Elijah hears from God

This page takes you through some of the activities we had at Messy Church on 8^th July,  2017.  Have a look and try a few.

Going on a journey

Around the room, you need to find 14 different things that you would need if you were going on a journey.  See how many you can find.  If you find them all you will get a small prize

Elijah travelled a long way to the special mountain.  It was the one where God had given Moses the ten commandments

What is the furthest you have walked?  Where did you go?

Painted Angel

Fold the paper in half

Paint half an angel with one wing on one side.

Then fold it over and press it down.  When you open it up it will look like a whole angel

An angel brought food to Elijah when he was hungry and tired

What do you do when you are hungry and tired?

Jam Sandwich

Make yourself a jam sandwich 

Elijah was very tired and hungry.  He had a long way to go.  So an angel brought him food.

If you are tired and hungry what do you like to eat?

Desert Sand Tray

Can you tell the story of Elijah using the things you can find in the sand tray.

Elijah travelled for 40 days through a very wild place, a bit like a desert.  When he got to a mountain, he hid in a cave.

Elijah must have been a long way from other people as he walked through the desert.  What would this have been like?

Papier Mache Mountain

Glue some pieces of paper and add them to the mountain.  How high can you make it?

Elijah travelled to a special mountain called Sinai. It was the one where God had given Moses the ten commandments

Which places are special for you?  What makes them special?

In the cave

Go into the tent here and have a rest like Elijah did.

Elijah travelled to a mountain.  When he got there he went into a cave to spend the night.

Have you ever slept in a tent?  What do you think it would have been like spending a night in a cave on your own?

Scared and happy faces

Choose a happy face or a scared face

If you have a happy face write on it something that makes you happy and thank God for it

If you have a scared face write on it something that makes you scared.

Elijah felt very scared.  He was running away from the king and queen, and had left his friends and family behind

Hang the face on the prayer tree

Wind bangers

Fold the corners in as the helper will show you to make an origami banger

Hold the banger down at the bottom corner.  Bring it down fast to make a noise.

Take it up to church with you and we will be able to use it when we tell the story.

There was a furious wind that shattered the rocks.  But God was not in the wind.

The wind can be really powerful.  Have you seen the wind blow things over or break things?

Wind chimes

Thread beads and pieces of straw onto the threads.  At the bottom tie a bell.

On the middle thread tie a metal washer.  Make sure the bells and the washer are the same length.

Take it up to church with you and we will be able to use it when we tell the story.

There was a furious wind that shattered the rocks.  But God was not in the wind.

What would it have been like for Elijah to be out in this strong wind?

Rumbling earthquake

Put one large stone into a tube and seal the ends with cardboard circles and sellotape.  Decorate with dauber pens.

When the stone rolls around in the tube it rumbles. Take it up to church with you and we will be able to use it when we tell the story.

There was an earthquake.  But God was not in the earthquake.

An earthquake shakes the earth and splits it.  What would it have sounded like to Elijah?

Seismograph

Tape the skewer to the bottle at right angles.  Tape the pen to the other end of the skewer also at right angles.  Put a strip of paper under the pen and draw it through as someone shakes the table.

The more the table shakes, the bigger the squiggles

There was an earthquake.  But God was not in the earthquake.

A seismograph measures the earth’s vibrations after an earthquake

Fire streamers

Attach fire coloured streamers to a stick.

When you shake it, it looks like fire.

Take it up to church with you and we will be able to use it when we tell the story.

There was a fire.  But God was not in the fire.

God had appeared to other people in a fire, but not to Elijah.  Would you have expected God to be in the fire?

Clay cave

Make a cave out of clay.

Add a tealight to look like the fire that passed by the cave

Elijah travelled to a special mountain where Moses had met God many years ago.  When he got there he went into a cave to spend the night.  God made a wind, an earthquake and a fire go past the mountain.

Is there a special place you go if you want to meet God?

Doorhanger

Decorate a door hanger and put on it

              God is with me

Elijah felt all alone but God was with him even when he didn’t know it

Put the door hanger on a door at home to remind you that God is always with you

Where is God?

Colour in the picture of the story. 

Stick the two parts of the story together.  Then you can open the flaps to see how God spoke to Elijah

God spoke to Elijah but not in the way he expected

How did God speak to Elijah?  Is this how you would expect God to speak?

Adult colouring

Colour in one of these pictures or draw your own picture of the story

God made a wind, an earthquake and a fire go past the mountain where Elijah had stopped.

Are there special places where you become more aware of God?

