Children and Families - Scripture Union NZ

A 1st Century stone path in Bethsaida, where Jesus walked the streets Understanding the daily life of Jesus helps us to discover who he really was. Context puts flesh on bones, and breathes life into the gospels. There are many great resources out there to help us to dig into the context of 1st Century Palestine. Here are some of our favourite free resources: Modern Photos of Israel/Palestine Annette took these photos during her visit in 2011. Free to download and use in PowerPoint or printed out to show small groups of children. We would be grateful if you could acknowledge Scripture Union New Zealand.  Links to great websites: A virtual tour of Israel Bible Places Great images of reconstructions of the temple in the time of Jesus Free photos of modern Israel A basic interactive map of Israel with photos A free app which gives you a virtual tour of Jerusalem and the temple. Works offline!  A couple of great Youtube clips of the Temple in Jerusalem:

The season of Lent may not be familiar to all of us. It was certainly not a tradition I grew up with. But in the past couple of years I have grown to appreciate the journey that leads to Jerusalem. It gives me time to process and reflect. Take the opportunity to explore Lent with the children in your church and community. It might be one simple practice that you pick up.  Our blog has a variety of resources for the Lent and Easter season: - Intergenerational services  - An Easter story to share as a family or children's programme  - Links to resources, articles and images  You can find them all here! We will also be posting about great resources and ideas via our Facebook page so make sure you follow us.   We also recommend you check out these websites for a whole library of great resources and links. Look no further: Strandz  Kidsfriendly 

Reminders of God’s Faithfulness In Joshua we read that God saved the Hebrew people by leading them through the Jordan River. They found themselves safely on the other side. The LORD then told their leader Joshua to instruct the leaders of the twelve tribes to pick up a stone each and carry it back to camp. Joshua used these twelve stones to create a memorial. We read,  “In the future, when your children ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’  tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant  of the Lord. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off.  These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever.”  Joshua 4:6-7 These stones were a physical reminder of a spiritual moment. Every time their children saw them it acted like a prompt. The pile of stones created an opportunity for their family to talk together about the past and God’s faithfulness.  What are your ‘stones’? What is in your ho