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“Uncle Charlie” Giveaway from Only 144

Tony Kummer — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 15:10:17 +0000

We’ve just worked out a new giveaway for our readers sponsored by ONLY144.com.

There’s something cool happening at ONLY144.com this Friday.

They’re offering the entire UNCLE CHARLIE Children’s Worship Video and Music collection for only $97 for 144 hours. It’s $1600+ worth of stuff, and it’s really an incredible deal. And, we’ve got one to give away here on Ministry-to-Children.com this week to one lucky reader.

All you have to do is enter your email below and you’ll be registered. We’ll announce the winner on Thursday, February 9 at NOON (exactly 24 hours before the sale goes live). Until then, be sure to check out the deal at http://www.only144.com. The first 100 people who order will win some incredible prizes. Good luck

Bible Lesson & PowerPoint about Animals

Tony Kummer — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 15:56:51 +0000

We created this lesson plan for a stuffed-animal theme night at our church. Each child was allowed to bring their favorite toy pet. The lesson began with puppet skit improvisation that to introduced the theme, Bible verses, and some random tips for safety with animals.

The main lesson is contained in the PowerPoint below. Just for fun, I included about 15 extra slides with cute or remarkable animal photos. After each one I would say something like, “Wow, God is so amazing to have made that animal.” Several of the adult volunteers in the audience would make similar remarks to help children connect these cool animals with their Creator God.

Download as PDF document (1.87 MB) or PowerPoint file (11.4 MB).

Key Verse (Memory Verse)

“A righteous man cares for the needs of his animal, but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel.” Proverbs 12:10 NIV

Gospel Connection

Kids should realize that none of us have been perfect caretakers of God’s creatures. We have also failed to see his Glory in the creatures all around us. A trip to the Zoo should be a time for worship! Jesus came to take away our sins and re-create this fallen world. One day, in his perfect Kingdom, even the animals will sing praised to Christ. We need his grace & help even now to be better caretakers of this world and better see Christ’s glory in the his creatures.

Outline: What does the Bible say about Animals?

God made the animals in Genesis 1-2. But why?
- Show his glory. (Gen 1:25)
- Sacrifice (Gen 3:21)
- Food (Gen 9:3)
Because of sin, people have misused animals.
- Making them into idols. (Romans 1:23)
- Not caring for them properly. (Proverbs 12:10)
Did Jesus like animals?
- They were with him in the wilderness. (Mark 1:13)
- He rode a young donkey into Jerusalem. (Mark 11:7, John 12:15)
Will there be animals in Heaven?
- Horses & chariots of fire took Elijah away. (2 Kings 2:11)
- All the creatures in the New Earth will worship God. (Revelation 5:13)
- Jesus will ride a white horse in the final battle. (Revelation 19:11-14)
- “Wolf & lion” ..all animals will be kind. (Isaiah 65:25)

More about animals in Heaven – This can be a touchy subject with kids. My answer has always been to stick close to what the Bible says and encourage children to draw their own conclusions. As the verses in the lesson illustrated, there will clearly be some animals in the New Creation. However, the Bible does not specify if these will be new animals or resurrected animals. My final answer is this, “We can’t be sure our pets will be with us in heaven, but we can trust that God will make us perfectly happy — even better than we can imagine. My personal guess is that God will somehow honor our love for our pets, even if that means resurrected animals in the New Creation.”

Stuffed Animal Games

We finished the last part of our class with games. For this special occasion, all the games involved their stuffed animals. I always referred to the animal as the one playing, not the child. You might bring extra toy pets to include children who may have forgotten. Another disclaimer, don’t try this with real animals! Feel free to think up your own ideas and leave suggestions below.

Pump It Up – Invite several volunteers to come to the front of the room and lay down flat on their backs. Then invite them to hold the stuffed animal above them with both hands. This is similar to a bench press motion. Have one additional child bring up their animal to serve as a “spotters” for each contestant. The spotter will count the number of reps completed. The stuffed animal who completes the most in the allotted 30 seconds wins. Repeat several times until all the child/stuffed animal teams get a turn.
Flying Leap – Have children toss their animal from a set starting line into a box. The distance should be close enough that many children will succeed, but not so close to seem easy. Using a wall as a backboard helps. Each animal gets one turn and then goes to the back of the line to start over. I would hold up the stuffed animal and have the kids applaud when it went in the box.

