Welcome to THE SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHER'S NETWORK
**** A service of ChristianCrafters.Com ****
"For where two or three come together in my name,
there am I with them." -- Jesus
<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><
To reply or to post a new topic:
Please title your message to reflect the content. When replying,
delete ALL TEXT that is NOT PERTINENT to your response.
<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><
SSTN # 126 - December 10, 2003
<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><
IN THIS ISSUE OF THE SSTN e-NEWSLETTER:
Noel Christmas Photo Frame...Download it today!
1) C.H.R.I.S.T.M.A.S.
2) Christmas Word Find?
3) Fun Songs
4) Teaching Isaac & Abraham
--> Kids Can @ Christmas Time
5) Teaching children to make right choices.
6) Fall festival
7) Pin the Jesus in the manger?
8) The Song C-H-R-I-S-T-M-A-S
--> --> Chrismon Snowflake Ornaments
9) Pastor's daughter
10) Job Description & Easter?
11) Books of the Bible Poem
12) Children's furniture
<>< <>< <>< <>< TODAY'S SSTN POSTINGS: <>< <>< <>< <><
Noel Christmas Photo Frame...Download it today!
An easy make-and-take project with a great fundraising idea!
Learn more here:
http://www.christiancrafters.com/curriculum.html
<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><
1) C.H.R.I.S.T.M.A.S.
in answer to christmas letters please find below one i use Rev N. Ardern
> Note that only the basic STORY OUTLINE is given here, you can expand
on it if you want to. Tell it in the order as below. The letters
should be large and in gold drawn on one side of A4 card with the
pictures on the reverse
Introduction
Christmas is a time of bright lights, decorations, trees, shopping. A
time when people think mainly of things they want. But remember, there can
be no Christmas without Christ.
C -Christ (picture of Christ or the words)
God gave the first Christmas present, and said "you shall call his name
Jesus...etc."
H – Heart (picture of big red heart)
Christmas should be a heart affair. God gave from his heart -he gave the
best he had his only Son. We must believe and receive Jesus into our
heart. God says "My son, give me your heart" (your whole life). (Proverbs
23:26)
I- Inn (picture of inn)
There was no room at the inn for Mary (and Jesus!). I am sure the
innkeeper didn't realise who he was turning away. Many today are like that
innkeeper. Jesus is knocking at the door of our life. Will you turn Him
away, saying there is no room?
M- Manger (picture of manger)
Jesus left His home in heaven. What a contrast between the glory of heaven
and a
manger -an animal's feed box. How Jesus humbled himself and was prepared
to give
up everything! He didn't come as a master, but as a servant. Those of us
who want to follow Him are told, "Let this attitude be in you which was
also in Christ... who took upon Him the form of a servant..." (Philipians
2:5-9)
A -Angel (picture of angel)
The angels came with glad tidings of great joy. They told the shepherds
where and
how to find Jesus. Today we have this ministry (job) -to tell the good
news about . Jesus to others. We must tell them where and how to find
Jesus.
S- Star ; (picture of star)
A star led the wise men to Jesus. Today we have the Holy Spirit to lead us
closer to Jesus. We need to ask the Holy Spirit to fill our life so that
we will know more about Jesus.
T – Tree (picture of Christmas tree)
We decorate and hang gifts on trees at Christmas. God hung his gift on a
tree -
the cross. But many of those looking on didn't admire God’s gift; instead
they mocked and laughed at Him. And yet He prayed, "Father, forgive them,
for they don't know what they are doing".
S -Saviour
(Picture of cross) The real reason Jesus came to this earth was to be our
Saviour. Explain why Jesus had to die, to take the punishment that we
deserve for our sins.
R -Ruler
(Picture of crown) There was a ruler over the land of Israel when Jesus
was born. But King Herod was afraid when he heard that one had been born
who was to be king of the Jews, so he killed all the babies under the age
of two in the area where Jesus was born. But an angel had appeared to
Joseph and told him to flee to Egypt .
The Jewish people expected an earthly ruler to come and save them, but
Jesus didn't set up a kingdom on this earth to rule over. Instead, He
wants to rule in our hearts. One day, when Jesus comes again, He will come
as ruler. The Bible says Jesus will be King of Kings and Lord of Lords and
that every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is
Lord. (Philippians 2:10-11) We don't need to wait until then. Let us
allow Him to be our ruler right now!
<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><
2) Christmas Word Find?
From Nov 28th, In response to Item #12 - Happy Birthday Jesus Party - I
would appreciate a copy ofr the Christmas Word Find and the Word Scramble
computer pages. Thanks for your help.
<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><
3) Fun Songs
In response to those looking to make singing time more
fun--Ronnie Caldwell has some awesome songs that are
very upbeat. His philosphy is that most children's
music is geared towards younger kids, and his is
designed to appeal to the tweens. I really enjoy his
music. Several of the songs have obvious motions
(Father Abraham, Hokey Pokey), and several I ad-libed
motions to them. Some of the songs are repetitive
enough for the younger ones, but I think the younger
ones pretty much enjoy anything. Provided the singing
isn't the younger kids' only learning time, I'd focus
on capturing the older kids. Their enthusiasm will
capture the younger ones.
