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You are here: Home / Archives for Coloring Sheets

Coloring Sheets

On Pentecost Unleash the Astonishing Power and Presence of God’s Holy Spirit

Alissa Ellett Leave a Comment

pentecost with kids

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 to reveal the power of your tradition and God’s presence among us!

So, explain the history behind Pentecost, because some of us don’t know and because we all can use a refresher. OK, stepping off the soapbox.

Pentecost is all about God’s presence with us through the Holy Spirit. How do you experience God’s presence? We’d love to hear in the comments below!

pentecost with kids

A Shift of Focus at Pentecost

Pentecost is an event we celebrate every year in the Church. And its roots are actually in scripture. If you haven’t already, give Acts chapter 2 a read.

In the Acts story, the disciples were celebrating Festival of Weeks AKA Shavuot AKA Pentecost, a Jewish harvest festival seven weeks after Passover. In Hebrew, Shavuot means “weeks.” In Greek, Pentecost refers to the same thing. But instead, it means “fifty,” the number of days rather than weeks after the last Sabbath of Passover.

What the disciples experienced on this particular Pentecost shifted their focus entirely. It was a pivot in their theology and their faith and ministry practices.

pentecost with kids

A Promise Kept

Jesus promised that a comforter, teacher, and advocate would come to take his place. Enter the Holy Spirit on Pentecost! Acts 2:1-31 tells the story of the Holy Spirit coming to dwell with the disciples.

All that gathered together that day spoke in tongues, and there was something like fire around each of them. It was an amazing day for them. And it would prove to be an extraordinary day for the whole of the faith community.

In the Christian tradition, the Holy Spirit became a part of the picture of what we now call Pentecost. Jesus made a promise and kept it. Pentecost turned out to be a day of fulfillment. The disciples knew they weren’t alone in their work.

pentecost

Who is the Holy Spirit?

The Holy Spirit, really the Trinity, is a tricky topic. Since we’ve been conscious creatures, we’ve been searching for ways to talk about God that make sense of our experiences in the world.

The Holy Spirit is the way we speak of God’s presence among us. The Spirit speaks to us, pointing us in the direction that serves us. The Spirit heals us, offers comfort and instruction, and somehow guides Life as she has her being in and through each of our lives.

Talking with Kids About Pentecost

A great way to speak to kids about Pentecost is while coloring! Reflection takes place, and conversations happen when kids are engaged around the table. Invite kids to color together while discussing the following:

  1. Take a moment to close your eyes. Notice where you feel your breath as you breathe. You may feel a faint tingling in your hands or the soles of your feet. God is with us even now as we breathe together, in every part of our body and breath.
  2. We use the name Holy Spirit when we talk about God being here within us and all around us. How might you describe God’s presence using your words? “When God is with me, I feel/things are…”
  3. In the Pentecost story, the Holy Spirit was with the disciples. The Holy Spirit arrived and helped everyone there connect, even though they spoke different languages. How does the Holy Spirit help us use our words to connect with others? Maybe in talking through a conflict or in sharing stories or encouraging each other?
  4. How might it be difficult to understand someone even though they speak the same language as you? And how about when we don’t have much in common with someone else?
  5. The Holy Spirit helps us experience hope, freedom, compassion, understanding, and connection. In what area of your Life can the Holy Spirit help you experience these things now?

pentecost illustrated children's ministry

Pentecost Coloring Pages

We have many options for coloring pages when it comes to Pentecost. One of them, our Pentecost Coloring Page & Poster, is a hand-drawn illustration by our founder, Adam Walker Cleaveland, and can be used in any number of ways to help you celebrate Pentecost in your congregations.

The illustration consists of hand-lettering that says Pentecost in the middle. At the top of the illustration are the words “I will pour out my Spirit.” At the bottom, beneath all the flames, are the words, “All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit.”

Happy coloring! I hope you experience God’s presence anew within and around you this Pentecost.

How do you experience the Holy Spirit? Don’t forget to share with us in the comments below!

