Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Friday, September 23, 2011
Hide "N" Seek Club
“God’s Word must be so strongly fixed in our minds that it becomes the dominant influence in our thoughts, our attitudes, and our actions. One of the most effective ways of influencing our minds is through memorizing Scripture. David said: Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee. (Psalm 119:11 KJV) To memorize Scripture effectively, we must have a plan. The plan should include a selection of well-chosen verses, a practical system for learning those verses and a systematic means of reviewing them to keep them fresh in memory.” (The Pursuit of Holiness – Jerry Bridges p.86)
HIDE: Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee. Psalm 119:11
SEEK: Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Isaiah 55:6
I am challenging all the Sunday Schools in the state of Alabama to put forth the effort to memorize these KJV A~Z Scriptures as a local church YOUNG & OLD.
AWARDS: It would be nice for each church to have awards for those who memorize the entire list, either by certificate, small gift, or party. I will also give recognition certificates to all those who have accomplished this goal at the State Convention.
HOW TO GET STARTED?
1. Sunday School Superintendant: Be enthusiastic! Promote the challenge and encourage a contest between the children and adults. During preliminaries before classes each Sunday quote the scripture from the previous week and lead the congregation in repeating the new scripture 2 times. Remember to say the letter & scripture reference each time: “A – Ask, and it shall be given…Matthew 7:7”. Encourage everyone to study at home.
2. Sunday School & Children’s Church Teachers: Be enthusiastic! Depending on age group, go over each week’s scripture using posters, flash cards, color pages, songs, games, etc. Each Sunday School or Children’s Church teacher should use the Memory Chart to keep track of verses each student has learned
3. Pastors: Be Enthusiastic! The level of enthusiasm for your entire congregation to memorize scriptures begins with you. Try to be the first one to memorize each verse and especially help young members quote their scripture back to you or get them to “help you” remember your verse.
I know the Lord will bless each local church as you value the importance of scripture memorization! I’ll be checking up on our progress at the District Conventions!!!
Adapted from: "Sunday School - Relying On Our Roots" which can be purchased at www.thechurchofgod.org
BIBLE MEMORY VERSE GAMES AND IDEAS:
More than 100 Missions Bible Memory Games and Other Activities:
http://www.kidzplace.org/atf/cf/%7B899BDF78-4CC9-48F8-8AD7-2A88AC21D94E%7D/missions_activity.pdf
Book Marks: Make Bible Book marks with the A-Z Scriptures.
Key Chain Verse: Print verses on card stock and cut to approx 1 ½” X 3 ½”. Punch hole in the end and place on key ring.
Sign the Verse – If someone knows sign language, teach the scripture in sign. Children pick memorize using this method very quickly.
Sing Scripture- Many of the scriptures are well known songs or create your own tune.
Scripture Drama - Have children act out the scripture for the entire congregation or classroom.
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Juniors & Adult KJV ABC Memory Verses Ages 8 & up
A - Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. Matthew 7:7
B - Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. 1John 4:7
C - Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Psalm 51:10
D - Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it. Psalm 34:14
E - Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise; be thankful unto Him, and bless His name. Psalm 100:4
F - For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish,but have everlasting life. John 3:16
G - God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Psalm 46:1
H - Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee. Exodus 20:12
I - I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. Philippians 4:13
J - Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. John 14:6
K - Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile. Psalm 34:13
L - Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 1John 2:15
M - Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands. Psalm 100:1
N –Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1
O - O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: because his mercy endureth for ever. Psalm 118:1
P - Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. Ephesians 6:11
Q –Quicken me after thy lovingkindness; so shall I keep the testimony of thy mouth. Psalm 119:88
R - Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Exodus 20:8
S - Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Isaiah 55:6
T - Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding Proverbs 3:5
U - Use hospitality one to another without grudging. 1Peter 4:9
V - Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein. Mark 10:15
W - What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee. Psalm 56:3
X - Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain. Psalm 127:1
Y - Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Matthew 5:14
Z - Zion heard, and was glad; and the daughters of Judah rejoiced because of thy judgments, O LORD. Psalm 97:8
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PRIMARY KJV ABC Memory Verses Ages 3-7
A- A friend loveth at all times, Proverbs 17:17
B- Be still, and know that I am God: Psalm 46:10b
C- Create in me a clean heart, O God; Psalm 51:10
D- Depart from evil, and do good; Psalm 37:27b
E- Every word of God is pure: Proverbs 30:5a
F- Fear not: for I am with thee: Isaiah 43:5a
G- Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; Psalm 145:3
H- Honour thy father and mother; Ephesians 6:2
I- In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. Genesis 1:1
J- Jesus wept. John 11:35
K- Keep me as the apple of the eye, Psalm 17:8a
L- Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: Psalm 25:5a
M- Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands. Psalm 100:1
N- No man can serve two masters: Matthew 6:24a
O- O taste and see that the LORD is good: Psalm 34:8
P- Put on the whole armour of God, Ephesians 6:11
Q- Quicken me, O LORD, for thy name's sake: Psalm 143:11
R- Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Exodus 20:8
S- Shew me thy ways, O LORD; teach me thy paths. Psalm 25:4
T- Trust in the LORD, and do good; Psalm 37:3
U- Unto thee, O God, do we give thanks, Psalm 75:1
V- Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life. John 6:47
W- Wait on the LORD Psalm 27:14
X- Examine me, O LORD, and prove me; Psalm 26:2
Y- Ye must be born again. John 3:7b
Z Zion heard, and was glad; Psalm 97:8
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Positive Discipline Idea
Excellent learners that our children are :-) they are sometimes a little bit rowdy, so I like to stay one step ahead of them. ;-)
In Children's Church I have a bell that I tap when I want the class's attention and a little sign that says "Quiet please".
