Scripture: Mark 12: 41-44
Key Verse: From
everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required. -- Luke 12:48
...(NRSV)
Concepts:
1.
A gift is special when it is a sacrifice.
2.
We should give to the church because the church does God's work.
3.
An offering can be money, time and talents.
Objectives: The children will:
1.
locate
the story in their Bibles.
2.
play
a game to explore some of the ways in which the church uses our gifts to do
God’s work.
3.
discuss
the idea that God expects more from those who have the most.
4.
fill
out a “Promises to God” card with their plan for serving the church.
Procedure:
Welcome and
Introductions: (10:00)
1.
Greet
the children and introduce yourself.
Wear your name-tag. Make sure the children are wearing name-tags. If
not, ask the shepherd to supply a temporary badge. Remember you are interacting
with a different group of students each week who may not know you.
2.
Explain
that in this workshop, we’ll learn about giving to the church and how the
church uses our gifts to do God’s work.
Scripture/Bible Story:
1. The
first- and second-graders will not use Bibles, but do open yours to show them
the story is in there. For grades 3-5, make sure everybody has a Bible. There
are extra Bibles in the cupboards of Praising Puppets and Creation
Station.
Help the students to find the book of Mark. (Get the
shepherds to go around the room and help with this.) If necessary, review the
organization of the Bible: The Bible is divided into two big parts, the Old and
New Testaments. Each part is made up of books, which are divided into chapters
and verses. The first four books of the New Testament are the gospels, Matthew,
Mark, Luke, John. If they open their Bible in the middle, they’ll usually land
in the book of Psalms in the OT. Point out that the book name is at the top of
each page. After finding Psalms, if they then take the pages on the right side
and divide them in half, they’ll land somewhere near the beginning of the New
Testament. From there they can find Mark. (Some of the older children should
know the books of the Bible. Encourage everyone to learn them.)
After they’ve found Mark, help them find chapter 12, then verses 41-44. Some of the children will confuse chapters and verses. Show them that chapter numbers are the big ones, and also are at top of every page.
2.
Make sure the children know that the story is known as “The Widow’s Mite,” and
that a mite is a small coin. (Even though modern translations don’t use the
word mite, the phrase is still widely
used, and they need to recognize the allusion when they hear it in the future.)
With
fifth-graders, you might let several children take turns and read the story out
loud. With other grades, read the story to them or tell the story in your own
words. (For thoughts on telling Bible stories, see
http://www.dennisdewey.org/Dennis8.htm.)
In
the second week, you might let the children help you tell the story. This will
give you an idea of how much they already know.
In
the last three weeks, when most children will be familiar with the story, you
can use one of these ideas for reviewing it:
Begin
the story and let each person in the circle add one line to the story until it
is complete. Help them tell the COMPLETE story.
Tell
the story back to them with inaccuracies and let them correct you (especially
fun for the younger ones but don’t do this until the later part of the
rotation).
Have
them roughly sketch the story out and then tell it.
Older
children: Photocopy or type out the passage (remove verse numbers), cut it up
and see if they can put it back together correctly.
Application: (10:10)
1. Ask:
“The widow was giving her money to the temple, just as we give to the church
today. Why do we need to give to the church?” (Because the church does God’s work, and that requires our money and
also our time.)
2.
Grades 3-5: Explain
that the children are going to play Wheel of Fortune with puzzles that tell
ways in which the church uses our money, time and talents to do God’s work.
See
the end of the lesson plan for a summary of the rules to the TV game show. You
can adapt the rules to the workshop as you see fit, but usually simpler is
better. Here is a suggestion for how to simplify the game, keep it moving, give
everybody a turn, and avoid letting one team dominate or get bogged down in
scorekeeping:
Divide
the class into several teams of three to five players. Have the shepherd keep
score on a piece of paper. Line the teams up and tell them they are going to
guess letters to words and phrases that tell different ways in which the church
does God’s work. Draw short lines on the white board to represent each letter
of the first puzzle. (Use the list at the end of the lesson plan, and add your
own ideas to the list.)
The
teams will take turns spinning the game wheel, then guessing letters to fill in
the blanks. Let the first person in line for the team spin and guess a letter.
The spinner can ask his team for help, but he is the only one who can make the
guess. Don’t bother with “buying” vowels, just let the kids guess them along
with the consonants. If the spinner guesses correctly, fill in the letter(s)
and award his team the points he spun for (don’t multiply by the number of
times the letter appears). If he
guesses a letter that is not in the puzzle, write it at the bottom of the white
board; award no points but don’t subtract points. Either way, go on to the next
team for the next spin. After spinning, the player goes to the end of his team’s
line. One spin, one guess per turn.
