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Issue #17 - Volume 13

 


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May 19, 2012

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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) Bible Skits
2) Public School, Amazing Response
3) Fun Bible Facts
4) Kids in Worship Service
5) Prayer Warriors

 
 
 

 

1) Bible Skits

In 2011-12 we began using "Light's, Camera, Action! Bible Skits." It was perfect since we already had a year of using a format like this, so we dropped right into it. We first tell the story to the kids, then we select volunteers to do the parts, pass out skits and they go off and get into costumes while the other children come to tables where we have a coloring / activity page and a snack. When the kids are all costumed up we move back to the chairs to watch the skit. Then we end with the discussion questions. Sometimes we have a contest, usually boys against girls, to answer both the review questions and then other basic bible trivia questions. We didn't ever get to doing the videotaping of the skits and watching them, but maybe another year. We were blessed to have several painted backdrops from plays done in the past. This gave us a defined area that we do the teaching & the skits. It is such a blessing to see how God pulled all these things together for His good purposes. Thank you for making these skits available at such a reasonable price! 

Loving His ministry!
Kathy Ferrier
Children's Ministry Director

 
 

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2) Public School, Amazing Response 

I taught the 10 commandment's gestures again to a different age group than before. I have taught very young, adults (parent age) and also elderly. This time I was invited to teach high school kids...in a public school, during regular school time! I have taught teens before, 1 or 2 in a group of others, but not as a "pack." LOL. 

There were about 15 teens - boys and girls. It was a little tense when I began as I had not spoken to this group before. I first asked if any of them knew the 10 commandments. There were several that said they did, so I asked them specific numbers of the commandments - like, "What is commandment #3?" They could not tell me. I asked others and even asked the leader that asked me to present. Even he could not tell me any of the commandments when asked randomly, except #1. 

After that first 2 or 3 minutes and seeing that even their instructor was not setting them up and he didn't know the commandments either, they were ready to learn!

Of course they learned them very quickly and we did several rounds of random commandment drills. One they really liked was when I asked 1 teen a specific commandment, then he asked a random # of someone else, then they asked, etc until everyone had a chance to challenge. They really had a good time doing this together and it was great to see their enthusiasm because I was not even asked to join in with them!

After they had them down well (about 10 minutes total time spent), I used the commandments to present the gospel. I use the
"Way of The Master" technique and it is powerful!

A couple days later we were at a local restaurant and one of the football players that was in the class came in with his family. He was so polite and came to the table to greet me. We were with friends, but I asked him if he remembered Commandment #5. He looked at his hands, made the gesture and proceeded to recite, "Honor your Father and Mother". He said, "Ask me any of them!" The adults I was with took turn quizzing him. He passed with flying colors!

I asked if he taught anyone and he said he had taught 2 others and showed them to 3 more kids that hadn't really learned them yet. 

AND - several of the teens are my "friend" on Facebook. One evening I challenged 1 of the teens as to what Commandment #8 was - then he was to tag another teen on FB and keep it going as long as they could. I was really surprised when they did it and kept it going for 8 of the commandments before they were back to their usual posts. Of course they could have looked up the commandments, or read them from the souvenir plaque I gave them as a reward...but that's OK if they did. Their mind was focused on God's Word for a few minutes and HE promises HIS Word will not return void! 

Just to reiterate - this was NOT in a church! This was in a public high school! GOD IS SOOOOO GOOD!

Just had to share! 

Joyfully Serving HIM, 
Emmalea

--from SSTN: Update! The teens that Emmalea taught went to an invitational dodge ball tournament. An evangelist, Tom Ferrell, spoke at the end. Out of approximately 43 attending, 12 of the teens received Christ as their Savior! Emmalea said that if she hadn't witnessed it, she wouldn't have believed it! God allowed her see it with her own eyes! 4 were football players from the local high school, and 3 had been coming to ProTeens on Wednesdays at the high school. Says Emmalea, "It was an amazing night in Trafalgar, Indiana. Satan lost a dozen and I have 10 new brothers and 2 sisters! WOoHOo - JESUS!!!!!"

May God continue to bless you, Emmalea, as you teach and encourage the youth in Indiana! Thank you for blessing SSTN with your creativity over the years, and for being an encourager of my ministry!

YSIC,
Sarah Keith <><

 
 
   

3) Fun Bible Facts

Did you know that:

The Bible is the world's best-selling book.

The Bible was originally written in three different languages, Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek.

There are more translations of the Bible into different languages than any other book.

There are more old, handwritten copies of the Bible still in existence than any other old writing.

The longest book in the Old Testament is Psalms.

The shortest book in the Old Testament is Obadiah.

The longest book in the New Testament is Acts.

The shortest book in the New Testament is ____________________.

To learn more, visit the Anytime Bible Talks & Sermon's page, and then click on Bible Fun Facts: http://www.sundayschoolnetwork.com/lessons-Bible.html

 
 
 
4) Kids in Worship Service

Can you imagine expecting people to read when they're adults, but never teaching them the alphabet as children? Or expecting adults to be emotionally healthy, but never giving them hugs or expressing love to them as children? If these basic things are so important, then isn't it equally important to teach children about worshipping God, and expect them to participate in worship while they're young? 

You might say there is no particularly "right way" to worship and you would be somewhat correct. We can worship God anywhere and by any number of means. For example, you might worship God in church, at the ocean, or on a mountain top. You might worship in song, with poetry, in prayer, or while serving in a soup kitchen. And all those places and techniques are just fine! But the objective of our worship must be what we...

To get the rest of this lesson, visit the Anytime Bible Talks & Sermon's page, and then click on Kids in Worship...Really? at: http://www.sundayschoolnetwork.com/lessons-Bible.html

 
 

 
 
 



5) Prayer Warriors

I want to thank those who responded to my story , "Feed My Sheep," which was in the last SSTN. Your encouragement is much appreciated. I am very grateful to those who told me they would be praying for me and this ministry. 

God's blessings <><
Sarah Keith
PS. if you missed the story, you can find it in our archives section at:
PS. if you missed the story, you can find it in our archives section at:
http://www.sundayschoolnetwork.com/archive16_May12.html

 

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