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SSTN # 11 - February 17, 2004


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IN THIS ISSUE OF THE SSTN e-NEWSLETTER:


Easter Game & Activity

1) Young children and salvation.
2) Bible Rap Tape?
3) Ash Wednesday?

Amazing Miracles of the Bible

4) Appreciation Idea
5) Biblezone Teacher's Guide?
6) Teaching on Satan to K-6th grade?

Fun and Easy Easter Pageants

7) Young children and salvation
8) Sacraments of initiation?
9) Preschool curriculum
10) Sending Used Christmas Cards?   


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Easter Game & Craft Activity: Easter Story Cards 

Twelve Egg-shaped cards. When the cards are cut, colored and assembled,
players can play Easter Egg Scramble and discover a secret Easter message!
Now with two black and white "cross" and "resurrection" drawings to color!
Reproducible so your whole class can make a set!

Find them in the Curriculum section at: 
http://www.christiancrafters.com/curriculum.html 


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1) Young children and salvation
 
I would like to share an object lesson that I often use in helping
children understand salvation.
 
Receiving Jesus.
This is an illustration that I use following teaching on John 3.16. All
you need is a small gift. I usually make a balloon animal (as the gift)
while I am talking about it.State that John 3.16 talks about a giver
(God), a gift (Jesus) and a receiver (Us). No matter how wonderful any
gift is, it will not do you any good unless you receive it. I have a gift
here (produce or begin to make your gift), but unless you receive it, it
is no good to you at all.Some of you may say "I don't want your gift"
Well, if you don't want it, you won't get it, because I will not force you
to take it.Some of you may say "I don't believe it. It's too good to be
true. Teacher must be tricking us." Well, if you don't believe it, you
can't receive it.Some of you may say " I will think about it" There is
nothing wrong in thinking about the gift, but all the time you are
thinking about it, it is not yours and it is not doing you any good.Some
of you may say. " I will have to earn the gift. I will have to sit up
straight, be really quiet and still, and then perhaps "teacher" will
notice me and give me the gift because I deserve it." Well, I like you
behaving that way, but that's not the way to get the gift because it can
never be earned.But one of you may simply say to himself / herself " Yes,
I want that gift," and get up, walk out to the front, take hold of the
gift, and it will be theirs.It is exactly the same with God's gift of
Jesus Christ to the world - and the Eternal Life He brings with him.Some
people say to God "I don't want your gift of Jesus. I want to live my own
life, go my own way, do my own thing." Much as God still loves them (they
are still part of the world) He won't force His gift of Jesus on anyone.
We must choose to receive Him.Some people say. "I don't believe in the
gift. I don't believe in Jesus. I don't even believe in God." Well, if you
don't believe, you can't receive.Some people say. "I will think about the
gift. Perhaps when I am older I might receive God's gift." There is
nothing wrong with thinking about the gift, but the problem is many people
never make up their minds, and so always miss out on what God wants to
give them.Some people ( in fact most people ) think they have to earn
God's gift. They say. " I will have to be very good. I will not have to do
anything bad. I will have to go to Church or Sunday school every week. I
will have to say my prayers and read my Bible every day. Then, perhaps,
God will be really pleased with me and give me His gift of Jesus." These
are good things to do, but you can never earn God's gift.But some people
say "Yes, I want to receive Jesus into my life," and do so by faith - by
simply asking God for His gift of Jesus, and believing that they receive
Him.At this point, you will probably still be holding your gift - unless
there is someone very smart in your group who has taken you at your word
and received it already! You will probably have to keep prompting until
someone comes out and receives it. You could say:-"Well, it is still
here.""I wonder who will be first to believe me. All you have to do is
take it.""You won't get it by thinking about it, or by sitting up
straight, but someone could come out and receive it."When someone receives
your gift, state that they didn't deserve it or earn it, but they got it
because they were the first to believe that all they had to do was take
it.Conclude by stating that unfortunately you only had one gift, but the
good news is that there is enough of God's gift of Jesus for everyone.
There is no need for anyone to miss out.If appropriate, you could then
lead your group in a prayer to receive Jesus.I  have now written up nearly
50 object lessons that I have been sending out free to children's workers.
Email me on mnmsweetsur@xtra.co.nz if you would like a complete list of
all available lessons.Maurice Sweetsur


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2) Bible Rap Tape?