Elijah on Mount Carmel

This page takes you through some of the activities we had at Messy Church on 13^th May,  2017.  Have a look and try a few.

Peg people

Dress two wooden people in nice clothes to look like Queen Jezebel and King Ahab.

Dress one person in plain clothes to look like Elijah.

King Ahab was married to Queen Jezebel.  They ruled Israel but they did not follow God.

Elijah did follow God and told the king and queen that they were wrong.

Why do you think the people followed the king and queen and their god?

Where’s Wally

Can you find Wally in any of these pictures?

There were 450 prophets choosing to follow Baal, but only Elijah chose God

Have you ever had to stand out from the crowd?

Swingometer

Make an arrow out of card and fix it to a big piece of card with a split pin.

One one side the card says God, and on the other Baal.  Which one will you choose?

The people had to choose whether to listen to the prophets of Baal or to listen to God.

What choices have you had to make today?

Choices

Choose which box you want to take something out of.  You can only choose one so choose carefully!

The people had to decide whether to follow the 450 prophets who the king supported, or whether to follow Elijah

How did you decide which one to choose?

Newspaper boulders

Make a boulder out of newspaper.  Add it to the pile to make an altar.

Elijah challenged the supporters of Baal to build an altar and to ask their god to light the fire on it.  Elijah would also build an altar and ask God to light it.  Whichever one answered ‘He is God’

Can you think of a prayer that God has answered for you?

Names on stones

Paint your name on a stone and decorate it. 

Elijah had 12 big stones in his altar, one for each of the tribes of Israel

Where will you put your stone at home to remind you that God listens to what you say to him?

Shaving foam fire

Squeeze some shaving foam into the tray.  Sprinkle on some powder paint to look like fire. 

Baal didn’t light the fire his worshippers made but the Lord did light Elijah’s fire.  So the people knew that the Lord is God.

What helps you to know that the Lord is God?

Food sacrifice

Make an altar out of marshmallows.  Make a fire on top with chocolate sticks and sweets

Elijah asked God to light the fire he had made, and God did it.  Elijah did it so that people would know that the Lord is God.

What would you think if you saw a fire light without matches?

Model fire

Make a fire out of clay and twigs.  Then add the flames using tissue paper

Elijah poured water on his altar before he prayed to God and then asked him to light it

How would you light a fire?  Would you pour water on it?

Paint blowing fire

Put a big blob of paint in the middle of the paper. Then blow it with a straw to look like flames

God sent fire down and it burnt up the sacrifice, the wood and the stones.  It scorched the earth and dried up the water in the trench.  It was a very hot fire.

Have you ever been near a fire?  How hot was it?

Cloud prayers

Stick cotton wool on the card to make it look like a cloud.  Also stick on one of the prayers.

It had not rained for three years.  Elijah said it was because the king did not follow God.  So Elijah prayed and a cloud appeared.  Then it rained.

What do you want to pray for today?

Rainsticks

Take a cardboard tube and cover one end

Put some aluminium foil and some rice in it

Then cover the end

Decorate it

When you turn it over it will make a noise like rain

It had not rained for three years, but when Elijah prayed it rained heavily

There are places in the world now that don’t have enough rain.  What happens when you don’t have rain?

Collage

Add to this collage picture of the story

The followers of Baal prayed but their fire wasn’t lit.  Then Elijah prayed to the Lord, and his fire was lit.  It was so hot it burnt everything up.  Then the people said ‘The Lord, he is God’

Which part of this story do you like best?

Wristbands

Scratch into the wristband the words ‘One God’

The Lord showed that he is God by lighting Elijah’s fire

What is special about following God?

Adult colouring

Colour in one of these pictures or draw your own picture of flames

The followers of Baal prayed but their fire wasn’t lit.  Then Elijah prayed to the Lord, and his fire was lit.  It was so hot it burnt everything up.  Then the people said ‘The Lord, he is God’

What shows you that ‘the Lord, he is God’?

Prayer Cross

Take a piece of paper and write on it or draw a picture of anything you would like us to pray for you.

The prayers in here will be passed on to a team of people who pray every month for Messy Church

Roll your paper up and put it in one of the tubes in the cross

Easter 

This page takes you through some of the activities we had at Messy Church on Good Friday, 14^th April 2017.  Have a look and try a few.

Weather cock

Can you see the weather vane on the church spire?

Look at the piece of cloth on the cane which way is that blowing

Make yourself a weather cock out of card and decorate it.

A rooster crowed when Peter denied that he knew Jesus.  He changed as the people around him changed from supporting Jesus to hating him.

