ONE BODY, MANY PARTS

SUNDAY SCHOOL
CURRICULUM
AND
LESSON PLANS
TERM 2 (Part 2)
2016
Curriculum
Term 2 2016
Date Week in Church Lesson Page
year
Going out into
the world and
living a life for
Jesus
Third Sunday Good news for all!
1 10 April of Easter (Philip and the Ethiopian) 6
Fourth Sunday On the road to Damascus

2 17 April of Easter (The conversion of Saul) 17
Fifth Sunday
3 24 April of Easter Paul’s journeys 30
Sixth Sunday
4 1 May of Easter Paul’s letters 43
Seventh Sunday
5 8 May of Easter What is Heaven like? 60
6 15 May Day of Pentecost Fruits of the Spirit 69
First Sunday The Church: One body, 83

7 22 May after Pentecost many parts
Second Sunday
8 29 May after Pentecost Run the great race 99
Third Sunday Helping hands

9 5 June after Pentecost (The story of Dorcas) 109
Fourth Sunday Yes, there were women

10 12 June after Pentecost disciples too! 119
11 19 June Fifth Sunday after Celebrating the Eucharist 129

Pentecost
Gauteng School Term: 5 April – 24 June
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One body, many parts
First Sunday after Pentecost
22 May 2016
Readings: 1 Corinthians 12:12-26
Theme: Spiritual gifts
Memory verse: “Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so
it is with Christ.” 1 Corinthians 12:12
Information for the teacher:
Today’s lesson focuses on one of Paul’s well-known messages – that just as a body is a unit, made up of many
parts, so it is with the Church. We are all part of the body of Christ – one body with many parts. No part is
more important than another and all parts are necessary in order for the body to fully function.
We should all realise that we have a part to play in the functioning of the Church. Are we the hands that help,
the ears that listen, the heart that cares, the mouth that tells others about Jesus, or the eyes that look out for
someone in need of help? It is important that we recognise the gifts that God has given each of us to build up
the Church.
Today’s lesson is closely linked to last week’s lesson where we learnt about the Fruit of the Spirit - The Fruit of
the Spirit and the Gifts of the Spirit cannot function independently of each other. Paul writes in his letter to the
Corinthians, “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a
clanging symbol. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a
faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender
my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.” (1 Corinthians 13:1-3)
As the body of Christ, it is also important that we are concerned with the welfare and needs of those around us
within the Church. “If one part suffers, every part suffers with it, if one part is honoured, every part rejoices
with it.” (1 Corinthians 12:26) We should be building each other up to strengthen the entire body, both through
the words we say to each other, as well as our actions.
These are the words from a song by Marty Haugen:

We are many parts, we are all one body
And the gifts we have we are given to share
May the Spirit of love make us one in deed
One, the love that we share
One, our hope in despair
One, the cross that we bear
May all that we do be done in the Spirit of love

Amen
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Lesson Suggestions:
Younger Children (3 – 6 years):
Lesson Objective: To introduce the children to the idea that the church is like a body with many
parts – we all have our part to play in the Body of Christ
Attention Grabber: Begin this lesson by doing some physical exercises with the children
e.g. hop on one foot from one side of the room to the other, then hop on the other foot back to
where they started; do a few jumping jacks; clap hands to a simple rhythm; stamp feet 5 times; close
eyes; turn around 3 times; block ears and count to 10; put finger on mouth; sit down.
For slightly older children, divide the group into teams of between 3 and 4 children. As you call out
the following combinations, each team needs follow your instructions, making sure the correct
number of body parts touch:
 3 elbows and 2 ears

 5 feet and 4 hands
 Back to back, knee to knee and hand to hand
 2 heads, 3 elbows and 2 feet
Each person in the team needs to be included! You may want to think of some more combinations.
Remind the children that we have been learning about Paul and the messages he sent to people in
the early church. He wrote letters to all the places he had visited when he went on his journey. (You
may want to ask the children if they remember what was in the letter we learnt about last week.)
Today we are going to learn about another of these messages – I wonder what it could be about.
(Allow the children to offer their suggestions)
(Before the lesson, place pictures of different parts of the body in an envelope. You may still have the
letter used in the lesson on Paul’s letters from a few weeks ago, else you can find these pictures on
page 55 of Part 1 Term 2 2016)
Open the letter for today and take out the pictures. Ask the children what they think Paul’s message
is in this letter. Allow them to offer their suggestions. Continue with the discussion which follows.
Discussion:
1. Imagine how different your life would be if you didn’t have:

Eyes Ears A mouth Legs Hands
(Briefly discuss this with the children)
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2. The Bible says that the church is like a body.
 Some people are the hands – they help others.
 Some are the ears – they listen to others.
 Some are the heart – they care for others and show love for others
 Some are the mouth – they tell others about Jesus
 Some are the eyes – they look out for someone who needs help
If some of these people are not here, then the church is missing something – if it’s the hands, then
the church is not able to help others as much as it should; if it’s the mouth, then there are not
enough people to tell others about Jesus.
When these people are not at church, it’s like a body which is missing a hand, or its eyes, or its heart.
Isn’t that sad!
Song: Let’s now sing a few songs to remind ourselves of the all the different parts of the
body, and how we would miss these parts if we did not have them.
The Body Song If you’re happy and you know it

I am the eye, I go blink, blink, If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands (x2)
Yes, I am the eye and I can wink, If you’re happy and you know it and you really want to show it
I am the eye but I can't think, If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands
That belongs to my friend the brain.
If you’re happy and you know it, stamp your feet ......
I fritter fratter frit, fritter fratter frit, If you’re happy and you know it, nod your head....
I'm the brain with electric current patter pit, If you’re happy and you know it, say “Amen!”
I'm the brain and I fritter learning bit by bit,
Yes I fritter fratter fritter all the time.
Hokey pokey
I go lub dub, lub dub I go. You put your left hand in, you put your left hand out
I am the heart, I pump like so. You put your left hand in and you shake it all about
I'm bringing life to all the parts, You do the hokey-pokey and you turn around
I am consistent, I'm the heart. That’s what it’s all about
Oh,hokey pokey (x3)
Swinging, I'm swinging, That’s what it’s all about
Swinging on life's merry way.
I'm the arm, I'm the arm, You put your right hand in..........
Bringing grace to all. You put your left leg in......
You put your right leg in......
Hearing, hearing, You put your whole self in.......
Small ears, hearing,
We don't, miss much,
Hearing all the time. Heads, shoulders, knees and toes
Heads, shoulders, knees and toes (x2)
We are the body of Christ, And eyes and ears and mouth and nose
We are the body of Christ, Heads, shoulders, knees and toes
Together bringing His love to the world.
Put your finger to your nose
(This song is highly recommended. Put your finger to your nose
Google “body song heartandsoul315” for Bend your back right down and touch your toes
a very good version) And when you come up slowly, start to sing
And say to the Lord, “I love you”
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Prayer: Dear Lord Jesus. Thank you that you gave us eyes to see, a mouth to speak, ears to
hear and legs to run around. We thank you that we are part of a church – the Body of Christ. Help
us to use our hands to help others, our ears to listen to others, our hearts to love and mouths to tell
others about Jesus. Amen
Craft ideas:
1. Each child can draw a picture of themselves on a poster. Write each child’s name next to
his/her picture and label the poster, “We are all part of the Body of Christ”
2. Make a chain of people – the Body of Christ. To do this, give each child a strip of paper about
10 cm by 30 cm i.e. half an A4 sheet of paper. “Accordion-fold” it seven times, as shown in the
picture below. Draw half a child on the top segment and cut along the outline as shown in the
diagram below – if the children are old enough they can cut out the outline themselves.
Give each child a strip of paper dolls. Let the children draw in eyes and mouths and colour as
they like.
Another idea is to just make one chain of people for the class – each child can write their name
on one of the “people” and decorate it.
3. Making use of the template on page 94, the children can each make a person, as shown in the
picture below. If possible, provide split pins for each child so that the body parts can move,
else they can simply cut out and paste the different body parts together.
(The older children may enjoy playing a dice game where the different parts of the body are
numbered 1 -6. Divide the children into small groups. They are only given a body part when the
number of the body part is thrown. Who will be the first to complete their person?)
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4. Each child is given a paper plate. Using icing, draw the outline of a simple stick figure as shown
in the diagram below. The children can then stick smarties or jelly tots to the icing. On the
paper plate, write “One body, many parts. 1 Corinthians 12”. In this craft each sweet
represents a person. Remind the children that we are all part of the Body of Christ, and that if
one part is missing, the body is not complete.
Physical activity:
There are many ideas that can be used for this part of the lesson - here are a few suggestions.
 Remind the children that we should be thankful that we have eyes to see, ears to hear, a
mouth to speak and legs to move. Let’s go outside and play a game such as soccer or
skipping over a rope.
 The children will also enjoy replaying the game “fruit salad” from last week’s lesson, but this
week use “body parts” instead of “fruit”. Divide the children into groups by naming each
child a part of the body e.g. arm, leg, nose, mouth, eye, ear. When “it” calls “Body of
Christ”, then everyone needs to change seats. See last week’s lesson for more detailed
instructions on how to play this game.
 Heads and bums game: Half the group need to have their hands on their heads, the other
half must have their hands on their “bums”. When the teacher says “Go”, the children need
to try to change the opposing team members into their team. To do this a child needs to
touch someone on the opposing team with their elbow. If a person from the “bums” team
touches someone from the “head” team with their elbow then that person becomes a
“bum” player. The game ends when everyone is on the same team or when the children
have had enough!
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Older children (7 – 13 years):
Lesson objectives:
 To be introduced to Paul’s well-known image that the church is like a body with many parts
 To realise that we are all an important part of the Body of Christ
 To introduce the children to the gifts of the Spirit
Attention Grabber:
Here is a list of things that you think you should be able to with your body, but if you are like
99,99999% of people in the world, you will find that these things are almost impossible to do:
1. Raise one eye-brow
2. Lick your elbow
3. Wiggle your ear
4. Touch your nose with your tongue
5. Sneeze with your eyes open
6. Tickle yourself
7. Put your whole fist in your mouth
8. Draw the number 6 while making clockwise circles with your legs
Remind the children that we have been learning about the great missionary Paul and the letters he
wrote to various churches and people. Paul used images that the people would be very familiar with
to convey his message. Which image do you think we are discussing today?
Bible Story: One body, many parts (1 Corinthians 12:12-26)
Read the Bible passage for today with the children – you may want to shorten it, based on your
group.
Discussion:
1. What do you think the message is from this passage?
(We are all part of the body of Christ. We all have a function / role to play – some people may
be the hands to help others; some may be the ears to listen to others; some may be the heart
that cares for others; some may be the mouth that tells others about Jesus and some may be
the eyes to look out for some one who needs help. We are all part of the Body of Christ and if
a part is missing, the Church cannot function properly.)
2. Do you think that some parts of the body are more important than others?
(No! The Bible passage we have just read emphasises this. We all know how much we would
miss a part of our body if we were to lose its function -Imagine if you lost your sense of touch,
smell, sight, hearing or taste. Imagine if you were no longer able to walk, or if you lost the
use of your hands. All parts are very important!)
3. Which part of the body do you think you most are? Are you:
 The heart that cares for others?
 The hands that help others?
 The mouth that tells others about Jesus?
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 The ears that listen to others?
 The eyes that look out for others needs?
(Give the children some time to share their thoughts on this if they would like to)
4. It is also important to remember that as we are all part of the body of Christ, we should
be caring for the other parts of the body. We should be building each other up to
strengthen the entire body. We do this by the words that we say to each other, as well
as our actions. Always be mindful of what you say and what you do, and how it may
affect others, even if it is not intended.
5. Last week we learnt about the fruit of the Spirit – do you remember what the 9 fruit
are?
6. Did you know that Paul also speaks of the Gifts of the Spirit? Do you know what the gifts
are? (The Gifts of the Spirit are special abilities that God gives us to build up the church.
The Bible lists many gifts but some examples are prophecy, teaching, wisdom,
encouraging others, helping others, leading, showing mercy, speaking in tongues,
interpreting tongues, healing, evangelism, faith, mercy, administration, hospitality,
miracles, giving, pasturing and service. At this stage you may like to discuss the
meaning of some of these words – an explanation of all these gifts can be found on page
96-98)
7. Once again it is important to notice that no gift is more important than another and that
the gifts need to be used in unison with each other e.g . if someone is able to speak in
tongues, then there needs to be another person who can interpret the tongues; a
person may speak a harsh word of prophecy, but then it would be useful to have
someone else who is able to bring a healing touch to the body of Christ etc
8. Finally, what is also important to notice, as Paul mentions in his letter to the Corinthians,
is that you may have a gift, but if you have no love, you are nothing! The fruit of the
Spirit and the gifts of the Spirit are interlinked – the Body of Christ cannot function fully
without both these components.
9. Today’s lesson is well-illustrated by the following activity:
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Make a dove as shown in the diagram above. On the dove, the children can help you
write the 9 different fruit of the Spirit. Hanging from the dove, the children can attach
the different gifts of the Holy Spirit – you may want to only include the gifts mentioned
in your discussion, or you can include all the different gifts as listed on page 96-98.
When attaching the gifts to the dove it is important that the dove remains balanced.
Once all the gifts have been attached, discuss what will happen to the dove if one of the
gifts is removed – it will become unbalanced and will not be able to fly properly.
And so it is with the body of Christ. Should one part be missing, the body cannot
function properly. It is therefore important that we all remain part of the body of Christ
and practice our God given gifts.
(If possible, this activity should be placed on a bulletin board as a reminder of this
lesson.)
Prayer: Begin with an open form of prayer, then conclude with the following words:
Dear Lord God. We thank you for the privilege of being part of the Body of Christ. We
thank you that you have given each of us a special role to play in our church. Help us to
always remember that no part in the Body of Christ is greater than another and that we
all need to play our role so that the body of Christ is able to function to at its best.
Help us also to always remember, as Paul wrote in his letter to the Corinthians, “If I
speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding
gong or a clanging symbol. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries
and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I
am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but
have not love, I gain nothing” (1 Corinthians 13: 1-3)
And so may all that we do be done in the Spirit of love.

