Sunday school activities - July 17, 2022

(adapted from “The Lord’s Prayer: An Illustrated Curriculum” from Illustrated Children’s Ministry, 2019. Used with permission.)

Think and Learn

This is the last lesson where we’ll be looking at the Lord’s Prayer. The first of this week’s verses are “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” This directly names the temptations and hard times we will face in our lives. The Jews faced many struggles, and it was a challenge to keep faith in God.

To be tempted is to feel the desire to make a choice you know you shouldn’t make. When we pray “lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,” we can think of this as keeping us from the temptation to use violence or participate in harming the life of someone or something. Many times we are tempted to use our power in a way that hurts people. When we ask God to lead us not into temptation, we can think of that as a way to say we will use our power in God’s way, by being loving, just, and compassionate.

“For yours is the kin-dom and the power and the glory, forever,” are words of praise. It means that all the world, the power, and the glory belong to God, the one who can empower us to live out this prayer and bring God’s kin-dom to the world.

 The prayer ends with “Amen,” which is a way of saying “may it be so.” By ending the prayer with this, we are committing to making this prayer a reality here and now.

Wonder

• Have you ever felt tempted to do something you knew you shouldn’t?

• What has helped you make the right decision when you feel tempted?

• How have you seen power used for good? How have you seen it used for evil?

Do

In today’s colouring page, there are paths across the page, each with a different type of temptation you might face. On each of the paths, write how you would respond in a loving and caring way. When you’re done, colour in the rest. 

Click here to print pdf

Sunday school activities - July 10, 2022

(adapted from “The Lord’s Prayer: An Illustrated Curriculum” from Illustrated Children’s Ministry, 2019. Used with permission.)

Think and Learn

This is our fifth session in our lesson on the Lord’s prayer. Many churches use different versions of the line, “And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” Some say “sins” and some say “debts”. In Matthew’s Gospel, this line is, “and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.” Throughout the book of Matthew, the words “debts” and “sins” were often used to mean the same thing. To the original listeners, sin meant the breaking of relationship or connection. 

Money and debts are one of the biggest ways to hurt each other. Because of the way the world works, having a lot of money means having a lot of power. When we pray to “forgive our debts as we forgive our debtors,” we are praying for a world where people aren’t divided, especially by money. 

A well known parable about debt and forgiveness is the story of the Prodigal Son. A father has two sons. The younger one of them asks for his inheritance early, and moves out. The son then wastes all the money he was given and is left poor and hungry. The son decides to return home to apologize to his father and ask to be hired to work on his father’s farm. The father, instead of being angry, is so happy to see his son again that he throws a party for his son who has been restored to the family. 

In this parable, forgiveness is about restoration. It heals and it puts people in harmony. Because we belong to each other and to God, we owe one another our commitment and collaboration in making a just world where everyone can flourish. For that to happen, we will need to have compassion for ourselves and each other the way the father and the younger son in the parable did. 

Wonder

• Do you remember a time when someone owed you something? Or when you owed someone else something? How did it feel?

• What did you like about the parable of the Prodigal Son?

• Have you ever forgiven someone for something? Have you ever been forgiven? How did it feel?

Do

This week's colouring page shows the party the father throws for his son. It seems to be missing things through. Draw what you think the party is missing: people, food, decorations, anything else. Then, colour the rest of the page.

Click to print PDF

Sunday school activities - July 3, 2022

(adapted from “The Lord’s Prayer: An Illustrated Curriculum” from Illustrated Children’s Ministry, 2019. Used with permission.)

Think and Learn

This is the fourth session in our lesson on the Lord’s Prayer. Just like the opening of the Lord’s Prayer emphasised Our Loving God, this part of the prayer also connects us with each other. As we pray “Give us this day our daily bread,” we are asking that everyone receive daily bread.

In Jesus’ day, Jews believed there would be a huge banquet in the world to come where all people would be invited to feast with God. Praying for daily bread is praying for God’s kin-dom to come now. Bringing ‘daily bread’ requires active participation from us. While the earth makes the grain, people turn the grain to bread. God wants to partner with us in bringing God’s kin-dom, and by praying for daily bread, we are saying “yes” to being partners with God.

Bread appears often throughout the Bible. In many of the stories involving bread, Jesus takes the bread, gives thanks to God as a form of blessing, breaks the bread, then gives it to the people. Examples of such stories include the feeding of the large crowd, and the Last Supper.

Later in the Gospel of John, Jesus calls himself “the Bread of Life”. With this name for Jesus, we are reminded that Jesus feeds our hearts with the encouragement we need to keep hoping and serving as we work for God’s dream of a better world.

Wonder

1. Have you seen people take food, give thanks to God for the food, and share it with others?

2. Have you thought about how your food grows or gets made and comes to your table?

3. When have you used something God gave you to help somebody else?

Do

This week’s colouring page shows a crowd of people around Jesus as he takes, blesses, breaks, and gives bread to them. Draw yourself in one of the faces. Then, fill in the other faces with people you know.

Click to print PDF

Sunday school activities - June 26, 2022

(adapted from “The Lord’s Prayer: An Illustrated Curriculum” from Illustrated Children’s Ministry, 2019. Used with permission.)

Think and Learn

This is the third session in our lesson on the Lord’s Prayer. This week we will pray for our world, reflect on what God’s reign looks like and see how the Lord’s Prayer calls us to be active in bringing God’s transformative kin-dom to the world around us. The line that we will reflect on is this:

“Your kin-dom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

First, let’s talk about some important words.

A system organizes how a group of people live and work together. Family systems, educational systems, government systems; each system has its rules and expectations, but they can help us work together. 

Not all systems work well, though. In Jesus’ time, the Roman Empire, or kingdom, was the system governing everyone. Unfortunately, that system wasn’t a good one; the people in charge got more money and power while the poor became poorer. Even some systems today are like this.

God’s kin-dom, however, is a system where everyone is cared for, treated justly and has the things they need. When we pray “Your kin-dom come”, we commit to taking an active role in changing the unjust systems around us. We can bring about God’s kin-dom of justice and love by sharing with one another, listening to and learning from one another, laughing and crying with one another, and standing up for people treated wrongly. 

Jesus told several parables or stories about God’s kin-dom. For example, Jesus compares God’s kin-dom to a tiny mustard seed. Though it is a tiny seed, it grows to become an enormous tree providing shelter and food for other living things. This parable teaches us of how God’s kin-dom generously nourishes life and is gentle in its power.

Wonder

1. When did you stand up for someone who was being treated unfairly?

2. Have you ever worked to change a rule that wasn’t fair to make life fairer  for yourself or someone else?

3. Name some ways how you show your love and kindness to others at home, in school, at church and other places. 

Do

Write a parable like the ones Jesus told about God’s kin-dom. Keep in mind that, in parables, everyday items and ideas are used to describe more complicated ideas. For example, comparing God’s kin-dom to a mustard seed. The parable you write should be about what you think the kin-dom of God would look like today.

This week’s colouring page has plenty of space for you to draw the parable you wrote.

Click to print PDF

Sunday school activities - June 19, 2022

(adapted from “The Lord’s Prayer: An Illustrated Curriculum” from Illustrated Children’s Ministry, 2019. Used with permission.)

Think and Learn

This summer we are going to look at the Lord’s Prayer. This prayer is one that we share with Christians all over the world. It is a prayer that Jesus taught his followers and has been translated into many languages. Because it is an ancient prayer, the words might seem a bit strange to our modern ears so, each week we will look at a new phrase and think about what it meant to the people in Jesus’ time and what it means for us today.

