Children and Families - Scripture Union NZ

This is an activity I ran with my intergenerational small group last year, and it was lovely. I have included the script here, but also as a downloadable file you can print off. Adapt and adjust to suit your group, or family and whānau best!  Preparation: You will need a wreath base. Mine is foam/oasis. Soak this in water a day before. I chose to place one medium sized candle in the middle of my wreath. You might like to use the traditional four candles, (three are purple and one is red).  I invited each member, ranging in ages from 3years old up, to bring along some greenery from their garden, as well as purple and red flowers. I also provided some. I added a base of greenery to the wreath to make a start, as it can take time to fill it in from scratch, and small children will lose interest quick! Bring matches and secateurs.  Set up: Place the wreath in the centre of your group, where everyone can reach it. We put it on a coffee table and sat around it.  Script: Th...

  Matthias Stomer, Adoration of the Shepherds  wikipedia This painting from 1650 reflects its time. The clothing and skin colour of those pictured place this image some distance from the original events of Jesus' birth, not to mention Jesus' glow-in-the-dark-ness! But what captivates me about this beautiful painting is the faces of the shepherds. There is no distance here between these visitors and the baby. They lean right in. Their faces show wonder and awe, caught in the glow of divinity. This painting is called 'Adoration of the Shepherds', and it sure captures that.  Let's be like the shepherds. Lean in, draw close. Allow the moment to soak into our hearts.  Let's be people of adoration, who once again find ourselves in the presence of Immanuel, God with us. 

  We have some BRAND NEW Christmas resources to share with you! As we prepare for the joy of Christmas, we want to offer you these resources that are free to download and easy to use with families in your church and community.  Tiny House Advent Calendar 2022: This is a unique Advent calendar with a New Zealand twist. This resource includes a beautiful black and white template of 24 houses. Simply print the template, cut and colour each one, and then place a Christmas surprise inside before folding them up and gluing them securely. Put them on a table to create a Christmas village! A sample page showing one of the 24 houses Nativity in a Tin:  When life is so busy it is important to find simple ways to connect family and whānau and provide ways to engage intergenerationally. This is a simple activity to take on the road with you this Christmas season and share the story as you travel. Download the booklet and the nativity figures to create your very own ‘Nativit...

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! ...

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

This is a resource that can be used by families and households during Advent, as well as by a church congregation. It is simple for a family to use over the four Sundays leading up to Christmas Day. The Sundays of Advent are often focussed around the themes of Hope, Peace, Joy and Love. This resource centres around an Advent Wreath, the lighting of candles for each of these themes, and engaging with Bible stories in the lead up to Christmas Day. In uncertain times it is good to create daily and weekly rhythms and routines as anchors or lighthouses to help us stay firm and find our way when the storms of life come with such unpredictability. It is our hope and prayer that these resources will be a part of that for you and your family. You will need: The Full Resource Additional resources

The Christmas season is one of those times of the year when families head along to church either for the first time or as part of a yearly tradition. Some come to sing carols, others see it as important for their children to know the Christmas story, and others come because it’s what their family has done every year for as long as they can remember. These families may not attend church at any other time.  There are a growing number of people in our communities who know very little about the events surrounding Jesus’ birth. While we may have heard the story over and over to the point of complacency, for them it is new and fresh and intriguing.  As we plan for the variety of services and activities that run during Advent, it is good to make sure that we take these things into consideration. For that new family who has walked through the door for the first time:  · Will they feel welcome in our church?  · Will they be able to celebrate t...

A very old olive tree at Gethsemane, Israel Luke 1:5 When Herod was king of Judea…   Imagine with me that you are sitting in an olive tree . The day is a little chilly, and the wind is blowing. Your friends hang off branches and jump from rock to rock. You are in your famil y 's olive grove and the year is about 4 BC , although no one quite knows that for sure. When you look around you see a small village. It’s not famous or important, but its home. Most of the peop le who live in this vi llage are your family. This village is called Nazareth. It’s up in the north of Israel, near the mountains dusted with snow. This is your village, the place you call home. Life is pretty good for you. Sure, you have to go to school, carry water f rom the town's well to your house, and you also have to work pretty hard in the family olive grove, but you get plenty of time to play with your friends climbing trees and keeping out of trouble. But, things are not good for...

Are you looking for some media or video clips for your Advent and Christmas events or church services? Here are some options to get you started. Some of them are Youtube clips, others are free to download and use.  Learn more about the Shepherds who feature in the Christmas account.  This video series 'Drive Thru History' is well worth a watch, for giving you background information, as well as for playing in a church or community service: The Mystery of the Noisy Neighbour: From the Bible Society UK. Show this free animation in your church services, children's programmes and community events. Suited for a young audience. Discover who Jesus really is... Emmanuel, Rescuer and King. Click here to find out more and download. The Bible Project: The Birth of Jesus - Gospel of Luke Ch. 1-2: If you are looking for an excellent series of clips digging deep into the Bible, these are great! Use them as study material for your Sunday School team or volunteers, before...

What a beautiful poem to read this Christmas, (despite the fact we don't know that there were three wise kings, nor do we know their names). This would make a great addition to an All-Age service, or as part of a church service during Advent. Find someone in your congregation with a great reading voice. You might even like to have them sit in a comfy arm chair with a lamp for light.  For extra drama, soak a little frankincense or myrrh oil onto cotton-wool balls and pass these out before you read the poem. Let people smell the spice of the wise kings gifts, as they listen to the poem, and take home the cotton-wool ball as a reminder.  The Three Kings  By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow  Three Kings came riding from far away, Melchior and Gaspar and Baltasar; Three Wise Men out of the East were they, And they travelled by night and they slept by day, For their guide was a beautiful, wonderful star. And when they came to Jerusalem, Herod the Great...

I apologise to your ears in advance. This post is full of Christmas music, ranging from the traditional to the dance-party vibe. If you are looking for some songs for your church or children's community or church programme, then here are a few we have come across. I have provided the Youtube links to them so you can have a listen.  Listen at your own risk :)  Mary, did you know?   Stunning! Good to play in the background. Away in a Manger:  A beautiful rendition of this classic carol.  O Come O Come Emmanuel: A slightly 'dance-party' version of this carol.  Angels we have heard on high: This is a Youtube clip of the actions to go with the carol. You can purchase the song from Amber Sky Records .  Noel: ...more dance party vibes Noel: a really lovely version to balance out the dance party version above! Do you hear what I hear: A lovely rendition of this song.  Hear the bells: This is a good option for children to learn and...

     Christmas Carols but not as you know them: When it comes to singing at Christmas, providing a good balance is important.  Christmas Carols have fabulous words and tradition, providing an important connection with the past. The parents of the children you work alongside may have wonderful memories of singing these carols as a child, and will enjoy singing along with their own children. But there are some great Christmas songs that can be added into the mix. Here are a couple you might like to have a listen to and buy. While they might not be your taste in Christmas music, they might be just the thing your children will love!  Hey! Mary!   Straight from NZ: Malcolm Gordon’s song “Hey Mary” was composed with his son Sam and released just last year for all of us to enjoy. Click here to listen to this song : Youtube Click here to download the sheet music! Dropbox Raise your candle:  Click here to listen to this song and see the a...