Children and Families - Scripture Union NZ

RESOURCES FROM OUR 2022 CONFERENCES 1. Connected to God   Children's Spirituality: Bridging Theory and Practice : Bridging Theory and Practice in Children's Spirituality explores the different contexts, methods, and situations that influence and foster a child's spirituality and faith development.  Faithful Families: Creating Sacred Moments at Home: Add family faith moments to your daily routine with little or no prep, and share meaningful spiritual experiences with your children!  Visio Divina:  A way of connecting with God through images and visuals.  Lectio Divina:  Bookmark template PDF Faith5: Bookmark template PDF 45 Ways to Encounter God (English): A great resource from the Salvation Army. This is available in 6 languages (English, Te reo Māori, Fijian, Tongan, Samoan, Spanish). You can download them for free  from their website. ________________________________________ 2. Connected to God's Story  Jesus Storybook Bible Questions to think a...

  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  -...

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...

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 

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...

Our WAY2GO Children's Ministry conference is over for another year. We had an awesome time in Dunedin, Auckland and Wellington. Some of the resources from our workshops are here for you to download. Check them out!

These are the resources from the 'In the Footsteps of Paul' workshop at WAY2GO 2017. Map of Corinth: http://www.cwr.org.uk/cover2cover  Photographs: Corinth The Lechion Way (The Main Street) The Main Street Shops Temple of Apollo The Forum The Bema Philippi The River The Church to remember Lydia The Corinthian Church: Who is in the church?  Lydia: The story script  Check out this page for more detail: By the Riverside First Century Roman Coins Websites: www.bible.ca/maps www.windowintothebible.com/a-photo-tour-of-corinth www.bibleplaces.com The River in Lydia, Philippi

Ancient Corinth I have recently returned from a holiday in Greece, walking on the same stones as Paul.   As you can see, I was a little bit excited. This photo is of the main street of ancient Corinth, a street that Paul walked along, and conducted business on the edges of.   And my camera went crazy! Over the next months I intend to create resources using my photos. I want children to understand that the events of the New Testament happened in real places, at a real time with real people. Grounding the New Testament in context is vital. I have already shown my photos to my Bible in Schools class and they love them. Boy did they kick start some conversations! Mars Hill/The Areopagus My resources will include photos of the Areopagus ( Acts 17 ), Corinth, Philippi and Patmos, as well as curriculum ideas and discussion starters.  Watch this space!  Annette.

More Easter Resources coming your way! The Kidron Valley, Jerusalem Here are a few more Easter ideas to fill your basket! Easter Cracked:   This is an oldie but a goodie.   It is one of the most popular of Scripture Union’s resources and for good reason.   This book is filled with a variety of ideas for Easter: crafts, drama, service outlines, songs and activities for children and adults. To find out more phone Maurice on 0508 423 836 or click here to email him a request for more information.  Praying in Colour: http://prayingincolor.com/lenten-calendar-templates-for-2015 - Have you discovered ‘Praying in Colour’ yet?   If not, head to this website and check it out. We have used this way of praying with children on our camps for several years and we highly recommend it. There are some great calendars to download for free, to use during Lent. I know, Lent is underway, but it’s not too late to start.    ...