October 8, 2013 -- Issue #21 - Volume 14

Today's articles are listed, below. When replying, highlight the text that is pertinent to your response, then hit reply. Title your message to reflect the content.

1) Challenge for teachers: Falling For Jesus?
2) Baptism Class
3) Skit: Endless Oil
4) Lesson: That Wonderful Name

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1) Challenge for Teachers: Falling for Jesus?

Hello fellow teachers! SSTN was launched in January of 2000. We were among the very first websites to offer a interactive newsletter! We began with 65 teachers subscribed, and since then we have grown to over 32,000 Christian educators. In the early days, the ideas came in fast and furious, which explains why there are over 1800 pages of ministry ideas currently posted at SundaySchoolNetwork.com. Yet, over the years even though our numbers have grown, the ideas have slowed to a crawl. (I know people are busy, and there's a glut of information on the internet--Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, it can be overwhelming!)

So, I'd like to get back to basics today and challenge you to get your creative juices flowing. The idea I'm proposing is to create a craft, game, lesson, or skit using the theme, "Falling for Jesus," which you then tie to a Biblical truth, then send it in to SSTN@sundayschoolnetwork.com. Not only will it be shared via our newsletter, it might also be posted in one of our ministry idea sections of the website!

Blessing to you as you teach kids to "fall for Jesus"!

Your webservant,
Sarah Keith <><

2) Baptism Class

My husband and I taught our 4-9 yr old Sunday School class on baptism yesterday. September 30th. I found a couple great crafts and activities on Philip Baptizing the Ethiopian. 

Thank you so much for making the material f-r-e-e and available!!
It worked well. We had 22 children in class! 

Kathy Besk

--from SSTN: Thank you, Kathy, for saying so. I'm glad you found our resources helpful! For those who are interested in baptism resources, you can find them by typing Phillip, Ethiopian, baptism, baptizing in the search box found at the bottom of this newsletter or from our home page at: http://www.sundayschoolnetwork.com. 

3) Skit: Endless Oil

(Based on 2 Kings 4) 

Characters
Narrator, reads from the script, stands in back to the left. 
Widow, drape a cloth over her head and give her a small jar or pitcher (even a paper cup). She stands in the middle; Widow’s two Children, they stand close to their mother; 
Elisha, a prophet of God, give him a Bible to carry. He stands to the right; 
Lender, a Loan Shark, give him/her a notebook and pen or a money bag. S/He starts on the left; 

Other props
Five jars or cups (more if available). The children will bring these to their mother. Set them to the left.

Narrator: There once was a woman whose husband was a prophet. He was a partner of the great prophet Elisha in the old days of Israel before Jesus was born. He was a good man, but times were hard for those who loved God and he had to borrow some money. He was working on paying it back when he died. So one day the Lender came to the woman.

Download "The Endless Oil" skit by visiting our Anytime Christian Skits & Bible Dramas page at: http://www.sundayschoolnetwork.com/skits-Bible.html 
Please note, the skits are listed alphabetically.

4) Lesson: That Wonderful Name

Materials needed: Bible, 2 long sheets of parchment or butcher paper, permanent marker, name dictionary or access to websites that give meanings of names.

Before class, make a list of all the names of the children in your classroom.  Then, do some research to find out the meaning of each person’s name. (Example: My name, which is Carol, means “song of joy.”) Use one sheet of the paper to create a matching game for the children to play by listing their names on the left side of the paper and the meanings of the names on the right side of the paper. If there are some names for which you were not able to find a meaning, still list the name and the correct meaning of the name will just be a question mark. Let the child know that this does not mean that their name doesn’t mean anything, but that you simply weren’t able to find the meaning for it. After they finish this activity, tell them that you want to talk to them about a name that is above every name. Ask them if they know what this name is. It is the name of Jesus!  Explain that the name of Jesus means “Jehovah, our Savior.”  Tell them that the Bible has a lot to say about the name of Jesus and why it is so important. (At this point, you play the 2nd matching game using Scripture references that speak about the name of Jesus listed on the left of the paper and what they are saying on the right.)  Have children look up and read the verses and then try to find the answer on the right that corresponds to the verse. Below is an example of how our matching game looked. I have put the correct Scripture with the answers below each one, so if you use this, you’ll need to jumble up the answers.

Download "That Wonderful Name" from our 
Bible Lessons with Special Activities page at: http://www.sundayschoolnetwork.com/lessons-Bible-activities.html. 
Please note, the lessons are listed alphabetically.

Don't keep it to yourself! Use the link at the bottom of the newsletter to forward it to your friends, pastors, and coworkers.

SEARCH SundaySchoolNetwork.com for ideas:

Join the conversation at: http://www.SundaySchoolNetwork.com

Copyright 1997 - 2013 / d.b.a. "S. A. Keith of Creative Imaginations Reproducing in any medium, commercial or noncommercial, is strictly prohibited without prior written permission. SSTN has contributors from all over the world who share their ideas. If you reprint any of the ideas from SSTN, SundaySchoolNetwork.com or ChristianCrafters.Com in any medium (websites, magazines, newsletters, etc.), you must contact the submitter, and website for reprint permissions. Any materials used must also include the submitter's name and where the ideas were gleaned from. The opinions expressed or advertisements displayed in the SSTN e-Newsletter are not necessarily endorsed by SundaySchoolNetwork.com or any of its affiliates. SSTN reserves the right to edit and or exclude information from the SSTN e-Newsletter.