how to worship God in new ways this fall. We’ve learned that we can be with God when we paint, sing, talk, color, make crowns, and make sculptures out of clay. Tonight we are going o learn how to be with God through dance. At church we call this type of dance liturgical dance. I am going to walk us through stretching and a warm up and then I am going to give you an example of what liturgical dance looks like. I want you to know that there is no right way to dance in liturgical dance. The goal here is to use movement to find God. 

There is a Bible verse I want us to learn: 

²Let Israel be glad in its Maker;

   let the children of Zion rejoice in their King. 
³Let them praise his name with dancing

Stretch: “Watching the wheels go round”

Warm up: “Party in the USA”

Example: “She Is Love”

Loosen up: “Fireflies”

Fast Liturgical Dance: “If We Are the Body”

Slow Free Moving Liturgical dance: “Everything”

Cool Down Dance: “Wonderful Life”

Stretch: “Send It On”

3 Extra Songs: “I Saw God Today”, “If Today Was Your Last Day”, “Imagine”

The Nuts and Bolts of Christian Education

Let me first say that Delia Halverson is amazing. Anyone of her books is a must for any Christian Educators library. This one in particular is a favorite of mine. If you had no idea what to expect when taking a Christian ed job, this book would act as your life vest. If has so many helpful ideas on how to start. It is easy to follow. It has reproducibles in the back for important Christian Ed plans. It really is a must have.

The Church Calendar Part 3

The Church Calendar: Part 3
Call to Worship
(Sung to “The Bear Went over the Mountain”)
Let’s worship God, let’s worship God, let’s worship God,
With joyful hearts, with joyful hearts, with joyful hearts,
Let’s worship God with joyful hearts!

Joys and Concerns
Have the children share a few joys and concerns they have and follow with a prayer thanking God for our joys and asking God to be with us in our concerns.

Sharing
Ask: Do you remember last week’s lesson about the Church Seasons? Can you tell me something you remember? (We celebrate Easter, the color of advent is purple, etc.)
Listening
Last week we talked about the church calendar. We learned that we celebrate Jesus’ life and ministry by following Church Seasons. We begin with Advent, a time in the church year to get ready for Jesus' coming to earth. Followed by Christmas, the celebration of Jesus' coming to be our Friend. Then we celebrate Epiphany, the season when we celebrate the three kings coming to find Jesus. Jesus came for all people everywhere. The next season is the season of Lent, the time when we remember Jesus’ death. After Lent comes Easter, when we celebrate with great joy that Jesus rose from death to live again. Then we celebrate Pentecost, when we celebrate God's sending the Holy Spirit to us. The Sundays after Pentecost remind us how to live and grow in our Christian lives. It is important for us to learn about the church calendar. It helps understand what God has done, what God is doing, and what God will do.
Today we are going to explore the church seasons with different foods and learn more about colors.
Exploring
Have the children eat a small portion of each of these to help them remember the colors of the church seasons.

Advent: purple grapes
Christmas: white marshmallows
Ordinary time: green celery
Lent: no food because of the tradition of fasting
Holy week: red apples
Easter: popcorn
Pentecost: strawberries
Ordinary time: green grapes
Benediction
Say: Loving God, thank you so much for all of the seasons we celebrate you. Amen.

Random Ramblings by Brittany Sky

I work at a relatively small church, therefore creating a fairly small budget - now I am not complaining at all. I know children's programs that have no budget, but I just want everyone to know that I have to be careful about what I spend money on. I write a lot of my own curriculum for this very reason but sometimes I need help or inspiration so I google. In recent weeks I have been googling for ideas for the spring, new curriculum, new special activities, new coloring pages, etc. and have run into a frequent problem on many of the websites listed as top sources, they require you to pay an annual fee. Now I am not saying that people should be working for free. I understand charging for a membership (too a degree) but the fee is never a small one. The reason I thinks this bothers me the most is this: if we are all fighting for the same thing - to show the love of God to all - then why are  we charging each other for the tools we need to do it? They give you a partial lesson or they give you a trial membership, or they allow you to see a few things but never the good stuff. It's always a teaser. Why? I am not trying to criticize anyone, I just want to understand why we charge each other for things we know we all need. We are supposed to be a church, not a business, right?