The weather cock swinging around reminds us not to change like Peter did.

Which sorts of people might need to know what the weather is doing today?

How can wind direction affect the weather?

Crown of thorns biscuit

Make a ‘crown of thorns’ by sticking chocolate sticks on a biscuit

Jesus was made to wear a crown of thorns.  They did this to make fun of him, because he said he was a king

It’s horrible when people make fun of you isn’t it?  What things do you think they might have said to Jesus to make fun of him?  How would Jesus have felt?

Easter garden

Put some soil in a tray and put three crosses in it.  Put a flower in your tray to represent a garden.  Make a tomb out of clay.

Put some gravel on for stones and some moss for grass.

Jesus was buried in a garden.  The cave belonged to someone wealthy who asked if he could  do this.  People had to be brave to admit to knowing Jesus.

Can you think of some things you have to be brave to do?

Stone painting

On the stone, paint three crosses on a hill

Jesus was on a cross with two other people on either side of him.  They had broken the law.  One of them asked Jesus ‘Remember me when you come as King.’  Jesus said ‘I promise you that today you will be in Paradise with me’

Think of one thing you have done wrong.  Say sorry to Jesus and thank him that he loves you so much.

Three crosses

Make three crosses out of lolly sticks.

Put some playdoh in the bottom of an egg cup and stick the crosses in it

Jesus was on a cross with two other people on either side of him.  They had broken the law.  One of them asked Jesus ‘Remember me when you come as King.’  Jesus said ‘I promise you that today you will be in Paradise with me’

What do you think it will be like to be in Paradise with Jesus?

Bead cross

Choose 6 beads

Three of them need to be stuck together to make the cross bar

Slide the first bead on to the middle of the thread

Thread both sides of string through the second bead

Now add the three stuck together with the thread going through each end

Finally put both pieces of string through the last bead

Christians use the symbol of the cross to remind us how important Jesus death is

As you look at your bead cross can you think of a different bit of the story for each bead?

Easter card

Make a card for Easter

Jesus rose from the dead.  He is alive.

What do you think is the most exciting thing about Easter?

Sponge painted cross

Stick a cross on the sheet

Then paint around it with the sponge.

When you take the paper cross off you will see the cross shape left behind

Jesus loves us so much that he died  so that we can live for ever with God

As you sponge paint on the cross say thankyou to Jesus for dying because he loves you

Paid in full

Stick pennies to a cross and add the little tag to say ‘Paid in full’

When Jesus died, anything we owe God for all the things we’ve done wrong, was paid back

We can say sorry to God whenever we do something wrong and he will forgive us

Nailed cross

This cross has the nails already in it.  Add some wool to the cross, wrapping it around the nails to hold it. 

The red wool represents Jesus blood

To die on a cross was painful.  It was a hard thing for Jesus to do.

Can you remember something that hurt?  Maybe you fell over or were hurt some other way.

Rolling stone

Stick two sides of plate together

Cut out a hole from one of them to look like the tomb

Cut another to look like the stone rolling away from the hole

Joseph of Arimathea gave his burial place to Jesus. 

Joseph  had to brave to do this.  He risked getting in trouble for it. 

Can you think of things you have to be brave to do?

Plant bulbs

Plant a bulb in a pot

Jesus dying  gives us a new life that lasts for ever

Take your bulb home.  As you watch it grow remember that Jesus gives us this new life.

Spice bags

Take a bit of each spice and put it in the bag.  Tie it up to keep them safe.

The women took spices to make Jesus body smell better

Smell the spices.  Do you like them or not?  Which is your favourite?

Sad and happy faces

Draw a sad face on one plate, and a happy face on the other side

Jesus friends were sad when he died, but they were happy when they realised he was alive again

How are you feeling today?  Sad or happy?

Easter story display

Colour in one of the people and wrap it round a tube to make a character from the Easter story

Or stick tissue paper to the sunrise sheet to go behind the empty tomb

We know what happened to Jesus because it was written down by people who remembered it.

Why not try reading the story for yourself.  You can find it in a Children’s

Bible

Prayer cross

Take a piece of paper and write on it or draw a picture of anything you would like us to pray for you.

The prayers in here will be passed on to a team of people who pray every month for Messy Church

Roll your paper up and put it in one of the tubes in the cross

Egg rolling

Decorate a hard boiled egg and then see how far you can roll it

The stone that was put in front of Jesus tomb was rolled away.  It would have been very heavy so the people who found it were surprised

We don’t know how it was rolled away, except that God must have done it when noone was looking

Foot Washing

This page takes you through the activities we had at Messy Church on 11^th March 2017.  Have a look and try a few.

