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 i...

These are four quick ideas you can use to explore the Christmas story with children. They accompany photographs that I took in Israel in 2011. We want children to understand that the events of Christmas are not a fairytale. They happened in a real time and place, to real people.  __________________________________________________________________   Spot it! Print out pictures of Bethlehem and Nazareth as they look today, or download copies of the photos mentioned below. As a small group, look at the photos. Count how many differences you can spot between Bethlehem or Nazareth today and what it would have been like in Jesus’ day. Israel photos: Click on the photo's name to download the photo from our dropbox file:  Bethlehem today Nazareth today __________________________________________________________________ Create it!  In Israel, beautiful churches have been built in places where the Christmas story happened. They have amazi...

I recently went to Disney on Ice with my 9 year old niece. I was surrounded by Elsa's, princesses dressed in sparkly blue gowns and fake diamond tiaras. It was a couple of hours of beautiful ice skating, which was great! We both loved it. It was also a couple of hours of fairytale accounts of how the world works. Beautiful princesses who captivate handsome princes on white horses.  Our children experience competing narratives about the world and how life works. Is it a happily ever after?  When it comes to the Bible they face the same challenge. At some point in their life the question will arise:  Is it real or is it a fairytale?  How do we help children navigate this question when it arises? How do we equip them with the tools they need to find the answer for themselves? Because it is not simply enough to tell them just to trust and obey.  “Whether the biblical story becomes primary in the lives of our children will be powerfull...

Bibleworld Museum and Discovery Centre Andrew Ramsbottom was in Rotorua recently so he headed along with his boys to check out the Bibleworld Museum and Discovery Centre. Bibleworld is packed full of models, hands on activities and over 70 ancient artifacts. Andrew and the boys spent most of their time dressing up in centurion outfits!  Bibleworld is excited announce the installation of an exciting new model. This hand crafted model has been over a year in the making, and enables guests to explore the city of Jerusalem as it was at the time when Jesus walked its streets, teaching and healing. This unique model is the only one of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere.  They would be grateful if you could help spread the word about Bibleworld among your contacts. And for the remainder of 2015, they are offering FREE ENTRY to Bibleworld. Opening Hours:  Friday 11-3pm  Saturday and Sunday 1-3pm  (Guided tours and out of hours booki...