Re-ignite
Here you can find Ignite stuff from previous weeks
21st March
Last week we thought about the story of Hannah who prayed for a child. This week we are going to think about the story of Samuel hearing the voice of God and learning to listen to Him.
For this Ignite Online you will need to gather some resources for the activities but everything else is here for you to follow through in order.
Say together:
From the top of my head to the tips of my toes
From the lobes of my ears to the end of my nose
From my front to my back
To my wiggly fingers
God loves me!
It’s time to hear all about Samuel listening to God and you can watch the story here
Or this version for younger children
If you have a Bible or a children’s Bible have a look and see if you can find the story of the story of Samuel and read together. You can find this story in 1 Samuel 3 in the Old Testament.
Which bit of this story did you like best? I love the fact that God spoke to Samuel even though he was still a child. That means that God can speak to each of us, whether we are young or old or somewhere in the middle!
In the Bible God’s voice is described in different ways. In John 12 it describes Jesus telling his disciples that he is going to die and then there was a voice from heaven.
‘The crowd that was there and heard it said it had thundered; others said an angel had spoken to him.’ (John 12:29). Everyone heard God in a different way and that will be the same for you and me.
Eli encouraged Samuel to say to God, “Speak lord, your servant is listening.” I wonder if you can listen to God this week and I wonder where you might hear is voice?
Use one or more of the activities to help you think about listening to God and the different ways you might hear him speak.
14th March
This week we are going to think about the story of Hannah and Samuel. Hannah wanted to be a mother so much that she prayed and made a promise to God.
For this Ignite Online you will need to gather some resources for the activities but everything else is here for you to follow through in order.
Say together:
From the top of my head to the tips of my toes
From the lobes of my ears to the end of my nose
From my front to my back
To my wiggly fingers
God loves me!
It’s time to hear all about Hannah and you can watch the story here
If you have a Bible or a children’s Bible have a look and see if you can find the story of the story of Hannah and Samuel and read together. You can find this story in 1 Samuel 1 in the Old Testament.
Hannah really wanted to be a mum and so she prayed and asked God for a son. She really meant everything she prayed. She also promised that she would give her son back to God and that would have been a really hard promise for her to make. She must have really trusted God!
I wonder which bit of this story you like best?
If you could ask Hannah a question would it be?
Use one or more of the activities to help you think about Hannah and Samuel and about praying.
Prayer time
Thank you that when Hannah called out in prayer that you heard her.
Help us to be dedicated in our own prayer lives, trusting that you hear us and love us.
We thank you for all those who are mothers in our own lives, helping us to grow in our faith and relationship with God
Amen
Watch and sing along to these songs
7th March
This week we are going to think about the story of Elijah and the Widow
For this Ignite Online you will need to gather some resources for the activities but everything else is here for you to follow through in order.
Say together:
From the top of my head to the tips of my toes
From the lobes of my ears to the end of my nose
From my front to my back
To my wiggly fingers
God loves me!
It’s time to hear all about Elijah and you can watch the story here
If you have a Bible or a children’s Bible have a look and see if you can find the story of Elijah and the Widow and read together. You can find this story in 1 Kings 17:1-24 in the Old Testament.
Elijah needed somewhere to stay and food to eat so God told him to go to a certain widow who had almost nothing and ask her for some bread and water.
I wonder what the woman thought of Elijah asking her to give him some of her food when she didn’t have enough for herself and her son. Just as Elijah found God’s directions to be good, the woman found them to be good as well. She kept on making food for her, her son, and Elijah, and her food never ran out!
If Elijah hadn’t done what God said he might not have had any food. If the woman had not done what Elijah asked her to do she and her son would have run out of food. Instead, there was enough for them all.
How can we follow God’s direction?
We could do what it says in the Bible. God gave us the Bible to teach us who he is and how we should live. Through the Bible we learn to love others and we learn how to live the life that God wants us to live.
We can also find out what God wants us to do when we talk to him. When we take our problems, our hopes, and our requests to God, he hears us and he answers us.
God looked after Elijah, the widow and her son and he will look after us too.
Use one or more of the activities to help you think about following God’s directions.
Prayer time
Dear God,
Thank you for creating us the way you did. Show us the way to live so we can fulfil the plans you have for us.
Amen
Watch and sing along to this song
28th February
This week we are going to hear about David and what his story teaches us about trusting in God, even when our problems seem huge.
For this Ignite Online you will need to gather some resources for the activities but everything else is here for you to follow through in order.
It’s time to hear all about David and how he fights Goliath. You can watch his story here
If you have a Bible or a children’s Bible have a look and see if you can find the story of David and Goliath and read together. You can find it in 1 Samuel chapter 17.
