Children’s Ministry Edition June 2011 Central United Methodist Church Sabrina Williams 1004 23 rd Avenue Director of Children/Family Ministries Meridian, MS 39301 [email protected]601-693-1521 601-479-2178 POWERSOURCE ASK GOD: 1. To show you ways to express each fruit of the Spirit in your lives. 2. To help you grow more and more good fruit in your life—and to share the bounty with others. 3. To bless you with a “fruitful” summer of living for and glorifying God. Feast on the Fruit of the Spirit As summer gets into full swing, gardens and produce departments are filled with delicious, healthy fruit we’ve been craving all winter long. So it’s a perfect time to share with children the “fruit” of our Christian faith. In Matthew 7:20, Jesus said, “Just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions.” God wants us to bear good fruit for him, specifically “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (Galatians 5:22). Unfortunately, these fruits can be difficult to live out—especially in families consisting of imperfect, grumpy, and impatient people. But thankfully, God provides his Holy Spirit as our helper. The Holy Spirit leads us “in every part of our lives” (Galatians 5:25), helping us plant, cultivate, grow, and share those spiritual fruits. Use these fun, practical ideas to feast on spiritual fruit with your family this summer. INSIGHTS • Regarding faithfulness, John Westerhoff identified four stages of children’s faith development: 1.) experienced faith, 2.) affiliative faith (belonging to a faith community), 3.) searching faith (embracing doubts), and 4.) owned faith. (Will Our Children Have Faith?) • A child’s self-control skills, including self-discipline and perseverance, can predict his or her health, wealth, and criminal history in later life, according to new research. (world-science.net)
Transcript
Children’s Ministry Edition
June 2011
Central United Methodist Church Sabrina Williams
1004 23rd Avenue Director of Children/Family Ministries
As summer gets into full swing, gardens and produce departments are filled with delicious, healthy fruit we’ve been craving all winter long. So it’s a perfect time to share with children the “fruit” of our Christian faith.
In Matthew 7:20, Jesus said, “Just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions.” God wants us to bear good fruit for him, specifically “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (Galatians 5:22).
Unfortunately, these fruits can be difficult to live out—especially in families consisting of imperfect, grumpy, and impatient people. But thankfully, God provides his Holy Spirit as our helper. The Holy Spirit leads us “in every part of our lives” (Galatians 5:25), helping us plant, cultivate, grow, and share those spiritual fruits.
Use these fun, practical ideas to feast on spiritual fruit with your family this summer.
INSIGHTS
• Regarding faithfulness, John Westerhoff identified four stages of children’s faith development: 1.) experienced faith, 2.) affiliative faith (belonging to a faith community), 3.) searching faith (embracing doubts), and 4.) owned faith. (Will Our Children Have Faith?)
• A child’s self-control skills, including self-discipline and perseverance, can predict his or her health, wealth, and criminal history in later life, according to new research. (world-science.net)
“But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!” (Galatians 5:22-23)
Galatians 5 contrasts the fruit of our sinful nature to the fruit of
the Spirit. What a difference!
TEACHABLE MOMENTS
1. Fruit Fest—Cut nine kinds of fruit into bite-sized pieces. Then assemble fruit kabobs by placing the pieces onto wooden skewers or craft sticks. Invite friends and family members to a Fruit of the Spirit Festival.
2. Go Bananas!—Create fun “candles” with your children. Place one half of a banana (pointed end up) inside a pineapple ring. Then attach a maraschino cherry “flame” to the top of the banana with a toothpick. While you enjoy the snack, talk about ways that showing the fruit of the Spirit helps us “shine” for God.
3. Berry Special—While you enjoy a fruit salad, affirm one another. Start with “You are berry special because….” Then list ways you see each person show the fruit of the Spirit in his or her daily life.
Start a “peachy keen” conversation about the fruit of the Spirit with these discussion-starters:
1. How are these nine fruits of the Spirit like or unlike actual fruit?
2. Which fruits of the Spirit are easiest and hardest for you to consistently show, and why?
3. What conditions do fruit crops need to grow? What conditions do we need in our hearts to grow spiritual fruit?
4. What will help you live a more fruit-filled life for God?
FAMILY EXPERIENCE Try these fun, fresh ideas about the fruit of the Spirit:
• Bearing Fruit—Give each family member a packet of seeds and a
piece of construction paper. Read aloud Galatians 5:22-23. Talk about the fruit of the Spirit as you fold the papers in half to make cards. On the front, write, "You plant the seeds...” Inside, glue down a seed packet and write, “…that'll help me bear fruit for Jesus.” Add the fruit of the Spirit and sign the cards. Give them to people throughout the summer.
• Apple of God’s Eye—With younger children, have them paint the
flat sides of apple halves. Write “You’re the Apple of God's Eye” on 10x14-inch pieces of craft foam. Then have children decorate the foam by firmly pressing down the painted apples. After the paint dries, cover the place mats with clear adhesive vinyl. Read aloud Psalm 17:8 (NIV). Talk about what it means to be the apple of someone’s eye—and why we’re each special to God.