This week we begin at the beginning!

“Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be your name.”

The very first word of the Lord’s Prayer, “Our” teaches us something really important. Each of us is God’s child, making us a family. Starting with “OUR Father” instead of “MY Father” immediately reminds us of that. We may have different skin, speak different languages, live in different places, and have different grown-up, moms or dads, but we are all one family. This means we belong to God, to each other, and to the earth God made.

God is bigger and more mysterious than we can imagine. No matter how many names or pictures we could think of for God, there are still more!

When Jesus taught his disciples this prayer, he chose to say, “Our Father” because in that time the father in a family was always the head of the family. They also called Kings, and other leaders, “father”. Today we might use different words because we know that families come in many different forms. We might say, “Our loving God”, or “Creator God”, or “Holy Mystery” instead – and that’s perfectly ok!

Using many different names for God keeps us from getting stuck in who we believe God to be and how we picture God. For example, if we always use male (or boy) names and pronouns for God, we might start to think God is a man. Allowing ourselves to see God in different ways helps us grow and live more into God’s dream.

See the word “hallowed”? It means holy or sacred. God’s name deserves our deepest respect and love. By starting the prayer this way – sometimes called adoration – we remember anything we speak to God comes from this place of love and respect.

Wonder

1.     What are your favourite names for God? Are there new names you can think of?

2.     How do you imagine or picture God?

3.     How does it feel to know we are all God’s children? How do we treat each other when we believe each person is a child of God?

Do

You will find 2 colouring pages attached to this lesson.

The first page is an oval surrounded by leaves. You can use this in two ways:

1.      Put your name in the middle. Make it as fancy as you like! On each of the surrounding leaves write one of the ways you are known. Relationships are a good place to start - son/daughter, sister/brother, cousin… Or you might have a nickname or something that everyone knows about you – artist, athlete, reader, helper…

2.     Put “God” in the middle oval and then all the names for God you can think of on the surrounding leaves.

Click to print PDF

The second page is a colouring poster of the first line of the Lord’s Prayer. We will be adding a new one each week through the summer.  As you colour each picture, memorize the words. By the time summer is over you will know the Lord’s Prayer by heart and will be able to say it with everyone in our church or in other places you might gather with people who are followers of Jesus, or just when you want to pray and need some words to get started. Isn’t it cool to know that when you say this prayer you are joining Christians all over the world who also say this same prayer in many different languages?

Click to print PDF

Sunday school activities - June 12, 2022

Theme Discussion

Every Sunday, we say the Lord’s Prayer in our worship service. 

Did you know that Christians all over the world, from many, many denominations also say this prayer? It is one way we are connected to followers of Jesus around the globe! It was originally written or spoken in Aramaic, the language that Jesus and his followers spoke but it has been translated into many, many languages.

The Lord’s Prayer is a special prayer Jesus taught his disciples. This prayer encourages and empowers us to live out God’s dream of justice, love, and full life. There are several versions of this prayer now, but they all say similar things. Here are two different versions. Is one easier to understand than the other? Do you think they still both mean the same thing?

Contemporary

Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Lead us not into temptation
but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power,
and the glory are yours
now and forever.
Amen.

Traditional

Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name;
thy kingdom come;
thy will be done;
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation;
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
the power and the glory,
for ever and ever.
Amen

At BCUC, we have made another change! We replace the word “kingdom” with “kin-dom”. Does that make a difference? Does it change the meaning of the prayer? Why do you think we do that?

Do you know this prayer by heart? If you watch this video, you’ll hear it. You can also read it in the Bible at Matthew 6:9-13 or at Luke 11:2-4.

Wonder

1. Is prayer a part of your life? 
   What does prayer mean to you? 
   What do you pray for?

2. Is there a “right” way to pray? Do you have to say things aloud, or can you pray quietly? Do you even have to say things, or can you sing them? Dance them? Draw them? 

Really, you can pray anyway you want to express yourself. What ways do you like to pray?

Colouring Page

Click to print PDF (3 pages)

Sunday school activities - June 5, 2022

All Ages Interactive Sunday School Activities – Pentecost

Listen to the scripture told in many different languages!

Or this animated version:

Wordle Challenges!

Hint – the words have some link to the celebration of Pentecost!

Word #1: https://mywordle.strivemath.com/?word=bzrpp

Word #2: https://mywordle.strivemath.com/?word=swegd

Word #3: https://mywordle.strivemath.com/?word=odvdv

Scavenger Hunt!

Pentecost Related Items to Find:

ð       Someone wearing red and someone wearing white - the colors of Pentecost.

ð       A paper fan or pinwheel to symbolize the wind.

ð       A picture of a flame to symbolize the tongues of fire that came to rest on each of the Apostles.

ð       Something that rhymes with dove or has the same last 3 letters as dove.   The dove was used as a sign of the Holy Spirit in the story of Jesus’ baptism.

ð       A rock because Jesus said to Peter “And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church”

ð       A baptism candle or other light to represent that when we act by the power of the Holy Spirit, we can be light for others.

ð       A small cross

ð       Something that starts with the first letter of your last name.

ð       Someone helping someone else - remind us that God wants us to serve others by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Sunday school activities - May 29, 2022

The Gospel Reading: John 17: 20-26 (The Message)

20-23 I’m praying not only for them
But also for those who will believe in me
Because of them and their witness about me.
The goal is for all of them to become one heart and mind—
Just as you, Father, are in me and I in you,
So they might be one heart and mind with us.
Then the world might believe that you, in fact, sent me.
The same glory you gave me, I gave them,
So they’ll be as unified and together as we are—
I in them and you in me.
Then they’ll be mature in this oneness,
And give the godless world evidence
That you’ve sent me and loved them
In the same way you’ve loved me.
24-26 Father, I want those you gave me
To be with me, right where I am,
So they can see my glory, the splendor you gave me,
Having loved me
Long before there ever was a world.
Righteous Father, the world has never known you,
But I have known you, and these disciples know
That you sent me on this mission.
I have made your very being known to them—
Who you are and what you do—
And continue to make it known,
So that your love for me
Might be in them
Exactly as I am in them.

Think and Wonder

Wow, that’s a pretty hard message to read and understand! But, when I hear all the times the word “Love” is used in this passage and all the talk about “being one”, it makes me think about family, and maybe that’s a good place to start.

If someone asks you, “Who is in your family?”, what do you tell them? You might just list your parents and siblings, right? When I think about my family, that’s where I start but I have lots of aunts and uncles and cousins too that I love, so the family circle gets bigger… and then, when I think about all the people who love me and who I love that are like family to me, then, wow, the list gets even bigger! We often talk about all the people who call BCUC their church as our “faith family”… so even more names to add! I think Jesus is telling us, in this reading that all the people in the world are God’s children – and that makes us all family.

So, when we think about loving the people in our family, Jesus wants us to include everyone!.

Do you always get along with the members of your family? Are you sometimes mad at your parents or fighting with your siblings? I think that’s true for all of us from time to time – but the big thing is that, even when we disagree with each other, it doesn’t mean we don’t still love each other.

What do you do to solve the problem when you disagree with someone you love?

How can we use those strategies to help all God’s children get along?

Response Activity Ideas

Pieces of One Puzzle

Each member of your family has unique gifts, strengths, and contributions they bring, yet you all work together to form one family unit.

