Calendar – Page 10 – Family Faith Companion

Tying the story of Joseph to the story of Easter

Posted on February 27, 2013April 10, 2020 by Carol Hulbert

We are nearing the completion of our Rotation on Joseph’s Coat. But, you might ask, what happens to Joseph?? (The last bit of our story had Jacob in tears and Joseph packing off to Egypt after his brothers sold him to a band of passing traders.)

Joseph's brothers sell him to passing traders on their way to Egypt

Yeah, that’s where we left off in the story. So what happens to Joseph?

The Lord was with Joseph. He gave him great success.
Genesis 39:2a

Ah! But even that is not the end of the story! The story continues with a “part two” (which we will come back to, after an Easter Rotation). In part two—the story of Joseph in Egypt—we’ll see Joseph faced with even more chances to ask:

Where are you, God?!?

We will see that God has a plan. God’s great plan is all about love! And that conveniently leads us to Easter. (Which is God’s ultimate love story.)

Watch this short (3 minute) video (appropriate for even young children) which tells the story of Joseph and his coat and nicely ties to the Easter story!

(There is one small mistake in this video. Can you catch it? (See the answer below.)

The answer: What was the blooper in the video? Joseph was sold for 20 pieces of silver, however the reader made a mistake: Judas was paid 30 pieces of silver.

Cool Disciples Schedule: February 2013

Posted on January 31, 2013February 27, 2013 by Carol Hulbert

February and a bit of March…

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On Saturday nights and on Sunday mornings at FUMC our Cool Disciples experience Rotation Model Christian education. (Click on any of those bold words to find out more about our programs.)

We are currently studying the Old Testament saga of Joseph’s Coat. (Wait a minute, we studied that last month!) That’s right, we are trying out a six-week Rotation to see how it might be if all the grades got to visit all the workshops. (When we did three-week Rotations we offered six workshops but kids only got to visit three of them.) So, stay with us as we experiment and please, give us your feedback!

Read our story together as a family — it’s in Genesis 37:1-36 and 39:1-5. Other resources for this story include the family reading plan with discussion questions. That is here. (Or, you can print out it out by going to this page and clicking on the little printer icon at the top left.)

For Saturdays at the Green Wood location, here is the schedule…

Date	Workshop	Activity
2/2	Art Workshop	Discuss how Joseph’s family could have used a little peace! Create a backpack clip-on as a reminder of peaceful relationships.
2/9	Games Workshop	Play a Cranium®/Trivial Pursuit® type of game and learn story details in a fun way.
2/16	Drama Workshop	Enact the story with a special guest acting-coach!
2/23	Worship with your family
3/2	Puppets Workshop	Tell the story with easy-to-use handle-bag puppets and props, including a special coat!

For Sundays at the downtown location, here is the schedule of workshops…

Date	Our workshops…
2/3	Enjoy worship and Communion with your family
	Cooking	Games	Art	Video	Drama	Puppets
	Social Hall	Room 211	Room 212	Pine Room	Room 204	Room 215
2/10	3rd grade	5th & 6th grade	2nd grade	4th grade	{closed}	1st grade
2/17	1st grade	4th grade	3rd grade	{closed}	5th & 6th grade	2nd grade
2/24	2nd grade	{closed}	1st grade	5th & 6th grade	4th grade	3rd grade
3/3	Enjoy worship and Communion with your family

What’s happening in each workshop?

5th & 6th graders show off their creations

5th & 6th graders show off their Art creations

In the Art Workshop students will create a backpack clip-on to remind them of the story and it’s message. I’ll bet they talk about peace!

In the Drama Workshop students will focus on learning the story sequence by hearing about the story characters and their feelings and by enacting the story.
In the Video Workshop students will watch portions of the animated video Joseph King of Dreams. They’ll compare the video to the Bible story. Does it get the story correctly?
In the Puppets Workshop students will use handle-bag puppets to re-tell the story of Joseph and his brothers; how a special coat and strange dreams cause trouble in Joseph’s family.

Students make "dirt" pudding out of crushed Oreos

Students make something good from a “crushing” experience.

