A Heart After Children

New Website Up

2010-02-13T11:46:00.000-06:00

Hello All!

I have a new site up at www.iheartchildren.com and that will be the blog that is updated. Please change any bookmarks to the new site! I know you will love it over there :)

Peace,

Brittany Sky

Seasons of Faith Book Review

2010-02-11T10:00:00.000-06:00

Last Thursday I wrote a post about Symbols of Faith by Marcia Joslin Stoner and this week I would like to talk about the counterpart of that book Seasons of Faith. This book is a great resource for teaching the Christian Church Year. I use it a lot when I am planning my Children's Church lessons so I can add Christian Traditions and History components to each lesson. It is a great resources for all ages and was written for intergeneration use. The information is not written on a young child's comprehension level but it is easy to take and make it something for that age level, as well as other age levels. It's a wonderful resource and I definitely recommend it for any Christian Education worker.

Web Wednesday

2010-02-10T10:00:00.000-06:00

I have been looking for other children's ministry blogs the last few days and this one is a must see. The Scripture Lady is a blog devoted to "get the kids you minister to excited about the Word of God!" She has lots of fun games that help kids learn about the stories in the Bible and how to use their Bibles. It's a great resource to turn to for a Bible retreat after Bible Sunday. Go check the Scripture Lady out!

And then Jesus Changed Water into Gatorade: A Children's Sermon

2010-02-09T10:00:00.001-06:00

Hold up a pitcher of water, and ask the children if they think it is good to drink water after they have been running hard in a game such as basketball. Yes! Then ask them if there is something even better than water after they have been playing hard. Explain that some people recommend a sports drink such as Gatorade, because it helps the body to recover from the stress of exercise. Pour a packet of powdered Gatorade into the pitcher of water, and stir it up so that the water changes color. Tell the children the story of Jesus at the wedding of Cana, and how he felt that the people needed more than water in order to have a good celebration. Ask the children if Jesus turned the water into Gatorade ... then tell them, “No, he turned the water into wine!” Point out that Jesus always wants to make everything better — including us! Stress that Jesus doesn’t want any of us to stay the same, but he wants to change us and transform us so that we can do God’s work in the world. Suggest that Jesus has the power to make us more loving, more forgiving and more faithful to God, and he uses this power to change anyone who follows him. Pour each child a cup of Gatorade, and let them know that the changes they can experience are much more amazing than simply changing water into a sports drink.

Dear Loving God, thank you for wanting the best for us all. Amen.

Lent: Lesson 4

2010-02-08T10:00:00.000-06:00

Lent: Lesson 4

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
Say: Does anyone remember anything about what we learned Lent last Sunday? (It’s 40 days, we grow closer to God, we have symbols that teach us, etc.)

Listening
Say: Last week we learned that Lent is a forty day period before Easter when we prepare ourselves. During that time we remember Christ and the changes that he made in our world, and we try to better ourselves as followers of Christ. Many people follow the custom of giving up something during lent to remind them of Christ’s suffering. Some people decide to make some sort of change in their lives during this time in order to be a better follower of Christ. Lent gives us time to learn about prayer, sacrifice and showing kindness to others. During Lent we grow closer to God and better understand the Love that God has for everyone. We then use the Love God gives us to love others.

This week we will use our senses to learn more about Jesus and his experiences.

Exploring

Favorite Hymn	Mark 14:26 They sang a hymn and then went directly to Mount Olives.	They sang a song and went out. Remember familiar Lenten and Easter Songs. Ashes to Ashes Ashes to ashes, Dust to dust- This flesh is not forever. Spirit to Spirit, Life to Life- All that You are Is all I will be; Soon, Lord, in You forever. Survey the Wondrous Cross When I survey the wondrous cross on which the Prince of Glory died; my richest gain I count but loss, and pour contempt on all my pride. Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast, save in the death of Christ, my God; all the vain things that charm me most, I sacrifice them to his blood. See, from his head, his hands, his feet, sorrow and love flow mingled down. Did e'er such love and sorrow meet, or thorns compose so rich a crown. Were the whole realm of nature mine, that were an offering far too small; love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all.
Strip of Leather	John 18:12-14 Then the Roman soldiers under their commander, joined by the Jewish police, seized Jesus and tied him up. They took him first to Annas, father-in-law of Caiaphas. Caiaphas was the Chief Priest that year. It was Caiaphas who had advised the Jews that it was to their advantage that one man die for the people.	Wrap leather around wrists and imagine how it must have felt.
Rough wood	Luke 23:26 As they led him off, they made Simon, a man from Cyrene who happened to be coming in from the countryside, carry the cross behind Jesus.	Feel the bark and remember the man who carried the cross for Jesus, Simon of Cyrene. Consider how he felt with that responsibility.
Small bag of spices	Mark 16: 1-8 The Resurrection ^1-3 When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so they could embalm him. Very early on Sunday morning, as the sun rose, they went to the tomb. They worried out loud to each other, "Who will roll back the stone from the tomb for us?" ^4-5Then they looked up, saw that it had been rolled back—it was a huge stone—and walked right in. They saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed all in white. They were completely taken aback, astonished. ^6-7He said, "Don't be afraid. I know you're looking for Jesus the Nazarene, the One they nailed on the cross. He's been raised up; he's here no longer. You can see for yourselves that the place is empty. Now—on your way. Tell his disciples and Peter that he is going on ahead of you to Galilee. You'll see him there, exactly as he said." ⁸They got out as fast as they could, beside themselves, their heads swimming. Stunned, they said nothing to anyone.	As you smell the spices remember how the women took spices to the tomb to cover the smell of the decaying body they expected to find.
Candle	2 Corinthians 4:4 If our Message is obscure to anyone, it's not because we're holding back in any way. No, it's because these other people are looking or going the wrong way and refuse to give it serious attention. All they have eyes for is the fashionable god of darkness. They think he can give them what they want, and that they won't have to bother believing a Truth they can't see. They're stone-blind to the dayspring brightness of the Message that shines with Christ, who gives us the best picture of God we'll ever get.	The candle brings light to darkness, as Christ brought eternal light into a dark world.

Benediction
Say: Wonderful God, thank you for wanting to be closer to us. Help us to grow closer to you during Lent. Amen.

More Exploring
Have the children draw about one of the things they learned.

Site Under Construction

2010-01-31T20:45:00.001-06:00

I am in the process of redesigning my website (yay!) so my site will be done for the next few days. I will be leaving up my blog at www.aheartafterchildren.blogspot.com if you need access to it for resources. I will not be posting anything new for the next week so if you need help with something please email me: Brittany Sky.

It's Been One Year

2010-01-29T15:43:00.000-06:00

Happy Anniversary! Yesterday marked the very first blog post of this blog. It has been a great experience thus far for me and I hope that it has been a helpful tool for many.

I remember telling Andrew (my fiancé at the time) that I wanted to start a blog. I had a Professor who had been talking lots about integrating our life's calling into the tech savvy lives we already led. With a blog I could put up anything I wanted: curriculum, thoughts, children sermons, class notes, etc, and people could use that information in their own ministries.

Andrew said ok, and here we are. One year later and I have my own web domain, my own website, and I'm reaching people in 67 different countries. It's amazing to me. It's amazing how God is working through this random thought I had about a blog. God is so amazing.

The upcoming year should be a great one too! I am fixing to redesign my blog and website and I am so excited! I hope everyone is having a great winter! Happy Anniversary!

Symbols of Faith Book Review

2010-01-28T10:30:00.000-06:00

Check out this great book any time you want to include more Christian history and tradition. If you are talking about Easter, for example, this book can add more to your lesson. It has lots of reproducibles as visuals and for crafts. It has explanations for each symbol and where the symbol came from. It is written on level with children but an adult can learn just as much from this book. It is a great resource for added components of history and tradition.

Web Wednesday

2010-01-27T10:30:00.000-06:00

I have another website for you all to check out! Go to http://www.childrensministry.net/ for a directory of Children Ministries websites. It has quite a few to check out and will give you a base of online resources to check for ideas on programming, spiritual development, Sunday School, leadership training and so on.

We're Like a Puzzle: Children's Semon

2010-01-26T10:30:00.000-06:00

Say: (Hold up a puzzle) How many of you like to play with puzzles? (yes, or raise their hands) I love puzzles too! (Take two or three pieces out of the picture) Is this how a puzzle is supposed to look? (No!) Are you sure? Is it supposed to have holes? (No, it's supposed to be put together!) Oh they are supposed to all be there and put together? (Yes!) (Put the puzzle back together.) We are all like puzzle pieces. If we look at puzzle pieces they are all connected to each other. If one piece is gone the puzzle isn't complete. Without one of us, the world would not be complete. If one of you weren't here at church, the church would not be complete. We are are so important to God and to our church and to our world. The next time you play with a puzzle, remember how we are like puzzle pieces and say thank you for all of the people in God's world.

Let's pray. Dear God, thank you so much for all of Your people. Amen.

Lent: Lesson 3

2010-01-25T11:00:00.000-06:00

Lent: Lesson 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
Say: Does anyone remember anything about what we learned Lent last Sunday? (It’s 40 days, we grow closer to God, we have symbols that teach us, etc.)

Listening
Say: Last week we learned that Lent is a forty day period before Easter when we prepare ourselves. During that time we remember Christ and the changes that he made in our world, and we try to better ourselves as followers of Christ. Many people follow the custom of giving up something during lent to remind them of Christ’s suffering. Some people decide to make some sort of change in their lives during this time in order to be a better follower of Christ. Lent gives us time to learn about prayer, sacrifice and showing kindness to others. During Lent we grow closer to God and better understand the Love that God has for everyone. We then use the Love God gives us to love others.

This week we will use our sense of taste to learn the color of Lent! Can anyone guess what color we use to remind us of Lent? The color is PURPLE! We use the color purple to remind us that Christ is the King of Kings. It also reminds us to repent and turn to God to be closer to God.

Exploring
Have the children sit down at the table and pass out plates and napkins. They will be eating grapes, purple jello, and drinking grape soda. While they are eating ask what symbols they remember from last week, or how their Lent Pledges and Calendars are going.

The Bread and Cup Symbol: Helps us remember the meal that Jesus shared with his friends. We have this same meal with Him when we share Communion.

The Butterfly: When the butterfly is in its cocoon it is like Jesus in the tomb, and when the butterfly emerges it is like Jesus being resurrected.

The Cross: Represents the resurrection of Jesus on Easter

The Donkey: The donkey that Jesus rode into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday.

The Easter Lily: the bulb of this flower looks dead but then it comes to life and blooms a beautiful flower. This reminds us of the new life that we have when we are renewed in God.

The Fish: This reminds us of Jesus and he asking us to make fishermen of all people.

The Lamb: Lambs were used for sacrifices and Jesus sacrificed his life for us.

Light: Jesus’ triumph over the dark of death

Palms: Remind us of Palm Sunday and the day Jesus entered into Jerusalem for his last week.

The Stone: The stone that was placed in front of Jesus’ tomb that was moved when the women discovered Jesus was missing and had been resurrected.

Benediction
Say: Wonderful God, thank you for wanting to be closer to us. Help us to grow closer to you during Lent. Amen.

More Exploring
Using the labyrinth page have the children use their fingers to “walk” around the labyrinth and say silent prayers and meditations.

Web Wednesday

2010-01-20T15:43:00.000-06:00

I would love to recommend Ministry-To-Children today as a great resource. Tony Kummer's blog has a plethora of information ranging from free curriculum to video reviews to leader resources. He has done a great job providing lots of information for anyone interested in Children's Ministry. Whether you are conservative or liberal, you will find lots of helpful information and ideas that you can use. Check out his list of recommended blogs while you are there! :)

Lent: Lesson 2

2010-01-18T11:00:00.000-06:00

Lent: Lesson 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
Say: Does anyone remember anything about what we learned Lent last Sunday? (It’s 40 days, we grow closer to God, etc.)