Have each person decorate a puzzle piece that reflects their positive contributions to your family.  Alternatively, work on your own to make a puzzle piece for each person where you show what you value and appreciate about the others.

Cut them out and glue them down fitting together like a puzzle.  Can you come up with a creative title for your artwork?

Click to print PDF

Family Teamwork

Try one of these ideas to work as a team with the other members of your family:

Human Knot Game – (works best with a larger group) Gather together and reach your hands into the middle. Grab on to 2 hands.  Untangle yourselves without letting go!

Build a Fort – if you think you’re too odd for that, you aren’t using your imagination!

Family Meal - Decide on a meal or dish you can all work on together.  Maybe you all work together at the same time, or each person makes one dish, or one person chops/measures, another mixes, another cooks, and another cleans up!

Human pyramid – …at least you can have fun trying!

Jammin’ in your Jammies – Have everyone break out an instrument (clapping together wooden spoons counts!) or using their voices to groove along with your favourite recordings or songs (Bonus points for making it a PJ party at the same time!)

Snack – Trail Mix

Search through your pantry and make separate bowls containing dry cereals, goldfish crackers, M&M chocolate candy, small pretzels, almonds or other nuts raisins, dried cranberries, other dried fruit, etc. Have everyone make their own trail mix. Discuss how all of the different items are brought together to make ONE delicious snack, just like God’s dream of having all of us work together as big, world-wide family.

Kids from Other Countries

Visit https://www.kiocs.org/ and watch the videos about kids lives in other parts of the world.  They’re part of our ‘family’ too!

Sunday school activities - May 22, 2022

The Gospel story we are hearing today is about a woman named Lydia. You can read it below or watch it on this video:

The Gospel Reading

Acts 16:9-15 (The Living Bible Translation)

9 That night Paul had a vision. In his dream he saw a man over in Macedonia, Greece, pleading with him, “Come over here and help us.” 10 Well, that settled it. We would go to Macedonia, for we could only conclude that God was sending us to preach the Good News there.

11 We went aboard a boat at Troas, and sailed straight across to Samothrace, and the next day on to Neapolis, 12 and finally reached Philippi, a Roman colony just inside the Macedonian border, and stayed there several days.

13 On the Sabbath we went a little way outside the city to a riverbank where we understood some people met for prayer; and we taught the Scriptures to some women who came. 14 One of them was Lydia, a saleswoman from Thyatira, a merchant of purple cloth. She was already a worshiper of God and as she listened to us, the Lord opened her heart and she accepted all that Paul was saying. 15 She was baptized along with all her household and asked us to be her guests. “If you agree that I am faithful to the Lord,” she said, “come and stay at my home.” And she urged us until we did.

Think and Wonder

Leading up to this story, Paul and his friends were trying to go into Asia to tell people about Jesus and the lessons he taught – but things kept blocking them from going there. This reading tells us that Paul had a vision or a dream one night that sent him in a new direction, to a place he hadn’t considered going. In this new place he found Lydia and others who were eager to hear what he had to say.

Have you ever had a time when you planned to do something but ended up doing something completely different? Maybe you wanted to play with your friends but your parents had different plans that meant you had to go with them to a whole new place. Sometimes, when plans change, we are disappointed but then the new experience turns out to be really great!  Can you think of a time when this has happened to you?

Paul and his friends were Jewish men, like Jesus, so on the sabbath they looked for a synagogue where they could worship but there wasn’t one in Philippi. They knew that people would go to water if there was no synagogue, so they headed down to the river. Usually, men worshipped together but here they found a group of women, led by Lydia and she was really interested in what Paul had to say.

Lydia was very different from most women in biblical times. She was an independent, successful, business woman who led her own household. We are told that she sold purple cloth. That’s an important detail because purple dye was very hard to make in those days and only very rich people could afford to buy it.

What do you think Paul felt about meeting a woman like Lydia who was able to make her own decisions and be in charge of both a business and a household?

Sometimes our gifts or strengths are not easily seen by others. Lydia becomes a good friend to Paul and helps him throughout his ministry.

When Paul was looking for leaders to help form the new church, who do you think he would expect to find?

What are some ways that you think Lydia might have been able to help Paul?

What do you think would make Lydia a good leader in the new church?

Response Activity Ideas

Purple Cross

Materials: scissors, glue, assorted scraps of purple fabric, felt, tissue paper, etc.

Lydia was able to use her influence as a wealthy merchant, as well as her strong faith and hospitality, to help Paul share Jesus’ message in the city where she lived.  Decorate a cross in purple to remind of Lydia’s influence on the Christian faith.

Print out the cross template, or draw your own.  Cut up pieces of purple cloth, felt, or paper into squares.  Glue them onto the cross shape like a mosaic or collage.   Include a line from the Bible passage as title if you wish.

Click to print PDF

Leadership Award for Lydia

Digitally or on paper, create an award certificate for Lydia recognizing her strengths!  Highlight her strengths and qualities that made her a successful business woman and great leader for the early church - be creative and go beyond what’s in the text to imagine what she might have been like!

Lydia Poetry

(modified from https://www.rotation.org/)

Choose a poetry style and try writing a poem about Lydia. Illustrate it if you like.

Example:
Lovely Lydia
Praying by the river side
Believes in Jesus! 

Haiku

Haiku is a Japanese form of un-rhymed poetry with three lines.

Line 1: Five syllables
Line 2: Seven syllables
Line 3: Five syllables 

Acrostic Poetry

An acrostic is a poem in which the first letters of each line spell out a word or phrase (e.g. Lydia) vertically.

Cinquain Poetry

This poetry consists of five lines.

Line 1: Name
Line 2: Two words to describe line 1
Line 3: Three action words about line 1
Line 4: Four feeling words about line 1
Line 5: one word that refers to line 1

Sunday school activities - May 15, 2022

The Reading

Paraphrased from John 15

9 I have loved you as God has loved me. Make yourself at home in my love.

11 I want you to know the delight I experience, to find complete joy, which is why I am telling you all of this.

12 My commandment to you is this: love others as I have loved you. 13 There is no greater way to love than to give your life for your friends. 14 You celebrate our friendship if you obey this command. 15 I don’t call you servants any longer; servants don’t know what the master is doing, but I have told you everything God has said to me. I call you friends.

17 This is my command to you: love one another.

Think and Wonder

Do you think a baby knows if someone loves them? How does a baby know his or her mother or father loves them? If the mother said “I love you,” without looking at the baby or smiling, and didn’t pick the baby up very often or feed the baby when he or she was hungry, would the baby feel loved? Would you feel loved if your parent didn’t ever give you things you need. or teach you things, or read you stories, or play with you? 

How about the other way around? How do your friends or people in your family know that you love them? Do you tell them that? What if you just said that you love them, but you never helped them out when you could, or you never listened to them or you always got in a bad mood and hurt them and never said “sorry”? Would they believe you when you said you love them? So how do you act like a loving person?

The biggest rule of all that Jesus gave us was that we should love each other the way that he loved his disciples. 

How did Jesus show his love for his disciples? He shared with them, he taught them about God, and he showed them how to love each other and other people, too. He made sick people feel better, fed poor people, and told stories about God’s love. And on the last night he was together with his disciples Jesus washed their feet like a servant would usually do. That showed them that real friends are all equal and do things for each other. So Jesus wanted his disciples to do loving things like that, too. 