In the Cooking Workshop students will learn about “crushing” experiences – those that can break us down and can separate us from family and friends. They’ll learn that good can come from what seems like bad and we are never separated from God!
In the Games Workshop students will participate in a game that involves answering questions, singing, acting, drawing, and sculpting – a Cranium®/Trivial Pursuit® type of game. In the process of having fun, they’ll learn about story details.

If you are in the area please join us for the fun learning at First United Methodist Church in Ann Arbor, MI

Photo credits:
Click here for info on banner photo (not visible in readers or email).
Other photos by Beth Pascoe and Carol Hulbert. Used by permission.

Merry Christmas!

Posted on December 25, 2012December 17, 2015 by Carol Hulbert

In the pews at a Christmas eve service with candles

Every year, it never fails.

I always cry.

The church all in darkness . . .

except for candles in the pews.

Light that comes at Christmas, to each of us.

…a great and joyful event that is meant for everybody, worldwide: A Savior has just been born.
The Message, Luke 2:10

Celebrate this good news!

Merry Christmas!

–Love, Carol

Photo credits:
From my archives: My family together at worship last Christmas eve.

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When life seems scary…

Posted on December 19, 2012November 27, 2013 by Carol Hulbert

Sometimes life is scary and confusing and what are we to do?

We know that the shepherds were afraid.

Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified . . .
Luke 2:9

What did the shepherds do to feel braver?

They acted on their faith.

They went looking for Jesus. (Luke 2:15d)
They told the story. (Luke 2:17)

Do the same among your family.

Look for God. (See here for help in tying this quest to Christmas.)
Tell the faith stories!

For help in how to talk to your children about the tragedy in Newtown, CT, Mr. Rogers says it best: Look for the helpers.

Photo credits:
Click here for info on banner photo (not visible in readers or email).
The Angelic Announcement to the Shepherds a painting by Gaddi Taddeo, in the public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

Activities for Advent

Posted on December 5, 2012November 26, 2020 by Carol Hulbert

kids acting bizarre in front of the Christmas tree
To most adults Advent means:

Ready or not, here comes Christmas.

But to a child, Advent should be called:

Hurry up and wait!

What child doesn’t have difficulty waiting for Christmas! (Perhaps strange behavior will result?)

It probably won’t do any good to tell your vigilant kids about how people, two thousand plus years ago (when Jesus was born) had been waiting a long, long time. They had waited for the coming of Christ for hundreds of years! Can’t our kids wait a few more weeks?

Make use of your Advent waiting time.

Here are ideas and resources for ~~waiting~~ Advent:

Encourage various ways of telling the Christmas story; how about using a crèche? (Also known as a “manager scene.”) Is yours off-limits to the kids? Get everyone involved in making a version that children can play with. And tell the story over and over! Use air-drying clay or even toilet paper tubes dressed in fabric. Move Mary and Joseph around the room. Anyone for a trip to Bethlehem? Create a shepherds scene in another part of the house. Where should the wise men go?

Got a LEGO®-maniac in your house? Make the figures for a nativity scene from LEGO® bricks. Camels, Sheep, a Holy Family, and more! Visit this site for building instructions.

Another way to “tell” the story: act it out. Get creative with props and costumes: a flash light becomes the star that guided wise men, a bath robe makes an on-the-spot shepherd.

Get into the RACK act! RACK is “Random Acts of Christmas Kindness.” How fun! Do one a day or a bunch all at once. Can you sense the surprise pleasure in finding a quarter stuck to a vending machine or a candy cane on the ATM?

To print out cards to stick wherever you “RACK” someone go here. Or to print out cards that you can write your own message on, go here.
Want your kids to be more grateful? It needs to be taught! Consider these ideas for ways to teach gratitude. (I like this idea: Pin up a long piece of paper and record gifts you already have!) Or, continue filling up your family blessing box!

Do you have lots of Christmas (or winter) story books? Have the kids wrap them and tag them with the date. As part of your bedtime routine, read the storybook-of-the-day. You can make this idea “Advent-y” by adding a Bible verse with each book. Talk about the verse and what it means to you. (Print out a set of possible verses here.)

