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SSTN # 127 - December 15, 2003


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IN THIS ISSUE OF THE SSTN e-NEWSLETTER:


Christmas Photo Frame...EASY DOWNLOAD!

1) Colored Bells    
2) In-house Training?
3) Santa's goody bag
4) Help for P.K.
5) Christmas Poem    
6) Books Of The Bible Poem    

--> Curriculum For The New Year

7) Books of the Bible Poem    
8) Angel Messenger
9) Lessons for January
10) Fun Affordable Gifts for Children     
11) Christmas program?
12) Skit for Christmas?
13) Church Organ needs home    
14) Christmas Recitations?    


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Noel Christmas Photo Frame...Easy Download!

An easy make-and-take project with a great fundraising tip!
Learn more here:

http://www.christiancrafters.com/curriculum.html  


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Your webservant,
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1) Colored Bells    

I teach music to 21 Pre K and 12 K children at the Southport Christian
School in Southport NC.  I have been using colored bells to teach some of
the very simple music concepts.  I started out using the Kristal method so
the children became used to ringing the bells and associating the notes
with colors.  We went to scales cued from a long strip of paper with
colored circles.  I chose 8 children and arranged them with bells to make
a scale from C to C.  They rang their bells and then I switched them
around and when they played them the second time of course the scale was
out of order.  We then went through a hi/low excercise to reset the bells
in the proper order.  Interesting concept for tying colors and notes
together.  Sometimes I ask the children to ring their bells to the rhythm
they hear.  This works well with the older children and usually the whole
choir will pick up the rhythm after only a few times through the song.  I
arranged bells to one of Michael W Smith's songs from his Freedom CD.  The
song is called Hibernia (which is another name for Ireland).  The music
was Celtic and had some fast rythmic passages.  The children on their own
picked up a fascinating rythm to these passages and played in unison even
though colored bells are tremolo type bells.  This song became on of their
favorites.
 
I have worked with the other grades using the colored handbells so that
each grade has a bell choir.  I arrange the music to CDs and cue the
children from 20" X 30" cards which have been subdivided into 2" (wide) by
6" (high) segments with colored circles representing the notes to be
played.  I can cue about 45 different segments or chords on a board.  With
repeats I have cued as many as 85 cues from a song board.  I just finished
arranging a song by the Katinas called "Chant" which is a rocky sort of
cheerleader type song about Jesus.  There are great applications and value
in using colored bells, whether you use the simple Kristal Bell method
(which is great for younger children) or arrange your own complicated
music from CDs.  We perform in chapel worship programs, in churches, at
nursing homes, even in grocery stores.  People love to see children doing
things well and anyone can learn to do bells well and in a very short
period of time.  I watched people in a large grocery store with tears in
their eyes when we played bells Michael Bolton's "Silent Night."   Colored
bells are a great ministry tool for reaching peoples hearts for Jesus.  We
have expanded our bell ministry by including chromatic bells as well as
extended range colored bells.  So we now have a 20 bell range which gives
us the capability of arranging music to any song no matter what key it is
in.  When we play at the Ocean Trails nursing home the favourite song is a
Scottish bagpipe version of "Amazing Grace"  which starts in the key of C
and modulates to the key of G.  I would recommend starting with the
Kristal Bell method and if you have older children try arranging your own
music.  It's not really that difficult if you have an ear for music and a
keyboard.
 
GM North Carolina

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2) In-house Training?

Each Sunday we have many wonderful volunteers and teachers who work with
our children.  In January, we would like to begin a quarterly in-house
training program for the volunteers and teachers within our Children's
Ministry.  Suggestions /ideas is needed.  Do you hire an outside service? 
If so, who.  Needing help with resources.  Please feel free to email me at
dwesterman00@aol.com .  Thank you and God Bless.  His Servant,  Elissa

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3) Santa's goody bag

I have this. email me @ puppetshoppe1@aol.com
 
Teresa

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4) Help for P.K.

The child and her parents need some counseling. As the parent of 2 PK's  I
can offer some suggestions to the parents, although it sounds like it may
be to late. A pastor has to understand his children are the most important
souls he will  ever reach. One thing they should NEVER do is discuss
church problems of people in front of their children. Just as church folks
should never discuss the pastors family in front of their kids.  We have
been in the ministry all of our children's lives. They are now 21 & 22 and
actively involved in  ministry themselves. We always projected the good
side of the ministry. We did not shield them from the negative stuff, but
taught them that everyone has negatives and bad times in their lives,
whether they are in the ministry or not.  If we keep our eyes on Jesus we
don;t have time to find faults in others. He will never disappoint us, but
people are human and they make mistakes.
 
