JAN
22
Welcome! Check out our ideas! Pull it out! & pass it around
BACK TO SCHOOL? As you are reading this, no doubt certain shops are advertising ‘Back to School’ sales for stationery, shoes and various other school-related supplies. As the beginning of the school year looms, I wonder what range of emotions are in your household? Ordinarily, perhaps you, as a parent, have looked forward to your children returning to school and your household to its usual routine. Your children, on the other hand, may be enjoying the sun, the sand and the surf too much to be wanting school as much as you. Throw in Covid-19, lockdowns, vaccinations, masks, 2-metre distancing and Traffic Lights, and it feels like there is so much more to navigate this time around. How do we help our children head back to school in a healthy way, and how do we let them go in a way that is healthy for us? These are big questions. In this edition of the WAY2GO magazine we will look at some prayer ideas for your church and your home to help you and your children in their return to school.
___ Liz Eichler Children and Families Team Leader, SUNZ
Pray
AT HOME
You will need: access to the internet, a large piece of paper, strips of paper, felt pens, a stapler
Listen Listen to and/or watch 'The Blessing Aotearoa' on YouTube.
Talk together What words stuck out for you? Using the felt pens, write these words on the large piece of paper. Add illustrations if you like. Each person choose some words or phrases they like and write them on strips of paper and use the stapler to link the strips together to form a chain. You could make individual prayer chains or one chain for the whole family. Display the large piece of paper where everyone can see it, on your fridge or the back of your front door.
Ask How can these words help us as we head back to school this week?
Pray Use these words from the Bible as your closing prayer: “The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace. (Numbers 6:24-26 NIV)
You could also pray these words over your children each night.
Pray As a church it is good to acknowledge that our children and young people are heading back to school. Here are some ideas for you to use: 1. Find out from the children and young people what school they’re at and what year they’re in. If you do this ahead of Sunday you could present this information on a map of your town/city, or on PowerPoint. Pray for the range of schools and year groups represented in your church. 2. Interview some school students, making sure you have a range of ages, about their hopes and their fears for the coming school year. Pray for them and all students in your church. 3. With a backpack containing the following items – a pencil case, lunch box, drink bottle, sunhat, reading book – talk about each item representing different aspects of school. Eg: • Pencil case – learning and creativity • Lunch box – social times • Drink bottle – brain fuel
AT CHURCH • Sunhat – fun times outside and sports • Reading book – an invitation to dream
Comment that just as your backpack is your constant companion at school, so Jesus is with us always. 4. A prayer to remind us all that God is always with us, based on St Patrick’s Prayer : Christ be with me, Christ be within me, Christ behind me, Christ before me, Christ beside me, Christ to win me, Christ to comfort and restore me. Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ in quiet, Christ in danger, Christ in hearts of all that love me, Christ in face of friend or stranger.
You could make up some actions to go with this prayer (from Common Prayer for Children and Families, Gamber & Seamans, 2019)
ARE YOU OUR NEXT WELLINGTON CHILDREN & FAMILIES CONSULTANT?
Now that Liz Eichler has moved into the Children and Families Team Leader role, we need a new Children and Families Consultant for Wellington. This is a fulltime position with immediate start. If you have experience in Children and Families ministry and want to take the next step in your ministry journey, we’d like to hear from you. For a job description and more information, please contact Liz at liz.e@sunz.org.nz.
Resources
$250
This is a poetic retelling of why Jesus died, how he rose from the dead and how he did it all for us. It features stunning line illustrations for children to colour in while reflecting on the words.
$28
This 15-door calendar is like an advent calendar and means kids can count down to Easter Sunday. Children aged 5-8 will learn why Jesus died and rose again, and why that’s the best news ever.
Both available via our shop website sunz.org.nz/shop
Looking for more resources and inspiration? Check out our website and blog
sunzbreakthrough.org.nz | childrenandfamiliesnz.blogspot.com
Scripture Union wants to work with your church to create opportunities for children and young people to discover and follow Jesus, grow as leaders, and influence the world. Contact us and let us know how we can help you.
SCRIPTURE UNION IN NEW ZEALAND
PO Box 760, Wellington 6140 way2go@sunz.org.nz 0508 423 836 sunz.org.nz