Wonder-filled Weekdays

This book is great resource for anyone who works with preschool aged children. This particular book (there are several in the wonder-filled series) is the one I used to give me ideas and help for our preschool garden camp (you can find a post on garden camp in the archives). They have lots of lesson plans all centered around a simple scripture and they are pretty adamant on teaching the children about the various ecological aspects of God's creation and how we are all supposed to be taking care of it. It is a great book to include in anyone's library!

Web Wednesday :)

This Wednesday  I would like to recommend http://www.childrensministry.com/ as a good website for free information for children's ministries and Christian education as well. They have a bank of articles about various topics, such as, lessons, leadership help, etc. all based on age groups. The only down side is that you pretty much have to look at each page of articles to find what you need. They aren't very organized, but it is the only children ministries website on the first page of google that gives you free stuff.

Also be aware the theology used on this site is pretty evangelical so for those of us with various theological backgrounds you may have to tamper with their wording to get what you want.

What Do You Do on Wednesday Nights?

I have been working on  my spring scheduling for Wednesday nights. I am trying to discern what will work best for each age group and at what time. I have gotten stuck. What do I do for my preschoolers? They have to be an early class and we most definitely need to have a class, but what do I teach them? I use LIVE BIG during Sunday school and Gracelink during Children's church. What do you do for your preschoolers?

The Church Calendar Part 2

The Church Calendar: Part 2
Call to Worship
(Sung to “The Bear Went over the Mountain”)
Let’s worship God, let’s worship God, let’s worship God,
With joyful hearts, with joyful hearts, with joyful hearts,
Let’s worship God with joyful hearts!

Joys and Concerns
Have the children share a few joys and concerns they have and follow with a prayer thanking God for our joys and asking God to be with us in our concerns.

Sharing
Ask: Do you remember last week’s lesson about the Church Seasons? Can you tell me something you remember? (We celebrate Easter, the color of advent is purple, etc.)
Listening
Last week we talked about the church calendar. We learned that we celebrate Jesus’ life and ministry by following Church Seasons. We begin with Advent, a time in the church year to get ready for Jesus' coming to earth. Followed by Christmas, the celebration of Jesus' coming to be our Friend. Then we celebrate Epiphany, the season when we celebrate the three kings coming to find Jesus. Jesus came for all people everywhere. The next season is the season of Lent, the time when we remember Jesus’ death. After Lent comes Easter, when we celebrate with great joy that Jesus rose from death to live again. Then we celebrate Pentecost, when we celebrate God's sending the Holy Spirit to us. The Sundays after Pentecost remind us how to live and grow in our Christian lives. It is important for us to learn about the church calendar. It helps understand what God has done, what God is doing, and what God will do.
Today we are going to make our own church calendar to take home so we can keep track of the church seasons.
Exploring
Give the children one of each the church season pieces. Have them glue them together like the picture. After they have them glued help them write in the dates for each season.
Advent: November 29 – December 24, 2009
Christmas: December 25, 2009 – February 16, 2010
Epiphany: January 6, 2010
Lent: February 21 – April 4, 2010
Easter: April 4 – May 23, 2010
Ordinary Time: May 24 – November 27, 2010

http://www.sundayschoolkids.com/activities/1lit-post-ordinary-activity.htm
http://www.sundayschoolkids.com/activities/1lit-post-advent-activity.htm
http://www.sundayschoolkids.com/activities/1lit-post-christmas-activity.htm
http://www.sundayschoolkids.com/activities/1lit-post-lent-activity.htm
http://www.sundayschoolkids.com/activities/1lit-post-easter-activity.htm
http://www.sundayschoolkids.com/activities/1lit-post-pentecost-activity.htm
http://www.sundayschoolkids.com/activities/1lit-post-add-on-activity.htm
http://www.sundayschoolkids.com/activities/1-liturgical-seasons-instru-students.htm

Random Ramblings: Follow up on Trunk or Treat

I have recently decided that I will write about whatever floats my boat on Fridays. Today is Friday, so today is that day.

