The Sunday School Teacher's Network Newsletter - Great ideas for children's ministry!



Issue #28 - August 31, 2010 For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them. ~ Jesus

Ask a question...give an answer...post an idea: Scroll down the page to view articles. 1) Faith in God Skit? 2) Gospel Fingernails 3) Fear of God? 4) Caps, Jars & Container Lids...cool idea! Support the Network--learn how--Click here. 5) High School Activities? 6) Survivor-Temptation Island Lessons 7) Praying for Sick/Wounded Child The Red Button indicates a teacher who needs your help. TITLE your email to reflect the content of your message. When replying, highlight the text that is pertinent to your response, then hit reply. Invite your friends and coworkers to join us. CLICK HERE!	Home Search for Ideas Support SSTN PCM Discount 15% OFF Ministry Resources Bible-4-Life Curriculum Gospel Fun Activities Holidays & Holy Days Make N' Take Downloads E-books Affiliate Bookstore F-R-E-E Resources Bible Games Christian Crafts Christian Skits Missions For Kids Object Talks, Sermons Recycling Ideas VBS & Bible Clubs NEED PRAYER? Visit our Prayer Board. Scroll down.



1) Faith in God Skit? Greetings!! I wonder if i can get a play script/skit script for a theme "faith in God" which my youth group can enact. would prefer for a duration of 7 minutes, any number of characters. Thanks, lalnei --from SSTN: Many of the skits from the book, Lights, Camera, Action Bible Skits are based on the book of Mark and concern faith in God (see right). Also, make sure you check out our Bible Skits section too at: http://www.sundayschoolnetwork.com/skits.html	You can download them! No waiting for postal delivery!



2) Gospel Fingernails Tell the gospel message in a new, good old way. Learn how at: http://www.sundayschoolnetwork.com/crafts-christian.html Click on Gospel Fingernails!



3) Fear of God? I feel a real need to teach children about the fear of God and keeping His commandments. So many children are not taught that and see parents not keeping God's commandments (ex. Marriage vows). Any ideas on lessons that balance God's commandments, fearing God and also that He loves me! Thanks. --from SSTN: God's Top Ten -- Understanding God's Love in the Ten Commandments was written with this perspective in mind. All of the commands are actually promises in disguise. Why should we have no other gods? Because the One True God is all we need! Why should we not steal? Because God has promised to supply all our needs according to his riches in glory! Why should we remember the Sabbath Day and keep it holy (keep it set apart)? Because God made us and knows we need our rest! You can sample a lesson and learn more about God's Top Ten by visiting the following link: http://www.sundayschoolnetwork.com/curriculum-Ten-Commandments.html The follow up series to God's Top Ten is His Name Shall Be Called..., which goes into greater detail about the meaning of God's names and the respect due him.



4) Caps, Jars & Container Lids...cool idea! This recycling idea is so clever, you just have to check it out! Visit the following link to see what I mean: http://sundayschoolnetwork.com/creative_challenge.html







5) High School Activities? Hello, I teach high school students in Sunday School and I generally will have a cross-word puzzle or word-search puzzle for the students to complete at the end of each class session. What are some other fun activities I can have the students do at the end of a lesson? Thanks, Sis. Michelle Haywood



6) Survivor-Temptation Island Lessons I want to commend you for the Sunday School Network site. It is an invaluable source of wonderful teachings for our youth. I have enjoyed reading the materials and have utilized some of the free activities in the past. I recently utilized the “Survivor-Temptation Island” activity for my church’s Youth Explosion weekend. The youth loved the water gun concept and had fun being competitive in answering biblical questions. It was an extremely fun and educational experience. Thanks for providing creative teaching material that is so helpful in training our children in the way of the Word. In His Service, Vonita Bennett Youth Advisor & Pastor’s wife Second Baptist Church May’s Lick, KY --from SSTN: thank you, Vonita, for saying so! It's good to know how the programs in the site influence other church bodies! For anyone else interested in the Survivor-Temptation Island program, you can find it in our Bible Series, Clubs & VBS section at: http://www.sundayschoolnetwork.com/lessons-Bible-series.html



7) Praying for Sick/Wounded Child Praying for a sick child would be different from praying for a wounded/sad child who has experienced a loss. I’m also not clear if the child is with you when you are praying or if the other kids are praying for them. Depending on the age of the child, it’s always best to be honest with everyone involved. It just depends on how deep you’d go. At the least I’d tell the others that “Susie is sad because she’s missing her mommy right now – or because her daddy is sick…even that Susie is sad because she feels sick right now and wants to be able to play. I feel sad when I feel sick, too. Jesus cares how we feel. He knows how it feels to be afraid and sad. Jesus is very close to Susie right now but Susie needs to feel it. Let’s ask Jesus to help her feel Him holding her in the palm of His hand and taking care of her.” That kind of talk gives younger children a mental picture so they are able to focus and know what they are praying for. Even as we get older kids, that’s really what you’re praying for. As I’ve prayed with adults, I often find myself praying the same prayer because it’s all what we all want deep down inside when we’re sick and afraid – to know that God has us safely in His hand, watching over us. Adults have thanked me over and over for that prayer. I agree that scripture is vital, just remember that when someone is hurt, they can’t focus to hear very well. They can only FEEL. When we pray with feeling words, they “get it”. Be sure you make your message clear and short. “The bible tells us that Jesus loves us enough to count the very hairs on our heads -and He loves you so much more than just your hair. He loves YOU. He leans down to see what you’ll say next. He laughs with you when you swing up high and throw back your head and laugh out loud. He sees every tear you cry. He even counts them and calls them precious.. That’s how much He loves you. He watches you sleep and thinks you’ve never looked cuter. He’s crazy about you!” I’ve also had great success with telling kids that “the worse thing that Satan can do to you is to put you in the arms of Jesus”. Most kids will reply that they want to see Jesus…but not without Mommy. I always follow that up with: “Jesus knows that - so do you know what He does? If you get there before Mommy or Daddy, He’ll put you on His lap and start telling you the best story you’ve ever heard. Then, before the story is over, Mommy and Daddy will get there. You won’t even have time to miss them before they’ll be there.” The child will usually want to know about the rest of the story. I tell them that when their parents get there, Jesus will finish the story and then they can all go explore Heaven together. Heaven can seem scary because all too often we never spend any time thinking of what it will be like when we get there. Spend some time with all of your kids dreaming of heaven. All the fun things you’ll do there. What it will look like, what it will smell like, what you will eat there. We know as adults that we can’t begin to touch what heaven will be like, but it needs to become a real place to us so we’ll want to go there. No one wants to go to a place they’ve never thought of before. This is better than Disneyland. We need to be leading our students into a feeling of being aliens’ in a strange land here. We were meant for heaven. Not for earth. This isn’t home. Let’s not become so comfortable here that we don’t dream of heaven, our real home. Jeannie Foss Director of Children's Ministry Damascus Road Community Church --from SSTN: Amen, Jeannie! "Further up and further in." as C.S. Lewis writes it in the Narnia stories.



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