Comprised of two compelling services plus a pair of delightful children's messages, this complete set of Christmas Eve resources provides everything you need to create a special worship experience that your congregation will remember long after the holiday decorations have been stored away. A Christmas Gift contemplates Christmas Eve's mixture of madness and magic through a creative weaving together of carols, prayers, scripture readings, and several brief meditations. By highlighting some of the diverse moments, memories, and traditions that contribute to the gift of Christmas, this worship service evokes the powerful mystery and miracle of the nativity. O Come, Emmanuel is a moving candlelight service which utilizes the ancient antiphons of Advent to explore the longing behind our search for the Messiah. As the service unfolds, the singing and reading of each antiphon leads worshipers to reflect on the hopes and desires that bring us to Bethlehem, culminating in the joyful announcement that God has come among us. The service employs two readers and a solo quartet, along with congregational singing of several traditional hymns. An original choral arrangement of the Christmas antiphon is included. Two inspiring messages for the "children's moment" are also included. Featuring an interactive, conversational style that involves young people, these lessons can be used with either service or separately. One message helps children think about where Jesus might be in their town or neighborhood if he were born today, while the other celebrates how Christ's birth draws us all together. Rod Tkach is the pastor of Faith United Methodist Church in Williston, North Dakota. He is a graduate of Jamestown College, Asbury Theological Seminary, and Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Jeffrey Whitman is the senior pastor of Colonial Park United Church of Christ in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. He is a graduate of Lebanon Valley College and Lancaster Seminary. Wesley T. Runk is the author of more than 30 books of children's object lessons, including The Giant Book Of Children's Sermons -- Matthew To Revelation (CSS). A graduate of Wittenberg University and Hamma School of Theology, Runk is an ordained Evangelical Lutheran Church in America pastor who has served numerous Ohio congregations.

Here at last is the comprehensive collection you've been searching for to minister effectively to your children during worship. Drawn from every book of the New Testament, The Giant Book Of Children's Sermons -- Matthew To Revelation contains five full years worth of material you can share with your young disciples. Each of the 260 talks teach children God's Word through the use of common objects that illustrate an important concept in the scriptures. The messages come from Wesley Runk, a pastor and master communicator with kids who has written over 30 best-selling collections of children's sermons and object lessons. Runk uses a warm and often humorous approach to take on even the tough topics of the New Testament -- and the analogies he creates with the use of such simple objects as bananas, clocks, puzzles, and funnels add visual focus for the kids and help them grasp the point on a level suitable for their age. Now, whether you're preaching from the Gospels, Acts, the letters of Paul, the general Epistles, or even Revelation, you are certain to find an appropriate related talk for the children. And with convenient features like scripture and object indexes for quickly locating material as well as a CD with text files that lets you easily adapt the messages to your specific circumstances, The Giant Book Of Children's Sermons may be the last children's collection you ever need! Lessons include: * The Great Picnic (Matthew 14:13-21) * You Are Jesus' Magnifying Glass (John 17:20-26) * How To Settle An Argument (Acts 15:22) * The Key Ring That Unites Us (Romans 6:2b-11) * Do The Dishes? (1 Peter 4:13-19) * Counting Sand (Revelation 5:11-14) ... and many more! Wesley T. Runk is an ordained pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. A graduate of Wittenberg University and Hamma School of Theology, he served congregations in Englewood and Lima, Ohio, before founding CSS Publishing Company.

"Good morning boys and girls. How would you like to use your imaginations and visit some of the places that Jesus visited during the last week of his life? If you look closely, you will see, with my help, the streets, the palaces, the gardens, the dining room, the church and even the place where Jesus died and was buried."
-- from the lesson "The Temple"
"Jesus, The Servant King "offers six object lessons for Lent. Each lesson focuses on a place where Jesus visited during the critical final week of his life. Each lesson includes a drawing, which you may use to show children while telling your story.
The lesson themes are:
- The temple
- The upper room
- The garden
- Calvary
- The streets of Jerusalem
- The empty tomb
Wesley T. Runk is a pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. He is a graduate of Wittenberg University and Hamma School of Theology. He served congregations in Englewood and Lima, Ohio, before founding CSS Publishing Company in Lima. He has written over 20 children's object lesson books and is committed to helping congregations minister effectively to their children during worship.

