Global Ministries

Embrace the Fruits of the Spirit - VBS curriculum

Ahlan Wa Sahlan! Welcome - Exploring the Holy Land

Ahlan wa Sahlan: Welcome! is a 10-session children’s curriculum designed to help children connect the stories in the Bible to real children who live in those places today. In this material you will meet the children of Israel/Palestine as you visit Nazareth, Ein Karem, Bethlehem, Beit Sahour, Bethany, Jericho, Nablus, Taybeh/Ephraim, Cana, and Jerusalem. See how the children of these cities find meaning in the stories from the Bible that happened in their hometowns!

Each lesson contains a letter from a child in that city as well as a game, craft, activity, and other supplementary elements such as snacks and storybooks. Connect your children to Global Ministries’ Middle East Initiative and help them see how their faith is connected to real children and real places in the world today. The Bible stories are explained in their historical context and encourage children to consider what these stories mean for them.

Click here for Ahlan Wa Sahlan!

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Written by Derek Duncan, Global Ministries Associate for Global Advocacy and Education

Whether we mean to or not, when we purchase goods and services we support the businesses that produce, deliver, and sell them.  As a consumer our choices directly or indirectly sustain the industries and practices that go into making the products we buy. Wrapped up in every product are the materials used in manufacturing the goods, the energy inputs and environmental impacts of producing and transporting the goods, and the human labor used in making, packaging, and bringing products to market. We may not know the whole source map, supply-chain history, or all the labor and environmental practices for the companies and industries we support through our pocket-book, but in many cases we can find out if we look beyond the label.

The best VBS (Vacation Bible School) are ones that use a learning center model and that are flexible. The following list of VBS materials are free downloads. All of them are directly related to Global Ministries of the United Church of Christ and Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). All of the "Journey" VBS programs relate to Kids to Kids because they are opportunities for children to learn about and contribute to global mission projects that serve children.

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Youth and children can learn more about children and teenagers from Mexico and Central America who have made long journeys to come and live in the United States.

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God’s Love is Everywhere! is a multi-year VBS program, written by a former Global Ministries missionary, which helps children visit a different mission site each day.  The last day of VBS is a study of the local congregation and their mission and outreach projects.  This will need to be personalized for your congregation and town. 

Links to activities and resources for youth and children from other organizations

Jesus Loves Me and Joyful, Joyful in phonetic Chinese

Video Resources

Children in China (and Japan and Korea and many other places) use them all the time. Here's a chopstick game from Global Ministries missionaries, the Searles, who live in China. This is a very exciting game and will teach you to use those chopsticks fast!

Supplies

• Bread (or other food easily counted)
  27 pieces (plus one extra loaf for the World Bank to use)
• Pennies
  106 (plus 50 for World Bank to use) = Total 156