Low Furness School

Today saw us agian at Low Furness School. We took Gary with us and the children responded well to his silly behaviour as they learnt the real meaning of Christmas. Gary could not understand why the big present Sarah had which look great and said on the label the best present of all - was infact an empty box. Until Sarah pointed out to him that the empty box was cross shaped. She reminded the children that Jesus was God's gift to us on earth and that Jesus died for all sins - so He is the greatest present ever given.

We are taking a break for Christmas now but will be back doing assemblies in the New Year.

We would like to wish all our friends and supporters a very Happy Christmas with all of God's Blessings for the New Year.

Mark and Sarah

Croftlands Infant School - Christmas Assembly

Today saw us once agian at the Infant school. It is such a delight and a pleasure to enter into the school with all the children getting excitted to see us, and more so today as we took along Gary. The nursary children also came to join us today which was great. Gary was his usual funny self as he mis-understood the meaning of Christmas. Sarah pointing out to him that it is not all about big presents but a tiny baby in a stable born to be the Savior of all. The assembly was finished off with a couple of action songs their favourite - Our God is a Great Big God and their other favourite Inright, Outright.

Tomorrow is our last Christmas assembly and last assembly for the year.

Mark

12th and 13th December - a Busy Weekend

What a bust week end we have had. On Saturday we were over in Millom for their Christmas Festival. Between 12 and 2pm we managed to do two magic shows and on both occasions gave a Christian message to the on lookers. The first crowd had to be sort out from among the people which is always a hard task to do but the second crowd were left over from a school choir that had sang just before us. Bertie the Clown performed a number of magic tricks (despite the very cold temperature) and involved a number of members of the crowd adults included. Towards the end of each performance I (Bertie) said that they had watched a free magic show and been entertained and I asked them to listen a little longer to a Christian message. Some people walked away but the second crowd did not, which was encouraging to see. Each time I mentioned Christian, Jester for Jesus or something, someone cheered from the crowd. As well as people from the crowd saying it was what Millom needed to hear.

Today Sunday we have been away over on Walney preaching God's word at Spring Mount. Again a very enjoyable time. Sarah and I told a modern day version of the Lost Son from Luke 15 and I then went on to preach about the Love God has for us in Jesus.

This coming week we will be in schools agian doing our final two Christmas assemblies to Low Furness and Croftlands Infant school.

Mark

Christmas Assemblies

This seems rather late as I have been so busy ... But last week we did the first of our Christmas Assemblies at Croftlands Junior School. The children got very excited to see us particularly when they saw the puppet stage and realised that Gary was coming. Gary as usual got the whole Christmas thing wrong and had a very, very long present list, that grew and grew as more children shouted out things for the list. We then explained to the children the true meaning of advent and Christmas by opening one of our special presents which had nothing in it despite a label that said the Greatest Present of All. The box then fell apart to show a cross. Which is the whole reason for the season.

The same assembly was also done on Thursday up at Windermere Junior School. The children welcomed us very warmly and great a very enthusiastic response when we asked them could we come back. So we are looking forward to 2010 when we can visit them again.

We don't have any assemblies this week but we have two next week one at Low Furness and the other at Croftlands Infant School. However on Saturday we are going over to Millom to a Christmas Market were we are introducing the people over there to Bertie the Clown.

Please continue to pray for us in the work we are doing over this Christmas time.

Mark

Low Furness School Assembly

What a joy it is to walk into a school on a Monday morning and see the children's bright smiley face's and to get the reaction 'oh cool Mark and Sarah' and 'great Sarah and Mark' and others very similar. Yesterday we did the Good Samaritan story from the children's bible, Sarah read out the story while I encouraged children from all year groups to play the parts of the people in the story. We have in the past during our fundays told a modern day version of the story and had the children dress up as a nurse, police man and a rock star celeb. and the good samaritan as a teenage hoody, with the action taking place on a train. However as time is short during assemblies we just improvised yesterday. I then linked the story into helping others particularly as lots of people around us and in the town have been hit by the floods. Sarah finished the assembly (as I was due at school) with Great Big God.

