Saint Gregory is best remembered for looking at some English slaves at the Forum in Rome, in the sixth century, and referring to them as angles. He became a prefect of Rome when he was only 30. He decided to become a monk and had his family home changed into a monastery. Later he became Abbot of St.Andrew’s monastery - his former home. When he saw the slaves he decided that he wanted to go on a mission to England to convert them to Christianity. The Pope Pelaguis II refused his request. Twenty years later, when Gregory became Pope, he sent St, Augustine to fulfill his dream. I have included a brief history, some information from Wikipdedia, pictures and a brief crossword and word search with answers

I have put together two vocabularies, a poetry aid, two clip art pictures and a crossword/word search about deserts which I hope pupils will find useful

I recently started to read in a theological book that there was a lot of significance in the fact that the Gospel of St. John has only seven signs or miracles. I have printed out, in full, the seven signs/miracles, so the pupils can study them in detail. The significance can be read about on Google. I have used the Message Bible for the passages I have copied.

I have created 10 Bible word searches. 4 on the Old Testament, 4 on the New Testament, 1 about Animals and Birds and 1 about Plants and Trees. There are three word searches about the books of the Old Testament and one about Moses and the ten plagues. For the New Testament there are word searches about the 12 disciples and the books in the New Testament . I created only two word searches to go with St. Paul's three missionary journeys because two and three look very similar. Answers are included.

I have created four useful sheets for the children when they write to Father Christmas. Sheet 1 is an outline for the letter. Sheet 2 is a vocabulary of useful words. Sheet 3 is the list of Brostrick’s top twenty toys if they are looking for names of presents to ask for. Sheet for is a clip art sheet for writing their letter on. I went on Google and found an address from the Post Office for writing letters to Father Christmas this year.

With Wimbledon coming up I have created a phrase and vocabulary sheet all about tennis. There is also a Poetry Aid for those who would like to try to write a poem. There is also a simple word search with an answer sheet.

Clock Cricket is played by a group of 8 children. Only one wicket is used with a stump at the bowler’s end. The children are set up in a ‘circle’ - the ‘circle’ can either go clockwise or anti-clockwise. There are always two children batting - when one is OUT they change ends. They are only in for 6+ balls . Once the 6+ alls have been bowled it is one move to the right. This keeps everyone interested and busy. To make it more interesting an individual score sheet could be created. Everyone is kept busy. A class can be divided into maybe 4/5 groups and each group have their own game.

The name of Swithun is best known today for a British weather lore proverb, which says that it rains on St. Swithun’s day, 15th July, it will rain for forty days. Saint Swithun ,c800 - C861/3 AD, was buried outside the Cathedral. It was his wish that men might walk over his grave and raindrops from the eaves drop upon it. Over a hundred years later they decided to place his remains inside a new basilica in Winchester Cathedral. The day they tried to transfer his body into a new basilica was 15th July 971. It rained and according to the proverb it did for the next forty days. His remains were eventually placed in the new basilica inside.

William Tyndale is often forgotten about unfortunately. It was William who was responsible for the translation of the Bible into every day English. He used Greek to translate the New Testament; he used Hebrew to translate the Old Testament. He lived at the time of the Reformation. The Roman Catholic Church did not want their Latin version of the Bible translated into English. He wanted everyone to be able to read it vernacular English. He died at the stake accused of being a heretic. A few years later his translations formed the basis for our present Bible. John Wycliffe translated the Bible into English from Latin

Elim Pentecostal Church have just celebrated 100 years. Their founder, George Jeffreys, a Welshman, was an evangelist with a Welsh Congregational background. At the age of 15 he gave his life to Christ. George, along with his brother Stephen and others, started a Christian revival movement. It started in a small way but soon 1000s of people came to their conventions and camp meetings and many were saved. In 1962 George spoke to Reinhard Bonnke. just before he left for south Africa.He invited him in for tea and prayed for the 22 year old, passing on his 'mantle'. Elim Pentecostal Church have brought out a book, a DVD and a Music CD to celebrate. They also have a very good web site simply called Elim - Our History.

John Wesley is the founder of Methodism - the Methodist church. Until the age of 35 John Wesley was a 'normal' Christian. He had grown up in a Christian family and had become a clergyman but something was missing. On May 24th 1738 he had his 'spiritual birthday'. Today we talk about being 'born again'. His outlook on life changed dramatically. His sermons were no longer ordinary, congregations found them disturbing and he, along with others, were banned from preaching in church. He became a field preacher and his statue outside the New Room sees him astride his horse. For nearly fifty years he was out in the open, in all weathers, preaching the Good News. He kept a Journal, preached many sermons, wrote many books and even a dictionary. He brought the message that 'love casts out fear' to his listeners. I have created time line and written about his life in brief using Wikipedia and a Ladybird book. The book is called John Wesley, Founder of Methodism ISBN 0946550654. It is published by Methodist Publishing House, 4 John Wesley Road, Peterborough price £2. It is a typical ladybird book - writing with a very full text and well illustrated - see examples included.