Listening
Say: Last week we learned that Lent is a forty day period before Easter when we prepare ourselves. During that time we remember Christ and the changes that he made in our world, and we try to better ourselves as followers of Christ. Many people follow the custom of giving up something during lent to remind them of Christ’s suffering. Some people decide to make some sort of change in their lives during this time in order to be a better follower of Christ. Lent gives us time to learn about prayer, sacrifice and showing kindness to others. During Lent we grow closer to God and better understand the Love that God has for everyone. We then use the Love God gives us to love others.

This week I want us to look at some of the symbols of Lent. Does anyone know what a symbol is? It is something we use to help us learn about God. We have a symbol of ashes. The ashes help us to remember to repent and be close to God. There are other symbols that we learn during Lent to help us prepare for Easter.

The Bread and Cup Symbol: Helps us remember the meal that Jesus shared with his friends. We have this same meal with Him when we share Communion.

The Butterfly: When the butterfly is in its cocoon it is like Jesus in the tomb, and when the butterfly emerges it is like Jesus being resurrected.

The Cross: Represents the resurrection of Jesus on Easter

The Donkey: The donkey that Jesus rode into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday.

The Easter Lily: the bulb of this flower looks dead but then it comes to life and blooms a beautiful flower. This reminds us of the new life that we have when we are renewed in God.

The Fish: This reminds us of Jesus and he asking us to make fishermen of all people.

The Lamb: Lambs were used for sacrifices and Jesus sacrificed his life for us.

Light: Jesus’ triumph over the dark of death

Palms: Remind us of Palm Sunday and the day Jesus entered into Jerusalem for his last week.

The Stone: The stone that was placed in front of Jesus’ tomb that was moved when the women discovered Jesus was missing and had been resurrected.

Exploring
Today we will color one of the symbols that remind us of God’s stories.

Benediction
Say: Wonderful God, thank you for wanting to be closer to us. Help us to grow closer to you during Lent. Amen.

More Exploring
Symbols crossword from Children’s Activities for the Christian Year.

Lent: Lesson 1

2010-01-11T11:00:00.000-06:00

Lent: Lesson 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
Say: Do any of you remember a few months ago when we learned about the church seasons? (Yes we ate grapes, we learned about colors, etc.) Today we are in a new church season. We had Advent, Christmas time, and ordinary time. Can anyone tell me what we are in now? We are in the season of Lent. Does anyone remember anything about lent? I will tell you!

Listening
Say: Lent is a forty day period before Easter when we prepare ourselves. During that time we remember Christ and the changes that he made in our world, and we try to better ourselves as followers of Christ. Many people follow the custom of giving up something during lent to remind them of Christ’s suffering. Some people decide to make some sort of change in their lives during this time in order to be a better follower of Christ. Lent gives us time to learn about prayer, sacrifice and showing kindness to others. During Lent we grow closer to God and better understand the Love that God has for everyone. We then use the Love God gives us to love others.

Exploring
Today we will be handing out the Lenten Pledge papers. They are just going to put their names on these and take them home. Read the top of the sheets and explain what they will be doing with them.

Next take the painters tape and make a pathway around the room. It doesn’t have to be a circle or a line, it can be anything. Have the children follow you on the makeshift labyrinth. Explain to them that a labyrinth is a tool for meditation and prayer. There were first placed on the floors of the medieval churches in Europe, and people walked the path focusing on God. Since Lent is a time when we prayer and renew our faith, invite the children to walk the path with you and say silent prayers and then say the following closing prayer together on the path.

Benediction
Say: Wonderful God, thank you for wanting to be closer to us. Help us to grow closer to you during Lent. Amen.

Christmas Eve Children's Sermon

2009-12-22T13:00:00.001-06:00

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

2009-12-16T14:13:00.000-06:00

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

2009-12-15T10:00:00.000-06:00

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

2009-12-09T10:56:00.000-06:00

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:

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.
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.
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

2009-12-08T10:37:00.000-06:00

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

2009-12-04T10:54:00.000-06:00

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

2009-12-02T12:00:00.002-06:00

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

2009-12-01T12:36:00.002-06:00

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

2009-11-30T12:00:00.001-06:00

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

2009-11-24T13:53:00.000-06:00

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

2009-11-23T12:00:00.001-06:00

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

2009-11-20T11:20:00.001-06:00

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

2009-11-19T15:27:00.000-06:00

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

2009-11-16T12:00:00.001-06:00

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

2009-11-13T12:00:00.000-06:00

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

2009-11-12T12:53:00.000-06:00

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 :)

2009-11-11T12:00:00.000-06:00

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?

2009-11-10T12:00:00.002-06:00

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

2009-11-09T12:00:00.001-06:00

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

2009-11-06T12:00:00.000-06:00

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

2009-11-05T22:12:00.000-06:00

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

2009-11-03T11:00:00.002-06:00

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

2009-11-02T13:03:00.000-06:00

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

2009-10-29T17:13:00.002-05:00

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 :)

2009-10-28T11:45:00.003-05:00

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

2009-10-27T20:03:00.003-05:00

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

2009-10-26T11:28:00.003-05:00

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

2009-10-05T14:49:00.002-05:00

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

2009-09-26T15:38:00.003-05:00

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

2009-09-18T11:56:00.003-05:00

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

2009-09-08T10:23:00.005-05:00

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

2009-09-01T20:30:00.000-05:00

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

2009-08-26T16:38:00.000-05:00

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

2009-08-21T22:18:00.000-05:00

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.

Colors in God’s World: Rainbow in the Clouds

2009-07-26T14:36:00.004-05:00

“I have set my bow in the clouds, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth.” Genesis 9:13
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 rainbow? Where? (At the beach, in a book, etc.)
Listeningjavascript:void(0)
Tape down colored paper on the floor ordered: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple.
Say: A long time ago God told a good man named Noah that a huge storm was coming. Noah built a big boat that kept his family and a lot of animals safe. When the storm was over God told him to bring his family and the animals outside and look at the sky. God set a rainbow in the clouds as a promise that the whole world would never be destroyed again by a flood.
Ask: In the story of Noah and the Ark, what appears in the sky when the flood is over? (A rainbow)
Say: When we see a rainbow in the sky we are to remember God’s promise. We also remember that God has filled our world with beautiful colors.
A color wheel shows us these colors in this order: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple. Today I made a color when on the floor. You’re each going to get a turn to hop from color to color as we say the colors together.
Let the children take turns hopping from color to color as you lead the group in repeating the colors with each hop.
Exploring
The children will make color wheels on white paper plates. They will have six sections on them and a dot of each color to help the children remember where the colors go.
Benediction
Say: Loving God, Thank you for all of the beautiful colors in your world. Amen.
More Exploring
Play a game of categories that requires naming the color of the object in that category. Example: if you call out animals the children should say grey elephant or orange tiger.

Colors in God’s World: Purple Cloth

2009-07-26T14:35:00.005-05:00

Colors in God’s World: Purple Cloth
“A certain woman named Lydia, a worshipper of God, was listening to us; she was from the city of Thyatira and a dealer of purple cloth.” Acts 16:14
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 color? (Blue, yellow, silver, etc.)
Listening
For the story each child will need a strip of purple to wave.
Say: This is your Purple Story Strip. Every time you hear the word purple in the story, wave your Purple Story Strip three times then stop.
Colors are mentioned in many stories in the Bible. In one story we learn about a woman named Lydia. Purple (Pause) is important to her story. Paul, another person in the Bible, was a missionary who told everyone about Jesus.
One day, Paul traveld to Macedonia in Europe to tell the people there about Jesus. He noticed that the mountains of Macedonia looked purple (Pause) in the distance. And he saw purple (Pause) grapes growing on vines. At the market he noticed fish whose scales shimmered with purple (Pause) scales. The he spotted a woman who was selling fancy purple (Pause) cloth. The woman selling the fancy purple (Pause) cloth was Lydia. She sold the purple (Pause) cloth to rich people.
Paul spoke to Lydia. He told her about Jesus. Lydia believed what Paul told her about Jesus and became a Christian. She invited Paul to stay in her home. Lydia was the first person in Europe to become a Christian. Some of the church services in Europe were held in her home. Today, we remember Lydia because she helped build the Christian Church in a new place. Hooray for Lydia and her purple (Pause) cloth!
Exploring
Play the “I Spy” game around church. Make sure everyone gets a chance!
Benediction
Say: Loving God, Thank you for all of the beautiful colors in your world. Amen.

Colors in God’s World: Coat of Many Colors

2009-07-26T14:35:00.004-05:00

Colors in God’s World: Coat of Many Colors
“Now, Israel loved Joseph more than any other of his children because he was the son of his old age, so Israel made Joseph a long robe with sleeve.” Genesis 37:3
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: What is the color of your favorite jacket or coat? (Red, purple, etc.)
Listening:
Use a male puppet.
Say: Hi everybody! Don’t you just love my coat made with so many colors? (Pause encouraging the children to answer.) Do you have coats as beautiful as mine? (Pause encouraging the children to answer.) My dad gave me mine. I am a character from the Bible. My name is Joseph. I have lots of brothers. My dad loves me the most. That’s why he bought me this beautiful coat of many colors. Do you think it’s fair for my dad to give me a beautiful coat because he loves me best? (Pause encouraging the children to answer.) Well it made my brothers very mad. They were so jealous. In fact they were so jealous that they ripped off my beautiful coat and threw me into a pit. Do you think that was very nice? (Pause encouraging the children to answer.)
Well that is how my story started. I don’t have to time to tell you everything but I ended up bringing peace to my entire family. Is it god to bring peace to your family? (Pause encouraging the children to answer.)
Today I want to you to remember something happy about my coat, My beautiful coat of many colors reminds us that God gave us wonderful colors. When we wear these colors we are celebrating the colors of God’s world. Now you are going to get to color and design your very own coat of many colors!
Exploring
Pass out the coat papers and the crayons. Let the children design their own coat of many colors.
Benediction
Say: Loving God, Thank you for all of the beautiful colors in your world. Amen.

Colors in God’s World: Green Pastures

2009-07-26T14:34:00.001-05:00

Colors in God’s World
“He makes me lie down in green pastures.” Psalm 23:2

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: Can you name something green in God’s world? (Leaves, grass, herbs, etc.)

Listening
Plan on ending the story by leading the children outside to a green pasture, aka the playground area.
Say: There is a Psalm in the Bible that speaks of the color green. Listen carefully as I read to you the 23rd Psalm.
1The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures;
he leads me beside still waters;
3 he restores my soul.
He leads me in right paths
for his name’s sake.

4Even though I walk through the darkest valley,
I fear no evil;
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff—
they comfort me.

5You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
6Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
my whole life long.
Ask: Does anyone remember the line that mentions the color green? (He makes me lie down in green pastures.)

Say: This Psalm is told through the eyes of a shepherd. A shepherd must find green pastures. The sheep need fresh, green grass for grazing. The green grass makes the sheep happy. For us, this verse helps us understand that God will take is to green places too. Green places are the good things in life, such as food and friends, rest and play, homes and happy times. Let’s pretend we are shepherds leading our flock to a green pasture.

As you walk around outside point out pretend streams, shady trees, and dangerous rocky ledges. Keep a lookout for sheep straying from the flock and wolves lurking in the distance. Wave to the other shepherds. When you reach the green pasture invite the children to lie down a relax a few minutes.

Benediction
Say: Loving God, Thank you for all of the beautiful colors in your world. Amen.
More Exploring
Have each child color a green pasture with any details they wish to add, rocks, sheep, wolves, etc, and then tape them out side of the classroom with the words “He makes me lie down in green pastures.”