For now, I have each name written on felt on my flannel graph board. (can have a "Good Behaviour Tree" or something Seasonal.
Everybody gets 2 pieces of candy after class if you have followed the rules and behaved.
1st warning, their name is moved= only 1 piece of candy.
2nd warning, their name comes off the board= no candy.
3rd warning = I will sadly have to send child to parents. (however, if no parent's are present, you will of course have to come up with something different. However, I haven't got to a third warning yet. :)
4 good Sunday reports (4 Sundays without any warnings) children will get to raid TREASURE BOX of small toys/objects. (If only 3 good Sundays, but one warning = candy for each good day.)
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Clap For Joy Sunday!
I had ordered some clappers from Oriental Tradepost and when they arrived on Saturday (one day late) I eagerly tore into the box and was very disappointed to find T-I-N-Y clappers that wouldn't even move or clap. I was on my way to a family renunion, so I was on the cell phone with Oriental TP and sweetly and nicely explained that they wouldn't even "CLAP"!!!! They said they could re-ship something else, but I said the event was tomorrow, so they very nicely credited my credit card back (and told me to keep the clappers) and I told them I would order from them again because they were so nice and helpful. So I had 48 tiny, but free clappers.
We stopped off at the Dollar Tree and right in front of the store were HUGE clappers (the size of some kid's head!) that flashed when you pulled the tab out. So we decided to buy about 22 of them for the children and I figured out a OBJECT LESSON for the adults when they received the TINY ones.
When I handed out the little clappers, of course the adults complained and said "they don't clap!", we want the big ones! And of course, the kids eyes got big when they saw their huge ones :)
I asked the kids (I had called them up front) to show how much they loved Jesus by clapping their clappers. The noise was deafening! Then I asked the adults to do the same thing. No noise.
I explained that children are little captive audiences. They learn by example. Their enthusiasm for the Lord is naturally large at their age. But sometimes we adults get into bad habits of needing to sleep a little later, show up to Sunday School a little later, attend a Church a little less; let things get in the way. Kids can't drive themselves to church so they can't get there on time.
If they don't SEE us (their parents, their leaders ) WORSHIP the Lord or be ENTHUSED about the work of the Lord they won't be inspired to follow us. Our children may hear us TALK about the Lord, but they'll SEE that our excitement is LESS than theirs by our ACTIONS.
Since children learn by example, their excitement will shrink to match ours one day if we're not careful and then we will have teenagers who do not want to attend church at all. So to teach them to love The Church of God and love coming to church, our excitement for the Lord will have to exceed theirs. I asked the adults to put the TINY clappers on their key chains to remind them to increase their excitement for Sunday School and The Church of God so our children would be happy follow.
We then sang Psalms 47:1
Clap your hands, all ye people
Shout to God with a voice of triumph (AMEN)
Clap your hands, all ye people
Sing for Joy unto the Lord
We're singing Halleh, halleh, halleleuja
We're singing Halleh, halleh, halleleuja
We're singing Halleh, halleh, halleleuja
We're singing Halleh, halleh, halleleuja!!
Then we sang:
If you're happy and you know it clap your hands....
If you love the Lord and know it clap your hands...
If you love Sunday School clap your hands
If you love Sunday School clap your hands
If you love Sunday Schooooooooooool !
Be there at 9:45 55555555555555555!
If you love Sunday School clap your hands
Bubbling Over for Sunday School!
Sunday was a GLORIOUS BUBBLY DAY!!!