St. Augustine of Canterbury I think is the ' forgotten' saint of England. He is not to be confused with St. Augustine of Hippo. He is sometimes called' the Apostle of England' or' St. Augustine the less'. He was chosen by Pope Gregory to lead a mission to Britain. His task was to Christianize King Ethelbert and his kingdom of Kent from Anglo Saxon Paganism. In the short time he was in England (597- 604 AD) he laid the foundations for the Church of England. He was the first Archbishop of Canterbury. I have put together some information about Augustine with a 'gap' sheet, a simple crossword and word search, plus an answer sheet.

Mary Slessor was a Christian missionary in Nigeria. She started life, at 11, as a 'half timer' - school for six hours/ working for six hours for the Baxter Brother's Mill with her mother and father to become the 'white queen of Okoyong' in Nigeria. When she died in 1915 she was given a state funeral in Nigeria in recognition of her life time given to helping others. She is an inspiration for any girl, or boy, who is thinking becoming a missionary. We celebrated the centenary of her death two years ago and there is a lot of material to find on the internet about her.

A few sheets which could be used on Pancake day/Shrove Tuesday.

The news of James Hannington being martyrdom, on his way to Uganda, resulted in 50 men immediately coming forward to follow in his steps. He kept an illustrated diary which some how was 'saved', brought back to the UK and published in 1886 the year after his death. The book was called ' Peril and Adventure in Central Africa. ' I have included several articles looking at his life including 'Last Journey', a timeline, two of his illustrations and a short crossword and word search. October 29th, the day he died, is his saints day.

David Tsutada and his son Joshua are both Japanese missionaries. David is probably the least well known of the two but he is referred to as being the 'John Wesley' of Japan. He studied law at Cambridge and King's College London and at one stage envisioned himself as one day becoming Japan's prime minister. He also felt a calling to the church. He wrote a 14 page letter to his father who took his letter to an all night prayer meeting.The following day he received a cable with just two words' Obey God'. Joshua, his son, is referred to being the 'voice of emerging evangelical leaders'. He followed his father into the ministry and spent seventeen years working in India. Both David and Joshua had held high posts in several Christian organisations. Joshua has been chairman of the Japan Evangelical Association and the Evangelical Fellowship Asia.

The simple youth from the hills may have seemed most unlikely material for an evangelist, but he probably won more people to Christ than anyone else in southern Ethiopia - during the time of tremendous persecution. The missionaries who had been forced out of the country in 1937 were allowed back into Ethiopia in 1942and feared what they would find. They had left a small 'community' of just 48 Christians. They were amazed to find it had multiplied to 10,000. Among them they found Wandaro - his body covered with scars but his face wreathed in a smile. Wandaro, the evangelist, whose father had been a witch doctor, had been made an 'example of' by the authorities .He had been flogged, in public, by 5 men continuously for 3 hours with a hippo hide whip. For several days they feared he would die but thanks to the prayer of family and friends he eventually recovered. He was imprisoned for a year. He was such a model prisoner that the guards left him in charge when they went off duty. For 55 years Wandaro preached the Christian message. 8,000 people, each carrying a flower in appreciation, attended his funeral in 1991.

William Carey is regarded by many as the founder of the modern missionary movement and as one of the most important church missionaries in world history. He believed in going to the heathen not waiting for God to do it. 'Expect Great Things- Attempt Great Things.' He began life as a cobbler. After he was converted he taught himself New Testament Greek. He spent 50 years as a pastor/minister. He founded the Baptist Missionary Society. He spent 40 whole years in India, not having a furlough. He was responsible for the Bible being translated into all the major languages of the Indian subcontinent and many dialects and wrote a number of books. In 1818 William Carey and the Marshmans founded Scrampore college - today it offers theological and liberal arts education for some 2,500 students. The powerful, and now famous book , 'An Enquiry into the obligations of Christians to Use Means for the Conversion of Heathens' - along with many others, can be found, in full, on the internet. I have found several pieces of useful information. There is a chronology of his life, a short, readable, history of his life, plus a short crossword and word search. A 'typical day' reveals he must have used at least SIX different languages on that one day!! There is a vast amount of information about William Carey on the internet. God's extraordinary 'plodder' changed the course of history.

Looking for interesting missionaries and evangelists to write about I came across this lady. Incredible, as it might seem, Amanda Berry Smith started life as a slave but ended up becoming an evangelist going to both India and then to Africa. Later in life she ended up funding and opening up a children's orphanage.

This is the story of how Gladys Aylward, a missionary in China during the second World War, helped Chinese orphans safely across a mountain. When she returned to England she realised a film had been written showing her life and a book called The Small Woman had been published. On Google, and Youtube there is a great deal of information about how from her humble beginnings as a housemaid/domestic help became a successful missionary.