Pentecost

2009-07-09T13:09:00.002-05:00

Pentecost
“And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting” Acts 2:2

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: Did anyone notice anything different in the church today? (The decorations changed, everything was red, etc.)

Listening
Say: Today is the start of a new church season. We were celebrating the Easter season and today we will begin celebrating something called Pentecost. I am going to tell you a story about Pentecost so we have a better idea about what it is.
After Jesus died on the cross, most of his friends ran away to hide. They were afraid that the soldiers who had hurt Jesus would hurt them too.
When the women came back from Jesus’ empty grave saying that Jesus was alive again, his friends were surprised and happy, but mostly they were confused. They just did not understand what was happening.
Then for forty days Jesus kept surprising them, Jesus came through a locked door to talk to them on night. He walked on a road with two of them one day. He fixed breakfast on the beach with some of the others. Every time he was with them, Jesus talked. He talked about how much God loved them, and he talked about sharing God’s love with others. When Jesus was with them, his friends felt brave, strong, and happy. Something new and exciting was happening, and they were going to b e a part of it. But when Jesus was not with them, they would remember the soldiers and feel sacred, weak, and uncertain.
When Jesus left them the last time, he said two things. First he said, “Go into all the world. Tell everyone about God’s love and teach them to be my disciples.” Then he said, “Wait in Jerusalem. God has a special gift for you.” Well the first job sounded big and important and scary! So they were glad to wait for the gift.
What do you think they did while they waited? Well, they hid together. Every day each one would come by a secret route to the hideout. They would knock quietly on the door. Someone inside woyld open it just a crack to see who was knocking. Theyn, the firend would be let in fast and would be asked, “Did anyone follow you?” All day they stayed in that room and remembered what Jesus said and did. And they prayed. They prayed and prayed and prayed. Do you know what happened? Nothing.
So they all went home by their secret paths and came back the next day and they prayed all day. And do you know what happened? Nothing.
So they all went home by their secret paths and came back the next day and they prayed all day. And do you know what happened? Nothing.
So they all went home by their secret paths and came back the next day and they prayed all day. And do you know what happened? Nothing.
On the tenth day, they were beginning to wonder whether God was ever going to give them that special gift. But they carefully came to the hideout using their secret paths and they began praying again. And that day something did happen!
They had hardly started praying when a strong wind came through the hideout. The wind wrapped itself around each person there, and it felt like the wind was God’s loving arms holding them close, hugging them tight. They felt happy and loved and loving. The bright fire came through the sir and little flames of fire licked each one of them on the head. It felt as if God’s courage and bravery were burning in their hearts, and they knew that with God’s courage they could do things they couldn’t do before.
God’s love was in the wind and God’s courage in the fire were the special gifts they had been waiting for. They were so excited about their gifts that they could not keep them a secret. They ran out of their hideout and started telling everyone they met. Their hiding days were over.

Exploring

Wind socks

Wind and Fire Relay - Before class cut crepe paper into two feet lengths. Divide your children up into teams and give them each a straw and a piece of crepe paper. Have them use the straw to blow the crepe across the room and back. If you don't want them to get on the floor you can have them blow the crepe across a table.
Wind and Fire
Written by Carolyn Warvel
(Sing to the tune of Frère Jacques)
Tongues of fire,
Tongues of fire,
Mighty wind,
Mighty wind,
The Holy Ghost is coming,
The Holy Ghost is coming,
Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord!
Before class cut pieces of crepe paper into 3 feet lengths. Use red and orange to make the fire sticks and white and blue to make the wind sticks. Staple 4 or 5 pieces of crepe paper to jumbo craft sticks and then cover the staples with tape. Make one fire and one wind pompom for each child. As you sing "tongues of fire" have your children wave their fire pompoms up and down. As you sing "mighty wind" have your children wave their wind pompoms side to side.
Benediction
Say: Loving God, Thank you for sending us your Holy Spirit to be with us always, to give us courage, and to show us your love. Amen.

People in God’s World: Father’s Day

2009-07-09T13:08:00.001-05:00

People in God’s World: Father’s Day
“My child, keep your father’s commandment, and do not forsake your mother’s teaching. Bind them upon your heart always; tie them around your neck. When you walk, they will lead you; when you lie down, they will watch over you; and when you awake, they will talk with you.” Proverbs 6:20-22

Call to Worship
(Sung to “Frere Jacques”)
Thank you, God. Thank you, God.
For our dads. For our dads.
They are very special. They are very special.
Thank you, God. Thank you, God.

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: Does anyone know what we are celebrating today? (Our Dads!) Yes! Today is Father’s Day. We are celebrating the men who are special to us. Does anyone have a special dad, grandpa, uncle, or friend that they want to share about with us?

Listening
Say: I have a story about a daddy and his son called “GUESS HOW MUCH I LOVE YOU” by Sam McBratney

Little Nutbrown Hare, who was going to bed, held on tight to Big Nutbrown Hare's very long ears. He wanted to be sure that Big Nutbrown Hare was listening. "Guess how much I love you," he said. "Oh, I don't think I could guess that," said Big Nutbrown Hare. "This much," said Little Nutbrown Hare, stretching out his arms as wide as they could go. Big Nutbrown Hare had even longer arms."But I love you this much," he said. Hmm, that is a lot, thought Little Nutbrown Hare. "I love you as high as I can reach," said Little Nutbrown Hare. "I love you as high as I can reach," said Big Nutbrown Hare. That is very high, thought Little Nutbrown Hare. I wish I had arms like that. Then Little Nutbrown Hare had a good idea. He tumbled upside down and reached up the tree trunk with his feet. "I love you all the way to my toe!" he said. "And I love you all that way up to your toes," said Big Nutbrown Hare, swinging him up over his head. "I love you as high as I can hop!" laughed Little Nutbrown Hare, bouncing up and down. "But I love you as high as I can hop," smiled Big Nutbrown Hare and he hopped so high that his ears touched the branches above. That's good hopping, thought Little Nutbrown Hare. I wish I could hop like that. "I love you all the way down the lane as far as the river," cried Little Nutbrown Hare. "I love you across the river and over the hills," said Big Nutbrown Hare. That's very far, thought Little Nutbrown Hare. He was almost too sleepy to think anymore. Then he looked beyond the thornbushes, out into the big dark night. Nothing could be farther than the sky. "I love you right up to the moon," he said, and closed his eyes. "Oh, that's far," said Big Nutbrown Hare. "That is very, very far." Big Nutbrown Hare settled Little Nutbrown Hare into his bed of leaves. He leaned over and kissed him good night. Then he lay down close by and whispered with a smile, "I love you right up to the moon and back."

Exploring
Have sheets of paper and pencils and markers available on the tables. Have the kids write and/or draw some of their favorite memories about the men in our congregation, whether it’s their dad, their grandpa, their uncle, or their friend. We want them to celebrate the male role models they have. After they have written/drawn, have the children give their papers to the man they wrote about as a great Father’s Day present.
Benediction
Say: God has blessed us with wonderful male role models! Today let us celebrate them by blessing them! Amen.

More Exploring
Play an Animal matching game. Have the children match the babies with their daddies.

People in God’s World: Many Teachers

2009-07-09T13:07:00.002-05:00

People in God’s World: Many Teachers
“I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go.” Psalm 32:8
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 the name of one of your teachers? (Mrs. Smith, Mr. Rogers, etc.)
Listening
The following story takes the children on a pretend walk around town to see the many teachers at work.
Say: Teachers are very important people in God’s world. There are verses in the Bible that speak of teachers. Here’s one of them. “I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go,” from Psalms 32:8. We have many teachers who help us learn. Some of those teachers are at school, but we have teachers in other places, too. Listen to this story as we take a pretend walk around town to see all of the teachers.
First, here is the Happy Hands Preschool. Ms. Pink is teaching the children the colors of the color when: red, orange, yellow… But now we are walking past the Delightful Days Daycare. Ms. Weeks is teaching the children the days of the week. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday…
Now we’re at the Skip to My Lou Elementary School. In the kindergarten room, Mr. Melody is teaching the children to sing.: There was a farmer had a dog, and Bingo was his name… But let’s peek into the first grade class. Mrs. Seven is teaching the children to add: one plus one is two, two plus two is four… But look at the fifth graders! Ms. Microscope is demonstrating a science experiment. In ten seconds a volcano is going to erupt! Ten, nine, eight…
There’s the school bell! School is out but teachers are still teaching! At the Tippy Toes Dance Academy, Madame Pirouette is teaching the students their ballet positions: first position, second position, third position… And on the T-Ball Field, Coach Batterup is showing the kids the proper way to swing a bat: Keep your eye on the ball…
Look into the church window. Pastor Church is planning out her children’s sermon for Sunday: “Good morning boys and girls…” And look, Mrs. Craft has just arrived with a handful of supplies for her Sunday School lesson on Sunday: glitter glue, feathers, and play clay… And finally let’s peek into one of the houses in the neighborhood. Jason’s mother is showing him how to tie his shoes: look like bunny ears… And Claire’s father is teaching her how to juggle: one orange, two oranges, three oranges… There are teachers everywhere!
Exploring
To make Teacher Folders, you will need folders and stickers, and markers. Explain to the children that teachers have a lot of papers, so a pretty folder is a perfect present. Have the children use the stickers and markers to decorate the folders to give to their teachers.
Benediction
Say: Loving God, let us show our love for you. Help us to show our love for other people, for our families, for our teachers and for our friends. Thank you for being our guide. Amen.
More Exploring
Lead the children through an action game showing ways they can help their teachers: sharpening pencils, picking up blocks, cleaning the board, feeding the fish, sweeping the classroom, and washing the cafeteria table. Encourage the children to come up with other ways of helping their teachers.

People in God’s World: Older People

2009-07-09T13:06:00.001-05:00

People in God’s World: Older People
“Thus all the days of Methuselah were 969 years.” Genesis 5:27
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 me the name of someone you know is an adult? (My grandma, Mrs. Smith, etc.)
Listening
Tell the children that you are going to slowly begin to count. When they hear their age, they are to stand up. Begin counting until all of the children are standing.
Say: I didn’t need to count very long! That’s because even though you are growing up and having birthdays every year, you aren’t very old yet. (Invite the children to sit back down for the rest of the story.) There is a man in the Bible named Methuselah who was very, very old. (Say the name again and ask the children to repeat it with you.)Methuselah was the grandfather of Noah. He lived to be nine hundred and sixty-nine years old. If we played the stand up game with Methuselah we would have to count for a very long time before Methuselah stood up!
In God’s world many people live long lives. We gain wisdom as we live. Do you know what wisdom is? Wisdom is knowledge. Wisdom comes from learning. When you live a long life and grow to be old, you learn many things. At church, in our families, and our neighborhoods, it’s good to listen to the wisdom of older people.
Exploring
Invite an older member of your congregation to visit with the children, and to share some of their wisdom. Remind your guest that the children are young and may have a limited attention span, but they will love to hear lively stories and anecdotes. Encourage your guest to bring along any visual aids such as photographs, awards, or souvenirs. Begin by introducing your guest to the children. After the guest has finished speaking, invite the children to ask questions.
Benediction
Say: Loving God, let us show our love for you. Help us to show our love for other people, for our families, for our teachers and for our friends. Thank you for being our guide. Amen.