I decided today, now that Halloween is all said and done, that I would follow up on our Trunk or Treat. It was a rainy night so instead of having trick or treating outside we moved everything indoors. I was expecting our usual crowd - the 25 that come on Wednesday nights plus the extra 15 that come on Sundays but not on Wednesdays. I was amazed when 15 minutes before start time we had a crowded hallway waiting to begin. I think there had to be 100 children there plus their families. It was amazing. They all had heard about it from friends and had been wanting to see our church and meet the people there. I don't think one person was disappointed. I am just so so glad that I had enough candy to pass out!

I think that this really taught me about how the simple things can become big things. God was moving through that crowd. We were all happy to be there and spend time with each other, and learn about each other. We had so many age groups represented just to celebrate Halloween. It was awesome. Sometimes we don't need tons of things to make something perfect. God can use what we have and make it great, even if it is just costumes, candy, and crafts.

God, Can You Hear Me? Book Review

I am always amazed at how words and pictures can morph the way a person feels, believes, and even rejects a certain way of life, feeling, believes, see the world. I never noticed how one word could completely change the way you see the word until I was in my Theology in Religious Education class. It all boils down to the definition of the chosen word you use. I find it so interesting. Because I find it so interesting I make sure that the books I give to my children to read are representing the ideas and beliefs I feel are important. Since this class I have yet to find a children's book that I completely whole heartedly felt appropriate for any child in any situation, until last week.

This book by Justine Simmons is a book that I opened up and had to have. I want to find a way to read it to all of the children that come through the door. The illustrations are amazing - no one is left out, it is just done so beautifully. The book itself is a great way to help reassure our children that God is always with us and listening to us. We may be different, scared, angry, confused, but God hears our concerns and comforts us, whether it is a feeling in our hearts, a song, or a hug from a friend. It is a great addition to any library. Children and adults alike need to be reminded that we are loved ALWAYS.

Advent Festival

With Advent right around the corner I decided to recommend an intergenerational family Advent festival as a great church wide activity. The idea behind the one I am planning for the first Sunday of Advent is to provide a craft shop for children to make homemade Christmas presents for their families. The also will be treated to a Christmas themed story, cookie decorating, a box lid to place finished (but not yet dry - paint and glue have a tendency to make a mess when they aren't yet dry), and new this year - a tree to place finished wood ornament. We will be taking the tree the following Sunday to a nursing home as a way to celebrate St. Nicholas.

I remember going to Advent festivals growing up and all of my memories are great. You can't go wrong with crafts, sugar, and spending time with friends. It gets everybody in the Christmas spirit and allows for everyone in the church to experience the joy of Christmas through a child's eyes.

Church Calendar Part 1

The Church Calendar: Part 1
Call to Worship
(Sung to “The Bear Went over the Mountain”)
Let’s worship God, let’s worship God, let’s worship God,
With joyful hearts, with joyful hearts, with joyful hearts,
Let’s worship God with joyful hearts!

Joys and Concerns
Have the children share a few joys and concerns they have and follow with a prayer thanking God for our joys and asking God to be with us in our concerns.