3 Intergenerational Easter Activities for the Young and Young at Heart

Alissa Ellett Leave a Comment

This Easter, bring together young and old with these intergenerational activities to celebrate the risen Christ.

intergenerational easter

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!

intergenerational easter

3 Easy Intergenerational Easter Ideas

We hear from so many of our customers their desire to cultivate intergenerational connection in their faith families. This brings me joy because this approach to ministry is so spot on. Yet, having been in ministry for almost ten years, I know how difficult it can be to find activities that will serve a wide range of ages.

I hope these ideas make intergenerational connections easy this Easter in your community! Let’s jump right in. Learn how to facilitate spiritual growth, relationship building and theological discovery for you and yours with these simple ideas.

intergenerational easter

Color together. We’ve got some really fun Easter coloring options this year. Looking for something super easy and relaxing to do? Snag some of our coloring sheets or posters! Use them in the home, during Sunday School or in worship. Consider putting together some discussion questions or pull from an Easter resource. Kids, both in body and heart, will enjoy this time together.

intergenerational easter

Go on a hike. Hiking is a fabulous intergenerational activity. Get outside together and search for resurrection in the natural world. As winter lifts and spring arrives. the Earth bursts with new life. It may be fun to collect the dead foliage and use it to make an art project. In doing so you’re giving new life and beauty to that which has ceased living.

intergenerational easter

Plant flowers. Gather seeds, cuttings or potted plants from a nursery, especially those that attract bees. Choose a location and dig in the dirt together. Do this at the church, in your neighborhood, at the homes of the elderly. Gardening is a wonderful intergenerational activity to welcome spring and give life. Discuss the Spirit of God at work in giving life to all of creation as you welcome spring together.

Easter Blessings

We hope you have a beautiful and rich Easter this year. And we hope that these three easy ideas help you form memories together while reflecting on the mysteries of God. And don’t forget! Tell us what you’re planning to do this Easter with your kids.

Your Guide to Hosting a Successful Adult Coloring Night at Your Church

Adam Walker Cleaveland 1 Comment

Do you want to host a successful adult coloring night at your church? In this post, we’ll profile a church that has used Illustrated Ministry’s coloring posters and hosted two successful adult coloring nights.

Adult Coloring Night at Church
Members of St. Paul Lutheran Church (Davenport, Iowa) color some Illustrated Earth Coloring Posters

EXCLUSIVE CONTENT: Don’t have time to read this post right now? Want to download a resource guide that you can read later or share at your next staff meeting? Interested in three free coloring sheets? Click here to download your FREE resource guide and three coloring sheets.

I think it’s safe to say that the adult coloring craze is still a thing. Bookstores and publishers had predicted it would have been a thing of the past by now, but it doesn’t seem to be going away anytime soon. It’s also safe to say that churches are generally a bit behind cultural trends, so it’s not surprising that I’ve just recently started to see more and more announcements about churches that are hosting adult coloring evenings. A few months ago, my mom told me that Book N Brush, the small bookstore in my hometown of Chehalis, Washington, was starting to host Coloring & Cocktails events. And it’s certainly not alone – bookstores and art studios and community centers around the country have begun hosting more and more adult coloring nights.

Now, if I’m being completely honest, if I had to choose between coloring at church or an event called Coloring & Cocktails…well, that’d be a tough choice. Or maybe your church has a more friendly alcohol-policy, and you can enjoy the best of both worlds.

But I digress.

Hosting a Successful Adult Coloring Night At Your Church: A Case Study

Adult Coloring Night at Church

A few weeks ago, I heard about a church in Davenport, Iowa that has hosted two successful adult coloring nights using our products, and I wanted to learn more about what they were doing that worked so well. I got in touch with their director of communication, Ann McGlynn, and she was kind enough to give us the who, what, where, when, why and how of their experience in hosting a successful adult coloring night at their church. With that, I’m going to hand it over to Ann, and let her share some of their church’s experiences with you.

