Shine At Home

Resources For Families

Below are the weekly Shine at Home conversation starters and activities for enhancing faith formation at home. These faith-building ideas for families are ready to be shared via email, on a social media platform such as Facebook, or in a weekly bulletin or newsletter. Each week’s suggestions coordinate with the Shine curriculum that children and junior youth use during Christian education time.

Add this explanation the first week you send out or post the announcements:

Today we are beginning a weekly announcement for families of children and junior youth. Each Sunday you will find faith nurture ideas that coordinate with the weekly session plans from the Shine curriculum your child’s group uses. The Bible story can be read from The Peace Table: A Storybook Bible, which is available for purchase from www.ShineCurriculum.com/shop. Or simply read it from a translation of your choice. Each week includes the prayer practice that your child(ren) was introduced to during Sunday school. Continue that practice each day.

Announcements for Winter 2023-24

These faith-building ideas for families are ready to be shared via email, on a social media platform such as Facebook, or in a weekly bulletin or newsletter. Each week’s suggestions coordinate with the Shine curriculum that children and junior youth use during Christian education time. Announcements for this quarter run from Sunday, December 3, through February 25. Modify the dates as needed to match your church’s schedule. Click for the Word document with the Winter 2023-24 announcements.

Session 1

December 3, 2023
A Different Kind of Kingdom
Read page 110 in The Peace Table: A Storybook Bible or Isaiah 11:1–9. Imagine together what a peaceful world might look like. Draw or create images of a peaceful world using a variety of art materials.
Pray a prayer of blessing. Pass a peace candle around the circle with each family member saying “the peace of Christ be with you” to the next person.
Watch a read aloud of the book The Winter Train by Susanna Isern on YouTube. Talk about the ways the animals work together.

Session 2

December 10, 2023
Zechariah and Elizabeth
Read page 162 and 166 in The Peace Table: A Storybook Bible or Luke 1:5–25; 57–80. Talk about what it might have been like for Zechariah as he waited for the baby to be born. What is it like for you to wait for something exciting to happen?
Pray a prayer of blessing. Pass candle around the circle with each family member saying “the hope of Christ be with you” to the next person.
Celebrate with Zechariah and Elizabeth with a party. Have a snack together as a family and talk about what things babies need that might be brought to help Elizabeth with the new baby.

Session 3

December 17, 2023
Mary Shares Her Joy
Read page 164 in The Peace Table: A Storybook Bible or Luke 1:26–56. Talk about who you share exciting news with.
Pray a prayer of blessing. Pass a candle around the circle with each family member saying “the joy of Christ be with you” to the next person.
Listen to a version of the song “There Was a Little Baby” (YouTube). Have a Christmas sing-a-long with each family member requesting their favorite.

Session 4

December 24, 2023
Jesus Is Born
Read pages 170 and 172 in The Peace Table: A Storybook Bible or Luke 2:1–20. Talk about the ways your family will celebrate Jesus’ birth.
Pray a prayer of blessing. Pass a candle around the circle with each family member saying “the love of Christ be with you” to the next person.
Go on a scavenger hunt! Take turns hiding a baby doll or a baby Jesus from a nativity set. The person who finds the baby gets to hide it for the next round.

Session 5

December 31, 2023
Magi Come to Worship
Read page 176 in The Peace Table: A Storybook Bible or Matthew 2:1–2. Take turns sharing about a time when you’ve received a special gift.
Pray a prayer of blessing. Pass a candle around the circle with each family member saying “the light of Christ be with you” to the next person.
Explore a variety of spices, oils, and fragrances that you have around the house like nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, vanilla, or essential oils such as lavender, peppermint, or pine. Place fragrances on cotton balls to smell. Take turns sharing your favorites.

Session 6

January 7, 2024
Jesus Is Baptized
Read page 182 in The Peace Table: A Storybook Bible or Mark 1:1–10. Share this blessing with one another: (name), you are my beloved (child, parent, brother, sister, etc.), I am proud of you for _________.
Pray “listening” prayers this week. Help each family member find a quiet place to pray. Draw, write, or move as you pray.
Retell the story of Jesus’ baptism. If you have been baptized, share your experience with your family.

Session 7

January 14, 2024
Follow Me
Read pages 188 and 202 in The Peace Table: A Storybook Bible or Mark 1:16–20; 2:13–17; 3:13–19 as you eat a meal together. Imagine Jesus being at your table. What would you talk about with Jesus?
Pray “listening” prayers this week. Step outside together and listen to winter sounds in your yard or neighborhood. Back inside, share your favorite sound and any unusual sounds you noticed.
Play a game of Follow the Leader. Talk about whether you like being a leader or a follower best. What makes a good leader? A good follower?

