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Barnabas in Schools have produced a range of free materials which you can download to support teaching RE, especially for teaching at home.
There are plenty of different ideas and materials… exciting, thought provoking and inspiring resources for you to use in your home setting with children in your care.
Here is a Good Friday activity - WORD SEARCH - An Easter-themed activity that pupils can do at home.
(photo courtesy of Yoal Desurmont at Unsplash)
For many Christians across the world, Holy Week and Easter will be celebrated at home. And although we may not be able to gather in person, we can celebrate Easter in a number of different ways. Here are some activities you can do, either on your own or as a family, to journey through this sacred season.
Thy Kingdom Come and partners have shared a range of resources and activities for all this Easter…. lots to explore below…
Will you share the joy of Easter and #SingResurrection on Sunday?
Churches Together in Britain and Ireland are encouraging Christians in the UK, to be part of a countrywide chorus of well-loved hymns at 10.00 am (GMT) on Easter Day. You can sing from the comfort of your own doorstep, along with your neighbours to celebrate our Risen Lord and King, Jesus. What a potentially wonderful witness this could be the wider community? Full details can be found here.
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There are lots of other resources you can check out too, including this offering from The Methodist Church.
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(photo courtesy of Alicia Quan at Unsplash)
Barnabas in Schools has produced a wide range of engaging and thought- provoking materials for Lent, Holy Week and Easter.
Barnabas in Schools is a professional education service provider to primary schools and works throughout England and Wales. They offer quality creative arts-based Barnabas RE Days for pupils and specialist INSET sessions for teachers. They also provide free ideas for collective worship, RE and classroom reflection, as well as books and resources. Their overall aim is to enable schools to explore Christianity creatively and confidently.
Check out their Lent and Easter resources HERE.
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The Barnabas in Schools Prayer Jesus, you chose a child as a model for adult maturity and of God’s presence among us. Thank you for our schools with their teachers and children. Together may they create: safe places for lives to flourish; happy places for wonder and discovery; hopeful places of peace and healing; stimulating places of learning and laughter; places where everyone feels valued and respected; places that offer security and stability to all; places where both old and young can find purpose and direction in life. Amen
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(photo courtesy of Neal E. Johnson at Unsplash)
As part of our aim to feature resources and links from partner organisations and member churches, we are pleased to share a link to some Easter resources developed by the Spinnaker Trust. Martin Sweet is Director of Spinnaker Trust and an active member of the Free Church Education Committee. Martin also serves on the Baptist Education Group.
These Easter resources are suitable for primary age children, but would be interesting and thought provoking for use in any setting... you can download the materials, free of charge, from the Spinnaker website HERE.
The Trust writes: "Our featured Easter Assembly resource is taken from a series in which we use various storytelling techniques and visual aids to bring the stories of Jesus to life. Our method is not to re-write stories into modern settings, but to fuel our listener’s imaginations and reflections with word and picture. This, 'the Empty Box' story works well as part of the series or as a stand alone assembly. Spinnaker’s teams have used many of these ideas time and again, so we know that children have gained both knowledge and understanding through these stories. We hope you enjoy them as much as we have!"
Spinnaker supports and resources teachers in primary schools by leading assemblies and RE lessons and by providing opportunities for children to engage with Christianity. We also aim to equip churches to bridge the gap between themselves and their wider community by establishing links with local primary schools..
Easter is one of those special times during the year, when despite the confusion in our world and the complexities of life, we remember Jesus Christ and His perfect sacrifice with a sense of purpose and hope. We celebrate with hearts of thankfulness the offer of forgiveness and reconciliation, to those who believe in him.
There are many challenges facing our world but the preaching of the Gospel remains, and forever will be, the answer to the needs of humanity. We must never shy away from that truth. Luke reminds us that “...the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” (St Luke 19:10)
Jesus' mission is to save the lost and that is the message of hope we preach to a world desperately seeking answers to the hatred and divisions that plague nations and communities. The Church must remain committed to Jesus' ministry of reconciliation. It is possible through Christ for humanity to be reconciled to God and each other.
2 Corinthians 5:17-19 speaks directly to the Church about this ministry to which we must be engaged. Verse 19 reads, “that God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.”
Let’s share that good news with confidence and may the peace of God fill your hearts this Easter season.
Every blessings,
Revd Paul Rochester.
(General Secretary of the Free Churches Group)