People in God’s World: Good Friends

2009-07-09T13:03:00.002-05:00

People in God’s World: Good Friends
“A friend loves at all times.” Proverbs 17:17
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 nice a friend has done for you? (Mary invited me to her birthday party.)
Listening
Begin by giving the children a thumbs up sign.
Say: Thumbs up to all of you! You are my friends, and I am so glad that you are here! Friendship is a wonderful part of God’s world. Here is a verse from the Bible that talks about friendship. “A friend loves at all times.” Proverbs 17:17. God wants us to be a good friend to others. As you listen to this story, make a thumbs up sign when you hear someone being a good friend. When you hear someone being a bad friend, make a thumbs down sign.
The kids were crowded onto the playground. Brandon was in a hurry to get down the slide so he pushed Liam. (Thumbs down) Sarah was mad that Brooke was using the sand sieve. She threw a handful of sand in Brooke’s face. (Thumbs down) Underneath the pine trees Lizzie invited Laura to help her build a pine needle fort. (Thumbs up) At the top of the jungle gym, Matt sang “Happy Birthday” to Martha, who was now seven. (Thumbs up)
At the bottom of the jungle gym, Jeb tripped Katherine as she was coming down the ladder. (Thumbs down) Meredith told Cliff that she thought his new shoes looked cool. (Thumbs up) Just for fun, Adam threw a rock really hard at Tyrone. (Thumbs down) Ricky was on crutches since he had broken his leg. When the whistle blew that recess was over, Ammar waited for Ricky and walked into school with him. (Thumbs up)
Exploring
We’re going to make friendship sticks! To make friendship sticks you will need large craft sticks, stickers, markers, tape, and ribbon.
Explain to the children that is some Native American tribes, it was the custom to present a friendship stick as a sign of friendship and peace. Tell the children that they are going to make a friendship stick to present to a special friend.
Have each child write their name down one side and their friends name on the other side. Have them decorate the sticks with stickers and markers. Help the children tie on and tape ribbon to the bottom of the stick. Explain to them that they will give their stick to the person they wrote on their friendship stick.
Benediction
Say: Loving God, let us show our love for you. Help us to show our love for other people, for our families, for our teachers and for our friends. Thank you for being our guide. Amen.

More Exploring
Children will love ringing the Friendship Gong in honor of their friends. A pot lid and a large metal spoon make an excellent gong. Invite the children to come forward one at a time and say “I’m ringing the Friendship Gong for my friend (friend’s name).” If time permits, go another round or two.

Summer Ministries

2009-06-08T17:35:00.002-05:00

I have been so busy kicking off the summer! We're having field trips, day camps, movie days, and so much more! What exciting things does your church do over the summer break? Any new ideas for ministry?

Garden Camp Day Three

2009-05-17T17:12:00.002-05:00

Schedule for the third day: Water Psalms 104: 10 God made springs and rivers

Opening 10 min
Water is necessary for life. Water is used for many things. Bubbles are made of water and air. Water is a part of God’s creation.

Art Tent 20 m
Collage of rain, water and clouds
Resources: blue construction paper, aluminum foil, cotton balls, scraps of paper, yarn, scissors, and glue.
Set out paper and collage materials. Let the children create a collage of rain, water and clouds.

Game 20 m
Bubbles
Resources: dishwashing liquid, tablespoon, plastic cups, ¼ cup measuring cup, plastic cups, plastic spoons, bubble blowers (pipe cleaners)
Have the children make bubble mix by measuring 1 tablespoon of dishwashing liquid and mixing it in a plastic cup with ¼ cups of water. Let each child blow their bubbles. Say: Bubbles are a fun way to play with the water God created for us!

Drama Tent 20 m
Wash dishes, wash baby dolls, play in the water
Supplies: baby bath tub or dishpan, baby dolls, wash clothes, towels, empty wading pool, toy dishes
Set out the materials. The children can pretend to bathe the babies, wash the dishes, or play in the wading pool. Talk about what the water is used for in each of the activities.

Worship Tent 20 m
Pictures of different bodies of water
Supplies: variety of pictures of water (oceans, rivers, ponds, rain and so forth)
Teacher Talk: Water is part of God’s creation
Set the pictures of water on a table. Let the children look at and discuss the pictures.
Say: We find water in many different places. Each picture shows a place where there is water. Water is an important part of the world. God created the water that comes from the faucet and the water all over the world.
Pray: Thank you, God, for water. Amen.

Snack 20 m
Watermelon

Closing 10 min
Review Bible verse and say a prayer.

Garden Camp Day Two

2009-05-13T14:01:00.003-05:00

Schedule for the second day: Sky Proverbs 3:19 The Lord set the sky in place.

Opening 10 min
God created the sky. There are many different parts of the sky. The clouds in the sky can be different shapes, sizes and colors.

Art Tent 20 m
Take blue construction paper and drop white paint on it. Fold it in half and unfold it to see what your sky looks like and make wind ribbons.
Supplies: plastic spoons or eyedroppers, blue construction paper, white washable tempera paint, smocks and a table covering
Cover the table and have the children wear smocks. Gove each child a piece of blue construction paper in half and then unfold it. Let each child use an eyedropper or spoon to drop white paint onto one side of the fold. Have them refold the paper. Show them how to smooth over the paper with his or her hand. Open the paper flat to see the cloud shapes made by paint.

Game 20 m
Parachute fun. Bouncing balls, making waves, etc.
Supplies: parachute or large sheet, beach ball
Lay the parachute in the ground. Have the children stand around the edge, evenly spaced. Talk about what they have learned about the air – you can’t see it but you can feel it when it blows. Tell the children they are going to create and play with air. Have the children hold the edges of the parachute firmly. Encourage the children to work together to life the parachute up and down. Add the ball after they have gotten the hang of moving the parachute.

Drama Tent 20 m
Pretend Picnic and playing with our wind ribbons.
Supplies: blanket, plastic foods, glasses, dishes, napkins, basket, stuffed animals or dolls
Set out the materials. Encourage the children to have a pretend picnic (something they can do when the sun is shining in the sky.)

Worship Tent 20 m
Pictures of different skies, birds and airplanes.
Supplies: variety of pictures of the sky, real bird or stuffed animal bird, toy plane
Teacher Talk: God created the sky.
Place the pictures, bird, and airplane on a table. Encourage the children to look at the pictures and objects.
Say: These are some things we can see in the sky. Some of the things we see were made by people, like the airplane. But birds and clouds and the sun were all made by God. God created the sky and the things in the sky.
Pray: Thank you, God, for the sky and all the wonderful things in the sky. Amen.

Snack 20 m
Popsicles

Closing 10 min

Garden Camp Day One

2009-05-11T08:23:00.003-05:00

I planned a preschool day camp last summer that went really well. As you are trying to get your summer activities planned consider doing something like this. It's fun, and it teaches our young children about the earth our Creator has created, and is creating.

Schedule for the first day: Earth Genesis 1:10 God called the dry land Earth.
Opening 10 min: God created the Earth. God wants every person to help take care of the earth. The earth has many different parts.

Art Tent 20 m: Make worms out of yarn on paper with glue.
Supplies: yarn, paper, glue, scissors, markers and crayons. Help the children cut yarn into different lengths. Let them make worm designs with glue and attach the yarn to create colorful worms. The children can create as many worms on their papers as they wish and add backgrounds with the markers and crayons.

Game 20 m: Exploring the beauty of outside.
Supplies: sheets or blankets, small container of sand, several rocks
Take the children outside and lie down on the blankets or sheets. Have them rest quietly. Encourage each child to think about what it feels like to lie on the ground. Listen to the sounds you hear. Ask the children to look around and find something they see that is beautiful. Ask each child to tell what he or she found. Talk about the beautiful earth and how we need to help take care of it. Show the children the container of sand. Pour a small amount in each child’s hand. Remind the children that sand comes from the earth. Hold up a rock. Explain that sand is very small pieces of rock. Tell the children that they can look around for a small rock or piece of nature they can keep. Tell the children that the object s are to help them to remember how beautiful the earth is and how important it is for each of us to take care of it.

Drama Tent 20 m: Mud Pies
Supplies: dirt, water, dishpan, aluminum pie pans, aprons, spoons, bowls, measuring cups, table covering and hand washing supplies.
Let the children wear aprons and play “Mud Pie Bakery.” Cover the table. Let the children help you mix dirt and water together in the dishpan to make a thick mud. Encourage the children to use the mud to make mud pies. Talk about the recipe for creating a mud pie.

Worship Tent 20 m: Potted plants, pot of dirt
Supplies: several potted plants, small container of dirt.
Teacher talk: God wants every person to help take care of the earth.
Place the plants and the container of dirt on the table. Encourage the children to look at the dirt in the container and in the potted plants.
Say: If there was no dirt in the pot with the plants, the plants would not live. Each of us needs to help take care of this wonderful world that God created. One way we can do that is to grow and take care of plants.
Pray: Thank you, God, for giving us this beautiful earth to help take care of. Amen.

Snack 20 m: Dirt Pudding Cake
Ingredients: instant chocolate pudding mix, milk, chocolate sandwich cookies, gummy worms
Directions: Make the chocolate pudding. Add crushed cookies and gummy worms. Sprinkle a heavy topping of cookies over the top.
Serve in paper cups with a spoon.

Closing 10 min: Review Bible verse and say a prayer.

People in God’s World: Big Kids

2009-04-23T10:54:00.001-05:00

“And when he was twelve years old, they went up as usual for the festival.” Luke 2:42

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 do you look forward to doing when you are a bigger kid? (Playing baseball, being a ballerina, etc.)

Listening
As a cue card, make a large question mark on a sheet of paper.
Hold up the question mark. Ask: What is this?
Say: This is a question mark. Every time a reader sees a question mark at the end of a sentence it means that sentence is a question. Every time I hold up the question mark you are to ask: What happened next? Practice this a few times, and then begin.
In the Bible, we read about Jesus as a baby, and then we don’t hear about Jesus again until he is a bigger kid. When Jesus was twelve years old, he went with his parents, Mary and Joseph, to a festival in Jerusalem. (Hold up question mark.) When the festival was over, they started to return home, but Jesus stayed in Jerusalem. (Hold up question mark.) His parents thought he was with the other travelers in their group. They didn’t realize that Jesus was missing until the end of a day’s journey. (Hold up question mark.) They looked for Jesus among their relatives and friends but did not find him. (Hold up question mark.) They went back to Jerusalem to look for him. (Hold up question mark.) They looked for him for three days and finally found him in the Temple. Jesus was sitting among the teachers there, listening to them and asking questions. (Hold up question mark.) All who heard him were amazed at his understanding. (Hold up question mark.) Jesus went home with his parents. Jesus increased his wisdom as he grew. Asking questions helps all of us to increase in wisdom.

Exploring
Invite 3 bigger kids from the congregation to come to Children’s Church. Invite these bigger kids to share a skill they have such as playing a musical instrument, drawing, dancing, or speaking another language. Explain that they will be demonstrating their skills for the children, then the children will be encouraged to ask them questions. Introduce your visitors by asking them a few general questions such as their names, ages, and where they go to school. Then ask them to demonstrate their skills. When they are finished guide your children in asking questions, like why did you decide to play the flute or where do you take dance class. Tell your visitors thank you. Have the children draw a picture of what they want to do when they grow bigger.

Benediction
Say: Loving God, let us show our love for you. Help us to show our love for other people, for our families, for our teachers and for our friends. Thank you for being our guide. Amen.

Mother’s Day

2009-04-21T11:24:00.001-05:00

Here is a sweet Mother's Day lesson.

“My child, keep your father’s commandment, and do not forsake your mother’s teaching. Bind them upon your heart always; tie them around your neck. When you walk, they will lead you; when you lie down, they will watch over you; and when you awake, they will talk with you.” Proverbs 6:20-22

Call to Worship
(Sung to “Frere Jacques”)
Thank you, God. Thank you, God.
For our moms. For our moms.
They are very special. They are very special.
Thank you, God. Thank you, God.