Next week as we enter into December and the season of advent we start our Christmas assemblies. I am still making the main prop I need for those assemblies so I pray that I'll get time to finish it in time (I've been doing a bit of supply teaching this week).

Other news we have been asked to go over to Millom to take part in a Christmas market (dressed as Bertie the Clown) to entertain the crowds. It is a secular event but the pastor of one of the church's over there has asked us to go. I will drop in a little Christian message along the way, showing the true meaning of Christmas.

That our news for now.

Mark and Sarah

Croftlands Infant School Assembly

Tuesday we had another great time sharing God's word with the infants of Croftlands school. We introduced them to a new song 'Be Happy' and then sang their all time favourite 'Our God is a great big God' To see the children jumping up and down as we sing is a sight indeed to behold. When Jesus said in His word let the children come to me... how it must gladden his heart also to see the children singing in this way, particularly in a world that is tending to do away with "worship" in schools. I pray that both Sarah and I will be able to continue this work long into the future.

Mark

Low Furness School

It has been such a busy week this week I haven't had time to write this following our assembly on Monday at Low Furness School. Again the children recieved us with great joy as I wearing some dark glasses went round the room talking about how dark everything was. Someone eventually told me to take off the dark glasses (thank you Sarah) after which I explained to the children that we sometimes walk about in the dark or wearing what seems like dark glasses. I then read them the verse from John which Jesus says He is the light of the world. And then explain to the children what that means for us today. We closed the assembly with a good old sing of Hey Diddle Diddle which went down a storm with all the children.

I am currently working on something for Christmas (hence the reason why I'm busy) which will be used in our Christmas assemblies at the start of December.

Mark

Croftlands Junior School

Today we were back at Croftlands Junior school. It is a great joy to be welcomed by the staff and particularly the children with such things as 'is Gary coming?' 'great' and shouts of 'yes' when the children see us. Following on from halloween we decided to talk about Jesus the light of the world, and I did an illustration about what it is like to wear dark glasses and be grumpy all the time but with Jesus the one who lights up our way everything is better. The children responded very well to us again particularly when we started to sing the Holy Washing Machine song. What a privilege it is to be able to share the gospel message with anyone but particularly with children as they can have their whole life in front of them with Jesus lighting up their way.

Please continue to pray for the work we are doing in the schools in Ulverston.

Mark

Highlights Party on Croftlands

Last night 31st October our church put on a Highlights Party as an alternative to halloween. We had a great time with fun, games and a talking light production. We were able to witness to 19 children and some of their families about Jesus, the light of the world. (John 8:12) The picture on the left is the lit up sign that Mark made to place on top of his car and it shone out for all to see as they wandered around the estate trick or treating. A group of children knocked on the community centre door to 'trick or treat' and were happy to accept our tract explaining that halloween is a big trick and that Jesus is a real treat.

Sarah

Croftlands Infant School Harvest

Yesterday Sarah and I had the chance to lead the assembly at the infant school. As I was a little rushed for time we decided not to take the video projector and computer. As the children are only infants I wasn't sure if the children would remember the words to Our God is a Great Big God - fear not the sang out with all the breath it was great. We then did a little talk with Scruff the Dog about harvest or as Scruff got it wrong it was A Vest - which he had wrapped up and given to Sarah with the words happy A Vest time!! (say it quick it sounds better) Sarah then put Scruff right before reading the children the feeding the 5000 story from the childrens bible. We then tried another song Inright Outright which they soon picked up and again sang out with gusto. They are such a blessing to us - and as I think on what God has done over the last few months and how we are now getting into schools I just want to praise Him all the more and tell everyone about Him, including the people at school I work with.