Sharing
Ask: What is your favorite season? (Summer, Winter, etc.)
Listening
We keep track of time and seasons of the year by using calendars. Did you know there is a calendar of seasons just for church? The church uses the seasons of the year as an opportunity for festivals and holidays, and sacred time set aside to worship God.
The Church Calendar focuses on the life and ministry of Jesus. We learn about what happens at the manger, listen on a hillside, walk the streets of Jerusalem, hear the roar of a mob of people, stand beneath the cross, and see the resurrection! The rest of the church year gives us a chance to understand God’s relationship to us, God’s people.
The Christian calendar is organized around two parts of Sacred Time: Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany; and Lent, Holy Week, and Easter, ending at Pentecost. The rest of the year after Pentecost is known as Ordinary Time. Ordinary Time is used to learn about our Faith, especially the mission of the church in the world.
It is important for us to learn about the church calendar. It helps understand what God has done, what God is doing, and what God will do.
Exploring
Teaching the Church Year
The following ideas have been adapted from the lower elementary level of the Alleluia curriculum, published by Augsburg Publishing House, Minneapolis MN.
Create a six-step liturgical-year path on the floor (see descriptions of steps below). Have the children examine the path, explaining that each color represents a part of our church's celebrations. The path is like a whole year of worship and celebration in the church. Permit them to walk over the path. Ask the children to be seated around the path. Tell them that the color of each step is the color used to celebrate a season or special day in the church year. The church year is different from our calendar year. It begins not in January but during the season when we get ready for Jesus' birthday—a season we call Advent.
Step 1. Advent (purple). A time in the church year to get ready for Jesus' coming to earth. Advent means "coming" (Advent candles).
Hand the Christmas symbol to a child to place on the step next to Advent. Continue to have the children mark the steps with the appropriate symbols as you briefly describe how the seasons remind us of what God has done for us.
Step 2. Christmas (white). The celebration of Jesus' coming to be our Friend (manger).
Step 3. Epiphany (white and green). The season when we celebrate the three kings coming to find Jesus. Jesus came for all people everywhere (king's crown).
Step 4. Lent (purple). The time when we remember Jesus’ death (crown of thorns).
Step 5. Easter (white). The resurrection of Jesus, when we celebrate with great joy that Jesus rose from death to live again (butterfly).
Step 6. On Pentecost (red) we celebrate God's sending the Holy Spirit to us. The Sundays after Pentecost (green) remind us how to live and grow in our Christian lives (leaves).
AUTHOR Colette Volkema DeNooyer
Benediction
Say: Loving Creator, Thank you so much for all of the wonderful seasons of the church. Amen.

What's in Worship by Delia Halverson

The new Delia Halverson book is awesome. It is a small book with lots of information. She teaches the reader about what and why we worship, why all age groups including children should be included in worship. It explains the order of worship, and talks about the importance of sacraments. She also has a brief chapter over the church seasons and symbols and talks about what you can find in a hymnal. There are also appendixes included to help explain why children should be include, a layout on how to create a worship service, and how to create a children's bulletin. It was a quick read and very worth it. I will be using it as a main source for a presentation I will be helping give to the Oklahoma Conference. It is a great resource for anyone included in the worship planning process or anyone just interested in learning more about liturgical worship.

Web Wednesday :)

I have found a really great blog that I think is worth sharing! Check out http://ministryideastudios.com/! The author has been a Children's Minister for 25 years. She works as a Development Director with the ReThink Group. Her blog is a great place to seek advice and learn better techniques to be a leader. Check her blog out!

Trunk or Treat

Halloween is just around the corner and what better way to celebrate Halloween with our kids than to have a Trunk or Treat! We are having our first annual Trunk or Treat this Wednesday to provide our church community a safe place to wear costumes, get candy, make crafts, and to fellowship together. The various adult Sunday school classes will be there with various decorated cars and cookies and candy! I am so excited that we will be having a true intergenerational event. It is always a blessing when the various age groups get together, something great always happens. I hope that your church family will partake in this fun holiday by nurturing your children's creativity and showing them the fun and the love of our Creator.

Week 3: The Joy of Laughing

This past Wednesday we discovered God in our laughter. Our group could not contain it's joy this week to settle down! We had a story about being clumsy and how the
embarrassment became a joke to her and we had to laugh right along with her.
In the last few weeks we have been discovering that God is in big things and small things alike. God reveals God's self through everything, we just have to be paying attention.
I am looking forward to this Wednesday to see what God has in store for us. We will be taking a break for the week to participate in Trunk or Treat. It should be a great intergenerational event for the church.

Children's Sabbath Day

Every year the Children's Defense Fund asks religious affiliations to hold a special program to educate their groups on the needs of children in our communities, states and nation, and to celebrate our children. This is the first year that I will be participating in this National Observance and it had reminded me why I wanted to be a Children's Minister in the first place. The children of our world all deserve to live in a world that cares about them and for them. They deserve to have a warm bed, a loving family, food in their bellies, a chance at a successful life, clothes on their backs, and education. No child chooses the circumstances they are born into. The decisions about whether they have food to eat, whether they have a way to go to school, etc, are not made by them. The world's children are everyones responsibility. They say it takes a village to raise a child and I believe that whole heartedly. It is our responsibility to make sure that all children have an equal opportunity to life. It is our responsibility to be the helping hand if no one else is there to offer it. God calls all of us in every faith to love our neighbors, even those smaller than we. God asks us to look out for each other and to take every opportunity that God presents to us to love. I ask that you take this blog post and remember why you are working with children. Take this quick little paragraph and find the fire in your heart for your communities' children. Look for the detours God presents to us to love our neighbors, especially those who cannot help themselves.

