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Church Bulletin Inserts and Weekly Parenting Tips download page |
March 2010 |
“Your ‘Generation to Generation’ dowloadable PDF-format bulletin flyer from Heritage Builders is available as a color or black and white document in an 8.5x11” size. To print these PDF’s, print the document on one side of the letter-sized paper and then reverse the sheets to print on the opposite side. Cut the 8.5x11 sheet of paper in half for the final 5.5x8.5” flyers.” |
Week 1 Parenting Tip. (Download or cut and paste from below.) |
Week 2 Parenting Tip. (Download or cut and paste from below.) |
Week 3 Parenting Tip. (Download or cut and paste from below.) |
Week 4 Parenting Tip. (Download or cut and paste from below.) |
Focusing on God Help your children understand that being with God in heaven is worth more than anything else. You'll need small candies, note cards, and a Bible. Make ten bags of candy. In the first bag, place one piece of candy; in the second, place two, and so on until the tenth bag has ten pieces of candy. Hide each bag and make up a clue that will lead the children to those places. For example, you might hide one candy in the dryer and write: When you're finished spinning around and getting clean, you go here to dry off. Number your clues so you know which one to give out next. Note: If you have more than one child, hide two or more bags of candy at each location - enough so each child will get one. Then have them take turns trying to figure out the clues. Activity: Explain that they are going on a treasure hunt. Then give the first clue to your children and help as necessary until they find bag number one. Tell them there's also a bag with more candy to be found, and they can trade the single candy in for a clue that leads to it. Continue until they get to the last bag of candy. Read the story of the Hidden Treasure in Matthew 13:44-46. Ask: What was it like to trade your bag of candy for a clue to the next larger bag? How was our search for candy like the Bible story? How did you feel as you found a bag with more candy? What kinds of things should we be willing to give up for God? Teach the slogan: "Whatever this world has in store, heaven has more." Share the Bible verse: "Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you." (Psalm 73:25) |
Jesus Walks on Water Are you distracted by unimportant things? For this activity, hide a gift for each child somewhere in a particular room. Then, in that same room, toss a bunch of pennies onto the floor. Include one penny that has been marked by nail polish or a small piece of tape (make sure it is placed face-down on the floor.) Invite the kids into the room and tell them about the special penny. Then have them race to find the penny as soon as possible. If you have more than one child, consider hiding multiple marked pennies. Repeat this activity a number of times so each child has a chance to find the penny first. When they find the marked pennies, consider these questions: While you were looking for the pennies, did you notice anything else in the room? (No, I was focused on finding the penny; yes, I got distracted.) Why was it important to stay focused on finding the penny? (So we could do it quickly; so we wouldn't get distracted by other things; so we could win the game.) Share: There is a gift of greater value somewhere in this room that you didn't see because you were looking for the marked pennies. See if you can find this gift now. Make sure each child finds his or her gift and then have everyone form a circle to enjoy watching them open their gifts. Consider: Did you notice the pennies while you were looking for your special gift? Why or why not? Read Matthew 14:22-32 or summarize the story of Jesus walking on the water. Share: When we focus on something of importance, it's best not to be distracted by other things. In this story, Peter began to walk on the water because he focused on Jesus, but when he became distracted, he began to sink. We need to make sure we are not distracted by unimportant things when we seek Jesus. Teach the slogan: "If you keep your eyes on Him, you will not have to swim." |
Running Away Fearing God means being in awe of Him and respecting Him. Take a big bowl of water and cover the surface with pepper. Explain that the pepper represents people. Ask your children to watch closely as you add a drop of soft soap into the middle of the bowl. The pepper will "flee" to the outside edge of the bowl. Explain that we, like the pepper, are seasoned with sin. God, like the soap, is pure and clean. When we see God, we often tremble and flee because God is so powerful. But thanks to Jesus' death and resurrection, we have been forgiven. We can come close to God and not fear punishment. Instead, we should revere or be in awe of God's great power and love. Share Proverbs 28:14: "Blessed is the man who always fears the Lord, but he who hardens his heart falls into trouble." |
Just A Drop Teach your children that evil is contagious. You'll need a small glass of milk and a dark food coloring, such as red or green. Activity: Place the glass of milk where everyone can see it. Let one drop of food coloring fall into the milk, gently stir and watch what happens. Ask: Is the milk still white? What happened? Can we make the milk white again? Share: This is a very simple way to show that even one drop of sin can change us. Discuss: How does sin change us? (Sin changes our hearts so that our thoughts and actions tend to not honor God.) If we keep sinning, how is that like adding more drops of coloring into the milk? (The more sin, the more it shows in our choices and actions.) How can having non-Christian friends add sin to our lives? (If we choose to follow their leading instead of God's, it can result in sinful choices.) Read and discuss: II Corinthians 6:17-7:1. This passage is about being unequally yoked with unbelievers. How do these verses relate to our experiment? (Like the food coloring changes the milk, our relationships change our hearts.) What kind of friends does God want us to choose and why? (Friends who make right choices can help us make right choices, too.) What kind of people does He want us to avoid and why? (People who choose to sin can lead us into sin. We might see them do something wrong and want to do the same.) What kind of bad influences do you think a person your age could tempt you with? Why would you want to have a friend who was leading you toward the wrong goal? Read the Bible verse: "As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another" (Proverbs 27:17). Pray together, asking God for wisdom in choosing the right friends. |
A Prayer A Day We must be in constant contact with God. Using small furniture in your home, create a maze-like obstacle course. Then blindfold one of your children and have that one ask another child (or yourself) to guide him or her through the course by voice commands. When you stop talking, the child should stop walking. Repeat the process until everyone (including yourself) has had a turn navigating the obstacle course. To make it more difficult, change the course after each round, or after each person is blindfolded. That way they can't plan their steps ahead of time. Ask: What made it easy or hard for you to go through the maze? Can you think of how this game might relate to prayer? Share: In order to get through the maze, you had to listen to the voice of someone who could see the path. In order to get through the maze of life, or to understand what God wants you to do each day, you need to listen to what God is telling you. You need to be in constant communication with God. The maze is like God's plan for your life. You can't see it all, but God can. If you stop talking to God and listening for His guidance, you won't know where to go next. You'll start to feel lost because you won't know what to do or where to turn. Prayer is a way to keep in contact with God. Pray together, thanking God for His gift of prayer and the privilege we have to communicate with the God of the universe. Teach the slogan: "Pray throughout the day to help you know God's way." |