Please help!  We are missing our Bible Rap cassette tape.  It was
copyrighted in 1995 by Group Publishing and is no longer available for
purchase.  We have the lyrics but not the cassette of music.  Since it is
no longer available commerically, it is not illegal to make a copy.  If
you have this Bible Rap, please make a copy on a cassette tape and mail me
ASAP. Encluded is my e-mail to discuss shipping. Thanks so much!!!!!
 
Lynn Anderson ")
BasketLady@aol.com


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3) Ash Wednesday?

What are you planning for Ash Wednesday?
Please share any special games, crafts or activities.


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Amazing Miracles of the Bible

God’s glory and love are revealed through the miracles he performed and
were fully realized when he came to earth in the form of a man to save
mankind. By studying the miracles of the Bible children will gain a better
understanding of God’s love and faithfulness and how he continues to be
loving and faithful in miraculous ways to his people today. Works with
rotation-type programs!

In the Curriculum Creatives:

http://www.christiancrafters.com/curriculum.html 


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4) Appreciation Idea

> children to make something to give to the helpers in
> our church (readers, ushers, etc.) to show their appreciation

Susan in connecticut,
I would suggest to make bookmarks.
Size down a color book page or use glitter pens to draw
or color on them.  Laminate them, punch a hole at the
top and put a ribbon through it.

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5) Biblezone Teacher's Guide?

I recently purchased three Biblezone kits (older elementary)by Abingdon
Press from a local Christian bookstore for $5 each. The bookstore said
they were originally $49 and they had bought the (discontinued?)kits in
bulk. Apparently the company was getting rid of these. The kits contain
all kinds of fun toy items to be used in teaching Bible lessons.
 
The kits did not come with a teacher's guide and the bookstore said they
could not get them. Does anyone have a teacher's guide for the following:
Bible Zone, Older Elementary, Number 9, Fruit of the Spirit; Bible Zone,
Older Elementary, Number 6, The Whole World Celebrates Jesus; Bible Zone,
Older Elementary, Number 8, Go and Tell
 
Thanks so much.
Norma Thomas


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6) Teaching on Satan to K-6th grade?

We teach a in multi-age group Sunday School and are looking for any
great ideas on teaching kids K-6th about Satan.
Any and all ideas are welcome.
Thanks in advance.
Anne ;)


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Fun and Easy Easter Pageants - with Soundtrack CD". 

You will find them listed in the Games and Skits section of the Bookstore at:

http://www.christiancrafters.com/bookstore.html 


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7) Young children and salvation.
 
What wonderful advice Terri gives us on this subject (S.S.T.N. 8). I
thoroughly agree with everything she says.
 
Leading a child to Christ is an awesome privilege and responsibility.
Unfortunately, in their natural zeal to see children make a commitment to
Christ some teachers may try to lead a child to the Lord before he/she is
really ready. Conversely, other teachers may always "leave it to someone
else" and so may miss God-given opportunities to help children into the
Kingdom. 
 
Obviously opportunities should be given for children to receive Christ,
but I believe "appeals" should not be made too often, or the children may
become hardened to them and not treat them seriously. I believe appeals
should  be reserved for "special occasions" when time can be taken to
ensure that each child is made aware of what salvation really is, and of
the importance of the decision they are being asked to make. Much prayer,
 wisdom and God's guidance is needed in knowing both the right time and
method best suited for the child or children in question.
 
I have been in many childrens meetings where the Leader has given an
invitation for anyone to accept Christ by raising their hands or coming
out to the front. There is absolutely nothing wrong with encouraging
children to make a Public commitment, but usually in my experience what
happens is either nobody responds or they all (or nearly all) do! This is
because children are very much influenced by their peers. A child may wish
to respond to Christ, but if none of their friends raise their hands, they
will probably not do so either. Conversely, a child may not be ready to
receive Christ, but if they see their friends going to the front, they
don't want to be the odd one out, and are likely to follow them.
 
In a group situation, I believe the best way to make an appeal is by
inviting the children - if they wish - to follow you in a prayer to
receive Jesus. In this way no "pressure" is put on the children, and it
will be their own decision, without being influenced by their friends.
 
This is how I usually invite children to receive Christ.
 
