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


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Issue #43 - October 16, 2008 For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them. ~ Jesus
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In this issue of the SSTN Newsletter: Scroll down the page to view articles. 1) Parental Involvement? 2) Reading SSTN Online 3) Teacher Evaluation 4) Balloon, Vinegar, Soda & Prayer? Invite your friends and coworkers to join us. Click here! 5) Calling all Christians to Prayer 6) Fall Festival Tracts and Activities 7) Reverse Trick or Treat? 8) Decorating a car trunk for Halloween? 9) Object Talks and Games for Fall	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 Object Talks Missions For Kids Recycling Ideas

1) Parental Involvement? What are some creative ways to encourage parents to become more involved with children's ministry? And in particular, to help them understand the importance of their own children memorizing the Bible memory verses from class time?
2) Reading SSTN Online > Please know it is not a problem to go online and look at the newsletter. > I have to wonder, for those who think it is too much trouble - how much time > do they spend in lesson preparation??? Kids are worth the time we invest. > Teresa Many of us live in remote areas where dial-up internet is our only option. For us, it can take up to 10 minutes or more to open even one page on the internet. Clicking on links takes additional time. It is hard to justify taking that much time away from my Sunday School lesson prep to sit and wait for a webpage to download/open. Being able to "check my mail" and read the SSTN later when I'm not tying up our family's telephone line is a much more realistic option for me, and for all of us in "dial-up world." Thanks for understanding. Karen in MN --from SSTN: totally get it. And, as long as God provides the $, SSTN will remain like this for now.
3) Teacher Evaluation > I would like to evaluate my Sunday School teachers to help them become > better and more productive teachers. In a word ...DON'T. Nobody likes being 'evaluated.' In the world today there is too much emphasis on evaluating people from school kids upwards. How will you judge 'productivity' in Sunday School teachers anyway? Most kids saved? Most kids behaving? best entertaining performance? If you want to upset or even lose your Sunday School staff this would seem like the best way to do it. If they ask, start by emphasizing the things they do that are good and then make suggestions. Guide. I have a smallish Sunday School staff and I make it my business to know them as individuals. I know their strengths and weaknesses (and mine). I have one who sometimes drives me to distraction and I wondered if I should try to find a kind way to encourage her to stop teaching. Then I discovered that 1) the kids love her despite her problems. 2) She comes from a similar social background to the children so sometimes is able to relate to them in ways that the rest of us can't. 3) God works through her as well! 4) The Lord started saying something to me about judging others. I now go very carefully, trying to plan the curriculum in a way that suits the different styles of teachers as well as the needs of the children. I bought a course for Sunday School teachers and approached it in the "Let's all go through this together - I know you are all experienced teachers, but we can all find things to improve" way. Then prayed that as each of us (not them) came to bits where we could improve that The Holy Spirit would speak to us. I keep a finger on the pulse of what is going on and if there is something that needs to be addressed I address that thing specifically. No one even gets invited to teach unless I know that they are safe to have around kids. We have to have them checked by the CRB - Criminal Records Bureau - first, the same as regular school teachers. I choose people I have seen interacting with children in the Church and they start as helpers. They help me for a time. Then I will ask them to take part of the next weeks lesson and talk to them about how it went. Let them do their own self-evaluation. Tell them some of the other ways you could approach the same subject etc. This is not formal assessment - just me making sure they will be OK. As we have to have 2 adults in the room there is always a need for helpers as well. I currently have 2 helpers who I would be willing to make teachers, but who prefer to remain helpers. Please, please, please don't set yourself up to 'evaluate' others. God often uses the most unusual and unexpected people to reach kids. You can't evaluate seeds sown in hearts that are growing unseen. Don't fall into the trap of following the ways of the world. Frances
4) Balloon, Vinegar, Soda & Prayer? gotta question about the balloon/vinegar/soda activity. how do you relate it to prayer? kim
5) Calling all Christians to Prayer Calling all Christians to prayer at least ONE MINUTE NIGHTLY. With God all things are possible. Do you believe we can take God at His word, call upon His name, then stand back and watch His wonders unfold? This scripture gives Christians, ownership of this land and the ability to call upon God to heal it. I challenge you to do that. II Chronicles 7:14: 'If my people, which are called by my name shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.' During WWII, there was an advisor to Churchill, who organized a group of people who dropped what they were doing every night at a prescribed hour for one minute, to collectively pray for the safety of England, its people and peace. This had an amazing effect, as bombing stopped. There is now a group of people organizing the same thing here in America. The United States of America, and our citizens, need prayer more than ever! If you would like to participate, each evening at 9:00 P.M. Eastern Time (8 PM Central, 7 PM Mountain, 6 PM Pacific), stop whatever you're doing, and spend one minute praying for the safety of the United States, our troops, our citizens, for peace in the world, the upcoming election, that the Bible will remain the basis for the laws governing our land, and that Christianity will grow in the U.S. Someone said if people really understood the full extent of the power we have available through prayer, we might be speechless. Our prayers are the most powerful asset we have. Thank you. Please pass this on.
6) Fall Festival Tracts and Activities Check out our "Fall Festival Tracts and Activities" in the "Christian Crafts: Holy Days & Holidays" section at http://www.sundayschoolnetwork.com/page6.html
7) Reverse Trick or Treat? Our 5th and 6th grade group is going to a neighborhood right behind our church to give out treats during the week of Halloween. Our K-4th grade group is going to put the "treat" together. We have been searching for things to put in a small treat bag to give to each household. We found one with a band-aid to help heal hurts so on. but the items are more for young children. Any ideas? Thanks Lari Skowron Director of Children's Ministry KMUPC --from SSTN: yes! see item #7, above.
8) Decorating a car trunk for Halloween? DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEAS HOW TO DO THIS? HELP PLEASE --from SSTN: sure do! Go to the search link, bright green box above, and type-in "Trunk or Treat" or just "trunk". Also, for future reference, and according to SSTN protocol, please use upper and lower case font when posting. I'm sure you don't realize this, but using all caps is considered "yelling" in internet-speak.
9) Object Talks and Games for Fall Check them out at: http://www.sundayschoolnetwork.com/sermons.html http://www.sundayschoolnetwork.com/page10.html
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