A Workshop Rotation Model Lesson Set from
St. Paul's Presbyterian Church
56 Thames Street South
Ingersoll, Ontario, CANADA N5C 2S9
519-485-3390 whispering.ridge@sympatico.ca
This material is the copyrighted property of Rev. Dr. Lonnie Atkinson.
Permission is granted to copy this material only for non-commercial use.

"CHILD OF GOD, BLESSING FROM GOD"
–The Baptism of Jesus –
and
– The Sacrament of Baptism –

Key Bible Lesson:Luke 3: 21 – 22

Luke's story of the Baptism of Jesus offers the following highlights:
John the Baptist was baptizing "all the people"; John baptized Jesus; After his baptism, Jesus prayed; While he prayed, heaven opened and the Holy Spirit came down "like a dove"; A voice from heaven declared that Jesus was God's Son who was loved dearly. For us Baptism is a time of faith renewed in community, a time for teaching and
experiencing God's love for his children.

Key Bible Verse:Luke 3: 22b
"You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased." (NIV)

Key Concepts
In Jesus' baptism, God offers us a picture of His love for all his children. Baptism is a time for declaring and renewing our faith
in God and our commitment as the Church of God to care for all people. The symbol of the water is the sacramental sign of God's grace making all things new.

Theme Songs
"Child of Blessing, Child of Promise"(NBP 521)
"As High as the Heavens"
"Glorify thy Name"

Workshop Themes

Sower's CinemaVideos --"Jesus Among the People" (baptism section) and "The Baptism of Jesus" (animated) edited.
Apostles Acting Co. --"Jesus' Baptism" from 7 Ways of Teaching the Bible to Children
Sam's Place"Hot Sundae Treats" – a sweet "baptism" for cool treats
Disciples' Designs --"I am a Child of God" hodge podge doves
Parable Power Center --Life of Christ CD and Children's Play and Learn Bible as well as Microsoft Greetings Workshop


Theme Prayers
Junior: "Dear God, may I love you as you love me. May I always be your child."
Senior:"Heavenly Father, at Jesus' baptism we heard you tell the world that he is your beloved child. Lord God, help us to live
as your children, too. Amen."

ARTS & CRAFTS WORKSHOP
@ THE DISCIPLES DESIGN STUDIO


Preparation:
1. Read and reflect on the "Child of God, Blessing from God" theme page and Bible Lesson from Luke 3: 21 – 22.
2. Pray the theme prayers.
3. Review the lesson plan in detail. Consider ways to adapt or adjust the workshop depending on the age group of participants.
4. Review the attached directions for the "I am a Child of God" Wall Ornaments. Collect the craft supplies needed to make the "Doves". Make a "Dove" as a test, thinking about adjustments for each age group of young craftspeople, as well as the time required to complete the craft.
5. Prepare the "Disciples Design Studio" for the crafters.
6. Pray for Jesus' peace and God's creativity before you begin.

Gathering:
1. Welcome "craft apprentices" to the Disciples Design Studio.
2. Remind the "crafters" of safety and clean up codes.
3. Pray the age-appropriate theme prayer with the "apprentices".
4. Have each child put on either a paint shirt or craft apron.


Good News:
1. Read the story of Jesus' baptism from Luke 3: 21 – 22.
2. Emphasize the Key Verse from Luke 3: 22b.
3. Create the "I am a Child of God" ornaments as per the attached design.
4. Feel free to be creative.

Reflection:
1. Ask them how they feel when they watch a child being baptized.
Tell them that we need to remember that each one of us is a special child to God, and we all have a special place in his family.
2. Tell the children that this is part of the reason we have started to give a bible to children who are baptized in our church. As a Sunday School, we want to publicly declare that we want to welcome one of God's children, and to tell them how special they are to us.
3. Tell the children that we hope they will put these "doves" in a special place in their homes, and that when they look at them, we hope it may remind them how dearly God loved Jesus, but also how dearly He loves us.
4. To many, the dove is a symbol of peace, and we hope that this gives them a feeling of peace and comfort.