David was only young and compared to Goliath he was tiny. To all the soldiers, Goliath was a huge problem and nobody wanted to fight him. Even though he was a giant, David knew he could trust God and so he offered to defeat this giant.
Just like David, we sometimes get into some problem situations. Not everyone is scared of the same things, but all people face problems. You might be able to think of times when you feel like David facing a giant problem that you can’t solve on your own.
In Hebrews 13:6 it says “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.” Even though this verse hadn’t been written when David was alive he knew this was true. It is still true for us today!
Remember that the Lord is your helper, and you do not need to be afraid. Just like David, you can trust in God.
Prayer time
You will need some plastic cups, post-it notes, pens, a small ball or something soft that can be thrown at your target.
On the post-it notes write things that seem big or you would like God to help you with. On one note, add something that you want to say sorry for. Stick these on the cups and then stack them up…if there are a lot you may need to have 4 on the bottom row!
Say ‘Father God I give all these things to you’ as you aim your ball and try to knock them over! When they are all down, say a big Amen!
Watch and sing along to this song
Sing: Great Big God
14th February
Today is St Valentine’s Day.
You might have decorated a Window of Love to show your neighbours and those who walk past your house that they are loved. Today we will think about what love is and the amazing love that God showed us. This is a verse from the Bible. It is found in John 3 verse 16 and goes like this: God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son. Anyone who believes in him will not die but will have eternal life. John 3:16
You might like to decorate a window of love if you haven’t already done so and you might like to go on a walk to see if you can find some windows that have been decorated. You will find one at the church hall:
There are also some wondering and wandering questions in the board by the window which you can also find here:
Spend some time either at home or out on a walk thinking about love…who loves you and who you love.
7th February
This week we are going to hear about Ruth and what her story teaches us about love and being part of God’s family.
For this Ignite Online you will need to gather some resources for the activities but everything else is here for you to follow through in order.
Say together:
From the top of my head to the tips of my toes
From the lobes of my ears to the end of my nose
From my front to my back
To my wiggly fingers
God loves me!
It’s time to hear all about Ruth and you can watch her story here:
If you have a Bible or a children’s Bible have a look and see if you can find the story of Ruth and read together. You can find her story in the book of Ruth in the Old Testament.
Ruth must have really loved Naomi. She stays faithful to her mother-in-law and leaves her own community to join Naomi's. Not only this, but she chooses to become part of God’s family
We see how Ruth and Naomi take care of each other and then Boaz shows love and faithfulness and takes care of Ruth and also Naomi.
Ruth went on to be the great grandmother of King David and is in the family line of Jesus. She really did become part of God’s family and we can too because of Jesus and God’s love and faithfulness to us.
Ruth joined her life together with Naomi and with God.
Who is your life joined to?
I wonder what it means to become one of God's people?
Use one or more of the activities to help you think about these questions.
Prayer time
Use the braiding paper activity to help you pray. Choose one colour to represent God and another colour to represent yourself or someone you know. As you braid the strips together, pray that you or the person you have chosen will grow closer to God.
31st January
This week we are going to learn about waiting from two special people in the Bible, Anna and Simeon.
For this Ignite Online you will need to gather some resources for the activities but everything else is here for you to follow through in order.
Say together:
From the top of my head to the tips of my toes
From the lobes of my ears to the end of my nose
From my front to my back
To my wiggly fingers
God loves me!
If you have a Bible or a children’s Bible have a look and see if you can find the story of Anna and Simeon and read together. You will find their story in Luke 2:22-40
It’s time to hear all about Anna and Simeon and you can watch their story here:
Simeon and Anna had to wait for many years to see Jesus.
There are probably lots of things you are waiting for right now, like being able to visit friends and family or going to the cinema or being able to go on holiday again.
Have you ever waited a long time for something? How did it feel whilst you were waiting? How did it feel when they finally got the thing you were waiting for?
Can you imagine how it felt for Anna and Simeon having to wait for so long and then finally meeting Jesus? Jesus wants us to meet him and to recognise him as someone special like Simeon and Anna did.
24th January
This week we’re looking at the same Bible story as the adults and thinking about following Jesus.
For this Ignite Online you will need to gather some resources for the activities but everything else is here for you to follow through in order.
As Jesus began his ministry, he asked four fishermen to come with him and immediately they said yes! For them to respond without hesitation required a lot of courage; it was life-changing. They were prepared to leave what they knew behind and learn to ‘fish for people’ with Jesus.
Can you think of times when you say ‘yes’ really quickly?
Say together:
From the top of my head to the tips of my toes
From the lobes of my ears to the end of my nose
From my front to my back
To my wiggly fingers
God loves me!
