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Children's Church: 11:00am - 12:00pm
Grades 1st - 4th
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Come join the New Children's Church Class!
Every Sunday we join Macky, Portia , and Friends as they explore the bible in a whole new way.
It starts with the fun and adventure of a bible story played out by our Firends & Heroes, then we move on to other adventures, like games, snacks, and arts & crafts. All based around our bible story with our Firends & Heores. Which reinforces what we learned, and helps bring it to real everyday life. We always have a great time!
So come join us, you won't want to miss it!
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( Get a taste of the excitement for yourself, see what the kids are learning,
watch clips, coloring pages, and more by clicking the picture below)
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What are the origins of western civilisation, our collective culture, moral codes and religion? As parents, teachers- citizens - we have all seen the values of our society shift and change, and witnessed the loss of this shared cultural memory in our children.
Based in a fascinating and turbulent period of history, 69-71AD, Friends and Heroes places Bible stories in a vivid historical context. It uses animated adventure stories
to introduce a new generation of children to the stories of the Old and New Testaments in an appealing, fresh and memorable way. Children love the stories: "Friends and Heroes rocks!" said one recent e-mail. Boys are strongly attracted by the central male characters, the danger and the exciting action!
This approach - of setting Bible stories in living contexts amongst the people who kept them alive, by passing them on ‘down the line’ to children - runs throughout as a constant motif. It demonstrates the reasons why these stories were preserved and the impact the stories and their preservation had on those who kept them alive. It introduces Biblical stories in an appealing, fresh and memorable way, creating a clear connection between the religious themes and exciting adventure stories by the innovative use of combined 2D and 3D animation. Cartoon-style 2D animation tells the adventure stories, mixing seamlessly to 3D animation for the Bible stories, two or three of which are interwoven in each episode.
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Macky
Our first impression of MACKY is that he’s an average fourteen-year-old. He’s bright, funny, sometimes hot-headed and courageous, sometimes confused and torn - in fact not that different from his Twenty-First Century counterparts.
But there’s more to Macky, much more. Like his father, Samuel, Macky is drawn to the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. Under the Romans, beliefs like these have to be kept secret, but Macky refuses to give in to the oppressors. He dreams of freedom for all those persecuted by the might of Rome, and he’s always taking part in intrigues, daring rescues and secret missions, all designed to get his fellow rebels out of trouble. Above all, Macky is an idealist.
Macky knows the streets and alleyways of Alexandria like the back of his hand; he is a daring horseman, agile, athletic and resourceful - a great ally in any escapade. He’s usually ready with a witty answer, but one look from his mother, Diana, can silence him pretty sharply!
Does he hate the Romans? His upbringing tells him he shouldn’t, but he’s a teenager, and he can’t help it. But as he shares the stories of his people's heroes with family and friends, Macky travels the most important journey of all through Friends and Heroes - the journey of life. |
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PORTIA
Portia is the same age as Macky, but with a vastly different life experience. As a member of the Roman upper class, she’s always had the best of everything - education, clothes, food, and culture. Until she meets Macky, she doesn’t give much thought to the advantages she’s had; they’re simply her due as a Roman. She has certainly never questioned the Romans’ power or the oppression of conquered peoples and ideologies.
Portia’s father is a high-ranking Roman army commander, far away with his troops, and she lives with her Uncle, who is the powerful Governor of Alexandria. He is no substitute for a warm, caring parent and Portia misses that care - though she would never admit it; she’s a Roman, after all: strong, uncompromising and able to persevere in the face of adversity.
Meeting Macky and his family, Portia begins to get a sense of what she is missing. She finds herself drawn to them... especially Macky.
There are enormous obstacles: class, religion, money (and the lack of it) - not to mention Macky’s dangerous involvement with the underground - a capital offence. But Portia starts to see her fellow Romans through Macky’s eyes, and that, combined with the wonderful stories he tells her, begins to change her. She starts to use her strength of character and perseverance to help others, and in the course of thirty-nine episodes, we’ll see her change from spoiled child to gracious young adult. |
Leah & Rebecca
REBECCA and LEAH, 8 and 5 years old, are the two daughters of DANIEL, a brave rebel fighter in Galilee. Daniel is also a childhood friend of Samuel’s and when his fighting jeopardizes the lives of his two children, he sends them to live with Samuel’s family.
Rebecca, the older daughter, has a basic understanding of the peril they’re in and so, to a certain extent, she acts as Leah’s surrogate mother.
Leah might not be as aware as Rebecca, but she’s bright and adventuresome and funny, too. Consequently, she gets into more than her share of trouble... which sometimes jeopardizes the family’s underground connections and even their very lives. It’s hard, however, not to forgive her.
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The adventure stories take place almost two thousand years ago, yet Macky and the gang will appeal to today’s children; they are attractive, inspirational, and very real characters…. funny and brave, but just like us in the Twenty-First Century, they don’t always get things right! They face similar issues and dilemmas to those faced by youngsters today. Their experiences, combined with the stories they tell, will help foster respect for and kindness to others, as well as encouraging tolerance.
Friends and Heroes seeks to empower children to listen to their conscience and to make good decisions about respect, kindness, compassion, faith and tolerance, based on knowledge and not ignorance. |
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