Activity B4 - Lesson 6: Help Wanted Ad

Sunday Schoolhouse Series Activity - Red Unit B4
Lesson 6: Timothy Learns How to Be a Leader (1 Timothy 4:6 - 16)

Create a Help Wanted Ad - Materials Needed:
- Wanted ads from newspapers for examples
- Copy paper or sheet with pre-printed headers (see example below) for each child
- Pencils

For this project the children will make a want ad for a "leader", just like someone would put into a newspaper looking to fill a position. For younger children, make a want ad together as a class. For older children, have each child write their own want ad (review examples). Go through the lesson and discuss what the qualities actually mean, how can you tell if someone has those qualities, etc.
Example - Wanted: A Good Minister of Jesus Christ - Must have ability to hold tongue (discuss what this means), desire to learn about God (how do we do this), works well with children (how important does the class feel this is). Hours: 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Benefits: Relationship with God (discuss these benefits). You could even collect the ads from the kids, copy them so the kids can bring them home; or type them up to look like a newspaper and make a copy for each child.

Erase It Memory Work - Write out the memory verse on an erasable board. Have everyone recite the verse together several times. Give one student an eraser and ask the student to erase one word. Have everyone recite the verse again, saying the missing word. Repeat the process until there are no words left on the board. Then have the class recite the whole verse by memory.

Activity B4 - Lesson 5: Being Hosts

Sunday Schoolhouse Series Activity - Red Unit B4
Lesson 5: Lydia Hosts the Apostles (Acts 16:1 - 15)

Being Hospitable Hosts - Materials Needed:
- disposable cups, plates and napkins
- lemonade or other drink
- snacks like cheese and crackers or celery/peanut butter/raisins
- construction paper and markers for placemats

For this project the kids will become good hosts to one another. Work together with other classes to host a quick "luncheon". If you do not have multiple classes break the kids into groups, maybe have a couple of extra parents help that day. Assign various things needed to be a proper host: some makes lemonade, others prepares food (i.e. cheese and crackers, peanut butter on celery with raisins, others makes place mats. Have one class service and clean up for another and switch roles; alternatively, have the children do this for the adults after service. Smaller children can pass out napkins. Impress upon the children that they are the hosts - they should offer a short prayer before beginning, they need to ask if people are finished so they may take away their plates, etc.
Our church has Adult Forum during Children's Sunday School, with that format have the kids host a quick luncheon prior to the beginning of forum then return to class and read about Lydia.

Activity - Finish being a proper host by cleaning up thoroughly and thanking their guests for attending their luncheon.

For Children: The Life of Martin Luther

The Life of Martin Luther
Children's Coloring and Storybook
This easy-to-read coloring and storybook presents children with an introduction to the life of one of the most influential Christians in history, Martin Luther. From his childhood, to his days as a monk, to his becoming a teacher and pastor in Wittenberg -- the stories in this book trace Luther's life of faith through many struggles and challenges, showing us what it means to be faithful to God's Word and bear witness to our faith in Jesus Christ.  The book is written and illustrated by Rev. Steve King.
Go HERE to order from Sola Publishing.

Activity B4 - Lesson 4: Transformation Art

Sunday Schoolhouse Series Activity - Red Unit B4
Lesson 4: Transformation Art (Acts 9:1 - 31)

Create Transformation Art - Materials Needed:
- one white piece of paper per student; 1/2 sheet if time is short
- multiple colors of crayons and 1 black crayon per student
- one craft stick or something to scratch the black crayon off the paper per student

Have the children fill their entire piece of paper with different color patches in what ever shapes/patterns they like. Remind them to press hard to get good full color coverage of the paper. When the paper is completely colored with different colors take the black crayon and color over the other colors. Again they must press hard to cover the whole page making it black. Then using the craft stick; have the children draw a scene from the story by scratching a layer of black crayon allowing the picture to show with all the multiple colors originally used.
For younger children: A story scene may be too complicated, have them draw a butterfly and think about the transformation Saul made when he changed to Paul - like a caterpillar to a butterfly.

Act Out the Drama with Props:
Act out the drama using basic props: a flashlight for the light that blinded Paul, fake flower petals to drop in front of Paul's eyes like the scales falling off when he regained his sight, etc.

Activity B4 - Lesson 3: Feed Your Neighbor Race

Sunday Schoolhouse Series Activity - Red Unit B4
Lesson 3: Deacons are Chosen to Serve (Acts 6:1 - 15)
Feed the Neighbor Race - Materials Needed:- Several empty food boxes
- blindfolds
- large box for each team

Break the kids into teams of two - or have bigger teams and rotate through the leader role and food delivering role. This is a trust/cooperation game. One child will guide the blindfolded person on their team with verbal commands from one end of the room to the other. The goal is to bring the food (empty boxes) to their neighbors in need (large box/bin) one at a time. Whichever team finishes first wins. Place chairs and other obstacles in the way so the blindfolded person needs to trust in the honest commands of the leader directing them.
For younger children, the teacher could direct each of the students one at a time without making it a team competition.
Option: Have the children bring full boxes of food for the game. Once the game is complete the food can be donated to a local food shelf.
Help Your Neighbor Letters:
Choose a group and write letters of encouragement or thanks. Children could write letters of thanks to veterans, smaller children could make pictures to be dropped off at the local senior home, write letters of thanks to the pastors, etc.

The Sola Scriptura Worship Setting

In 2012, Sola Publishing will be releasing a number of worship resources. Many of these will come in the form of free downloadable files that can be used and "tested" in congregations. We seek advice and constructive feedback from churches that give them a try. Here is one we hope you take a look at:

The Sola Scriptura Setting

A Spoken Liturgy for Holy Communion
— using Scripture Verses for Dialog and Prayers

This setting of the service for Holy Communion is being made available from Sola as a free downloadable file. The spoken dialog and prayers in this setting are taken directly from the English Standard Version (ESV), with the appropriate citations listed throughout. Verses were chosen to convey the same sense and meaning found in the traditional liturgy, emphasizing the biblical basis for our worship.Since this is a spoken liturgy, relying on musical accompaniment only for congregational hymns, it is well-suited for places where professionally-trained accompanists or vocal soloists are not available to lead a musical setting of the liturgy.

• Individual Half-Page Format (download pdf)

• Pages Formatted for Printing Back-to-Back as a Booklet (download pdf)

Other free worship-related materials can be found on Sola's website: www.solapublishing.org under "Free Sola Resources."

Catechism Devotional Book

Sola Publishing has just released a new devotional book written by Peggy Hoppes. This 35-day devotional book follows the sections of Martin Luther's Small Catechism, and is designed for daily reflection on the Scriptures and the faith that we believe. Guiding the reader through a journey of Law to Gospel, the devotions are meant to show readers their need for grace, and where that grace is found in Jesus Christ.  The book is not only meant as a basic daily devotional and prayer resource, it also serves as a brief overview of the themes of the Catechism.


Go HERE to order from Sola Publishing.

Author Peggy Hoppes has been doing devotional writing for years, both online and in print.  Her “A Word for Today” devotionals can be found online on Facebook™ as well as on her own site at:  www.awordfortoday.org.

Look for another devotional book from Peggy on the theme of "Vocation" -- coming soon from Sola!