Parish Church Light Party

Feeling a bit spaced out after the Parish Church Light Party this evening - well I say spaced out that is because we went into space.  The theme for the evening was space so children came in space costumes (adults too I might add).  We had a great time with the children as they enjoyed doing space related craft activities and then eating extra jumbo out of this world hot dogs.  They watched a short drama too about Jed the young space adventurer who ignored the rules and got himself lost in space, only to have Mission Control send him the Return Home Signal - this was linked to the Lost Son parable Jesus told which I then linked to Jesus saying he is the way as well as the light of the world quotes from John.  I had a great time and I hope and pray that the children did too, thanks to Emily the children and family worker at the Parish for putting it together.

BX NT4 Low Furness School

This afternoon it was lesson 4 of Bible Explorer New Testament.  It was the stories relating to the start of the church following the day of Pentecost.  So I covered the story of Stephen, Philip, Saul/Paul on the road to Damascus, ending with Peter and Cornelius.  Several of the children helped out in telling the stories too by reading from a little script.  Next time we will be looking at the journeys Paul goes on which spread the gospel even further.

Flookburgh School

This morning I went down to Flookburgh School to do the first assembly of the new school year.  It seemed a bit strange as we haven't seen the children for such a long time.  To start the assembly of we sang So Many Ways to Praise the Lord.  Then I asked the children  how they would say or tell someone they loved them, a number of suggestions came back, like get them a gift, send a card, tell them etc.  I then asked how do we tell God we love him - by prayer came back the answer.  It was this I wanted to talk about.  I explained that I was going to teach them a way to pray using just a tea spoon, but before I did I told them about how different people pray, like on their knees, in the quiet of the bedroom, up a mountain, in church etc.  I also told them about Jesus' disciples asking him how to pray and from that came the Lord's Prayer - which was up on the wall in the hall.  I reminded them that I was going to teach them how to pray with a teaspoon but not just yet.  I also told the story of the Pharisee and the tax collector and how the Pharisee looked down upon the tax collector and used big words and a loud voice so that everyone could hear him, but the tax collector bowed his head and quietly said sorry for what he had done wrong.  Now to the spoon but first - I asked who like to cook and bake - hands went up - good what is the letters used in a recipe to say use a teaspoon - tsp came the answer.  it was the tsp that I was going to use - t = thank you we should start our prayers of thanking God for what he has given us and praising him for what he has done, I drew a link back to the song So Many Ways... next s=sorry we should say sorry to God for the things we have done wrong and I gave a few examples like falling out with a friend, saying something not nice to someone then finally p=please we can ask God for things - that isn't to say we ask for silly things like money - but things we might need help with, or for people who might be ill.  To finish we sang I Love You then I closed with a prayer using tsp.

Lindale School

This morning Sarah and I went down to Lindale School to do an assembly.  We had been asked to do something as an alternative to Halloween like having a pumpkin with a heart in it instead of a ghoulish face.  So to start the assembly we sang God Can do Anything, then I asked the children a question and displayed it on the screen - Do you want to see a really scary picture? - the children reacted with a big yes - Sarah (knowing what was coming) questioned my suggestion and talked a bit about movie's with U PG 12 12A 15 and 18 ratings - I suggested that the picture might be worse than an 18.  The children still wanted to see it!  So I asked the teachers - there were a few heads shaking and then I say OK here it is - as I switched the slide over there was a picture of .......me!!! followed by a big ARRRRRRRRH!  The next slide was black and I talked about how in this country we do go about at this time of year doing trick or treat and go out to frighten and scare people and think of dark things.  I also said that parents wouldn't or shouldn't allow children to watch things on the television that might scare them.  Sarah then said that in this country we do this stuff for fun, but there are places in the world where children live in fear every night, for them a night of fright is every night.  They live in war zones, have been forced to move out of their homes and live in shelters made from plastic sheets and cardboard.  Their world is very dark.  So Sarah encouraged the children to think and pray about these children as they carve their pumpkins this year.  She also mentioned World Vision who are encouraging people to carve a heart this year and text money to help people who live in fear check out their website here

http://www.worldvision.org.uk/get-involved/carve-heart/pumpkin-carving/

there is also a YouTube clip here to watch

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgKAl3S887U   

I linked this with the words of Jesus when he said I am the light of the world John 8:12 and encouraged the children to carve a heart and get a parent to text money to help.  I then displayed a pumpkin carved with a heart and another slide saying 'so let's turn this night of fright into a night of light'  because when we do we Shine God's love from the inside out - cue song.  After the song Sarah closed with a prayer.

