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

Happy Thanksgiving! The Place for Christian Education Communication
Issue #43 - November 24, 2009 For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them. ~ Jesus
What's the buzz? Scroll down the page to view articles. 1) Christmas Cards to Soldiers 2) Imprisonment Update 3) All Creation Tells of Jesus - Lesson 4) Halloween...what to do... Your participation makes SSTN a success! 5) Starting Sunday School? 6) Ornament Giveaway 7) No-Flame Advent Wreath 8) Important Scripture Memory Verse TITLE your email to reflect the content of your message. When replying, highlight the text that is pertinent to your response, then hit reply. Invite your friends and coworkers to join us. CLICK HERE!	Home Search for Ideas Support SSTN PCM Discount 15% OFF Ministry Resources Bible-4-Life Curriculum Gospel Fun Activities Holidays & Holy Days Make N' Take Downloads E-books F-R-E-E Resources Bible Games Christian Crafts Christian Skits Missions For Kids Object Talks, Sermons Recycling Ideas VBS & Bible Clubs NEED PRAYER? Visit our Prayer Board. Scroll down.
PLEASE NOTE: the newsletter will not go out during the first week of Advent, beginning Nov. 29. Please do check out our Advent resources in this newsletter and by following the links in the bright, green box, above. Make sure you mark your calendar for our Cyber Event too, see below.
1) Christmas Cards to Soldiers If you go to this web site, LetsSayThanks.com you can pick out a thank you card and Xerox will print it and it will be sent to a soldier that is currently serving in Iraq. You can't pick out who gets it, but it will go to a member of the armed services. How AMAZING it would be if we could get everyone we know to send one!!! There's no cost and it only takes a second. Wouldn't it be wonderful if the soldiers received a bunch of these? Whether you are for or against the war, our soldiers over there need to know we are behind them. This takes just 10 seconds and it's a wonderful way to say thank you. Please take the time and please take the time to pass it on for others to do. We can never say thank you enough. Thanks for taking to time to support our military!
2) Imprisonment Update We have just learned from Elam Ministries that Iranian Christians Maryam Rostampour and Marzieh Amirizadeh have been told that they will be released tomorrow, Monday November 16, 2009 after 255 days of captivity in the Evin prison. According to the report, after their release they still might have to attend court hearings. However, their release would be a significant step forward. Elam said, “We are rejoicing at the prospect of their release but would ask you to pray for their full and unconditional release, and for their safety and quick recovery.
3) All Creation Tells of Jesus - Lesson Download this lesson from our Children's Sermons section listed under the Fall, Thanksgiving...Lessons at: http://www.sundayschoolnetwork.com/sermons.html
Tuck them into greeting cards or for class-time rewards!
4) Halloween...what to do... Several years ago, the Lord had me do a study on Halloween and its background. The question has come up in our church: should we be celebrating Halloween? We had done Fall Festivals for years, potlucks, dress up...accommodating our children so they could still participate but in a safe place. After doing the study, we came to the conclusion that Halloween is a Satanic Holiday that was created for demonic celebration. There is absolutely NOTHING promoting Christ and what He came to do for us on the Cross, By celebrating Halloween we are saying its okay to have this holiday. I would challenge you to do what I did when faced with this question. Find out for yourself. I found everything online. It is not okay to celebrate this day no matter how "spiritual" we make it...it is a day set aside to celebrate witchcraft and the devil. Your website is a great website...which offers a lot to everyone. It's just a thought and concern. The devil looks for ANY opening into our lives. Thanks for listening. --from SSTN: Thank you! Just to be sure you understand, the initial posting was from a teacher who receives our newsletter, not from our website. While I wouldn't disagree with your points on Halloween, celebrating Fall Harvest is scriptural. The Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot) is a weeklong campout celebration during Sept./Oct, at which time the Jewish people thanked God for the harvest and remembered his faithfulness when they wandered in the desert, living in booths (tents or tabernacles), as they traveled to the Promised Land (Israel). Today observant Jews still build Sukkot or Tabernacles in their yards to celebrate this feast. The very faithful will even sleep in them. Today, when we trust in Jesus, we travel in our earthly tabernacles, our bodies, until we reach heaven, where we’ll receive our new permanent bodies. When Jesus returns, the final harvest will be complete! Now that's a reason to celebrate! For more information on the feasts in the Bible and how they relate to our faith today, follow this link: http://www.sundayschoolnetwork.com/curriculum-feasts-of-the-Lord.html Your webservant, Sarah Keith <>< SundaySchoolNetwork.com
5) Starting Sunday School? Hello. I need some ideas on how to go about starting a Sunday school at my church. I attend a very small church with an average attendance of ten people. After several discussions with the pastor, we have decided that one great way to reach out into the community and grow our membership would be to start a Sunday school. The only caveat is that we have no children who attend our church--we are all adults. We really want to reach out to children in the hope that we can gain the entire family through the children. I will greatly appreciate any ideas you can give me on how to go about this. Thanks so much. God Bless You, Michele Scercy
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6) Ornament Giveaway Download the Star within a Star ornament, then tuck it into your Christmas cards to give to family and friends. Find it at: http://www.sundayschoolnetwork.com/page8.html
7) No-Flame Advent Wreath Another year in the Christian calendar begins anew Nov. 29, 2009. Advent begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas. A wonderful way to celebrate Advent is by using an Advent wreath and lighting candles daily and weekly to recall the first coming of King Jesus and to remember he has promised to come again! To learn more about this tradition, you can find it listed in our Crafts-Holidays section at: http://www.sundayschoolnetwork.com/crafts-holidays.html
8) Important Scripture Memory Verse 1 Timothy 4:12, "Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity."
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