St. Paul Lutheran Church in Davenport, Iowa • Adult Coloring Nights

With colored pencils in hand, a crew of adults ages 20-90, gathered together on a weekday evening to color. Starting with a short devotion centered on the story of creation, women and men spent about an hour and a half creating, snacking, and talking.

This coloring night has become a few-times-a-year event at St. Paul Lutheran in Davenport, Iowa. Using the Illustrated Ministry posters, it is a shared time of simple togetherness and meeting new friends.

St. Paul member Kit Whan suggested the church hold adult coloring nights. With a few supplies, a few cookies, an online signup for RSVP, and the posters, a beloved event was born. Approximately 30 people attended the Lenten and Illustrated Earth coloring events. Another adult coloring night is planned for Advent in early December.

Who attends the adult coloring nights? College students, people who regularly color as prayer time, people who say they don’t have an artistic bone in their body, artists and people who love anything to do with art. The age range really is from 20-90. Most attend St. Paul, others come after hearing about it from their friends.

What does it entail? A beginning devotion, coloring (with supplies provided, but some people bring their own tools), cookies made by an attendee who also owns a bakery, lemonade and ice tea, and about an hour and a half of time. We ask people to RSVP through our website. There is no fee and the church picks up the cost. We do not publicize outside of the church, but that could most definitely be done with a quick news release or flyer.

Where is it? In one of our church commons area, with round tables that seat about 6-8 people. The completed works are hung up in the same commons area for a couple of weeks.

When? An evening that works with our church calendar, 6:30 – 8pm.

Why? Togetherness. Fellowship. Getting to know others. Connecting with God through art.

“Adult coloring has become a beloved event at St. Paul. It’s a simple, easy, laid-back time that brings people with all sorts of different interests together. It’s particularly fun to watch people of all different ages interact and laugh with each other and share in each other’s lives,” said Ann McGlynn, director of communication, who helps coordinate the events.

Hands Coloring a Poster

Why does an adult coloring night work so well?

While I have been out of serving in full-time parish ministry for just over one year, the last seven years I worked in a church, one of the aspects that was always lacking was meaningful fellowship and community opportunities. Sure you could talk with people at coffee hour after worship, or there was the annual pancake breakfast the youth put on to raise money for their mission trip to Mexico, but it was always difficult to come up with fun and easy programs to bring people together and not add a huge burden onto the staff (who already have too much to do with the little time they have).

St. Paul isn’t the only church that has hosted an adult coloring night at their church, and they weren’t the first. But when you read the description of their event that Ann gave above, it’s easy to see why it sounds so appealing and why it has been so successful. People are being pulled in too many directions in their lives today, and honestly, the church often contributes to the laundry list of responsibilities, programs, meetings, groups and more that individuals and families have to deal with throughout the week.

And yet with these adult coloring nights, people are just asked to show up, to be present, and to engage in conversation and fellowship with one another. Yes, there is an opening devotion, and yes, someone has to figure out the cookies and lemonade. But it sounds like St. Paul has figured out how to put together a very successful adult coloring night without making it labor intensive or a frustrating experience to plan, and I’m excited that they’re already planning their third adult coloring night for Advent.

Click on the photos below to see some more shots from St. Paul’s Adult Coloring Night, using our Illustrated Earth Coloring Posters.

Colored Pencils Coloring
Parable of the Sower Coloring Poster
Hand Coloring a Coloring Poster
Hands of Group Coloring a Coloring Poster
Young Women Coloring Together
Young Adult Coloring at Church

So, how do I host a successful adult coloring night?

Chances are high you have many people in your congregation who have already been to some type of an adult coloring activity, or at the very least, got an adult coloring book and some new colored pencils for Christmas last year or for their birthday. Figure out who those people are and start up the conversation about what it could look like to host an adult coloring night.

As you heard from Ann, you really don’t need to do much to prep for an adult coloring night. You’re going to need some colored pencils, crayons and markers (although, you should also encourage folks to bring their own as well) and you’re going to need something to color. I’ve included a couple free coloring sheets in the resource guide that you can download at the top or bottom of this post, and perhaps that will get you started. But one of the joys of this community experience is everyone being able to work to create something together.

