North Scottsdale United Methodist Church's Children's Ministry
NSUMC Children Faith Formation
  • Welcome HOME
    • Starting Point
    • Contact Us
    • Find North Scottsdale United Methodist Church
    • Children's FUN ZONE
    • History of NSUMC
    • Pastors >
      • Pastor Nancy Cushman's Farewell Party
      • Rev. David Rennick Celebration Service
      • Rev. Wasson's Drive-By Parade
    • Director of Congregational Life
  • Events
    • Autumn Chili Cook-Off & Pumpkin Decorating
    • Bake Sale on Palm Sunday
    • Children & Grief
    • Children's Moments
    • Advent Celebration >
      • Live Nativity DRIVE-THRU
    • Advent "TO-GO"
    • Blue Christmas Service, Scottsdale, AZ
    • Christmas & Advent Events >
      • Christmas Cantata >
        • Cantata One Room Sunday School
      • Christmas Eve
    • Compassionate Children
    • Easter Services & Holy Week Events >
      • Ash Wednesday
      • BAKING through LENT
      • Easter Books for Children
      • Easter Bubble Blessings
      • Egg Hunt
      • Easter Sunday Service
      • Good Friday Service
      • Journey to Easter
      • Maundy Thursday Service
      • Palm Sunday
      • Sunrise Service on Easter
    • Family Day
    • Father's Day
    • Fourth of July
    • Giving Plate Craft & Pie EVENT
    • Hayride
    • Mardi Gras Jazz Luncheon & Lenten Reflection >
      • How to Cook Banana's Foster
      • How to Make GUMBO!
    • Milestone Celebrations >
      • 1st- 3rd Grade Milestones
      • 4th-5th Grade Milestone
      • Baptism Anniversary Milestone
      • Bible Sunday 2nd Grade Milestone
      • Blessing of the Backpacks Milestone >
        • Blessing of the Backpack Worship & Sunday School Ideas & Activities
      • Back to School Coffee House Concert
      • High School Milestone
      • Middle School MIlestone
      • Pre-K and Kindergarten Milestone
      • Welcoming Two Year Olds to Sunday School Milestone
      • 50+ Years of Ministry Milestone
    • Mother's Day
    • Picnic
    • Retreat- All Church
    • Thanksgiving All-Church Potluck
    • True Meaning of Christmas Tour
    • Trunk or Treat
    • Youth Events
  • Classes
    • Baptism
    • Choirs
    • Confirmation
    • COVID 19 Student Activities
    • Creative Christians after school program >
      • Caroling with Creative Christians after school program
      • Creative Christians Mission Projects
      • Creative Presentations by Creative Christians
    • Graduation Sunday
    • Grown-Up Studies
    • Labyrinth
    • Ministry Fair Sunday
    • Narnia & C.S. Lewis
    • Scouting
    • Summer Camp
    • SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS >
      • Godly Play Curriculum Map
      • Abram/Sarai
      • Advent
      • Ark & Tent
      • Ark & the Temple
      • Ascension
      • Baptism
      • Bartimaeus
      • Books of the Bible
      • Boy Jesus in the Temple
      • Church Calendar
      • Creation
      • Cross Puzzle
      • Crosses
      • Daniel
      • David, the King
      • Deborah
      • Emmaus
      • Epiphany
      • Exile and Return
      • Exodus
      • Ezekiel
      • Faces of Easter
      • Fruit of the Spirit
      • Great Family
      • Good Samaritan
      • Holy Family
      • Jeremiah
      • Jesus & the Children
      • Jesus and the Twelve
      • Jesus in the Wilderness
      • Jesus Walks on Water
      • Jonah
      • Joseph
      • Martin Luther King Jr. Sunday School Lesson
      • Mary Magdalene
      • Noah
      • Palm Sunday/Jesus the King
      • Parable of the Deep Well
      • Parable of the Good Shepherd
      • Parable of the Leaven
      • Parable of the Mustard Seed
      • Parable of the Pearl
      • Parable of the Prodigal Son
      • Parable of the Sower
      • Paul
      • Pentecost
      • Promised Land
      • Ruth & Naomi
      • St. Frances of Assisi, Godly Play
      • Salt & Light Matthew 5 13-16
      • Symbols of the Holy Eucharist
      • Synagogue and the Upper Room
      • Ten Best Ways
      • Thanksgiving Lesson
      • The Legend of the Easter Eggs
      • World Communion
      • Zacchaeus
    • Sunday School Teacher Info >
      • LINKS for Sunday School Teachers
      • Safe Sanctuary Guidelines
      • Summer Sunday School Volunteer Sign-Up
      • Sunday School Teacher Dedication
      • Teacher Appreciation Brunch- MAY
      • Welcome Back Meeting- AUGUST
    • VBS DAY CAMP >
      • Food Truck PARTY dinner event
      • VBS Day Camp Volunteer and Planning Meetings
      • VBS 2020 ONLINE
  • MIssion
    • 1Mission
    • Angel Tree
    • Animal Shelter Mission Project
    • Backpacks to support Vista del Camino
    • Blood Donations
    • Feed my Starving Children
    • Hope for the Hopeless
    • Journey to Easter DRIVE-THRU Mission Project
    • Live Nativity Mission Project
    • Magic of Books & Pajamas Mission Project
    • Parada del Sol Parade, Mission Project
    • Phoenix Children's Hospital Mission Project
    • Rare Bear Ministry
    • Suitcase Initiative
    • The Inn Project
    • Together We Rise Foster Care Mission
    • Trinity Opportunity Alliance (Foster Care)
    • Trunk or Treat Mission Project
    • UMCOR
    • V.B.S. Mission Projects
    • Weekly Offerings
  • Blog

