The Sunday School Teacher's Network Newsletter - Great ideas for children's ministry!



Issue #14 - Volume 13

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April 24, 2012 Ideas? Questions? Opinions? Articles are listed, below. When replying, highlight the text that is pertinent to your response, then hit reply. Title your message to reflect the content. 1) Handling Registered Sex Offenders? 2) Children's Ministry Parody, "Ministryville" 3) Four Seasons Candle Holder (Ages 10+) 4) Easter Isn't Over...Don't Stop Now! 5) New Life in Christ - Lesson The Red Button indicates a teacher who needs your help.	No Memorization Required Perfect for summer camps!



1) Handling Registered Sex Offenders? Every church has people in it that have a past history – prison, abuse, etc. I am interested in knowing if other churches have a procedure in place when someone in their church has spent time in prison for criminal sexual conduct and is a registered sex offender. How can a church notify parents of children who attend the church, but still prevent the stereotyping and stigma of the offender when they have repented and are really and truly doing their best to live their life for the Lord? We also want to protect the children whose father was incarcerated because they are too young to know or understand about their father’s past. We’re worried that, if we tell other parents in our church, it’s going to affect these young children. Their mom is doing her best to keep her children from hurtful remarks about their father. We’re a small church, less than 100 people a week. It’s such a fine line, so we wondered how other churches handle this. --from SSTN: What a difficult circumstance for your congregation to grapple with! In the past 15 years our church has dealt with two child molesters, one is in now in Federal prison serving 25 years. As a result, our church does extensive background checks and fingerprints on anyone who works or volunteers in children's ministry. Sex offenders would not be allowed to work with or near children. We also have a policy that no one, regardless of who you are, serves or teaches alone in a class with children (sad isn't it?). The fact that your church is small, makes for a unique situation in dealing with protecting the children in your church and anonymity for the family. In Florida sex offenders are required to register so that people can look up whether or not sex offenders live in their neighborhood. I suggest getting legal counsel involved to know what you are required to do under Michigan law. I'll be interested to learn what other congregations are doing as well. Satan is alive and well, but take heart, Jesus has triumphed over him. May God grant you wisdom in this matter, Sarah Keith <><


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2) Children's Ministry Parody: "Ministryville" For the past several years our Youth Department hosts a fundraiser called I-Talent Night. They serve Italian food and "coerce," er, encourage ;o), people from the congregation to show off their "talent." This year our Children's Ministry will participate by performing a parody of the Jimmy Buffet song, Margaritaville. Participants will dress in bright floral shirts, wear straw hats and sun glasses and sit in beach chairs to perform. The song could also be sung for children's ministers at the end of a year celebration or a Teacher's Appreciation event. It should be amusing! I hope you enjoy it, and if you decide to use it, let us know. ;o) You will need: Salt container, art project that's decorated using SALT, Pop-Rocks candy, Blue punch juice, silly statue (eg. Oscar Awards) Nibblin’ on cupcakes, Watchin’ the sun bake, All of those kids just covered in glue. (name of music minister) - strummin’ his six string, And we will all sing, And pray to God that He helps us get through. CHORUS Workin’ all day again in Children’s Ministry, Made another art project from SALT. (hold up salt container and art) Some people claim that it’s (children's director) to blame, But I know – it’s (pastor's name) fault. Don’t know the reason--I stay here all seasons Nothing to show but this brand new STATUE (hold up award’s statue) It’s a real beauty To honor my duties What I do next – I haven’t a clue. (CHORUS) Tripped on my flip flops Chewin’ on Pop Rocks (hold up Pop Rocks) Cut my heel - had to cruise on back home But there’s PUNCH in the blender (shout BLUE JUICE!) And soon it will render That sugar concoction that helps me hang on (salute each other with cups) (CHORUS) Copyright 2012 Kath Doerr, S.A. Keith



3) Four Seasons Candle Holder A great project for summer camps, for ages 10+! "Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall, let God's love shine for all!" Get the patterns and directions now...Learn how!



4) Easter Isn't Over...Don't Stop Now! Easter is over, but Easter season isn't. Lent, the 40 days before Easter, is the time we recall the 40 days Jesus was tempted in the wilderness. Many people fast (give up" something they enjoy doing or eating), during this time to focus on repentance and prayer. Then Easter Sunday arrives, celebration comes and fasting is suspended, as it rightly should! But the Easter season isn't over, because there are 50 more days AFTER Easter that looks forward to Pentecost Sunday, the day we remember the giving of Holy Spirit. God's spirit is still given today to anyone who trusts in Jesus as their Savior and Lord. Let us live out the remainder of Easter season finding more ways to give our lives more fully to the work in God's kingdom for the coming year!






5) New Life in Christ - Lesson Grab a lesson on New Life in Christ from our Easter Season Lessons & Object Talks section at: http://www.sundayschoolnetwork.com/lessons-Easter-Lent.html

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Copyright 1997 - 2011 / d.b.a. "S. A. Keith of Creative Imaginations Reproducing 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, SundaySchoolNetwork.com or ChristianCrafters.Com in any medium (websites, magazines, newsletters, etc.), you must contact the submitter, and website for reprint permissions. Any materials used must also include the submitter's name and where the ideas were gleaned from. The opinions expressed or advertisements displayed in the SSTN e-Newsletter are not necessarily endorsed by SundaySchoolNetwork.com or any of its affiliates. SSTN reserves the right to edit and or exclude information from the SSTN e-Newsletter.