Coronavirus Response

  • Home
  • A-Z List
  • About
    • About the NCC
    • Connectional Table
    • Staff
  • Calendar
    • Events
    • Google Calendar
    • Past Events
  • Churches
  • Contact
    • Find Us
  • Districts
    • District Office
    • Beacon
    • Capital
    • Corridor
    • Fairway
    • Gateway
    • Harbor
    • Heritage
    • Sound
  • Employment
  • Search

NC Conference

Healthy Congregations and Effective Leaders in Every Place Making Disciples of Jesus Christ for the Transformation of the World

  • Discipleship
    Developing Disciples
    • Christian Formation
      • Children
      • Church & Society
      • College
      • Creation Care
      • Differently Abled Persons
      • Older Adults
      • Spiritual Formation
      • Status & Role of Women
      • Young Adults
      • Youth
    • Church Revitalization
      • Coaching
      • Disciple Making Way
      • Evangelism
      • Grants
      • MissionInsite
      • Shift
    • From the Bishop
      • Church Transformation
      • Conflict Transformation
    • Multicultural
      • Anti-Racism
      • Asian
      • Hispanic-Latinx
      • Native American
      • Strengthening the Black Church
    • Stewardship
      • Apportionments
      • District Remittances
      • Financial Discipleship
      • Grants
      • Insurance
      • Mission & Service
      • Pension
      • Treasurer Training
  • Leadership
    Strengthening Leaders
    • Bishop’s Office
      • Appointment Book
      • Church Transformation
      • Conflict Transformation
    • Office of Clergy Life
      • Board of Ordained Ministry
      • Called to Ministry?
      • Extension Ministries
    • Board of Laity
      • Certified Lay Minister
      • Lay Servant Ministries
      • Local Church Lay Leaders
      • United Methodist Men
      • United Methodist Women
      • United Methodist Youth
    • New Faith Comm.
      • New Room Society
      • Our Communities
    • Conference Offices
      • Center for Leadership Excellence
      • Christian Formation
      • Communications
      • Conference Secretary
      • Connectional Ministries
      • Information Technology
      • Multicultural Ministries
      • Outreach Ministry
      • Treasurer’s Office
  • Service
    Ministering To The World
    • Local Outreach
      • Afghan Refugees
      • Church Construction
      • Church Loans
      • Congregations for Children (C4C)
      • Creation Care
      • Cross & Key Prision Ministries
      • Health Ministry
      • Restorative Justice and Mercy
      • Seed Funds
      • Mission Projects
    • Global Outreach
      • Love for Liberia
      • Missionaries
      • NCC UMVIM
      • Project AGAPE
      • Sierra Leone: Mission of Hope
      • ZOE
    • Disaster Ministries
      • Donate to Storm Response
      • MERCI
      • Response Plan
      • Response Team
      • Training
      • UMCOR Kits
    • Giving
      • 2021 District Christmas Offering
      • Advance/Rainbow Covenant
      • Apportionments
      • Give to Storm Response
      • Mission & Service
      • The Gary Wayne Locklear Mission Endowment
      • New Room Society
      • Special Sundays
    • Ministry Partners
      • Boy Scouts of America (BSA)
      • Camps & Retreats
      • NC Institute for Spiritual Direction and Formation
      • Partners In Ministry
      • Robeson Co. Church & CC
      • UMF
  • Resources
    Supporting Ministry
    • Conferences
      • Annual Conference 2021
      • Annual Conference 2022
      • Charge Conference 2021
      • General Conference
      • Pilgrimage
      • SEJ Conference 2016
    • Media Center
      • Catalog
      • Labyrinth
      • Ministry Tools
      • Online Resources
      • Weekly Newsletter
    • Online Resources
      • Anti-Racism
      • Archives & History
      • #BeUMC
      • Church Lookup
      • Disaffiliation Information
      • Green Church Initiative
      • Online Data Collection
      • Online Learning
      • Pastor Lookup
      • Ramus: Web Hosting
      • Video (Vimeo)
    • Publications
      • Appointment Book
      • Bible Study
      • Conference Directory
      • Conference Journal
      • Every Day Grace
      • Lenten Reflections
      • Mission & Service
      • Podcasts (NCCUMC.FM)
    • From UMC.org
      • Agencies
      • Communications
      • Discipleship
      • Finance & Administration
      • Global Ministries
      • Graphics Library
      • Relief
      • Status & Role of Women
  • Media Center
  • How It Works
    • Borrowing Policies
  • Catalog
    • OPALS
    • Resource Request Form
    • Request a User Account
    • OPALS User Guide
    • Video Tutorial
    • Pathfinders
  • Online Resources
    • Online Learning Opportunities
    • Ministry Tools from Around the Web
    • Guide to NC LIVE
  • More Resources
    • Resources to #BeUMC
    • Anti-Racism Resources
    • Mental Health Resources
    • For Small Group Leaders
    • For Church Librarians
    • Labyrinth
    • Copyright Laws
  • Newsletter
    • New Resources
  • Contact Us

Studies and Program Ideas for the Fall Holidays

October 8, 2019 Leave a Comment

Halloween and Thanksgiving are coming up on our calendars. The NC Conference Media Center offers reproducible small-group studies, youth and children’s curricula, and program planning resources related to these holidays.

Reproducible Small Group Studies

Free book studies on Halloween and Thanksgiving! You can make copies of these studies for everyone in your group. We can even email a PDF of the study to you if you prefer that to receiving a printed copy.

