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SSTN # 39 - March 25, 2003
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IN THIS ISSUE OF THE SSTN e-NEWSLETTER:
--> Egg-shaped Easter Story Cards
1) Prayer Ideas
2) Palm Sunday Songs
3) Easter Flowers
4) Fruit of the Spirit Bracelets
--> Armor of God Playing Cube
5) Easter Flowers
6) Burned Out
7) Easter Flowers
8) Burned Out
--> NEW-LIFE PUPPETS
9) Easter Flower Cross
10) Easter Flowers
11) Confused...
12) Easter Flowers
13) Palm Sunday Song
14) Family Day Songs?
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Easter Story Cards
Ten Egg-shaped cards that tell the Easter Story - When the cards
are cut, colored and assembled, players can play Easter Egg Scramble and
learn the Easter Story! Reproducible so your whole class can make a set!
In the Curriculum section:
http://www.christiancrafters.com/curriculum.html
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1) Prayer Ideas
>I will be teaching a unit on prayer, focusing on the
>Lord's Prayer, to 2nd and 3rd graders. Any favorite books, activities,
>would recommend?
I started a prayer club with the kids. Our name is
"The Doorkeepers" (our adult prayer group is called
"The Gatekeepers". I thought it was very important to
teach our children at a young age to learn to pray
without being embarrassed. Once a month, we meet
during a midweek service and have what we call "Pray
and Play". We have a lesson on prayer and then I let
them play with some toys. Since the Lord's Prayer is
where I chose to start my teachings, I made up some
notebooks. On each page, I put parts of the Lord's
Prayer and left lines for them to write answers to
specific questions. There were some rules: Each
night place book under bed and each morning place on
your bed (after you make it). Read one new page each
day and add the previous pages until you are done.
They had 1 month to do this. When they passed in the
completed notebooks, they got a slip of paper with
their name on it in a jar. Extra slips of paper were
issued if they sat in the first or second pew, stayed
in a service without going to the bathroom or getting
water, didn't talk, took notes on the sermon, etc.
(We are also trying to do things to teach proper
church behavior). I was surprised when 6 children sat
with me in the first pew. My husband, who is the
pastor, had to sit elsewhere! It worked like a charm.
After the month was up, I chose one name from the
jar. The prize was a trip to the restaurant of their
choice for a meal and a sundae. We reviewed the
answers in the notebooks and I beleive everyone
learned a little more about prayer (and the parents
were delighted that the kids had to make their beds
each day!) Here is what I put on one of the pages of
the notebooks. If you want the rest, email me at
tericout@yahoo.com, making sure you put "notebook
pages" in the subject so I'll know it's ok to open
your email.
"Our Father":
Lord, I know that you are my Father. You are the
best Father anyone could ever have. You do so much
for me and I want You to know I am thankful. (list
below 3 things that God has done for you and for which
you are thankful).
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2) Palm Sunday Songs
The only song relating to Palm Sunday that comes to my mind is Hosannah,
Hosannah. The lyrics for the song are as follows:
Hosanna, hosanna, blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord
Hosanna, hosanna, blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord Son of
David, the King of Israel Our Salvation, it's Jesus! ..........
(Editor's note: Copyright approval needed to print the entire song)
A way to act out Palm Sunday with young children is to have an older
member of the church (high schooler or energetic adult) be the donkey for
the day and give kids donkey rides into town (a light colored sheet
stretched out with the rest of the class standing divided on both sides of
the sheet waving paper palm branches (or real ones if you have them
available) or holding up signs that say Yeah Jesus
Hope this helps
Sarah
California
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3) Easter Flowers
We have people in our church family who are highly allergic to Easter
Lilies. One smell and they end up in the hospital in anaphylatic shock.
And, we never know when we might have a visitor for the first time on
Easter Sunday who is allergic.
So we put notices in our Sunday bulletin weeks in advance asking people to
NOT give live plants to the church for Easter. We ask them to donate silk
flowers if they want to give flowers.
