Children & Youth RESOURCES. ideas and suggestions to help bring your faith home

Transcription

1 Children & Youth KIDS Resources RESOURCES ideas and suggestions to help bring your faith home

2 intro from Richard & Nicola Moy Every child and every family is different so the following age ranges and ideas are just guidelines and suggestions. Our West London culture can be quite pressurised for children and young people - whilst we may want to focus on their physical, social, academic, artistic, emotional etc development it can be easy to ignore their spiritual development. We re writing this booklet as a resource to help parents and carers and not as another pressure! We also are on a journey with this and often don t get it right! However, we d love to grow in discipling our own family and see all of our church here grow in nurturing our children and young people. We long to see our children and young people secure in the knowledge that they are highly valued, deeply loved, uniquely created and totally special to God whether they achieve or not in our current educational system or media heavy culture. We long to see children and young people who are full of hope because they have faith in an almighty God and are confident of their ultimate destiny in God s kingdom. We pray that they will have life in all its fullness and with beauty and grace be great compassionate shapers of their generation. There are lots of resources you can search for on Eden or The Good Book Company websites but this booklet contains a few of our top picks.

3 0-4 s 4-7 s Books: The Big Storybook Bible by SU God and Me Me Too Bible Stories CDs: Me Too DVDs: Praise Babies Books: The Jesus Storybook Bible The Lion Storyteller Bible Boring Bible Series by Andy Robb (In the style of the Horrible History Books) Off the Wall Bible Tales by Bob Hartman Topz Gospels CDs: The Lion Storyteller Bible on CD DVDs: Veggietales the ones based on bible stories What s in the Bible created by Phil Vischer DVD Read and Share Bible Max Lucado I will Trust God & I Share Because I Care Friends & Heroes You re Special Apps: You Version for Kids

4 7-10 s Youth Books The Action Bible (comic book style) NIV Adventure Bible NLT Hands on Bible The Diary of A Disciple: Luke s Story by Gemma Willis (very good) Narnia Series by C.S. Lewis Ten Girls Who Changed the World by Irene Howat Ten Boys Who Changed the World by Irene Howat Jesus Calling: Devotions for Every Day of the Year by Sarah Young CDs New Wine Kids Worship DVDs Disney Narnia Films Apps Guardians of Ancora Know your young person and and help help them them when when the time is is right to to engage with with material material for for adults too. Tim Tim Keller Keller and and Ravi Ravi Zacharias Zacharias are are excellent excellent on apologetic on apologetic issues, issues, Francine Francine Rivers writes some great novels to help us get into the Rivers writes some great novels to help us bible like: Sons of Encouragement and Lineage of get into the bible like: Sons of Encouragement Grace. and Lineage of Grace. Also stories of people like: Also Jackie stories of Pullinger, people like: Heidi Jackie Baker, Pullinger, Jim Elliot, Heidi Brother Baker, Jim Yun, Elliot, Nicky Brother Cruz, Yun, and Nicky Eric Cruz, Liddell and can Eric Liddell can be very encouraging. be very encouraging. Books Books: Apps/Websites: Apps/Websites: Bible in one year app from HtB Bible in one year app from HTB

5 Conferences & Camps New Wine Week A (this the largest attended conference by our church and a really great way to build relationships people attend from all of the different congregations and there s something for everyone R T Kendall is the main speaker this coming summer) Smaller groups from Christ Church also attend Focus & Spring Harvest. Soul Survivor for the youth Our own weekend away, the Parish Weekend such a special time to grow friendships and grow with God together. From approx age 8-18 we recommend CPAS and SU camps for children and youth. Attending something smaller and more activity based can be very beneficial. We had great feedback from one of our youth who attended a CPAS camp this past summer. And don t forget our own home Holiday Club in the summer. This is great for our 5-11 s and some of our youth have come on team as helpers and really grown themselves through the experience. Other Holidays With a Discipleship Focus: Lee Abbey Spring Harvest France Tearfund Mission Keswick Convention (only free conference)

6 Ideas for Bringing Faith Into the Home We don t find this easy but here is a great website for inspiration: Be flexible and change things you try with the different seasons of your family s life. Some children love to join in praying out loud at bedtime or at a meal time. Ours often don t so sometimes we ve tried the following: On holiday when everyone is calm and there s more time try saying a liturgy together at the end of a meal. I type up cards of paper with some set prayers and a suggested bible story. At bedtime when they re overtired or not interesting in praying in a traditional sense encourage your kids to talk to God in their head. I ve sometimes said to them why don t I ask you some questions and you tell God the answer in your head and I ll say things like tell God your favourite colour, tell God what animal you d most like to meet face to face, tell God the best part of your day, tell God what you d like to happen tomorrow. In doing this I m encouraging them I hope that they can talk to God about anything and everything. That God is their friend. And sometimes I might add and why don t you just be quiet and see if God reminds you of anything or gives you a picture or words in your mind. Hopefully helping them to begin listening to God. Some people use the pattern prayer: sorry, please, thankyou. Make the most of the Christian seasons like advent and lent perhaps do something together as a family. Scripture Union often bring out great resources to use. The Real Advent Calendar and The Real Easter Egg are also a great idea and have a range of additional resources on their respective websites. Serve together in an activity in church, sponsor a child as a family, or together cook a meal for the homeless shelter. For older children and youth putting our faith into action gives it integrity and is something that they ll often respond well to. We ve given our children three jars labelled spend, save and give we re encouraging them to divide up the very little pocket money they get into those jars to instil Christian values about money we ll see if it works!

7 If you have any questions about these or any other resources, please get in touch with Nicola Moy (for children) via or Zoe Phillips (for youth) via Get in touch Give us a call on us at office@christchurchw4.com Pop in for lunch at The Meeting Place Café, Christ Church Turnham Green, W4 5DT pm, Tuesday Friday during term-time. christchurchw4 On earth as in heaven