Sunday School and PCF Youth

‘Train up a child in the way that he should go and when he is old, he will not depart from it’

Proverbs 22 vs 6.

Children are important to God

The Bible is full of stories about God using children such as Samuel or the boy with the loaves and the fishes, or healing them – Jairus’ daughter. The gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke all recount the story of parents bringing their children to Jesus. We would encourage every parent, carer and/or grandparent to bring your children and grandchildren to Sunday School.

Sunday School and CB4 (Youth) in the Peoples Church is not only a key ministry, they play an important role in the wider congregation. The Sunday School and youth ministries contribute to children’s preparation for adulthood and to enable them to serve God in the great plan He has for them.

What we do

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Programme

Sunday School and youth group classes are divided into different ages so that the lesson can be structured appropriately. The children enjoy a variety of activities during Sunday School including drama, singing, playing musical instruments, worksheets, colouring in, writing or participating in interactive lessons on the whiteboard and mini Bible studies.

The Sunday School team use Scripture Union resources and material. Weekly lessons consist of:

the children learning about a story from the bible
committing our time to the Lord in prayer
an activity, song, game or drama depending on the theme or story

Click here to see some of the children’s work.

Activities

There are a range of other activities for the children to get involved in during the lessons either as part of a forthcoming performance or within the main service. These include: singing, learning musical instruments – glockenspiel, percussion, violin, flute and piano. See our events tab for more information.

The Peoples Church Sunday School is

The Place to Be!

Vision

One of the first Sunday Schools started back in the mid 1700s with the sole purpose of teaching the truths of the Gospel. People believed that the gospel truths were essential for moral living, good citizenship and it offered meaningful instruction to children concerning the Christian life.

When you listen to the testimonies of older people, many of them talk about their experiences of Sunday School and how it influenced their lives. Is Sunday School still relevant for today? Below are videos of some of our parents and children talking about the importance of Sunday School and the positive impact it has on their lives.

There is still a great need in Scotland today for children to come to Sunday School and youth groups to learn about the things of God. Sunday School in particular is one of the first public opportunities for children to learn about the wonderful stories in the Bible but also to lay the foundational truths of the gospel and establish moral values for life.

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Mission Statement

Our mission at The Peoples Church is:

‘To bring salvation to the children of Falkirk and surrounding areas through the Word of God and to train them to be people of God in the nation’.

The kingdom of God will consist of people who respond to Him and the gospel with the same simple trusting attitude and dependence of a little child. The great hymn writer so eloquently says:

‘Tell me the old, old story
Of unseen things above
Of Jesus and His glory
Of Jesus and His love
Tell me the story simply
As to a little child
For I am weak and weary
And helpless and defiled’.

Katherine Hankey (1834-1911)

The Team

The Lord Jesus himself placed a great importance on children and training them for future. This is at very heart and vision of the Peoples Church Sunday School and CB4 youth. Teachers in the Peoples Church Sunday School take their responsibility seriously before God and before the leadership of the church. Each member of the team aims to help all children learn about the things of God.

The team work with the children each week to teach them Bible stories in a way which is easy for them to understand. Team members are part of Disclosure Scotland’s Protecting Vulnerable Groups Scheme.

: Beverley

: Liz

: Tina

: Rachel

: Mikayla

: Samantha

: Winnie

: Heartly

Fundraising

Easyfundraising is a fantastic way to raise money for good causes such as Sunday schools, charities, community groups and more, simply by shopping online. It’s completely free and you don’t pay anything extra. You can shop online as normal with over 2,700 top retailers.

Easyfundraising helps thousands of good causes and charities raise money for free. With lots of fundraising ideas, Easyfundraising makes it easy for you to raise donations for PCF Sunday School! It would be great if you could take advantage of this fundraising idea, and help us raise money to purchase resources for the Sunday School. More information about how easyfundraising works can be found here.

Prayer

Please remember the Sunday School team in your prayers. This ministry continues to play a key role in church today and we are grateful for your support, encouragement and prayers as we move forward.

Teaching your children at home

Raising children is not an easy task no matter what age or stage they are at. The Bible contains wonderful stories that help develop: successful, confident, responsible, effective individuals; a moral lifestyle; and meaningful instruction to children concerning the Christian life. Parents and families have a vital role in helping children to learn about the Bible from an early age. There are many opportunities and ways to teach your child from an early age about the stories in the Bible.