Christmas will be here before you know it!

Photo credits…
Bizarre children by SMN, who had originally licensed this photo under a Creative Commons License.
Holy Family from LEGO® bricks, by Leo Dorst. Reproduced by permission. (Yes! I asked!)
RACK card from Tracie. Used with permission.

Cool Disciples Schedule – December 2012

Posted on November 29, 2012November 27, 2013 by Carol Hulbert

Happy Advent! This is the perfect season to bring faith conversations to your family and this blog will help.
To ensure you don’t miss a thing (usually only one post a week) subscribe over on the right. Enter your e-mail address to have posts sent directly to your inbox. Or click on the orange RSS icon to subscribe in a reader.

On Saturday nights and on Sunday mornings at FUMC our kids, whom we call “Cool Disciples,” experience Rotation Model Christian education, as they learn about Bible stories and concepts through kid-friendly multimedia workshops. Scroll down to view our December schedule of workshops.

Since this is December, we are learning about Jesus’ birth! Because Christmas happens once a year, each Advent we focus on a different aspect of the Christmas story. In the past we have covered Jesus’ birth through the eyes of the prophet Isaiah, the story of the magi, the birth from his mother’s perspective, and the overall details and sequence of the Christmas story. This December we target the key role of angels and shepherds. Read about our story in Luke 2:1-20.

For Saturdays at the Green Wood location, here is the schedule…

Date	What’s happening
12/1	Children will be singing and assisting with the service, so please arrive early (between 4:30-4:45) for rehearsal and instructions. There will be a short time spend downstairs watching part of the video Why Do We Call It Christmas? Don’t forget to stay after service for a chili supper, making ornaments, & decorating cookies!
Date	Workshop	Activity
12/8	Storytelling Workshop	Hear the Christmas story via a “visitor” from Bible times – a shepherd!
12/15	Cooking Workshop	Bake candy cane cookies to give away.
12/22	Art Workshop	Choose from a variety of media to create a scene of shepherds and/or angels.
12/29	Worship with your family

For Sundays at the downtown location, here is the schedule of workshops…

Date	What’s happening
12/2	Enjoy worship and Communion with your family
	Games 1	Games 2	Storytelling	Cooking	Video	Art
	Room 211	Room 215	Room 204	Social Hall	Pine Room	Room 212
12/9	3rd grade	5th & 6th grade	2nd grade	4th grade	{closed}	1st grade
12/16	1st grade	4th grade	3rd grade	{closed}	5th & 6th grade	2nd grade
11/23	2nd grade	{closed}	1st grade	5th & 6th grade	4th grade	3rd grade
12/30	Enjoy worship and Communion with your family

What’s happening in each workshop at the Downtown location?

In the Art Workshop students will create a shepherds & angels picture using mixed media.
In the Cooking Workshop students will become messengers of the good news by making candy-cane cookies to give away.
In the Games Workshop students will test their knowledge of the details of the Christmas story in a quiz game.
In the Storytelling Workshop students will hear from a shepherd, who describe his experience on the night of Jesus’ birth.
In the Video Workshop students will watch portions of that all-time favorite video A Charlie Brown’s Christmas.

If you are in the area please join us for the fun learning at First United Methodist Church in Ann Arbor, MI

Photo credits:
Click here for info on banner photo (not visible in readers or email).
Shepherds photo from my archives, sewn by the Paraments committee at church.

Thank God! The world is a place where one can encounter God. (If we notice.)

Posted on November 21, 2012May 14, 2015 by Carol Hulbert

In this season of Thanksgiving, what are you thankful for?

My gratitude list includes the usual sorts of thankfuls, such as:

Greg’s pizza-oven-roasted potatoes.
Hearing about Lara’s “Best.Day.Ever.”
A text from Scott: safe arrival.
Lunch with a friend.

…To name just a few.

My list also includes hard things that seem difficult to be thankful for.

Tears at saying goodbye.
Facing change.
Mistakes, and more mistakes.

…Hard eucharisteo.

And then there are entries on my list of things that I should be thankful for every day… but I just forget.

