Using Love Letters from God in your Children’s Ministry

I am a mother of two daughters and I am also a Children’s Minister.  These two very important roles in my life have something in common:  sharing God’s Word with children.  In doing this, I’m always looking for resources that will help tell the stories from the Bible in fun and creative ways so that children truly grasp the love of Jesus.

One amazing resource I have found is a book called Love Letters from God.  This book is written by Glenys Nellist (a writer friend and a fellow United Methodist Children’s Ministry leader). This book contains 18 Bible stories followed by 18 lift-the-flap letters from God.

When I first received this book, I read it to my own children, inserting their names into the letter from God.  Then, my youngest daughter wanted to read one of the stories. When it came time to read the letter from God, she inserted my name in there. It was a precious and powerful moment to hear my name spoken in that letter, especially hearing my own daughter read that letter to me from God.  A wonderful book to share both with my children and the children at church.

If you are a Children’s Minister, how can you use Love Letters from God in your ministry?  Below is a guest post from the author, Glenys Nellist, on the best way to do this:

Using Love Letters in your Children’s Ministry

There is nothing quite as wonderful as reading your very own words to a group of children.

It was Sunday morning. Here I was, in a lovely little church, holding my first book, Love Letters from God. I was ready to read the story of The Lions Who Lost Their Lunch to a group of expectant youngsters who trooped out to the front for the Children’s Message. Actually, it wasn’t just little ones who came forward—a whole bunch of smiling teenagers accompanied them, and plopped onto the carpet at my feet (another reason to love this little village church).

And after I read, there came the best part…. I handed out little love letters, copied from the book, one for each child. It was the pastor’s innovative idea. She was using one story per week from Love Letters from God for her Children’s Message series. She even made a bulletin board to explain to parents how it would work, and gave folders to each child where they could keep their precious letters from God.

They are precious, because each one begins: Dear ___________, and the child writes their own name on the line—just as if God was speaking directly to them.

There is power in God’s Word. There is power in God’s words. Who knows what God will do in the heart of a little one as they read and absorb God’s message to them?

Here are 5 ways that you might use Love Letters from God in your children’s ministry:

1. Read one Bible story per week as part of an 18 week Children’s Message or Sermon series—during worship, Sunday school or mid-week.

2. After reading, hand out that story’s letter to each child, so they can insert their own name and keep it in a special folder or envelope. (Contact Author Glenys Nellist to obtain copyright permission.)

3. Ask children to write their own letters to God—you will be moved by their contents.

4. Make use of the 8 free, downloadable Color-a-Story sheets that are available from the book. Here’s In the Very Beginning. (Contact Author Glenys Nellist for 7 more.)

5. Use Little Love Letters from God, the newly released, board book version for toddlers, in your church nursery or preschool for an eight week Bible story series.

Thanks for reading, and for sharing God’s wonderful love with our children!

More Books by Glenys Nellist

• Christmas Love Letters from God
• Easter Love Letters from God
• Love Letters from God: Bible Stories for a Girl’s Heart