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Showing posts from 2021

God could have...

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God could have arrived as a zealot, ready to take on the Romans who held the country under the heel of their boot. God could have arrived as a rabbi with many years of training, ready to confront the religious leaders. God could have arrived as a leader, ready to summon the people to follow him. But God didn’t. God chose instead the danger of pregnancy and childbirth, in a time when many babies and mothers died. God chose to be held in the arms of first time parents and their extended family. God relied completely on them all to feed him, clothe him and keep him warm. God chose a poor family from a poor village, where resources were scarce. With the limited time that Jesus walked on earth, he could have spent much more of it as an adult. Think of how many more miracles he could have done if he’d lived longer. Think of how much more he could have said and done. But God chose to enter this world as a baby. God didn’t skip the baby phase or the childhood phase. God went through puberty!

Rags to Riches

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Each year we sing, ‘While shepherds watched their flocks by night’, but what do we really know about these early witnesses to the birth of Jesus? What did it mean for them to experience a sky filled with angels and be the ones chosen to hear the good news? This year, our Christmas resource will focus on the shepherds and their rags to riches story. From the rags of the field to the riches of heaven, let us follow their journey and discover it anew for ourselves. How does God visit us in our rags and bring riches beyond our imagination? An intergenerational church service

Creation Care

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This page contains links and information from the 'Creation Care' workshop at WAY2GO 2023. Start here: Arocha New Zealand:  lots to explore and ways to get involved. The best place to start! 'Caring for Creation' - A  free PDF booklet, produced by the Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa, New Zealand.  'Exploring Nature with Children' : Department of Conservation free downloadable PDF booklet  Strandz: A great website with lots of links, videos and ideas Materials: Salal and Cedar:  a free curriculum resource, drawing on Messy Church, Godly Play and Forest School methodology.  Lausanne Global Classroom: a study guide and lots of links to extra resources. This video is an excellent resource and worth playing all or part of with your church.  Worship ideas: Renew our world: Sign up for this free download (also available on Spotify) Songs of ecology, creation and hope:  a great collection of options for worship.   Articles: Adventure Church: Read about (pg.s 8-10) w

Gospels Alive

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  Exploring how understanding context can bring the gospels to life  and invite children to think more deeply about following Jesus.   This is a collection of resources from the 'Gospels Alive' workshop at WAY2GO 2021. Feel free to download these and use them, just mention Scripture Union!  Photos: The Galilean Boat A & B An Archaeological Dig site Links: Oil Lamp Youtube clip of the archaeological process Daily life in the time of Jesus - blog (lots of good information and pictures) Resources: Children’s Guide to the Bible by Robert Willoughby  ( Scripture Union resource )  Daily Life in the time of Jesus by Miriam Feinberg Vamosh - An excellent resource! In the Steps of Jesus by Peter Walker - a more academic source with good info and lots of photos.  Bible Timelines ( Scripture Union resources) Maps:  http://www.bible-history.com/maps/palestine_nt_times.html http://virtualreligion.net/iho/map.html Apps: Virtual Jerusalem  - Google play Apple store Background info

Three Great Feasts

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  Easter weekend is done and dusted, all the chocolate eggs and hot cross buns eaten. But if you thought the festivals of the church calendar were over until Advent or maybe Christmas... just wait, there’s more… The Three Great Feasts or Festivals traditionally conclude the season of Easter and usher in the season of Pentecost. Three Sundays worth of interesting sounding titles and theological concepts that continue to challenge and stretch us today. Ascension Day (13 May) is 40 days after Easter Sunday and so is on a Thursday, but can be observed on the following Sunday. Pentecost Sunday (23 May) follows Ascension 10 days later. Trinity Sunday (30 May) deals with one of the biggest theological concepts of all time, but provides an opportunity to simply acknowledge that we don’t know or understand everything and never will, and that’s okay. These three family devotions require nothing but yourselves, but include additional resource ideas, and it is my hope and prayer that the thinki

Under the Olive Tree - conversations about Easter

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  This Lent/Easter season, we have a series of intergenerational services for your church to download and use. These services have been written by our Children and Families Team and used in churches. This season in the church calendar is a very important one to share together as an intergenerational community and we want to support you in this.  Download one of our services, or get in touch with us if you would like us to run a service for you. We love getting out and about and supporting your ministry.  Intergenerational Services:  The rocks will cry out: Palm Sunday The Mercy Tree: Good Friday The Colours of Easter: Easter Sunday Breakfast on the Beach: Jesus appears to the disciples  More Easter resources