Flame: Creative Children's Ministry

So the time has finally come to bite the bullet and think about teaching the Trinity... I am fully aware of the fact that it's nearly impossible to try and explain the Trinity without committing some kind of heresy so this is never going to be a perfect analogy and I don't claim that it is!! My main aim really is to get the children thinking about the different ways God relates to us as Father, Son and Holy Spirit and to try and get across the fact that God is all three at the same time. I'd like to just say 'it's a mystery,' but that's a bit of a cop out! Here's what we will be doing... You will need:  collage paper/ feathers etc or felt tips blue tack glass pebbles bottle tops card a circle split into three equal parts drawn or printed onto card Get children to think about what they have heard and know about the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.   On each third of the circle use colours, shapes and symbols to draw or collage their ...

Here is a hands on way of praying that would work well in lots of situations- from all age services to small groups of children and even at home.  All you need is for everyone to have a piece of aluminium foil!  6x6cm squares would work quite well as you need enough to eventually mould a shape. 1. Hold the piece of foil and look at the shiny side.  Say thank you to God for good things in your life and for things that you like doing.   2. Screw the foil into a loose ball (don't make it too tight or you won't be able to straighten it out!) Think about people who find life tough: people who are ill, tired, lonely, sad and afraid.  Ask God to help them and be with them.  3. Smooth the ball out so that the foil is back into a square (or as close as possible).  Thank God for people who help others when they need it- parents, teachers, medical staff, friends and any others that children can name.  Pray that God will bless t...

This Sunday the lectionary covers the story of Peter praying and Tabitha (also known as Dorcas!) rising from the dead.  Here is a play dough mat to help children to connect with the story, thinking especially of those we love who provide for and do things for us and using the reflection space to thank God for them.  Have fun! Click here to print off the mat.

Very soon we're going to be exploring Jesus's command " You must love each other just as I loved you. All people will know that you are my followers if you love each other.” (John 13:34-35.) This is a fun  visual  prayer activity that will help children to think about the idea of sharing love and to pray for  people they find it hard to love sometimes. You will need:  cups with about an inch of water at the bottom, strips of kitchen roll, felt tip pens (cheap and cheerful are good and definitely not permanent markers- you need the ink to run!) Draw a heart about about 2 inches up the strip and colour in with pen.   Write the initials of someone (or draw a  face of someone !) that you sometimes find it tricky to love- maybe because you don't get on very well.  Loving others is one of the ways that we show that we follow Jesus, but sometimes  this is hard and we have to ask God for help. Put the end of the strip in th...

This craft is likely to get a bit messy and certainly won’t look perfect or neat at the end but it is a great way to help younger children explore the concept of angels moving up and down the ladder! The paint outline around the stencil gives a bit of a ‘glow’ to each angel shape, which helps to reflect the ‘holy’ presence that Jacob feels during his dream. You will need: Angel shaped cookie cutters or a printed out angel template, card, paint, scissors, brushes, paper. If you have younger children then an adult will need to prepare the stencils by drawing round and cutting out angel shapes (cookie cutters are good for this).  Older children will be able to design and cut out their own shapes.  Show the children how to place the stencil on the paper and use a brush to paint around the outline.  Remove the stencil and see the angel shape. There will be an unpainted angel shape surrounded by a paint 'glow.'   Continue using different colours...