As children grow and develop, they will become aware of the different religions and beliefs of other people in our nation and across the world. It is good to promote the understanding and respect for other religions and beliefs but this should not compromise teaching children about the Bible principles.

Some important bible principles

Sin – “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3 vs 23).

Heaven – “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4 vs 12).

Assurance – “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved” (Romans 10 vs 9).

Purpose for living – “For by Him were all things created, that are in heaven and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities or powers: all things were created by him and for Him” (Colossians 1 vs 16).

God’s opinion of children – “Suffer the little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 19 vs 14).

God’s promise – “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My words shall not pass away” (Matthew 24 vs 35).

Ways to teach your children the Word of God

As a parent or carer, you can read to your child or encourage them to read you a story from the Bible. Why not talk to them about the story? You could also listen to their thoughts and ideas, or even ask them how they think the Bible characters in that story might have felt? You will be surprised at how much they have learned and how simply children view the gospel!

Other methods

Bring your child to Sunday School
Memory verses
Bible songs
Attending church
Praying with your child

Resources / Activities for Sunday School Teachers

Finding suitable resources for children or your Sunday School class can be difficult. There are a wide range of resources that you can use. The following suggestions might help to get you started.

Resources – for Sunday School teachers.

Scripture Union – Resources for Sunday School and Youth Group Leaders.

Resources / Activities for Parents

Worksheets – that you can do with your child at home.

Postal Bible School – Discover more about the Bible with the Ultimate Adventure Club. There are fun filled Bible lessons and activity worksheets for all ages that parents can do with their children together at home. Why not learn together about the Bible?

Online Bible

Bible Gateway is a very rich resource with free access to scriptures, research, and references. These resources are accessible from your desktop, laptop, tablet or smartphone, in more than 200 different versions and over 70 languages! It’s simple yet advanced searching capabilities allow you to quickly find and compare particular passages in multiple Bible translations based on keywords, phrases, topics, or Scripture references.

Bible+app for Android or iPhone

Why not download the Bible+app for access to Bible software, study resources, daily readings and devotions plus lots more.

Bible Wonderland

The Bible Wonderland exhibition is a fantastic display of lights, colours and wonderfully painted storyboard characters showing scenes from the life of Jesus.

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Purchasing Resources

Music

Christian music can be purchased from a range of different sites including:

http://www.eden.co.uk/

http://www.amazon.co.uk/

Christian Bookshops

Faith Mission Bookshop

The Glo Bookshop

Our Partners

The 3^rd Falkirk Boys Brigade are part of The Peoples Church. Children from the Sunday School also have the opportunity to take part in and tell others about the Boys Brigade!

More information about the Boys Brigade can be found here.

Events

Special Guest Visitors to PCF Sunday School

Danny and Karen went to Mozambique in November 2015 and stayed with their missionary friends Mandy and Mel. The purpose of the visit was to help in the children’s work and Bible teaching.

As Danny and Karen are already involved in the puppet ministry in the church, this was the perfect opportunity to take some with them for the children. While there, the children were able to participate in interactive songs and dances.

In addition to the Bible teaching Danny and Karen put their DIY skills to good use and helped build benches for a local school and latrines for one of the villages!.

Danny’s brother Adrian and his wife Penny were also in Mozambique. Penny is a dental nurse and she talked to the children about the importance of looking after your teeth.

“It was an amazing experience and a privilege to serve the people in Mozambique. They taught us so much about having a simple faith in God when living in such difficult circumstances”.

Danny and Karen talked to the PCF Sunday School children about their missionary trip. You can see part of their presentation here.

Competitions

Bible competitions have been run throughout the sessions. The children enjoy some healthy competition as well as their prizes.

Prizegiving

Our annual prizegiving is a much loved event not just for the children but for the adults! A different theme is chosen each time but the main priority is to allow the children to demonstrate the wide range of talents and skills they have developed both in and out of Sunday School.

Book library

This year has seen the introduction of a new library scheme. The children are able to choose a book with Bible stories, take this home and read it with their parents, then bring it back the following week and tell everyone what they learned.

Christmas Nativity 2015

Christmas Party & Pantomime

Christmas time wouldn’t be the same without a visit to the pantomime. The Peoples Church benefit greatly from being within walking distance of the Falkirk Town Hall. Members from the youth group also star in the performance and the children have enjoyed meeting the cast of the show. Attendance at the pantomime has steadily increased and this year over 60 attended.