Flame: Creative Children's Ministry

Although some churches are open for socially distanced worship now, we have made the decision to remain closed for the time being. If you are in a similar situation and are looking for something that families can do at home this Sunday then here are some resources to help with the lectionary reading of Jacob's ladder in Genesis 28. Video of a 12 minute family worship service including 'sorry' prayers, 'thank you' prayers, story with wondering questions and a creative prayer activity (see above). Click here for the service words if you'd like to follow along. Click here for a colouring sheet. Click here for a play dough mat. Click here for more creative ideas.

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...

A couple of weeks ago I was at the Hand in Hand Conference in Eastbourne and really enjoyed helping to lead the 'Hands On' stream with Victoria from GodVenture .  We really wanted to give leaders lots of ideas to help children explore and experiment with their responses to Bible stories and in prayer.  What better way to do that then to get the leaders exploring and experimenting for themselves?! This was one of my favourite activities set up by Victoria and is such an easy but effective way of helping children to respond to Bible stories with freedom. You will need: Old picture frames, 'bits and pieces' e.g. lolly sticks, match sticks, leaves, glass pebbles, stones, pine cones, ribbons, an old sheet (optional) Lay out the empty picture frames on the sheet and arrange your different objects and pieces into open containers. Tell a Bible story and then ask the children to use the objects to make their own picture response either inside or outside a fr...

One of the key themes in the story of Jacob's ladder is that of God's presence with us, even though we can't see Him.  Jacob lies down to dream and wakes to realise that where he was, God was all along.  This activity explores that theme. I did this to tell the story to the children.  After you have told them the story, they can make their own hidden picture paintings, exploring where God is with them in their everyday lives. You will need: White wax crayons, white paper, watered down paint, paintbrushes,  I used a flipchart sized piece of paper for the story telling so that all the children could clearly see what was happening ( I did this in an assembly!).  Use whatever size of paper is most suitable for your group.  Use the wax crayons to draw a ladder and some angels on the paper.  At the top of the paper write 'God is here!' Tell the story to the children and gradually reveal the ladder and the angels by painting over the top with the...

The story of Jacob's ladder in Genesis 28 (vv 10-17) is one of my favourites and this is a creative way to pray about the story's themes using an easy but effective craft. Tell the story of Jacob's ladder and think about the theme of God's closeness to Jacob, even when Jacob, himself, didn't at first realise it.   Talk about : How do you think Jacob felt when he saw the ladder and the angels? How would you have felt?Have you ever felt or known that God is with you? Do you have anywhere where you feel close to God? How do you know that God is with you?  Do you know anyone who might like to know that God is with them, caring for them? Craft- You will need : paper, scissors, pens, string, sellotape, straws and a coin Get children to cut an angel shape out of the paper (or provide them with a pre-cut version).  Cut 2x 2cm pieces of straw and sellotape them to the angel shape as shown below.  Make sure they are parallel to each other. Sellotape a coin to the bott...