<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><
4) Teaching Isaac & Abraham
>as a curriculum company we have to pick and choose, since we cannot put
all lessons
>for all ages. Someone has to make a decision...I believe that our church organization
>probably takes the whole Bible more than most. However, that is really NOT the
function of this board.
More than most? I seem to recall that you requested what the teachers on
this board thought about your curriculum company NOT teaching the story of
Isaac and Abraham. Why does it upset you to hear their answers?
Sam
<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><
--> KIDS CAN @ CHRISTMAS TIME
An Advent celebration of 31 crafts and recipes.
To learn more, go to:
http://www.christiancrafters.com/crafts_Christmas_Advent.html
<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><
5) Teaching children to make right choices.
The dangers, or not, of children getting involved in Halloween activities
is one of the areas where Christians will probably always disagree.
As parents, or teachers, it is quite natural for us to want to warn
children of the possible consequences of making wrong choices. In some
cases "the wrong choice" is obvious. However, in others, e.g. Halloween or
watching 'Harry Potter' films, Christians disagree on what "the wrong
choice" is.
Rather than 'laying down the law' and often appearing to the children to
be spoil sports, a far better approach is, I believe, to concentrate on
teaching children to find out what God's will is for themselves. And of
course, if they do that, they will make the right choice.
Here are four ways to guide children into making right choices. These
apply to all choices they have to make, but we will use 'Halloween' as an
example.
A. The popular W.W.J.D. (What Would Jesus Do) bracelet is a good place to
start. Ask, would Jesus go to that Halloween party, or go knocking on
strangers doors for 'trick or treat' ?
B. What does the Bible say ? This is our Instruction book for life. If the
Bible approves or forbids something, that is the end of the argument.
Halloween is not mentioned in the Bible of course, because it was written
earlier. The Bible does say, however, that we should avoid all kinds of
evil. The question then is "Are the Halloween activities, as we know them
today, evil?"
C. Ask more mature Christions for their opinions, beginning with your
Parents or Bible teacher. As we have seen, however, these may sometimes
differ.
D. Go directly to God, and ask Him what He wants you to do. Colossians
3.15 says "Let the peace of Christ rule (be the Umpire) in your heart." If
we are about to make a wrong choice, God will remove His peace from our
hearts as a warning. Teach the child that God will make His will known to
them if they ask him through the presence or absence of His peace. Having
prayed first, they should then ask themselves "Do I feel good about going
to that Halloween party, or do I feel uneasy about it?" "Is there a
presence or absence of peace, when I think about it?" Emphasise to the
child that they must approach God with an open mind. If they have already
made up their mind to go to the party, and simply want God's approval, He
is unlikely to speak to them. If, however, they genuinely desire God's
will and have the attitude "Whatever you say Lord, that is what I will
do," then He is well able to guide them into making the right choice.
Maurice Sweetsur
<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><
6) Fall festival
This is in response to the opinions concerning Halloween from Sharon and
Betsy. Everyone is entitled to their opinions, but when it comes to
raising
and teaching children, I prefer to follow what the Bible says. Romans 12:2
says, "do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the
renewing
of your minds." And that is what I teach my children. Sharon, you said you
do not celebrate Halloween, but you allow your children to dress up, get
candy and play games and party. That is celebrating. Before my husband and
I
gave our lives to The Lord, we celebrated Halloween. But then we saw the
importance of raising our children in The Light, and equipping them with
the
truth. And the truth is Halloween is the highest holiday celebrated by
Satanists. They consider it to be Satan's birthday and celebrate it with
animal and human sacrifices from Oct. 15-Nov. 15. Once I explained what
Halloween actually stood for, my children wanted no part of it. The Bible
says, "You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free." My
children believe that and have been freed from the bondage of needing to
fit
in. This past halloween we took them to an evangelical outreach on
Halloween
night and they were blessed by witnessing over twenty children give their
lives to The Lord. They did it without needing to dress up or collect
candy.
Halloween has always been tied to the occult, magic, sacrifices and many
other things Our Lord says are abominations.
As far as getting rid of Christmas because it is a celebration of Winter
Solstice, I have heard that many times. December 25th is the day
Christians
have chosen to celebrate the birth of their Savior. It is a time of
renewal
and refreshment worldwide. I have witnessed God working during this season
and have watched as hardened hearts have been softened, scales have been
removed from blind eyes and people have given their lives to Jesus.
Christmas is a time blessed by God and should be used by his children to
shine The True Light into the darkness of this world.
Concerning the poision of resentment, it sounds as if there is a much
deeper
problem that must be addressed with your boys. Where did they get the idea
that if they don't get their way and they don't get to blend in with
everyone else, then God is a spoiled sport, and Christians don't have fun?