"We Are The Church "offers 52 easy-to-use children's object lessons for the entire church year. These lessons are based on New Revised Standard Version Second Lesson texts, mostly from Romans.
Each lesson offers clear directions: Set in italic type, you'll know when to "let the children answer, or give directions."
Easy-to-find objects: A pile of play money, for example, for lesson number 18. This tells about being ransomed from futile ways inherited from your ancestors, not with perishable things like silver or gold. (1 Peter 1:17-21)
The table of contents lists the scripture passages used with each lesson title. All objects are easy to relate to with children and are fun to Use. For example, you may need a cowboy hat, toy building blocks, a microphone, a mask, and a stuffed animal.
Wesley T. Runk is a pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. He is a graduate of Wittenberg University and Hamma School of Theology. He served congregations in Englewood and Lima, Ohio, before founding CSS Publishing Company. He has written over 20 children's object lesson books and is committed to helping congregations minister effectively to their children during worship.

Create an interactive atmosphere where maximum learning takes place with this collection of 52 easy-to-use children's lessons for the entire church year. Based on Gospel texts (mostly from Luke), Runk's messages use a conversational tone and easily obtained items such as a pen or a light bulb to help young people understand their growing relationship with God. Each lesson features simple delivery that helps establish a rapport with the children ("Good morning, boys and girls! Have you ever..."), clear directions that indicate when to "let the children answer," and familiar objects like a magnifying glass to illustrate "searching diligently for the child" in Matthew 2:1-12. A convenient table of contents lists the scripture passage used with each lesson.

Children love stories. (So do their parents.) The Sunday morning worship hour is a perfect time to take five minutes to gather the children and share a story with them. When the youngest in the congregation understand what is being shared, all who are older will as well.
These fifty object lessons are based on gospel texts. Many but not all are from the gospel of Luke, including familiar parables of Jesus such as the prodigal son and the good Samaritan. Each story makes use of a familiar household object, such as a paper bag, a candle, some construction paper, or a balloon, in order to make a simple teaching memorable to young learners.
Anyone who loves children and can tell a story can share the stories in this book. It may be the pastor, a Sunday church school teacher, a gifted (or simply dedicated) lay person, or a parent of younger children. The stories can also be used effectively in the church school classroom or in the Christian home.
Wesley T. Runk is a Lutheran pastor on the clergy roster of the ELCA. A graduate of Wittenberg University and Hamma School of Theology, both in Springfield, Ohio, he has served Lutheran congregations in Englewood and Lima, Ohio. He frequently tells children's stories when he leads the worship service.

"On the Move with Jesus" is a book of epistle lessons come to life through the spoken word and the use of an easy-to-find object that means something to children. Wesley Runk, in the style that has made him famous and brought the gospel to many thousands of children, offers this volume of 52 object lessons from the Bible to help the pastor communicate with God's little ones.
Wesley T. Runk, owner of the CSS Publishing Company, Inc., is a pastor of the Lutheran Church in America. He has a special ability to communicate the good news of God's love to children through his children's object lessons from the Bible. Wesley Runk is a graduate of Wittenberg University and the Hamma School of Theology, Springfield, Ohio. He has served parishes in Englewood and Lima, Ohio, and is active in community organizations.

"Speaking With Signs" is a unique series of six object lessons for children during the Lenten season... making worship more meaningful for them (and for adults). Each lesson brings them a story from scripture by focusing upon a symbol related to the Easter story. Lessons are based on texts from Matthew and John.
Objects include:
- a lantern
- a rope
- a crown of thorns
- dice and a robe
- a stepladder and sponge
- a spear
- a picture of an empty tomb
Wesley T. Runk is the founder and president of CSS Publishing Company. He continues to serve the ECLA as an interim pastor.