Croftlands Infants School

This morning Sarah and I went with Lisa Smith to do the assembly for Operation Christmas Child at Croftlands Infants School.  After singing God's Love is Bigger than a Burger, Lisa showed the SKY tv ad which uses the characters from the movie Inside Out.  They all live inside a little girls head - there are things like joy, disgust, sadness, anger etc, they are trying to help the girl do some homework but the internet is down.  Lisa linked these emotions to us by asking if we ever feel like this.  She continued that with things happening in the world today it might be that we feel some of them now.  But there was joy and she made things better.  When we fill a shoe box we can help to change a persons emotions from something not good to joy.  I then explained about what to fill a shoe box with and then what happens to it once it is handed in.  Sarah then asked the children if they would like to see a video of children opening their boxes so we played Love in a Box.  Then Sarah close with a prayer.

Croftlands Junior School

This morning Sarah and I along with Lisa Smith did an Operation Christmas Child assembly for the children at Croftlands Juniors.  To start the assembly off we sang God's Love is Bigger than A Burger, then Lisa displayed the SKY tv advert which features some of the characters in the new Inside Out movie.  The characters represent different emotions inside a girls head, like anger, fear sadness, joy etc.  The point was we are not selling SKY tv but the things that the characters felt are real and are the same as we feel at times.  We can feel angry when we see and hear things on the TV but the key in the advert was joy she was the one that make a difference.  And we too can make a difference by filling a shoe box full of goodies and sending it to children who really need to have that love and joy in their lives.  I then went on to explain what sort of things you can put into a shoe box and about what happens to it on it's journey to the child.  To finish off we showed the Love in a Box video showing children opening their shoe boxes and the joy they felt.  Sarah then closed with a prayer.

BX NT3 Low Furness School

This afternoon I have been with the children in year 5 and 6 at Low Furness School doing the third lesson of New Testament Bible Explorer.  This lesson covers the last few days of Jesus' life on earth as well as other great stories such as the lost sheep, coin and son.  It also has the story of Lazarus being raised from the dead and Zacchaeus.  The children joined in as we acted out various parts of these stories like Jesus in the temple clearing out the money changers and those selling animals.  We covered the last supper story too then on to the final hours of his life as he was handed over to be crucified.  It would have been a sad place to stop but we continued on into Easter Sunday and Jesus' tomb being empty and him risen from the dead.  Next week we move on into Acts of the Apostles and the start of the church.

Leven Valley School

This morning Sarah and I went down to Leven Valley School for the assembly.  After singing So Many Ways to Praise the Lord I asked the children how you would tell someone that you loved them.  I got a number of really good answers like talking to them, giving a gift, hugging them, email and text, write to them, send a card etc.  I then asked how we tell God that we love him - by praying to him came the answer.  I then went on to talk a bit about prayer and how I was taught to pray when I was younger, and how some people say that you only pray in church.  But I said that you can pray in loads of different ways like in your bedroom, in church, on a mountain side in fact anywhere.  I told the story of the two men that Jesus talked about that prayed in the temple one was a Pharisee the other a tax collector.  The Pharisee used big words and mocked the tax collector which wasn't and isn't the right thing to do.  I also said that Jesus' disciples asked him how they should pray and out of that came the Lord's Prayer.  I explained to the children that I was going to show them a way to pray using - and I pulled out a tea spoon.  This brought a laugh but I asked them if they knew what the shortened letters were for a teaspoon in a recipe - tsp.  So using the letters t - we say thank you to God for something and praise him, s - to say sorry for the things we have done that are wrong and p - to ask him please for things like helping us in a test, or pray for someone who is ill.  We then sang I Love You and I closed with a tsp prayer followed by the Lord's Prayer.

Our Lady's School

This morning Sarah and I did an Operation Christmas Child assembly for the children at Our Lady's school.  To start off we sang God's Love is Bigger than a Burger then Sarah started to talk about the movie Inside Out which has little people inside the head of a girl and they help to control her they are her emotions.  We showed the SKY tv ad which features these characters to explain that we can all feel angry, sad, disgusted at times but it is joy that we should be feeling.  This linked with the shoe boxes in that the children can help to bring joy to a child that doesn't have very much by filling a shoe box.  I then explained what to do in filling the box and talked about how the shoe box gets to a child in need.  To finish off we showed the video Love in a Box which is about children getting their boxes and opening them.  Sarah then closed with a prayer.

