Description

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Children love birthday parties. This is a book – a first of its kind – to help kids understand and celebrate the birthday of the Church. The Day When God Made the Church is the story of Pentecost and how the Holy Spirit shaped, and continues to shape, who we are as God’s Church. Children will learn the story of Pentecost: the sights, sounds, and events of that miraculous day described in the Book of Acts. They will also discover who the Holy Spirit is and how God calls each of us to follow Jesus. At the end, parents, educators, ministers will discover fresh ways to celebrate Pentecost with children in their own churches and families.

About the Author

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Originally from South Carolina, Rebekah McLeod Hutto is a graduate of Wofford College and Duke Divinity School. She is a Presbyterian U.S.A. minister currently serving in New York City at Brick Presbyterian Church. She and her husband, B.J., are raising their children to love the diversity and culture of New York City. As a child Rebekah was surrounded by stories and one day hoped to write engaging stories for children. The Day When God Made Church was her first children's book and she was excited to follow it with Paul and His Friends, a children's book on friendship in the early church. 

Praise For…

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“A great addition to your Pentecost shelves: This book is a wonderful telling of the story of Pentecost: the sights, the sounds and the people that began the community of the Church. We recommend placing this book on the bottom shelf of your Pentecost shelves.” —The Rev. Cheryl V. Minor, Ph.D., Co-Rector, All Saints' Church, Belmont, MA, Director of the Center for the Theology of Childhood, The Godly Play Foundation

“Readers and listeners of all ages will discover much to stimulate their understanding of Pentecost through this theologically grounded book. Its engaging qualities and vivid images rhythmically connects children to the movement of The Holy Spirit, and the birth of the Church. Rebekah seamlessly helps children understand this sometimes difficult celebration in the liturgical year.” —Melanie C. Gordon, Director of Ministry with Children, Discipleship Ministries of the United Methodist Church

“This is a delightful and powerful telling of the birth of the church. Your child will love this book. The Day When God Made Church invites the parent, teacher, and child to engage in conversation about God, love, and the church. This is the book we have been waiting for….” —The Rev. Mark Bozzuti-Jones, award winning author of God Created and Jesus, the Word

“The Day When God Made Church immediately draws readers of all ages into the Acts 2 story of Pentecost. Haig’s illustrations give deep meaning to Hutto’s child-like words that tell how the disciples wait…wait…WAIT in the Upper Room...The story continues as colors visually represent the Holy Spirit’s wind and fire, warming the disciples’ hearts. Blue swirls turn into drops of rain filled with words from a host of different languages, eliciting sounds like drumbeats and whispers. Young readers will love to interact with these pages as their imaginations, curiosity, and enthusiasm are engaged by a sense of wonder. The story draws readers into the disciples’ questions: Who is the Holy Spirit? …  What is happening? … Why do we feel so different? … Why do we hear so many languages? These questions beautifully set the scene for remembering Jesus, as well as for Peter’s definition of the church: We are a family that shares, eats, and worships together. The story ends with a jubilant ‘Alleluia!’ and a visual invitation to the Lord’s table, evoking the famous Holy Trinity icon.” —Alexis Kruza, Building Faith