This is a story of inclusivity. It’s a story about people who had always been treated as less, getting to be a full part of God’s work. It’s a story that repeats itself in almost every generation, and our modern-day Cornelius and Peter may not be the people we expect.

Keep it up

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How long can a child keep a balloon in the air? Let them play solo, then in pairs, then 4’s until there is only one group.
Link: We achieve more working together.

Included

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The aim of the game is to get through as many cards as possible while getting to know the group you are playing with. Click on the image for the link to the full game and instructions.
Link: God’s family thrives by being inclusive.

Many colours

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Split your kids into 3 groups. Give each group one colour of play-dough. Ask them how many colours they can make without leaving their group. Now let the groups mix and set the same challenge.
Link : God’s world is more beautiful when we link our gifts.

Echoes

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All Ages

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No Setup time

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A simple mimic game where the first person taps out a small beat and passes it around the group, once it reaches the last person, they change the beat. Add in sound effects as your group gets more confident.
Link : It was time to change the beat of faith for Peter to include the gentiles.

 

Peter’s Defence (Acts 4)

Here are the images you need for the hero’s attributes linked to ‘Cornelius (Acts 10)’ – where Peter welcomes gentiles into the faith.
Each hero set contains a high quality graphic of the character, a take home bible card and a colouring page.

The images are displayed small here, click on the image you wish to have, then save the image that loads.
(These images are not copyright free, they are for personal/classroom use only.)

 

121-cornelius-card121-cornelius-card
121-colouring121-colouring

121-Peter121-Peter
121-Cornelius121-Cornelius
121-Peter-colouring121-Peter-colouring
121-Cornelius-colouring121-Cornelius-colouring

 

 

Nicodemus (John 3)

Here are the images you need for the hero’s attributes linked to ‘Nicodemus (John 3)’- covering the famous passage about being born again as well as other encounters Nicodemus had with Jesus.
Each hero set contains a high quality graphic of the character, a take home bible card and a colouring page.

The images are displayed small here, click on the image you wish to have, then save the image that loads.
(These images are not copyright free, they are for personal/classroom use only.)

 

34-Nicodemus-card34-Nicodemus-card
34-Nicodemus34-Nicodemus
34-Character-colouring34-Character-colouring
34-Nicodemus-colouring34-Nicodemus-colouring

 

Large image for illustrating the story or putting on a large screen.

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Grab the Phone background here.

JWL phone background

Cornelius at the door craft: door closed

It’s easy to exclude people, and it’s natural to have thought that the Jewish messiah came to just save the Jewish people, but God had a much bigger plan. For people on the edges, like Cornelius, that was huge. The party they had always been excluded from had flung wide the doors, and they could finally enter. This little craft uses the idea of a door as the barrier that is now open.

Cornelius at the door craft: setup

To make this craft, you will need the 1-page template printout and scissors.

NOTE: on the colour template, only the backgrounds are in colour, not the characters!

Cornelius at the door craft: cut

Colour the characters and cut out the large rectangle.

Cornelius at the door craft: first fold

Mountain fold along the middle of the two ‘door’ shapes.

Cornelius at the door craft: more folds

Valley fold along the edges of the two ‘door’ shapes, so the doors can open.

Cornelius at the door craft: door open

If you wish, you can add a drop of glue between the layers, but it’s not needed.

the Milosevic Family

Help keep the free items on this site free by donating. This site supports my family as we live by God's great economy.

A4 size
(210 x 297 mm)

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US letter size
(8.5″ x 11″)

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We may consider this is a minor story, but it’s one that every generation of the church has been challenged to live out. For Peter and the apostles, it was totally logical that the Jewish messiah would be a message for the Jews. That God would include every man, woman, and child into his great family irrespective of birth was totally revolutionary. So hard was it to imagine that the potential converts were quite literally speaking in tongues before Peter called for water to baptise.

This retold version of the Bible passage is supplied for inspiration, feel free to omit or embellish to give it your personal voice.

Main Passage : Acts 10:44-48

Biblical retelling of Cornelius (Acts 10)for youngsters.

Peter was in Joppa. A man called Cornelius had been told by an angel to invite him and here he was. It had been a strange few days. First, he’d had a vision about eating food that he’d always been told not to eat, and now he was speaking to a load of Gentiles!

