Faith Formation at Home
While Pilgrim United Church of Christ's Faith Community is staying in their homes,
Marilyn Freeman, Faith Formation Director,
has put together a few resources that families can use to keep their children's faith life growing.
Marilyn Freeman, Faith Formation Director,
has put together a few resources that families can use to keep their children's faith life growing.
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STORY TIME
The author Matthew Paul Turner gave permission on March 17, 2020 on his FaceBook page, for the use of his books: When God Made Light & When God Made the World, in digital format.
To play the video (s), click on the
"White Arrow Inside the Circle." To link a document (s), Just click on the "CAPITALIZED BLUE WORDS."
Lenten BINGO
At-Home Faith Formation Tips
BACKGROUND/EXPLANATION
Faith5 is a simple five-step faith formation practice that your family or household can do together.
(Tip from Faith Formation Ministries; crcna.org/FaithFormation) Lent At-home Faith Formation Tip – April 5, 2020
Spend time in the Easter story this week by engaging with it in a variety of ways. If you have kids in your life, read it and then retell it together as you act it out or use crayons, markers, collage or even Lego's to depict various scenes. With other adults or on your own, read the story out loud several times, pausing in between to reflect and to circle or write down words that stand out for you.
(Tip from Faith Formation Ministries; crcna.org/FaithFormation) Image from: https://pixabay.com/photos/easter-spring-lego-easter-story-4128056/ At-home Faith Formation Tip
Good Friday, April 10, 2020 
Take some time today to reflect on the events of Good Friday. Read the story, and then use questions like these as you wonder about it: What would it be like to be a friend of Jesus that day? How would you feel? What would you do?
(Tip from Faith Formation Ministries; crcna.org/FaithFormation) Image from: https://pixabay.com/photos/cross-good-friday-resurrection-3983452/ At-home Faith Formation Tip
Easter Sunday, April 12, 2020 
Children learn best through story, so create a special time this week to share the Easter story with the kids in your life. Use a picture book like The Garden, the Curtain, and the Cross: The True Story of Why Jesus Died and Rose Again (Good Book Co., 2016), or read stories from Jesus’ ministry, Holy Week, and Easter from a children’s Bible. Show kids that God’s story is full of hope and joy!
(Tip from Faith Formation Ministries; crcna.org/FaithFormation) Image from: https://pixabay.com/photos/empty-tomb-nazareth-israel-3326100/ Lent At-home Faith Formation Tip – March 29, 2020
Hold a modified Seder meal with your family or friends to draw connections between the traditional Jewish Passover meal and the Last Supper. This also provides a wonderful opportunity to teach children about communion and how Jesus asked us to remember him when we celebrate it. Author Ann Voskamp offers Christian seder meal instructions at tinyurl.com/VoskampSeder.
(Tip from Faith Formation Ministries; crcna.org/FaithFormation) Image from: https://www.freeimages.com/photo/matza-for-passover-pessah-25-1194466 Lent At-home Faith Formation Tip – March 22, 2020
As Holy Week nears, create a worship space—a table or corner of a room where you can be intentional about spending time with God this week. For now, decorate it with purple or black cloth, a cross, and other symbols. Then on Easter morning, decorate this space with flowers, butterflies, white and gold cloth, etc. Talk with kids about what these symbols mean. This space can continue as a worship area even after Easter is finished.
(Tip from Faith Formation Ministries; crcna.org/FaithFormation) Image from: https://pixabay.com/photos/passion-cross-good-friday-3111303/ Lent At-home Faith Formation Tip – March 15, 2020
Many Christians practice giving something up for Lent in order to make more space for God. If you have kids in your household, think together about how you might make more space for God this week.
For example, you might take a technology break each day and spend the time reading about Jesus’ life and ministry in The Jesus Storybook Bible or Growing in God’s Love: A Story Bible and talking about the stories together. (Tip from Faith Formation Ministries; crcna.org/FaithFormation) Link to image/order: https://www.amazon.com/Jesus-Storybook-Bible-Every-Whispers/dp/0310708257 Lent At-home Faith Formation Tip – March 14, 2020
In The Common Rule: Habits of Purpose for an Age of Distraction (2019, IVP books), Justin Whitmel Earley suggests eight habits to shape our days.
Daily habits include: prayer at morning, midday, and bedtime; one meal with others; one hour with phone off; and Scripture before phone. Weekly habits include: one hour of conversation with a friend, curate media to four hours, fast from something for 24 hours, and sabbath observance. What habits have you chosen to shape your days? (Tip from Faith Formation Ministries; crcna.org/FaithFormation) |
RESOURCES
Pandemic Hope is from Treasure Box Tuesday by Traci Smith. It is a free resource, Marilyn Freeman, Faith Formation Director, has access to.
Thursday, April 2, 2020
Read Exodus 3:13-22 God gives Moses the right words to say when he is unsure. "I am. I am who I am." God is God, and we are not. Faith Practice: Make a list of all the names for God. Which one is your favorite? Wednesday, April 1, 2020
Read Exodus 3:1-12 It's Moses' encounter with a burning bush. My favorite part is when God asks Moses to remove his sandals because he is standing on holy ground. Since we cannot gather in our usual sanctuaries, where are you finding your "holy ground/sacred space/sanctuary? The place where you pause to pray, worship, reflect, meditate? What speaks to you in this scripture? Faith Practice: Make s'mores! https://christinevhides.com/2016/04/22/smore-prayer-recipe/ If the weather permits, maybe a little campfire for roasting the marshmallows. Tuesday, March 31, 2020
Read Psalm 27 My favorite part of this Psalm is the last verse. "Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord." What do you hear in this scripture? What speaks to you? Faith Practice Sing "This Little Light of Mine" every time you wash your hands today to remind you that God is our Light and our salvation. How can you be a light to others today? From a distance, of course. Monday, March 30, 2020
Read Psalm 118 What do you hear in this reading? What is your favorite part? Where is God's love in this Psalm? How is God caring for us? How will we respond? Faith Practice Using the play dough recipe from yesterday, create something for which you are thankful. No play dough? Write or draw your gratitude prayers. Here is another Play-Doh recipe site: http://flamecreativekids.blogspot.com/…/play-dough-prayers.… Sunday, March 29, 2020
Read John 9:1-41 Faith Practice Make Play-Doh https://www.thebestideasforkids.com/playdough-recipe Saturday, March 28, 2020
Read John 1:1-9 Faith Practice Make a stained glass window and notice how different it looks when the light shines through it. https://www.adventure-in-a-box.com/stained-glass-heart-sun…/ |