One of the things that gets me a little disappointed with church ministries around Christmas time is what I call the ‘filling in time church’. It’s the temptation for churches to get so darn busy; they just end up filling in time with kids. Christmas day, for one, becomes little more than a service for adults with a few light touches introduced to acknowledge the ankle biters. Other times the kids are whisked away but because there is a leader shortage in the crazy Christmas rush, the team gives up and just fills in time while the adults do their thing.
Folks it doesn’t have to be this way! Anton is here to help! Here's how...
But parents and teachers of kids need resources that don’t just fill in time too. We need resources that make our job easy by hitting the spot for kids and not pulling punches on the Bible’s message. Over the past two videos (now they’re in blog form) we’ve been looking at ways that families can bring Jesus into the centre of their Christmas.
If you missed the first or second video, then you can still read the text of those videos by going backwards on this blog to ‘Why you can’t leave teaching Christmas to your church’ and ‘How to read the Christmas story with your kids’. I really encourage you to go back take a quick look and get up to speed because we saw how important it was for us not to delegate the teaching and celebrating of the true meaning of Christmas to our church.
Let’s face it if you’re a leader or teacher of kids…how do you want people to remember you…’thank you Lord for Bob and his ministry to the children at St Brian's… he filled in time well’!? What we need to be…is purposeful.
We as parents need to be purposeful. God didn’t give us a ministry or our children to ‘fill in time’ with them. He gave them to us for our instruction, modeling,encouragement and leadership. So don’t settle for marking time...even if it saves you money! Who said ministry was about saving money!?
Along the way of trying to use other people’s resources, trying to adapt them, seeing the good and the bad, I discovered something I’m excited to share with you.
It’s Anton’s Sticker Stories.
Often resources are fun but don’t say much. They celebrate Christmas but lack substance or any real teaching value. In these resources Jesus can actually be obscured.
Sometimes resources try to do too much, they labour the point, they over teach and aren’t fun. You know what I mean, I’m sure. Other resources just miss both altogether; they don’t even engage; they don’t entertain and they don’t teach.
But the sticker stories Anton’s made solve it all…Anton’s Antics’ sticker stories are not just story. The kids actually participate in building and completing the story. The stories are written from the original languages, the Bible’s purpose is clearly brought out in four, simple, rhyming pages.
- With Anton’s Sticker stories you’re not just filling in time.
- You’re not turning Christmas into a funeral, it’s fun, it’s meaningful, it’s clear.
- You’re engaging the kids at a level they love with stickers …so it’s special and fits a special occasion
- Each sticker story is packed with value
- And I’ve made them into special kits for parents and ministries to kids.
Right now we’ve got special Christmas offer that will expire at 10:30pm on Tuesday 8th December 2015.
To find out about the offer go to the video page link below: https://shearsby.leadpages.co/jcentrev4/
After that time, you can still go to the online shop and choose from a wide range of stories appropriate for both school age and before school age kids.
Go get ‘em this Christmas!
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