If your church does not promote a family night perhaps you could start it.
We chose Monday night and encourage all families to be together (we
promoted staying at home) and do family things like play games, eat
together, bake a cake, have family devotion, etc. Nothing is planned for
Monday nights at church, so the pastor can spend time with his family.
 
Teresa
   
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5) Christmas Poem    

Looking for a Christmas poem to go with your theme? Here's one I wrote.
Hope you can use it. It's called "What Child is This?"

What child is this
That came into my life
To stir up happiness
Amidst all the strife

What child is this
Who wipes all my tears
And when He is close
Conquers my fears

What child grows older
But keeps getting better
What child is this
That breaks every fetter

What child is this
Grown into a man
Who makes me say
“With Him all things I can”

He gave up His life
A great child indeed
He died on the cross
So I could be freed

What child is this
That from this world should part
He is the child
That still lives in my heart

What child is this
Why it’s Jesus, God’s lamb
And I can say with great faith
Now HIS child I am

Copyright 2003  Teri Couture


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6) Books Of The Bible Poem    

This message is in response to the person who was searching for the Books
Of The Bible Poem. I am not sure if this is the one you are looking for or
not, but there is a poem that may be the same, similar, or at least
usable that can be found by scrolling down the page at:
http://www.edepot.com/cattext.html. Hope this  helps!
Love in Christ, Sarah in California

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--> Curriculum for the New Year!

What will you be teaching your class this winter? Why not use one of the
series from "Bible 4 Life" (for Kindergarten - 5th grade).
Available at: http://www.christiancrafters.com/curriculum.html 

All sales help to support SSTN!


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7) Books of the Bible Poem    

This URL will take you to the Books of the Bible poem (In Genesis the
world was made by God's creative hand): 
http://www.bibletopics.com/biblestudy/55.htm
I had never seen this before... it's great.
Sally in Wichita

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8) Angel Messenger

> Do any of you have a suggestion for 3-9 year olds for an activity
> to the Angel Gabriel delivering the message to Mary re her baby Jesus, or
> about Angels in general.

A few weeks ago we had that lesson at our youth group (ages 6-12).  We
told
the story by acting it out, had one leader be the angel and one be Mary.
Then we used the countdown angels
(www.biblekidsfunzne.com/crafts/dircountdownangel.html )
as our crafts to go along with the foretelling theme.  For our snack we
made angels using triangles of cheddar cheese fr the body, a grape for the
head, and apple wedges for the wings, we held it together with
toothpicks.  Hope this gives you some ideas.

Joyce in Nova Scotia, Canada


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9) Lessons for January

This is a time that many people make New Year's resolutions (or promises),
how about studying some of the promises that God has made to us that would
be meaningful to them...one's that are on their level.  Or another idea
would be to do some lessons involving things with the word "New" in
them...for example:  the new birth, the new covenant, the new Jerusalem,
etc...Hope these ideas are of some use.
Joyce in Nova Scotia Canada


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10) Fun Affordable Gifts for Children     

Holiday Hershey Kisses Checkers Game

Make board or use one that you have Get the foil-wrapped Holiday Hershey
Kisses, in red, green and gold or silver foils. One player gets one
color, the other gets another. When you win one of your opponent's Hershey
Kiss pieces, you get to eat it!

Maybe a bag of Holiday-colored M&M's will last longer for playing
checkers. You can make smaller boards for the M&Ms and divide the bag up
in to sets of three put in ziplock bags, then put Christmas stickers on
the  bags with a bow and the giftwrap is done also.
 
I also think this would be a great hit for teenagers just to have when
they come to visit through the holidays. If you have a party, and someone
if they could bring something, then suggest a bag of the Holiday M&Ms or
two bags of the different color kisses.
  
(Wouldn't this be a really yummy "memory-maker" for young ones to playwith
a grandparent (s) ?)
 
God Bless Us all.....Everyone!
Merry Christmas!
An

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11) Christmas program?    

Years ago I had a Christmas program with book and tape.
One of the songs was something like

"Footprints crossing the desert sand
sounds of a mighty Eastern caravan
Hear the beat of the tambourine
On their way to see the newborn King."

Is this familiar to anyone?  I would love to know who made it and try to
get a copy!

Peggy D
peggann@hotmail.com

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12) Skit for Christmas?    

Hello
I would like to have a small skit on Christmas for the Sunday School
Children of Standard II

thanks
Helen

--from SSTN: there are many great skits in the skit section at:
http://www.christiancrafters.com/skits.html 

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13) Church Organ needs home    

Hello.  Our small rented church has closed, and our donated organ needs a
home quickly.  If your ministry is in need, and would be able to pick it
up in the Monticello Indiana area, please contact me at
yogieg@home.ffni.com
 
Peace,  Vicki Logan

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14) Christmas Recitations?    

We are needing Christmas Recitations for our Church Christmas Program.


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