God has done so much for me that if I never got to do another thing in my
life, I would still have more to be thankful for than I could ever
express.
God has called His children to be a "peculiar" people and to be set apart
for His use. And fun? I've never had more fun in my life than rejoicing
with
my brothers and sisters and my children over those twenty children that
chose Jesus over the world this past Halloween.
In Christ,
Teresa
<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><
7) Pin the Jesus in the manger?
To the sister who has the "Pin the Jesus in the manger" idea (as pasted
below).
Thank you for the creative & new idea. I am very interested & would like
to know more about the manger scene cut outs, preferably on paper. Is
there a website I can go to, to print these?
YSIC
Anisha
Gauteng
South Africa
<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><
8) The Song C-H-R-I-S-T-M-A-S
this is in response to the person looking for a show with the children
spelling out the word Christmas. I don't about a show, but we have used
the song for a couple of years in our Christmas program. Each letter
stands for something to do with the Christ Child. C is for the Christ
Child born upon this day, H for hearld angels in the night. You can find
it in almost any Christmas song book. You may have to go to a music
store. I have it in two different piano books for Christmas. I hope this
helps. The song has been a favorite with our kids. ysic, Judy
<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><
--> Chrismon Snowflake Ornaments
Do you remember the fun of making paper-cut snowflakes as a child?
This holiday season relive the nostalgia with friends and family by making
my
Christ-filled, Chrismon Snowflake Ornaments. To see a video of the Angel
Snowflake
being cut, go to: http://www.ChristianCrafters.Com/chrismon.html
Your webservant,
Sarah Keith <><
<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><
9) Pastor's daughter
In regards to the 13 year old girl that has seen her father and mother
which is the pastor and his wife been mistreated. We have a 14 year old
girl in our church who's father is the pastor and until the last 3 years
she has also seen this for several years and I am sure that she would love
to minister or speak with this precious child if you would send me and
email or address of this girl or your address i will get this information
to her
Hope this helps,
Kelly Joines
robandkel@skybest.com
<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><
10) Job Description & Easter?
Hi Sarah,
I've been following SSTN for about 3-4 months now. I've found it rather
interesting & full of resources.
I'm a Children Pastor in an Asian church. We minister to about 250-300
children per week through 2 children program;
a) Sunday School , ages 3-17, (1 hour small class set-up)
b) Children Church, Baby till 12 yrs old. (2 hours, held in 5 depts)
Runs concurrently with adult Sunday Worship service.
I don't have a proper job description yet. Wonder if anybody out there can
give me some idea.
And with year 2003 coming to an end, I want to start planning for Easter.
Will appreciate ideas for small class use as well as bigger groups
sessions of about 30-40 preschoolers, 30-40 primaries. Crafts, games,
activities etc
Ideas for medium easter drama welcomed too.
Pas Vin
<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><
11) Books of the Bible Poem
http://www.truthgleaner.org/poem.htm
here is the link to the poem of the
books of the bible. Daphne
<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><
12) Children's furniture
you can order cute tables and chairs etc. thru Sam's Club and it is less
expensive than school catalogs but the same quality
<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><
--> Help Support SSTN
Only one dollar a month helps to provide the Christian educational
resources at SSTN and ChristianCrafters.Com. To learn more, go to this
webpage:
http://www.christiancrafters.com/ministry_support.html
Or, mail your US check or US money order to:
Sarah Keith <><
ChristianCrafters.Com
438 East Ilex Drive
Lake Park, FL 33403
USA
(In the memo section of your check write: "SSTN Subscription".
Please include your email address.)
Your webservant,
Sarah Keith <><
<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><
--Copyright 2002 S.A. Keith--All Rights Reserved. ----
Please read the complete copyright information at ChristianCrafters.Com.
You will find the link at the bottom of the homepage.
SSTN Posting Guidelines:
http://christiancrafters.com/SSTN_guidelines.html
Reprinting in any medium, commercial or noncommercial, is strictly
prohibited without prior written permission. SSTN has contributors from
all over the world who share their ideas. If you reprint any of the ideas
from SSTN or ChristianCrafters.Com in any medium (websites, magazines,
newsletters, etc.), you must contact the submitter, and
ChristianCrafters.Com for reprint permissions. Any materials used must
also include the submitter's name and where the ideas were gleaned from.
The opinions expressed in the SSTN e-Newsletter are not necessarily
endorsed by ChristianCrafters.Com. SSTN reserves the right to edit and or
exclude information from the SSTN e-Newsletter.
<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><
SUBSCRIBE--UNSUBSCRIBE - and Change of Address directions:
To SUBSCRIBE or to add a new email address to the SSTN e-Newsletter:
Go to the "Sunday School Network" page at:
http://www.ChristianCrafters.Com/page3.html
If you are subscribing your friends, make sure you have their permission.
Return
to the Archives