New Testament

Jesus as a boy, in the Temple: September 2013 Schedule

Posted on September 5, 2013September 14, 2016 by Carol Hulbert

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At FUMC on Saturday nights and on Sunday mornings, our Christian education for children is based on the Workshop Rotation Model. In September kids will spend four weeks learning about Jesus when he was a young boy of 12-years old. Each week they will encounter a different kid-friendly multimedia workshop. When they are done they really know the stories!

Read this month’s story in Luke 2:41-52.

Jesus in the Temple as a boy

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

Date	Workshop	Activity
9/7	Art Workshop	Create a unique book of God-given talents. The design of this book makes it a keeper! It will be easy to add more pages.
9/14	Cooking	Talk about Passover and make unleavened bread.
9/21	Video	Watch a video that tells the story and one that covers the story theme.
9/28	Games	Play a game of “Concentration” and learn story details.

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

Date	Our workshops…
9/1	Enjoy worship and Communion with your family
	Cooking	Games	Art	Video	Drama
	Social Hall	Room 211	Room 212	Pine Room	Room 215
9/8	3rd grade	5th & 6th grade	1st grade	4th grade	2nd grade
9/15	4th grade	1st grade	2nd grade	5th & 6th grade	3rd grade
9/22	5th & 6th grade	2nd grade	3rd grade	1st grade	4th grade
9/29	1st grade	3rd grade	4th grade	2nd grade	5th & 6th grade

What’s happening in each workshop?

In the Cooking Workshop students will make unleavened bread. They will learn about Jesus’ celebration of Passover and his experience in Jerusalem – feeling at home in his “father’s house.”
In the Games Workshop students will participate in a game of Concentration — with a twist! This game will help them to learn story details.
In the Art Workshop students will create a “Book of Gifts” to record skills and talents God has given them. Their book will have a unique cover done with a marble painting. Ask them the significance of the cover!
In the Video Workshop students will watch portions of the live-action video Jesus, and the video Finding Nemo.
In the Drama Workshop students will enact the story using a Greek Drama complete with masks similar to those used over 2,000 years ago.

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

Photo credits:
Biblical illustration by Jim Padgett, from now-out-of-print Read’n Grow Picture Bible, circa 1984; via Wikimedia Commons, courtesy of Sweet Publishing, Ft. Worth, TX, and Gospel Light, Ventura, CA. Released under a Creative Commons license.

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Ripples of Hope: Fill My Net

Posted on April 18, 2013April 9, 2016 by Carol Hulbert

I hope it doesn’t rain today.

I hope I got a good grade.

I hope she’ll be my friend.

Hope is a word which gets a lot of use in everyday life. We sure could use a dose of hope these days!

Hope is also talked about in the Bible. You can find lists of verses about hope. One of my favorites is:

There is surely a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off. Proverbs 23:18

This weekend is Youth-led worship at FUMC. We will not be holding any workshops on Saturday at Green Wood or downtown on Sunday for grades 1st – 6th, so plan on attending this service!

Youth Worship 2013 banner logo

How about a little preparation? Around the family dinner table? (Or wherever your family is gathered together.)

The focus by the Youth will be hope. This even ties to our current Rotation on Peter’s story! Peter was likely down in the dumps about what he’d done to Jesus. Deciding not to just sit around and mope, Peter chose to go fishing.

a speech bubble Ask your kids: When Peter went fishing, what do you suppose he was hoping for?

A diversion: Something to take his mind off of what he’d done?
A net full of fish?
Jesus’ forgiveness?
Your ideas?

a speech bubble When was the last time you hoped for something?
Did you have to wait for what you were hoping for?

Perhaps Peter chose to go fishing because he was consumed by thinking about what he’d done to Jesus. His mind was probably racing in overtime. He couldn’t stand to be still!

a speech bubble How is waiting for what is hoped for, hard?
What do you do while you are waiting for hope?

a speech bubble Once Peter had spent time in the boat, quietly fishing, that is when Jesus called. Ask: The next time you are waiting for something, what do you think of the idea of turning to God for some quiet time?
What are ways you could have quiet time with God?

Jesus did offer Peter forgiveness. And because of that, we have hope! Jesus forgives us as well. And Jesus’ forgiveness empower us! We can have hope!

The Youth will be using this prayer in worship, adapted from the book Pray Like Hell. This will be presented in a very cool ripple effect that the youth created!

Bless to me this day the power of God to do good work.
Bless to me the power of Christ to love well.
Bless to me the power of the Holy Spirit to strengthen me for what lies ahead.
Bless to me the power of the Holy Trinity to give me hope.

I hope you’ll attend one of these worship services!

Photo credits:
Ripples of Hope logo design by Deb Wood. Used with permission.
Photos of the youth from last years youth-led worship service used with permission.