Amen
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Craft idea:
We are all part of the Body of Christ. If possible, take a photo of each child and place in the
outline of a cross, something similar to the diagram below – you may only be able to complete
this craft for next week’s lesson, once you have the photos. Another option is for each child to
draw a picture of themselves within the cross outline. Label the picture, “The Body of Christ”
Worksheet - Memory verse game
The template for this game can be found on page 95. Divide the children into groups of no more
than 4 children per group. Each group is given a die. The different parts of the body, as shown in
the picture above can be numbered e.g. the arms are number 1, the legs number 2 etc. When the
die is thrown, the children can collect the part of the body from you, according the number on the
die e.g. if a 2 is thrown, the children can collect the legs. The children need to put their person
together so that the memory verse makes sense. Which group can put their person together the
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fastest? (The memory verse for this activity is, “Now you are the body of Christ and each of you is a
part of it. 1 Cor. 12:27)
(If you are not able to give each group a die, then simply give each group the different parts of the
body to put together so that the memory verse makes sense.)
Song: The body Song - The details for this song can be found in the younger children’s
section – your class may also enjoy this song, especially if you can sing it in a round, although this will
take a lot of practice!
This song reminds us that we all have a part to play in the Body of Christ and that we need to work
together.
Physical activities:
There are many ideas for this part of the lesson – here are some suggestions
Body Walk: Draw two chalk lines on the floor a few metres apart. Divide the children into teams of
four. The object of the game is for each team to cross from one line to the other with only the body
parts touching the floor that you call out e.g. 6 feet only; 5 feet and 2 elbows; 5 feet and 1 hand; 4
feet and 3 hands; 2 feet and 4 hands; 3 feet and 1 nose etc. Begin with easy combinations, gradually
becoming more complicated. Have 6-10 different combinations. This game is about working
together as a team. You might like to have a camera ready!
Body parts: Before the lesson, make a series of small cards, each with the name of a body part
written on it e.g. elbow, knee, foot, forehead, hand, nose, ear. You will need to make a number of
cards with these body parts written on them e.g. 5 cards with elbow written on them etc. The
number of cards that you make up will depend on the size of your class or number of children that
you will want to participate in this game.
Ask for volunteers to make up pairs, boys with boys, girls with girls. This is also a good spectator
game for those who just want to watch. For each pair, 2 cards must be randomly chosen. The pair
must then place the 2 cards between the two body parts written on the card. For example elbow-
knee would see them holding the cards between the knee of one person and the elbow of the other.
The next pair is then given a different set of cards, again randomly chosen. Once each pair has been
given a set of cards, they will then each be given another set of cards which they will need to hold
between the body parts as written on the card, while still holding the first set of cards between the
body parts written on those cards. Keep adding cards until one is dropped - that pair is then out of
the game. Last pair standing (or whatever position they end up in!) wins.
Body spell: Divide the children into teams of five. They will need to play this game with bare feet.
The groups can play against each other or the clock e.g. ten second time limit. Using a felt tip
marker, write three letters on each team member -either on two hands (palms) and one foot (sole),
or one hand and two feet.
1. TDO
2. HYI
3. EHR
4. BFT
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5. OCS
As you call out a series of 4, 5, 6 or 7 letter words the group has to spell the word using
combinations of hands and feet. The finished words must be clearly visible to the leader. Here are
some words that you may want to choose from:
 4 Letter words: rest, fist, dice, trot, crib, boot, rich, host.
 5 letter words: shoot, first, drift, shirt, roost, shred, hired
 6 letter words: forest, theory, bitter, bother, frosty, boiled, strict
 7 letter words: thirsty, ostrich, October, boosted, shifted, hoisted.
 8 letter word: stitched
Finally ask each group to spell the theme for today – THE BODY OF CHRIST.
Heads and bums: Half the group need to have their hands on their heads, the other half must have
their hands on their “bums”. When the teacher says “Go”, the children need to try to change the
opposing team members into their team. To do this a child needs to touch someone on the
opposing team with their elbow. If a person from the “bums” team touches someone from the
“head” team with their elbow then that person becomes a “bum” player. The game ends when
everyone is on the same team or when the children have had enough!
There are many other games that fit with today’s theme, such as:
 Build a human pyramid – take a photo of this!
 Jenga – as you remove blocks, so the tower will collapse. The body of Christ needs all its
members to fully function!
 Play the game, Twister
 Soccer, skipping over ropes, hoola-hooping, four square all require using different body parts
to work together!
References:
www.sermons4kids.com
www.rotation.org
www.catholicicing.com
www.jesus-without-language.net
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the
body
1 Cor 12:27
is a you
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Run the great race
Second Sunday after Pentecost
29 May 2016
Readings: Phil 3:14
Theme: Perseverance in our Christian faith
Memory verse: “I press on towards the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus”
(Phil 3:14)

Today is the last in our series of lessons where we learn about some of the messages which Paul wrote in his
letters to the early churches. Today’s message was sent to the Philippians – Paul sent a similar message to the
Corinthians. As with all Paul’s messages, he often used images with which the people could identify. In today’s
message, he compares the Christian journey to that of running a race. The Philippians would have been very
familiar with the image of a race and pressing on towards a goal - Philippi was after all a city in Greece, home of
the Olympic Games!
Paul wrote, “I press on towards the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ
Jesus.” (Phil 3:14) The Christian journey is not always easy – there are many distractions which can prevent us
from reaching our goal of knowing Christ. Paul himself experienced much hardship and possible distractions as
he pressed on with his mission to spread the good news.
Paul compares his determination to reach this goal to the single-mindedness of an athlete. Winning a race
requires purpose, discipline and self-denial – qualities which are also required for the Christian journey.
Furthermore, the essential disciplines of prayer, Bible study and worship equip Christians to “run” with vigour
and stamina.
May we too not be distracted from our ultimate goal - may our eyes be firmly fixed on Jesus in all that we do!
Furthermore, may we not merely observe from the grandstand, or turn out to jog a couple of laps each
morning, but run in such a way as to win the prize (1 Corinthians 9:24.)
Turn your eyes upon Jesus

Look full in His wonderful face
And the things of earth with grow strangely dim
In the light of His glory and grace
Keep your eyes upon Jesus

Let nobody else take His place
So that hour by hour, you may know His power
Till at last you have won the great race
Today’s lesson is designed to be fun! The children should spend most of the lesson taking part in an
assortment of races, in line with the theme for today. A number of ideas for races can be found at the end of
this lesson. It is important that you start preparing for this lesson a few days ahead of time in order to collect
all the items you need for the games.
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Lesson Suggestions:
Lesson Objective: To be introduced to the image that the journey of life can be compared to
running a race, with Jesus at our side to help us on our way
Attention Grabber:
(In today’s Attention Grabber, we will be referring to the letter mentioned in a lesson a few weeks
ago, containing pictures of running a race. The pictures for this letter can be found on page 55.of
Part 1 Term 2 2016)
Over the past few weeks we have been learning about some of the letters that Paul wrote. We are
going to open the last of our letters and find out what his message is for us today.
Who can remember what some of the other messages were in the letters we have already opened?
(You may want to show the children the pictures from the letters we have opened over the past few
weeks – these can be found on page 54 and 55 of Part 1 Term 2 2016.)
Now open the letter for today and take out the pictures. Ask the children what they think Paul’s
message is in this letter.
Bible Story and Discussion: Running the Christian race (Phil 3:14)
(Do not read the Bible verse for today to the children – it is too difficult for them to understand.
Simply continue with the discussion below)
Paul said that life is like running a race. The prize is Heaven!
Have you ever run a race?