Week 2

This week was my week to tell a story from my life to the group. It was required that I be detailed and truthful and as open as possible. I ended up bringing two stories so the girls had examples. Here they are:

This morning on my way to work:

It takes me thirty minutes to drive to work every morning. Usually the drive is fine but this morning I didn’t want to wake up. I got ready to go as fast as I could because I was running late and hopped in the car. Because I was late I usually have a tendency to drive a bit faster than usual and today was the same. I am driving fast down the highway when I take the exit for Choctaw rd. As I make the right onto the sweet little street I am astounded by the beauty of the sky. It was the most beautiful light blue. The sun was shining my favorite golden light and it only made the view more spectacular. The trees are starting to turn a bit so they all have a slight golden color with a few touches of red. One of my favorite songs came on and in that moment everything slowed down. I didn’t want to drive faster I wanted to revel in the beauty of Choctaw rd. The words in the song were the exact words I needed to hear and the melody made me want to dance. It was a wonderful moment. (Play song and then discuss)

The Most Awful Thing of My Life (or so it seemed at the time)

When I was younger I idolized Faith Hill. I wanted so desperately to be a beautiful and talented as Faith Hill. When I was 12 I decided I would follow in her footsteps and chop off all of my hair. For the entirety of my life I had hair all the way down my back. It was long and blonde and to me it was very plain. I wanted to be the girl that everyone saw and thought wow she is so stylish and pretty. So I made a hair appointment. My mom had a friend who lived down the street who was a hair dresser and she didn’t charge us very much and so she was going to come cut all of my hair off for me to make me less awkward and more beautiful. She showed up at our house and asked if we could use my mom’s bathroom as a salon. I sat in a chair as she stood behind me in the tub. I remember the sun coming straight into the big window behind me and it made my mom’s bathroom look colorless it was so white. I sat there waiting for her to begin and she asked a final time if I still wanted my hair cut and I said yes just like Faith Hill. I watched my long blonde hair swirling around down to my feet and began crying. She finished and turned me to look into the mirror. I looked like a boy with bangs. I hated it. I waited for her to exit the bathroom and began bawling. I wanted so desperately to be someone else so that I could be better and ended up hating it, not to mention I got plenty of stares at school the next day but they came with harsh words and mean glares.

I read these to the girls and we talked about things in these stories that reminded us of stories in the Bible, metaphors for God, what they thought of the story, and what they felt while I read it. They had time to write or draw in a journal after our discussion so they could respond on their own without fearing what someone else might say.

And because it made me excited, we also had a new girl come this week. She doesn't go to church but she had heard about what we were doing and felt like this may be a place for her. Somewhere she can go and learn her place in the story of life and help her create her own life story.

Our First Week Together

This Wednesday was the first week of our Girlfriend group. We spent an hour getting to know each other with a bag of M&Ms. This neat game allowed us to gab about our funniest quirks and our favorite things, and our hidden secrets. It was a great way to form a safe place for us to share our most intimate of moments. I am going to attach the game below for those of you who work with youth regularly.

I think this will be a very successful next few weeks. The girls are already excited to get to see what the 22 year old will have to say. It is a nice age difference, but I am still young enough in their minds to know what they feel and to not have a "mom" view. I am very excited where they will lead me in my journey as well. I have always felt that my gifts were with children, and I am not saying that they aren't, but in just an hour I can see how God can use me in different ways.

The M&M Game:

http://www.group-games.com/ice-breakers/mm-game.html

This icebreaker is a simple way to help people introduce facts about themselves. It’s very flexible and adaptable – and (if you have a sweet tooth) delicious too! The M&Ms Game goes by other names: the Skittles Game, the Candy Game, the Color Game, among other names.