Instead
of guessing a letter, the spinner can attempt to solve the puzzle. If he gets
it right, award his team the points he spun for. If wrong, award no points and
go on to the next team.
Keep
going until every child has spun at least once. If the kids are taking too long
to guess, give them a 30-second limit and get the shepherd to time the game
using the timer in the supply bin.
AS
EACH PUZZLE IS SOLVED, ask the team what the word or phrase means, and how it is
an example of the church doing God’s work. For example, ask: “What is Habitat
for Humanity?” (An organization that
builds houses for poor people. One Saturday of every month, Kirk members
volunteer to help build houses. The Kirk also gives money to the Habitat
organization every year.) “When church members help with Habitat for
Humanity, are we doing God’s work?” (Yes,
because Jesus cared for poor people and commanded us to love and help others.)
Grades 1-2: Tell the
children they are going to play a game to learn about some of the ways our
church does God’s work. Divide them into several teams of four or five kids and
line the teams up as above. Explain that they will take turns spinning the
wheel and answering questions about things that we do in our church.
Have the teams take turns as described above,
with the child at the head of the line spinning and answering the question with
the help of his teammates. Award points for correct answer, no points for wrong
answer. Either way, the spinner goes to the end of his team’s line and it’s the
next team’s turn.
AFTER EACH QUESTION, talk about what the
activity is and why it is an example of doing God’s work. The idea is for them
to become more aware of our church’s activities. Be sure you don’t give the impression
that any of the “wrong” answers are “wrong” things to do they’re just not the
correct answer to the question at hand.
Use the multiple-choice questions at the end
of the lesson plan, and add your own.
Reflection
Time: (10:35)
Gather in a circle and discuss: “In the game
we thought about a lot of ways in which the church does God’s work. All of
those things happen because church members give their money and their time and
use their talents to do them. Now, some people have more money, or more time,
or more abilities, than other people.
Look at the Bible verse on the wall. Let’s
read it together. “From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be
required.” What do you think that means? (God
expects more from people who have the most money, talents, time.) Did the
widow have a little or a lot? (a little) Yet
what did Jesus say about her offering? (She
had given more than the rich people because she gave everything she had.) So
whether God has given us a lot or a little, we need to use it to do God’s work.
Pass out the “Promises to God” cards and ask
the shepherds to pass out pencils. (You will receive the cards at the workshop
leader’s Bible study. A copy is attached to this lesson plan for your
reference.) Have the children think about how they can use their gifts to serve
the church. Suggest that they think, “Do I have a little or a lot to give?”
Then fill out the cards with their plan. Encourage them to share the cards with
their parents. (This activity takes the place of journal writing. They will
take the cards home with them.)
Prayer: Ask the children to sit
quietly for a prayer. Thank God for all of our gifts and ask for guidance in
how to use them to do God’s work. Ask for help in being generous like the widow
in doing as much as we can for the church and for others.
Tidy and
Dismissal: Ask
children to help tidy up and collect Bibles, pencils, nametags, etc. Make sure
they take their Promise cards home.
Note: I find that the kids participate better if they get little
rewards along the way. Skittles are highly motivating for some reason. If I
were leading this workshop I’d give them a Skittle for bringing their Bible,
for finding the Bible passage, for being attentive or participating in story
telling and discussion, to each team member after their team’s turn at the
game, for helping clean up, one to everybody on the way out the door AFTER
cleanup IF they have their Promise card, etc. Might give them a Skittle for
repeating the Bible verse on the way out. I’d have several small jars of
Skittles on hand and put the shepherds in charge of distribution. (Better check
with shepherds and make sure nobody is diabetic!) Robin Morris
Teacher
preparation in advance:
1. Read the scripture passages and attend the Faith Quest Leaders Bible Study.
2. Prepare a closing prayer.
3.
Set
up the game wheel.
4.
Display
the scripture memory verse somewhere in the room (not on the white board;
you’ll need that for the game).
5. Optional: Bring a CD or taped music for background music while you are gathering, lively music for game, meditative music for Reflection time.
Supply List
Dry-erase
markers and eraser (in supply bin)
Paper
and pen for scorekeeping
Extra
Bibles.
