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Welcome to THE SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHER'S NETWORK
**** A service of ChristianCrafters.Com ****
"For where two or three come together in my name,
there am I with them." -- Jesus
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SSTN # 45 - April 7, 2003
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IN THIS ISSUE OF THE SSTN e-NEWSLETTER:
--> Egg-shaped Easter Story Cards
1) Story of Jesus - VBS
2) Multiage ideas
3) Praying Lesson
4) Replenish
5) Denise, Super Saturday
--> Armor of God Playing Cube
6) Mission Project for VBS
7) Stations of the cross
8) Facts from the S-Files?
9) Easter cross idea
10) Easter Flowers
--> NEW-LIFE PUPPETS
11) Jesus Tomb?
12) Easter flowers
13) Adult interaction?
14) Teacher Gifts?
15) Confused...
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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) Story of Jesus - VBS
I am in search of a guidelines for a VBS material. I want to make the
lessons and crafts myself but sure would appreciate your way of doing
these. The theme will be the birth, life, death, resurrection and return
of Christ. My church is small and I am praying about the craft materials.
Will you pray with me?, as we will be needing for @ 100 kids. To be
specfic, I need yarn, construction paper, stickers, glue and glue sticks,
tape and lots of other things. Thank you for your help and prayers. The
Theme will be "Tell me the story of Jesus." We are having 5 different
classes.
- The birth of Christ.
- The life of Christ.
- His death--The Cruxifition
- His ressurection
- His coming back
The salvation story will be displayed in each lesson. I was just
wondering how others did this.
The Kings Kid,
Nancy Kitts
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2) Multiage ideas
This looks like a perfect opportunity to start in-training your older kids
to be teachers themselves. Why not use this transistion time to involve
them in games/activities/crafts for the little kids? We have found that
some of the older kids naturally like being consulted and taking on
responsibilities, that they are being looked at as growing up. God's
blessings to you. JHarms
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3) Praying Lesson
We did a lesson on prayer last year. One activity that was fun for the
children and interesting was have the children draw God. Give a piece of
paper to each child and titled it "I Pray to God". Then have the children
draw a picture of God. The children's drawings was great. It made them
think. What does God really look like? I hung the pictures up on a
bulletin board in church afterwards for everyone to look at them.
RS,
Dillsboro, IN
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4) Replenish
A recent correspondent wondered whether God's command in Genesis 1.28 to
replenish the earth could mean to refill it ? (presumably after an earlier
catastrophe).
I went to the "Answers in Genesis" web site ( www.answersingenesis.org )
and typed in "Replenish" in their search section. There is a lot of
information here, but the main conclusions are :-
An examination of the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) shows that the word
was used to mean 'fill' from the 13th to the 17th centuries. In no case
quoted in these five centuries does it unambiguously mean refill.
The word translated 'replenish' (KJV) simply means 'fill' in the Hebrew.
In the English of King James' day, 'replenish' also usually meant 'fill',
not 'refill'.
The word 'replenish' therefore cannot be used to support ideas about a
previous creation, which was destroyed. In any case, such erroneous
theories, invented in response to the 'millions of years' idea, must hold
to the unbiblical notion that there was death and suffering before Adam's
sin.
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5) Denise, Super Saturday
Dear Denise, Thank you so much for your prayers for me regarding my issues
of Super Saturday and the parents leaving there children as if it was a
baby sitting service. I have found new strength. It is so good to know
that someone could relate to my pain in this. I was beginning to wonder
did anyone on here would listen to me and respond to my prayer request and
when you did my heart leap for joy. Thank you and God bless you.I have
tried all avenues with my pastors and parents and they seem to think it
goes along with the terriortory.
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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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6) Mission Project for VBS
Our Wednesday night program uses a military theme, so I've been trying to
come up with a missions project that the kids could do that ties in to the
military. With all that's happening right now in the US, I really felt
compelled to do something that would support our troops. When I heard
about the adopt a solider program through Operation Military Pride, it
seemed appropriate for our group. They'll be writing letters & sending
care packages to their soldier, & hopefully get a response back. Go to
operationmilitarypride.org for more info & to sign up. With the military
theme we're using, & what with all that's happening now, it seemed
appropriate that we do this. It would also be a great missions project for
VBS, because most of the care package items are relatively inexpensive.
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7) Stations of the cross
attn. Dani
Hi - I hope this post can reach "Dani" soon enough - When I first saw
your note looking for material on the Stations of the Cross for Kids for
Good Friday, I started searching for mine. We have done this for the
last 2 years - each with a slightly different twist and have been very
successful. I thought that we had packaged it up to send north - we do
that with all of our used curriculum - but yesterday I found a copy. If
you would like to email me, please do so and I can forward you a copy of
it, together with my notes to make it extra special. BTW - this has
taught and entertained children from age 4 - age 14 so it is multi-aged.
Sincerely
Diane <davediane.white@sympatico.ca>
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8) Facts from the S-Files?