Have you ever won a medal or a trophy for running a race?
It is so exciting to run a race and hear the voices of the people who are watching you and hoping
that you win. It is even more exciting when you finish the race and win a medal or a trophy.
Who do you think helps us with running the race of life? (Jesus!)
Jesus came to earth to show us how to run this race. When we read our Bible, pray and come to
church we learn more about Jesus and how we should live – how we should run the race of life.
Running a race is not always easy to do – it takes a lot of hard work. Sometimes the race may be an
obstacle course, which can be difficult to get through. And so it is with us running the race of life –
it’s not always easy to do – to know what is right and what is wrong. But Jesus is always at our side –
He is there to help us on our way – to show us how to get the prize for running the race of life!
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Song: Let’s sing a few songs to remind us that we have Jesus who shows us how to live and
run the race of life.
I want to walk with Jesus Christ
I want to walk with Jesus Christ all the days
I live of this life on earth
To give to Him complete control of body
and of soul
And the things of earth with grow
strangely dim
Follow Him, follow Him
Give your live to Him
He has conquered death
He is King of Kings
Accept the joy which He gives to those
So that hour by hour, you may
Who give their lives to Him
know His power
Till at last you have won the great
race
Prayer: Dear Lord Jesus. Everyday is like running a race, trying to follow you in all that we do.
We thank you that you are always with us, helping us along the way. Amen!
Physical activity: Minute-to-win-it! Instructions on how to play this game can be found at
the end of the lesson.
Craft: If there is time at the end of the lesson, the children can make a medal with the
following words written on it, “Running the race of life” Phil 4:13.
Another possible option is to present each child with a chocolate coin medal – chocolate
coins can be found in some shops– you can attach a ribbon to the coin for the children to
hand around their neck. You can remind the children that we are running the race of life.
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Lesson objective: To be introduced to the image that the journey of life can be compared to
running a race, with Jesus at our side to help us on our way
Attention Grabber:
Blindfold deceit game: One of the children needs to leave the room while the game is explained to
everyone else. The child who has left the room will return blindfolded, and will need to get from one
side of the room to the other, without touching any of the obstacles which have been placed on the
floor – the obstacles can be chairs, tables, pieces of paper, cornflakes etc.
You need to choose a few people who will the “helpful” influence for this person – they will try to
instruct the person to get to the other side of the class without touching any of the obstacles; the rest
of the group will be the “deceitful” influence – they are to instruct the person wrongly – to give them
incorrect instructions. The ratio of helpful : deceitful people should be approximately 1:4.
The person who left the room now returns, and needs to listen for the direction of the good people
and block out the voices of the bad people. The class needs to stay behind a line – they cannot touch
the person or the obstacles.
Bible Story and Discussion: Running the Christian race (Philippians 3:14)
(Before the lesson, write on an envelope, “To the Philippians”. Place the pictures found on page 57 of
Part 1 Term 2 2016 into the envelope. Also place the following memory verse into the envelope, “I
press on towards the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” Phil 3:14)
Today is the last lesson where we will be studying the messages that Paul sent to the early churches.
Which messages have we already learnt about? Do you have any suggestions as to what today’s
lesson is about?
Show the children the envelope you prepared and take out the pictures. Again ask the children what
they think the message was that Paul wanted to pass on to the people. The children may mention
that life is like a race etc.
Now take out the memory verse from the envelope and read it to the children.
This image, like many of Paul’s other images was something that people in those days could relate to
- Philippi is in Greece – home of the Olympics, and so these people would be very familiar with the
idea of running a race.
What do you think Paul was trying to say in this message? (His goal is to follow Jesus Christ and to
spread the Good News.)
Do you think this is always easy to do? (No! We saw in the Attention Grabber that there are many
distractions in life that can stop us from achieving our goal of knowing Jesus Christ and following Him
in all that we do.)
102
Today’s message is that life is like a race that has been set before us. During the race we may
struggle and face many obstacles. Paul himself faced many difficulties in his life - can you name some
of his trials, especially in his journey to spread the gospel message?
And yet Paul never gave up. In our journey of life we are encouraged to do the same.
How do we run the great race of life – how do we ensure that we reach the goal of the upward
calling of God? (Spend time in “training” – prayer, Bible study, fellowship with other Christians.)
Always remember that, as with a race, we have many people cheering us on – helping us to reach
our goal. We also have the example of Jesus who showed us how to run the race. If we keep our
eyes focused on Jesus, we will win the race!
Prayer: You may like to begin the prayer with the words from the following well-known song:

And the things of earth with grow strangely dim

So that hour by hour, you may know His power
Til at last you have won the great race
Dear Lord Jesus. Everyday is like running a race, trying to follow you in all that we do. We thank you
that you are always with us, helping us along the way. Help us to always keep our eyes on you.
Amen!
Physical activity: Minute-to-win-it! Instructions on how to play this game can be found at
the end of the lesson.
Craft: If there is time at the end of the lesson, the children can make a medal with the
following words written on it, “Running the race of life” (Phil 4:13) or the words of the
memory verse. (Or they can make up their own message such as “My goal is the upward
calling of God” etc)
Another possible option is to present each child with a chocolate medal. Chocolate coins can
be found in some shops– you can attach a ribbon to the coin for the children to hand around
their neck. You can remind the children that we are running the race of life.
References:
Life application Bible: New International version, Tyndale House Publishers and Zondervan
Publishers, 1991
www.sermons4kids.com
People of the way Youth Manual, Anglican Diocese of Johannesburg, 2011
Minute- to- win-it
103
Minute-to-win-it!
“Minute-to-win-it” is a popular T.V. show which involves teams completing seemingly simple
challenges in 60 seconds. A number of challenges are described in this lesson - all these challenges
can be found on the “minute-to-win-it” website should you need more explanation or a
demonstration. There are also many other challenges which can be found on the “minute-to-win-it”
website, or you may like to make up a few games of your own!
Your class should be divided into teams – the size of the teams will largely depend on how much
equipment you have for the challenges, and the number of children in your class. Try to involve as
many children as possible – in some challenges it is easier to involve more children than in others,
but try to involve each child in at least one of the challenges. You may want to repeat some of the
challenges so that more children can have the opportunity to take part, but ensure that the children
do not become bored due to a challenge being repeated too many times.
It is essential that you carefully plan this lesson – the more organised you are, the more successful
the lesson will be. You will probably not be able to do all the challenges which are described below,
so carefully select those challenges which you think your class will most enjoy, or perhaps which are
easiest for you to set up. Try each challenge before the lesson so that you are aware of the
difficulties and can make adjustments to the challenge if necessary.
You may need to adapt the challenges, making it slightly easier or harder, depending on the age of
your children e.g. using fewer or more cups in “stack attack”. The games that are most suitable for
the very young children include “Defy Gravity”; “Oreo attack”; “Stack attack”; “Nose dive” and “Ping-
pong challenge”. Also, for this age-group, you may prefer to not have a time limit – teams can rather
get points according to who finishes first.
Teams are awarded a point each time a member successfully completes a challenge. At the end of
the lesson, perhaps have a small prize, such as sweets, for the winning team members.
You begin each challenge by saying the following words: “Your minute- to- win-it starts now!” You
set the clock going and the children begin the challenge. Towards the end of the minute, the
children can help you count down the last few seconds of the minute, starting at 10 seconds.
Most importantly, have fun!!
104
Stack attack:
This challenge requires plastic or paper cups - the number is dependent on your age group
Players begin with a single stack of 36 cups. They need to create a perfect tower with all these cups
and then restack into the single stack in 1 minute. The tower should be made up of 8 cups at the
bottom, 7 in the next row etc. For children aged 9 -12, 21 cups is a more appropriate number, so
perhaps start with this number of cups and, if necessary, add more cups to make this challenge more
difficult. Two players competing in each round works well. You may want to repeat this game a few
of times so that a number of children can compete.
Suck it up:
This challenge requires straws, smarties and paper plates
Players place a straw in their mouth and use suction to transfer a pile of 25 smarties from one plate
to another in under one minute. Only one hand may be used to hold the straw. Everyone gets to eat
the smarties when the challenge is finished! Ideally, every child should be able to take part in this
game, although this could become expensive. Again, you may need to decrease the number of
smarties that need to be transferred, depending on the age of your class.
105
Scoop it up:
This challenge requires ping pong balls, bowls and spoons
Use nothing but a spoon in your mouth to transfer six ping pong balls from one bowl to another in
less than one minute. No hands - hands are only allowed if you drop the ping pong ball, and then
they can be used to place the ball back into the original bowl for another transfer attempt.
Nut stacker:
This game requires hexagonal nuts and skewers
To set up this game, place 10 nuts on a wooden skewer and rest on the table. When the challenge
begins, the player picks up the skewer in one hand and begins to stack the nuts on top of each other,
as shown in the picture below. All the nuts should face the same way. You may want to reduce the
number of nuts to 5.
Further rules:
 You may only touch the chopstick with one of your hands.
 You may not touch the metal nuts at any time during the game with any part of your body.
 The tower must remain freestanding, without any part of the chopstick touching it, for three
consecutive seconds in order to count.
 If the tower falls at any point during the game, you will have to start all over again.
106
Defy gravity:
This challenge requires balloons.
Using only one hand, players must keep two balloons from touching the ground for one minute. For
a more challenging game, increase the amount to three balloons per player. No holding the
balloons!
Nose dive:
This challenge requires bowls, Vaseline and cotton-wool balls. Place a blob of Vaseline on a plate for
each player – replace the Vaseline after each challenge
Set up the bowls about 1 metre apart, with the cotton-wool balls placed in 1 bowl. When the clock
starts, the player must dip his/her nose in Vaseline and attempt to pick up a cotton-wool ball with
his/her nose. The player must then transfer the cotton-wool ball to the other bowl. A player may
only transport 1 cotton-wool ball at a time. The player must deposit the cotton-wool ball into the
bowl directly from his/her nose, without using any other body part or object touching the cotton-
wool ball. To complete the game, player must transport 5 cotton balls from one bowl to the other
within the 60-second time limit.
The player can re-dip his/her nose into the Vaseline at any time and as often as needed.
You may want to increase the distance between the bowls e.g. place them at opposite ends of the
room.
107
Sticky situation:
This challenge requires a slice of bread with peanut butter and ping pong balls
Place a slice of bread with peanut butter on a table, about 2 metres from the foul line. When the
clock starts, a player may begin to bounce 1 ping-pong ball at a time at the piece of bread – only 1
ping pong ball at a time is allowed. The player may not cross the foul line. A ball must stick to the
bread in a minute or less for you to win this challenge. The ball must stick to the bread for at least 3
seconds. You may need to increase or decrease the distance of the foul line from the bread,
depending on your age group.
A variation to this game is to bounce a ping pong ball into a glass cup. The very young can simply
throw balls into a bucket.
Unicorn Challenge:
This challenge requires biscuits
When the clock starts, a player may begin using 1 hand to stack biscuits, one at a time on his /her
forehead. If a biscuit falls, player may use the same hand to restack. To complete the game, player
must stack 7 biscuits on top of each other within the 60-second time limit and the biscuits must
remain stacked for 3 seconds.
A variation of this game is to balance a number of smarties on an ice-cream stick and then move to
the other side of the class, balancing the smarties on the ice-cream stick.
108
Ka broom:
This challenge requires marshmallows, plastic plate, a broom, a cup and a table
The setup for Ka-Broom is fairly straightforward, but the instructions will seem tricky at first - but it is
a lot of fun, so do try it!
To set the game up:

