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A shepherd watches over, cares for, protects, and guides the sheep. Let’s together discover how Jesus is The Good Shepherd and we are His Sheep. What a comforting story this is for us as believers!

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John 10:11-16

Easy-to-Read Version

11 “I am the good shepherd, and the good shepherd gives his life for the sheep. 12 The worker who is paid to keep the sheep is different from the shepherd. The paid worker does not own the sheep. So when he sees a wolf coming, he runs away and leaves the sheep alone. Then the wolf attacks the sheep and scatters them. 13 The man runs away because he is only a paid worker. He does not really care for the sheep.

14-15 “I am the shepherd who cares for the sheep. I know my sheep just as the Father knows me. And my sheep know me just as I know the Father. I give my life for these sheep. 16 I have other sheep too. They are not in this flock here. I must lead them also. They will listen to my voice. In the future there will be one flock and one shepherd.[a]

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Listen to Miss Gwen read our story from the "Growing in God's Love" Story Bible and think about the questions that she asked.

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I am the Good Shepherd.  GIGL Story Bible

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Jesus the Good Shepherd | Bible Stories with Sarah & Simon | Animated Bible Story for Kids

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Jesus the Good Shepherd | Bible Stories with Sarah & Simon | Animated Bible Story for Kids

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Let's Wonder about these questions! You can write any answers in comments below.

How is Jesus like a shepherd?

Who are Jesus’ sheep?

What does Jesus protect us from?

Why do you think Jesus told the part about the bad shepherd as well as the good shepherd?

What might cause a bad shepherd to help only themselves?

Where else in the Bible have we heard stories about sheep?

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Find a quiet spot to sit. Begin playing the audio file and listen to Miss Gwen guiding us through a special listening experience. After you listen, how did it make you feel? What could you picture as she talked to you? How did it make you think about the Good Shepherd?

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I am the Good Shepherd Guided Meditation

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How is what these people are doing for the animals near the wildfires like shepherding? How are these people being Good Shepherds?

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Rescue flight helps move over 50 animals from LA shelters to Seattle during wildfires

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Nonprofit organization Wings of Rescue flew dogs and cats from Los Angeles shelters to the Seattle Humane shelter to help with shelters impacted by the wildfires.

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 Knowing that we are in the care of the Good Shepherd may free us to be a good shepherd for others. Who in your community provides the safety net and care that a good shepherd provides for the sheep?  How can you show your thanks to them?  

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 Knowing that we are in the care of the Good Shepherd may free us to be a good shepherd for others. Who in your community provides the safety net and care that a good shepherd provides for the sheep?  How can you show your thanks to them?  

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Write your ideas in the comments.

If you do something for one of these helper groups - take a picture and share it in the comments of this post.

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Listen to the song and try singing along!

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The Baa Baa Song (He's the Good Shepherd) - Sibling Harmony

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Print off this coloring page and share a picture of it after you color it in the comments for this post

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Here is a prayer to learn to pray that can help us to remember to follow the Good Shepherd. Try to learn each part and then put it together and pray it every morning.

Holy God,

You are the Good Shepherd.

You care for us

and lead us through our lives.

Help us to be good examples for others

and teach others to follow you. Amen.

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Jesus tells us that He is the vine and we are the branches. That may seem hard to understand since we are people, not plants! Let's work together to learn about what Jesus really meant when he shared this with the people.

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John 15:1-8

Easy-to-Read Version

15 Jesus said, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch[a] of mine that does not produce fruit.[b] He also trims every branch that produces fruit to prepare it to produce even more. 3 You have already been prepared to produce more fruit by the teaching I have given you. 4 Stay joined to me and I will stay joined to you. No branch can produce fruit alone. It must stay connected to the vine. It is the same with you. You cannot produce fruit alone. You must stay joined to me.

5 “I am the vine, and you are the branches. If you stay joined to me, and I to you, you will produce plenty of fruit. But separated from me you won’t be able to do anything. 6 If you don’t stay joined to me, you will be like a branch that has been thrown out and has dried up. All the dead branches like that are gathered up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 Stay joined together with me, and follow my teachings. If you do this, you can ask for anything you want, and it will be given to you. 8 Show that you are my followers by producing much fruit. This will bring honor[c] to my Father.

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Listen to Mrs. Peifer read the story from the "Growing in God's Love" Story Bible.

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This video was filmed from April-August in one year. Watch the vine grow while you think about these questions:

*What did you notice about the plants?

*How did the grapevine and branches grow?

*What surprised you about the branches?

*What has to happen before the grapevines grow?

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Grapevine Life Cycle Time Lapse Video | Bud Break Through Veraison

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Look in your refrigerator. Do you have a bunch of grapes? If so, ask a grown-up if you can have some for a snack while you think about these questions. If not, use this picture to think about these things:

*Notice the grapes all grow in a bunch together instead of one grape just growing on its own. The different bunches are on a branch with other bunches, and, finally, the branch is connected to the vine.

*Who is in your bunch of people who grow

together?

*What bunches of people do we see in the

Bible?

*How can we encourage people in our bunch and in other bunches connected to the same branch?

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Go on a nature walk and pay attention to the things God has placed in nature. Take some kind of camera or a journal to draw what you see.