• Bountiful Harvest—Teach older children
how to use a Bible concordance or online Bible search tool. Together, look up each fruit of the Spirit and find Bible verses to see what God says about “growing” them. On 3x5 cards, write down what you learn about each fruit. Have family members share their discoveries with one another. Then place all your cards in a fruit bowl as a reminder to live out those qualities. Close by reading aloud Psalm 65:11 (“You crown the year with a bountiful harvest”) and praying that God will help you each reap a great harvest of fruit.
MEDIA MADNESS
MOVIES
Movie: Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer
Genre: Comedy
Rating: PG
Cast: Jordana Beatty, Heather Graham, Jaleel White
Synopsis: With the help of her little brother, Stink, and her fun-loving aunt, 8-year-old Judy Moody is determined to have her most thrilling summer ever.
Our Take: In this movie, based on the popular “Judy Moody” books by Megan McDonald, the young protagonist goes to great lengths to earn “thrill points.” It’s sure to be a hit with adventurous kids ready to move beyond animated films.
MUSIC Artist: Peter Furler
Album: On Fire
Artist Info: Furler, the son of missionaries, was lead singer of the Australia Christian band The Newsboys. When he stepped down, he sold most of what he owned and took time to play music purely for pleasure.
Summary: In “Reach,” the first single from Furler’s solo debut, he reminds listeners that God is personal and cares for each of us individually.
Our Take: Furler’s joy and faith shine through in the upbeat, uplifting music that fills On Fire. Fans of Newsboys will be glad to hear his trademark voice again.
CULTURE & TRENDS
• Researchers say listening to
music might help boost the
immune system, so crank up
some tunes this summer!
(msnbc.com)
• More than half of summer camps
now organize community-service
projects that promote empathy
and show children they can make
a difference in other people’s lives.
(American Camp Association)
QUICK STATS
• Between October and
December 2010, 677 cases of
energy-drink overdoses were
reported. One-quarter of the cases
involved children younger than 6.
(American Association of Poison Control
Centers)
• In a survey conducted in the
United Kingdom, 59% of children
said religion has a negative effect
on the world. (Penguin Books)
GAMES & SITES
Title Content Rating & Platform
Squinkies This game capitalizes on the trend of miniature collectibles. Players complete challenges to find lost “friends.”
E; Nintendo DS
LEGO: Pirates of the Caribbean
Disney’s popular movie franchise comes to life with hidden treasures, sword fighting, and humor. Contains cartoon violence.
E 10+; Wii, Xbox 360, Nintendo 3DS, PlayStation 3
Roman Town
In this educational computer game, children become archaeologists and dig up artifacts at a realistic excavation site.
Best for ages 8+; Windows
This page is designed to help educate parents and isn’t meant to endorse any movie, music, or product. Our prayer is that you’ll make informed decisions about what your children watch, listen to, and wear.
Maggie Hawkins, Anna Laren Brown, Olivia Hawkins, Caitlyn Castleberry
learned the books and divisions of both the Old and New Testaments, The Lord’s
Prayer, Ten Commandments, and various scriptures. A special THANK YOU to Ginger and Lawrence Mason, Scott
and Amanda Hanegan, John and Jennifer McRae, Sedji Doxey and Ashley Wren for their help as chaperones for
this event. If you are a parent of one of these students, please take pride not only in their accomplishment, but in
the knowledge that they were VERY well behaved on this trip!
Several of you have inquired about the following…
On Monday Evening, June 27th, at 6:00 p.m., Anne Crowson Britt will be leading a BeCentsAble Coupon
Workshop. The following is information Anne sent. Please let your friends know and sign up on our church website.
(www.cumcmdn.org ) The cost of the workshop is $10. A nursery will be provided, but we do need a number for our
nursery workers, so please indicate nursery needed and age of children when you sign up!
What will you learn at a BeCentsAble Workshop? How to save time and money without clipping and filing coupons How to use virtual databases to find the coupons you need.
How to find and print online coupons. How to properly use coupons and store incentives to save BIG money. How to shop on a limited budget or with limited time. How to efficiently plan your shopping trip to save time and money. How to cut out half the work of planning your shopping trips by visiting BeCentsAble's
Grocery Gathering!
Frequently Asked Questions 1. What is a BeCentsAble Workshop? BeCentsAble offers workshops that teach money and time saving strategies. In this workshop you will learn how to cut all of your food, personal care items, household supplies, baby supplies, and pet care expenses! 2. How much money can I really save? The amount of money you save is up to you. You can use several of the strategies to save big or start with just one. Even if you just use one of the strategies from the workshop you will see significant savings. I personally save around 45% compared to what I was spending before learning these strategies. 3. Will I have to clip and file coupons all day? NO! You will learn a wonderful coupon system that prevents you from cutting coupons and filing coupons all day. 4. Is the system complicated? No, but it does take some time to learn. It is definitely worth your time to learn the different strategies because they will help you save tons of money. 5. I don’t have time to cut coupons all day or look at all the sales ads. You will learn a great system that is very quick and easy for filing your coupons. BeCentsAble also offers a website, BeCentsAble.net, that saves you time by finding the deals for you! They look for all the best deals and tell you EXACTLY how to get them. 6. I don’t want to use coupons. You will learn lots of other strategies that can save you money without using coupons.