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: Does anyone know what we are celebrating today? (Our Moms!) Yes! Today is Mother’s Day. We are celebrating the women who are special to us. Does anyone have a special mom, grandma, aunt, or friend that they want to share about with us?

Listening
Say: I have a story about a mommy and her son. It’s called Love You Forever by Robert Munsch.
A mother held her new baby and very slowly rocked him back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. And while she held him, she sang:
I'll love you forever,
I'll like you for always,
As long as I'm living
my baby you'll be.
The baby grew. He grew and he grew and he grew. He grew until he was two years old, and he ran all around the house. He pulled all the books off the shelves. He pulled all the food out of the refrigerator and he took his mother's watch and flushed it down the toilet. Sometimes his mother would say, "this kid is driving me CRAZY!"
But at night time, when that two-year-old was quiet, she opened the door to his room, crawled across the floor, looked up over the side of his bed; and if he was really asleep she picked him up and rocked him back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. While she rocked him she sang:
I'll love you forever,
I'll like you for always,
As long as I'm living
my baby you'll be.
The little boy grew. He grew and he grew and he grew. He grew until he was nine years old. And he never wanted to come in for dinner, he never wanted to take a bath, and when grandma visited he always said bad words. Sometimes his mother wanted to sell him to the zoo!
But at night time, when he was asleep, the mother quietly opened the door to his room, crawled across the floor and looked up over the side of the bed. If he was really asleep, she picked up that nine-year-old boy and rocked him back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. And while she rocked him she sang:
I'll love you forever,
I'll like you for always,
As long as I'm living
my baby you'll be.
The boy grew. He grew and he grew and he grew. He grew until he was a teenager. He had strange friends and he wore strange clothes and he listened to strange music. Sometimes the mother felt like she was in a zoo!
But at night time, when that teenager was asleep, the mother opened the door to his room, crawled across the floor and looked up over the side of the bed. If he was really asleep she picked up that great big boy and rocked him back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. While she rocked him she sang:
I'll love you forever,
I'll like you for always,
As long as I'm living
my baby you'll be.
That teenager grew. He grew and he grew and he grew. He grew until he was a grown-up man. He left home and got a house across town. But sometimes on dark nights the mother got into her car and drove across town. If all the lights in her son's house were out, she opened his bedroom window, crawled across the floor, and looked up over the side of his bed. If that great big man was really asleep she picked him up and rocked him back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. And while she rocked him she sang:
I'll love you forever,
I'll like you for always,
As long as I'm living
my baby you'll be.
Well, that mother, she got older. She got older and older and older. One day she called up her son and said, "You'd better come see me because I'm very old and sick." So her son came to see her. When he came in the door she tried to sing the song. She sang:
I'll love you forever,
I'll like you for always...
But she couldn't finish because she was too old and sick. The son went to his mother. He picked her up and rocked her back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. And he sang this song:
I'll love you forever,
I'll like you for always,
As long as I'm living
my Mommy you'll be.
When the son came home that night, he stood for a long time at the top of the stairs. Then he went into the room where his very new baby daughter was sleeping. He picked her up in his arms and very slowly rocked her back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. And while he rocked her he sang:
I'll love you forever,
I'll like you for always,
As long as I'm living
my baby you'll be.
Exploring
Have sheets of paper and pencils and markers available on the tables. Have the kids write and/or draw some of their favorite memories about the women in our congregation, whether it’s their mom, their grandma, their aunt, or their friend. We want them to celebrate the female role models they have. After they have written/drawn, have the children give their papers to the woman they wrote about as a great Mother’s Day present.

Benediction
Say: God has blessed us with wonderful women role models! Today let us celebrate their beauty by blessing them! Amen.

People in God’s World: Little Babies

2009-04-16T10:01:00.000-05:00

“And she gave birth to her first born son and wrapped him in bands of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.” Luke 2:7

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: We have been talking about Communion and sharing God’s love with our friends. Today I want to talk about some different kinds of friends, babies! Have you ever helped take care of a baby? (I helped give my baby brother a bath, etc)

Listening
To introduce the story, wrap a baby doll in a baby blanket. Show the baby doll to the children.
Say: I brought a baby with me this morning! I’ve fed the baby, and talked to the baby and given the baby a bath and played with the baby and changed the baby abd finally, the baby is asleep. Babies need so much love and care! Let’s listen to a verse in the Bible about a mother taking care of a baby. “And she gave birth to her first born son and wrapped him in bands of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.” Luke 2:7 Does anyone know that the name of the baby from the Bible verse is? (Jesus) And what is the name of the babies mommy? (Mary) Mary loved baby Jesus, and she took good care of him. God wants us to love and care for babies too.

Exploring
Make a We Love Babies Collage. Explain to the children that since babies love to look at pictures of other babies, your group will create a We Love Babies Collage for the church nursery. Have the children work together to fill the banner paper with pictures. Remind them that in a collage it is ok if the pictures overlap each other. Add a label that says, “We Love Babies!”

Benediction
Say: Loving God, let us show our love for you. Help us to show our love for other people, for our families, for out teachers and for our friends. Thank you for being our guide. Amen.

A Meal with Jesus

2009-04-14T12:48:00.002-05:00

“And Jesus said, ‘I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover meal with you…’”
Luke 22:15

Call to Worship
(Sung to “Michael Roll Your Boat Ashore”)
We will break this bread together, Alleluia.
We will break this bread together, Alleluia.
We will drink this juice together, Alleluia.
We will drink this juice together, Alleluia.
We’ll remember Christ’s love, Alleluia.
We’ll remember Christ’s love, Alleluia.

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: Last week we talked about Jesus eating with his friends. Can anyone tell me why we eat? (Because we are hungry, etc.)

Listening
Say: You’re right! We eat because our bodies need something. Have you all heard of Communion? It is the meal we eat together with your church family and with God. Communion is God’s way of nourishing us with God’s love. We are given bread and juice just like Jesus ate with his disciples. Communion is an invitation for everyone to have a chance to be with God. There is a story in our Bible about this meal that Jesus ate with his friends.
It had been a busy, exciting week for Jesus and his friends. Everyone in Jerusalem was talking about Jesus. Jesus and his friends were tired and excited about what was going on.
One night they got together in a quiet room away from the crowds. They ate dinner together. As they ate they talked about what they had been doing together. They remembered what Jesus had done and some of the stories Jesus had told them. They remembered how Jesus had been teaching them. At the end of the dinner, while they were still sitting at the table, Jesus picked up a loaf of bread. He broke it and gave it to his friends, asking them to each eat a piece. Then he passed around a cup and asked everyone to drink from it. Then he looked straight at them and told them to eat bread and drink grape wine together to remember him.

Exploring
Have a play Communion. Allow the children to share bread with their friends like Jesus did. Let them have a small glass of grape juice like Jesus shared with his friends. Allow them to feel the elements of Communion and become better acquainted with the celebration of Eucharist.

Benediction
Say: God, thank you for sharing such a special meal with us. Help us to always remember you when we take Communion. Amen.

Time Line for VBS

2009-04-10T19:11:00.002-05:00

The success of your Vacation Bible School really depends on your ability to organize and plan. Planning Vacation Bible School is a difficult task to take on. You must to be ready to choose a curriculum, to recruit and manage a staff of volunteers, organize supplies, and to promote your program, just to name a few of the things you will be in charge of. It sounds overwhelming, but once it is done you can have the amazing feeling of knowing you have influenced so many children and the way they see God, their peers and their community.
1. Christian Education team must meet and decide the goals for Vacation Bible School.
2. Decide if they want a daytime or evening program and set a date; book the church rooms for the program.
3. Pick out your curriculum.
4. You can also write your own or buy curriculum and modify it to fit your needs. After you know what classes you will offer, you will know how many volunteers you need and also how to set up your schedule.
5. Each classroom will need one teacher and one assistant teacher, and each group of children will need a guide.
6. Vacation Bible School is a church wide program and it is important your congregation knows their help is needed. It is beneficial if your pastor promotes volunteering for your big event. When you ask the congregation to help make sure to find out what areas that specific volunteer is most interested in.
7. You need a group in charge of advertising and public relations, crafts, games, science, decorations, snack, and et cetera. Each group will be in charge of a different classroom. They will need to learn their lessons, and be prepared to go with the flow of the children. (A hint: have a group in charge of gathering materials for all of the rooms. They can ask the congregation for things and go to the stores. They don’t have to teach and they can still be very involved in Vacation Bible School.)
8. The advertising and public relations committee will need to advertise your Vacation Bible School to the congregation and surrounding neighborhoods and communities.
9. It is important that you have a volunteer training day. It will allow you to get all of your volunteers on the same page and show your volunteers how to accomplish the goal they have set forth. You will also see how far along each committee is and what they need help with. You should go over the main themes for each day and double check that each class has a supply list and has started gathering items for their lessons.
10. Keep up with how each group is doing and what supplies are still needed.
11. During Vacation Bible School you must go with the flow. After the first day you will have a better understanding how each day will go and know how to handle the situations brought on by your group of kids.

Ecology Theology: Matthew 2

2009-04-08T09:17:00.002-05:00

In the book of Matthew there is a story titled the “Massacre of the Innocents”. Please turn your Bibles to Matthew 2: 13-23.

In this story we see King Herod getting very angry because the Wise Men have returned from seeing Jesus, the new king. Herod doesn’t want to lose his crown so in a jealous rage he orders to have the boys in Israel ages 0-2 killed. An angel comes to warn Joseph and tells him to leave Israel and hid in Egypt so Jesus will be kept alive. After Herod dies, an angel appears to Joseph again to tell him his family could return back to Israel. They returned to Israel but found out that Archelaus, Herod’s son, was the new ruler of Judea. They decided it would be best if they moved somewhere else in Israel to protect Jesus, so they moved to Nazareth.

I want to talk about the scary part of the story. Herod has all of the boys aged 0-2 murdered because he is afraid someone will take his throne. It’s about power. In today’s society we are constantly killing our earth’s resources because of power. We want more power so we “have to make more” money, so we extract more oil. We want more money, so we cut down more trees to make way for more industry. We are “massacring innocents” when we exploit our earth. God put us in charge of creation and we have managed to hurt it. We have a responsibility to recycle, implement business practices that are healthy for our earth, and to waste less. It is up to us to try to improve our earth and to stop destroying innocent things.

Let’s make a covenant to take care of our earth.

How Liberation Theology Would Interpret Matthew 15:21-31

2009-04-07T19:33:00.001-05:00

God calls for humanity to live together in peace, love, respect, and justice. There is a story in the New Testament where Jesus is trying to take a break from his ministry and Gentile woman asks for his help. Since he was a Jew and came to save the Jews, he was resistant to help her. He isn’t living up to those expectations. He is refusing to help someone because she had a different religious background. Let’s see what ends up happening in the story. Open your Bibles to Matthew 15:21-31 (NRSV).

What does Jesus end up doing? He helps the Gentile woman.

We see Jesus say he was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel and that he won’t take away the children’s food and give it to the dogs. Here he is speaking in a metaphor. He is saying that he won’t be taking away from the Jews just to help the Gentiles.

What does she say? That even the dogs get the crumbs left under the table.
Correct. She says, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” She is so clever! She teaches Jesus a lesson in this story. All people are God’s creation and all should have the opportunity to be in the presence of the love of God. Jesus learns this lesson from her clever words. No one is better than anyone else is God’s eyes. We will all be freed from oppression.