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4) Fruit of the Spirit Bracelets
I am familiar with two different kinds of Fruit of the Spirit bracelets
that kids can make. The first is a charm style bracelet, on which you use
fruit shaped beads or buttons and one fruit is used to represent each
different quality. The other one is strictly a colored bed bracelet, and
each color represents the color of the fruit that they are suggested to
represent, of course each fruit has a quality. I have listed both the
suggested colors, and the fruits, hoping that you will find either or both
helpful:
Love=strawberry; Joy=pineapple; Peace=watermelon; Patience=lemon;
Kindness=grapes; Goodness=banana; Faithfulness=cherry; Gentleness=peach;
Self-Control=apple
The colors are:
Love=red or you can use pink (there's two different versions, Love is the
only quality in which the colors vary in the two different choices);
Joy=white
Peace=olive green
Patience=yellow
Kindness=orange
Goodness=green
Faithfulness= pink
Gentleness=light blue
Self-Control=purple
Sarah
California
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Armor of God Playing Cube
Kids can make it and take it home. A great memory tool!
Only $3.00 to download and print out as many as you need!
Go to the following webpage to get the free lesson and to learn more:
http://www.christiancrafters.com/game_armor.html
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5) Easter Flowers
If the flowers are still left at church until they die, why not donate the
leftover flowers to a local hospital or funeral home? Those places would
really love to have the leftover flowers, and then the church would also
be helping people who are allot less fortunate than you all are with the
leftovers. Or, you can dry the flowers that are leftover, to use for art
projects in the Sunday School classes later in the year. As for changing
the flower, other flowers such as Orchids, Tulips, and even something as
simple as the Daisy, have been used in the past to represent Easter. I
would say since the minister's wife has an allergy to the lilies to go
with another flower, but keep what sounds like a great condition alive
with a new flower.
Sarah
California
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6) Burned Out
Re.also burned out
I'll try to make this short.
a. Do NOT get involved in a romantic way with unsaved people. I have yet
to see one single person that hasn't regretted getting involved with an
unsaved person. They find that instead of pulling their loved one up, they
find themselves fighting the pull down to the unsaved person's level, that
is, back into sin. Don't be under the illusion that you can change him,
only he can change himself by allowing Jesus to transform him. I
seriously wouldn't be more than friends with him unless he were to get
saved if I were you. Don't pressure him, however, because he needs to get
saved for his own reasons, not just to have a relationship with you. So,
for the sake of your soul and sanity, DON"T DO IT!
b. Contact your demonination's headquarters and see if they have any
materials that they could send you that is missional in nature for their
level of learning. If you tell them what you are doing, they will
probably bend over backwards trying to help you.
c. Contact other churches in your community and get their help. Many
people are looking for ways to get involved, and if nothing else, they may
at least pay for your supplies and get you some food for these kids.
I hope this helps! God bless you!
Teresa W.
Corunna, Michigan
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7) Easter Flowers
>"It is very pretty but people do not always take the lilies home
>and the lilies are left at the church until they die."
We added the option of ordering tulips and hyacinths as well as lilies and
then any that are left are planted outside---the tulips come back every
year and we now have a beautiful tulip garden each spring.
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8) Burned Out
To Also Burnt out I want to say, "You have found yourself unequally yoked
on several fronts here." You can't work to His honor and glory when those
working alongside you are not working for that goal. Your faith in Him
does not need to be in crisis. It is your trust in other people(who
apparently don't share your faith ) and your expectation that everyone
who wears the name Christian will respond in the same way you would
respond. Are there no males in your church who feel the calling to help
these boys? I think that working with young men requires adult males to be
involved. It's not that I think that women can't handle the work. But I
think that young men need older men modeling for them. Who is an adult
male in your church that you trust and believe could be a good influence
on these young men? Perhaps you can go to him with another believer and
tell him that the young men you're dealing with need a role model and let
him know that you think he would be a good one.
One of the other problems I tend to get myself into, and then end up
in burn out, is that my zeal outruns my maturity at times. There are
situations that I should not get myself into because I am not ready (or
not supposed to be there) and once I've started I can't abandon it because
it is a "good work" that needs to be done and no one else seems willing to
do it. In recent years I have stepped out of some "good works" and ,lo
and behold, God had other people who stepped into the position. I guess He
just needed me to get the ball rolling and then get out of the way. Be
very sure that this is where He wants you. And I agree with Sarah, that
the needy unsaved boyfriend is an additional drain on you. Prayerfully
consider what you may need to learn from both of these situations. Don't
let the lack on another's part cause you to doubt your faith. (I've often
said, "God I trust, the rest of you make me a little nervous.") You are
working in an area that is far outside of a lot of people's "comfort
zones" and people are slow to respond where they think they may not get
the best results. I will be praying for wisdom, discernment and either
help or a replacement for you.