Feed my lambs

Posted on April 11, 2013March 9, 2015 by Carol Hulbert

Linking Bible stories to life: that’s one of the goals of our Cool Disciples program at FUMC. This past week some of our kids got to put into action a key concept they’ve learned from our current Bible story. It had to do with Jesus’ advice to Peter. (If you’re not sure what Jesus’ charge was, ask your kids.)

Oh yeah, feed some sheep?

Or use power tools and pick axes, rebuild a porch and dig a trench, or fill pots with soil…

Working on being the all around “church” in the community.

(No actual sheep are necessary.)

We were a part of a crew of 54 people from FUMC – from grandparents to six year olds – on a family mission trip to Henderson Settlement.

Henderson Settlement is a mission agency of the United Methodist Church. It is located in Frakes, KY – a small town in southeastern Kentucky – a place of high unemployment and persistent poverty. Henderson Settlement aims to provide basic needs for people in Appalachia, and one of the ways they do this is through work camps.

Volunteer teams from all over the United States come to Henderson to repair homes in the community. Every year 150 to 200 families are helped with projects that otherwise wouldn’t likely happen — projects like installing a railing on a porch, or installation of steps or replacing porch boards. (Porches are important in this area. Three of our four in-the-community projects involved porches!)
porch railing project

There are also projects on the Henderson “campus” – projects like digging a drainage ditch or stringing up goat fencing or mucking out the barn or sorting onion sets. (Henderson Settlement also has an agricultural ministry.)

Enjoy this slide show of some of the photos from our trip.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

group photo of mission trip attendees — The group from FUMC (some missed out on being in this photo)

Photo credits:
All photos used by permission: Trench digging by Richard Rupp; thanks also to photos by Amy Unsworth, Wendy Everett, Ruth Ann Church, Mary Danforth, Jeff Wason, and the staff at Henderson Settlement.

Peter is Forgiven — Workshops we’ve used to teach this story

Posted on April 3, 2013April 17, 2022 by Carol Hulbert

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The Workshop Rotation Model of Christian Education at FUMC rocks! Here are a couple of reasons why:

A Bible story is explored in-depth through a variety of creative teaching mediums (“workshops”) over a period of 5 weeks.
Kids from age 3 to 6th grade, whether attending Sunday’s downtown or Saturday’s at Green Wood, are all focusing on the same story, which allows families to share learning at home.

In April, we are continuing our study of Jesus’ forgiveness of Peter.
Can you imagine how Peter felt when he heard the rooster crow?

What had Peter just done? What was it that Jesus had told Peter about a rooster crowing? Ask your kids! Read our story in John 13:33, 36-38 and John 18:15-18, 25-27 and John 21:1-17.

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

Date	Workshop	Activity
4/6	No workshop	Worship with your family.
4/13	Art Workshop	Create a positive space/negative space cut-paper or a stencil collage using symbols from the story.
4/20	No workshop	It’s youth-led worship!
4/27	Games Workshop	Participate in a quiz game.

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

Date	Our workshops…
4/7	Enjoy worship and Communion with your family
	Games	Drama	Cooking	Video	Art
	Room 211	Room 215	Social Hall	Pine Room	Room 212
4/14	3rd grade	5th & 6th grade	2nd grade	4th grade	1st grade
4/21	Youth-led worship! Attend with your family.
4/28	4th grade	2nd grade	1st grade	5th & 6th grade	3rd grade

What’s happening in each workshop?

In the Drama Workshop students will enact the story of Peter’s denial and restoration using shadow drama.
In the Art Workshop students will create a cut-paper collage using symbols from the story and the Japanese design principal of “Notan” (dark and light).
In the Games Workshop students will participate in a quiz game (using the game wheel) to reinforce their knowledge of story details.
In the Cooking Workshop students will create Peter’s Trail Mix and tell the Easter story with each ingredient.
In the Video Workshop students will watch portions of the live-action video The Gospel of John, exploring the story of Peter’s denial and restoration.

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).
Rooster by Christopher Craig, who licensed this photo on Flickr under a Creative Commons License.

Easter & Beyond: Peter is forgiven

Posted on March 7, 2013April 17, 2022 by Carol Hulbert

You’re in the right spot… for tips on how to nurture your child’s spirituality. Subscribe to receive future posts. (Usually one, maybe two a week.) Enter your e-mail address over on the right, to have posts sent directly to your inbox. Or click on the orange RSS icon to subscribe in a reader.

At FUMC on Saturday nights and on Sunday mornings, our Christian education for children is based on the Workshop Rotation Model. This means that kids spend six weeks learning a particular Bible story, each week encountering a different kid-friendly multimedia workshop. When they are done they really know the stories!