In our modern world, we don’t usually have to wash each other’s feet because we have running water and soap and can easily do it ourselves if we have dirty feet, but there are other ways that we can be loving to each other so that people will know that we are followers of Jesus. If we are really a church, this is what we will do and this is how people will know that we are Jesus’ followers.

No one can really tell if we are Jesus’ followers just by what we say or what kind of clothes we wear or whether we are carrying around a Bible, or come to church on Sunday, but they can tell by whether we are kind, loving people.

What are some ways that BCUC shows love to others? 

What are some ways you can show love to others?

Response Activity Ideas

Song – This Is My Commandment

Try learning the tune and words to this simple song!  Maybe you could learn the actions/dance in the video or make up your own!

Flap Book – Loving Others

Print out the template and follow the instructions on the page to record ways you can show love to others as Jesus loves you.

Click to print PDF

Random Acts of Kindness

Some ideas to do/discuss:

• Brainstorm some ideas you could do as a family (Right now? Next week? Together? Individually?)  Plan a way to carry out your favourite ideas.

• Take a small pile of sticky notes.  Write a positive affirmation or compliment on each.  Secretly stick them up around your neighbourhood, school, workplace, etc. this week to brighten people’s day.

• Put the names of your (extended) family (or names of people in the church who could use a lift or a thank you?) in a hat.  Each person chooses a name in secret and agrees to surprise that person with a random act of kindness sometime over the next few weeks.

• Read through the list of 50 Random Acts of Kindness and challenge each other to do as many of them as possible between now and next Sunday.

Click to print PDF

Sunday school activities - May 8, 2022

Theme Discussion

Have you ever met a shepherd before?  Have you ever been to a farm that has sheep?  These days it’s not as common a profession as it was in the region Jesus grew up and did his teaching.

Watch the video A Shepherd’s Life to get an idea of what shepherding in a remote area is like. (Turn on subtitles. Hover over the video timebar to choose from the different sections if you don’t want to watch the whole thing.)

• Was there anything that surprised you?

• What sort of things does a shepherd do for their sheep?

• How do they take care of them?

• Is it an easy job?  Why do you think they continue to do it?

Now check out today’s scripture from The Message - John 10:11-18:

Jesus said:

11-13 “I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd puts the sheep before himself, sacrifices himself if necessary. A hired man is not a real shepherd. The sheep mean nothing to him. He sees a wolf come and runs for it, leaving the sheep to be ravaged and scattered by the wolf. He’s only in it for the money. The sheep don’t matter to him.

14-18 “I am the Good Shepherd. I know my own sheep and my own sheep know me. In the same way, the Father knows me and I know the Father. I put the sheep before myself, sacrificing myself if necessary. You need to know that I have other sheep in addition to those in this pen. I need to gather and bring them, too. They’ll also recognize my voice. Then it will be one flock, one Shepherd. This is why the Father loves me: because I freely lay down my life. And so I am free to take it up again. No one takes it from me. I lay it down of my own free will. I have the right to lay it down; I also have the right to take it up again. I received this authority personally from my Father.”

But wait a minute - before he started his ministry, Jesus was supposed to be a carpenter.  So why is he calling himself a shepherd in this bible passage?  How does Jesus act like a shepherd?

There are other places in the Bible where Jesus is described as a shepherd - can you think of any other passages?

How would you feel knowing you had a ‘good shepherd’ to take care of you?

We have friends and family around us who care for us in the same way as a good shepherd, don’t we?  Take a moment now to name them and share something you’re grateful that they do for or with you.

Response Activities

Maze

Click to print PDF

Crayon Resist Shepherd Scene

Materials: crayons or oil pastels, watercolours, brushes, water cups, paper

Using crayons and/or oil pastels draw a simple outline of hills, clouds, sun, etc. that you imagine when you think about a place where a good shepherd may take their sheep .  Don’t forget to add in some simple sheep shapes with the crayons and/or oil pastels.  Finish by painting with watercolours to fill all the outlined areas.

I am a Good Shepherd, too!

Print out the worksheet.  Fill in the sheep, writing words or phrases that describe how one could act as a good shepherd to others.  (e.g. Offering a hand when someone falls down, Standing up to a bully, Calling to check in on a grandparent, etc.) Draw and colour a field or hillside for the sheep!

Click to print PDF

Colouring Page

Click to print PDF

Sunday school activities - May 1, 2022

A paraphrase of John 21:1-19

Peter and the disciples had gone fishing. They had been fishing all night and had caught nothing. The next morning, they were headed in to shore when they saw someone on the beach. (It was Jesus, the Risen Christ, but they didn’t realize it yet.) Jesus asked them “Have you caught anything?” No, they hadn’t. “Let down your net on the right side of the boat,” Jesus told them. They did so and caught 153 large fish. All of a sudden, they realized it was Jesus! Peter jumped into the water and swam to shore. When they arrived, Jesus was cooking breakfast for them on a fire of coals. He fed them bread and fish.

After breakfast, Jesus had a long talk with Peter, who had denied knowing him three times on the night Jesus was arrested. Jesus asked Peter three times if he loved Him. Peter said he did three times. (But he was embarrassed that Jesus had to ask him three times. He remembered that he had denied Jesus three times.) Each time when Peter said he loved Jesus, Jesus told him things like “Feed my lambs,” “Take care of my sheep,” and “Feed my sheep.” Finally, he told Peter, “You follow me.”

You can watch a version of the story here:

Theme Discussion

1.      The disciples had been out fishing all night long. They were working hard but they weren’t catching any fish. Even though they were fishing the same way they had always done, it wasn’t working. Jesus gave them a new idea – a different way of looking at the work they were called to do. All through his ministry, Jesus taught people new ways to do things. What are some new ideas Jesus had for the way we live that will make the world work better?

2.      In this story, Jesus shares a meal with the disciples. Can you think of some other stories in the Bible where Jesus shares a meal? Does this story remind you of any other Bible stories? What lessons from Jesus are you reminded of when you hear this story?

3.      Think about the times you have shared a meal with others – your family dinners, parties or special occasions, picnics, pot luck dinners at the church… Why do you think sharing a meal together is often a way of celebrating? Do you think eating together is important? Why?

4.      After breakfast, Jesus asks Peter, “Do you love me?” three times! He tells him to take care of his lambs and his sheep. He is reminding Peter of the important work he has to do in the world, the work of taking care of others. Why do you think he repeats these things three times?

Response Activity Ideas

Charades - How do you feed sheep?

Print out the scenarios and cut apart.  Some have been left blank for you to add your own ideas!  Fold the papers and place them in a basket or bowl.  Participants, alone or in pairs, can pick an action/scenario, read it silently, and act it out, trying to get the others to guess in what way they are following the call to “feed my sheep”.

Click to print PDF

Wordsearch

Click to print PDF

Mission and Outreach Investigation

Look through this week’s bulletin announcements (PDF) - how is BCUC tending to God’s flock?

Visit the Ottawa Westend Community Chaplaincy webpage (https://rom9168.wixsite.com/website) and Multi-Faith Housing Initiative site (https://www.multifaithhousing.ca/).  These are initiatives supported by our church.  How are these groups following Jesus’ example to make the world a better place?

Visit the United Church’s Social Action page (https://united-church.ca/social-action) and browse through the different topics to learn about some examples of our church in action in the world - Did any particular mission surprise you?  Interest you?

Look through the Gifts with Vision catalogue - Notice the variety of causes and needs the Mission and Service Fund addresses.

