Worship Ministries
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Set up a
Davey and Goliath worship center for children with
bulletins, offering envelopes, activity bags, coloring
sheets, and toys for quiet play. |
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Include Davey
and Goliath as ongoing illustrations in your children's
sermons. |
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There’s nothing that delights young
children more than discovering a place in a formal or adult
context that is designed to be kid-friendly!
If you can create an area that
welcomes and engages young children, it will nurture their sense
of belonging in your congregation. Promote this space to be a
gathering place and distribution center for appropriate resources
for children while they participate in worship.
Introducing Davey and Goliath as
kid-friendly personalities in this area of ministry can increase a
child’s level of interest and involvement. Be clear that these
characters are devoted to being a special friend to younger
members in your congregation.
Although Davey and Goliath became
famous as characters on a children’s television series in the
1950s and ‘60s, they are timeless in their ability to relate to
engage children in adventures that interpret faith and values for
daily living. The characters can be used to welcome and engage
children in kid-friendly ways.
Check out the following insights
as you consider the possibility of establishing Davey and Goliath
as partners in this area of ministry.
- Create a space in the narthex or
near the entry to your sanctuary that provides high visibility
and easy access for young children.
- Consider your options for
furnishing this space. What accommodations will you need to
make? Would a table, a bookcase, a rocker, or a hall tree to
hang activity bags be in order?
- What resources would you like to
provide? You may wish to consider providing an “I Went to Church
Today” sign-in sheet for children to autograph along with any
children’s books you may want to highlight given the text or
topic for the day. You might also choose to honor toddlers by
providing booster seats for them to see. Consider the resource
listings (below) to guide your decision.
Additional coloring pages
and games are also available for download to share with your
family.
- Engage parents of young children
by assembling activity bags with quiet toys and things to do and
maybe even a tissue or two. There are coloring sheets available
online at the Kid’s
Clubhouse. You might also find a popular resource;
available at
www.amazon.com, titled “Rainbow Bags: Instructions for
making Six Colorful Bags of Soft Toys for a Young Child in
Church” by Lois Brokering (Augsburg Fortress; ISBN:
0-8066-2256-3). It honors the moment with symbols and characters
that are involved in a typical worship service.
- Create visuals of Davey and
Goliath to display on or near the space using the outlines from
the clip art file.
If you wish to display large representations of either
character, you can download and reproduce the graphic on a
transparency. Then use an overhead projector to enlarge the
design and trace it onto poster board or newsprint for display.
You may wish to add color with markers or paints.
- Become familiar with the
characters of Davey and Goliath. Scan through the listing
and description of all the
episodes.
- Introduce the characters of
Davey and Goliath to young children and their parents. Check
out suggestions for planning meal and a video such as “Breakfast
with Davey and Goliath” outlined in Fellowship Ministries. Feel
free to adapt it to enrich your own schedule and intent.
- Check your local resource
centers for copies of "classic" Davey and Goliath VHS
tapes. There are also a few videos available through
Augsburg Fortress including, The Family of God
(available on VHS) or All Alone (available on a DVD titled
“Remember the Promise.”)
- Recruit someone to manage the
space and resources.
- Promote this ministry as a
service to young children and their parents. Refer to it as a
way to encourage parents to bring their children to worship.
Additional Resources:
Resource for Children’s
Bulletins or Activity Sheets
Children’s Worship
Activities - Years 1-3. Virginia Kessen. Abingdon Press.
(800/672-1789)
www.cokesbury.com
An annual resource of lectionary-based reproducible activity
sheets for children to use during the worship hour.
Year 1 ISBN: 0-6870-2808-6
Year 2 ISBN: 0-6870-2828-0
Year 3 ISBN:
0-6870-2818-3
Children’s Worship Bulletins
(800.992.2144)
www.childrensbulletins.com
Versions for ages 3-6 and ages 7-12 are filled with pictures,
codes and puzzles are available for electronic delivery.
Fold and Do: 52
Pencil-popping, Wiggle-stopping Things to Do in Church.
Carla Williams, Concordia Publishing. ISBN 0-5700-5287-4
(800.325.3040)
www.cph.org
Each activity sheet folds into a small booklet and features a
Bible verse, a devotional thought, one or two activities, and
a prayer for Grades 2-4.
Kid’s Celebrate Bulletin
Inserts. Augsburg Fortress (800.328.4648)
www.augsburgfortress.org
Reproducible pages provide lectionary-linked activities and
aids for children in pre-K through the early elementary years
Cycle A: ISBN 0-8066-4671-3
Cycle B: ISBN 0-8066-4228-0
Cycle
C: ISBN 0-8066-4549-0
Little Hands Fold and Do: 52
Pencil-popping, Wiggle-stopping Things to Do in Church.
Carla Williams, Concordia Publishing. ISBN 0-5700-5286-6
(800.325.3040)
www.cph.org
Great for use as bulletin inserts or classroom activity sheets
for Preschool-Grade 1.
Resources for Children’s
Stewardship Envelopes
52 weekly envelopes, plus
Christmas and Easter. Contact Augsburg Fortress Envelope
Service at 800.804.4521
Davey and Goliath
Faith Trait Series – Preschool-Elementary
Color Me Giving – Preschool-Elementary
S.S. Noah – Preschool-Elementary
Bible Trivia - Early elementary through middle school
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