That’s the key message of our latest holiday club, The Restoration Station, which will launch this autumn thanks to your support.
SU Content Innovator Leanne Sheppard explains how she wanted to create something to meet the deepest needs of children who have faced so much upheaval in the last couple of years and who are vulnerable to the negative impacts of social media.
Leanne, formerly a schools worker with a Scripture Union Local Mission partner, says, ‘Children today are being exposed to negativity so much more than we were. They’ve had the upheaval of the pandemic and don’t know how to relate to peers in the way previous generations did. Social media presents them with a filtered reality that they end up believing and can also expose them to relentless bullying. They feel inadequate, even broken.
‘The powerful message of The Restoration Station is one that many children so need to hear, particularly at the moment.’
The idea for The Restoration Station came to Leanne when she watched a popular TV show where they repair damaged objects. ‘I set out to show children that they are like a treasured heirloom that Jesus loves. He wants to take care of them, and has the power to make them as good as new.’
The printed pack provides teaching, animations, dramas and activities for three days with materials for two further days online. Sessions are based on healings and miracles in John’s Gospel. Workshop 1 introduces Jesus and how he can heal people without even being with them. In Workshop 2 the children learn how Jesus can fix and restore people who are seemingly broken – both inside and outside. Using the story of Peter, Workshop 3 explores the concepts of forgiveness and being made whole again. In accompanying dramas, the children become crafters in the workshop of Chris the repairman. Each day, they get to “meet” Bible characters who drop by to share how they have been restored by Jesus. Daily animated videos help the children explore how Jesus can be present in the brokenness of their own lives.
Coming soon!
You can can purchase The Restoration Station in PDF or print versions from October 2022.
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This story was featured in our supporter magazine, Connecting You. Subscribe to the print or digital edition for free, and keep up to date with what God's doing through Scripture Union.