Flame: Creative Children's Ministry

  This is a fairly easy and impressive looking paper cutting activity that can be used to explore any passage or story focussing on God's love. I especially love the fact that the hearts form both a circle and a star because those ideas lend themselves to thinking about God's love being all encompassing and never ending, and also draw attention to the star that leads to the baby who is the ultimate expression of God's love. You will need: Scissors, a square of paper (mine was patterned on one side and blank on the other), a pen or pencil, a flat, hard surface. Lay your paper square flat on a hard surface. Fold the square in half... ...and in half again. Open out the last fold you made. There will now be a line down the centre of the triangle. Fold one side of the triangle to line up with the centre line. Now fold the other side of the triangle over the top of that. Be aware that the folded sides will not be of an equal size, but don't worry! This is what will lead the ...

The  Lord  doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the  Lord  looks at the heart. (1 Samuel 16:7) This verse is a really useful one to use with children when you are helping them to think about who they are as children of God.  In times of peer pressure and social expectations, it can be really helpful to know that God looks at us through different eyes and sees our value and gifts even when others don't seem to. This craft is deigned to help children explore ideas around the difference between what people might see on the surface and what God knows about us and uses something that takes me back to my school science days! You will need : A book of Litmus paper  strips (1 bought a book of 80 for less than £1 online), heart shapes drawn on paper, glue, various liquids (safe ones for children to touch! e.g. hand soap, washing up liquid, lemon juice, water, milk, different drinks. ...