This article will help a group of elders or pastoral visitors think about how to use the bible in regular pastoral visits and offers suggested approaches to using well know passages.
Download The Bible & Pastoral Care pdf
Select from the menu on the right or view the Bible Year Menu Card
This training material aims to introduce a method of Bible study called Remembering the Bible, that is used in some of the Vision4Life Bible Year material.
Download the Remembering the Bible pdf
Select from the menu on the right or view the Bible Year Menu Card
This section contains documents to help you with various aspects of training and learning. These may be geared to help Elders, group leaders or learning how to use this website - in fact anyone really.
This training material aims to introduce a method of Bible study called Remembering the Bible, that is used in some of the Vision4Life Bible Year material.
Download the Remembering the Bible pdf
This article will help a group of elders or pastoral visitors think about how to use the bible in regular pastoral visits and offers suggested approaches to using well know passages.
Download The Bible and Pastoral Care pdf
This habit of singing a song to 'Welcome the Word' has a long tradition in Christian worship. The short songs offered here go to well-known tunes that can be found in most hymn books by looking up the metre of each song or the name of one of the suggested tunes.
The ten songs in this initial collection are all by John Campbell (who also holds the copyright) with some involvement from Lance Stone. They are free to use as you wish but please acknowledge authorship in any printed or projected words. They are in pdf format and also Microsoft Word format for ease of copying and pasting into other documents, Powerpoint or song projection programs.
Short songs to welcome the word (pdf version)
Short songs to welcome the word (Word version)
Select from the menu on the right or view the Bible Year Menu Card
This starter was used at the South Western Synod meeting on 11th October 2008. The powerpoint incorporates an update of where Vision4Life is up to at present but you can use the handout as it is without the Powerpoint.
Download the Paying Taxes starter
Download the Paying Taxes with accompanying Powerpoint (includes a V4L update)
Select from the menu on the right or view the Bible Year Menu Card
A way of remembering Jesus' life for people of all ages and abilities using pegs and string. This is a more extensive version than the one in the booklet.
Download the Jesus' life-line pdf
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This could last up to 15 minutes and lead into a main course or dessert. The idea is to get people recognising the skills they use to understand everyday writing and how this can be applied to seeing the different sorts of writing in the Bible.
Download the How to read a newspaper pdf
Select from the menu on the right or view the Bible Year Menu Card
Starters are brief taster sessions of up to about 15 minutes that help to lead people into engagement with the Bible. They could be followed directly by an appropriate 'main course' or you could go straight to 'dessert'.
Select from the menu on the right or view the Bible Year Menu Card
This bible study is suitable for Advent. Download Mary's YesSelect from the menu on the right or view the Bible Year Menu Card
This is an ‘advent special’ Bible conversations that probably should have been available at the start of Bible Year but didn’t seem to have made it onto the website, so here it is now at the start of Prayer year, to help groups that are still engaging with the Bible even whilst they are extending their explorations in prayer.
Download v4l-advent-special-one.pdf
This Bible study is about Mary, as she is presented to us in the opening chapters of Luke’s Gospel, but also her other appearances in that Gospel and the Book of Acts. Mary’s story lays before us just how costly saying “Yes!” to God can be. We are invited to place our own story alongside hers and see what we can learn about the effects of an intervening God let loose in our lives.