That’s one of the reasons Illustrated Ministry started creating these large coloring posters. You can get many hands around each poster, each person getting to work on their own section. And that’s when the great conversations start. People huddled together, creating art together and engaging in each other’s lives in ways that they may not have before. We talk a bit about that in our video about why we think coloring is more than just a trend.

Of course, no church event would be complete without some food, so grab some lemonade, coffee or a more fancy adult beverage, if your church’s alcohol policy is a bit more lenient…and please check into it if you’re not sure…Illustrated Ministry cannot be held responsible for any trouble you might get into with your Church Board/Session if you don’t check. 🙂

Another thing I noticed was that St. Paul’s Adult Coloring Nights were based on a theme. They first did one during Lent, then they had a focus on creation with the Illustrated Earth Coloring Posters and now they will have another one for Advent. So, maybe you want to do something similar. Or find posters or coloring books all based on the same type of designs; maybe it’s animals and plants one time and mandalas the next time.

So, there you go. Get some coloring posters or books. Bring along crayons, markers and colored pencils. Get some food. Oh, and music. I always like a little background music for events like this. And think outside the box a little bit here. It doesn’t need to be Celtic Treasures or some other church music. I quite like coloring to Coldplay, The Martian Soundtrack, or anything by The Weepies. Actually, if you want some really great chill background music, be sure to check out Ásgeir’s album, In the Silence.

Alright, go host your own adult coloring night!

While there isn’t any one right way to host a successful adult coloring night at your church, I hope this post has given you some ideas to ponder. And now it’s up to you! Whether you use the free coloring sheets included in this post’s resource guide, you decide to look into some of our large coloring posters, or find your own materials, I hope you’ll consider how easy it can be to get adults together for a time of simply being together. And when you give people time to simply be together, you’ll be amazed at the new relationships that will form and the depth of conversation and relating with one another that will take place.

If you are looking for a few different large poster options that you could use, check out our links below. The only posters we have in stock to ship are our Illustrated Earth Coloring Posters. But the others are all available immediate via a digital download.

  • In stock: Illustrated Earth Coloring Posters
  • Illustrated Earth Coloring Sheets: 8.5″×11″ version
  • Advent Posters: Digital Files Only
  • Advent Posters: Digital Files Only (in Spanish)
  • Advent Coloring Sheets: 8.5″x11″ version (in Spanish)
  • Advent Coloring Sheets: 8.5″×11″ version
  • Inspired Posters: Digital Files Only

If you’ve hosted successful adult coloring nights at your church, please share your fun and creative ideas in the comments!

DON’T FORGET: Don’t forget to download your 16-page resource guide for learning how to host an adult coloring night at your church – you will also get three free coloring sheets.  Click here to download your FREE resource guide and three coloring sheets.

If you liked this post, please consider sharing:

Are you interested in hosting an adult coloring night at your church, but not exactly sure how to pull it off? We’re…

Posted by Illustrated Ministry on Thursday, August 25, 2016

Check out our free guide for hosting a successful adult coloring night at your church! https://t.co/VfU3T2TBXQ #adultcoloring #coloring

— Children’s Ministry (@IllustratedCM) August 25, 2016

Are you interested in hosting an adult coloring night at your church, but not exactly sure how to pull it off? We’re here to help. Many thanks to St. Paul Lutheran Church in Davenport, Iowa for sharing about their experience of their Adult Coloring Nights. EXCLUSIVE CONTENT! Be sure to download the resource guide which includes the post so that you can easily share it with others during church staff meetings, and it also includes three free coloring sheets. Link is in our profile! #ministry #whatpastorsdo #coloringbooks #adultcoloringbook #adultcoloringbooks

A photo posted by Illustrated Children’s Min (@illustratedcm) on Aug 25, 2016 at 9:57am PDT

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