Clay jug

Make a jug out of clay.  You will need to let it dry overnight for it to go hard

Today’s story happened at the last meal Jesus had with his disciples.  Water was poured from a jug into the bowl used to wash the disciples’ feet

               

People wouldn’t have had taps in their houses.  They had to fetch water from rivers or wells and store it in big jars

Decorated bowl

Decorate the bowl perhaps by drawing footprints round it, and write on it 'follow Jesus'

Jesus put some water in a large bowl and began washing the disciples’ feet

The bowl Jesus used would have been made of clay.  Do you think it would have been decorated?

Decorated towel

Write on the towel ‘Love one another’  then decorate it using the fabric pens

After Jesus had washed the disciples feet he dried them with a towel  which was tied round his waist

How can we show other people that we love them?

Dirty and clean feet

Put your feet in the sand.  How does it feel?

Then get your feet washed in the bowl.  How does that feel?

Jesus washed the disciples’ feet, a job normally done by a servant

Do you think the disciples were happy to have their feet washed by Jesus?

Wash Gingerbread man’s feet

Dip the gingerbread person’s feet in brown icing to make them dirty.  Then dip them in blue icing like washing them.

Peter didn’t want his feet washed until Jesus explained what he was doing, then Peter wanted to be washed all over, but Jesus said he only needed to have his feet washed

Would you have let Jesus wash your feet?

Footprint frieze

Draw round your foot on paper and cut it out.  Draw on it to make it look dirty, or write on one of the ways your feet can get dirty.

Then cut your foot out of coloured paper and decorate it to look good

Stick them onto the sheet with everyone else’s dirty and clean feet.

The disciples feet will have got dirty as they walked around on dusty roads

How do your feet get dirty?

Foot scrub

Mix two parts salt with one part olive oil in your container, then add a few drops of scented oil.  This makes a foot scrub.

This was the last meal Jesus had with his disciples.  He loved them very much so he wanted to show them something very important.

Do you like the smell of your foot scrub?  Who will enjoy having their feet washed with it?

Sandals

Place pattern on felt. Cut out shape and then cut on dotted line, making sure not to cut through to the edge.  Bend smaller part forward and make toe-post.  Glue down and decorate. 

When you get home sew down the toe-post part to strengthen it

Reverse the shape for the other foot.

People in Jesus time wore leather sandals to protect their feet

What do you like to wear on your feet?

Cheesy feet

Use the cutters to cut a bread shaped foot and a cheese shaped foot

The disciples were having a meal together when Jesus washed their feet

Cheese can be really smelly.  Feet can get really smelly too can’t they?  What do feet smell like?

That’s disgusting

Put your hands into the disgusting mix and find a bead or a pebble.  Wash it in soapy water and give it to someone you love.

Jesus washed the disciples feet which would have been a messy job

Its hard to touch disgusting things isn’t it?  How far would you be prepared to go to give something to someone you love?

Bad smells

Can you tell what the smells are in each of these jars?  Which is the best smell?  Which is the worst?

The disciples feet will have got dirty and smelly as they walked around

What is the smell that you think is the worst smell of everything?  Where do smelly feet come on your scale of smells from best to worst?

Servant King Puppet

Take two card people.  Decorate one with brown or black paper  and decorate the other with brightly coloured material with sequins.  Draw on faces and stick on wool hair.  Add a crown for the brightly dressed person.

Glue the figures back to back with a lolly stick between them.  As you turn the stick you change the king into a servant.

Jesus washed the disciples feet to show that even though he was their leader, he was also their servant

What is the difference between a king and a servant?  Which would you rather be?  Which did Jesus want to be?

Daily Serving stars

There are seven stars on the sheet, each one has a day round it.

Put a person's name and what you will do to help them in each star.

When you get home you can tick them off as you do them.

Jesus said because he had washed the disciples’ feet, they should do the same for other people

Do you enjoy helping other people or do you find it hard?

Bubble Prayers

Mix together some bubble mixture with washing up liquid, glycerine and water.

Make a small loop in the end of a pipe cleaner

Dip the pipe cleaner in the soapy mix and blow bubbles with it.

As you blow a bubble and watch it float away tell God about someone you want to pray for

Adult colouring

Colour in one of these pictures or decorate one of the empty footprints with your own design

Jesus washed the disciple’s feet to show them that they must serve each other

Do you like feet or not?  How would you feel about washing someone else’s feet?