Are there more local issues in our community that YOU are concerned about?  Research ways to help and support these concerns or other interests from the M&S info.  Is there something we can do as a church?  Do you have new ideas for SOSA or the youth and children of BCUC to take action on?

Sunday school activities - April 24, 2022

Reading: John 20:19-31

You can watch the story here:

Theme Discussion

After Jesus came back, he visited most of his disciples and they saw him and spoke with him. Thomas, however, missed out, so when he heard what had happened, he didn’t believe it. He needed to have an experience with Jesus himself to help him believe, and Jesus gave that to him. He met with Thomas, spoke with him, and even offered to let Thomas touch his wounds. Jesus accepted Thomas just as he was—full of questions and doubts—and helped him reach a place of understanding and belief. Sometimes, in order to understand the world around us, it helps to ask questions and explore. Similar to Thomas, we can learn through our senses, our questions, and our interactions.

I wonder…

When do you think it is ok to ask questions? Are there times when it is not ok?

Do you think you need to experience someone actually “in-person” to believe they are alive?

What are some other ways you might “experience” someone? In a book, through a story someone tells you? Through pictures or videos? Through things they have written?

How do you think we can experience Jesus in our world today?

Response Activity Ideas

Questions Bookmark

Materials:  colouring tools, ribbon/yarn, cardstock

What words do we use to ask questions?  Make a list of as many as you can! Try to think of an example of a question about God, Jesus, or the Bible that starts with those words.  You could try to find answers to these questions, but it’s also okay to just have things we’re wondering about.

Cut out the cardstock to make a bookmark.  Decorate it with the question words you came up with, and add ribbon/yarn at the top and any other special decorations.  When you use the bookmark, stop and wonder about what you’ve read!

Games

As you play, think about and discuss why we do or don’t believe what we are hearing and seeing.  What information are we using to create our opinions?  Think critically about your responses.

Two Truths and a Whopper 

Have a parent or other adult come up with 3 statements about themselves, 2 of which are true, 1 of which is made up, and share them with you in any order (Ex: I went to school in Spain, I have slept in an igloo, and I got to feed penguins). The more unique or surprising the facts, the better!  Try to guess the “doubtful” fact - Which of those things do you doubt is true? 

“I Doubt It” (aka Cheat) – A card game for 3 or more people

Play with a regular deck of cards with jokers removed.  Deal the cards out evenly. If there are remainders, place them face down in the center of the table as the beginning of the discard pile.

Play begins with the player to the left of the dealer. They place the Aces from their hand facedown on the discard pile and announces their play to the table: e.g.“One Ace” or “Two Aces.” If the player does not have any Aces, or wishes to get rid of more than one card, they may bluff and play non-Ace cards.  The next player plays 2s, the next player plays 3s, and so on. If a player doesn’t believe an announcement, they can call out, “I doubt it!” The person who played the cards must turn them over and show the challenger whether they are bluffing or not. A player who is caught bluffing must pick up the entire discard pile and add it to their hand. If a challenged player is not bluffing, then the challenger must pick up the discard pile. When the rank to play reaches Kings, it then goes back to Aces and the numbers start again.

The first player to get rid of all their cards wins.  

(Source: https://www.considerable.com/entertainment/card-games/how-to-play-cheat/)

Word Search

Click to print PDF

Sunday school activities - April 17, 2022

Materials adapted from: The UCC GO Project  (Copyright 2022)

Story

Easter — the story of Jesus’ resurrection — is one of the most important stories for Christians. Every Sunday when Christians gather together, they celebrate a mini version of this day, remembering how Jesus died and rose again, and how that has changed the world. There are four different stories about the resurrection in the Bible. In this one, from the Gospel of John, we hear that Jesus appears first to Mary Magdalene and then tells her to share the news with all the others. You can also notice that

Mary doesn’t immediately recognize Jesus, as though she isn’t quite ready to believe in what God can do.

Video:

Wondering

I wonder why Mary didn’t recognize Jesus?

I wonder why Jesus chose to appear to Mary?

I wonder what it would feel like for Jesus to call us by name, especially when we’re sad?

I wonder how we can share the news of the resurrection with others?

I wonder how God’s love can change the world?

Music

Response Activity Ideas

Lenten Toolbox: Butterfly

The butterfly has long been a Christian symbol of the resurrection, for a caterpillar disappears into a cocoon and appears dead, but emerges later more beautiful and powerful than before. The four stages of the butterfly’s life are symbolic of the stages in the life cycle of Christ:

Stage 1: The butterfly begins as a tiny egg; and Jesus began as a dream from God, made real through Mary carrying the baby Jesus.

Stage 2: The egg turns into the larva/caterpillar stage; and Jesus grows into a child and then man - learning each day.

Stage 3: Chrysalis stage - when the caterpillar cocoons itself breaking down its cellular forms and becomes something new; and after Jesus is crucified and spends days in the tomb preparing to resurrect.

Stage 4: Adulthood - when the butterfly emerges from the cocoon and flies away, and when Jesus is resurrected and leaves the tomb.

Make yourself a butterfly!  Try these folded paper butterflies or search for another idea online.

When you’ve made it, think of it emerging from your Lenten Toolbox – full of new life!  Your self-care tools and efforts can leave you refreshed and renewed!

Flowering Cross

Explore the move from sorrow into joy by decorating a cross with flowers, butterflies and other symbols of joy.  Jesus died on the cross. It was a symbol of fear for people in the ancient world. But from this cross comes new life. It is now a symbol of God’s love and the new life that God makes for us. On Easter Sunday we celebrate how God overcomes our fear and death with new life and love.

Print out the cross template, and, using any colouring tools you wish, fill the cross with flowers, butterflies, and other symbols of new life. We can remember that something that made people afraid can also bring us great joy.

Click to print PDF

God’s Love Slideshow

God’s love can bring life when things seem hopeless, as God does by raising Jesus from the dead.  God transforms the death of Jesus into something unexpected, bringing a new experience to the followers of Jesus. We can see the ways in which God is at work in the world, bringing new life to places of despair through love.

Do a web search for news stories, images, or articles that show God’s love at work in the tough and scary places in the world.  Look for helpers, new chances, fresh starts, unexpected generosity and kindnesses.  Gather your findings in a slideshow presentation format.  Share with your family, explaining where you see the new life, love, and hope in your collection.

(Alternatively, search physical magazine and newspapers, and cut out articles, images, and headlines, and collect them in a scrapbook format)

Resurrection Rolls

This fun baking project reminds us of the empty tomb. The marshmallows inside the crescent roll will melt and stick to the pastry, as though they disappear from inside the “tomb.” But the rolls will still taste good!

Supplies: 2 8oz cans of crescent rolls, 16 large marshmallows, ½ cup of butter, 2 tbsp cinnamon, ¼ cup of sugar

Instructions:

1.      Preheat the oven to 375˚F.

2.      Open the cans of crescent rolls. Unroll the dough and separate.

3.      Melt the butter in a microwave.

4.      Mix the cinnamon and sugar together in a small bowl.

5.      Dip each marshmallow into the melted butter. Then dip it into the cinnamon-sugar.

6.      Place each marshmallow in the centre of a crescent roll. Close the dough around the marshmallow.

7.      Place on a baking sheet. Bake for 10–12 minutes.

Sunday school activies - April 10, 2022

Theme Discussion

This Sunday marks the beginning of Holy Week in the church. It begins with Palm Sunday, a time when we wave our palm branches to remember Jesus’ exciting entrance into Jerusalem. On that day, the people welcomed Jesus like a hero or a king. They lined the road, waving their branches and shouting “Hosanna!”, which means “Save Us!”  They were sure he was about to save them from the oppressive Roman power. It was an exciting and hopeful day. 