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John 3:16 Valentine Coloring Pages

Tony Kummer — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 14:35:12 +0000

Example of Finished Sheet

Use these free coloring pages with your children to relate Valentine’s day back to God’s love. They were created by Elgin Bolling, a professional illustrator and sketch artist from New York City. Like all our materials, these coloring sheets are 100% free to use in your church, home, or school. You can leave a comment below to thank Elgin for his work.

Directions: Click on the preview images below to download the coloring pages as a print-friendly PDF document. You can also select from the following links. The JPEG option is for advanced users who want to alter the page before printing.

John 3:16 with heart | pdf | jpeg
John 3:16 with present | pdf | jpeg
Example of completed coloring sheet

Click above to download

Don’t miss our other free resource for teaching about God’s love on Valentine’s day. We also have a growing collection of Christian coloring pages that are free and easy to download or print.

Here is Elgin’s explanation of his color choices, this would be good talking points with the children as they work on their own sheets:

Our God is a consuming fire, thus the firey color hands. The clouds where the hands KF could resend from represents heaven, his throne. Red symbolizes the blood Christ shed as well as the traditional red color of valentines day, and the heart. The box is purple, the color of royalty, symbolizing Christ as King. The Yellow rays symbolize his power, anointing, and divinity. It also points to the sscripture that Jesus is the light of the world, and wants us, who receive him to be children of that light. The john three sixteen is Green, symbolizing growth and progression in the things of God, and our growing in Grace and knowledge of our Lord and savior. The globe, is obviously the world, who Tge father gives the Guft of Christ to many as would receive him,the globe is standing on the word of God, therefore is able to access the gift if God. Finally the ground is purple, again the color of Royaty upon which the Wird, which is Holy is established. It is literally Holy Ground.

Top 10 Boats in the Bible Lesson & PowerPoint

Tony Kummer — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 16:06:55 +0000

This simple lesson plan was prepared for our Pirate Theme night at church on a Wednesday evening. It could be useful for any children’s church or Sunday School lesson. I’ve included a few hints below, but would love to hear your ideas too. Simply leave a comment below to make suggestions for other readers.

Downloads:

PowerPoint Presentation (right-click to download)
PDF Presentation (easy to print and display if you don’t have a computer in your teaching room)

Lesson: Top Ten Boats in the Bible (and what they can teach us about God)

Noah’s Ark ~ God knows knows how to protect his people. Genesis 7:15-19
Boat for a baby Moses ~ No boat is too small when God is watching over you. Exodus 2:1-10
Jonah’s ship to Tarshish ~ No boat is safe when you’re running away from God. Jonah 1:3
James & John leave their fishing boat ~ When Jesus calls, leave everything behind. Matthew 4:21-22
Jesus preached from a boat ~ God’s message is not just for church. Matthew 13:2
Jesus calms the storm (in a boat) ~ Jesus is in charge of the weather. Luke 8:22-25
Jesus walks on water (beside a boat) ~ Jesus showed he was truly God. John 6:16-21
Jesus fills Peter’s boat ~ Jesus can provide more than enough. John 21:4-8
Paul traveled by ship ~ God’s message comes through people, who have to travel. Acts 20:13
Paul’s prison ship ~ God can show his power even when the boat sinks. Acts 27:6-11

Gospel Connection: The themes in this lesson are more “general” truths about God. As you teach, look for opportunities to relate them back to the Good News. For a more specific approach, use the optional Gospel illustration below.

Directions: Advance each slide and briefly have the children tell you details about the story for each boat. Then transition to make the teaching point for each slide. Take time to elaborate or make applications specific to the children in your group. To extend the lesson, have children look up and read verses from each boat story.

At the end of the presentation, lead the children in prayer thanking God for his love, mercy, and protection.

Bridge Illustration with a Boat: You could modify the classic “Jesus Bridge” illustration to use a boat rather than a bridge. Use the following sketch as your guide. Complete the illustrations on a whiteboard or poster board. Make the point that it’s Jesus who can bring us to God, but we must trust Him to take us there.

Draw this sketch first and explain the concept of separation for God.

Then draw the "Jesus" boat to show how Jesus can bring us to God.