Directions for "I am a Child of God" Wall Ornaments
1. Give each child a painted dove.
2. Ask each child to print their name on the back of the dove.
3. Help the children cut out and paste the "I am a Child of God" verse on their dove. (For younger children, you may wish to have the verse pre-cut.)
4. With the sponge brushes, apply 1 thin coat of "Hodge Podge" to create a soft finish for their dove. Watch for air bubbles. This takes about 10 minutes to dry. A hairdryer could speed this process up, and could be something the youth assistants can assist with.
5. Apply a second coat.
6. It is probably recommended that the children leave their doves to dry in the classroom until the following week**
7. Let them know that they will be available to pick them up next Sunday, and let them know that we hope they can come to pick up their creation.
8. Set out 24" pieces of yarn so they can hang them in their homes.
9. Wash the sponge brushes out following each session with soap and water.
** At the end of each subsequent week, we can bring the previous week's completed doves out and hand them out before they go home. If any are unclaimed by the end of the session, we can ensure that we get them to the individual children.


COMPUTER WORKSHOP
@ PARABLE POWER CENTRE

Preparation:
1.Read and reflect on the "Child of God, Blessing from God" theme page.
2.Read the scripture reading from Luke 3: 21 – 22, reflect on the key concepts and pray the prayer.
3.Review the lesson plan in detail. Consider ways to adapt the
workshop depending on the age group of the participants.
4.If possible, try to review software in advance to assist children in working on the computer (Life of Christ and Microsoft Greetings Workshop, as well as The Children's Play and Learn Bible are recommended).

Gathering:
1. Welcome the "explorers" to the Parables Power Centre. Introduce yourself and have the children introduce themselves to ensure that new children are able to get to know others.
2. Encourage each class member to share the keyboard and mouse with fellow "explorers" at their computer station. With growing class sizes, this is very important.

Good News:
1. Read the scripture lesson from Luke 3: 21 – 22.
2. Review the Key Verse – Luke 3: 22b and have the children repeat it with you.
3. Tell the children that they will now hear the story again, but presented in a little different way through a computer program.
4. Pray the age-appropriate prayer with the children.
For older children (recommend Seniors and 9 – 11 groups) use Life of Christ CD
1. Insert CD and select ‘New Exploration'. The explorer types his/her name to start exploration.
2. Click on ‘Question Mark' to show exploration opportunities.
3. Click on "Lesson Indexes"
4. Click on Section Title – "Beginnings to Baptism"
5. Select Title #10 "The Baptism of Jesus"
6. The story will be told. (Note that the 3 gospels are noted as reference passages) Let the children know that this story can be found in each of these gospels. This provides some background information on John the Baptist that will help the children understand who he was and his role in Jesus' baptism)
7. Have the explorers take the quiz at the end of the lesson.

Upon completion of the Life of Christ CD, the two oldest classes can make memory cards with the Key Verse on
it. (2 samples are attached)
This can be done on Greetings Workshop.
Would recommend using "Cards" section
Go into "Start with Blank Project"
To add text on front page click on "ABC" button at top centre of screen
Place the "I am a Child of God" text
You can change fonts and font size as desired
You could also play around with page borders and backgrounds
Go to "Inside Right"
Put the Key Verse (Luke 3: 22b) here.

When printing, make sure all students take turns sending their card to print. Simultaneous print commands will cause the printer to freeze, and you will need to reboot the system.

For children ages 8 and under (recommend the Play and Learn Children's Bible CD)
1. Insert CD and click on "Play and Learn" icon on desktop display.
2. "Chariot Media" dialogue box will come up, and click "Run"
3. Select "Bible Stories" and then "God's Son"
4. Then select the "John Baptizes Jesus" story.
5. You will be asked, "Would you like us to read the story?" Would recommend "Yes" for under age 8. You could try asking the 8 year old class if they would like to take turns reading the story.
6. If you click "Yes" the story will be told. After each frame the student must click on the forward arrow to advance the story. (Recommendation – if you are having the computer read the story, "No" on 2 computers. This allows for only one voice to tell the story vs. 3 not quite all in synch)
7. There are various questions during the story that you may wish to discuss as you go along.
8. When the story is complete, click on the return arrow.
9. The children may then enjoy going into "The Games Room"
10. Under the ‘Puzzle Place' section, children can click on the "Jesus being Baptized" picture (in 3rd row ).
11. Select Level 1, 2 or 3 (depending on age group) and select Mix. This mixes the squares for children to rearrange to form correct picture.
12. Have the children take turns and make sure they share the mouse.
13. They may also enjoy some of the other games if time permits.
14. The 8 year olds enjoy "Bible Concentration". The 6 and 7 year olds enjoy "Where's Noah". Both these are on the Main Desktop display, and are fun. The children know where they are. The 4 and 5 year olds will need assistance in maneuvering around the keyboard.