Tell us a story
You could invite your child/ren to use glove, finger or wooden spoon puppets to represent Jesus and the fishermen, to help tell the story together using the words below….
Jesus was ready to begin his work.
‘God’s kingdom is here! Come and join God’s special plan,’ he called.
When Jesus was walking down by the lake, he saw some fishermen.
First, he called to two brothers, Simon and Andrew:
‘Come, follow me! I will send you out to fish for people!’
Simon and Andrew left their fishing nets and followed Jesus.
Then he called to James and John:
‘Come, follow me! I will send you out to fish for people!’
James and John left their fishing nets too and followed Jesus.
If you have a Bible or a children’s Bible have a look and see if you can find out more about Jesus calling the first disciples in Mark 1:14-20
Now have a go at some of the activities to help you to think about this story. You can also use them to help you pray and then sing this song.
Don’t forget to join in with the actions!
17th January
This week we continue our adventure finding out about different Bible superheroes. Today’s hero is Gideon!
For this Ignite Online you will need to gather some resources for the activities but everything else is here for you to follow through in order.
Say together:
From the top of my head to the tips of my toes
From the lobes of my ears to the end of my nose
From my front to my back
To my wiggly fingers
God loves me!
It’s time to hear all about Gideon and you can watch his story here…
If you have a Bible or a children’s Bible have a look and see if you can find out more about Gideon and read together. You will find his story in the book of Judges in the Old Testament.
What is the best bit for you? I really like the fact that Gideon didn’t think he was the right person for the job…he thought he wasn’t strong enough but that wasn’t a problem for God!
God showed that Gideon was exactly the right person for the job.
He just had to trust God, do what God said and God did the rest. I think Gideon was still very brave!
God can use us and help us too even if we think we aren’t strong enough, big enough or important enough. When we are weak God can show his strength and power
10th January
As we begin a New Year we are going to continue our adventure finding out about different Bible superheroes.
Today’s hero is Joshua!
For this Ignite Online you will need to gather some resources for the activities but everything else is here for you to follow through in order.
Say together:
From the top of my head to the tips of my toes
From the lobes of my ears to the end of my nose
From my front to my back
To my wiggly fingers
God loves me!
It’s time to hear all about Joshua and you can watch his story here…
If you have a Bible or a children’s Bible have a look and see if you can find out more about Joshua and read together. He has his own book in the Old Testament!
What is the best bit for you? I really like the fact that God told Joshua to be strong and courageous and that God would be with him.
We can also be strong and courageous and God will be with us too…all the time, not just when we have difficult things to face.
Things are a bit tricky at the moment with our new lockdown. You might like to use the activities to help you think about God being with us and also being with other people too.
Have a go and one or both activities and use them to help you pray and then sing this song!
Advent
Advent is the period of preparation for Christmas. I’d like to encourage you and your family to make room this Advent to welcome Jesus and include this alongside your other Christmas preparations. I have picked some of my favourite ways of making time to reflect on the coming of Jesus, born as saviour of the world.
You probably won’t want to do all of these but pick what will work for your family to use over the coming weeks. Some ideas are for things to do each day, some are for each Sunday in Advent. You can mix and match to suit you!
Use this time to find out a bit more about Advent and decide how you will use this time as a family.
A great starting point is this video from Scripture Union:
Talk about who the special person is who is mentioned in the video.
Join in and do the actions to this song:
Now have a look at the activities and decide what you will do to welcome Jesus this Advent.
Sunday 22nd November 2020
Last week we found out how God wanted to use Moses to rescue his people but Moses was afraid of what God was asking him to do. God told Moses he would be with him.
You can read the story of Moses in Exodus. Why don’t you see if you can find his story in a children’s Bible?
Here is one child-friendly version
Or you can watch it here:
God had sent Moses to talk to Pharaoh to ask him to “Let my people go!” but Pharaoh would not. Pharaoh was stubborn! He would not let the Israelite slaves leave Egypt. God knew all along that Pharaoh wasn’t going to say “yes.” In fact, God had told Moses ahead of time that Pharaoh was going to say “No.” So, God wasn’t surprised at all that this happened!
In response to Pharaoh's hard heart, God sent 10 Plagues, each one worse than the last. God kept sending His messenger, Moses, back to tell Pharaoh, “Let my people go!” but each time Pharaoh refused. The plagues that God sent affected the Egyptians, but not God’s people, the Israelites. Finally, after the tenth most terrible plague of all, the people of Egypt begged the Israelites to leave and even gave them gold, silver and clothes to take!
