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THE SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHER'S NETWORK
"For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them."
Matthew 18:20

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January 14, 2000
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< In response to the person who misplaced their "Story of Easter" instructions using an egg carton:

Inside plastic Easter eggs, insert the following:
Day 1 Small plastic baby 1 John 4:10
Day 2 Large seed (sunflower) Luke 2:40
Day 3 Black construction paper Bible Acts 10:38
Day 4 Plastic crystal heart John 15:17
Day 5 Small song sheet of "Jesus Loves Me" Psalms 9:2
Day 6 Gold paper cross Matthew 26:1-6
Day 7 Dime Matthew 26:14-16
Day 8 Plastic communion cup, small bread wafer Matthew 26:47-50
Day 9 Small sponge and broken toothpick Matthew 27:48
Day 10 Small square of linen fabric Matthew 27:59
Day 11 Round, smooth stone Matthew 28:1-3
Day 12 Empty - Jesus was not in the tomb! Matthew 28:5-7

This project was shared with me by a student who had received it at his
Mother's Day Out program in a local Baptist church. I think it's a
wonderful way to teach all kids, particularly nonreaders, the Easter
story. Dee Potts, 2nd grade Sunday School, McKinney TX

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(The following was sent in by one of the subscribers to Christian Crafters.Com updates list. It reminded me of the story of the loaves and fishes, as well as the impact one child can make in our world! And our responsibility to the children we teach.
Sarah Keith <><)

I Can't Go To Sunday School:

A sobbing little girl stood near a small church from which she had been
turned away because it 'was too crowded'. "I can't go to Sunday School,"
she sobbed to the pastor as he walked by. Seeing her shabby, unkempt
appearance, the pastor guessed the reason and, taking her by the hand,
took her inside and found a place for her in the Sunday School class.
The child was so touched that she went to bed that night thinking of
the children who have no place to worship Jesus.

Some two years later, this child lay dead in one of the poor tenement
buildings and the parents called for the kindhearted pastor, who had
befriended their daughter, to handle the final arrangements. As her
poor little body was being moved, a worn and crumpled purse was found
which seemed to have been rummaged from some trash dump. Inside was found 57
cents and a note scribbled in childish handwriting which read, "This
is to help build the little church bigger so more children can go to
Sunday school."

For two years she had saved for this offering of love. When the pastor
tearfully read that note, he knew instantly what he would do. Carrying
this note and the cracked, red pocketbook to the pulpit, he told the
story of her unselfish love and devotion. He challenged his deacons to
get busy and raise enough money for the larger building.

But the story does not end there! A newspaper learned of the story and
published it. It was read by a realtor who offered them a parcel of
land worth many thousands. When told that the church could not pay so much,
he offered it for a 57 cent payment. Church members made large
subscriptions. Checks came from far and wide. Within five years the
little girl's gift had increased to $250,000.00 - a huge sum for that
time (near the turn of the century). Her unselfish love had paid large
dividends.

When you are in the city of Philadelphia, look up Temple Baptist Church,
with a seating capacity of 3,300, and Temple University, where hundreds
of students are trained. Have a look, too, at the Good Samaritan
Hospital and at a Sunday School building which houses hundreds of Sunday
scholars, so that no child in the area will ever need to be left outside at
Sunday school time. In one of the rooms of this building may be seen the
picture of the sweet face of the little girl whose 57 cents, so
sacrificially saved, made such remarkable history. Alongside of it is a portrait of
her kind pastor, Dr. Russell H. Conwell, author of the book, "Acres of Diamonds." A true story.

(Submitted by Cindy Skeen) -[Please Include This Text When You Pass On INSPIRATIONS] http://www.inspirations.za.net /
via:
http://www.christiancrafters.com

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>Does anyone have suggestions for recruiting Sunday School teachers?

Bringing the children into the worship service on a regular basis keeps
the need for teachers in front of the congregation. We have our children
sing the anthem occasionally, bring them in at Christmas to put presents
for underprivileged children under the tree, and have them bring their
teachers up front for recognition on Sunday School Teacher Appreciation
Day. Our pastors also refer to teaching as a way to serve and use your
gifts, when they preach a sermon that relates. In our church bulletin and
monthly newsletter I advertise teaching positions as a WONDERFUL
OPPORTUNITY to fulfill our baptismal vows (we baptize infants, and the
congregation promises to bring them up to know the Lord), and to
participate in a fun and exciting ministry. I learned a long time ago
that guilt is not the way to get folks to want to be a part of children's
ministry! We ask our teachers to commit to a year, Sept.-Aug., but they
only teach every other month - it may sound crazy, but it is easier to
recruit twice as many teachers for half the time than it is to get one
teacher for every room every Sunday. We also recruit teacher in teams for
the lower grades, and this seems to make it easier for them to say yes.
When I call people to ask them to teach, if they say no, I ask them if
they would be willing to substitute - if they say yes, I add them to the
sub list, and as I recruit, I say, "It's OK if you need to be absent from
time to time, because you can trade with your opposite month partner, or
we have a great substitute list, and it will be very easy for you to find
a replacement. During the year, I try to make sure the teachers feel
appreciated and supported in little ways - I bring them coffee on Sunday
mornings and just check to see if there are any supplies they need. On
SS Teacher Appreciation Day we celebrate each teacher with a party in the
classroom, thank-you notes from the children, and a special gift. I think
the key is to let them know how their ministry is valued and to
encourage and lift them up in prayer. The most important thing I do in
recruiting is to pray for the Holy Spirit to point me to the people He is
calling to this ministry, and to make me receptive to His will. It is
incredible how He works to equip and call people! We must all remember
that Jesus is the Lord of the harvest, and we are only his messengers -
what an awesome opportunity for us!! Blessings, Kit MacLeod, Dir. of
Children's Ministries, First Presbyterian Church, North Palm Beach
Florida.

(From ChristianCrafters.Com: Kit is the Dir. of Children's Ministries at my church. I am so proud to have her join this network. Any ideas you can glean from her, I know, will be effective! By the way, my husband and I team teach. Every other month another couple teaches. This really does help in our commitment to teaching. Every other month we have the opportunity to cycle back into the adult S.S. and enjoy adult fellowship and teaching! Sarah Keith <><)

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Hi, I thought of a project to do for my children's school Valentine parties and Sunday school. Instead of buying regular stickers from the store, we printed different size and color hearts to resemble the conversational candy hearts you find in the stores now for Valentine's Day. We printed our own sayings on them like, Jesus is cool, WWJD, God is cool, Got Jesus? Etc. and used a recipe for home made stickers to make our own. The recipe can be found at handcraftervillage.com/kids.htm#Homemadestickers Or makingfriends.com Hope this gives you some ideas! pat (ducky)

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Bible verse of the day from christiancrafters.com:

"At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children." Luke 10:21

(Scripture references are taken from the New International Version - N.I.V.)
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