Monday 14 October 2019

Priory Day

To has been Priory Day at Cartmel Priory and Sarah and I had been asked to front the event which had year 5 and 6 children from 6 local primary schools attending - there was over 130 children plus staff at the event.  The theme this year was about storing treasures in heaven and not on earth.  For our part we did an assembly style start to the morning when the children arrived, during this time we watched a video about the theme.  Then Sarah and I led the drama workshop where we read the story through again with the children and encouraged them to make a freeze frame of various scenes from the story.  We then build on the treasures in heaven bit during morning break time, then again at lunch time and also before the children left.  The children did other activities as well such as singing workshop, craft, prayer space, games and a treasure hunt moving round each one during the day.  All in all I feel we had a good day with the children.

Friday 11 October 2019

NT BX Low Furness School

On Thursday afternoon I was once again at Low Furness School working with the year 5 and year 6 classes doing New Testament Bible Explorer.  It was the last lessons of the series which focused on the work of Paul and the spread of the gospel message across Asia and into Europe and finished with Paul in Rome.  I covered each of the missionary journeys Paul went on (briefly we could spend weeks on them otherwise) and some of the main events that happened like his imprisonment in Philippi and the ship wreck on his way to Rome.  I explained that the events are all recorded in Acts and that it doesn't say what happened to Paul in the end but history records that he died in prison.  But what he had done in his life time in taking the gospel message to the gentiles has had a lasting impact on the world, so much so that about 300 years after the events Rome made Christianity it's main religion and that is why we know about it here today.

Our Lady's School

On Thursday morning I went to do the assembly at Our Lady's School, it was the first visit since the start of the new school year and it was lovely to see all the children and staff again.  I started by asking who liked getting new things which led onto me talking about being in a new class with a new teacher and getting new books.  I then told the story of Zacchaeus and how having met with Jesus he became a new person.  After the story I made a reference back to new books and explained that in a book if we make a mistake we can turn over a new page and start again.  I said that all of us at some time in our lives make mistakes and if we do as Zacchaeus did - say sorry we too can start a new.  We then sang So Many Ways to Praise the Lord after which I finished with a prayer.

Wednesday 9 October 2019

Dalton St Mary's School

This morning Sarah and I went to do the assembly at Dalton St Mary's School.  It was our first visit of the new school year and it was great to see all the children and the staff again after such a long time.  It was good to see all the new little ones as well.  Sarah started the assembly by asking about new things and went on to explain that I was going to tell a Bible story from the New Testament about a man... I started by saying what the man did that is he was a liar, a thief and a cheat who happened to work for the Romans - I did explain that the Romans ran the country where Jesus lived as they also ran our country many years ago at about the same time.  So this man was a Liar, a thief and a cheat who worked for the Romans collecting tax's - again I paused to explain that paying tax is not a bad thing to do but this man in the story took too much money.  Now one day Jesus was going to pass through the town where this man lived and Zacchaeus (that was his name) wanted to see him - well so did the rest of the town of Jericho where Zacchaeus lived but because he was a liar, a thief and a cheat worked for the Romans collecting tax's plus he was a vey short man he couldn't get his way to the front of the crowd.  Now as Jesus had come into the town through the top gate of the town he would have to go through  the bottom gate and Zacchaeus knew this.  So while the crowd all looked one way and shouted Jesu' name he went the other way and climbed up a tree and waited thinking no-one will see me in the tree.  Wrong Jesus did and asked him to come down as he wanted to go to his house for tea.  As Jesus and Zacchaeus went off the crowd started to complain why would Jesus want to go to the house for tea of someone who is a liar, a thief and a cheat that works for the Romans collecting tax's - they all followed and waited outside, some tried to look through the door, others peered through the cracks in the door. Then Jesus came out with Zacchaeus who looked at the faces in the crowd and said sorry for what he had done and he had decided to give half his wealth away and to pay back 4 times the amount he had cheated people out of.  Jesus announced to the crowd that today Zacchaeus had decided to make a new start.  Sarah then talked about ways in which we can make a new start as each day is a new day and we can put to one side all the things that have happened before and start again.  She also said that we all make mistakes at times and like in the story with Jesus we can start a fresh.  We finished off by singing So Many Ways to Praise the Lord before saying a prayer.

Monday 7 October 2019

Pennington School

This afternoon I was at Pennington School for the assembly.  As it was the first visit of the new school year I asked the children a number of questions that related to new things.  This led into me telling the story of Zacchaeus who having met Jesus decided to make a new start.  I pointed out that Zacchaeus had been a liar, a thief and a cheat and did take too much money of the people in tax's but once he had met Jesus he said sorry and made a new start.  I had earlier asked if the children had got new exercise books so I used the idea of turning over the page onto a new clean sheet to help illustrate the point.  Then we sang So Many Ways to Praise the Lord before I said a prayer to finish.