 Place the paper plate so that it's resting half on the table with the other half hanging over
the edge.
 Place a marshmallow in the centre of the half that is on the table.
 Measure 2 metres from the edge of the table where the plate is resting and mark the foul
line at that distance.
Get ready to play:

 The contestant will hold the broom, bristle-side resting on the floor, in one hand, and the
cup in the other.
 He or she stands at the foul line.
 Place the open bag of marshmallows on the table near the plate.
To play:
 Start the one-minute timer.
 The contestant releases the handle of the broom so that it falls onto the portion of the plate
that's hanging off the table. (Note: If your broom doesn't reach, remark the foul line so that
the catapult works.)
 Once the broom handle hits the plate, the marshmallow will be launched into the air.
 Catch the marshmallow in the cup without stepping both feet over the foul line.
 Replace the plate and marshmallow and repeat for a total of three catches within 1 minute.
 Note that all 3 marshmallows must be in the cup at the same time in order to win
 Also note that if a marshmallow hits your hand or any other body part before bouncing into
the cup, that marshmallow does not count.
109
This blows:
This challenge requires plastic cups, balloons and a table
Set up 15 plastic cups in a row across the edge of a table. When the clock starts, the player blows
up a balloon and then tries to knock the cups off the table by using air from the balloon. When you
run out of air, blow up the balloon again and continue the challenge
Oreo attack:
This challenge requires Oreo biscuits, or any biscuit with a cream filling.
During this challenge, each child is given a biscuit and needs to lick off the cream filling – they may
not bite off of the filling or use their teeth in any way. Most older children can do this in less than
one minute, so perhaps adapt the challenge to a shorter time limit, such as 30 seconds for older age-
groups.
Cookie face:
This challenge requires biscuits
A biscuit is placed on a person’s forehead. The challenge is for the person to use facial muscles only
to get the biscuit into his/her mouth in under a minute.
110
Helping hands
(The Story of Dorcas)
Third Sunday after Pentecost
5 June 2016
Reading: Acts 9:36
Theme: Serving others
Memory verse: “I tell you the truth, in as much as you have done for the least of these brothers and
sisters of mine, you have done for me.” Matthew 25:40

In the city of Joppa, there lived a very kind woman named Tabitha, which when translated, is Dorcas. Dorcas, a
seamstress, was famous for her good works. She made robes and other articles of clothing and was always
helping poor people. Dorcas was a great servant of God. She used her abilities to serve others and bring glory
to God through her kindness.
During a lesson earlier this term we learnt of the “Seven” who were selected to help the disciples distribute
food to the widows. As followers of Jesus, we too are called to use our hands to serve others and bring glory to
God. In today’s lesson we encourage our children to think of how they can be of help to others - to be Jesus’
hands in the world.
Today should be a “doing” lesson – making or doing something that can be used to help someone in need.
Perhaps initiate a class project where you contribute to one of the projects already set up by your church, such
as a soup kitchen. Perhaps you can encourage your children to be part of a well-known community initiative
such as knitting teddy bears for the teddy bear clinic. Perhaps you can use today’s lesson to make something
that can be sold after the church service – have a mini-market! The money collected can be given to a worthy
organisation. Another suggestion is to organise a visit to a retirement village or a children’s home - take a few
snacks with you and perhaps put a few songs together that can be enjoyed by all.
Also encourage your children to always be on the look-out for initiatives within the community and to respond
as a willing helper – an example of such an initiative was the recent project to collect water to distribute to
those affected by the drought.
Finally, encourage your children to be a “Jesus helper” in all that they do -reach out to those in need who they
encounter in their daily lives – sometimes all that is needed is to give someone a hug – to spread God’s love to
all those around us.
St Theresa of Avila, who lived in the sixteenth century, once wrote:

Christ has no body now on earth but yours
No hands but yours
No feet but yours.
Yours are the eyes through which the compassion of Christ is to look out onto a hurting world
Yours are the feet by which He is to go about doing good
111 He is to bless all now.
Yours are the hands by which
Lesson Suggestions:
Lesson Objective: To encourage the children to be aware of the needs of others, and to be “helping
hands” in the world around them
Attention Grabber: Today we are going to learn about someone who made clothes for the
poor, so we are going to have a clothes relay. Divide the children into teams. During this relay, each
child needs to put on a number of items of clothes that you have set out for their team, then race to
the other side of the playing area, and then race back again. The next child in the team then puts
these clothes on, races to the other side etc. (The clothes can include hats, scarves, aprons, high-
heels or very big shoes, jackets, sunglasses etc) The first team to complete the race can win a small
prize e.g. a sweet.
Bible Story and Discussion: The story of Dorcas (Acts 9)

Explain to the slightly older children that today’s story comes from the New Testament.
Who knows what the first 4 books of the New Testament are called? (Matthew, Mark, Luke and
John – these books tell us about the life of Jesus)
Today our story comes from the next book in the New Testament which is called the Book of Acts – it
tells us about the stories that happened after Jesus was taken up into Heaven.
Just before Jesus was taken up into Heaven, He gave the disciples an important message – do you
remember what this message was? They were to tell others about the good news of Jesus and to
carry on the work that Jesus had begun
10 days later after the Ascension, the Holy Spirit came down on Jesus’ Disciples – do you remember
what happened that day? (Allow the children to mention all that happened that day – the tongues of
flames, the wind; people started speaking in different languages (Acts 2:1-4))
The Holy Spirit would be their helper – to help them carry on the work of Jesus.
And so the disciples of Jesus went on to do many miracles. The people were amazed by these
miracles and also what Jesus’ disciples taught, and so the church grew.
Soon there were churches in many towns. In the town of Joppa, there was a follower of Jesus called
Tabitha. Her other name was Dorcas. Dorcas was always doing good and helping the poor. How do
you think she helped the poor? She made clothes for those people who did not have – remember
the Attention Grabber for today! I wonder why Tabitha helped people in need. (Allow the children
to offer suggestions to this statement)
If we are Jesus’ followers, we should also try to always do good and help others – we need to be
Jesus’ Helpers – Jesus’ hands in the world.
112
Teach the children the following rhyme, using actions:
God gave me two hands to use today
To be kind and help others in a special way
Who can think of something we can do to help others? (Allow the children to give some ideas. Here
are some ideas you can add: Look out for ways you can help your mom – try to make sure you tidy
up when you are finished playing; maybe you can help your mom to get supper ready etc. Perhaps
you can give some of your pocket money to some one in need. Maybe you can give away the toys and
clothes you no longer need to others who do need them; Also look out for people around you
everyday who may need some help – sometimes all that is needed is to give some one a hug – to
spread God’s love to everyone. Be a friend to someone at school who needs a friend)
Remember:
“God gave me two hands to use today
To be kind and help others in a special way”
Song: We need to be Jesus’ Helpers in the world to spread God’s love. Let’s sing some
songs about this. Ideas for songs can found at the end of the lesson
Craft ideas:
 Helping hands craft – make a class poster, placing the rhyme for today in the middle of the
poster:
“God gave me two hands to use today
To be kind and help others in a special way”
Each child can dip their hands into paint and put their hand prints on to the poster. (If you
are not able to provide paint, then trace each child’s hand or give them a copy of a hand
print to cut out, colour in and add to the poster.
 You may like to prepare a few snacks which can be sold at tea after the church serve. The
money can be given to a worthwhile need. An idea of a snack that the children can make is
to simply decorate marie biscuits; cupcakes (or homemade biscuits) with icing and hundreds
and thousands.
 Take home activity: Give each child a copy of the helping hands chart found on page 117.
Explain to the children that every time they do something to help others, they can colour in
a hand. Encourage them to try to complete the page by next week and perhaps give a sweet
to each child who returns a completed chart to you next week.
Prayer: Repeat the rhyme for today:

God gave me two hands to use today
To be kind and help others in a special way
Amen
113
Lesson objective: To encourage the children to be aware of the needs of others, and to be “helping
hands” in the world around them
Attention Grabber: Dress up. Divide the children into teams. Each team needs to choose
one person that they are going to dress up to look like a person from Biblical times. You may like to
provide them with newspaper, plastic bags, sheets, towels etc to make the outfit.
Today we are going to learn about a woman who made clothes, specifically for poor people.
Bible Story: The story of Dorcas (Acts 9)