Dorie, WI
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NEW-LIFE PUPPET patterns
When assembled, New Life Puppets turn inside out to change from a tadpole
to a frog, or a caterpillar to a butterfly. They're easy-to-make and
children will learn about becoming new creatures in Christ! Get a free
puppet skit too! In our Curriculum section:
http://www.christiancrafters.com/curriculum.html
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9) Easter Flower Cross
You were asking for an alternative to Easter lillies in the
sanctuary....here is an idea: We had a form made from wire (like
chicken wire) over a wooden cross which was attached to a stand about 5
feet tall. On Easter morning the members of the church bring any cut
flowers from their yard and the cross attendant helps them stick their
flowers on the cross. We have a good variety of cut flowers on hand
(purchase from a local florist or better yet, make arrangements to receive
their Easter leftover cut flowers on Saturday afternoon at a reduced rate
or maybe donated to you) so the ones who don't have any flowers at home
can pick from the canister of cut flowers and add to the cross. During
the Easter morning service, the cross attendant finishes filling in thhe
cross completely with the remaining flowers. The flower-filled cross is
then set outside the church in an area easy to access and many families
take their pictures around it after service. This has become a tradition
over the past five years and we look forward to seeing the beautiful cross
after our worship hour. P.S. If you have a mid-week service, set the empty
'dull' cross out the week before to remind everyone to bring their flowers
on Sunday.
His Daughter, Jane Carpenter - Calvary Baptist, Monroe, N. C.
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10) Easter Flowers
Our church uses both white lilies and pink tulips at Easter. If your
minister's wife is allergic to lilies, perhaps you could use pink and
white tulips. After the last service on Easter, people are welcome to take
home their flowers. The church remains open for several hours so those who
attended an earlier service might return for their plant. Individuals may
also indicate that their plant be delivered to a shut-in. On either Monday
afternoon or Tuesday morning, the remaining flowers are delivered to our
shut-ins, hospital patients, nursing home residents, etc.
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11) Confused...
Dear loved ones - We found ourselves in a similar situation, and just
hung in there tough. It never got any better. Finally, God provided a
way out for us and led us to another congregation that welcomed us with
open arms. We found that being unhappy where we were was a way that He
used to make us able to notice when the right opportunity came along. In
the meantime, remember to pray for the church where you are. God's
blessings.
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12) Easter Flowers
I, too, am allergic to the smell of Easter lilies, but I can take care
of the problem with an antihistamine that I can tolerate. However, there
may be another solution. Many years ago, in our first church, there was
the practice of using all kinds of potted spring flowers. These were
placed around the altar and were tiered (on a small set of riser-type
steps covered with white or green cloth) at the base of a large cross made
from the trunk of a Christmas tree. At the juncture of the cross beam and
the upright, one of the women used a large piece of floral foam to make a
holder for the flowers from several lilies. Since there were fewer lilies
in the church, I wasn't as overwhelmed with the smell, the church had this
beautiful, colorful display, and those who felt it wasn't Easter without
the lilies also had their flowers. I hope this helps you come to a
compromise that will be pleasing to the Lord and to the members of your
church. Yes, change can be difficult. Many of those older members only
have these traditions left as a reminder of their life in better times.
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13) Palm Sunday Song
> I am wondering if anyone has any good ideas for a song or verse
> that 3-4 year olds could do for a Palm Sunday service.
There is a Piggyback song to the tune of "Row, Row, Row Your Boat that
we use:
Ho-ho-hosanna.
Hosanna now we sing.
Wave your palms and sing your praise
Unto the King of Kings.
Hope this helps.
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14) Family Day Songs?
HELP! I need a song or songs for the children to sing on Family Day?
Thank's and God Bless, Tracey in KY
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