Session 8

January 21, 2024
Jesus Begins His Ministry
Read page 198 in The Peace Table: A Storybook Bible or Mark 1:29–45. Jesus taught in a way that caught people’s attention. Talk about amazing teachers you have known.
Pray “listening” prayers this week. Practice listening without interrupting by taking turns telling something happy and something sad that happened this week. Close your sharing time by praying for each family member.
Color and cut out Flat Jesus, found on the Extras page of the Shine website. Take Jesus with you wherever you go this week. Take a picture of you and Flat Jesus and share it with your friends and family.

Session 9

January 28, 2024
Five Friends
Read page 200 in The Peace Table: A Storybook Bible or Mark 2:1–12. Talk about why you think these friends were so determined to get the man to Jesus.
Pray “help others” prayers this week. Jesus listened to the people who came to him for healing. Write the names of people you know who are sick on a paper chain. As you pray, listen for ways God may inspire you to help them.
Celebrate helpful friends by sending a thank you note, cookies or a snack, or sharing a game or book over video chat.

Session 10

February 4, 2024
Parable of the Sower
Read page 210 in The Peace Table: A Storybook Bible or Mark 4:1–20. Plant seeds. Talk about what you will need to do to help them grow.
Pray “help others” prayers this week. Think about people you know who may be having a hard time or struggling to learn something new. Have each person light a candle as a sign of Jesus’ light and love for the person they are praying for.
Search online for artwork related to today’s story. One painting to look for is The Sower by Vincent van Gogh. What do you notice about the sower?

Session 11

February 11, 2024
Jesus Feeds 5,000 People
Read page 224 in The Peace Table: A Storybook Bible or Mark 6:30–44 as you eat a meal together. Create your own mealtime prayer. Write it as a poem or set it to the tune of a simple song. Repeat it every day this week.
Pray “help others” prayers this week. Search online for organizations in your area that assist people who do not have enough food. Ask God to show you ways your family can help.
Host a bread tasting party. Try naan, tortilla, pita, and baguette. Talk about your favorites.

Session 12

February 18, 2024
Jesus and the Children
Read page 252 in The Peace Table: A Storybook Bible or Mark 10:13–16. Have the grownups and older children tell what family traditions they enjoyed as young children.
Pray a blessing for one another. When we bless someone, we ask God to provide good things for that person, such as protection, healing, or comfort. Offer a blessing to each other such as this one: May God bless you with joy and love.
Sing “Jesus Loves Me” putting the names of your family members in place of the word “me.”

Session 13

February 25, 2024
Jesus Heals Bartimaeus
Read page 254 in The Peace Table: A Storybook Bible or Mark 10:46–52. Imagine being Bartimaeus. Talk about what you would want to see first after receiving your sight.
Pray, thanking God for helpers in your community—first responders, doctors and nurses, pastors, teachers, and so on.
Explore “seeing” with your hands. Put ordinary objects in paper bags, one per bag. Have everyone close their eyes and take turns feeling the object in each bag. Share your guesses.

 

Announcements for Spring 2024

These faith-building ideas for families are ready to be shared via email, on a social media platform such as Facebook, or in a weekly bulletin or newsletter. Each week’s suggestions coordinate with the Shine curriculum that children and junior youth use during Christian education time. Announcements for this quarter run from Sunday, March 3 through May 26. Modify the dates as needed to match your church’s schedule. Click for the Word document with the Spring 2024 announcements.

Session 1

March 3, 2024
Jesus Enters Jerusalem
Read page 260 in The Peace Table: A Storybook Bible or Mark 11:1–11. How would you honor Jesus if he came to your home or town?
Pray prayers of praise. After each prayer, say “Hosanna” together. For instance, “We praise you, God, for your love. Hosanna!”
Make Palm Sunday crosses. Search for “Tutorial: Palm Sunday Cross” on YouTube for a demonstration and instructions.

Session 2

March 10, 2024
Jesus in the Temple
Read page 262 in The Peace Table: A Storybook Bible. Or read Mark 11:15–19. How do you respond when you see people being treated unfairly? Read page 266 or Mark 12:38–44. When have you given generously?
Pray silent prayers of confession. (Tell God something you feel sorry about.) Then as a family say, “God forgives us and loves us.”
Read Four Feet, Two Sandals by Karen Lynn Williams and Khadra Mohammed (also available on YouTube). Talk about experiences of giving and sharing.

Session 3

March 17, 2021
The Last Supper
Read page 274 in The Peace Table: A Storybook Bible or Mark 14:12–26. How do you think Jesus felt knowing that someone was going to betray him? Have you ever been betrayed?
Pray a prayer of confession. Silently tell God something you feel sorry about. Then tell each other, “Jesus loves you no matter what.”
Search online for “multicultural paintings of the Last Supper” to see the ways this Bible story has been depicted by different artists. Which do you like best and why? Make your own drawing.

