GREETINGS!! We are so glad you are here! Gather the kiddos, watch the videos (whatever content will work for your kids) and pray the prayers. It’s not perfect, but hey, we are just trying to keep our families connected to God!
If you have any questions, please contact Emilee Mooney at emilee.fumc@gmail.com.
JANUARY 24th:
Have any of you heard about a man named Jonah?
Jonah was a prophet of God; he would listen to God and tell the people what God said. One day, God said to Jonah, “Go to the city of Nineveh and tell the people who live there that they are a very wicked people and that they need to change their ways.” Jonah did not want to go to Nineveh.
He didn’t like the people in that city, and maybe he was afraid of them. So Jonah decided to run away and hide from God. (Have kids pat their legs quickly to make a fast running sound.) He caught the first ship out of town and headed in the opposite direction from where God told him to go.
Jonah learned a very important lesson that day. He learned that you might run from God, but you cannot hide. Jonah got on that ship and hid way down deep inside. “Surely God won’t find me here,” Jonah thought.
But God sent a big storm and tossed that boat around so much that the other sailors thought they were going to drown. They found Jonah in the bottom of the ship and asked him, “Who are you and what are you doing here?”
Jonah answered, “I am a worshiper of the God of heaven, who made the land and the sea.” Jonah told the sailors that he was running from God because he didn’t want to go to Nineveh as God had told him to do.
When the sailors learned that Jonah was running from God, they were even more afraid. “What should we do to stop this terrible storm?” the sailors asked.
“Throw me overboard into the sea,” Jonah answered, “and the sea will become calm.” The sailors picked up Jonah and threw him into the sea and the storm stopped at once.
Did Jonah drown in the sea? No! God sent a great fish to swallow Jonah, and he was inside the fish for three days and three nights.
Spending all that time inside the great fish gave Jonah plenty of time to think. He prayed to the Lord from inside the fish. He confessed that he had been wrong to run from the Lord and promised to fulfill his promises to God.
God caused the fish to spit Jonah out onto the shore. Then the Lord spoke to Jonah again and said, “Get up and go to Nineveh and deliver the message that I have given you.”
This time Jonah obeyed the Lord’s command and went to Nineveh.
Just as God had something for Jonah to do, he has a plan for you and me. I hope we will learn a lesson from Jonah. When it comes to doing what God wants us to do, we might run, but we cannot hide from God!
Today’s THEME is:
We can’t hide from God.
Today’s SCRIPTURE is:
But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the Lord. (Jonah 1-3)
Today’s VIDEOS:
Today’s ACTIVITY is:
Making a stuffed fish
Take two blue pieces of paper with two identical tracings of a big fish. Place the two fish together and hole punch around the edges of the fish and let children use yarn to lace the fish together and stuff them with tissues before sealing it off. Write a title on that big fish to remember not to try to hide from God!
Here is a coloring page:
file:///C:/Users/Education/Desktop/2021%20Children’s%20Bullitetins/jonah_and_the_great_fish_colorpg.pdf
Today’s PRAYER is:
God, we know can’t hide from You. You know what we do and what we think. Give us the strength and courage to do all the things that You want us to do. In Jesus’ name, amen.
