fall activities for children’s church
Dunbar family walks for daughter afflicted with Williams syndrome
Anna Marie Staggers just turned 5. She has a huge smile, laughs easily, has an engaging personality and a beautiful singing voice. She’s starting piano lessons in the fall.
The Lukewarm American Church
We are losing the battle with our self-possessed, ‘do-as-you-please’ culture. Under the influence of a more and more secular, self-centered, ‘politically-correct’ world view, the disappearance of the traditional family, and the lack of in-depth teaching by parents and schools of the ‘why’s’ and ‘what’s’ of our Christian faith, we are losing our Bible-based convictions and values. Families who have been Christians for generations are torn apart by divorce, sexual immorality, greed, selfishness and so on. Over 70% of young people raised by Christian families and who have attended Christian churches and even schools lose their faith by the time they are twenty.
On top of that, confusion reigns! Recent surveys reveal that the average Christian has really no clue why he or she should be a Christian and what it means to be a Christian. Many fall for non-Biblical, false teachings like ‘health-and-wealth’ gospels and ‘we-just-need-to-love-Jesus-and-love-everybody’ Christianity. Churches – in general – only dare to teach ‘feel-good’ messages and parents are not around or do not make the time to talk to their children about their faith and how to live as a Christian. Contemporary Christians seem to think that they go to church to hear a positive message, feel better about themselves and socialize and have forgotten that the objective to meet on Sunday morning is to worship God!
It hurts me to say that your church is possibly falling victim to these trends as well. It might be are at risk of becoming – as more than 90% of all churches in America – a church like Laodicea, which is rebuked by Jesus Himself in Revelation 3:14-22 with the words:
“These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm-neither hot nor cold-I am about to spit you out of my mouth. You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.
Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”
According to many Biblical scholars, the seven churches addressed by Christ in Revelation are prophetic for the seven ages from the apostolic age to the church of today. I tend to agree with this analysis as Christianity in America today fits the description of the Laodicean church remarkably well.
As a body of believers we do not only need to be aware of the risk of being a lukewarm church, we need to aggressively fight against it by choosing to be a Christ centered and Biblically committed church. What does that mean? I believe it practically means that a Christian church should be a healthy, vibrant, and active church that shares, nurtures, and teaches its doctrinal convictions. Each church should actively disciple and help mature its members and attract seekers and un-churched Christians. It should be a “lighthouse for Christ” that is characterized by:
1) Preaching and teaching of Biblically sound doctrine.
The whole Bible is the inerrant Word of God, not only the part of Scripture we agree with and/or we like. We need to teach doctrine as well as obedience to all of God’s commands. We should not come to church just to feel good. We should not avoid messages that ‘might upset people’. Jesus Himself instructed the disciples in the Great Commission to “go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19-20). We all need to be continuously thought the whole Bible so we can mature in our faith and become more like Christ.
2) Supporting, promoting and practicing discipleship.
Being a Christian does not end when we leave church on Sunday. We all know that. But we also know how easy it is to be pulled into the secular world around us. Therefore we need a lot of focus on discipleship in the church as well as at home through Bible studies, prayer meetings, and accountability partnerships.
3) Leadership by God-fearing, Biblically-qualified men.
Our churches need now and in the future men to lead the congregation with a Biblical worldview, selected using the requirements laid out in 1 Timothy 3, Titus 1 and 1 Peter 5 (and not because they might attract larger crowds and/or are more entertaining).
4) Practicing discipline.
We all make mistakes, we’re all still sinners. People who commit to be members of a church willingly submit themselves to being accountable to the church leadership. There are people in every church that struggle, or even have given in to, sin. It is the responsibility of the leadership to address this sin and if it cannot be corrected, to remove the sinner. That is what the Bible teaches. That is what God commands again and again. If we allow habitual sin to go unchecked in the congregation, we all become used to it and we slide faster and faster towards immorality. Please do not forget that most of the New Testament consists of letters written by the apostles to Christians with the purpose of rebuking and correcting them!
It is time for all of us to wake up and start walking as Jesus did (1 John 2:6)!
About the Author
Rob VandeWeghe is a skeptic turned Christian by studying the evidence for Christianity. More articles like this by Rob are available at
www.WindmillMinistries.org
You can also view and order Rob’s new book on the evidences called
Prepared to Answer
. Enjoy and research hundreds of pages of figures, facts, finds and features.
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Church Music for Children Year One Older Elementary Student Book Fall/ $9.95 Church Music for Children Year One Older Elementary Student Book Fall/ |
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Fall $21.5 What happens to leaves during fall? Read this book to find out what happens in the fall. Books in this series introduce children to the four seasons. Each book uses simple, repetitive text to teach children basic vocabulary, and includes stunning photographs to show the changes that take place during each season. In Fall, children learn about typical autumn activities and changes in the natural world. |
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Seasonal Activities: Fall $19.99 Multi-tasking is for students, too! They can complete standards-based lessons while celebrating the season and decorating the classroom! The book provides six units of study: All About Me, Apples, Forest Animals, Leaves, Monarch Butterflies, and Pumpkins. Each unit includes reproducible patterns, activities, minibooks, and journal pages. Many of these same items are also available in full color on the CD that comes with the book. As children complete the activities, their finished work can be displayed in the classroom, and their progress in developmental skills can be assessed. |
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Children’s Activities for the Christian Year $15 “Provides activities designed for elementary children. Chapters include information about liturgical seasons, their origin and meaning; an introduction to symbols and colors; learning activities including art, writing, crafts, drama, stories and music; active games; reproducibles including puzzles, litanies, songs, and reading; and worship suggestions. Themes include: Sunday (mini-Easters), Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Season After Epiphany, Ash Wednesday, Lent and Holy Week, Eastertide, Pentecost, and other special days. Includes reproducible handouts for Sunday school and Children’s Church.” |
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Children’s Worship Activities, Year 3 $14.13 Children’s Worship Activities is an annual resource of lectionary-based reproducible activity sheets for children to use during the worship hour. Each sheet contains a Bible story, an activity for younger children (for example, a coloring page or simple maze), and one or more activities for elementary-age children. Can also be used as gifts to children who are ill or who have missed church or Sunday school. |
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Children’s Worship Activities Year 3 $19.47 Children’s Worship Activities is an annual resource of lectionary-based reproducible activity sheets for children to use during the worship hour. Each sheet contains a Bible story, an activity for younger children (for example, a coloring page or simple maze), and one or more activities for elementary-age children. Can also be used as gifts to children who are ill or who have missed church or Sunday school. |
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26 Children Sermons with Activities $8.31 With a scripture passage, object for sharing, suggestions for presentation and follow-up, and hands-on activities and experiences, each of Hammer’s 26 original and imaginative sermons in The Singing Bowl follow the order of the church and liturgical year with a progressive Christian perspective that places an emphasis on respecting the dignity and individuality of each child. |
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40 Children’s Sermons with Activities $9.62 This book is a collection of children’s stories or lessons whose topics generally follow the church year beginning in September and ending with Pentecost. An overall aim throughout the stories is to lift up the Divine Image that is planted within each child in order to promote equality, justice, and the inherent worth and dignity of all children. |
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Children’s Scripture Puzzles: Reproducible Activities and Family Discussion for Sundays through the Church Year (Cycle A) $39.95 Children’s Scripture Puzzles: Reproducible Activities and Family Discussion for Sundays through the Church Year (Cycle A) |
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Creative Activities In Church Education $2.49 Creative Activities In Church Education |