Children’s Ministry
Evangelism Tools
Children’s Ministry Evangelism Tools
Here are some resources to help communicate Jesus to children, in the healing atonement paradigm. The activities stress the healing and cleansing power of Jesus. See more Evangelism Tools.
Cleansing a Stain
God wants to cleanse us of sin. How can God do that? Pour bleach into a glass of water with food coloring in it (green or blue - best to avoid skin color connotations). The bleach cancels out the color of the ink. Here is an example, although I would change the wording. The simpler model: Use one glass with water and food coloring (representing us), and one glass with bleach mixed with water (representing Jesus). The more complex model: Use one glass with water and food coloring (representing us). Use a second glass which starts empty. Pour some of the inky water into the second (representing Jesus becoming human and receiving his humanity from Mary). From a large pitcher, pour the bleach mixed with water into the Jesus glass, making the ink color disappear. This represents Jesus receiving the Spirit from the Father to live, die, and rise again with a corrected and completed new humanity. Then, pour some of the liquid from the “Jesus glass” into the “us glass.”
The Overflowing Water Pitcher
God wants to cleanse us of sin. How can God do that? You have a glass of inky water, and you want clean water instead. How does a big pitcher of water solve the problem? By pouring the clean water into the glass of inky water. The inky water will overflow and eventually, you'll be left with clean water. This represents how Jesus pours out his Spirit into us, filling us with his life.
The Magician's Flash Paper
God wants to burn away the sin in us that is hurting us. Hand out strips of You write something like "sin" on it. Then you touch it to a candle flame, and it almost instantly burns up (gives a little heat to your fingers but it's harmless). The fire represents Jesus, or the love of God, burning up our selfishness.
The Dissolving Paper
God wants to melt away the sin in us that is like a poison. Get paper that dissolves in water. Kids can write something like "sin" or something more specific on it, then they throw it into a big bowl of water. The paper dissolves. The water represents Jesus or the love of God, dissolving our sinfulness.
The Gospel in Chairs
Brad Jersak, The Gospel in Chairs (video, Oct 24, 2013)