Reflection:
1. Reflect on the "Key Concepts" from the cover page.
2. Ask the "explorers" how they feel when they watch a child being baptized.
3. Tell them that we need to remember that each one of us is a special child to God, and we all have a special place in His family.
4. For the seniors who do the cards, encourage them to set a personal goal to read the verse each day from their card to remind them how dearly God loved Jesus, and how dearly he loves each one of us.

Notes:

There are 3 Life of Christ and Play and Learn CDs in the cupboard. Each must be inserted into the computers for use.
For Life of Christ, it is recommended that you turn the speakers off/down on 2 machines to avoid the stories being told seconds faster or slower than the others.
There are 2 Greetings Workshop CDs. I will bring a 3rd one for the 2 Sundays you will need it.

Thanks for sharing your gifts of leadership with us.

Cooking Workshop
@ Sam's Place

Preparation
1. Read and reflect on the theme page for "Child of Blessing, Blessing from God"
1. Read "God's Gift" from "Glorifying and Enjoying God" booklet (attached)
2. Review our church's pamphlet on "Baptism and Communion"
3. Preview the recipes for the workshop. We are making Butterscotch and Hot Fudge sauces. They can be made by boiling or you can experiement with microwave alternatives.
4. Treat yourself to a Hot Cool Treat and share the prayer from the outline sheet.
5. Collect the ingredients and baking utensils need for your class; have Sam's Place ready for the "chefs" when they arrive.

Gathering
1. Welcome the "Chefs" to Sam's Place
2. Tell them the story of Jesus' baptism in your own words. ("Jesus was baptized by his cousin John in the Jordan River. While he was being baptized God's Spirit came down … and so on)
3. Read them the theme verse from Luke 3:22b.
4. Ask them to think about the baptisms they have seen at St. Paul's. What happens?
5. Tell them about the "Hot Sundae Treats" you are going to make and share together. The ice cream is like our lives before God's love through His Spirit warmest us up and changes us like the hot sauces transform the sundaes.
6. Remind the "chefs" about the kitchen safety rules particularly regarding how to handle hot things.

Good News
1. Following the attached recipes create sundae toppings of Butterscotch and Hot Fudge sauces. Share the creating of the toppings as much as is age appropriate.
2. Have the "chefs" scoop ice cream creations into bowls.
3. Before pouring the sauces over the ice cream pause to remind the children about our services of Baptism where the water is poured from the pitcher into the font and them is placed on the head of the person being baptized.
4. Create your "Hot Sundae Treats". "Chefs" can mix and match sauces. Remember how sweet they can be!

Blessing Time
1. Give thanks to God for sweet treats and all the gifts and blessings He shares with us.
2. While cleaning up "Sam's Place", share favorite baptism stories, memories (family story, a child who did something special…)
3. Close with the theme prayer.

Active Learning Workshop
The Apostles' Acting Co.

Preparation
1. Read and reflect on the theme page for "Child of Blessing, Blessing from God".
2. Read "God's Gift" from "Glorifying and Enjoying God" booklet.(attached)
3. Review our church's pamphlet on Baptism and Communion. (attached)
4. Study the "Jesus' Baptism" lesson plan from the "7 Ways to Teach Children the Bible" book. Focus on Warm-up and Lesson sections. (attached) Decide how you will teach the theme using the games and play activities described in the resource.
5. Collect the materials need and set-up the Acting Co. space for discovery learning.
6. Pray for the children and the learnings you may share together.

Gathering
1. Welcome the "actors" to the Apostles Acting Co.
2. Share the "Warm Up" water play activity with them
3. Read the Key Bible Lesson
4. Invite the "actors" to think about baptism memories they may have. Tell them you will talk abou those later in the workshop.

Good News
1. Lead your "actors " through the Lesson section. Have fun and be adaptable. Remember our older children enjoy play and movement too. Do not rush to head stuff too quickly with them.

Blessing Time
1. Return to the construction paper Jordan River and have the "actors" pretend to be Jesus and John the Baptist. Have them imagine hearing God's voice saying "This is my beloved child." (Invite someone to pretend to speak with God's voice.)
2. Pray the theme prayer.


Audio Visual Workshop
@ The Sower's Cinema

Preparation
1. Review the "Child of Blessing, Blessing from God" theme page
2. Read the attached story "God's Gift" (from Glorifying and Enjoying God)
And review our church pamphlet on Baptism and Communion
3. Preview the videos "Jesus Among the People" (Baptism section - 3-4 minutes at the beginning of the tape) and "The Baptism of Jesus" from the "Jesus, A Kingdom Without Frontiers" animated series (OUT OF PRINT). (In the second video we recommend fast forwarding through the short section where a dog chases a group of religious leaders. This is not part of the story from Luke. You can save some time as well.)
4. Prepare the cinema by cueing the videos and setting up the room. Microwave the theatregoers' popcorn and place in paper bags.
5. Pray for God's guidance as you prepare to welcome the young learners.