Mark

One Way UK Training Event

Sarah and I along with the girls had a brilliant weekend down at my parents. One Way UK were putting on a training event and praise party at their church. My dad and I went to training event earlier in the year and felt it was really good, so my dad set up his own puppet team and invited One Way UK to come over to help train them. It was a great opportunity for us to tell people about our ministry and to do some valuable networking. There was also the chance to look round the shop they bring at new material as well as puppets and my special interest magic tricks. The praise party in the evening was a two hour puppet led fun time of worship. A real up lift for us as a family.

Mark

Croftlands Junior School Harvest Assembly

Another successful assembly at the Junior school yesterday, which saw all the children joining in the fun as Scruff the dog got confussed about Harvest. The children also joined in happily with the two songs we sang as well, despite one of them being a new one to them. Our prayer will be that God will continue His work through us to reach out into the community of Croftlands and beyond.

Mark

Low Furness Harvest

Today we have been at Low Furness School again. We introduced the children to Scruff the Dog, and gave them a harvest message with a difference before singing a Miss. Patty Cake song about fruit and veggies. We had some children up at the front doing actions to the song and the rest of the school doing a Ho-down dance. God is continuing to bless us in the work we are doing. Today I was called and asked to do a lesson of supply cover at my school which I couldn't do due to the assembly, but God has blessed us in that I have been called in for 2 lessons tomorrow! God is good - all the time.

Mark

THE FRIDAYS

Well it took 5 pizza's, 2 tubs of ice cream and over 6 litres of fizzy pop and THE FRIDAYS began. Tonight saw the first meeting of our youth group which they have named THE FRIDAYS. Nine children from year 6 to year 9 met at our house for pizza (lots of it) and a film (not that much film watching took place). But both Sarah and I felt the meeting went well and was well recieved by the parents also. Please continue to pray for this new group and for us as leaders so that we can direct the children the way God wants us to direct them.

Mark

Face Book

Jester for Jesus ministries now has a spot on face book and people can become fans of it. I hope to be able to use it as another way of communicating what we are doing just like our blog does. Not that I know how to use face book yet!

Mark

Kidzone

This afternoon Sarah and I ran our Kidzone group, which is part of our Church - Croftlands Community Church. We were both encouraged again this week with more new children. The assemblies we have done in the two local schools seem to be pulling in the children PRAISE THE LORD. Also today we have delivered 16 or more letters to the children of year 6 and upwards that we have had contact with during the past year or so either via Kidzone or Holiday Club. the aim is to form them together as a youth group meeting once a month to start with for social type events. This is a new venture for us as a couple and as JFJ as we normally only work with children upto year 6 -age 11. Both Sarah and I feel that there is now a work to be done with these older children some of whom we have known for 5 or more years. So pray for us in this stepping out of our normal role into the new role.

Continue to pray for us and our ministry as we continue to sow seeds to both children and young people.

Mark

Croftlands Infant school

Croftlands Infant school.

Today we did our first assembly at the school and the children loved Gary as well as the songs we sang, so much so at the end one of the teachers asked us to sing Our God is a great big God again. Also they asked us to talk a bit about Kidzone as well. Sarah and I have thoroughly enjoyed this first round of assemblies and will look forward to the next round in October. Praise God that we have been given this unqiue opportunity to spread His word in this special way.

Mark

Low Furness School

Sarah and I had another successful assembly today this time at Low Furness School. Gary was on top form (as usual) and the children loved him. we gave them the message that everyone of us is special no matter what shape or size we are. Then we sang Touch a finger, touch a thumb which everyone joined in with including the teachers.

JFJ Ministries update

17th September

Hi

Just a short word to say what we are up to. Sarah and I have been to see the headteachers of Croftlands Junior and Infant schools as well as Low Furness. They have all agreed to us going in and taking assemblies. We go into the Croftlands schools once a month at first and into Low Furness once every two weeks. This has been a real answer to prayer for us as we have longed for many years to do God's work in the primary schools. Next Monday and Tuesday we have two more assemblies to do.

Mark