Today we are going to learn about someone in the New Testament called Tabitha. Does anyone
know about Tabitha?
The children can quickly look up Acts 9:36 to find out about Tabitha, then ask the following
questions.
 What was her other name? (Dorcas)
 In which town did she live? (Joppa)
 What did she do? (Tabitha was always doing good and helping the poor. In Acts 9:39 we
read that she made clothes, particularly robes for those in need.)
 I wonder why Tabitha helped people in need. (Give the children time to respond)
 A few weeks ago we learnt about the “seven” chosen by the 12 disciples to help distribute
food to the poor. Is it not part of our Christian responsibility to care for others – to be Jesus’
hands in the world? To love others is to love God – the two are not separable!
Here is a picture of a person well known for being Jesus’ hands in the world. She lived much of her
life in the slums of Calcutta caring for the hungry, naked, homeless, crippled, blind, sick and all those
who felt unwanted, unloved, uncared for. Do you know who this is? (Mother Theresa)
We too are called to do good and help the poor and the needy. We too are called to be Jesus’ hands
in the world – to be a Jesus helper
114
Ask the children if there is anything they currently do to help others, particularly those in need.
Discuss with the children what they can take on, either individually or as a class to help others.
Here are some ideas:
 Consider how they can possibly get involved with initiatives that have already been set up in
your church, such as a soup kitchen.
 Perhaps they can commit to making a sandwich once a week for someone who is homeless.
 Encourage the children to always be on the look out for community projects that they can be
involved in - a recent example of such a project would be “Project Hydration”, where people
in urban communities were encouraged to fill up plastic bottles with water and distribute to
people in areas who had no water.
 Perhaps your class or Sunday School can organise a jumble sale. Encourage the children and
members of your church to sort through their clothes. The money collected from the jumble
sale can be given to a worthy organisation.
 Another idea is to organise a class trip to clean up an area close to where you live – a river
stretch or a beach or a park – remember we are Jesus’ hands in the world.
 Perhaps your class would like to organise a visit to a retirement village or a children’s home -
take a few snacks with you and perhaps put a few songs together that you can all enjoy –see
the craft section for more ideas on this.
 Finally, encourage the children to be a “Jesus Helper” in all that they do everyday.
Sometimes all that is needed is to give someone a hug – to spread God’s love to all those
around us.
Prayer: The prayer for today comes from the words of St Theresa of Avila, who lived in the
sixteenth century:
Christ has no body now on earth but yours
No hands but yours
No feet but yours.
Yours are the eyes through which the compassion of Christ is to look out onto a hurting world
Yours are the feet by which He is to go about doing good
Yours are the hands by which He is to bless all now.
Amen
Dear Lord God, just as Dorcas used her God given talents and abilities to serve the needs of others,
and so bring glory to God, may we do the same. Help us to always be on the look-out for ways in
which we can be helping hands in the world, spreading your love to those around us. Amen
Song: Ideas for songs can found at the end of the lesson
115
Craft / Activity:
Today’s lesson is a “doing” lesson! Here are some ideas for crafts which you can do today:
 Have a mini-market after church today where parishioners can buy the “goods” that you
make during today’s lesson. The money collected from your market can be given to a
worthy organisation. The “goods” that you make can simply involve icing biscuits, cupcakes
or homemade biscuits, or making sandwiches, which can be served with tea at the end of
the service. People can be asked to make a donation or you can sell each snack for a
specific amount. You could also possibly serve hot chocolate to go with the snacks.
 Another idea is to make something crafty that can be sold – The children can perhaps make
birthday cards, or bookmarks or something from beads – you will need to provide the
materials they need to make these crafts. If there is not enough time to make crafts to sell
after today’s service, then use this time to discuss what each person would like to
contribute to a craft market, and decide on a date as to when this is to take place. Some
children may like to make a few snacks for this market.
 Another possibility, is to initiate a knitting project, where the children – boys and girls(!),
and their mothers and grannies etc, knit squares, which when completed, are sewn together
to make a blanket to give to someone in need. Another knitting project to consider is
knitting teddy bears for the teddy bear clinic. Depending on the size of your class, the
children could possibly start knitting their squares in class today, and complete at home –
you would need to have enough knitting needles and wool for each child, and you would
probably need to teach some children how to knit.
 If your class has decided to visit a children’s home or a retirement village, then use today’s
lesson to plan the event. Identify children who have a talent that can be used–identify
children who can sing, dance or play a musical instrument very well, or perhaps practice a
group item during class. Organise what games you are going to play if you plan to visit a
children’s home. Organise snacks to take with you – perhaps some children are able to
make a special snack that they would like to contribute. Perhaps someone in your class is
very crafty or artistic and would like to make a gift to give each person that you visit. Some
children may just like to be helping hands – to serve the tea and talk to the people who you
visit. Once again remember that just as Dorcas used her God given talents and abilities to
serve the needs of others and bring glory to God, we are called to do the same!
References:
www.rotation.org
www.dtlk-bible.com
www.Biblewise.com
Discipleland series, “Jesus amazes us”, Through the Bible Publishers
116
117
When I needed a neighbour
When I needed a neighbour ,

Were you there, were you there?
When I needed a neighbour ,
Songs: Were you there?
God loves you
And the creed and the colour
and the name won't matter,
God loves you and I love you
Were you there?
And that’s the way it should be (X2)
I was hungry and thirsty,
We love each other like brother
Were you there, were you there?
and sister
I was hungry and thirsty,
Were you there?
You make me happy and I make
I was cold, I was naked ........
you happy
When I needed a shelter .......
 Love the Lord your God Wherever you travel

 Love the Lord your God I'll be there, I'll be there,
 with all your heart Wherever you travel
 and all your soul I'll be there.
 and all your mind
and love all mankind as you love yourself And the creed and the colour
 and and the name won't matter,
 Love I'll be there.
the Lord your God

with all your heart

and all your soul
 I wanna be more like you, Jesus
and all your mind

and
 I wanna be more like you, Jesus
We’ve got Christian lives to live
 We’ve got Jesus love to give I wanna be more like you
 We’ve got nothing to hide I wanna be a vessel you work

because in Him we have found love through
 I wanna be more like you
A new Commandment What you do to the least of these

A new Commandment I give unto you,
That you love one another as I have What you do to the least of these
loved you, Jesus sees, Jesus sees
That you love one another, as I have (x2)
loved you.
When you help your mother with your
Chorus: little baby brother
By this, shall all men know that you are When you share your favourite toy
my disciples, When you give your pennies to those who
If you have love one to another (X2) don’t have any
Jesus sees Jesus sees
If a man says he loves God,
He is a liar if he hateth his brother whom When you help a widow or an orphan who
he hath seen is little
For how can he love God whom he hath Then your heart will be filled with joy
not seen When you share your bread and the
118 hungry ones are fed
Jesus sees, Jesus sees
Yes, there were women
disciples too!
Fourth Sunday after Pentecost
12 June 2016
Reading: Mark 14:3-9
Theme: Faithfulness of the women disciples
Memory verse: “The twelve were with them, and also some women.... “(Luke 8:1,2)
Today’s lesson will focus on some of the women disciples of Jesus. We are all very familiar with the stories of
Jesus’ 12 disciples, and of well-known characters such as the great apostle, Paul, but we sometimes forget, or
do not realise that there were many followers of Jesus who were women!
These women were devoted followers of Jesus. They accompanied Jesus as He travelled from one town to
another, proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom of God (Luke 8:1-3). A number of these women supported
Jesus financially. (Luke 8:4) They walked with Jesus to the cross and were present with Him at the crucifixion
when many of the other disciples had fled. It was women who brought spices to anoint Jesus body that first
Easter morning, and it was a woman, Mary Magdalene, to whom Jesus first appeared after His resurrection. A
number of women such as Tabitha, Lydia and Priscilla were leaders in the early church and are mentioned in
the book of Acts for their contribution to the establishment of the Christian faith.
It is particularly pertinent that we study the women disciples of Jesus this year – the year when the lectionary
readings are based on the Book of Luke. It is Luke who pays particular attention to the interaction Jesus had
with women, and records a number of stories involving women which are not mentioned in the other gospels.
Jesus’ attitude to women was radically different from what was customary at the time. In first century Jewish
culture, the society was very patriarchal and a woman’s status and freedom was severely limited. She was
mostly restricted to roles of little or no authority, and was largely confined to her father’s or husband’s home.
She could not go outside on her own, or appear in public venues or talk to strangers. Jesus crossed all these
barriers – He treated all people with equal respect and Luke shows the special care Jesus had for women.
We can learn much from the faithfulness, adoration, generosity and acts of service of these devoted followers
of Jesus.
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Lesson Suggestions:

Lesson Objectives:
 To learn more about the women disciples of Jesus
 To be reminded that we should always give of our best to Jesus
Attention Grabber: Smelling tests. The children close their eyes. Pass samples of strong-
smelling items around the class – the children must guess what each item is. Examples of such items
are cloves, chocolate, lemon, garlic, lavender, moth balls, and even smelly socks! Preferably put these
samples in a small container, so the children can smell them, but not touch them. Finally spray some
perfume. Ask the children what they think of when they smell perfume – perhaps lovely women? This
is the focus of today’s lesson.
Bible Story and Discussion: Mary and Martha (Mark 14:3-9)

1. Let us begin today’s lesson by trying to remember the names of some of Jesus’ disciples.
Can you help me with these names?
2. These people followed Jesus – they tried to live their lives as He did. Do you think there
were any women who followed Jesus? (Allow the children to try to mention a few names.
Remind the children that we learnt about a woman who followed Jesus in our story last week
– her name was Dorcas. We also often hear the name Mary mentioned in the Bible – there
was Mary, Jesus’ mother, and there was also Mary, whose sister was Martha and whose
brother was Lazarus – you may want to briefly check if they remember the story of Lazarus.
(John 11:1-44) You may also want to mention Mary Magdalene – it was Mary Magdalene
and Salome who went to Jesus’ tomb that first East morning and found that it was empty.)
3. We can learn a lot from the women of the Bible. Today we are going to learn about the
story of Mary, whose sister was ..... Martha (See if the children are able to tell you the name
of Mary’s sister!)
Mary anoints Jesus’ feet