Friday 4 October 2019

NT BX Low Furness School

On Thursday afternoon I was once again at Low Furness School working with the year 5 and 6 class's doing New Testament Bible Explorer.  The stories this week were all from Acts following Jesus going back up into Heaven and the Holy Spirit coming down.  I talked about the persecution the followers went through and the fact that Stephen was stoned as a follower of Jesus, then there was the hunting down of the followers by Saul.  I also covered the story of Philip, Saul/Paul's conversion story and finally Peters vision which took the gospel to the non Jewish community.  Next week we focus on the work of Paul and his journeys.

Leven Valley School

On Thursday morning I went down to do the assembly at Leven Valley School.  As it was the first visit of the new school year I asked if the children had had a good summer holiday, then I went on to ask if anyone had done anything new over the summer - I had someone who went to a water park and other one had been to Spain and someone went on an aeroplane for the first time.  I then continued by asking about new things at school before asking what the key word was that I kept on using - it was new of course.  I then explained that I was going to tell a story from the New Testament about a man who made a new start following his meeting with Jesus.  The man had been a liar, a thief and a cheat before he met Jesus but afterwards his life was changed - it was of course Zacchaeus.  I went on to say that we too can make a new start if we ever do anything wrong we just have to say sorry and then we can turn over a new leaf like the page of an exercise book.  To finish we sang So Many Ways to Praise the Lord, then I said a prayer.

St Mary's RC School

On Thursday Sarah and I went to do the assembly at St Mary's RC school in Ulverston.  Sarah started by asking about their summer holidays and then went on to ask if anyone had anything new - this led into talking about new class's, new books, new uniform etc.  She then introduced the theme of our story which was about a man who made a new start.  I then told the story of Jesus' meeting with Zacchaeus and how he had been a liar, a thief and a cheat and that once he met with Jesus his life was changed and he made a new start.  Sarah then continued to talk about how we can do just the same sort of thing when for example we make a mistake if like Zacchaeus we say sorry we can start a new.  To finish we sang So Many Ways to Praise the Lord before Sarah finished with a prayer.

Wednesday 2 October 2019

Lindal and Marton School

This morning I went to do the assembly at Lindal and Marton School.  It was the first visit of the new school year so I asked the children some questions about new things, such as who was new to the school, who had a new teacher, a new classroom, new school uniform etc.  I then asked someone to tell me what the key word was 'new' of course.  I then explained that the story I had today was about a man who made a new start and the story is in the New Testament.  I started by saying the man was a liar, a thief and a cheat.  Plus he also worked for the Romans as a collector of tax's.  I did point out why the Romans were in his country and that collecting tax is not a bad thing as it helps to pay for things like in today's world it pays for education, healthcare etc.  So this man was a liar, a thief and a cheat who worked for the Romans collecting tax's he was also a short man - not very tall at all.  His name I said was Zacchaeus.  One day Jesus was passing through the town of Jericho where Zacchaeus lived and the crowds had gathered round to cheer Jesus on and listen to what he had to say.  I did ask if the children had ever been in a large crowd and asked if they got a bit frightened with everyone else pushing them about - I suggested the best place for them would be the front. Well Zacchaeus wanted to be at the front but because he was a liar, a thief and a cheat who worked for the Romans collecting tax's the crowd push him away.  Now Jericho I said had a wall round it and in the wall there were gates so to pass through the town Jesus entered through one gate and would leave through another gate - Zacchaeus knew this and knew which gate Jesus would leave by, so he ran on ahead of the crowd and climbed up into a tree and waited for Jesus to pass by that way he could see him.  Now Zacchaeus thought that being in the tree no-one would see him - wrong Jesus did and when he got to the tree asked him to come down as he wanted to go to his house for some food.  Well the crowd didn't like that at all they thought that Jesus should go to their house instead and not the house of a liar, a thief and a cheat who worked for the Romans collecting tax's.  As Jesus went with Zacchaeus the crowd gathered by the house and wanted to know what was going on, some tried to jump up at the window, others looked through the gaps in the door others listen at the door.  Then Jesus came out with Zacchaeus who looked round at the crowd and said sorry for what he had done and that he was going to give half of his wealth way to the poor and pay back 4 times the amount he had taken form people.  Jesus said that this day Zacchaeus had decided to make a fresh start - a new start.  After telling the story I explained that we should all try to make a new start when every we make a mistake or upset someone, if we say sorry then we can start a new.  Just like opening an exercise book on a new page.  To finish off we sang So Many Ways to Praise the Lord then I said a prayer.

Tuesday 1 October 2019

St Peter's School

This morning Sarah and I went to do the assembly at St Peter's School. It was our first visit of this new school year.  We decided to talk about new things and link it into the story of Zacchaeus and how once he met with Jesus had a new start.  I told the story and stopped a various points to ask the children something or to explain a point about the story.  After the story Sarah talked about how we can all have a new start and that each day is a new day.  We then sang So Many Ways to Praise the Lord before finishing with a prayer followed by the Lord's Prayer.