Alternative: You can use masking tape to create a large version same illustration on the floor of your meeting room. Have different volunteers try to jump from the island to God without help. Then layout tape in the shape of a boat and have them walk across using the boat.

Bug Zone VBS Starter Kit (unboxing)

Tony Kummer — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 15:48:02 +0000

Watch my video below to see inside the new starter kit from Regular Baptist Press for their 2012 VBS theme called “Bug Zone.” Our website doesn’t sell any of these products, but we offer this information to help your church choose the right Vacation Bible School program.

For more information about Bug Zone VBS, visit the official RBP website. You can also read our first impressions of this material or browse all the available VBS themes for 2012.

Amazing Wonders VBS Starter Kit (Unboxing)

Tony Kummer — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 15:40:22 +0000

Watch the video below to look inside LifeWay’s 2012 VBS curriculum called “Amazing Wonder’s Aviation.” Our website doesn’t sell any materials, but we post independent reviews and information to help you make the best choice to buy Vacation Bible School material.

For more information, visit LifeWay’s official website. You can also read my first impressions of this Aviation VBS theme. If you’re curious about other programs, you can follow our VBS 2012 coverage.

What Makes Ministry Training “Good” and “Bad”?

Tony Kummer — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 15:07:05 +0000

As most of you know, I’ve been working on a new project called the KidMin Academy. It’s off to a great start and right now you can check out about 20 training workshops 100% free. Here is a recent interview where I talk about the project and what makes for “good” ministry training. This recording is from MYCAL ROSALES and the Napkin Conference.

I’d love to hear what you think of these questions. Just leave a comment below to share your thoughts. What do you think makes for a good training workshop?

Online Advent Calendar for Families

Tony Kummer — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 17:13:51 +0000

Advent is a wonderful time for families to be together and talk about faith at home. Now there is a free online tool that organizes devotion ideas for each day as a countdown to Christmas.

Click here to see it for yourself.

Here is a little background about this project from Jenny Funderburke.

For years we have provided Advent Calendars for our families and they have always been a great tool. This year we are trying something new. We have put our advent calendar online.

Beginning December 1, families can click on the day’s date and access an advent devotional with Scripture, suggested discussion and prayer, and activities you can do as a family.

We have tried to make it not specific to our church, so feel free to share it with your families and friends. Our goal is for this to be the year that many of us change Christmas for our families. We don’t want the focus to be on presents and getting, but rather on WHO it should be all about. Our prayer is that this season and this little tool will help our families focus on Christ every day during Advent.

Mobile Apps for Churches

Tony Kummer — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 16:31:57 +0000

There are some exiting new ways to expand your church’s ministry through mobile technology. Just a few years ago it took a massive investment to build an iPhone app for your ministry. Only the largest congregations could afford the cost.

Things have really changed.

The prices for mobile ministry apps is now within reach of every congregation or even the different ministries within every church. Now is the time to extend your ministry to better connect with people in their everyday lives.

Here’s one example. My friend Matt McKee has started a company called “ROAR.” They help churches extend their ministry through mobile apps for iPad, Android, and iPhone. Right now they are even building 1000 free apps to help get churches get started. The only cost is the ongoing hosting & service fee – starting at $30 per month. Click here to check it out.

I’d love to hear how your church is using mobile technology to extend the ministry. You can leave a comment below to offer your thoughts.

Tower of Babel Coloring Page Activity

Tony Kummer — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 14:29:44 +0000

Click above to download

Use this simple activity worksheet to help kids imagine the Tower of Babel. Right-click on the preview image to the right to download it as a print-friendly PDF document.

This was just one activity in our larger lesson plan about the Tower of Babel. I would recommend using the visuals from that lesson to show kids what the Tower may have looked like before they draw their own. The activity sheet includes the suggested memory verse from this lesson.

So the LORD dispersed them from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city. (Genesis 11:8 ESV)

Example of the completed sheet

This activity sheet is very flexible and the kids can use their imagination to illustrate several different parts of the story. For example, they could simply draw the Tower as I’ve done in the example to the left.

For more variety, you could have the children draw the impact of the language confusion on the workers. This might be fun to even include quotes from several different languages as cartoon captions. Use Google Translate for ideas.