(Mark 14:3-9)
One day, Jesus was at Mary and Martha’s house. He was eating supper with all of His good
friends. Then Mary did something special. She had some perfume that cost a lot of money. This
perfume was for very special occasions. Mary knew that Jesus was very special. She loved Jesus
very much. So she knelt down and poured the perfume all over His feet.
She did not use a little bit of perfume. She used ALL of it. There were a lot of people in the
house watching her. They did not understand why she wasted all the perfume on Jesus. They
were angry and they said, “Mary, why did you waste that whole bottle of perfume? It cost a lot of
money! You could have given the money to people who needed it. But you just wasted it. You
poured it all out!”
But Jesus was not angry. He said, “Don’t talk to Mary that way. She poured the perfume on me
because she loves me. I am thankful for her gift. Mary did a very good thing to me. Thank you,
Mary.”
 In this story, Mary gave Jesus something that was very special to her – what was it?
Mary knelt down and wiped Jesus’ feet with her long hair. She was very happy because she had
given Jesus a special gift.
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 Do you have something that is very special to you? What is it? Would you give it away to
Jesus?
 Jesus does not ask that we give Him our most precious gift, but Mary chose to do this. She
did this to show her love for Jesus. She gave of her best – the perfume was the very best gift
that Mary had to offer. It is important that we also give of our best to Jesus – to put Jesus
first in all that we do!
Activity: Are the children in the following scenarios giving of their best or leftovers to Jesus? If
you think Jesus is getting leftovers, give a “thumbs down”, and a “thumbs up” if Jesus is getting
their best.
1. The only time Susie prays is before she falls asleep at night or if she wants something
(leftovers)
2. Whenever Malusi is given any money he always first puts some aside to put in the
offering at church (best)
3. Tom stayed up late watching T.V. and now is not able to wake up in time for church
(Left overs)
4. All through the Sunday School lesson, Busi whispers to her friend about the party she
is going to later that day. (leftovers)
5. Lerato only goes to church if there is nothing else going on that she would rather do.
(left overs)
6. Thandi finds time to read from her Bible everyday (Best)
For the slightly older children: It is important for all of us to give of our best to Jesus. The very first
commandment is to “Love God”. The second is to have no idols before God. This means always
putting God first and not making anything more important than Jesus is our lives.
Prayer: Dear Lord God. Help us always to remember how much you love us. May we love you
just as much back! Help us to put you first in all that we do! Amen
Song suggestions: My life is in you Lord
Lord you are more precious than silver My life is in you Lord
My strength is in you Lord
Lord you are more precious than silver My hope is in you, Lord, in you, it’s in you
Lord you are more costly than gold
Lord you are more beautiful than diamonds I’ll praise you with all of my life
And nothing I desire compares to You I will praise you with all of my strength
With all of my life, and all of my strength
All of my hope is in you
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Craft: Make bath salts. To remind ourselves of the women disciples we have learnt
about today, and specifically of how Mary anointed Jesus’ feet with perfume, make
beautifully fragranced bath salts.
These bath salts can be made from Epsom salts, which you can find at any pharmacy.
Preferably give each child their own sample of Epsom salts in a plastic cup – they can add a
drop of food colouring and a drop of an essential oil such as lavender, lemon grass, rose to
the salt. You may also have some lavender flowers or dried rose petals to add to the bath
salts.
After mixing all the ingredients together with a spoon, the children can put their bath salts
into a small plastic packet, and secure with a ribbon. Another option is to give each child a
piece of cellophane or organza to wrap their bath salts in.
Attached to the bath salts can be the following label:
Mary anoints Jesus feet.

“And the house was filled with the fragrance of perfume.”
(John 12:3)
Your children may like to keep the bath salts for themselves, or give to a woman who is very
special to them.
Worksheet: A picture to colour can be found on page 127. You can perhaps provide the
children with something nice smelling like perfume or an essential oil to dab/spray onto their
picture to remind them of the fragrance of perfume which filled the room when Mary
anointed Jesus’ feet.
Physical activity: Play a version of the game, “I went on a journey” – today our game
involves women of the Bible. For this game the children sit in a circle. The first child names a
woman of the Bible, for example, “Mary.” The next child in the circle then adds another woman’s
name from the Bible, for example, Mary, Martha. The game continues with each child adding on to
the list of names. If a child forgets what the others have said, then the game begins again, starting
with that child, or to make this game easier, especially for the very young children, everyone can
help with remembering the sentence as it gets longer and longer.
For this game, try to begin by naming women of the New Testament, but then move on to any
women of the Bible. As a child names a woman, first discuss a little bit about this woman before
carrying on with the game. You may need to help the children with names of women in the Bible.
Here are some suggestions: Mary, Martha, Dorcas, Elizabeth, Eve, Rebecca, Hannah, Ruth, Sarah,
Rachel, Naomi, Orpah, Rahab, Deborah, Miriam, Leah, Delilah, Ester
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Lesson objectives:
 To learn more about the women disciples of Jesus
 To be reminded that we should always give of our best to Jesus
Attention Grabber: Smelling tests. The children close their eyes. Pass samples of strong-
smelling items around the class – the children must guess what each item is. Examples of such items
are cloves, chocolate, lemon, garlic, lavender, moth balls, and even smelly socks! Preferably put these
samples in a small container, so the children can smell them, but not touch them. Finally spray some
perfume. Ask the children what they think of when they smell perfume – perhaps lovely women? This
is the focus of today’s lesson.
Bible Story and discussion: Mary and Martha (Mark 14:3-9)

1. Begin today’s discussion by asking the children to name a few disciples of Jesus.
2. What is meant by the word “disciple”? (Follower of Jesus)
The children will probably have only mentioned the 12 disciples of Jesus and not any women, so
continue with the following questions:
3. Do you think there were any women followers of Jesus? (Wait for a response and perhaps
the names of some women disciples.)
4. We have learnt about a few women disciples over the past few weeks – can you remember
their names? ( Dorcas / Tabitha, Priscilla, Lydia – briefly discuss with the children what we
have learnt about these women)
Today we will learn about a few more of Jesus’ women disciples – there were in fact many women
disciples!
Activity: Here are a few female names. As I call out each name, put your hand up if you think that
this is the name of a woman mentioned in the Bible as a follower of Jesus.
Susanna Joanna Mary Alison Paula Dinah Martha Salome
(For each name, keep a record of how many children think that there was a woman of this name
mentioned in the Bible)
Now turn to the Bible to check if you were correct!

Luke 8:1-3: Mary Magdalene, Joanna and Susanna are mentioned in this passage
Luke 10:38-39: Mary and Martha are mentioned in this passage
Mark 16:1: Mary Magdalene, Mary, mother of James and Salome are mentioned in this
passage
So, from these passages we realise that the 12 disciples, with whom we are so familiar with, and
who were all men, were not the only followers of Jesus – there were many others and women too!
These women were devoted followers of Jesus. Many of them supported Jesus financially (Luke 8:3).
They walked with Jesus to the cross and were at the crucifixion when other disciples had fled. It was
women who took spices to the tomb that first Easter Sunday. They were among the first to witness
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the resurrection of Jesus. It is thought that women were also present in the upper room on the day
of Pentecost. A number of women also played an important role in establishing the early church.
How many followers of Jesus with the name of Mary are mentioned in the Bible? (3)
 Mary, the mother of Jesus
 Mary, sister of Martha and Lazarus
 Mary Magdalene
(Mary, mother of Cleopas is also mentioned in John 19:25)
Did you know that one of Jesus’ most faithful followers was Mary Magdalene? She was present with
Jesus at His crucifixion when the other disciples, except for the beloved disciple, thought to be James
or John had fled. She was also the first to see Jesus after His resurrection.
We can learn much from the women of the Bible and their commitment to following Jesus. There
are many stories in the Bible, particularly in the Book of Luke, which tell of Jesus’ interaction with
women. Important lessons can be learnt from these stories, such the story which follows.
Mary anoints Jesus’ feet

(Adapted from John 12:1-8; Mark 14:4-9)
Six days before Passover, Jesus arrived at Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the
dead. Here a dinner was given in Jesus’ honour. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those
reclining at the table with him. Then Mary came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made
of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured it on Jesus’ feet, and then wiped His feet with her hair. And
the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.
Some of those present were saying to one another, “Why this waste of perfume? It could have been
sold for more than a year’s wages and the money given to the poor. And they rebuked her harshly
“Leave her alone,” said Jesus. “Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The
poor you will always have with you, and you can help them at any time you want. But you will not
always have me – she is preparing me for my burial. I tell you the truth, wherever the gospel is preached
throughout the world, what she has done will also be told.
Ask the children what they think of this story and what they can learn from the story - allow them to
freely express them selves – there are no correct answers.
Some points that you may like to add to this discussion are:
1. An alabaster jar was a beautiful and expensive carved case. Nard was a very expensive
perfume imported from the mountains of India. The amount Mary used was worth a year’s
wages! Why do you think Mary did this? Do you think this was extravagant? Jesus was
clearly very special to her! If you were to use a year’s salary to buy something for Jesus,
what would it be?
2. Perfume was used for a King as well as for burial. Had Mary recognised that Jesus was the
Messiah when many others had not yet come to this realisation? Had she already
understood the message that Jesus would die for our sins, when many others had not yet
come to this understanding?
3. Jesus praised Mary for her unselfish act of worship. She regarded Him with utmost love,
respect and devotion, and was wiling to sacrifice for Him what was most precious to her.
Are we willing to do the same?
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Song suggestions: My life is in you Lord
Lord you are more precious than silver My life is in you Lord
My strength is in you Lord
Lord you are more precious than silver My hope is in you, Lord, in you, it’s in you
Lord you are more costly than gold
Lord you are more beautiful than diamonds I’ll praise you with all of my life
And nothing I desire compares to You I will praise you with all of my strength
With all of my life, and all of my strength
All of my hope is in you
Prayer:
Dear Lord Jesus. We are all very familiar with the stories of Jesus’ 12 disciples, and of well-known
characters such as the great apostle, Paul, but we sometimes forget, or do not realise that there
were many followers of Jesus who were women! Today we give special thanks for the contribution
that these disciples made to the spreading of the Christian faith. May we, like Mary who anointed
your feet, worship you with utmost love, respect and devotion, and give of our best to you. Amen
Worksheet: A worksheet can be found on page 128.