Once the Israelites had left, Pharaoh changed his mind about letting them go and sent his army to get them all back! The Israelites ended up being stuck between Pharaoh's army and the Red Sea. There was nowhere for them to go! Moses prayed to God and God put a cloud of fire between the Israelites and the Egyptians to protect them through the night. Then He parted the Red Sea so that the Israelites were able to walk through it on dry ground. When the Egyptians tried to follow, all of the water fell back down on top of them and they were drowned. God had protected the Israelites and saved them from their enemies!
The really great thing is that God loves you and cares about every detail of your life. He heard the Israelites cry out to Him when they were suffering and He answered their prayers. God also hears your prayers and has the power to help you with anything that troubles you too.
Memory Verse:
Psalm 56:3 When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You.
A prayer to say together:
Dear God, thank you for rescuing the Israelites and keeping them safe. Thank you that you help us too. We put our trust in You. Amen.
A song to sing:
Click on the link below to sing along and learn the actions for 'Way Maker'.
Sunday 15th November 2020
For this Ignite Online you will need to gather some resources for the activities but everything else is here for you to follow through in order.
Do you remember what happened to baby Moses when we last met outside for Ignite Family?
The Pharaoh had wanted all baby Hebrew boys born in Egypt, including Moses, to be killed. Moses's mother hid Moses in a basket on the River Nile and Moses's sister, Miriam, watched over him. Pharaoh's daughter found the basket containing Moses and decided to bring him up as her own son in the palace! We talked about how Jochabed, Moses’s mother, trusted God and her son was saved. Today we will find out how God used Moses to rescue his people.
You can watch an outline of the story so far and the next bit here
Moses didn’t think he was good enough for the job God was giving him. In fact, he was downright scared! He was afraid that the Israelites wouldn’t listen to him. He was also afraid because he wasn’t a very good speaker. Moses made all sorts of excuses to God about why he wasn’t the right man for the job. But God promises to be with those whom He calls! Moses didn’t need to be afraid because God would be with him no matter what. In fact, God would work through Moses to rescue the Israelites.
Have you ever thought that you won’t be able to do something that you feel God is asking you to do? Sometimes it’s hard to obey God, but He always gives us the strength to do what He’s asked us to do!
Here’s a song to sing to remind you that God is with us all the time and we don’t need to be afraid.
Be bold! Be Strong! For the Lord your God is with you!
Another song: One Way Jesus
Prayer to say together
Father God, thank you that You will never leave me. I put my trust in You. Please guide and strengthen me. Amen.
Sunday 4th October 2020
This Sunday, Ignite Family took the form of a Messy Church celebration time as a follow up to Messy Church in a bag.
If you weren't able to make it, here are some activities you can do at home:
Play a game of Colour I spy. Outside, one person looks at the different colours and thinks of something red, green or orange. Everyone else has to look carefully and try to work out what they are thinking of.
Think about God's provision for the birds and squirrels. They don't worry and we don't have to either. If you have some cheerios or similar at home, thread them onto a pipe cleaner or string to make a bird (or squirrel feeder!)
Conker prayers:
Think about this verse ....
Don’t worry about anything. No matter what happens, tell God about everything. Ask and pray, and give thanks to him. Philippians 4:6
Holding a conker- say out loud lots of things that you want to thank God for.
Feel the spikes on the outside shell- Quietly think about the things that don't feel very nice at the moment or things that you are worried about. Tell God about them.
Open the shell and look at the beautiful smooth conker inside that can grow into an amazing new tree. Thank God that he can and does change things. Amen!
You can find out more about Messy Church in a bag on the October Messy church page.
Sunday 20th September 2020
This week's Ignite is about another Bible superhero - Abraham! Here is a taste of what happened in the church garden last Sunday…
For this Ignite Online you will need to gather some resources for the activities but everything else is here for you to follow through in order.
Gathering;
From the top of my head, to the tips of my toes,
From the lobes of my ears to the end of my nose,
From my front to my back,
To my wiggly fingers
God loves me!
Today’s Bible Hero is Abraham. You can watch his story here
See the resource sheet for some activity ideas and things to think about.
Let's sing: Jesus you're my Superhero!
If you missed the Wonder Zone Virtual Holiday Club which took place for primary age children from Monday 20th to 24th July. You can find activity sheets and songs here - it's not too late to join in with some of the fun!
This was the Wonder Zone theme song. You can find all the other songs and activity sheets on the 'Groups for Children' page.
Some other useful links and resources:
Thank you for joining us for Ignite Online. We’d love to see some of your creations and hear your comments so please share them with us. You can email me, Nicky, at smg.children@gmail.com or upload them as a comment on the kids@StMark’s Facebook page.