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5 Low-Prep Small Group Games Perfect for Sunday School
Get your creative juices flowing with these five low-prep ideas for small group games that are absolutely perfect for Sunday School. Fun group games that kids actually enjoy playing and aren’t crazy to prep for are hard to come by. We hope this list is helpful as you work to create the best Sunday School ever! What group games are you playing your your kids during Sunday School? We’d love to hear in the comments section below! A Cold Wind Blows This game is a great precursor for any lesson having to do with the Holy Spirit, a wind or…
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On Pentecost Unleash the Astonishing Power and Presence of God’s Holy Spirit
So…Pentecost. Where did it come from? What is it? And how can you talk about it with kids? Not until I was in my ministry career did I know what Pentecost was. If this is you, no shame. Some churches don’t celebrate it. On the other hand, some churches celebrate it without much explanation at all. A quick side note here: It doesn’t help anyone to assume that people thinking about the liturgical calendar and know what’s going on. Most people have no idea. And to assume otherwise often leaves people feeling excluded and bored. Furthermore, what a missed opportunity…
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The Lord’s Prayer: An Illustrated Curriculum
Illustrated Ministry has published three 12-week curricula over the past few years: An Illustrated Earth: Celebrating God’s Creation An Illustrated Compassion: Learning to Love Like God An Illustrated Invitation: Joining God at Work in the World The feedback we’ve received on our curricula has been very positive and tells us we’re creating something new in the children’s ministry curriculum world that people want. “…The curriculum is absolutely beautiful. The lessons are extremely user-friendly with very little prep required, yet they are beautifully profound with fantastic illustrations. We turn the coloring pages into little books that the children complete and take…
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Uncover the Majesty of the Divine Feminine This Mother’s Day
Celebrate Mother’s Day this year by uncovering the power and majesty of the Feminine Divine with your children. Perhaps this Mother’s Day you celebrate because you mother lots of children. Or perhaps you aren’t a mother of children, but of ideas. Maybe you don’t have a relationship with your mother or you speak with her every day. Or perhaps your mother is now gone. No matter where you find yourself fitting or not fitting this Mother’s Day, there may be even more to celebrate than you’ve imagined. On Mother’s Day, we celebrate God our Mother. God who loves and offers…
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Ministry Growth: Start Here First with a Solid Foundation
As you turn your focus to ministry growth, take some time to lay a solid foundation and watch your group flourish! Share in the comments below! What are your thoughts on growth and where is your ministry headed? Get Clear Clarify what you mean by growth. First, consider the types of growth that are possible. Often in our churches, we associate growth with numbers. This is one form of growth. Maybe that is the growth your group is primed for. But, ask yourself and your leaders: What other ways is our group longing to grow? Perhaps your group needs to…
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6 Colossally Meaningful Ways to Inspire Creation Care this Earth Day
The Earth is a masterpiece of God’s artistry. Invite your kids into practices of creation care to celebrate this on Earth Day! Oh, lord, there are times when habitat destruction, pollution, and death can feel like almost too much to take in. So, let me offer you some hope this Earth Day. We are not powerless. Let’s inspire our kids to be a generation that takes creation care seriously and brings about change! What are you doing with your kids this Earth Day to celebrate God’s beauty and bring healing to creation? Share with us in the comments below! Using…
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3 Intergenerational Easter Activities for the Young and Young at Heart
This Easter, bring together young and old with these intergenerational activities to celebrate the risen Christ. Reflect together on God’s power to bring life from death, hope from hopelessness. Any of these activities can be adapted for the home or the church. Get creative and relish new life that is all around us as spring comes into being fully once again. Share with all of us how you’re celebrating with your kids this Easter in the comments below! 3 Easy Intergenerational Easter Ideas We hear from so many of our customers their desire to cultivate intergenerational connection in their faith…
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Talk to Kids About Sin and Restoration without Shaming Them
What’s sin? Have you, like so many others, ever stumbled over your words trying to answer questions like these from your kids? You’re definitely not alone. Talking to kids about sin can feel like a daunting task. Maybe you were taught something about sin as a kid that was hurtful or traumatic. And, you don’t want to duplicate that for your kids. Or maybe you’ve moved out of your church background. And now that your ideas have shifted, you’re not sure how to communicate them. We hope to offer you a few tools for going about talking to your kids…
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These 5 Kids’ Books about Empathy Teach Us How to Love Like God
Read these kids’ books about empathy with your young ones and teach them how to live out their faith in tangible ways every day. What kids’ books about empathy do you enjoy with your young ones? Tell us in the comments below! Why does empathy matter? We begin to understand others. When we practice empathy, we place ourselves in someone else’s shoes. This is important for so many reasons. Empathy teaches us about God’s love. God lived in the person of Jesus. And God lives within and through us and all of creation now. God, by nature of being incarnational,…