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SSTN #4 - January 10, 2003


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IN THIS ISSUE OF THE SSTN e-NEWSLETTER:


--> Easter Pageants...NEW!

1) Disruptive children
2) Teaching Respect?
3) Reaching Youth
4) Divorced and a pastor   

--> Midweek Bible Classes?

5) Divorced Pastor Question Not for SSTN
6) Esther Ideas?
7) Valentine's Day Skit?
8) Divorced and a pastor...a personal story

--> Egg-shaped Easter Story Cards

9) Free scripture coloring pages   
10) Correction to words in song
11) Books of the Bible?
12) Books of the Bible?

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--> Easter Pageants For 2003!

Two new pageants have been added to the website. Choose "Fun and Easy
Easter Pageants - with Soundtrack CD", or "Stations of the Cross For
Kids". 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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1) Disruptive children

I teach 8-10 year old children in Sunday School.  We had one child that
always seemed to disrupt everything, his attention span was near to none.
One day I just sat him down and started talking with him one-on-one.  I
asked him what was wrong that he couldn't sit sill and listen as the
others did.  His answer not only shocked me but brought tears to my eyes
when he looked up at me with his big brown eyes and said "I'm hungry".  He
was living with his dad because his mom had left them for another woman
and I guess the dad was doing the best he could.  My helper took him to
the kitchen and fed him some breakfast and he calmed down.  Thank God we
are now very tuned in to him and his situation and know what to do.  We
never know what some of these children are living in.

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2) Teaching Respect?

Blessings to All,
I am teaching on Respect in Children's Church.  I am interested in any
activities or exciting additions to the teaching to really get the point
across yet still be fun.

Rita A. Maclin

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3) Reaching Youth   

Greetings in Christ!

The first thing one must do is to reach out to God in PRAYER. Tell God how
you truly feel and ask Him to guide you. God loves our young people, they
are the ones who can accept God as a child. Spend time with Him and He
will show you great things. I know, He always answers! It is His will to
serve Him in this ministry.

Second and also very important! BE SALTY! YOU make them thirsty! You lead
the way in song, worship, open adoration to GOD! Be assured, If you step
out this way God will hold your hand. Let them see your hunger, your
thirst, your desire, your love.

Third, Love them to death! A quick acknowledgement of each young person
works so well, get them involved, they have giftings and only needed to be
led. Study them quietly, the hardest to reach are the ones you need to
reach first. The others will be watching.

Fourth, Persevere! Never give up, never lose hope, never doubt your
savior! He never gives up!
--
Praying 4 U
Marlee

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4) Divorced and a pastor   

This is in reply to the question concerning a divorced pastor.  I feel a
divorced person can be an effective pastor.  He or she can offer a
valuable service to others who may be in the same position or going
through the process.   He or she may also have gained insight that could
help others find other ways to deal with troubled marriages.

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Midweek Bible Classes?

Does your church offer midweek Bible classes for Kindergarten - 6 grade?
Then consider teaching "God's Top Ten - Understanding God's Love In The
Ten Commandments". This series covers 10 two hour sessions, or 20 one hour
sessions. Get the first lesson free! Learn more on the following webpage:

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

Your webservant,
Sarah Keith <><

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5) Divorced Pastor Question Not for SSTN

>Do you think a divorced person should be a pastor?

Sarah,
I am troubled by questions like this on the network.  It gets into
interpretations of the Word and tends to be more divisive than helpful.
My hope is that the questioner will seek out a pastor in his or her own
denomination to discuss questions such as this one on one and use the
forum for sharing ideas that help all of us become better Sunday School
teachers.
Blessings, Eva

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6) Esther Ideas?

I'm looking for ideas to teach the story of Esther.  Thank you.
Eva

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7) Valentine's Day Skit?