Because we usually attend church only on Sundays, it’s easy to skip over the rest of Holy Week and jump right to Easter – but there are other important stories we should hear, stories about the things that happened that week. They are not happy stories, but they are important to our understanding of our faith.

The week that Jesus and his disciples went to Jerusalem was a very special week in the Jewish calendar. It was the celebration of Passover. Thousands of people travelled to this big city that week because the Temple was there – the most important place of worship for the Jewish people. It was a big festival and Jesus took this opportunity, like many others, to visit with friends and celebrate together.

One day, Jesus went to the Temple in Jerusalem to worship, an important part of the Jewish celebration leading up to Passover. When he arrived, however, he found that there were many vendors there selling things the people need - but cheating them to make a big profit. He thought this was a terrible thing to do in such a holy place! He got very angry, turning over their tables and chasing them away. It started a big fight and that made the leaders angry with Jesus.

On Thursday, - the day we call Maundy Thursday, Jesus had a special Passover meal with his disciples. Remember that in those days, people wore sandals and their feet got very dusty. Usually, when people entered a house, a servant would wash their feet. Well, this time, Jesus did something very strange! He put a towel around his waist and washed the feet of his friends. He wanted to show them that we it is important to be servants to each other. He had many important things to tell his friends that night. It is at this dinner that he shared the wine and the bread with them and tells them to remember him each time they do this. It is the story that we remember each time we celebrate Communion in church. This special dinner is the last time Jesus was with his disciples because he was betrayed and arrested that night. The Temple leaders were afraid that Jesus is causing too much trouble with the Jewish people. They feel they need to stop him.

On Friday, Jesus was crucified. It is a very dark day in the church calendar. Jesus died on a cross. His followers thought this was the end of all the wonderful work that Jesus has been doing.

It was a hard week for Jesus and his followers – full of both celebrations and very scary events. It is hard for us to read about too - but we know that Easter Sunday is coming! Jesus will be alive again in the world!

You can watch some of these stories in this video:

Wondering

How do you think the disciples felt about having Jesus wash their feet?

How do you think you might feel if someone important wanted to wash your feet?

How can we show love for each other by serving them?

What surprises you about these stories? 

Music

Response Activity Ideas

Lenten Toolbox: Footprints

Each week, we’ll be making different things to add to the toolkit that remind us of how we can come closer to God.

This week, cut out and decorate footsteps to remind you of the wonderful ways Jesus taught us about loving and caring for others. When you’re having a tough time - feeling lonely, scared, or worried - you could put your feet on the footprints, and think about feeling connected and comforted by God, always walking along with you.

Click to print PDF

Palm Sunday – Palm Craft

Materials: printout of template, glue, scissors, assorted green paper (tissue, construction, wrapping, etc.), fabric, or felt cut or torn up into little pieces.

Make a palm branch!  On the BACK of the template, cover the whole area where the leaf is (on the reverse) with a collage of green paper pieces overlapping each other.  When the area is completely covered, and the glue dry, flip over to show the template.  Cut out around the lines carefully.  Now the green side is in the shape of the palm leaf.  Attach a stick or dowel to the stem, if you wish, and wave your palm branch high!

Click to print PDF

Maundy Thursday – Foot Washing

Check out this video: Jesus Washes His Disciples' Feet by Saddleback Kids

Jesus performs an action that was usually done only by servants: washing away the dust and dirt from a person’s feet. But Jesus showed his friends that no one is more important than anyone else. This is what it means to love like Jesus: to serve each other willingly.

Many churches include a foot washing ritual as part of their Maundy Thursday service. During the service, people are invited to come up and wash each other’s feet, remembering Jesus’ command to do the same. Gather basins, cloths, towels, and warm water to wash each others’ feet at home.

Good Friday – Origami Cross Activity

Follow the instructions in the video below to make paper pieces for Calvary:

Sunday school activites - April 3, 2022

Modified from resources provided by: The UCC GO Project 2022

Theme Discussion 

In our worship service this morning we heard a story about an extravagant gift that Mary gave to Jesus. It was an unexpected way that Mary showed just how much love she had for him. There are many stories in the Bible about ways that God shows us love. Often they are not stories about God directly, but about other people showing that love in a way that seems unexpected. One of those stories is the one Jesus tells about the Lost Sheep. You can watch it here:

Going deeper with the story

Jesus shares with us a vision of a great community of people where everyone is welcome, where God loves each and every person – even people who have made mistakes! God celebrates when people who have made mistakes admit them and work to do good things instead. This is cause for great rejoicing among all of God’s people. To rest in God’s presence is not only to find love, peace, delight, and hope. It is also to experience the overwhelming joy of people gathered together in the life-giving presence of God. This is what we experience in the resurrection of Jesus at Easter when God reveals that there is always new life in the midst of hardship.

Wondering

I wonder if you can imagine the lost sheep being found. Can you name that sheep?

I wonder if you have ever felt like you were lost? What was it like to be found?

I wonder if there are people in your life who have helped to “find” you?

I wonder what other things God celebrates in our life?

I wonder how we can experience the loving presence of God in our everyday life?

Music

Response Activity Ideas

Lenten Toolbox: Oil

This week, add a small bottle of moisturizer to your toolbox!  If you don’t have one, fill a small container with cooking oil (olive, coconut, etc.) and include that instead.  When you need a self-care moment, take a small amount of lotion or oil and gently and mindfully massage your hands (or feet).  Think with gratitude about the work your hands (or feet) do for you day after day.

Postcards

Materials: postcards, notecards or cardstock cut to 4x6 or 5x7, markers, stickers and writing supplies, stamps.

God loves each and every person and we are called to share love and connection with all of God's creation! Everyone loves to receive a card or letter in the mail. Sending love via a card or letter is a great way to remind someone they are loved.  Use a pre-made postcard, or make a beautiful design or picture to decorate the front.  Write a brief message, then fill in the address, stamp it, and send it off!

Shepherd Detective Game (young children)

In this activity, everyone else leaves the room while a stuffed sheep (or other toy) is hidden. They are then called back in and race to find the missing sheep. Whoever finds it first gets to hide it for the next round.

As you play, think about God’s deep love of all people and how excited God is to find a person who was lost. Think about how energized you were to search for the missing sheep — God is just as excited!

The Lost Sheep Puzzle Activity (older children)

Materials: Puzzle (This activity is best if it can be prepared ahead of time, by removing one piece from the puzzle, unseen by the kids/youth, and hiding it somewhere in the room) 

Work together to complete the puzzle. Once it becomes clear that one piece missing, work together to go and find it — and celebrate when it is returned!

This activity reinforces the fact that everyone matters in God’s love. All of us together make a rich community and we must support one another. We celebrate when we are all together, and that we are all needed.

Sunday school activities - March 27, 2022

(Materials Copyright: The UCC GO Project 2022)

Theme Discussion

The theme for this Lent through our Sunday School resources and our Lenten ‘Wreck This Journal’ has been rest and self care following Jesus’ example.  Check out this week’s video with another example of Jesus teaching the disciples to take time away.

The new reading for today is:

Ephesians 2:10 - For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

God created an amazing world and we are God’s delight: God’s piece of art, God’s masterpiece. We are made so that we might do the good things God planned for us long ago... which Jesus says is to love our neighbour in the same way that God loves us.