Setup

Pour M&Ms or any other multicolor candy into a bowl. Have everyone in the group grab as much or as little as they like from the bowl. Make sure that no one eats their candy right away.

How to Play

For each piece of M&M candy they took, they will have to answer a question, depending on its color. For example, you can designate:

• Red candy: favorite hobbies
• Green candy: favorite foods
• Yellow candy: favorite movies
• Orange candy: favorite places to travel
• Brown candy: most memorable or embarrassing moments
• Blue candy: wild cards (they can share anyone they choose)

You can be creative and choose any questions you think would be fitting for your group. The facilitator will then call out the color topic and everyone will go around the room sharing 1 answer per M&M. As an example: if you chose two red pieces of candy, you will have to name two of your favorite hobbies. After the individual has shared that color with the group, he/she may then eat their candy. Continue to go around the room until each color topic has been shared.

Doing Girlfriend Theology by Dori Grinenko Baker

I had the opportunity to read a book entitled Doing Girlfriend Theology for a class. It is a small group setting for young women, middle school through high school aged. The book lays out a process of meetings where each girl leads the group with an important story from her life. They then discuss the different theological motifs in the girl's story and help her see God in her story and in all of her stories. It was a way of empowering young women to live their story in the comfort of God's love and grace. The book also makes suggestions on how this can be used in male groups and co-ed groups.
"Addressing the problems of girl teens' missing voice (as a footnote to contemporary theology) Baker identifies feminist theology's 30-year disregard for teenage girls. She admits early on that the research result for this book was "to lead girls to more fulfilling lives because of a connection to their feminist inheritance" (page 20). Girlfriend Theology anticipates assisting marginalized teen girls in reclaiming their God-given humanity." Amazon.com
It's a great read and I will be starting a girls group next week based on this book and will be documenting our process in the following weeks.

Colors in God’s World: The Yellow Sun

Colors in God’s World: The Yellow Sun
“God made the two great lights – the brighter light to rule the day and the dimmer light to rule the night.” Genesis 1:16

Call to Worship
(Sung to “The Bear Went over the Mountain”)
Let’s worship God, let’s worship God, let’s worship God,
With joyful hearts, with joyful hearts, with joyful hearts,
Let’s worship God with joyful hearts!

Joys and Concerns
Have the children share a few joys and concerns they have and follow with a prayer thanking God for our joys and asking God to be with us in our concerns.

Sharing
Ask: What is something you like to do outdoors on a sunny day? (swimming, playing on the playground, etc.)
Listening
Begin by holding up the Bible. Ask: What book is this? (The Bible.)
Say: We learn a lot about God’s world in the Bible. In the first book of the Bible, the book of Genesis, we learn how God created the world. These verses tell of God creating the sun and the moon and the stars. “14 And God said, ‘Let there be lights in the dome of the sky to separate the day from the night; and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years, 15and let them be lights in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth.’ And it was so. 16God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars. 17God set them in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth, 18to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good.19And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day. Genesis 1:14-19” On the fourth day of creation, God made the sun. The sun gives energy and warmth to the world; causes plants to grow; and gives light. Without light, we would not be able to see any color in God’s world. Ask the children to each name one or two things in God’s world that they especially like to see.
Exploring
Sun weather mobile: Take a paper plate and have the children draw a sun on both sides of the plate. Have them glue streamers to the bottom and a string on top so they can hang them up.
Benediction
Say: Loving God, thank you so much for the yellow sun. Amen.

Colors in God’s World: White Manna

Colors in God’s World: White Manna

“The house of Israel called it Manna, it was like coriander seed, white and the taste of it was like wafers made of honey.” Exodus 16:31

Call to Worship
(Sung to “The Bear Went over the Mountain”)
Let’s worship God, let’s worship God, let’s worship God,
With joyful hearts, with joyful hearts, with joyful hearts,
Let’s worship God with joyful hearts!

Joys and Concerns
Have the children share a few joys and concerns they have and follow with a prayer thanking God for our joys and asking God to be with us in our concerns.