The answers to the worksheet are: Anna, Elizabeth, Martha, Mary Magdalene, Salome, Phoebe, Priscilla.
Craft: Make bath salts. To remind ourselves of the women disciples we have learnt
about today, and specifically of how Mary anointed Jesus’ feet with perfume, make
beautifully fragranced bath salts.
These bath salts can be made from Epsom salts, which you can find at any pharmacy.
Preferably give each child their own sample of Epsom salts in a cup – they can add a drop of
food colouring and a drop of an essential oil such as lavender, lemon grass, rose to the salts.
You may also have some lavender flowers or dried rose petals to add to the bath salts.
After mixing all the ingredients together, the children can put their bath salts into a small
plastic packet and secure with a ribbon. Another option is to give each child a piece of
cellophane or organza to wrap their bath salts in.
Attached to the bath salts can be the following label:
Mary anoints Jesus feet.

“And the house was filled with the fragrance of perfume.”
(John 12:3)
Your children may like to keep the bath salts for themselves, or give to a woman who is very
special to them, or who is a role model for them as a follower of Jesus.
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Physical activity: Play a version of the game, “I went on a journey” – today our game
involves using women of the Bible. For this game the children sit in a circle. The first child names a
woman of the Bible, for example, “Mary.” The next child in the circle then adds another woman’s
name from the Bible, for example, Mary, Martha. The game continues with each child adding on to
the list of names. If a child forgets what the others have said, then the game begins again, starting
with that child.
For this game, try to begin by naming women of the New Testament, but then move on to any
women of the Bible. As a child names a woman, first discuss a little bit about this woman before
carrying on with the game. You may need to help the children with names of women in the Bible.
Here are some suggestions: Mary, Martha, Salome, Joanna, Dorcas, Lydia, Priscilla, Elizabeth, Anna,
Eve, Rebecca, Rachel, Hannah, Ruth, Naomi, Orpah, Bathsheba, Rahab, Deborah, Miriam, Hagar,
Leah, Jezebel, Delilah, Ester
References:
Life application Bible: New International version, Tyndale House Publishers and Zondervan
Publishers, 1991
www.rotation.org
www.Biblewise.com
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Celebrating the Eucharist
Fifth Sunday after Pentecost
19 June 2016
Theme: The Anglican tradition
Memory verse: “Fan into flame the gift of God.....” (2 Tim 1:12)

Today’s lesson delves into the traditions of the Anglican Church, much of which has its origins in the early
church, and ultimately in our Lord Jesus Christ. Although our liturgy has been adjusted over the years according
to evolved ideas, our worship remains steeped in tradition and history. Being aware of these traditions can
greatly add to our spiritual experience.
The Anglican doctrine is derived from an integration of:

 Scripture – the Holy Bible
 Reason – the intellect and experience of God
 Tradition – the practices and beliefs of the historical church.
This “three-legged stool” is said to demonstrate a “balance” in the Anglican approach to faith.
Our Eucharist service can be found in the Common Book of Prayer. The words and order of this service have
been carefully put together, with many references to verses and stories found throughout the Bible. Similarly,
the prayers are the collective wisdom of many gone before us, passed down through the ages. The 3-year cycle
system of weekly Bible readings is widely used by the Anglican Community throughout the world.
While we have a deep appreciation for the Anglican tradition, it is also important to recognise that we are one
with ALL Christian people throughout the world. It is also important to realise that true worship happens when
the people of God, both clergy and laity, clothe it with the devotion of heart and mind. Then it becomes a
flame, kindled and re-kindled by the Holy Spirit, for the benefit of God’s glory.
And so let us join with the Saints and all those gone before us, in proclaiming God’s glory to the world!
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Lesson Suggestions:
Lesson Objectives:
 To provide an understanding of why we come to church
 To revise concepts that we have discussed this year
Attention Grabber: Begin today’s lesson by singing a few Christian songs that are loved and
well-known to the children. You can also remind the children of the songs learnt this year. If
possible, the children can be given musical instruments such as drums and bells to add to this time
of worship.
Discussion: Begin this part of the lesson by teaching the children the following well-known
rhyme:
Here is the church

(Children intertwine their fingers so that the fingers are inside their hands.)
Here is the steeple

(Children put their two pinkie finger up to form the steeple.)
Open the doors and see all the people

(Children turn their hands inside out.)
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A slightly different version:
Here is the church

Here is the steeple
But it wouldn't be a church without all the people!
Why do we come to Church? (Allow the children to answer this question. Include the points which
follow below in your discussion. You will find that today’s lesson is a good opportunity to remind the
children of a number of concepts we have discussed this year. It would also greatly add to the
discussion if you have pictures, or even the actual items used in Church e.g. prayer book, collection
bag, wafer, chalice etc.)
 To praise God and thank God for all God has done – we have just done this when we sang a
few songs
 To learn about Jesus – Jesus is God’s Son who came into the world to show us how to live.
We learn about the stories Jesus told – these are called parables. We also learn about the
amazing things that Jesus did – when Jesus did something that seemed impossible to do, we
call that a miracle. (Use the pictures of a children’s bible to remind them of some of the
stories they have learnt about this year e.g. Jesus turning water into wine.)
 To remember all that Jesus did for us – every week we remember the Last Supper that Jesus
had with His disciples. (Show the children a picture of this.) We share in this special feast –
this is known as Communion. (If your children join the church service for Communion, then
mention that they will be sharing in this special feast when they go into church.)
 We give back to God – perhaps we bring some of our pocket money, or some food to give to
someone in need. Perhaps we try to help others in a special way.
 We pray to God – we’ll do this in a moment
 We meet with others who share in our love of God
Let us now spend some time in prayer.
Prayer: Before you pray, remind the children of the 5-finger prayer we learnt earlier this year,
as shown in the diagram below. Encourage the children to add their own prayers e.g. We thank God
for .......; We are sorry for .......
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Craft ideas:
"Here's the Church" Envelope Craft
Provide each child with an envelope – you can make an envelope as shown in the diagram above if
you cannot find the correct type of envelope. You may like to also provide the windows, door, a
cross etc, as shown in the picture. The children can colour, cut out the patterns for the windows,
door, cross and glue them to the envelope.
As shown in the picture, make sure that you include the well-known rhyme:
Here is the church,
Here is the steeple,
Open the door and see all the people!
or
Here is the church

Here is the steeple
But it wouldn't be a church without all the people!
Talk to the children about the importance of attending church regularly and belonging to the church
family. Tell them that we often think of the church as a building, but the church is actually those
who believe in Christ.
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2. Here are some more ideas:
An outline of a church can be found on page 140 which the children can colour in.
For the slightly older children, provide the children with a bigger picture of a church and bigger
windows, sticky plastic and different colours of tissue paper. They can stick the tissue paper to the
sticky plastic, cut out the church windows, and place the sticky plastic under the picture, so that you
get a stained glass effect, as shown in the picture above. Another way to create a “stained glass”
window is to place wax crayon shavings of different colours onto a piece of wax paper, place another
piece of wax paper on top, and then melt the wax by ironing the wax paper.
At the top of the picture you can add the heading: “We come to church to:”
Ask each child why we come to church and then add this to their picture.
Physical activity:
One person is “on”. Everyone else stands on the other side of the room. The person who is
“on” needs to try to touch the others. If you are touched, then you have to join the person
who is “on” by linking arms, and continue to try to catch another person – a chain of people
will start to form. If part of the chain should break apart when catching someone, then that
person is not “on” – the people who are part of the chain need to remain linked. The game
ends when everyone has been caught.
While everyone is still linking arms, tell the children we are now all joined together – we are
one body. Remind the children that we are all part of the body of Christ, and we should try
to come to church as often as we can.
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Lesson objectives:
 To gain an appreciation for the deepness and richness of the Anglican tradition
 To realise that we are one with ALL Christians throughout the world and that we are united
in love to reveal God’s love to the world
Attention Grabber: Draw a symbol of a fish as shown in the diagram below. Ask the
children what you have drawn and why they think you have drawn this picture. This symbol was used
by the early Christians to represent their faith. According to tradition, especially during times of
persecution, Christians would use this symbol to mark their meeting places and tombs – the fish was
not as obvious a sign as the cross to enemies of the Christian faith. When a Christian met someone
and was not sure if they were friend or foe, the Christian would draw one arc of the fish outline. If the
stranger drew the other arc, both believers knew they were in good company!
Do you think the fish is a good symbol to represent the Christian faith? (Yes! Jesus ministry is often
associated with fish e.g. He chose several fishermen to be his disciples and declared He would make
them fishers of men.)
Have you ever seen the fish symbol used to represent Christianity? Perhaps there is a fish symbol
somewhere in your church or you have seen it on a car sticker.
Today we are going to learn more about our Anglican tradition which have their origins in the early
church, and ultimately in our Lord Jesus Christ.
We will begin today by finding out how much you know about the Anglican service.
Activity: Divide the children into groups with a maximum of 4 children per group. Before the lesson
separate the blocks found on page 142. The blocks on the left hand side must be in a different colour
to the blocks on the right.
The blocks on the left hand side represent the order of the service while the blocks on the right give a
brief explanation as to what each part of the service entails.
Mix the blocks up before giving a set to each group. The children need to put the cards of the
different parts of the service in order, and then match each card with it’s explanation. Once they are
done, the task should resemble page 142.
Once they have attempted this activity, continue with the discussion on the next page:
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Discussion:
When we come to church we are sharing in something that people for hundreds of years have been
sharing in – even before the birth of Christ, as some of our traditions come from the Jewish faith.
Our faith is therefore very rich in tradition and by knowing more about our faith, we add to our
worship experience.
Did you know that the Anglican service has 2 parts:

 The Word
(At this point, put up the picture of Jesus in the temple found on page 143.).
Just as Jesus was found in the temple at an early age, listening and asking questions, so we
come to Church to learn more about God and God’s message to us.
 The Eucharist
(At this point, put up the picture of Jesus at the Last Supper, found on page 143.)
Just as the early Christians always did when they came together, we re-enact the Last Supper
Jesus had with His disciples, reminding ourselves of all God in Jesus has done for us. Eucharist
means thanksgiving. This part of the service is our response to all that God has done for us.
We come to the Communion table, offering our gifts and ourselves to God. We commit
ourselves to going out into the world to spread the good news.
Let’s now see how well you did with the activity.
(Reveal each word of the activity as you discuss it. For each part of the service, additional
information has been included, which you may like to use in your discussion. Encourage the
children to participate wherever possible.)
Next to the picture of Jesus in the temple, place:

 Welcome The Lord be with you!
The priest welcomes everyone by saying, “The Lord be with you!”