*What other things do you see that remind you to stay connected to God? How do these things remind you to stay connected to God?

Share your drawings or photos on this post, email them to Pastor Carolyn, or bring them to our next intergenerational event!

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Being connected to Jesus helps us "bear fruit" in our lives. We're not necessarily growing real fruit, rather, being connected to Jesus brings about positive things. Enjoy singing and dancing with this silly song about the Fruit of the Spirit to help you understand what that "fruit" can be!

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Print the image or use your own materials to create your own vine. Label the main part of your vine with "Jesus" and put your own name and names of people that help you stay connected to Jesus on the leaves and grapes.

Share pictures of your vine on this post, email to Pastor Carolyn, or bring to our next intergenerational event!

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Here is a prayer to pray that can help us to remember to stay connected to Jesus.

Holy God,

You are the Vine, and we are the branches.

Please help us stay connected to you.

Help us to stay connected to you so that we can show others Your love through the "Fruits of the Spirit".

Help us to remember that we don't have to do things or go through hard times by ourselves.

Allow us to show others love, joy, peace, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

Amen.

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Jesus tells us He is light of the world and whoever follows Him won’t walk in darkness but will have the light of life.

Let us explore how Jesus is the light of our world and how we can reflect his light.

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John 8:12 reads, “Jesus spoke to the people again, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me won’t walk in darkness but will have the light of life’” (CEB).

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Listen as Mrs. Spenik reads the story of "The Light of the World" from Growing in God's Love Story Bible.

After listening, ask yourself these questions... Feel free to post your thoughts.

What did Jesus say about light? What did he say about darkness?

What do you think about when you hear the word light?

What did Jesus mean when he said, “I am the light of the world”?

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Compare and contrast the next two songs based on the image of Jesus as the light of the world.

After each song ask yourself these questions...

What does this song say about Jesus

What does it say about light?

What does it say about our world?

How does the light of the world make a difference, according to this song?

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"Jesus The Light of the World" Royal Priesthood

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Compare and contrast the next two songs based on the image of Jesus as the light of the world.

After each song ask yourself these questions...

What does this song say about Jesus

What does it say about light?

What does it say about our world?

How does the light of the world make a difference, according to this song?

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Lauren Daigle - Light Of The World (Lyric Video)

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Here is a prayer to remind you of Jesus's light.

God of light,

you teach us to follow you,

and you tell us

we can be lights in our world.

Hold us close to your heart

so that we shine bright

and illuminate the world

with your love.

Amen.

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Welcome to another unit of our new Hybrid Faith Formation at Plum Creek Presbyterian. We know folks are busy and we want to offer you something that can fit into everyone's schedule on their time. Units are set up with three or four different lessons and a Gathering event! Click through the various squares under each lesson to engage in God's Word through story, videos, music, crafts, service and more. Then don't miss the in person gathering where we learn and have fun together. Each in person gathering will be different. I hope you will try our this innovative way to learn with your children, grandchildren, neighbors or friends.

Pastor Carolyn

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Sign up to receive unit updates as they come available

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Sign up to receive unit updates as they come available

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https://www.cognitoforms.com/ChristianFormationPlumCreekPresbyterianChurch/ChristianFormationPlumCreekRegistration

We want to keep you up to date when new content and new units are added. Sign up to receive those in the manner you would prefer. Since this is a new way of engaging with Bible content, we may send a quick survey at the end of each unit to ask how you experienced the lessons. This will help us to design future units and gathering events.

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Growing in God’s Love: A Story Bible Curriculum | PC USA Store

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Story Bible Curriculum Help the children in your church grow with the newest multiage curriculum for children ages 5-10, based on the…

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The Story Bible We Use

If you do not have a Growing in God's Love Story Bible for your child or grandchild, you may request one from Pastor Carolyn at pastor@plumcreekpc.com.

Think about gifting one to a child in your life.

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Help nurture the faith of the children in your life with Growing in God's Love: A Story Bible . This engaging resource features 150 popular Bible stories that are organized by 13 themes, including Strong Women and Men; Listening for God; Parables; Healings and Miracles; and more. Each story is built on the latest in biblical scholarship and learning theory and helps children begin to understand the Bible and apply its teachings to the world around them. Growing in God's Love features diverse artwork from more than twenty artists to appeal to a variety of ages and learning styles. Three reflection questions-Hear, See, Act-are included at the end of each story to help children further ponder the message of the story.

Growing in God's Love: A Story Bible is ideal for children ages 4-8, and it is perfect for Sunday school classrooms, children's sermons, vacation Bible school, and gift-giving at baptism or other milestones.

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Growing in God's Love: A Story Bible [Caldwell, Elizabeth F., Wehrheim, Carol A.] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Growing in God's Love: A Story Bible

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January 26, 2025 at 11:30am

Join us after church!

Join us for an intergenerational Bible study and service project in our Fellowship Hall. We will have a light brunch and lesson using Pastor Carolyn’s table top mats as we learn about Jesus’ statement – I Am the Bread of Life. We will also be mixing and baking some bread to take offer to our home bound and others in need of care and encouragement. Our Deacons will be co-sponsoring this event with Christian Formation.