Download Mary's Yes, PDF version
Woodwork NativityThis is a project for those of you who are handy with wood and can be shared with those who are not! It is a little late for 2008 but maybe you could plan it for next year?Download Woodwork Nativity | |
Extra Advent MaterialsHere you will find access to additional materials that have been supplied to the V4L steering group and are commended by the group for your use but not produced by them. There are also some suggested titles from other sources - scroll down to see | |
Advent Booklet produced by Eastern SynodThe booklet is meant to be able to be used by individuals and study groups for meditation and reflection or for worship starters.Download the Advent Booklet designed to be printed as separate pages Download the Advent Booklet designed to be printed double-sided and stapled together | |
Advent Booklet produced by Churches in ManchesterChorlton Centre Church (Baptist and URC), Chorlton Methodist Churches, Manley Park Methodist Church, Wilbraham St Ninians URCDaily reflections for Advent from various contributors. The preface says: 'At the beginning of Advent, we invite you to join us in reading, reflecting, and praying: with prophets, poets, evangelists and apostles – through Biblical texts and through the eyes of people of Chorlton and beyond. Many of the people who contributed discovered a fresh engagement with the Bible that was exciting and challenging. For some, it was the first time they had worked with the Bible in this way; others returned to the Bible, seeking fresh understanding on familiar stories. For all, it became a journey of new insights and a deeper awareness of something greater than themselves.' The document is intended to print as a 32 page booklet on A4 paper with two A5 pages per side but is not laid out in booklet form. Download the Advent Booklet produced by churches in Manchester | |
From Other Sources: | |
Grove Biblical Series - B9 The Christmas Stories in Faith and PreachingJohn ProctorA brief review by Rev Brian Harley, Shanklin John taught me New Testament when I was at Cambridge and I always enjoyed his clear, detailed and well thought through presentation of material. Here is a brilliant resource for helping consider how one handles the Biblical material concerning Jesus’ origins and the appropriate emphasis for preaching from each gospel. This is a concise booklet packed with really useful insights and I commend it to you as well worth the investment of a couple of hours of reading. As well as considering the different gospels, John looks at the “closely connected” doctrines of incarnation and the virgin birth. Click image to order Grove Booklets, Ridley Hall Cambridge 01223 464748 sales@grovebooks.co.uk ISBN 9781851743827 £3.50 | |
Cover to Cover 31 Day Advent Guides – A spiritual focus for personal or group use.During the last two Advent seasons I have used these respective guides for my personal devotions and found both to be very stimulating and helpful in keeping me focussed during this busy ministry season. They are each different in style and approach but have a practical edge that makes one think and then to apply the passage of Scripture to daily life. I found them a them refreshing change from other materials I have used and would thoroughly recommend them to others, even if you get started a bit late!Rev Brian Harley, Shanklin | |
A Journey Through Advent Rob Frost 2004ISBN 1-85345-312-9 £3.99 | |
Advent Hope Joel Edwards 2007ISBN 978-1-85345-426-4 £4.99CWR Cover2cover Available from most Christian Bookshops | |
| New this year in the same series (but untested!): | |
Joy to the World David Coffey 2008ISBN 978-85345-475-2 £6.99www.cwrstore.org.uk | |
Resources specially designed for the seasons of the Christian year will appear here. Please check back periodically.
Advent
See Advent Resources
Lent
The Vision4Life Steering Group came out of a consultation on Evangelism and Spirituality in the URC, which first met in 2005. The group has enlarged a little since then and seeks to represent a broad cross section of the URC.
These nibbles aim to be flexible, adaptable and easy to use at any sort of meeting which begins with a Bible-based reflection, for example Ladies Fellowship, Choir, Men's breakfast, Christian Education Leaders, etc. They use one text in 4 different ways for 4 different occasions.
Download the Four ideas one text pdf Select from the menu on the right or view the Bible Year Menu Card
This material is for you to use before you visit someone. It is offered as part of the planning and preparation that goes into a meeting moment, when one person goes to meet another in circumstances of particular need.
Download the Pastoral Meeting Moments pdf
Select from the menu on the right or view the Bible Year Menu Card
The following nibbles aim to be flexible, adaptable and easy to use at times when people are sharing food. For example they could be used as a series for a Luncheon Club, or one could be selected for an event such as a Harvest Supper. Use them in whatever way works best for your group. Each nibble is based around a Bible passage. This is followed by questions and reflections.
Download the Mealtime Moments pdf
Select from the menu on the right or return to the Bible Year Menu Card
Nibbles are short and snappy discussion starters or question raisers related to a Bible story or Bible idea. They can be included within any meeting which has another purpose (everything from a Badminton Club or a Sewing Group to a Church Meeting or an Elders Meeting) with the aim of spicing up the Bible connections and enticing folks to consider another aspect of the Bible Year Menu at a later date.
Select from the menu on the right or return to the Vision4Life Menu Card
This is a new Main Course contribution which helps us explore the experience of waiting through our remembered Bibles and the experiences of families with children who have disabilities.
Download the Waiting at the bottom of the mountain study pdf
A series of 4 studies to tie in with Mark's gospel, the core gospel in the Common Lectionary for 2009. The studies by Lance Stone are based on John Proctor's book 'Mark's Jesus'
You can download the pdfs of each study below.
Study 1: From action to passion
Study 2: On the way
Study 3: Mark's women
Here you will find some resources which can be used to link films that have been on general release and are now available on DVD, with biblical themes.
This is a Main course which can be used over 5 weeks, based on the film The Terminal. After a first week viewing and discussing the film, the course looks at themes of identity, loneliness, promises and punishment & forgiveness. This course was originally offered for use during Lent but can be used at anytime.
Download The Terminal film course in pdf
Download The Terminal film course in Word
Dave Hopwood of Lee Abbey in North Devon, an Anglican community, retreat and conference centre, has generously given permission for us to use his Big Screen Theology resource. It makes links between 52 films and bible passages and might be a useful resource for people who liked the Terminal bible study and want to take it further.
