Church Notes

Today we were learning about Thomas Cranmer in Sunday School. Last time I taught about him (5 years ago), I explained my reasons (you can find that post here), so I won't do that again. Cranmer was a complicated man who failed many times, but always God was gracious and forgiving when Cranmer repented.

We did get sidetracked by British history today (last week, too), as we discussed Henry VIII and his many wives. We talked about how each marriage ended for each wife (divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived), and which ones he actually liked (number 3 was his favourite, and he stayed friends with number 4 even after the divorce). In the end, the children learned 2 things for sure: don't marry Henry VIII, and don't help the king get a divorce! I'm fairly certain that they learned about Cranmer and God's mercy as well!

I also gave the students their homework today. They have 2 weeks to research a famous person (they're all missionaries this time) and then report back to us about the person's life. I choose the people, write them on slips of paper, and have each child draw a slip from the pile. They seem to enjoy the homework, although that could be because they know there will be a reward for doing it (usually a roll of LifeSavers®). I like it because they learn more than I have time to teach them (both from their own research and by listening to the other students present their findings), and it gives me a break from teaching.