Is there a skit that is appropriate for Valentine's Day?
Perhaps based on Corinthians 13.
Sandi

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8) Divorced and a pastor...a personal story

This is a subject close to my heart...no, I am not a pastor but a Sunday
School Superintendent of 150 children ages 2 through grade 6.  It was ONLY
through years of emotional pain and heartache, and then the realization
that no matter what I did, tried or suggested, that my marriage was over.
I always believed forever meant forever...but sometimes it is not
true....no matter how hard you try and pray.  Four years later I find
myself as a Sunday School Superintendent, on the Education Board of my
church and involved in many other ways...and it was ONLY through that pain
and suffering that the Lord opened my heart and eyes and drew me closer to
Him.  Divorce is not an unforgiveable sin...to quote Max Lucado "Why do
Christians think divorce is the ONLY unforgiveable sin??".  Yes, God hates
divorce...it can cause a great deal of pain for the spouses and children
involved, it can be nasty and! hurtful ...and that is what God does not
like.  There are ways where divorce can be different and is not like that,
and the bad effects of it are minimalized.  Even my pastor said to
me...'Sometimes a good divorce is better and a bad marriage.'  The bottom
line, and answer to all of this is, Pastors are HUMAN too.  They are not
God....only He is perfect.  Who are we to pass judgement on a Pastor?  Is
it not only our Lord and Savior who should pass judgement on all of us?
Is is not Him who we all have to answer too, not others?  Coming from a
family of Pastors (my grandfather, great uncle, 2 cousins), I can tell you
they are not perfect, can be unforgiving and hurtful like the rest of us.
Pastors are human...like you and I, and while they strive to walk in the
Lord's word and set the example for all of us, it is the human
imperfection quality of us all, that pastors will occasionally fall off
that path! and be just like the rest of us and mess up.... and it could be
via divorce.  It is only by the grace of our Heavenly Father, that He
picks us up (pastors too), brushes the sin off of us in forgiveness, and
sets us back on our feet again to walk in His Word and try again.  In
Christ's Love, Kathy

--from SSTN: Thank you, Kathy, for sharing your story with SSTN! Rejecting
Jesus', (grieving the Holy Spirit) is the only unforgivable sin I know of
in Scripture. May God continue to restore you and build you up!
ysic, sarah keith <><


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Egg-shaped 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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9) Free scripture coloring pages   

Happy New Year All!
This link is to a small ministry that has free scripture coloring pages!
Enjoy.
www.homeword.ws

Blessings from the little farm,
Jen

--from SSTN: For AOL users: The pics are on PDF files and you may need to
open your  Internet Explorer browser to view them. ysic, sarah <><

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10) Correction to words in song

re: #4 - SSTN  # 127 - December 26, 2002
Words to What Can I Give Him (In the Bleak Mid-Winter)-
the correct last line is
"Yet what I can I give him -- give my heart."

Betty Lou Hooke
  
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11) Books of the Bible?   

I have been giving the daunting task of teaching our Sunday School class
for 7-11 graders.  With such a broad age group, I am having difficulty
finding a creative way to teach the children to memorize the books of the
bible.  Any suggestions?

--from SSTN: There are games listed in the Games section of the site which
relate to learning the Books of the Bible:
http://www.ChristianCrafters.Com 


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12) Books of the Bible?

I am getting ready to teach our children the books of the bible and I need
a clue on each book do you have any ideas or books that would help me to
do this we have ages from k-8th grades and I need something on all levels.
Thanks Vicky

--from SSTN: By clue, do you mean a brief overview of each book? If so,
One of the best resources I have found is the "New Adventure Bible", or
the "Teen Study Bible". The New Adventure Bible would work for your age
group. It has a brief overview of each book and lists important
characters. It even includes project ideas and other fun activities. It's
a great resource. You can find both Bibles in the Bibles section of the
Bookstore at:  http://www.christiancrafters.com/bookstore.html 


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--> Is SSTN helping you?

If you are finding SSTN helpful to your ministry, then please help to
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To help keep SSTN going and to learn more, go to this webpage:
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Sarah Keith <><
ChristianCrafters.Com
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Lake Park, FL 33403
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(In the memo section of your check write: 'SSTN Subscription'.
Please include your email address.)

God's blessings to you,
Sarah Keith <><

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--Copyright 2002 S.A. Keith--All Rights Reserved. ----

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