Harvest ideas

Anne Le Bas - Seal, Sevenoaks, UK - 28 September 2009

Sunflower pew ends

Take a lot of layers of yellow (or orange) tissue paper. Draw around your hand and cut around the outline, so you have lots of yellow tissue 'hands'. Stick them round the edge of a paper plate to make the petals of the sunflower.

Take another paper plate and cut out the middle. Discard the outer part and keep the central disk. Using your finger , paint "seeds", onto the disk and then stick it over the "petals".
The sunflower can be stuck to the pew ends with blutack or tied on with string.

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Opening idea for team building - we are stronger together

Dave Chuck - 24 September 2009

Icebreaker or Opening Idea for team building - body of Christ/Building a Church/together we are strong

This may not be new but I have many who didn't know this one.

Take uncooked strands of spaghetti and marshmellows. Divide the group up and challenge the smaller groups to make the TALLEST unsupported tower using these.

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Painting Marbled Paper using Shaving Foam

Frank Aldous - 15 April 2009

We used the idea below from WikiHow, using shaving foam, food colouring and ordinary photo paper from Tesco (inket 4" by 6").

It worked a dream! You do need a BIG BIN for the scrapings, all of the trays (Tesco non-stick baking trays) just washed off under a warm tap; no mess at all; food colouring just washed out of clothes. However: hands...mine are still slightly multi-coloured!

Visit WikiHow - Painting marbled paper using shaving foam.

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Activities on Creation, The Good Samaritan and Palm Sunday

Sue Avery - Cholsey, South Oxfordshire, UK - 10 April 2009

Sue Avery's Messy Church in Cholsey, Oxfordshire, has put together the following craft ideas on the themes of Creation, The Good Samaritan and Palm Sunday. These craft-based ideas work well at Cholsey, where they have a relatively young average age.

For simplicity, the craft ideas are available as a downloadable PDF.

Download the PDF of the Creation, Good Samaritan and Palm Sunday craft ideas.

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Quilling

Lucy Moore - Hanmpshire UK - 30 March 2009

Get hold of some 'quilling strips' from a craft shop (they're just long pieces of very narrow paper), and some 'quilling tools', which are reusable little sticks with a prong on the end, some glue and a cocktail stick

Basically, you're twirling the strip using the prong, then releasing it so that it's a tight spiral. You glue the loose end to the spiral to hold it in place and it becomes part of a design for... well, anything! - Fish, aliens, animals, people, faces, flowers, butterflies, eggs... Just glue it onto a piece of card and add details with more twirls or a felt tip pen.

You can let the spiral expand a bit so that it's looser, before you glue it... squish it into an eye shape or a diamond or other shape... stick different colour strips together to make it multicoloured... loads of alternatives.

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Sugar Marbling

Valerie Prettyman - Suffolk UK - 30 March 2009

You'll need:

2 level spoonfuls icing sugar
1 spoon white wine vinegar
selection of food colourings
crads squares
cocktail sticks
a paste brush

Mix together the icing sugar and the vinegar. Then brush it completely over your card. Be generous in your application! Then dip the coktail stick in the first colour of food colouring and hold it onto the card where it will start to spread in a snowflake pattern. Then introduce more colours. DO NOT USE TOO MUCH as it does spread!

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Creative Writing Activity

Pam Mellor - 20 March 2009

Have you considered using spiritual verse? Some people use the word 'poetry', but that conjures up too many bad experiences of sitting through boring English lessons!
I have attached a copy of a verse which I wrote several months ago, which I have used during worship. Although, not the best piece of literature ever, I was pleasantly surprised by the number of people present, who asked me for a copy!
I have no doubt, that there will be others quite capable of writing verses, in a way which speaks to folks in messy church. Even children, elderly folks, anyone could write! Just like painting, baking etc. We don't have to be great at it, just so long as it makes us feel good and helps us to connect with God.
As I say, just another idea!

THE CROSS
How do you picture
That wondrous cross
On which our Saviour died?
A piece of wood
On which He could
Forgive them, as Mary cried.
Or for you is the scene
On a hill of green
With three crosses neatly set?
Where hung three men
Who, up until then
Had probably never met!
Or does your brain
Allow the pain
Of His hands, to filter through?
Does the thorny crown
That they’re pressing down
Sit easily on you?
Are you standing there
As they shout and swear?
Or just cowering out of sight?
Of course we know
It was long ago…
Far away, so that’s alright.
There’s no use pretending
The nice, happy ending
Is the part that we all like to hear.
The triumph, the glory
That great Easter story
We’re told about year after year.
But, the cross that I’m wearing
The faith we are sharing
Does it really reflect such a loss?
Much more, it should be
A reminder to me
Of the pain and an old wooden cross.

Pam

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We are all special

D Watts - Sapcote Leicester - 17 February 2009

Talk suggestion: Pretend to get cross that we are all different, have different needs and abilities, different colour hair, eyes and so on, but then realize that to God we are all special and he can help us feel special. Our minister told a story about a girl who so wanted to be a main part in a dance but was never picked because she was too small, in the story at the end, she does get picked but not for the main part. Her family tell her to them she is the best , and it didn't matter that she wasn't main part, they still loved her. This reminds and shows us we all have different talents and gifts, and to God we are all the same and very special.

Crafts

1. Foam books

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Make a basket of blessing eggs

Beryl Tillin - 28 October 2008

Beryl Tillin found a good idea titled Make a basket of blessing eggs on Domestic-church.com. Follow the link above, then click on Lent and Easter, then this idea is under the Young Children section.

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Theme: Fruits of the Spirit (One of a series of ideas) - this set on Love and Goodness

Swanmore Churches - Messy Fiesta, Cowplain - 19 September 2008

Below is a series of ideas given to Lucy Moore at the second Messy Fiesta in Cowplain on 12 July 2008.

Idea 1 - Shaker / rainstick
Craft Brief - Suitable for toddlers
How to - Decorate bottle or tube, fill with seeds. Use in worship to celebrate God's love

Idea 2 - Creation garden
Craft Brief - Suitable for older children / adults
How to - Oasis in aluminium trays. Add flowers, twigs, leaves, beads etc - how God shows his love for all creation

Idea 3 - Drama
Craft Brief - Suitable for 'boys'
How to - Acting out Good Samaritan in contemporary setting

Idea 4 - Beads, necklaces, bracelets
Craft Brief - 'Pretty'
How to - Perhaps prayer necklace or bracelet on elastic to represent aspects of God's love or fruits of the Spirit

Idea 5 - Handprint tree
Craft Brief - Really messy
How to - Provide outline of tree and add handprints. Write on fruits of Spirit and ways in which we can show them

Idea 6 - Footprint tree!
Craft Brief - Even messier

Idea 7 - Heart shaped biscuits
Craft Brief - Includes food
How to - Make and ice

Idea 8 - Making a display
Craft Brief - Uses a Bible
How to - With a global focus showing mission work throughout the world

Idea 10 - PowerPoint
Craft Brief - Uses a computer creatively
How to - Make a ppt on the theme to be used in the service

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