Broughton School

This morning I went over to Broughton School to do an Operation Christmas Child assembly.  After singing God's Love is Bigger than a Burger I talked a little about the movie Inside Out by first showing the SKY tv ad.  The movie has people inside a child's head that control her emotions there are things like anger, sadness, joy disgust. I wanted to focus on just one of them joy.  I explained to the children that with events happening in the world today it is possible that we have some of the same emotions that the girl has in here head like anger and things but we can make a difference by filling a shoe box full of gifts we can bring joy into a child's life.  I went on to explain how that can be done and what can be put into a shoe box and then explained what happens to it after the children hand it in.  To finish off I showed the Love in a Box video of children opening their boxes and seeing the joy on their faces.  I closed the assembly with a prayer.

St Peters

This morning Sarah and I went to do an Operation Christmas Child assembly at St Peters school.  To start the assembly we sang God's love is bigger than a burger then Sarah talked to the children about the movie Inside Out.  She then showed the SKY tv ad which features the characters from the movie.  The ad has nothing to do with shoe boxes but demonstrates some of the emotions through the characters that we have like sadness, joy, anger.  Sarah said though she wanted to focus on joy and about how we can bring joy to a child this Christmas time simply by filling a shoe box.  I then continued and explained how to fill a shoe box with the various things that a child might like to receive.  I went on to say what happens to the box once it is collected from the school.  To close off the assembly we showed the video Love in a Box which shows the joy on the faces of the children when they open their boxes.  Sarah then closed with a prayer.

Low Furness School

This morning I went to Low Furness School to take the assembly.  The theme for this week was Love and Prayer.  So after singing So Many Ways to Praise the Lord I asked the question how do we tell someone that we love them.  A number of hands went up and loads of good answers came back like telling them, emailing, phone call, write to them, give a gift, a hug do something for them - I then asked how do we tell God we love him.  This got the answer by praying to him.  I then went on to explain how I was taught in school and church to pray by kneeling on the floor, hands together and eyes closed - which is good.   This led to asking where can we pray - in private like the bed room, in church, up a mountain - anywhere really.  I told the children that Jesus' disciples asked him how to pray and as a result we now have the Lord's Prayer.  On another occasion Jesus told a parable about a Pharisee and a Tax Collector, the Pharisee boasted about how he was not like the Tax Collector and about how good he was, while the Tax Collector said sorry to God and asked for forgiveness.  I wanted to tell the children one way they could pray to God which was simple - the teaspoon prayer.  The tsp which is the shortened name for a teaspoon I explained can remind us to first t say thank you to God for what he has done for us and to praise him (there are so many ways we can praise the Lord), then the s - saying sorry to God for things we have done that are wrong and finally p - asking God please for something not money or stuff like that though.  Then to finish we sang I Love You and at the end I said a prayer using the tsp as an example.

Church Walk Primary School OCC Assembly

This morning Sarah and I along with Lisa Smith went to Church Walk Primary School to do an Operation Christmas Child assembly.  After introducing ourselves (not that we really needed to) we sang God's Love is Bigger than a Burger.  After this Lisa did her talk about joy based on the movie Inside Out and relating it to the SKY tv ad which features some of the characters.  This led to me talking about what to put into a shoe box and talking about what happens when we collect them.  Sarah then talked about the joy children feel as they open the boxes linking back to what Lisa was saying.  We then showed the Love in a Box film clip before Sarah finished the assembly with a prayer.

Captain Shaw Primary School

This morning Sarah and I travelled over to Captain Shaw Primary School in Bootle to do an Operation Christmas Child assembly.  To start off we sang God's Love is Bigger than a Burger then Sarah talked a little bit about the movie Inside Out and about the characters in the movie, to remind the children who some of them were we played the Sky tv ad which features them.  She then focused on the different emotions anger, sad, Joy etc and talked about each one of them but said she wanted to mainly focus on Joy as that is a great emotion to have.  The Joy character was very joyful and Sarah explained that we can help to bring joy into a child's life by filling a shoe box with goodies.  I then explained how to do it and what happens to them once they are filled.  To finish with I showed the Love in a Box film clip.  Sarah then continued and encouraged the children to have a go again this year as last she they returned 100%+ as every child did one.  She explained that when we do that we can shine from the inside out cue for a song.  after the song she closed the assembly with a prayer.

BX NT2 Low Furness

This afternoon I was at Low Furness School with the year 5/6  class doing the second lesson of Bible Explorer New Testament.  I couldn't go last week due to having a bad back so I did a big recap of the first weeks stories and hand signs.  The children had remembered them very well which was great.  Today we heard stories form the gospels about the early part of Jesus' ministry like talking to Nicodemus and the women at the well in Samaria.  I also explained about parables and retold the parable of the sower.  The children heard also  about some of the things Jesus did - healing people, calming the storm, feeding the 5000.  We ended the lesson with Peter proclaiming who Jesus is and then once again putting his foot in it during the transfiguration.  Next week we will by the end of the lesson concluded the earthly life of Jesus having covered that story in depth and others along the way.