That God has chosen me for my weaknesses. (My weakness amplifes my need for God.)
That God is always present with me! (Whether I sense him or not, he is a constant companion!)

…So easy to forget!

Perhaps we are all like Jacob who experiences God in his life and says,

Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it.
Genesis 28:16

Our Cool Disciples story about Jacob and Esau is such a large story that we’ve broken it into two parts (part one and part two). With such a big story it is easy to loose sight of the main point. We could become embroiled in the details — who are all of the characters, and what happens, and in what order — which is important to know, but is not the most critical. Here is the point which we hope stands out:

God makes his presence known in our lives.

The world is a place where one can encounter God, reaching out to us.
If we take notice.

+++++++

As we head into the crazy-busy days ahead, can we make time to notice God? God seeks an encounter with us; God endeavors to get your attention!

For this I can say:

Thanks God!

Happy Thanksgiving
— Carol

Photo credits:
Photo of the Thanksgiving altar at church is from my archives.

Cool Disciples Schedule: November 2012

Posted on October 31, 2012July 26, 2015 by Carol Hulbert

Thanks for visiting! You’ve reached a place to gain insight into how to grow your kids faith (and your own as well). Easily read future posts by subscribing over on the right. Enter your e-mail address to have posts sent directly to your inbox. (There is usually one post a week.) Or click on the orange RSS icon to subscribe in a reader.

On Saturday nights and on Sunday mornings at FUMC our Cool Disciples experience Rotation Model Christian education. (Click on any of those bold words to find out more about our programs.) In November, we are studying part two of the Old Testament saga of Jacob and Esau. Last month, in part one of this story, we learned about mistakes made by Jacob and Esau, including the stolen blessing…

This month we’ll learn that God doesn’t give up on Jacob! What an amazing God who forgives such a scoundrel! God promises Jacob to be with him always. (Just as Jesus promised us.)

Read about what happens in part two of our story in Genesis 28:10-16, 29:15-30, 31:1-3, 32:3-7a, 22-30 , and 33:1-4.

For Saturdays at the Green Wood location, here is the schedule for the coming month:

Date	Workshop	Activity
11/3	Art Workshop	Create mosaics to tell the story of Jacob and Esau.
11/10	Puppet Workshop	Use puppets to tell the story.
11/17	A visit from Pastor Doug!	We’ll play some get-to-know-you games and hear what he thinks about Jacob and Esau.
11/24	Video Workshop	Watch portions of the video The Lion King. Explore how God’s plan of loving grace continues even when we make poor choices.

For Sundays at the downtown location, here is the schedule of workshops:

Date
11/4	Enjoy worship and Communion with your family
	Cooking	Art	Drama	Puppets	Video	Games
	Social Hall	Room 212	Room 215	Room 211	Pine Room	Room 204
11/11	2nd grade	5th & 6th grade	3rd grade	{closed}	4th grade	1st grade
11/18	1st grade	{closed}	2nd grade	4th grade	5th & 6th grade	3rd grade
11/25	3rd grade	4th grade	1st grade	5th & 6th grade	{closed}	2nd grade

What’s happening in each workshop?

In the Art Workshop students will work cooperatively to create duct-tape mosaics illustrating the story of Jacob and Esau. The mosaics will focus on the story sequence.
In the Cooking Workshop students will focus on Jacob’s dream and examine how God is at work in their lives. Make (and eat!) breadstick pretzel ladders.
In the Drama Workshop students will enact the story while it is paraphrased. Then they’ll watch themselves on a video.
In the Games Workshop students will play a Cranium-like game using a game die & a “ladder,” to review events of the story.
In the Puppet Workshop students will use puppetry to retell/interpret the story the story.
In the Video Workshop students will watch portions of the video The Lion King, enjoy popcorn (can’t have a movie without popcorn!) and explore how God’s plan of loving grace continues despite the poor choices we make.

If you are in the area please join us for the fun learning at First United Methodist Church in Ann Arbor, MI

Photo credits:
Jacob tricks his father © V. Gilbert & Arlisle F. Beers. Used by permission per a license from the Visual Bible Alive Resource Center.