In March, we are studying an Easter related story. Easter comes once a year, allowing us the chance to focus on a different aspect of Easter.
(View the last couple of years of Easter stories here and here.)

This year our focus is on Easter through the eyes of Peter, one of Jesus’ disciples. The big question to ask your kids:

What happened to Peter that gives us a powerful message
of what Easter is all about?

Jesus and his disciples share breakfast on the beach (John 21)

Jesus & his disciples have a post-Resurrection breakfast on the beach

Reading all the various parts of our story takes lots of jumping around in the Bible. (Good practice!) Read our story in John 13:33, 36-38 and John 18:15-18, 25-27 and John 21:1-17.

Here are the schedules of workshops for March

For Sundays at the downtown location…

Date	Our workshops…
3/3	Enjoy worship and Communion with your family
	Drama	Art	Games	Cooking	Video
	Room 215	Room 212	Room 211	Social Hall	Pine Room
3/10	3rd grade	5th & 6th grade	1st grade	4th grade	2nd grade
3/17	1st grade	4th grade	2nd grade	5th & 6th grade	3rd grade
3/24	4th grade	2nd grade	5th & 6th grade	3rd grade	1st grade
3/31	Enjoy Easter worship with your family!

What’s happening in each workshop?

In the Drama Workshop students will enact the story of Peter’s denial and restoration using shadow drama.
In the Art Workshop students will create a cut-paper collage using symbols from the story and the Japanese design principal of “Notan” (dark and light).
In the Games Workshop students will participate in a quiz game (using the game wheel) to reinforce their knowledge of story details.
In the Cooking Workshop students will create Peter’s Trail Mix and tell the Easter story with each ingredient.
In the Video Workshop students will watch portions of the live-action video The Gospel of John, enjoy popcorn (can’t have a movie without popcorn!) and explore the story of Peter’s denial and restoration.

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

Date	Workshop	Activity
3/2	Puppets	Wrap up the story of Joseph and his brothers by acting out the story with puppets.
3/9	Cooking Workshop	Create Peter’s Trail Mix and tell the Easter story with each ingredient.
3/16	Update!	Due to a plumbing problem Green Wood is closed this weekend.
3/23	Video Workshop	Explore the story of Peter’s denial and restoration while watching the scripture come to life in the live-actor video, The Gospel of John.
3/30	Cooking Workshop	Focus on the Resurrection story of Easter making “resurrection rolls.” Experience the empty tomb, just as the women did on the first Easter morning!

What did you think of doing six-week Rotations? Please, give us your feedback!

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).
Jesus eats breakfast with his disciples an illustration by O. A. Stemler and Bess Bruce Cleaveland from the Standard Bible Story Readers: Book 4 (in the Public Domain).

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.

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.

The Perfect Audience

Posted on December 13, 2012November 27, 2013 by Carol Hulbert

Our Rotation this month is about Jesus’ birth with a focus on the shepherds and angels portion of the story. The Message version of the Bible describes these shepherds as “camping in the neighborhood.”

Hmmm… Camping… How about a family camping expedition in the living room? Pitch a “tent” (drape a blanket over some chairs), stuff the backpacks with snacks or maybe even hold a picnic! (Try something simple, like sandwiches.) Use this opportunity to talk about shepherds, ask some questions, and add some spiritual growth memories!

a speech bubble Is it easy to stay clean when you are camping?

If you’ve ever been camping, you know how hard it is to be neat. You can image how hard it was for shepherds in the time of Jesus. They also probably smelled like sheep. And they had another stigma: in those days, shepherds were looked down upon. They were considered as lowly as a tax collector.

Yet these were the people who first heard the good news of Jesus’ birth!

And heard the news in grand style!
Tell the story of the shepherds and angels (from Luke 2:8-18) around your pretend campfire. (What is camping without a campfire!)

a speech bubble Why are shepherds the perfect audience for angels announcing the birth of the Christ child?
Why do you suppose God didn’t chose “important” people to tell first?
Who would you expect God to tell?

There is a momentous message in God’s choice of society’s outcasts as the first visitors he invited to see his baby son!

a speech bubble Have you ever felt not good enough to hear from God?

God’s gift of his son Jesus is for everyone, even you and me.

God sent his son Jesus as a way to bring people back into a relationship with God. Those who are young, old, broken, a mistake-making-mess, tired, forgotten, feeling unworthy… His message of love comes once again, perhaps as quietly as a sleeping baby or as unexpectedly as God’s glory blazing around!

Enjoy this video telling of our story from The Jesus Storybook Bible.

Photo credits:
Click here for info on banner photo (not visible in readers or email).
A young Bedouin shepherd boy by Ed Brambley from Cambridge, UK, who licensed this photo via Wikimedia Commons under a Creative Commons License, via Wikimedia Commons.
Campfire also licensed under Creative Commons, by Mike Davis.