Parable of the Mustard Seed

1/30/2021

0 Comments

 
Picture
Have you ever seen a mustard seed? The mustard seed is one of the smallest of all seeds. The mustard seed is so small that you can hardly even see it. Some people have necklaces that have one of these tiny mustard seeds inside of a piece of glass. They wear this necklace as a symbol of their faith in God. Do you know why the mustard seed is considered a symbol of faith?

One day, Jesus was talking to his disciples when one of them turned to him and said, "Lord, increase our faith." Jesus answered and said, "If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it will obey you." Can you imagine what it would be like to have that kind of faith?

There is a story about a man who read this verse in the Bible and decided to put it to the test. He had a large tree in his front yard, so he went out to that tree and said, "In the morning when I wake up from my sleep, I want you to be gone." That night the man went to bed. When he woke up the next morning, he went to front door, opened it, and looked out into his front yard. "Just as I thought!" the man said. "It's still there."

The man didn't have mustard seed sized faith, did he? In fact, he didn't have any faith at all. When he told the tree to be moved, he never expected it to happen. The man  misunderstood what Jesus was trying to teach his disciples.

Jesus was not suggesting that you go around trying to move trees just to prove that we have faith. What Jesus was trying to teach his disciples -- and what he wants us to learn -- is that it doesn't take a great faith to produce great results. Why? Because the results don't depend on us, they depend on God, and the size of our faith.
​
This week’s Sunday School Lesson is about stepping out in faith.  Faith that can begin as a tiny mustard seed yet can grow exponentially.  Let the mustard seed remind us to never doubt the mighty power of God.   

0 Comments

The Parable of the Leaven for Sunday School

1/23/2021

0 Comments

 
Picture
The Parable of the Leaven, Sunday School Lesson 1/30/2021
Jesus presented some of His most memorable lessons as parables.  Parables are gifts we have received from God through Jesus’s walk on earth.  The Parable of the Leaven is a short but profound parable.

"Again He asked, 'What shall I compare the kingdom of God to? It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds of flour until it worked all through the dough'" (Luke 13:20–21, NIV)

What is leaven?
When someone was making bread in the first century, they'd throw in a little piece of dough that was held over from the last time they made bread. By this time that dough would have fermented and become leaven. When leaven was added to a new batch of bread, it would act like yeast, causing the bread to rise.

Leaven provided a perfect image of the kingdom of God. Here are three points that Jesus intends for us to take away from this parable.

1. Jesus’ Ministry started humbly
Like leaven, God’s kingdom would transform everything it touched, eventually changing the character of every culture.

2. Jesus’ Ministry wasn’t understood
The leaven works in secret, transforming people from the inside.
​
3. Jesus’ Ministry still transforms lives
Bread cannot leaven itself. In the same way, humanity was unable to manufacture the kind of changes required to reconcile with God. Through Jesus' ministry, death, and resurrection, the leaven of the kingdom was kneaded into humanity—and through the Holy Spirit's arrival at Pentecost, it was activated.

This week our Sunday School lesson offers gives children and families ways to bake some homemade goodness!  We have yeast and unleavened bread recipes.  Yeast experiments that let children blow-up balloons and create a geyser.  Just like the yeast in bread, the grace that God has given us allows us to grow… in love, acceptance and forgiveness to all!
0 Comments

The Parable of the GOOD SHEPHERD

1/16/2021

0 Comments

 
Picture
​T​here was once someone who said such amazing things and did such wonderful things that people followed him. They couldn’t help it. They wanted to know who he was, so they just had to ask him. 

So begins the beloved Parable of the Good Shepherd in the Godly Play repertoire.    As we approach Good Shepherd Sunday, this story    invites the children to    come closer. Children are invited to lean into the circle as the lid comes off the golden parable box, so they can wonder and learn about the parable inside.

A parable is a story that Jesus told to explain a concept.  It may reveal multiple lessons to you over your lifetime.   The different stages of our life help put a spot light on the different outlook that is possible from parables.

In the story of the Good Shepherd, the storyteller explains about the cool clear waters of life that nurture growth, dark moments shadowed by rocks and how the Good Shepherd is with us in both of those times.    Often when the storyteller asks the children about this story, a child will say, “I wonder if I’m the sheep who was lost in the dangerous place. And the good shepherd is God, coming to help me.” 

This week’s   Sunday School lesson about the Good Shepherd  www.nsumckids.info/parable-of-the-good-shepherd.htmlincludes Cheerios and Oreo sheep treats, puppet crafts and dot-to-dot sheep pages.  Good news is that the Good Shepherd includes everyone at the table of the great banquet! No one is left out and all are invited into His grace! 