I was just wondering if anybody here is going to be using the "FACTS FROM
THE S-FILES"-- EXAMPLES OF SALVATION AND DELIVERANCE package this year?
Lesson 1: A Man Saved - Nicodemus
Lesson 2: A Couple Saved - Aquila and Priscilla
Lesson 3: A family Saved - Philippian Jailer
Lesson 4: A City Saved - Nineveh
Lesson 5: A Nation Saved - Israel
Any ideas would be great, I will be teaching the Preschool kids.
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9) Easter cross idea
On Easter or one Sunday leading up to Easter we have the children put
their names on special paper that dissolves with water. (I bought some at
the Children's Ministry mall on line.) We then had the kids go and mail
their name on a wooden cross that we set up in the hall. After presenting
the traditional story we ended by going outside and standing around the
cross. We then poured red colored water over the cross and all of the
papers with their names on it --------------- disappeared. It was a
powerful illustration for the kids. The paper and their names were
gone!!!!!!!!!!!! I will be using this activity again this year.
Betty Isaac, Director of Kid's Programs at Burke Community Church
If you have any questions you can contact me at bi2d1s@cox.net or
missbetty@bccva.net
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10) Easter Flowers
We take orders for Tulips and Daffodils (I think we also had hyacinths
included one year). I print up a order form that goes in the Sunday
bulletin: those who would like to order flowers in memory or in honor of
someone, please fill out the form. It includes a place for the names of
individuals being honored or in memory. That info is typed on an insert
that goes into the Easter bulletin. All the families that ordered
flowers, can pick up their flowers AFTER the morning serivce on Easter
Sunday. So, we have beautiful flowers for Easter without costing the
church a lot of money.
Debbi
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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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11) Jesus Tomb?
Do you have any material on building a tomb for a reenactment on Easter
morning?
Thank you,
Diane Diefenbach
--from SSTN: try using chicken wire covered with paper mache' then paint
it. You can make paper mache' by using large strips of newspaper dipped in
wallpaper paste. Once the mache and paint is dry, hot glue moss / ivy etc.
onto it. ysic, sarah keith <><
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12) Easter flowers
WE made a cross that is 10 tall, made of wood and covered with chicken
wire. Several weeks before Easter, we ask people to donate a $1.00 per
flower to be attached to the cross in 'honor' or in 'memory' of family and
friends. These flowers are made from tissue paper in the weeks before
Easter, made from every color in the rainbow, solid or mixed...full sheets
of tissue paper makes huge flowers. It takes over 100 of these to make the
cross, filled in all the way around from top to bottom. We add the names
written on while leaves for 'in memory' and green for 'in honor' of loved
ones. The cross if kept hidden until Easter morning when it is erected on
the lawn of the church before our sunrise service. After the service is
over, we go outside for prayer and singing of "The Old Rugged Cross" Since
our church sits on a major highway, many people get to see this beautiful
reminder. In the evening, we take it inside, remove the flowers and those
people that bought a flower may take it home. When filling in blank places
on the cross, we use old members' lists and directories to put flowers on
there for those who have no families left to add them.
Sue
Shiloh UM Church
Ohio
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13) Adult interaction?
I am the SS Supt. I do a 10 min opening for adults & kids. Problem:
getting adults to interact. Any suggestions for
a) interesting/fun things to do,
b) promote interactivity from adults. I love your website and have used
many ideas off of it. In Christ, Kay
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14) Teacher Gifts?
I'm looking for ideas for Sunday School teacher gifts. For the last
several years we've given our teachers live plants, but would like to do
something different this year. Any ideas, Donna
--from SSTN: there are TONS of ideas in the Archives. Use keywords:
"appreciation" and "gifts" to find many of them:
http://christiancrafters.com/archives.html
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15) Confused...
I can relate to the things that some of you all are saying.
I am confused too. I have been serving in the children's ministry
for 6 years. I enjoy teaching and loving the children despite the
lack of help and support from the church.
This year the ministry is under the care of two persons - me and
another leader. We have come under fire by our leaders and other
church members for our work and the way we deal with the children.
The headcount is double this year giving glory to God...but yet....
they are picking on us..saying that our characters are bad, unable to
communicate effectively with members and leaders...and so on.
We are questioned on the discipline of the children after the SS session.
Children being children just love to run and play...but we are expected to
babysit them even after SS. We have brought this up with our Pastor
many times and he agreed that the parents are responsible for their
children after SS..and yet he has not mention anything to the parents to
this day.
I was in the worship practice one night and was moved to dance in the
presence of the Lord. I grabbed some colorful flags and got two of my
SS girls who were there that time to dance with me but I was questioned
by my Pastor's wife who was the worship leader . She did not allow
us to use the flags the next day in worship because it might hinder the
worship and embarrassed her. I was so put off. I felt that cold water had
been splashed on me, my faith and ministry.
I prayed about leaving but I have no peace yet. I need help on how to
handle these situations because I have been accused for not being mature
in my character.
Children are the leaders of tomorrow but are forgotten followers of today.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Blessings,
Dee from Asia
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