Gathering
1. Welcome the moviegoers to the Sower's Cinema. Tell them about the series theme and how they will be
viewing two short views about Jesus' baptism.
2. Read the Key Bible Lesson to the group.
3. Share the popcorn with them and invite them to watch the videos carefully.

Good News

1. Before starting the movies, ask the moviegoers to watch how the two videos show Jesus and John the Baptist. What was John like? Why were people coming to him? Why did Jesus come to be baptized? What happened when Jesus was baptized?
2. Start the brief video clip from "Jesus Among the People" (live action documentary) For the younger children stop the video and speak with them briefly about the questions from #1. For older children gather their answers to the same questions.
3. Watch the animated video, "The Baptism of Jesus". This video begins in the early life of Jesus including carpenter shop and synagogue scenes from his hometown. Follow the story through to Jesus' baptism. Fast forward through the section where an angry dog attacks a group of religious leaders. Explain to the moviegoers that this in not a part of the story from Luke's gospel. Older children may want to discuss this section if time allows at the end of the session.
4. Imagine what the people in the crowd by the Jordan River thought when Jesus came up out of the water and the Holy Spirit descended as a dove and the voice of God proclaimed that Jesus was his beloved son. What would you have thought if you were in the crowd that day?

Blessing Time

1. Read the Key Verse from Luke 3:22b. Ask the moviegoers how they feel when someone tells them they love them.
2. Pray the Theme Prayer and go out in peace.

=end=
This lesson set was posted by Kathy Smit, St. Paul's Presbyterian Church, Ingersoll, Ontario

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Luanne Payne,

I have been perusing your site for inovative ideas for our upcoming workshop. However, I am 'lost' on some of your material suggestions:
1. "Child of Blessings, Blessing from God" what is this theme jpage
2."God's Gift" from "Glorifying and Enjoying God booklet
3. Our churches's pamphlet on "Baptism and Communion" ~ are you refering to 'Living Faith'?

Thank You,
Sharron Lirette
Manager of Children and Youth Ministry,
St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church
Kitchener, Ontario
s.lirette@standrewskw.com

quote:

Cooking Workshop
@ Sam's Place

Preparation
1. Read and reflect on the theme page for "Child of Blessing, Blessing from God"
1. Read "God's Gift" from "Glorifying and Enjoying God" booklet (attached)
2. Review our church's pamphlet on "Baptism and Communion"

This message has been edited. Last edited by: CreativeCarol,

Everyone, unfortunately, Kathy appears to no longer be a member of rotation.org, as you cannot click on her name. But, I see at the top of the post a phone number and an email - you could try those to see if you can reach someone through either of those.

I've been asked about this post and here's my take on it. Hopefully the following comments may help others with questions in regards to the above lesson plan.

1. Read and reflect on the theme page for "Child of Blessing, Blessing from God"
- I have no idea what this is but I'm wondering if it's something given to her, possibly by the Minister, possibly a teacher's background information in hard copy only so therefore not posted. Research into your own churches baptism practices - check with your minister.

2. Read "God's Gift" from "Glorifying and Enjoying God" booklet (attached)

She may mean:
Christian Worship: Glorifying and Enjoying God, By: Ronald P. Byars (More in Foundations of Christian Faith Series), Westminster/John Knox, 2000, 9780664501365.

3. Review our church's pamphlet on "Baptism and Communion"

This is probably a pamphlet either done by that specific church or by that denomination - so she probably only had a hard copy therefore did not post it. See if your church or denomination as info. on this - check with your minister.

4. Drama Workshop book used in lesson is - "7 Ways of Teaching the Bible to Children", By: Barbara Bruce, Abingdon Press, 1996, 9780687020683.

5. Hodge Podge Doves - it's too bad no comment was made as to where they got the doves or at least what they were made of - wood? The Hunger Site has wooden dove ornaments you can buy, pre-painted or un-painted. Also, check out your local craft stores for dove ornaments the children could paint. Hunger Site

Hello,
Reading through Luanne's post I think "Hodge Podge" may actually be "Mod Podge" which is a glue I have used for pasting paper or fabric onto boxes. The glue dries hard and clear, leaving the fabric stiffened.

Hilary