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow: Special Church Edition
By Washington Irving
With notes and study guide by Stephen Skelton

This Special Church Edition not only streamlines Washington Irving’s original story, but it also provides Christian insights and discussion questions. Find out just how fully the midnight race through Sleepy Hollow was guided by the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Four discussion sections cover the questions Christians usually ask about Halloween. Did Halloween start as a pagan celebration? Is Halloween celebrated as a Satanic holiday today? Why is the focus of Halloween so dark? What should a Christian do on Halloween?

the first thanksgiving cover

The First Thanksgiving: How the Pilgrims Became Missionaries, In Their Own Words
By Stephen Skelton

It is often said that the Pilgrims came to America for religious freedom, but that is not what the Pilgrims said. Read the Pilgrims own words about how they became missionaries. Were they escaping persecution or simply spreading the Gospel? This study includes four reflection lessons with discussion questions.

Celebrate with Youth

cover

Scary, Gross & Weird Stories from the Bible: Bloody Tent Pegs, Disembodied Fingers, and Suicidal Pigs…the Truths Buried in the Bizarre:
13 Bible Lessons for Teenagers

These Bible lessons truly are sick…and totally interesting. Surprise your teenagers with the “disgusting” truth. Each of the 13 easy-to-use lessons focuses on a relevant topic related to a scary, gross or weird Bible story and includes a challenging “Fear Factor”-like activity (like eating daring treats), a fun game, and thought-provoking discussion questions that help teens uncover life application.

cover

Dark and Disturbing Stories from the Bible: Challenging Students to See Life from God’s POV:
13 Sessions on “PG-13” Bible Stories

By Mary Grace Becker & Susan Martins Miller

This DVD study draws middle schoolers into Bible events that will have them asking, “Is that really in the Bible?” These sessions will arrest their attention and get them to dig into issues that have been around since Bible times–the same kinds of issues your students are facing: the lure of popularity, arrogance, murder and violence, suicide, pain and suffering, and more. Use Dark and Disturbing Stories from the Bible to empower students to make God-honoring choices when they face PG-13 challenges.

ready to go school's out cover

Ready to Go: School’s Out:
Youth Ministry Ideas for School Breaks and Summer Vacations

This UMC-endorsed resource provides four activities to use with youth over the Thanksgiving holiday. A service project, an outline for thankful reflections, a bible study, and a psalm discussion are included.

Celebrate with Children

cover

The Pumpkin Patch Parable
By Liz Curtis Higgs
Illustrated by Nancy Munger

This charming story for children illustrates how a loving farmer can turn a simple pumpkin into a simply glorious sight – a jack-o-lantern! In the same way, God’s transforming love can fill each of our hearts with joy and light. Liz Curtis Higgs created this parable as a way to share the Good News with her own precious children each harvest season . . . and now with children everywhere.

veggie tales thankfulness cover

Veggie Tales:
Thankfulness:
Sunday School Lessons

Your kids will enjoy four Sunday school lessons with Madame Blueberry, the very blue berry who wants more stuff! They’ll learn alongside Madame Blueberry that “being greedy makes you grumpy—…but a thankful heart is a happy heart!” The kit includes a DVD with video clips, a CD-ROM with coloring pages, and a Teacher Guide with objectives, scripture, supply lists, and activity scripts. For ages 3-8. The Veggie Connections DVD also offers a lesson for the holiday of Thanksgiving.

Plan a Thanksgiving Program

growing together cover

Growing Together:
Six Intergenerational Celebrations
Volume 1: Fall and Winter

This book of intergenerational activities offers lots of ideas to celebrate All Saints’ Day and Thanksgiving. Instructions for recipes, crafts, games, and activities are included. Leaders will appreciate the ideas for outreach, prayer, bible study, and multicultural inclusion.

celebrate christmas cover

Celebrate Christmas:
Easy Dramas, Speeches and Recitations

Compiled and edited by Peg Augustine

Make young children a part of your program with easy verses for them to recite. Give each child one verse or they can say them together. The three Thanksgiving poems in this book can be easily adapted to your group.

Request These Resources

These resources can be borrowed for free by anyone involved with a United Methodist Church in the North Carolina Conference. We will mail them to your home! All you need to do is fill out the Resource Request Form.

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn

Filed Under: Announcements Tagged With: halloween, thanksgiving

Email Newsletter

Sign up below to receive email updates from the Media Center. You'll get short weekly updates on news and resources.

The NC Conference respects your privacy. See our Privacy Policy.

What Should I Borrow?

  • Catalog
  • Pathfinders
  • DVD Studies for Adults
  • For Small Group Leaders
  • How to Choose the Right Study for Your Group
  • Study Ideas for Your Small Group
  • Resources to #BeUMC
  • Anti-Racism Resources
  • Mental Health Resources
  • New Resources
  • Labyrinth

Other Resources

  • For Small Group Leaders
  • For Church Librarians
  • Resources to #BeUMC
  • Anti-Racism Resources
  • Mental Health Resources
  • Online Resources
  • Online Learning Opportunities
  • Copyright Laws

NC Conference of The United Methodist Church · 700 Waterfield Ridge Place · Garner, NC 27529
Phone: 919.779.6115 · Toll-free: 800.849.4433 · Fax: 919.773.2308

Copyright © 2022 · Privacy Policy · Powered by WordPress · Site Admin