Love with Arms Badge Printable (Romans 12: 9-21)

As part of our new church vision, we've been talking a lot about how we share God's love with each other and with the community. As part of our exploration, we looked at Romans 12: 9-21 during a cafe church service and this was one of our intergenerational activities. 

We talked about how badges often show that we belong to a group or a team and we wanted to make and wear a badge that reflected our team or church family. After thinking about the different ways of showing love that the Romans passage talks about, we made 'love with arms' badges to show that we were people who wanted to share love by living it out. Click here to print out the instruction sheet.

Praying for Peace Printable Reflective Colouring Sheet

In light of current events in Ukraine, the Archbishops of Canterbury and York have asked that Sunday 27th February is used as a day of prayer for peace. Here is a reflective colouring sheet if you like to pray with colour. One version is the image only and the second version is a sheet with the Archbishops' prayer for peace copied at the bottom. 

For the colouring sheet on its own, click here.

For the colouring sheet with the Archbishops' prayer for Peace in Ukraine, click here.

 

"He has sent me:" Lego animation video and printable reflective colouring sheet (Luke 4: 16-30)

On Sunday we are holding our first Cafe Church since the pandemic started and the lectionary gospel passage is the one from Luke chapter 4, where Jesus stands up in the temple and talks about what he has been sent to do. The passage opens up so many amazing themes to explore, but the reading itself can be a bit abstract in places. Because we wanted to make it as accessible as possible, I made it into a Lego stop motion animation. Click here to watch!

We'll be thinking around themes of vocation and calling, identity and the power of the Holy Spirit. One of the activities we will be providing on the cafe tables is a colouring sheet for those who want to take some time reflecting or who prefer to be doing something with their hands when the service is in progress! Click here to print off.

Remembrance Sunday Poppy Light

I've often struggled with how to approach Remembrance Sunday from a Christian perspective and I've come to find the beginning of John's gospel really helpful. As the fields were churned up by fighting, unseen poppy seeds were distributed, which meant that the following year the fields were full of bright poppies. Life came where death had been. Life found a way. This always reminds me of the verse in John 1:4-5 describing Jesus, which says: 

4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all people. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

Just as life persisted in the poppy fields, Jesus' light will never be put out. With God there is always hope that war and death and violence will be defeated. This craft helps to explore this verse and this idea.

You will need: Black paper, a hole punch, sellotape, glue, red paper, scissors, battery operated tea lights.

Cut a roughly A6 size piece of black paper or card and punch lots of holes in it. You might need to fold the paper in certain places so that you can more easily distribute the holes. 

Make the black paper into a tube and tape or glue to secure it.Make sure that the circumference of the tube is big enough to fit over the top of a tea light.

Make a poppy shape by cutting red and black paper. Stick the poppy to the top of the tube.

Switch on the battery operated tea light and place the tube over the top. Switch off the light in the room so that you can see the light shining through the holes in the tube.

Chat about the war and the sadness and grief for those who were lost. Talk about the new life symbolised by the poppies and the fact that death and fighting was not the end for those fields. Link that to the verse from John 1 and look at the light shining into the darkness through the holes in the tube. With Jesus there is always hope and Revelation 21 talks about God's kingdom where there is no more death or violence. What are their hopes for the world and for the places where there is war?