Session 4

March 24, 2024
Jesus’ Arrest and Death
Read pages 276 and 279 in The Peace Table: A Storybook Bible or Mark 14:32–15:47. How does this story make you feel? What questions do you have?
Pray a prayer of lament. Name things that bring you sadness from your own lives or the world. Respond by praying together, “How long, oh Lord?” Close by saying, “Lord, bring your peace.”
Listen to “Bring Your Peace” on Everybody Sing: Worship Songs for Children, track 9, or search on YouTube for “Bring Your Peace” by The Walking Roots Band.

Session 5

March 31, 2024
Jesus Is Risen!
Read page 280 in The Peace Table: A Storybook Bible or Mark 16:1–8. Name two people you turn to during sad and happy times.
Pray joyful prayers of praise! Take turns naming things you praise God for and have everyone respond by saying, “Alleluia!”
Decorate hard-boiled eggs. Search for “Making Pysanky(ish) Eggs with Kids” at www.homeschoolroom.com for a fun technique.

Session 6

April 7, 2024
Jesus’ Ascension
Read page 290 in The Peace Table: A Storybook Bible or Acts 1:1–11. What questions might the disciples have asked Jesus when they saw him after the resurrection?
Pray joyful prayers of praise! Take turns naming things you praise God for and have everyone respond by saying, “Alleluia!”
Write letters or draw pictures for people who live far away or that you haven’t been able to visit lately. Jesus was no longer with his disciples in person, but still loved and cared for them.

Session 7

April 14, 2024
Pentecost
Read page 294 in The Peace Table: A Storybook Bible or Acts 2:1–12, 37–39. What surprises you about this story? How would have felt if you were in the crowd?
Pray “praise God” prayers. Name things you are grateful for and respond together by saying, “We praise you, God!”
Cut flame shapes from red, orange, and/or yellow tissue paper. Take turns hiding them around your home. When other family members find them, say, “God’s Spirit is with you.”

Session 8

April 21, 2024
Living in Community
Read page 296 in The Peace Table: A Storybook Bible or Acts 2:41–47. How is your church similar to and different from the one in this story?
Pray for people in your church. Ask God to meet each person’s needs and to show you how your family can support your faith community.
Make or buy a meal or snacks to share with a neighbor or family at church. Include a handwritten note or drawing.

Session 9

April 28, 2024
Philip and the Ethiopian Official
Read page 300 in The Peace Table: A Storybook Bible or Acts 8:5–6, 26–40. Who helps you learn and understand the Bible? What questions do you have about the Bible?
Pray with play dough. As you pray for people, form the play dough into a letter or shape to represent your prayer for that person.
Create a “good news” video, magazine, or picture. Just like Philip shared the good news of Jesus, tell “good news” stories from your own lives or from the community.

Session 10

May 5, 2024
Saul’s Conversion
Read page 302 in The Peace Table: A Storybook Bible or Acts 8:1b–3; 9:1–31. Talk about a change you have experienced or a time you saw another person make a big change.
Pray for someone you find difficult to like or get along with. Ask God to give you patience and compassion as you relate to that person.
Read The Recess Queen by Alexis O’Neill or watch it on YouTube. The new kid became friends with the playground bully. The followers of Jesus changed when they welcomed Saul.

Session 11

May 12, 2021
Peter and Cornelius
Read page 306 in The Peace Table: A Storybook Bible or Acts 10:1–48. How do you feel knowing that God does not have favorites?
Pray for your family. Invite each person to name one joy and one concern they have. Respond to each one by saying together, “God is with you.”
Make a welcome mat or banner for your home. Include a message such as “Everyone is welcome here.”

Session 12

May 19, 2024
Lydia
Read page 308 in The Peace Table: A Storybook Bible or Acts 16:11–15, 40. Lydia went to the river to pray. Where would you go outside to pray?
Pray for people in your community, such as teachers, healthcare workers, and local leaders.
Listen to “Down to the River to Pray” on YouTube. There are many versions available, including ones by Alison Krauss, a virtual choir, and the Bethel College Choir singing in a grain bin!

Session 13

May 26, 2024
Paul and the Corinthians
Read pages 313 and 315 in The Peace Table: A Storybook Bible or Acts 18:1–11; 2 Corinthians 8:1–5, 12–15; 9:6–8. Tell about a time you shared generously.
Pray for people who do not have enough food or clean drinking water. Research and then pray for organizations that are helping address these needs locally and around the world.
Build a tent out of sheets, blankets, chairs, boxes, and anything else you have! Talk about Paul and his friends making tents together.

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