Feminists Theology: Genesis 2-3

2009-04-06T22:23:00.000-05:00

Genesis 2-3 is known as “The Fall Story.” It is called this because historically it has been seen as humanities fall from God’s grace. It has been used to show “when” human sin began. In this story God creates Adam and decides he needs a partner and creates Eve from Adam’s rib. In the end of this story, after they eat a piece of fruit of the tree of wisdom, God bans Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden. God also punishes the man by forcing him to till his own land and giving the woman pain during child birth, and punishes the serpent by cursing him to travel on his belly and be wacked by the woman. We have all heard this story. We all know that Eve is this awful woman and since her time women have been seen as the evil bearers of her unfaithfulness. I have a different theory.
Let’s spend some time writing down words that we usually think of when we think of Eve.
(Evil, Sin, Seductive, Bad… etc.)
Let’s review the creation story in Genesis 2. What is going on in this story?
I would like to call attention to when God said not to eat from the tree of knowledge. Who was God speaking to? Was God speaking to Adam AND Eve? No. God was talking to Adam alone. God had not yet made Eve in this story.
I would also like to talk about why God chose to make Eve out of Adam’s rib. Where is the rib located on the body? The side. God specifically chose a part from the side of Adam’s body. God did not choose something from Adam’s head. God did not choose something from Adam’s foot. God is saying that Eve is not above you, Eve is not below you. Eve is equal with you. You two will be partners, side by side in everything you do. God does not punish Adam because he didn’t take care of his property. God punished Adam because he played a part in the disobedience. They are partners in crime.
I would also like to call attention to verse 3:6. “So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate; and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate.” (NRSV) Eve was not alone here. Adam was there with her. She did not force him to eat. She handed it to him and he ate. If we see that Eve is not a temptress herself and her husband had a part in this whole story, how does that change our perception of her?
If our perceptions of Eve change, how does our perception of all women change?
Women are no longer seen as subservient to men. They are equal players in their relationships.

Sharing Jesus’ Stories

2009-04-02T11:34:00.002-05:00

Here is a lesson I have put together for the Sunday after Easter about the travelers on the road to Emmaus.

“He is not here; for he has been raised’ as he said. Come, see the place where he lay.” Matthew 28:6

Call to Worship
(Sing to Frere Jacques)
Christ is Risen! Christ is Risen!
Sing a song of praise! Sing a song of praise!
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Christ is Risen! Christ is Risen!

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 can you remember from the Easter story about Jesus?
(New life, Jesus was raised up, etc.)

Listening
Say: I have another story about after Jesus was given new life by God. On Easter Sunday, two friends walked home from Jerusalem to Emmaus. They were sad. Their friend Jesus had died on Friday. As they walked along, a stranger caught up with them and asked what they were talking about.
“Are you the only person in Jerusalem who has not heard about Jesus?” asked on of the travelers.
“What about Jesus?” the stranger asked.
So the travelers told the stranger all about Jesus. They told how Jesus had been born. They told how kind and good he had been. They told him some of the wonderful stories Jesus had told them and some of the important things Jesus had taught them. They told about the way Jesus healed sick people and made friends with lonely people. They told about the last supper with Jesus, when he took a loaf of bread, broke it and gave it to his friends, asking they to share bread to remember him. They told how Jesus had died on a cross and buried in a cave. The stranger listened. Somehow the travelers knew the stranger understood.
Soon it was dinner time. The travelers invited the stranger to have dinner with them, and he did. As they sat down to supper, the stranger picked up the bread and said the blessing. Then he broke the bread and gave it to them. Suddenly the travelers recognized the stranger. He wasn’t a stranger at all! He was Jesus! Jesus was not dead! He was alive! He was with the- or he had bee, As soon as they recognized him, Jesus disappeared. The surprised travelers were amazed and happy and excited. They hurried all the way back to Jerusalem to tell the others, “Jesus is alive! We have seen him. He gave us bread to eat. We are not alone anymore.”

Exploring
Have the children sit in a circle. Give them each a piece of Hawaiian bread. While they are sharing the bread ask them what stories they know about God and Jesus.

Benediction
Say: God, what wonderful news we have heard this morning! Christ has risen and lives forever! Alleluia! Amen!

Bible Study in Mutual Correlation Theology

2009-04-01T21:19:00.001-05:00

Today we are going to be reading Matthew 2:13-23. They call these verses the story of “The Massacre of the Innocents.”

Read Matthew 2:13-23

In this story we see King Herod getting very angry because the Wise Men have returned from seeing Jesus, the new king. Herod doesn’t want to lose his crown so in a jealous rage he orders to have the boys in Israel ages 0-2 killed. An angel comes to warn Joseph and tells him to leave Israel and hid in Egypt so Jesus will be kept alive. After Herod dies, an angel appears to Joseph again to tell him his family could return back to Israel. They returned to Israel but found out that Archelaus, Herod’s son, was the new ruler of Judea. They decided it would be best if they moved somewhere else in Israel to protect Jesus, so they moved to Nazareth.

Are any of you the best at something? How would you feel if someone new moved into your school who was better than you at that thing? I would be jealous. My feelings would be hurt. Now obviously that feeling of jealousy does not make it ok to hurt someone else, but do you feel what Herod felt? He was so mad that someone was coming in and going to be a king.

What do you all think about this story?

I have set up stations around the room that you all can choose from. There is a drawing station, a sand station, a journaling station, and a prayer station. You all should take this time to reflect on the meaning this story has for you.

Now that all of you are finished with your reflections, does anyone want to share?

Let’s close in prayer.
Dear God,
Thank you so much for being with us here now like you were back in the days of the story we read today. Thank you for always loving us and for allowing us to find you.
Amen.

Had the meeting...

2009-03-29T20:01:00.001-05:00

It went fabulously! Thank you for all of the thoughts and prayers!

Now, time for planning!!!!

A Great Idea

2009-03-28T18:11:00.002-05:00

A woman who is very important to the Children's Ministries at Choctaw United Methodist came up with a great idea for a service project for our kids. Tomorrow morning we will be selling fresh choclate chip cookies and lemonade. The money made will be given to a cause the children choose. They can keep the money for children's ministries activities, give it all away to the organization, or decide if they want to keep part of it and give part of it away. It is their decision what they do with the money they make. It gives them all of the responsibility. It will teach them how to be responsible for their own money. They can either get something for themselves to stay in the children's area or give it away. I thought it was a great idea. It lets them do something fun and learn about the responsibility we have to help out our community. If you have any other ideas like this, comment. Let me know what you think!

New Life at Easter

2009-03-25T17:57:00.002-05:00

Here is a lesson for Easter!

“He is not here; for he has been raised’ as he said. Come, see the place where he lay.” Matthew 28:6

Call to Worship
(Sing to Frere Jacques)
It is Easter! It is Easter! Christ is Risen! Christ is Risen!
Sing a song of praise! Sing a song of praise!
Alleluia! Alleluia!

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: In God’s world of plants and animals, have you ever seen any signs of new life this spring? (Trees are getting new leaves, etc.)

Listening
Ask the children to join in the story by saying “New Life!” every time you point at them.

Say: After Jesus dies, he was laid into a small room cut into a rock wall. This room was called a “tomb.” A large rock was rolled over the opening of the tomb, just like a door. Jesus’ tomb was in a garden.

Springtime had come to the garden. Signs of the season were everywhere. Baby birds were hatching in their nests. (Point) Bright green leaves were starting to grow on tree branches. (Point) Baby rabbits hopped behind their mother. (Point) Flower blossoms of yellow, pink, and orange opened under the warm sun. (Point) Seeds pushed up through the ground. (Point) Honeybees hatched and flew outside the beehive for the first time. (Point) And tadpoles swam in the water trough. (Point)

Night fell and the garden was dark, until an angel came shining bright as lightening. The angel rolled away the stone, and God game Jesus new life. (Point) Jesus stood and walked out of the tomb and into the garden full of (Point) light.

As the sun came up, the people who loved Jesus went to the garden to visit his grave. They were surprised to see that the stone was rolled away from the tomb and even more amazed when the angel told them that Jesus was raised from the dead. As the people turned to leave, they met Jesus! God had given him (Point)!

Exploring
There will be plastic eggs hidden around the room with chick stickers inside.

Say: Since eggs and chicks are a symbol of new life, let’s play some games using eggs that children have played for hundreds of years!

Egg Hunt: Invite the children to find one egg each from around the room. If the eggs are opened ask the children to put the sticker back inside of the egg until the end of the games.

Egg Balance: Have children form a circle. Give each child a spoon and an egg. Have them try to carry their eggs on their spoons as everyone asks around in a circle.

When the games are finished, they can put their stickers on their eggs.

Benediction
Say: God, what wonderful news we have heard this morning! Christ has risen and lives forever! Alleluia! Amen!

If there is extra time have the children imitate sounds of new life.
Babies (waa waa)
Chicks (cheep cheep)
Duckling (quack quack)
Lamb (baa baa)
Donkey Colt (hee-haw)
Puppy (yip yip)
Kitten (mew mew)
Piglet (oink oink)
Goat Kid (naa naa)

If you would like you could also ask the children to invent some sounds of new life, like what it sounds like for a seed to grow, tree leaves to unfold, or grass growing.

Three Cheers: Palm Sunday

2009-03-24T14:40:00.000-05:00

Here is a lesson idea for Palm Sunday.

“Then those who went ahead and those who followed were shouting, ‘Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!’” Mark 11:9

Call to Worship
(Sing to Frere Jacques)
Hosanna! Hosanna!
Here Comes Jesus! Here Comes Jesus!
Riding on a donkey! Riding on a donkey!
Wave your palms! Wave your palms!
Hosanna! Hosanna!
In the highest! In the highest!
Blessed is Jesus! Blessed is Jesus!
Who comes in the name of the Lord!

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 cheered for someone or something?
(I cheer for my favorite football team, etc.)

Listening
Use the donkey puppet as you tell the story of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem.

Say: Hee-haw, he-haw. I’m Dina the Donkey, and I’m the one who gave Jesus a ride into Jerusalem before Passover. I love outside the city, but I do go to the big city to do errands with my owner. On that day, I was quietly munching hay, when a very interesting man and his followers came near. His followers led me over to the man, who spoke softly to me and patted my nose. I liked him right away. You know, we donkeys can be stubborn and mean if we want to, but I decided I wanted to be nice to this man.

The man got on my back, and we began to walk toward the city. One of his followers called him “Jesus.” As we went along the road, people came out from their houses to walk with us. Workers left the fields too and shoppers on their way to market joined us. Everyone was happy and excited to see Jesus. They talked about the wonderful things he had said and done. They all agreed that Jesus was their savior and king.

Soon there was a crowd as far as you could see. The people began cheering for Jesus as they took off their cloaks and cut palm branches to lay in the road. My hoofs clopped over the most beautiful and the most ragged coats, because there were very rich and very poor people in the crowd. Jesus sat calmly on my back, and as the crowds began to press in closer and closer to see and touch him, he spoke gentle words to me; and I was not afraid of all those people.

Finally, he slid from my back and gave me to a kind person who served me water and a bit of food before taking me home. That was the most amazing day because I carried Jesus, the Savior, into Jerusalem. Hee-haw!

Exploring
Make some streamer sticks to help celebrate Jesus! Take the crepe paper and allow the children to glue two strips onto the Popsicle sticks. Have a celebration parade outside if the weather permits or around the room saying, “Hosanna!” as you go.

Benediction
Say: Hosanna! Let us tell the world about Christ and what he has done for us! Amen.

An Excellent Source

2009-03-24T12:06:00.004-05:00

I was searching online for coloring pages for our children's activity bags and I have to admit I did not realize the vast resources that crayola has online. Their coloring sheets are not just "stay in lines" coloring sheets. They have creativity producing coloring sheets. They also have a crafts page with unlimited number of suggestions. There is an educators page with teaching resources and how-to's for various art classes. And there is a parents page that is meant to help teach creativity at home. I am so so happy this resource is so easy to access. Up until this point the only coloring sheets I have found that encourage creating what you want on the page was a Scribbles coloring book (great resource too btw). I just thought I'd share that with you. Check http://www.crayola.com/ out!