Croftlands Juniors

This morning Sarah and I went to do our first assembly of the new school year to Croftlands Juniors.  We only had the year 5 and 6 children in as the years 3 and 4 had gone swimming.  We decided to do our harvest assembly so to start we sang So Many Ways to Praise the Lord.  We then displayed some clocks with different times on them and asked the children what time it was - now they all could all tell the time but the point was what time of day it was like get up, start school, have lunch, go home.  Sarah talked a little about time then we played the 1 minute game so when they thought 1 minute was up they stood up.  This linked to an apple with a seed in it so I asked what or who tells the seed when to grow, I displayed the cycle seed, small plant, tree, bud, flower, apple , seed etc and explained that God is the one who determined that the apple would produce seed way back in Genesis.  I displayed the following verses for the children to think about - Genesis 1:11Then God said, "Let the earth grow grass, plants that make grain, and fruit trees. The fruit trees will make fruit with seeds in it. And each plant will make its own kind of seed. Let these plants grow on the earth." And it happened. Genesis 8:22 As long as the earth continues, there will always be a time for planting and a time for harvest. There will always be cold and hot, summer and winter, day and night on earth."  Ecclesiastes 3:1-2 There is a right time for everything, and everything on earth will happen at the right time. There is a time to be born and a time to die. There is a time to plant and a time to pull up plants. I went on to say that at this time of year we start to think about all the good things that God gives to us it is harvest time.  Sarah continued to emphasis this point and said that God provides so much for us and is a great big God that holds us in his hands - cue song.  After the song I closed with a prayer.

St Mary's Catholic Primary School

This morning Lisa Smith and I did an Operation Christmas Child assembly for the children at St Mary's in Ulverston.  We started the assembly by singing God's Love is Bigger than a Burger, then Lisa did a talk about our emotions.  To help get the point over Lisa used the latest Sky Tv ad which has some of the characters from Inside Out the movie in it.  The girl is wanting to use the computer on the internet but it is too slow, the emotions all react in a different way, Worry stresses about it, Anger becomes angry, Sad looks on the dark side and is very sad however Joy looks for the brighter option - in this case Sky broadband.  This was linked to how we can sometimes feel when we face situations, and in some case's can't see how to get through them like bad stuff that happens in the world.  However we can bring Joy to someone by filling a simple shoe box with gifts for a child that might never have been given a gift.  I then explained how to go about it and what to put into a shoe box.  Then told the children what happens to them once we collect them, this does bring a laugh as they see elephants carrying packing cases of shoe boxes.  I then show the Love in a Box film and ask the children to see the Joy on the children's faces as they open their box.  To close Lisa prayed.

Pennington School

Today we did our first assembly of the new school year at Pennington School.  It was an Operation Christmas Child assembly too and Lisa Smith our co worker came along with us too.  After saying hello and singing God's love is bigger than a burger, Lisa introduced the idea of putting items into a shoe box by showing the SKY tv advert which features the characters from the movie Inside Out.  The characters represent a child's different emotions and depending upon how they react to situations will determine how the child reacts.  There is Angry, Joy, Sad, Worry etc.  The one that Lisa wanted to focus on was Joy.  This is the emotion that we feel when something good happens like receiving a present from someone, it is the same with the shoe box when a child in a far off country gets a box filled with goodies joy is what they feel.  After Lisa had finished I then explained what to put into the shoe box and explained what happens to it on it's journey to a child.  We then showed the Love in a Box Video showing the reaction of the children as they opened up their shoe boxes. Lisa then closed the assembly with a prayer.

Penny Bridge Academy

Today we did our first assembly of the new school year at Penny Bridge Academy.  It was also our first Operation Christmas Child assembly of the season and Lisa Smith our co worker came along with us too.  After saying hello and singing God's love is bigger than a burger, Lisa introduced the idea of putting items into a shoe box by showing the SKY tv advert which features the characters from the movie Inside Out.  The characters represent a child's different emotions and depending upon how they react to situations will determine how the child reacts.  There is Angry, Joy, Sad, Worry etc.  The one that Lisa wanted to focus on was Joy.  This is the emotion that we feel when something good happens like receiving a present from someone, it is the same with the shoe box when a child in a far off country gets a box filled with goodies joy is what they feel.  After Lisa had finished I then explained what to put into the shoe box and explained what happens to it on it's journey to a child.  We then sang another song and Sarah closed the assembly with a prayer.