Children and Families - Scripture Union NZ

  freebibleimages.org The season of Lent begins soon, and we travel with the disciples on the road to Jerusalem. Ahead of us lie paths covered in cloaks and palm fronds, as people herald Jesus' arrival in the city. We know that Jesus is heading to his death, and ultimately to his vindication and resurrection. Lent and Easter mark significant moments in the Christian calendar and the gospel story. The Children and Families team at Scripture Union have a range of FREE resources, programmes and intergenerational services to support you as you prepare. Check them out today!  For our full library: click here Check out this  board game to explore Mark's gospel  (easy to play and great for all ages)

  On the Road to Easter A brand new board game for all the family. Journey together through the events of Easter, through the eyes of Mark. Along the way, face challenges, answer questions and eat skittles! Download all the files you need here!

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...

We have created six key workshops that are foundational for anyone new to children's ministry. These are additional resources that go alongside these workshops. BEING OUR BEST Positive Discipline tools for teachers - a great general website with lots of practical advice.   'It's the hidden disabilities that keep kids out of church' - this article contains lots of links to resources, and focuses specifically on the church environment. Discipling Neurodiverse Children: Supporting Who God Made Them to Be - this online course is well worth looking at. PRAYER ZONE Activity cards: One Word Prayer Card Hamburger Prayers Card Prayer Dice Card Wikki Prayers Labyrinths ( Finger and Floor ) Fishscale prayers Thank you - catch and toss Pray for Schools Card   ‘It is Night’ Anglican Prayer Book Card Websites: Praying in Colour Methodist Church (UK) free digital prayer cards FAITH FORMATION Resources: It's just a Phase Children's Ministry in the Way of Jesus   Faith forma...

  Join the Crowd Step into the account of Jesus' visit to the town of Capernaum. See the dusty streets, smell the drying fish and donkey poo, hear the sounds of the sea... This intergenerational service explores Mark 2:1-12 and invites everyone to join the crowd as they seek Jesus. Watch as four friends dig a hole in a roof, and consider together how we help carry each other in faith.  You will need:  Service outline  Map of Capernaum Photo of modern day Capernaum   Picture of a reconstruction of the village 'Everyone is talking about it' cards  Character cards Max7.org video clip 'Crippled man' Silver Statues instructions

  Easter with Family and Whānau Our NEW resource for 2023 is a simple way to gather the family together around the Bible and create a piece of art at the same time. Free to download here .  We also have a range of Easter resources available. Are you looking to bring all the generations together for a church or community service? Are you looking for resources to support families as they explore this event in the Church calendar?  Easter resources

  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...

  The account of Moses on the Mountain in Exodus 33, is full of drama and suspense. It is a great story to tell with all the generations together. This intergenerational activity includes banners, thunder rolls and flashes of lightning! It really brings the story to life in a way that will involve everyone in your congregation. It also works well for community events, allowing the story to speak for itself. This intergenerational activity takes a bit of preparation, but it is well worth the effort. You will need to download the script from the link below. You will need:  Script Music: The Steward of Gondor ( Youtube clip ) A4 Cards: enough for 1 per 4 people 'I have carried you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself' 6 grey banners: one suggestion is to sew a length of grey fabric 2metres long by 50cm wide, with a sleeve to hold a length of dowel approx 80cm long. A quick alternative is to wave scarves. Choose blue or grey or black scarves if possible.  6 yellow stre...

  Our first WAY2GO events have just happened. We gathered together kanohi ki te kanohi, face to face, to be inspired, challenged and equipped in our ministry with children. This word cloud shows some of the highlights from our Auckland South East event.  Why not come and join us at one of the 12 other events coming up soon?  Find out more at  www.sunz.org.nz  Resources from the event  

As children flood through your doors, may you feel the love of God flooding in with them.  As your children bring with them their experiences of last year, carrying with them various shades of anxiety,  may you have courage to bring healing and comfort to their worries,  while finding peace for your own.  As you see dirty faces behind masks and empty lunchboxes  may you know that God's heart breaks too. As you hear stories of golden summer fun  Cousins, friends, sleeping out under the stars  May you be filled for gratitude for moments of untarnished joy  and find your own joy reflected in theirs.  Today may you know afresh how important  you are  in the life of just one of these children  who will walk through your door and may you be blessed. Amen

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: ...

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

www.bibleproject.com This is a two part service outline, exploring the book of Proverbs with all generations,  and this question:  What is wisdom and what does a wise person look like?  We look at wisdom as seen in action, through the whole range of gifts that God has given us, and examine what it means to ‘fear the Lord’. As Lady Wisdom says, “listen up!” Here is what you need: Week One: - Service Outline  - PowerPoint  - Proverbs overview sheet (like image above) - 3 signs  Week Two: - Service Outline - PowerPoint - 7 Proverbs for Acting or Water Leak Proverb - La Luna Pixar Film  Additional links for more info: The Bible Project: This service is based on the wonderful content at The Bible Project. You can check out their YouTube channel and their website: YouTube Website Lost Sheep: Check out Lost Sheep for some great illustrations of the Proverbs: LostSheep

This service explores the event of Easter Friday using coloured ribbons and branches to create 'Mercy Trees'. This service is a guided meditation on Jesus’ journey to the cross, woven together with music and scripture readings. This service is one hour long and suitable for all ages. Click here to download the script. Powerpoint for the service  Media clips used during this service: The Story of the Three Trees Good Friday: The Story Chpt 26 **Please note that some of the scenes in this clip may be  too intense for young children. You may need to plan carefully to show only certain parts of it.  The Mercy Tree - Lacey Sturm 

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...