We don’t know exactly how Jesus played but we do know Jesus talked about love a lot. Jesus often ate meals with his friends and welcomed people in. He gave thanks. He seemed to notice and delight in the things around him. He noticed birds and plants and told stories about everyday things. He was present in his environment and present in his relationships. This suggests he delighted in the world around him and joyfully gave thanks for it.

Wondering

• I wonder what a work of art is?

• I wonder what it feels like to be God's work of art?

• I wonder what delights you? Or makes you feel full of joy?

• I wonder what delights God?

Music

Response Activity Ideas

Lenten Toolbox – Blowing Bubbles

Basic Homemade Bubble Solution
1 cup water
2 tablespoons light corn syrup or 2 tablespoons glycerin
4 tablespoons dishwashing liquid.

Mix up a batch of bubbles, by combining the above ingredients in a small jar.  Create a bubble wand by curling one end of a pipe cleaner around in a circle or using a large straw.

Play with bubbles can be a meditative prayer activity.  Take deep breaths in and blow the bubbles with a slow, steady exhale.  Think about sending a prayer to God in each bubble as they float around the room or outside.

Tightly cover the jar of bubbles and place in your toolbox for another time.

Delight in Nature

Try sprouting a seed!  You could use dried beans, seeds from inside a fruit or veggie you have in your fridge, or from a seed packet.  Place a few in a ziptop bag with a damp paper towel.  Close the bag and tape it to a sunny window to make a mini-greenhouse.  Be patient… then delight in the new life growing right before your eyes!

Delight in Laughter

Did you know that laughter boosts your immune system?! The goal of the following exercises is to encourage more laughter in our time together and lives - to delight in God's laughter!

• Make laughter milkshakes: Mix your own laughter milkshakes. Have everyone hold a pretend glass in their hands. Say, "Imagine all the funny thoughts you are going to put into the milkshake... think of the funniest things you’ve done, times when you’ve had the giggles and of things that really made you laugh. Put all of those thoughts into your milkshake. Shake it all around and drink it up. Feel your body start to laugh. Let the laughter bubble up... laugh and let it all up and out. Drink three laughter milkshakes!" Delight in watching everyone drink from theirs and as everyone begins to laugh.

• The ‘Copy My Laugh’ Game: Stand in a close circle. One person can start off with a laugh that will then be copied by the next person, and so on. The goofier, the funnier!

• No Smile Game: Pair off and see who can withhold from smiling the longest – sure to make everyone laugh pretty quickly.

Delight in Colour – Milk and colour experiment

Materials: Milk, liquid food colouring (not gel), dish soap, q-tips, a shallow pan or plate, towels or paper towels in case of mess.

Pour a thin layer of milk in a shallow pan. Add drops of food colouring all around in the milk.  Dip the q-tip into the dish soap, then press the cotton swab into the drop of colour. Press it down in one spot and hold it for about 15 seconds. Continue to play in all the colours and see what shapes you can get!

What’s happening: For a very basic explanation, milk is made up of minerals, proteins and fats. The dish soap starts to break up the milk. The soap molecules move around, trying to attach to the milk. We can see it because of the food colouring. Normally, we wouldn’t see it happen.

Delight in Play – for Youth/Young Adults

Check out this information sheet about play styles. Read it and think about these questions:

• Which one(s) feel the most like you?

• What ways that you play feel most refreshing or energizing?

• Do you have similar play styles to your friends or family?

• Do you have enough play in your life? If not, where it is missing? How could you can add more play?

Sunday school activities - March 20, 2022

(Materials Copyright: The UCC GO Project 2022)

Theme Discussion

Check out this week’s cartoon:

We know how God loves us, and because of that, we know how God wants us to love others. Jesus taught us to love God with all our heart and soul. Jesus also taught us to love others as God loves us and as we love ourselves.

God’s dream (God’s vision of shalom, the kingdom of God) reminds us of God’s hope for us and the world. When we are overwhelmed by things or full of worry, it can be hard to know if we should take care of ourselves or be there for others. Sometimes we just want to take care of ourselves or ignore everybody else.

When we rest in God’s love, we know we are cherished and cared for. When we rest in God’s peace, we can be fully present in the moment. When we rest (and play!) in God’s delight, we can find joy all around us. When we rest in these ways, we fill up our spirits and we can also rest in God’s hope and be part of making God’s dream come true.

It’s not just taking care of others and it’s not only taking care of ourselves. When we care for ourselves, we care for others. We can be good friends to all people. We can love beyond boundaries, we can care for our neighbours and ourselves because we know God loves us all.

Wondering

• I wonder what God’s love feels like?

• I wonder what it would be like to love and care for others like God cares for us?

• I wonder if it’s easy or hard to do that?

• I wonder what it would be like if everyone was welcome and cared for and had everything they needed? I wonder where God is when we are welcoming and caring for our neighbours?

Music

Response Activity Ideas

Lenten Toolbox: Love Your Neighbour Jar

We are called to love our neighbours as God loves us and as we love ourselves. Think of ways we can love our neighbours, and think about who our neighbours are, expanding from a neighbour being just the ones next door to everyone we meet.

Materials: Jar, stickers, coloured paper, glue, scissors

Start by decorating your “Love Your Neighbour” jar with a colourful label, stickers, coloured paper shapes, or any other designs you wish. 

Next, brainstorm ways that you can love your neighbours and write them down on a big list, adding a drawing if you want. Cut them apart and put them in the jar.

At home, try to do something to help people every day or every few days. Pull an idea out and try to do that. The jar can also go in the Lenten tool box, although we can help our neighbours all the time.

Self-Portrait

Create a self portrait, reflecting on the physical aspects of identity. This activity relates to the Greatest Commandment to love ourselves as God loves us and to love our neighbours as we love ourselves. It begins to explore who we are, and how what we look like can affect how others see us. It also celebrates diversity.

Look in the mirror and describe the shape of your face; skin colour and complexion; eye shape and colour; hair colour, texture, length and style; nose shape; and other characteristics like birthmarks, freckles, glasses, braces, etc.

Using whatever art supplies you have available – paint, crayons, markers, etc. – take your time and create a detailed self-portrait.

Discuss:

• What do you notice about your self-portrait?

• How does your self-portrait reflect aspects of your identity in terms of race, ethnicity and other identity characteristics?

• How do you look similar to and different from people in your family, friends and classmates?

God’s Dream Village

Watch the video for If the World Were a Village:

Discuss:

• What does it need to make sure everyone has what they need?

• What does your world look like?

• What does it need to be God’s dream for the world?

Design a village for 100 people, imagining what the world would be if God’s dream was lived in the world today.

You can draw this world, sculpt it out of clay or play dough, build it out of blocks or loose parts, or create it in other ways. 

As you work think about:

• What do you like the best? What needs improvement?

• What aspect is most important?

• What the world be like if God’s dream were here now…

Lord’s Prayer Rewrite – Youth activity

Think about the Lord’s Prayer as a vision for Shalom.

Read traditional and contemporary versions of the Lord’s prayer then see if you're up for writing your own. As you read different versions explore what imagery comes to you for God's Shalom. Think about what you like, don't like, agree with, disagree with, etc.