Long ago, God had promised Abraham, and then Isacc and then Jocob (who was also called Israel), that from their family would come a great nation of God’s people. The nation was called the Israelites or the Jews, and they called everyone else Gentiles. There were lots of rules about Gentiles. Even if a Gentile came to believe in God, they were still seen as not as good as those born into God’s family. Good Israelites would not even enter a Gentile’s house! So you can imagine it was quite an unusual place Peter found himself in.

The house belonged to the centurion Cornelius. For many years, Cornelius had been a friend of the Jewish people. He’d learnt about their God and began to pray to him. Perhaps one day he would ask if he could join the Israelite nation and become a Jew? Now, God had sent an angel and told him to invite this man called Peter into his house. Cornelius had been excited. He gathered all his family and all his servants. He invited the neighbours. He invited everyone he met. It wasn’t everyday God sent an angel; so this was going to be an important event!

Peter stood before the crowd and paused.

“I see now God does not have favourites,” he said, and the crowd went quiet. It had always seemed like God had favourites; the Israelites were God’s favourites, weren’t they? “In every nation there are people who do what is right in God’s eyes,” Peter continued, and then he went on to tell them all about Jesus, about how Jesus had brought his message to God’s people but told them to tell the news everyone. The Jesus who had died and returned. The Jesus who had spoken to Gentiles. The Jesus who had eaten with people the Jewish rules said you should avoid. The Jesus he still followed.

As Peter was speaking, God came and joined them though his Holy Spirit. Those who had travelled to fetch Peter were amazed because the spirit of God did not land just on the people who had become Jews but on Gentiles too.

Peter looked at the crowd. “Bring water!” he shouted. “Let us baptise these people. If God has baptised them with his Spirit, we should also baptise them with water.” So the church grew, not with just the Jews but with Gentiles too, because God really does not have favourites!

Philip and Ethiopia chariot craft

The story of Philip and the Ethiopian has one big obvious craft, a chariot. While some groups will “junk model” this concept, if you want something more sedate and contained, this craft fits the bill.

Philip and Ethiopia chariot craft: setup

To make this craft, you will need the 1-page template printout, scissors, thin card and some paper glue.

Print the template and then back it onto card. The following photos are from an older version of the craft, but the construction is the same.

Philip and Ethiopia chariot craft: the seat

Cut out all the pieces and start assembling by attaching the base of the chariot by gluing the fold-able tabs onto it.

IMPORTANT: the bigger tab is there to allow the chariot to stand, don’t fold it.

Philip and Ethiopia chariot craft: the wheels

The wheels, the glue onto the outside.

Philip and Ethiopia chariot craft: the horse

The card horse is made by folding the large shape along the middle join. A little glue inside the head will help the creature stand upright.

Philip and Ethiopia chariot craft: old version

Take the reins and glue them onto the side of the head. Bend the paper over at the loose end and glue onto the rim of the chariot.

the Milosevic Family

Help keep the free items on this site free by donating. This site supports my family as we live by God's great economy.

A4 size
(210 x 297 mm)

Download colour Download no colour

US letter size
(8.5″ x 11″)

Download colour Download no colour

This is a story of a trial, an arrest for an act of kindness, a rough fisherman, filled with God’s spirit to speak eloquent words. These games take the idea of Jesus’s power being the foundation of Peter’s acts even though he was not present.

Hidden Jesus

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Under 7’s

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Small group

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Hide the letters J, E, U, and two S’s around your space. Have the kids find them and piece them together as a word. Play in teams by having each team collect only one colour of letters.
Link: Peter was imitating Jesus, continuing his work, the power did not come from Peter

Foundation

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Ages 7+

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Use drinking straws and sticky tack to build a tower on the table. Points are scored 1 per cm; however, before they can measure, they must move the table 30 cm across the floor.
Link: It’s not what the top of the tower looks like but how firm it’s foundations are. Jesus is the most solid foundation of them all.

Helping hands

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This classic and silly game involves someone standing behind you and being your hands. Give each pair a task, like eating a closed yogurt.
Link: Peter was acting through Jesus’s power and the Holy Spirit’s words.

Dominoes

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Ages 7+

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Use dominoes or Jenga blocks to make a fall run.
Link: Peter’s ability to heal came from Jesus even though Jesus was not visibly present.

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