The day began with our Sunday School Campaign. The weather forecast did say some rain and then up to 80 degree heat, so although we prepared for a church picnic, we knew that we might have to stay inside the fellowship hall due to wet or heat. My hubby and I arrived early that morning and there was a strong cool breeze and blue skies peeking out, so we felt that no rain would be forthcoming, so I decorated our deck (we had one built on the back of our fellowship hall) with streamers and two tables and set out tables & chairs under the trees. (My hairspray did hold in the breeze, but just barely!)
We finished decorating the puppet stage with balloons and streamers and then it was time for church to start. Everybody was in a stage of excitement, getting their vegetable dishes to the fellowship hall, so we didn’t start on time (9:45!!! Be on Time!!!) so we put the puppets on program after Sunday School instead.
After Sunday School, we had the puppets for our day’s theme: “Bubbling Over For Sunday School!!!” Puppet explained that Sunday School is fun and exciting because we learn about the greatest hero of all, Jesus! We ended with a song from Maynard Groovy Bible Tunes (link on this blog) that says, “God Can Do incredibly bubbly…more than you can ever imagine…God Can Do incredibly bubbly…bubbly, bubbly, bubbly more!” At the same time there were white “bubble” balloons floating out from behind the puppet stage and real bubble being blown. After that, the puppets led the audience in a rousing rendition of “It’s bubbling, it’s bubbling in my soul”, which they had to sing faster and faster. I was the lead puppet and I got so out of breath and giggly from being “squatted down” behind a low puppet stage, trying to read the script, sing and hold my puppet at the right angle that I almost couldn’t finish the song. They heard me gasping for breath over the microphone. Ha!
After church, we found out that we could not have ordered better weather!!! God gave us blue skies, white fluffy clouds and a steady cool breeze! The Sunday School provided 100 piece chicken dinner, ham, rolls and canned drinks that we put in ice tubs. The church members provided vegetable dishes. We set the food on tables, just inside the fellowship hall by the back door to keep the food cool and everyone could carry their plate to the deck or under the trees. We had tables under the trees for coolness, tables on the deck for ladies the who couldn’t or didn’t want to get down the stairs to the ground level and tables set up inside for those who need to have more air conditioning. But it was so cool outside, we could all be outside. We set up a watermelon station on the deck along with iced drinks.
We passed out Bubbles to everyone and the wind helped turn our church property into bubble dreamland! After everyone had eaten and fellowshipped and eaten watermelon, some of the older members went home and my husband, Mike, snuck out water balloons to kids while others were setting up the volleyball net. The kids all decided they were going to water balloon Mike. It was so funny. Every time they threw a water balloon at him, it would bounce off him and break on the ground! They must have thrown 10 – 20 balloons at him over the course of time and he never once got wet. They said he must have had an invisible suit of armor on! Of course the kids got wet, but the breeze was so strong they all dried out before they had to go home.
What was really funny, right in the middle of the water balloon war….a little black cloud blew over our heads and with no warning, a sudden…and I mean sudden….rain storm with huge rain drops just poured water. As one of our older members was running across the yard to get inside the fellowship hall, our pastor joked that God wanted to play water balloons too! His big water balloon WON!!! Our pastor called out to the man who was running, “get him Lord with your water balloon!” The rain quickly passed, the sun came back out, the breeze dried everything off and we all got to sit outside on the deck and watched the more energetic adults and children play volleyball.
I Scream for Sunday School
The Superintendant threw some soft little basketballs from $Tree to a few people and we handed the rest out after preliminaries to all the kids.
We TRIED to get the members to "yell" a little for Team Jesus!
We led them in the yell (repeat after me)
I love Jesus (repeat)
Yes I do(repeat)
I love Jesus(repeat)
How about You(repeat)
I love Jesus, Yes I do(repeat)
I love Jesus, How about You!!(repeat)
The Superindant told everyone "that for some reason all the kids thought that I-Scream for Sunday School meant ICE CREAM for Sunday School! Where did they get that idea????.....(imagine downcast faces in the audience)....Well it's TRUE. We're having ICE CREAM IN SUNDAY SCHOOL! (we gave them little INDIVIDUAL Blue Bell homemade vanilla ice cream tubs from Sam's in their classrooms....yyyuuummm).
And then we did this loud song!
Whose side are you screaming on?
I'm screaming on the Lord's side.
Whose side are you screaming on?
I'm screaming on the Lord's side.
I scream, I scream, I scream I scream
Ice cream Ice cream, Ice cream Ice cream
Ice cream Ice cream, Ice cream Ice cream
I'm screaming on the Lord's side.