Traditional (Breaking it down):

Our Father, (A greeting)
who art in heaven, (how we know God)
hallowed be thy name (Acknowledge the mystery)
thy kingdom come; thy will be done on earth (A Shalom Vision)
as it is in heaven. (to come to life on earth)
Give us this day our daily bread; (take care of our daily needs)
and forgive us our trespasses (forgive us)
as we forgive those who trespass against us; (help us forgive others)
and lead us not into temptation, (what is temptation?)
but deliver us from evil. (What is evil?)
For thine is the kingdom The power and the glory (may your love last always)
Forever and ever
Amen. 

Contemporary:

Eternal Spirit, Source of all that is and ever shall be,
Loving Parent in whom we discern heaven,
May knowledge of your holiness inspire all peoples,
And may your commonwealth of peace and freedom flourish on earth
Until all of humankind heed your call to justice and compassion.
May we find the bread that we need for today,
And for the hurts we cause one another
May we be forgiven in the same measure that we forgive.
In times of trial and temptation, help us to be strong;
When life seems overwhelming, help us to endure;
And thus from the yoke of sin deliver us.
May you reign in the power of human love, Now and forever.
Amen.
(Adapted from the prayer book of the Anglican Church of New Zealand) 

Now try writing your own! 

Sunday school activities - March 13, 2022

Copyright @ The UCC GO Project 2022

The Story

This one time... Jesus fell asleep during a major storm!

Here's the story:

Jesus Stills a Storm (Mark 4:25-41, NRSV)

On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” And leaving the crowd behind, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. Other boats were with him. A great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke him up and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” He woke up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” Then the wind ceased, and there was a dead calm. He said to them, “Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?” And they were filled with great awe and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”

Wondering

I wonder what it feels like when you feel worried?

I wonder what it takes for you to feel calm in times of stress?

I wonder why Jesus was sleeping during a storm?

Music

Watch the music video from our friend Josh:

Response Activity Ideas

Lenten Toolkit – Option 1: Gratitude Journal

Gratitude and mindfulness are healthy for our brains and help us connect to the abundance of life and bring us closer to God. Often we get stuck on what we have to do, or the pressures we feel or stuck in a rut of complaining. Gratitude and mindfulness can transform our day to day activities.

Make a journal to keep in your toolkit!  Materials needed:  Cardstock, plain or lined paper, stapler (or hole punch and string), writing tools

Fold a piece of cardstock and paper in half to make a cover. Cut the plain or lined paper in half and insert it into the cardstock cover.  Staple the book together or use yarn and a holepunch to create a booklet.  Decorate the cover if desired.

Each day, find a time to think about what you are thankful for, or what brings you peace. Print out the list of Gratitude Prompts if you need some ideas to get started. You may might want to write or draw what they are grateful for, or use it as a bedtime reflection with parents.

Lenten Toolkit – Option 2: Mindful Breathing/Grounding

Noticing things with our senses helps us be more fully present in our bodies instead of worrying about what might happen later or what has already happened. Jesus reminded Martha to be present in the moment. When we are feeling all over the place or worried about stuff, this can help us to rest in God’s peace, and to be present right now.

We have five senses in our bodies - sight, taste, touch, smell, and sound. This grounding activity can help to calm us with our five senses when we are anxious, nervous, impatient, sad, or any other emotion we're working through.

Take two deep breaths, then name:

• 5 things you can see around you

• 4 things you can touch around you

• 3 things you can hear around you

• 2 things you can smell around you

• 1 thing you can taste

Draw your own cue card with the 5-4-3-2-1 mindful grounding technique instructions to include in your Lenten Toolkit!

Movement: Yoga

Yoga is a great practise to help bring calm and mindfulness and settle our mind, body and spirit. When we do yoga or other mindful practises, we can rest in God’s peace. Try one of these routines together.

(5 min sun salutation)

(15 min - kids)

(15 min – teens)

Movement: Music/Dance

Make up your own dance moves (or a whole routine!) to this song and think about the things you’re grateful for!

Sunday school activities - March 6, 2022

(Materials Copyright @ The UCC GO Project 2022)

Theme Discussion

Watch this little cartoon video about a passage from the book of Matthew, or read it below:

Or read the passage. This version is taken from a modern translation of the Bible called “The Message”.

Matthew 11:28-30

28-30 “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

Going Deeper With the Story

Jesus knew the importance of balance in his life. He never rushed or seem hurried. He took his time, even when he had so much ministry to do! He often took time by himself to rest and recharge. He models to us spiritual rest, physical rest, and mental rest. He told us over and over to love others as we love ourselves, and to love others as God loves us. This week we're going to explore what it looks and feels like to love ourselves abundantly through resting in God's love for us - to see how that allows us to love others well.

Wondering:

• I wonder what love is?

• I wonder how you know or feel that you are loved?

• I wonder how you tell or show other people that you love them?

• I wonder what unconditional love feels like? (To receive it? To love others that way?)

Optional – Go Even Deeper…

Read these passages:

Luke 10:27 He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’

John 13:34-35 “Let me give you a new command: Love one another. In the same way I loved you, you love one another. This is how everyone will recognize that you are my disciples—when they see the love you have for each other.”

• Do you notice any differences in these ideas of love?

• I wonder what difference it makes when we say love others as we love ourselves and when we say love others as God loves us?

• What happens when we don’t love ourselves?

• I wonder what messages you get about yourself? (From social media? From peers? From advertising?)

• How do you keep a positive relationship with yourself and your confidence?

Music:

MV77 – “Be Still and Know”

Response Activity Ideas

Lenten Toolbox and Emotions Tool

Each week, we’ll be suggesting different things to add to a toolkit that can remind us of how we can come closer to God, strengthen our relationships, and to know ourselves better. If you wish, find a shoebox or similar container and decorate it with coloured paper, paint, stickers, or any other art supplies you have available to hold all the items.  While decorating, brainstorm ways you identify and express your feelings. How do you know you are happy, sad or frustrated? How can you read other people's emotions? Do you sometimes not know how you feel?

Today’s tool is an emotions wheel, to help you find a name for the feelings you are having.  It could be printed and posted in a common area or a place in your home where people go to cool off when they’re upset. 

Challenge:  Instead of printing it out, try drawing simple faces for all of the words on the emotions wheel, maybe using a mirror to help you capture the different expressions!

Click to print PDF

Bookmark Craft

Make a bookmark with an affirmation that you can look at each night, that reminds you that you are a beloved child of God.

Cut a piece of cardstock or thin cardboard into a bookmark shape of your choice.  Decorate it using paint, or fabric and modge podge, or stickers, or adding a ribbon, etc.  Next, write out an affirmation that reminds you that you are always loved by God, no matter how your day went, what you’ve said or done, and that you’ll get a fresh start the next day!  Attach this to your bookmark.  Alternatively, type out an affirmation in a fancy font and print it out to glue on.

Ideas for affirmations:

• I am a beloved child of God.

• God loves me, no matter what.

• God’s love wraps around me like a blanket.

• God knows me and loves me.

• God’s love for me is forever and always.

• God’s love for me is bigger than a mountain.

Love List

Make a list of all the people you love and people who love you. You can write down their names, draw their picture or collect pictures of them. You could keep it simple (e.g. pencil on lined paper) or decorate and colour the page.  You can look at this and remember all the people who care for you. Remember that love is limitless: no matter how many people we care for, there is always room for more love in our hearts. Through loving others, we have a small glimpse of how God loves us.

Did you receive a Lenten “Wreck This Journal” package, with fun, easy activities to do on each of the 40 days of Lent, yet?  If not, and you would like one, please contact the church office!