Sharing
Ask: Can you tell us one of your favorite foods? (pizza, candy, steak, etc.)
Listening
Tell the children the story of the Israelites and the manna.
Say: In the Bible, we hear about a man named Moses. Moses led his family and friends, they are called Israelites, out of Egypt into the Holy Land. To get to the Holy Land, they had to cross the desert. They got very hungry as they walked across the desert so God sent them a special food to eat. They found this food on the ground. Listen to our Bible verse again which tells us about this special food. “The house of Israel called it Manna, it was like coriander seed, white and the taste of it was like wafers made of honey.” This stuff called Manna is like saltine crackers and our Jewish friends still eat these crackers when they have celebrations.
God still gives us special foods. Our foods aren’t just white, like the manna, but it comes in many colors. Let’s go around and name a food, then tell what color it is. (Let the children take turns naming foods and telling their colors.)
Exploring
Have the children make a colorful table runner for your next church fellowship event. Roll out the paper and have the children watch you write “Thank you God for colorful foods.” Using butcher paper and markers, have the children decorate the runner with their favorite colorful foods. If the need ideas suggest grapes, pizza, cupcakes, bananas, etc.
Benediction
Say: Loving God, thank you so much for colorful foods. Amen.

Colors in God’s World: Red Mittens

Colors in God’s World: Red Mittens
“She is not afraid for her household when it snows, for all her household is clothed in crimson.” Proverbs 31:21
Call to Worship
(Sung to “The Bear Went over the Mountain”)
Let’s worship God, let’s worship God, let’s worship God,
With joyful hearts, with joyful hearts, with joyful hearts,
Let’s worship God with joyful hearts!

Joys and Concerns
Have the children share a few joys and concerns they have and follow with a prayer thanking God for our joys and asking God to be with us in our concerns.

Sharing
Ask: Can you tell us about a time when you enjoyed being in the snow? (I went sledding, skiing, etc)
Listening
To tell the story you will snip a cloud, a snow flake, a pair of mittens, and a snowman. Practice doing this. Use white paper for the cloud, the snowflake and the snowman, and red for the mittens.
Say: Even in Bible times, God sent beautiful snow! There’s a verse in the Bible that talks about a woman being ready for snow, because she had crimson clothing for her family to put on. This was probably a sort of wool which was a deep red in color. Listen to Jessica’s story:
Jessica looked up and saw a puffy (cut the cloud out and hold it up) cloud in the sky. “I hope it’s going to snow,“ she said to her friend. “I love it when God send us beautiful snow!” Just then, Jessica noticed a white (cut the snowflake out and hold it up) snowflake floating slowly to the ground. In a few minutes the snow was coming faster and faster. “Let’s make a cool (cut the snowman out and hold it up) snowman,” said Jessica. Just then her mother rushed out with two pairs of warm red (cut the mittens out and hold them up) mittens for Jessica and her friend. Before long, they had made a cool (hold up the snowman) snowman with the beautiful (hold up the snowflake)snowflakes that came from the puffy (hold up the cloud) cloud. “I’m glad God send us beautiful snow,” said Jessica. “Me too,” said her friend, “and I’m glad your mother brought us warm red (hold up the mittens) mittens.
Exploring
Lead the children through this action song, sung to the tune of “This is the Way We Wash Our Cloths.”
“This is the way we throw a snowball, throw a snowball, throw a snowball. This is the way we throw a snowball in God’s beautiful snow. (Pretend to pack then throw a snowball.)
This is the way we build a snowman, build a snowman, build a snowman. This is the way we build a snowman in God’s beautiful snow. (Pretend to roll a big snowball then lift it onto the snowman.)
This is the way we glide and slip, glide and slip, glide and slip. This is the way we glide and slip in God’s beautiful snow. (Pretend to glide and the slip.)
This is the way we twirl in the snow, twirl in the snow, twirl in the snow. This is the way we twirl in the snow in God’s beautiful snow. (Spread arms and twirl around.)
This is the way we taste the snowflakes taste the snowflakes, taste the snowflakes. This is the way we taste the snowflakes in God’s beautiful snow. (Tilt head back and stick out tongue.)
Encourage the children to help you create more snowy lyrics and motions.
Benediction
Say: Loving God, Thank you for all of the beautiful colors in your world. Amen.
More Exploring
Have the children color the mitten coloring sheet with the red mittens from the story.