We reply by saying ...... “And also with you!”
This greeting originates from the early Christians. We are reminded by this greeting that when two
ore more are gathered, there is Jesus in the midst of us!
 Gloria Glory to God in the highest
During the Gloria we praise God – sometimes we do this through song. (At this point, you may like
to say the first few sentences of the Gloria, as found in the prayer book, or sing any song of praise.)
 Penitence We are sorry
During the penitence we confess our sins. We think of all that we have thought, said or done that
was wrong. We even think of that which we have left undone – things that we should have done
e.g. standing up to something that was wrong or showing more care to someone in need.
After the prayer of confession, the priest then prays that God may forgive us of our sins
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 Collect Special prayer for a particular day
This prayer is different every week. If you listen carefully, you will notice that this prayer is linked to
the Bible readings for the day.
 The first reading Old Testament

Psalm
The second reading New Testament
Gospel A reading from one of the books of
Matthew, Mark, Luke and John
Did you know that Anglican churches throughout the world use the same set of readings for a
particular week? The readings are repeated every 3 years. (This year, most of the gospel readings
come from the book of Luke.)
 Sermon Lesson
The priest says some wise words, usually based on the Bible readings for the day.
 Creed A statement of what we believe
How much of the creed do you remember? Let’s try to say it together now.
(If the children do not know the Creed well, then help them, by saying it with them, but leaving out a
few words e.g. We believe in God the ...........)
 Prayers Intercessory
The prayer book contains many prayers that can be used at this point of the service. It is sometimes
useful to have prayers already written for us as this teaches us HOW to pray as well as WHAT to
pray, especially when we don’t have the words to express our feelings. These prayers have been
passed down to us through the ages.
These prayers are intercessory, which means we specifically pray for the needs of others and not just
ourselves. Who knows WHAT we pray for during this part of the service?
 The prayers begin with thanksgiving and praise.

 We then pray for all the nations of the world, especially for our own nation – we pray for our
leaders.
 We pray for those in sorrow, need, trouble and sickness, and for those who have died.
 We pray for our church and its leaders. (Discuss with the children who the priest/s are of your
particular church. Who is the Bishop of your diocese? We pray for the Arch Bishop of Southern
Africa – do you know who he is? Arch Bishop Thabo Makgoba)
 Very importantly, we pray for the church throughout the world, that we may all be one! It is
important that ALL Christians are united in love so that we can reveal God’s glory to the world.
We will pray for all these things in our prayers at the end of the lesson.
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 Peace Shalom
This is a tradition which has its roots in the Jewish faith. Remind the children of the meaning of
Shalom – this is the Hebrew word for peace – it means wholeness, completeness, fullness, rest,
harmony, absence of agitation and discord. Therefore when we share the Peace in the service, it is
more than shaking another person’s hand, or giving someone a hug - It is important that you are at
peace with each other before you take Communion, and you should therefore ensure that you offer
the peace to someone you may have had an argument with, which is not always easy to do!
At this point you may want to share the peace with the group and sing an appropriate song,
such as the songs which follow:.
We are one in the Spirit My peace I give unto you
We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord (x2) It’s a peace that the world cannot give
And we pray that all unity may one day be restored It’s a peace that the world cannot understand
Peace to know, peace to live
And they’ll know we are Christians by our love, by our My peace I give unto you
love
Yes, they’ll know we are Christians by our love My love I give unto you......
My joy I give unto you.........
Shalom
Shalom my friend, shalom my friend
Shalom, shalom
The peace of the Lord I give you today
Shalom, Shalom
We now move into the second part of the service –the Eucharist.
Next to the picture of Jesus at the Last Supper, place:

 Presentation of the gifts Receive the fruits of our labour
We begin this part of the service by offering our gifts to God in thanksgiving for all that God has done
for us. This part of the service is also known as the Offertory.
 The Great Thanksgiving Communion
This is a time of thanksgiving, but it is also a solemn time, as we do everything in remembrance of

what Jesus did for us.
We are reminded that:

Christ has died
Christ has risen
Christ will come again
The priest takes the bread, breaks it and says.........

“This is my body, broken for you”
(Encourage the children to say these words with you if they know them)
137
The priest then takes the wine and says .......
“This is my blood, shed for you”
The word “Communion” comes from the word “koinonia” which means community – the community
of Christ. When we share in the body and blood of Christ, we become one, united in the body of
Christ.
Let’s now share in this feast.

(Provide bread and grape juice for the children to share. During this time you may want to sing an
appropriate song such as the song which follows:
One bread, one body

One bread, one body
One Lord of all
One cup of blessing which we share
And we, though many, throughout the world
We are one body in this one Lord
After communion, we return to our seats. At this time during the service, you may like to kneel and
remember that you are in the Lord’s presence. Tell God your joys, hopes and cares.
 Blessing and dismissal Go in peace to love and serve the Lord. Amen!
We offer ourselves to go out into the world in the power of the Holy Spirit to live and work to God’s
praise and glory.
Questions for Reflection:

(Note that there are no correct answers to these questions)
 Which part of the service do you like best?

 Which part of the service do you think is the most important?
 Is there any part of the service that you think can be left out?
Prayer:
Prayer is a very important part of the service. Let us now spend some time in prayer.
Here is a suggested prayer, based on the prayer book. Give the children the opportunity to
contribute to the prayers, either aloud or quietly in their hearts.
Praise the Lord! Blessed be God’s name, now and forever!

We thank you Lord for .............. (Allow the children to offer prayers of thanksgiving)
Almighty God, we are sorry for the times we have sinned against you, in thought, word and deed,
and in what we have left undone. (Allow time for everyone to think of what they have done wrong)
Lord, please forgive us of all that is past.
138
We pray for the nations of the world, and especially for this country and its leaders (Children to offer
their own prayers) Please give wisdom to those in authority. Direct and guide this and every nation
in the way of justice and peace.
We pray for our family and friends .... (Children to offer their own prayers)
We remember with thanksgiving all those who have gone before us ........ (Children may wish to add
the names of people near and dear to them who have died)
We pray for your church throughout the world, and especially for our own parish. (The children can
offer prayers specifically for their own church.) We also pray for this diocese, and for ......... our
Bishop, together with Thabo Makgoba, our Arch bishop.
Give your church power to proclaim the Gospel of Christ, and may all Christian people be united in
love to reveal your glory to the world.
As Christ has taught us, we are bold to pray:
Our Father.......
Craft: A basic prayer book can be found on pages 144-146. which the children can put
together and colour in as a reminder of why we come to church
Physical activity: Amoeba: One person is “on”. Everyone else stands on the other side of
the room. The person who is “on” needs to try to touch the others. If you are touched, then
you have to join the person who is “on” by linking arms, and continue to try to catch another
person, and so the “amoeba” grows. If the “amoeba” should break apart when catching
someone, then that person is not “on” – the people who are part of the “amoeba” need to
remain linked. The game ends when everyone has been caught.
Once everyone has been caught and are linking arms, remind the children that just as we are
now joined together, so it is important that all Christians throughout the world are united in
God’s love – we are ONE in the body of Christ.
You can end today’s lesson by saying the final words of the Eucharist service i.e. “Go in peace
to love and serve the Lord. In the name of Christ. Amen.”
You can also end with a final song, such as the one which You shall go out with joy
follows:
You shall go out with joy and be led
forth in peace
References: And the mountains and the hills will
www.dtlk-bible.com break forth before you
www.craftingthewordof god.com There’ll be shouts of joy and the
www.flamecreativekids.blogspot.com trees of the fields
Godly Play Will clap, will clap their hands
And the trees of the fields will clap

their hands (x3)
While you go out with joy
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140
141
142
The Word
The Eucharist
143
144
145
146

ONE BODY, MANY PARTS

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ONE BODY, MANY PARTS

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SUNDAY SCHOOL

Fourth Sunday On the road to Damascus

6 15 May Day of Pentecost Fruits of the Spirit 69

First Sunday The Church: One body, 83

Third Sunday Helping hands

Fourth Sunday Yes, there were women

11 19 June Fifth Sunday after Celebrating the Eucharist 129

Gauteng School Term: 5 April – 24 June

Information for the teacher:

These are the words from a song by Marty Haugen:

May all that we do be done in the Spirit of love

Younger Children (3 – 6 years):

 3 elbows and 2 ears

1. Imagine how different your life would be if you didn’t have:

(Briefly discuss this with the children)

The Body Song If you’re happy and you know it

Bible Story: One body, many parts (1 Corinthians 12:12-26)

And so may all that we do be done in the Spirit of love.

Worksheet - Memory verse game

Information for the teacher:

Turn your eyes upon Jesus

Keep your eyes upon Jesus

Younger Children (3 – 6 years):

Have you ever run a race?

Turn your eyes upon Jesus

Keep your eyes upon Jesus

Most importantly, have fun!!

To set the game up:

Get ready to play:

Information for the teacher:

St Theresa of Avila, who lived in the sixteenth century, once wrote:

Younger Children (3 – 6 years):

Bible Story and Discussion: The story of Dorcas (Acts 9)

Prayer: Repeat the rhyme for today:

Bible Story: The story of Dorcas (Acts 9)

When I needed a neighbour ,

 Love the Lord your God Wherever you travel

A new Commandment What you do to the least of these

Information for the teacher:

Younger Children (3 – 6 years):

Bible Story and Discussion: Mary and Martha (Mark 14:3-9)

Mary anoints Jesus’ feet

Song suggestions: My life is in you Lord

Attached to the bath salts can be the following label:

Mary anoints Jesus feet.

Bible Story and discussion: Mary and Martha (Mark 14:3-9)

Now turn to the Bible to check if you were correct!

Mary anoints Jesus’ feet

Worksheet: A worksheet can be found on page 128.

Attached to the bath salts can be the following label:

Mary anoints Jesus feet.

Information for the teacher:

The Anglican doctrine is derived from an integration of:

Younger Children (3 – 6 years):

Here is the church

Here is the steeple

Open the doors and see all the people

Here is the church

Let us now spend some time in prayer.

Here is the church

Did you know that the Anglican service has 2 parts:

Next to the picture of Jesus in the temple, place:

The priest welcomes everyone by saying, “The Lord be with you!”