Discernment

2009-03-22T19:22:00.006-05:00

I have recently been hired as the Children's Director at a small church here in Oklahoma. They have never had someone overseeing just their children's ministries and they have recently moved into a new building and are growing by leaps and bounds. I am beyond estatic to have the opportunity to grow a fantastic children's ministries. In fact this is my dream. I want God's love to guide me and shine through me. I want to provide programs that are needed and loved and interesting. I am trying to design a children's religion in the arts program and trying to make it easier for volunteers in their children's church program. I want to implement things that help grow them spiritually. I guess I am writing this to ask for prayers. I will be having my first guardians meeting next Sunday and I am doing my best to prepare for it but I need to make sure the important things get covered, and that those who come work well together and with me. I want this first meeting to establish the relationships I will need to have an amazing ministry for their children. Frankly, I want it to go well. Please pray that God prepares me and those attending and to help us to see what God has in store for us.

Family Rituals Class

2009-03-16T12:53:00.002-05:00

OBJECTIVE: To expose parents to new rituals and to teach the importance of family rituals.

PEOPLE SERVED: Families

LEADERS: DRE

STAFF: DRE

SUGGESTED DATE: Spring

DESCRIPTION: Offer a class where parents discuss the different family rituals they have and expose them to new rituals they can begin in their own households. Tie family time back to God.

EVALUATION: If the parents find the information helpful.

BUDGET: Money for the different ritual source books.

SPECIAL NOTES: None

Christian Family Skills Class

2009-03-14T18:52:00.001-05:00

OBJECTIVE: To teach parents how to have family prayers, family devotions, family mediations and family Bible study.

PEOPLE SERVED: Families, whole church

LEADERS: DRE

STAFF: DRE

SUGGESTED DATE: Spring

DESCRIPTION: Offer a class teaching parents basic Christian skills they can use at home with their children. Teach them how to use various sources for things like family prayers, family devotions, family mediations and family Bible study.

EVALUATION: Needed

BUDGET: None

SPECIAL NOTES: None

Family Scrapbooking Class

2009-03-13T09:11:00.001-05:00

OBJECTIVE: To promote communication amongst families.

PEOPLE SERVED: Families

LEADERS: Family Life Coordinator, Volunteer who is good at scrap booking

STAFF: DRE

SUGGESTED DATE: Before summer vacation begins

DESCRIPTION: Teach a class showing the families how to put together scrap book pages. Give instructions to have your child write in a trip journal about their favorite part of their day. Tie back the awesome experiences to how great God is. Bring back the pages to show the congregation of your trip.

EVALUATION: If it is used and if the parents find useful.

BUDGET: $15 for supplies

SPECIAL NOTES: None

Scripture Readings Newsletter

2009-03-12T14:18:00.002-05:00

OBJECTIVE: Printed each month to provide parents with good scripture readings to share with your children that go along with the church seasons and with what is going on with the church.

PEOPLE SERVED: Parents, children

LEADERS: DRE

STAFF: DRE

SUGGESTED DATE: Beginning of each month

DESCRIPTION: Each month a calendar of scriptures will be sent out to the parents to provide them with a source for bible study at home.

EVALUATION: If I feel it’s being used.

BUDGET: $5 for paper

SPECIAL NOTES: None

Church Picnic

2009-03-11T12:06:00.001-05:00

OBJECTIVE: To promote intergenerational fellowship by being outside in God’s creation.

PEOPLE SERVED: Whole Church

LEADERS: Family Life Coordinator

STAFF: DRE

SUGGESTED DATE: Once in the spring, summer and fall

DESCRIPTION: Each family brings a dish that is usually brought on picnics and they each bring a blanket to sit on. Then you sit at different families blankets while you eat their food. Bring kites and other outdoor things to do after lunch.

EVALUATION: Attendance

BUDGET: None

SPECIAL NOTES: Ask families to bring their own after lunch activities.

All Saint’s Day

2009-03-10T13:52:00.001-05:00

OBJECTIVE: To get the children to recognize people they appreciate and to show those people the recognition they deserve.

PEOPLE SERVED: Whole Church

LEADERS: Children’s Coordinator

STAFF: DRE

SUGGESTED DATE: All Saint’s Day

DESCRIPTION: Have the children each pick a person they think is a saint and someone they can see God in and have them make a card for that person. Have them pass them out during big church after their Sunday School class.

EVALUATION: The level of fun the children are having.

BUDGET: $15 for card making supplies

SPECIAL NOTES: None

Adopt a Grandparent

2009-03-09T09:09:00.001-05:00

OBJECTIVE: To promote good relationships amongst generations and to give the children the opportunity to lean from the wise people in our congregation.

PEOPLE SERVED: Children, Older Members

LEADERS: Children’s Coordinator

STAFF: DRE

SUGGESTED DATE: Fall after the children return from summer

DESCRIPTION: Each child entering kindergarten will be paired with an elderly person in the congregation. They will stay as a pair forever. After that it is up to them to decide what they do and how often they do it. I would expect cards to be sent and ice cream trips will be taken.

EVALUATION: Checking up on the pairs

BUDGET: None

SPECIAL NOTES: None

Church Birthday Party

2009-03-07T14:25:00.001-06:00

OBJECTIVE: To promote intergenerational fellowship while celebrating each other’s birthdays.

PEOPLE SERVED: Whole church

LEADERS: Volunteers, Family Life Coordinator

STAFF: DRE

SUGGESTED DATE: Once a year at any time

DESCRIPTION: Set up 12 tables, one for each month. Separate the congregation into birth months. Each month will decorate their table according to what happens during their month. Each table will also get a birthday cake. Then you have a birthday party!

EVALUATION: Attendance

BUDGET: Money for 12 cakes and for decorations.

SPECIAL NOTES: None

Acolytes

2009-03-06T09:38:00.002-06:00

OBJECTIVE: To teach the children how to carry the lighter into the sanctuary and to teach them the significance of the lighting of the candles.

PEOPLE SERVED: Whole Church

LEADERS: Children’s Coordinator

STAFF: DRE

SUGGESTED DATE: Fall

DESCRIPTION: To have a class once a year to teach them how to safely bring in light of the world and to teach them the meaning of what they are doing when they acolyte.

EVALUATION: Needed

BUDGET: None

SPECIAL NOTES: None

Kid’s In Action

2009-03-05T17:34:00.002-06:00

OBJECTIVE: To provide safe cultural experiences for the children in our church.

PEOPLE SERVED: Children, parents

LEADERS: Volunteers, DRE, Children’s Coordinator

STAFF: DRE

SUGGESTED DATE: Wednesdays during the summer

DESCRIPTION: Each Wednesday the children will get to go on a field trip to various cultural events/places. They will go to the zoo, history museums, art museums, plays, etc. It’s a way to maintain learning during the summer. They will all wear the same shirt so we can stay together.

EVALUATION: Attendance

BUDGET: Money for events. Check into group and discount rates.

SPECIAL NOTES: Make sure the volunteers keep a very careful eye in their group.

World Communion Sunday

2009-03-04T22:02:00.002-06:00

OBJECTIVE: To celebrate communion throughout the world and teach a little about the various cultures present today.

PEOPLE SERVED: Whole church, children

LEADERS: Volunteers, DRE

STAFF: DRE

SUGGESTED DATE: World Communion Sunday

DESCRIPTION: The children come the Saturday before and have a special unit learning about different cultures by baking bread from that area. They will break into groups of 3 with one adult assistant and each group will bake a different type of bread from an assigned country and then each group will share a little with everyone else there and talk about their country. They will also save some for the Communion service the next day.

EVALUATION: Attendance

BUDGET: $25 for ingredients

SPECIAL NOTES: Go over safety instructions before you begin baking. You work with an oven so be sure to point out not to touch it.

Summer Arts Program

2009-03-03T13:55:00.001-06:00

OBJECTIVE: To provide an artistic way to worship.

PEOPLE SERVED: Children, parents, church

LEADERS: Volunteers, Children’s Coordinator

STAFF: DRE

SUGGESTED DATE: A week during the summer

DESCRIPTION: A week long arts program utilizing the various talents of the congregation. The children can pick a different class each day and spend the day learning how to do that kind of art. There should be music, drawing, painting, clay, knitting, sewing, etc. Use the sources of the congregation.

EVALUATION: Attendance

BUDGET: Money for arts supplies

SPECIAL NOTES: None

Mother’s Day Out

2009-03-02T14:24:00.002-06:00

OBJECTIVE: To provide an opportunity for mother’s to take a few hours for themselves so they can provide the best motherly care possible and to have another opportunity for children to have fun in God with each other.

PEOPLE SERVED: Mothers, children

LEADERS: Mother’s Day Out Coordinator, Volunteers

STAFF: DRE, paid teachers

SUGGESTED DATE: Once a month

DESCRIPTION: One morning each month the children will come to the church on a Saturday and have a morning full of activities. They will play games, read Bible stories, and have arts and crafts time and various other activities to promote spiritual growth and fun.

EVALUATION: Attendance

BUDGET: Money for crafts, games, and snacks.

SPECIAL NOTES: None

Children’s Choir

2009-02-28T18:43:00.002-06:00

OBJECTIVE: To celebrate and rejoice in the music of the Lord! To provide an opportunity for our children to sing and perform in God.

PEOPLE SERVED: Children, congregation

LEADERS: Music Director

STAFF: DRE and the Music Director

SUGGESTED DATE: Practices on Sunday afternoons and performances once a quarter.

DESCRIPTION: Once a week, provide an opportunity to sing and make music for God and then every quarter a performance for the congregation during the Sunday morning service.

EVALUATION: Attendance

BUDGET: None

SPECIAL NOTES: None

Comfort Critters

2009-02-27T10:54:00.001-06:00

OBJECTIVE: To provide a mission project for the younger aged elementary children to participate in and lead.

PEOPLE SERVED: Children and the children at the children’s hospital.

LEADERS: Children’s coordinator, volunteer bus drivers

STAFF: DRE

SUGGESTED DATE: Continues throughout the year with quarterly visits to the children’s hospital.

DESCRIPTION: Each Sunday children can bring in their old stuffed animals to be left in the sanctuary. Then once a quarter the children will have the opportunity to go to the children’s hospital to give their old toys to the other children.

EVALUATION: Donations

BUDGET: Money for gas

SPECIAL NOTES: None

Tuesday Afternoon Story Hour

2009-02-26T17:46:00.001-06:00

OBJECTIVE: Provide a time for families to listen to Christian themed stories and a time for fellowship.

PEOPLE SERVED: Children, parents, families

LEADERS: Children’s Coordinator, volunteers

STAFF: DRE

SUGGESTED DATE: Every Tuesday afternoon

DESCRIPTION: Each week a volunteer will read a Christian themed book to a group of younger aged children. They will have a chance to talk about the book and how the book ties into our mission as a Children’s ministry. Following the discussion there will be juice and a snack.

EVALUATION: Attendance

BUDGET: $25 for juice and snacks

Easter Festival

2009-02-25T00:06:00.001-06:00

OBJECTIVE: To celebrate Easter as a Church community.

PEOPLE SERVED: Whole Church

LEADERS: Family Life Coordinator, volunteers

STAFF: DRE

SUGGESTED DATE: Easter time (March, April)

DESCRIPTION: The Easter festival should be different activities that allow all of the participants an opportunity to get involved in the joy of Easter. You should have an egg decorating table. Decorate plastic eggs with magic marker and then while the children are listening to the children appropriate version of the Easter story have a volunteer hide the decorated eggs. Make cotton ball bunnies or cotton ball ducks. Have various crafts tables and at the end of the festival have a church potluck meal.

EVALUATION: Attendance

BUDGET: Money for crafts. The eggs and the dinner should be donated by the participants.