I show and explain John 1.12  "To all who received him, He gave the right
to become children of God.", stressing the need to receive God's gift of
Jesus if we are to become part of His family. I then teach them four
simple steps they can take to do this A, B, C, D.  I use a folded card
which I gradually unfold to show one word at a time as shown below.
 
Admit
Believe
Consider
Do
 
Thus, A stands for Admit. We need to Admit we have done bad things, and be
willing to turn away from everything we know is wrong in our lives.
B stands for Believe. We need to Believe that Jesus is the Son of God, and
died on the cross in our place, so that we could be forgiven.
C Stands for Consider. Something to think about. Jesus not only wants to
be our Saviour and Friend, He also wants to be Lord of our lives. That
means He wants us to put Him first, and live to please Him rather than
ourselves. Some people aren't willing to do that, but if you are, you are
ready to move onto the final step.
D Stands for Do. We have to invite Him to come into our lives to be our
Saviour, Friend and Lord. If we do (and really mean it) we can be certain
that He will come in.
 
Before leading the children in prayer, I will often say at this point :-
"There are probably four groups of people here -
1. Those of you who have already received Jesus. Wonderful, there is no
need for you to pray, as once you receive Him, He stays with you forever.
2. Those who haven't received Jesus, but have now considered it, and would
like to. You can pray my prayer after me.
3. Those who are still unsure. That's alright. There is no need for you to
pray.
4. Those who once received Jesus, but you know you haven't really been
putting Him first, and would like to come back to Jesus again. Or perhaps
you are not sure if you have ever received Jesus or not. You can all join
in my prayer as well, and then you will be sure."
 
I then lead the children in a simple prayer along the A B C D lines.
 
Afterwards, I stress that they are now part of God's family, not because
of how they may feel, but because God says so  " To all who receive Him -
- - - - ."
 
I then ask the children to do two important things. :-
1. Tell at least one other person what they have done.
2. Come and ask me for a booklet (have one on show) that will help them to
live for Jesus. There are plenty of suitable booklets about, but I use
"Special to God" obtainable from www.kidsreach.org.nz
 
I hope this helps.
 
Maurice Sweetsur


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8) Sacraments of initiation?

I teach a 3rd grade class and they have a chapter about the sacraments of
initiation.  I am wondering if anyone has any ideas about how to teach
this in a fun way and maybe a craft or something hands on for them to do?
Thank you Darla Sykes  darlasykes@earthlink.net


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9) Preschool curriculum (2yrs- 5yrs old)
 
Hi Whitney,
We use Group Publishing's Kids Own Worship for our Sunday morning Kids
Church.  There is no reason why you could not use this midweek also.  It
is an excellent program.  Most of the lessons are hands-on or object
lessons and is a great experience for the kids.  You receive lesson props
in the kit, a lesson geared individually for preschoolers and also lessons
for grade school children.  You also get a booklet of puppet skits for
each lesson, an additional booklet for an alternate craft for each
lesson, a video geared for the lessons, and a CD of songs for the
curriculum plus a printout of the lyrics.  Our kids love this curriculum
and our Kids Church is growing.  For the lessons you only receive a
leader's manual but I type out the lessons for each Sunday, selecting what
I want out of the lessons, and passing them out several weeks ahead of
time to the other teachers.  We use our own dog puppet we found in a
garage sale in place of Group's Theo The Faith Retriever dog that they
recommend since that puppet is $30-$35 to purchase.   These kits run
around $90 for a 90 day curriculum (one lesson a week for 13 weeks).  You
do have additional purchases at times needing snacks for a prop for the
lesson or things you find around the house but the cost isn't that great. 
I highly recommend this curriculum if it can fit into your church budget. 
We keep what props that come with the kit that we can (sometimes it's
something the kids use however) and when our 3 months is used up on a
certain kit we put everything back together and send it off to our
missionaries in Mexico.  Here is the link for the program and at the
bottom of the page there is a link to click on some free samples. 
http://www.kidsownworship.com/
Bren in Ohio
   
--from SSTN: check out the "Pray & Play Bible". It is a great resource!
You can find it in the Bibles section of our bookstore:
http://www.christiancrafters.com/bookstore.html 


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10) Sending Used Christmas Cards?   

Enid,

Do you have any further info on where to send the used Christmas Cards?  I
am starting a Junior Youth Group at our Church (ages 10-15) and this would
be a nice missionary project for them to undertake.

Thanks,

Chris in Canada.

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