​This parable is found in both Godly Play and Young Children and Worship books.  It's meaning is also found in the 23rd Psalm
0 Comments

"Sprinkle Kindness Like Confetti" a MLK Sunday School Lesson

1/10/2021

0 Comments

 
Picture
This Martin Luther King (MLK) story can be found in "People of Color Who Inspire."  In the collection of lessons on the Saints found in Volume 7 of The Complete Guide to Godly Play, there is a lesson called, “The Child’s Own Saint.” The lesson invites the children in a Godly Play Room to add to the lessons on the Saints’ by writing the story of one of their own heroes. Martin Luther King Jr. is one such hero—not an official saint of the church, but a Christian person who inspires us all to strive for justice, and kindness for every human being. We remember Martin Luther King Jr. on or near his birthday in January,

MLK was born on January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Georgia. His mother and father called him Michael after his father, but when he was five his father changed his name and Martin’s name to “Martin Luther King” to honor the great German Reformer from the sixteenth century. Martin Luther fought to make the world better, and MLK did too.

When MLK grew up, he became a Baptist minister like his father and grandfather. He also began to work to change things so that African Americans would be treated the same as everyone else.

Working for change is never easy. It takes courage and faith. Many people were mean to MLK and his family. Someone tried to blow up their house. Many tried to scare them with their words, but also with knives and guns. Many black people wanted to fight back, but MLK never gave in. He said, “Peaceful actions will bring peaceful solutions.” Even so he was arrested and placed in jail twenty-nine times for trying to change things by protesting against unjust laws.

In 1963 a huge crowd of people came to Washington, DC, to march for jobs and freedom. That’s when MLK made his most famous speech. He said, “I  have dream” to call people to be thankful to God and to work to make the dream for freedom to come true for everyone.    MLK said, “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not to be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.” This was also the year that he won the Nobel Peace Prize at age thirty-four. The next year, the Civil Rights Act made much of his dream into law.

 MLK kept on. He traveled the country working for change until one day in 1968 he was killed. He was in Memphis, Tennessee, working to organize another peaceful march. He was buried in Atlanta, where he was born.

We remember MLK because of his dream that African Americans will be treated the same as everyone else and because he courageously traveled everywhere to make kindness come true through peaceful protest.
0 Comments

Books of the Bible

1/10/2021

0 Comments

 
Picture
​The Bible is so big.  There are so many pages and so many different authors. Did you know that it actually began as bunch of books and then during the Council of Nicea in 325 A.D. the delegates combined the stories into one big book?  Today that is the book we call the Bible.  Our Protestant bible has 66 books. These books share history, poetry, law, prophecy, gospels, parables, letters of the prophets and Revelation.
 
We can separate the Bible into the Old Testament (stories before Jesus and the stories from the Torah) and New Testament (stories about Jesus and his followers). We can also examine the different writing styles and authors. These steps can help enlighten us to the wonderful messages in the Bible.
 
When we are in our Godly Play atriums at NSUMC, we show the relationship to the stories on the shelves and their location in the Bible.  The Godly Play manipulatives offer a great visual representation of the Bible scriptures.  NSUMC was blessed to have so many members create these supplies for our children!
 
As Christians we have a rich history that teaches us how to offer extravagant hospitality, extend grace, and share compassion.  This week’s Sunday School lesson will share many ways that students can learn about the different books of the Bible through game!  We have Jenga, Legos, Duplos, golf balls, hopscotch, clothes pins, bingo cards, Jeopardy, Minute-to-Win-It and cups!  Come play games and learn about the B.I.B.L.E.!
0 Comments

Remember your Baptism

1/2/2021

0 Comments

 
Picture
​When a baby is baptized, the parents and everyone in the congregation promise to love and nurture the child, teaching him or her about Jesus so that she or he will grow up knowing God's love.  Baptism is a way for parents to say, "I believe in the promises God has made in the Bible to love and care for my child, and I want my child to walk in that love."  Baptism is also a way of saying, "Yes!" to God's invitation to enter the community of faith.
 
The Godly Play baptism story allows us to weave in the trinity (the Father, Son and Holy Spirit), the light through candles and the blessing using water.  It also grants us the opportunity to present the importance of each child and the name that they were given. This is a great opportunity for the children to recount their baptism and to review Jesus' baptism.
 
As our story tellers retell the story, they help us remember our Baptism, recreate the light of God and then, when the lesson ends, the children can take that light of God into the world to share it with their family, friends and neighbors.
 
For this week’s Sunday School lesson, we invite families to upcycle their old candles, crayons, jars, milk cartons and shells to recreate a new candle for 2021 as a reminder that YOU are loved by God!
0 Comments
    Picture

    ​​North Scottsdale United Methodist Church is an awesome family church.

    Archives

    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    May 2019
    February 2019
    December 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    July 2018
    May 2018
    March 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    July 2017
    May 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    November 2016
    October 2016
    July 2016
    May 2016
    March 2016
    January 2016
    November 2015
    September 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    March 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

    Picture
    Picture
Proudly powered by Weebly