SPECIAL NOTES: None

Christmas Festival

2009-02-24T10:21:00.001-06:00

OBJECTIVE: To serve as a fun Christmas celebration. Families and the church get together and have fun in fellowship. This strengthens the church and the community and creates family traditions.

PEOPLE SERVED: Whole Church

LEADERS: Volunteers, Family Life Coordinator

STAFF: DRE

SUGGESTED DATE: Christmas time (December)

DESCRIPTION: Tables are set up with different crafts projects like Christmas cards for the shut-ins, tree ornaments, etc. Christmas carols are sung. The children have the opportunity to bake cookies. A backdrop of the stable could be set up and Mary and Joseph costumes set out and Polaroid’s of the children taken. The cookies made can be set out with hot cocoa for everyone to enjoy. This is just a program for everyone to get together and celebrate Christmas traditions as a church family.

EVALUATION: Attendance

BUDGET: Money for crafts, activities, food and drinks.

SPECIAL NOTES: None

Fall Festival

2009-02-23T17:35:00.001-06:00

OBJECTIVE: To celebrate returning to school, Sunday school beginning and the end of summer with the church while strengthening the church family.

PEOPLE SERVED: Whole Church

LEADERS: Volunteers to run booths, Family Life Coordinator (no training)

STAFF: DRE

SUGGESTED DATE: When classes resume in the fall (August)

DESCRIPTION: Volunteers run booths. There are craft projects, face painting, bean bag toss, fishing games, and many other fun carnival games. Prizes include candy and little goodies. It’s just a fun day to celebrate the end of summer and to promote Sunday School classes.

EVALUATION: Attendance

BUDGET: Money for crafts, games, prizes, food and drinks.

SPECIAL NOTES: None

Trunk or Treat

2009-02-22T20:04:00.002-06:00

OBJECTIVE: To serve as a safe Halloween celebration. Families and the church get together and have fun in fellowship. This strengthens the church and the community.

PEOPLE SERVED: Whole Church

LEADERS: Volunteers, Family Life Coordinator (no training needed)

STAFF: DRE

SUGGESTED DATE: Halloween time (October)

DESCRIPTION: The adults in the congregation decorate their cars and trunks and hand out candy to the children. The children come dressed in their Halloween costumes and go trick or treating to all the cars. The church will provide snacks and drinks inside.

EVALUATION: Attendance

BUDGET: $15 for drinks, $15 for snacks. The candy/treats will be provided by the participating cars.

SPECIAL NOTES: If you have to move inside due to weather use tables for each trunk.

Mental Drama, Role-Playing and Biblical Stimulation

2009-02-18T09:53:00.002-06:00

General Overview of the method:
The Bible has can be viewed as a drama where God seeks and finds His people. This method can help students’ better see and understand what is going on in the Bible by being in the action. Since there are so many instances in the Bible where feelings dominate thought, these exercises are a good way to the class in these feelings. If you involve the whole group each person can view the scene in a new way. You emphasize ideas and feelings so everyone can see what was going on.

Age Level:
This is good for children, youth and adults. It is a nice way to involve everyone and everyone likes to play pretend. You can’t ever get to old for that. It is a cool method to get all ages to see different things.

Specific Materials/Supplies/Handouts Required:
o Bible
o An imagination
o Preparation for some of the dramas others are improvisation.
o The teachers need to be prepared with questions

Step by step instructions for the model:
Have the class read the scripture and to think about what they see talking place. Have them visualize how they would handle the situation. Ask them to see the situation from all view points. Just having the students visualize can make an in mind mini drama. You could also have the class do role playing. Have them act out what is going on during the scripture passage. You can have a few perform for the whole class or you can have the group break into pairs and have everyone try out acting out the parts. You could have a simulation. Have your students perform an accurate portrayal of what happened in the Bible. There are many ways you can use acting in bible study but they all should help you visualize and feel what is really happening.

Evaluation of the model (strengths/weaknesses):
This method is a good way to help your students see what is going on. It helps them be in the scene and involved in the feelings of the characters. It can make people feel awkward and silly and some people will be reluctant to participate. It is a cool way to get people involved in the stories.

Spectrum Bible Study

2009-02-16T19:06:00.001-06:00

General Overview of the method:
I think that this is a very important method of study. We as Christians should want to know how other people view the Bible and what their beliefs are compared to our own. It will help us better form our views and will help us better understand our fellow man. If we get a better idea how others understand things we can get along better and live the way we were meant to live. It helps us see how others interpret the Bible and it will help us better understand one another. We get to ask questions, find answers and see why people believe the things they do based on history. It gives you a better perspective. The teacher develops a “spectrum” of different views for the class to view. You have to see the differences from an open mind and some of the things won’t make you happy at all.

Age Level:
This is good for high school classes and adult classes but I think you could include these things with the middle school kids. We should be aware of the differences throughout Christianity.

Specific Materials/Supplies/Handouts Required:
o Research
o Bible
o Handouts of the differences, comparison charts
o Open minds
o Chalkboard
o Pens/pencils/chalk

Step by step instructions for the model:
Read your Bible passage. Have the class think about the different ways they have heard this scripture interpreted and have them list them on a chalk board. As you talk and lecture, add or modify the board. Have your class explore more in depth the various aspects to each point. See what points you can identify with and have the students talk about why they can see it that way. It can lead to really cool discussions but be careful.

Evaluation of the model (strengths/weaknesses):
It’s important to be very open-minded. This is a subject that can turn people off but it can be very rewarding. I think this is an important part of studies. You need to see where other people are coming from.

A Heart After Children

New Website Up

Seasons of Faith Book Review

Web Wednesday

And then Jesus Changed Water into Gatorade: A Children's Sermon

Lent: Lesson 4

This week we will use our senses to learn more about Jesus and his experiences.

Exploring

Favorite Hymn

Mark 14:26 They sang a hymn and then went directly to Mount Olives.

Strip of Leather

Wrap leather around wrists and imagine how it must have felt.

Rough wood

Luke 23:26 As they led him off, they made Simon, a man from Cyrene who happened to be coming in from the countryside, carry the cross behind Jesus.

Feel the bark and remember the man who carried the cross for Jesus, Simon of Cyrene. Consider how he felt with that responsibility.

Small bag of spices

Mark 16: 1-8 The Resurrection

As you smell the spices remember how the women took spices to the tomb to cover the smell of the decaying body they expected to find.

Candle

The candle brings light to darkness, as Christ brought eternal light into a dark world.

BenedictionSay: Wonderful God, thank you for wanting to be closer to us. Help us to grow closer to you during Lent. Amen.

More ExploringHave the children draw about one of the things they learned.

Site Under Construction

It's Been One Year

Symbols of Faith Book Review

Web Wednesday

We're Like a Puzzle: Children's Semon

Lent: Lesson 3

This week we will use our sense of taste to learn the color of Lent! Can anyone guess what color we use to remind us of Lent? The color is PURPLE! We use the color purple to remind us that Christ is the King of Kings. It also reminds us to repent and turn to God to be closer to God.

Exploring Have the children sit down at the table and pass out plates and napkins. They will be eating grapes, purple jello, and drinking grape soda. While they are eating ask what symbols they remember from last week, or how their Lent Pledges and Calendars are going.

The Bread and Cup Symbol: Helps us remember the meal that Jesus shared with his friends. We have this same meal with Him when we share Communion.

The Butterfly: When the butterfly is in its cocoon it is like Jesus in the tomb, and when the butterfly emerges it is like Jesus being resurrected.

The Cross: Represents the resurrection of Jesus on Easter

The Donkey: The donkey that Jesus rode into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday.

The Easter Lily: the bulb of this flower looks dead but then it comes to life and blooms a beautiful flower. This reminds us of the new life that we have when we are renewed in God.

The Fish: This reminds us of Jesus and he asking us to make fishermen of all people.

The Lamb: Lambs were used for sacrifices and Jesus sacrificed his life for us.

Light: Jesus’ triumph over the dark of death

Palms: Remind us of Palm Sunday and the day Jesus entered into Jerusalem for his last week.

The Stone: The stone that was placed in front of Jesus’ tomb that was moved when the women discovered Jesus was missing and had been resurrected.

BenedictionSay: Wonderful God, thank you for wanting to be closer to us. Help us to grow closer to you during Lent. Amen.

More ExploringUsing the labyrinth page have the children use their fingers to “walk” around the labyrinth and say silent prayers and meditations.

Web Wednesday

Lent: Lesson 2

The Bread and Cup Symbol: Helps us remember the meal that Jesus shared with his friends. We have this same meal with Him when we share Communion.

The Butterfly: When the butterfly is in its cocoon it is like Jesus in the tomb, and when the butterfly emerges it is like Jesus being resurrected.

The Cross: Represents the resurrection of Jesus on Easter

The Donkey: The donkey that Jesus rode into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday.

The Easter Lily: the bulb of this flower looks dead but then it comes to life and blooms a beautiful flower. This reminds us of the new life that we have when we are renewed in God.

The Fish: This reminds us of Jesus and he asking us to make fishermen of all people.

The Lamb: Lambs were used for sacrifices and Jesus sacrificed his life for us.

Light: Jesus’ triumph over the dark of death

Palms: Remind us of Palm Sunday and the day Jesus entered into Jerusalem for his last week.

The Stone: The stone that was placed in front of Jesus’ tomb that was moved when the women discovered Jesus was missing and had been resurrected.

ExploringToday we will color one of the symbols that remind us of God’s stories.

BenedictionSay: Wonderful God, thank you for wanting to be closer to us. Help us to grow closer to you during Lent. Amen.

More ExploringSymbols crossword from Children’s Activities for the Christian Year.

Lent: Lesson 1

ExploringToday we will be handing out the Lenten Pledge papers. They are just going to put their names on these and take them home. Read the top of the sheets and explain what they will be doing with them.

BenedictionSay: Wonderful God, thank you for wanting to be closer to us. Help us to grow closer to you during Lent. Amen.

Christmas Eve Children's Sermon

Web Wednesday

Fourth Sunday of Advent: Love

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

Web Wednesday

Advent: Week 3

This Christmas

Second Sunday of Advent

First Sunday of Advent

Creatures in God’s World: Animal Homes

St. Nicholas Day Celebration

Creatures in God’s World: Loving Pets

My Wednesday Night Experience

The Nuts and Bolts of Christian Education

The Church Calendar Part 3

Random Ramblings by Brittany Sky

Wonder-filled Weekdays

Web Wednesday :)

What Do You Do on Wednesday Nights?

The Church Calendar Part 2

Benediction
Say: Wonderful God, thank you for wanting to be closer to us. Help us to grow closer to you during Lent. Amen.

More Exploring
Have the children draw about one of the things they learned.

Exploring
Have the children sit down at the table and pass out plates and napkins. They will be eating grapes, purple jello, and drinking grape soda. While they are eating ask what symbols they remember from last week, or how their Lent Pledges and Calendars are going.

Benediction
Say: Wonderful God, thank you for wanting to be closer to us. Help us to grow closer to you during Lent. Amen.

More Exploring
Using the labyrinth page have the children use their fingers to “walk” around the labyrinth and say silent prayers and meditations.

Exploring
Today we will color one of the symbols that remind us of God’s stories.

Benediction
Say: Wonderful God, thank you for wanting to be closer to us. Help us to grow closer to you during Lent. Amen.

More Exploring
Symbols crossword from Children’s Activities for the Christian Year.

Exploring
Today we will be handing out the Lenten Pledge papers. They are just going to put their names on these and take them home. Read the top of the sheets and explain what they will be doing with them.

Benediction
Say: Wonderful God, thank you for wanting to be closer to us. Help us to grow closer to you during Lent. Amen.

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