Children's Sunday
The Children’s Cabinet of the Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches would like to encourage each church to have a Children’s Sunday every year to honor children’s staff and the children in their congregation.
Children are very important to Jesus and they should be to the church. Scripture says that we must all come to Christ like a little child. Children’s Sunday is an opportunity to raise the awareness of the need of ministering using their God-given abilities. This day could be a time of sharing the vision of touching children’s hearts by noticing them, sensing their presence, caring about them and helping them understand how much they matter to God. This special day can be held whenever it fits best into the church’s calendar.
The theme for Children's Sunday 2010-2011 is "Finding God’s Treasure - Seeing Children Through His Eyes"
Verse: "Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him."
Psalm 127:3 NLT
- Help adults gain a vision for the importance of reaching children for Christ while they are young.
- Help children understand the importance of reaching their friends for Christ.
Poster(PDF)
Suggestions(PDF)
Treasure Chest(PDF)
Hints for parents to treasure children's moments (PDF)
Children's Sunday 2010
Suggested theme for 2010 is...
"GO FOR THE GOAL: Helping Kids Win the Ultimate Prize – Eternity with Jesus"
"I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." Philippians 3:14
Central Theme for the Day
- Challenge adults to be involved with helping children make a decision accept Christ and spend eternity with Him.
- Challenge kids to connect with their friends by sharing about eternal life through Jesus.
Download 2010 Poster (PDF)
Children's Sunday 2009
The suggested theme for Children’s Sunday 2009 is "Grace Space: Connecting Kids to the Creator of the Universe". "Shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life..." Philippians 2:15b & 16a
The suggested day for Children's Sunday is the first Sunday in March. But any Sunday that fits in your church calendar is fine.
Goals
- Challenge adults to be involved with helping children come to know God and His son, Jesus Christ.
- Challenge kids to share about eternal life through Jesus with their friends.
- Posters with an outer space theme
- Ideas for decorating rooms with planets and stars
- Ways for using "My Space" or "Facebook" ideas with the older kids (e.g. having kids create prayer cards for adults to use to pray for them)
Children’s Sunday materials, Tag—You’re It! and other children’s resources are made available to your church through the capable work of the Children’s Cabinet through CE National. The Children’s Cabinet is made up of children’s workers in many areas of the Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches.
Central Theme for the Day
- Challenge adults to be involved with helping connect children to God and His Son, Jesus Christ.
- Challenge kids to connect with their friends by sharing about eternal life through Jesus.
- Have a kids choir or ensemble sing one of the following songs during the worship service “You Are Holy,” “He’s Got the Whole World In His Hands,” “Wow, What A God You Are,” or other songs with lyrics pertaining to space, stars, galaxy or creation. (Download songs from Wooster Grace Brethren Church)
- Have the pastor preach a message on the importance of connecting kids to Christ at an early age.
- Show the Lou Giglio “Indescribable” video – 40 minutes (available through the CE National Lending Library at www.cenational.org/library)
- Have children read scripture during the service or memorize verses and say them.
- Prepare a Powerpoint presentation or video showing pictures taken in your children’s classrooms. Play “Astronaut” by FFH (download at www.itunes.com) while Powerpoint plays.
- Give parents information on devotionals to use in connecting their kids to Christ.
- Paint a spaceship on a large piece of cardboard and cut out a hole for children to look through. Take pictures of kids looking through the spaceship and hang in the hallways or include in the Powerpoint presentation.
- Buy pads of paper in the shape of a star, take pictures of kids and put the picture on one of the stars to hang in hallways.
- Order space themed stickers, decorations and craft items from www.orientaltrading.com to use in kids’ classrooms (e.g. Planet Stickers IN-9/890 – 100 for $2.49; Color Your Own Planet Stickers IN-9/920, 12 sheets for $2.99; Inflatable Solar System IN-58/26, $17.99).
- Have kids divide into “connection groups” in their departments and talk about how they can shine for Jesus with their families, friends and at school (use the “Tag You’re It” material available from www.cenational.org/children)
- Have open houses in your children’s classrooms on Children’s Sunday and have stars or planets on the walls leading to the classrooms or stars hanging from the ceilings.
- Download the poster for Children’s Sunday and hang it on bulletin boards around the church.
- Focus on the Family – “Fun-tastic Conversation Starters for Parents & Kids” by Robert C. Crosby, Honor Books, 2000
- “Step into the Bible – 100 Bible Stories for Family Devotions” by Ruth Graham, Zondervan, 2007 (Available at www.boookschristian.com)
- “One Year Book of Josh McDowell’s Family Devotions 2” By Josh McDowell, Tyndale House Publishing, 2003. (Available at www.bookschristian.com
- Sweet Dreams Princess: God’s Little Princess Bedtime Bible Stories, Devotions and Prayers by Sheila Walsh. (Available at www.bookschristian.com)
- Goodnight Warrior: God’s Mighty Warrier Bedtime Bible Stories by Sheila Walsh (available at www.bookschristian.com)
Files are in mp3 format. Right-click and choose to save the file to download to your computer.
Wow, What a God You are
I Can Help You
Makin' Me Strong
Come on and Love
Walkin' in the Son
Peace
Light of the World
Not Afraid
I Know
Other ideas for Children's Sunday
Generation Next
Handing down the Legacy of Loving Jesus to our children
Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds...Teach them to your children. Deuteronomy 11:18a & 19a
Bulletin Cover (PDF)
Poster (PDF)
Song List (PDF)
Get On Board With Children's Ministry
Train a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not turn from it. Proverbs 22:6
Bulletin Cover (PDF)
Suggestions (PDF)
Poster (PDF)
Train Instructions (PDF)
