Sharing The Easter Faith With Children

Sharing the Easter Faith with Children is theologically sound, biblically focused, educationally on target, and developmentally appropriate. Carolyn Brown writes clearly and helpfully, with conviction and passion for what to share and how to share one's faith with children. It should be required reading for every parent, educator, and pastor who wants to communicate and celebrate the Easter faith with children. Brown packs a lot of practical suggestions, insights, and activities into this very readable resource. I am confident children will mature in their understanding and affirmation of the Easter faith when they have been nurtured in families and congregations that take seriously what Brown offers. --Donald Griggs, author of Teaching Today’s Teachers to Teach It is easy to share the Christmas story and faith with children. The story is beautiful and lends itself well to pageants and other celebratory events for children. It is not so easy to share the Easter story and faith with children because the message and images are complex. Many parents have trouble articulating what Easter means to them personally much less answering their children’s questions. In many congregations children are featured in palm parades on Palm Sunday, but they are not specifically planned for at other Holy Week services. When schools schedule an Easter break, many families go away and thus unintentionally bypass the whole Easter message for years. This book explores what the Easter message can mean to children as they grow up. The author helps congregations and families share the Easter message with their children and include the children meaningfully in Lent, Holy Week and Easter observances. Included are materials for children from birth (in the church nursery) to age 12, and reproducible pages to create a booklet for parents. The first section of the book describes the particular parts of the Easter faith that are important to children at different ages and comments on the biblical Easter texts from a child’s point of view. The second part of the book works through the Lenten season, describing ways congregations can include children and providing program and worship plans, including: Lenten disciplines for children and their families Ash Wednesday Celebrating Palm Sunday or looking ahead on Passion Sunday Maundy Thursday: Recalling the Last Supper Keeping Good Friday The church-sponsored Easter Egg Hunt Easter Sunday Morning Another part of the book offers help to leaders who want to share the content with teachers, parents, or committees. Also included is a comprehensive list of related resources. This carefully researched and well-grounded, practical resource from a highly regarded Christian educator will strengthen your educational ministry with children and support parents as they shape the faith of their children.

A new and expanded version of Seamless Faith, now with more than a dozen new spiritual practices and additional resources for parents, kids, grandparents, and communities that care about families! Add family faith moments to your daily routine with little or no prep, and share meaningful spiritual experiences with your children! Traci Smith, a pastor and mother of three, offers ways to discover and develop new spiritual practices as a family, whether you're a new seeker or a lifelong follower. Faithful Families is brimming with easy, do-it-yourself ideas for transforming your family's everyday moments into sacred moments! Faithful Families helps you: connect faith to your family's everyday life; add family faith moments into your daily routine; learn new spiritual practices alongside your children; teach your children to appreciate religious diversity with time-tested non-Christian and Christian spiritual practices; respond to life's everyday challenges and opportunities with meaningful practices Faithful Families is the perfect gift for Parents, Grandparents, Aunts and Uncles; Baptisms; Baby Showers; New Families; Christian educators and those they serve; Preschool Classes; and Godparents Faithful Families is part of The Young Clergy Women Project

Discusses the emotions of the Easter story with Jesus' friends.

Who was in the manger that first Christmas morning? Some say he would become a great moral leader. Others, a social critic. Still others view Jesus as a profound philosopher, a rabbi, a feminist, a prophet, and more. Many are convinced he was the divine Son of God. Who was he—really? And how can you know for sure? Consulting experts on the Bible, archaeology, and messianic prophecy, Lee Strobel searches out the true identity of the child in the manger. Join him as he asks the tough, pointed questions you’d expect from an award-winning legal journalist. If Jesus really was God in the flesh, then there ought to be credible evidence, including Eyewitness Evidence—Can the biographies of Jesus be trusted? Scientific Evidence—What does archaeology reveal? Profile Evidence—Did Jesus fulfill the attributes of God? Fingerprint Evidence—Did Jesus uniquely match the identity of the Messiah? The Case for Christmas invites you to consider why Christmas matters in the first place. Somewhere beyond the traditions of the holiday lies the truth. It may be more compelling than you’ve realized. Weigh the facts . . . and decide for yourself.

♥ Are You a Christian Parent (or Grandparent) Looking for Ideas for Easter For Kids? ♥ You don't have to settle for just another ho-hum children's Easter book filled with bunnies and chocolate! What if I told you that your children and grandchildren can learn a powerful, life-changing secret that very few ever discover? Now they can, in Zoe Discovers Passover at Easter. The book shows how: ① Easter and Passover are very closely related. ② Understanding the Passover can help your children understand the story of Jesus better. ③ Celebrating the Passover can strengthen your child's faith in God and in the Bible. By sharing this simple, beautiful book, you can even position your children for a lifetime of blessing. That's because you will be teaching them to love and appreciate God's chosen people, the Jews. When they do, they'll instantly step into the promise God first gave to Abraham: "I will bless those who bless you." - Genesis 12:3 You can strengthen their faith by showing them how the Passover paints a beautiful picture of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. It's all right here in this delightful children's book, Zoe Discovers Passover at Easter. If you've been asking yourself, "How can I help my child understand Easter?" look no further. Author Rene Annette Wallace draws upon her 30 years of experience ministering among Jewish people who have discovered Jesus as their Messiah. While other Easter books for children focus on silliness, this fun, upbeat book tells a tale that actually matters. And one that is sure to make a lasting impression. Give your children and grandchildren a precious gift this Easter. Far better than chocolate bunnies! A book they will cherish every Easter for years to come. And most of all, give them the gift of a heart for God's Chosen People. Plus find out how you can get the free companion guide for grown-ups, Passover Devotional for Christians: 8 Days to Strengthen Your Faith. It's right inside the pages of the book, along with information about the free Enter the Blessings Facebook Group. That's where the author shares workshops and other resources to help you understand the Jewishness of Jesus and the Jewish roots of your faith. ★ Scroll up to order your copy today. ★ Author's Note: This is not the typical "Passover children's book." It is written from a Christian perspective, with a deep appreciation of the Hebrew Bible and the value of Passover for kids. ♥ Praise For Zoe Discovers Passover at Easter ♥ This little book will find wide use in circles where Messianic Jews and Gentiles attracted to Jewish life meet together. - Rabbi Stuart Dauermann, PhD, Director, Interfaithfulness This is a fun and simple way to introduce the children you love to the people God loves. As they enjoy reading the story, over and over again, they'll gain a deep appreciation for the beliefs and practices of the people who fill the pages of the Bible. - Donna Partow, Author, Becoming the Woman God Wants Me To Be "Rene has found a way to endear Christians to their spiritually-Jewish roots, helping them understand the powerful significance of Jesus in the Passover story." - Corry Keeler, Copy Editor for The Messianic Times and Messianic Jewish Recording Artist with Lev Shelo Ministries

An appealing, small format book to introduce children to the Easter story. The retelling is very simple and straightforward, easy to understand and remember.

This book is for anyone who faces the task of preparing a children's sermon...It is designed to provide practical information and suggestions for making this part of the worship service a meaningful experience for children and a joy for sermon-givers.

In this year's BRF Lent book Sally Welch explores two questions: What is the Easter story really about, and how do we share it?