Promises to God cards (Stewardship Cards for children)
Pencils (in shepherds’ bag)
Skittles (optional)
Wheel of Fortune TV Rules
The object of the game is to solve a word,
phrase, or name puzzle in which all the letters are hidden. Three contestants
take turns spinning a giant wheel. The Wheel shows money in amounts from a few
hundred dollars to a few thousand dollars, special prizes, and penalties such
as Bankrupt and Lose a Turn. When a contestant turns up money on the Wheel, he
can guess a consonant in the puzzle or buy a vowel for $250. If he guesses a
consonant that appears in the puzzle, he earns the dollar amount he landed on,
multiplied by the number of times the consonant appears in the puzzle. For
example, if he lands on $100 and guesses "S," and the letter
"S" appears in the puzzle two times, he earns $200. If a contestant
spins a penalty, he may lose all the money he has earned so far
("Bankrupt"), or skip his turn entirely ("Lose a Turn").
The contestant then has a chance to solve the
puzzle. If he solves it correctly, he wins all the money he has earned since
the beginning of the round. If he is incorrect, the play goes to the next
contestant.
A full game consists of four rounds. At the
end of four rounds, the contestant who has won the most money and prizes goes
on to play a bonus round. In the bonus puzzle, the most common consonants and
vowel are shown. The contestant can guess a few more letters, and then has a
chance to solve the puzzle. If he solves it correctly, he wins a prize.
--- “Wheel of Fortune FAQ.” About, the Human Internet. <http://gameshows.about.com/library/weekly/aa122700a.htm>
Puzzles
(grades 3-5)
WORSHIP
(We praise God, pray, think and learn about how God wants us to live.)
CHOIR
(People in the choir use their musical talent to praise God and help us
worship)
ACOLYTES
(Lighting candles shows that something special is happening, helps prepare us
for worship. When the acolyte enters
the sanctuary with the flame, it means “Christ is the light of the world.” When the acolyte leaves with the flame, it
means “You are the light of the world.”)
FAITH
QUEST (Teaches kids about the Bible and what it means for our lives. Kids serve
God by attending and learning; workshop leaders and shepherds serve God by
giving lots of their time to Faith Quest.)
3-4-5
FAITH ALIVE (Getting together, making friends and having fun is a way to share
God’s love with each other. Also, sometimes the group has helped the church
with landscaping or does projects to help other people.)
YOUTH
GROUP (Older kids also get together for fun, service, learning how to live as Christians.)
APPALACHIAN
SERVICE PROJECT (High school students travel to the mountains and help build
and repair houses for people who don’t have much money.)
SUMMER
IN THE CITY (Middle school students spend four days helping at local service
agencies like the North Carolina Food Bank, Tammy Lynn Center, Interact, Wake
Interfaith Hospitality Network, the Boys and Girls Club. They spend one day
gleaning vegetables left in fields after they have been harvested by machine.)
STEPHEN
MINISTERS (church members who serve as special friends for people who are
coping with an illness, or a death in the family, or a divorce, or losing their
job, or some other crisis or big challenge.).
CAREGIVERS
(church members who visit sick people, bring meals to families when somebody is
sick, help out in other ways like giving people a ride to the doctor if they
can’t drive.)
USHERS
(make sure everybody has a bulletin and a seat, collect offering and assist
with sound system)
HABITAT
FOR HUMANITY (An organization that
builds houses for poor people. One Saturday of every month, Kirk members get
together and help build a house. The Kirk also gives money to the Habitat
organization every year.)
WAKE
INTERFAITH HOSPITALITY NETWORK (An organization that uses churches to give
homeless families a place to stay. Four weeks of the year, 5 or 6 homeless
families eat supper and sleep at the Kirk. Lots of Kirk members help with this
by serving meals, spending the night, playing with the children, driving the
van, and hauling beds and supplies in and out. The Kirk also gives money to
WIHN every year.)
ARK
SHELTER (A place in Raleigh where homeless women stay. On the second Monday of
every month, Kirk members cook dinner and serve it at the Ark, and a Kirk
member works at the front desk. The Kirk also gives money to Urban Ministries
of Raleigh, the organization that operates the Ark.)
MADAGASCAR
(an island off the coast of Africa where the Kirk helps support two
missionaries, Dan and Elizabeth Turk. Dan is a forester and works to teach
people about taking care of the land. Elizabeth is a nurse and teaches people
about how to have good health. The Kirk gives money every year to support the
Turks and their work in Madagascar.)
AFTER-SCHOOL
TUTORS (A new program at the Kirk this year. Two afternoons a week, Kirk
members help children who live in the church’s neighborhood who need help with
their school work.)
CARYING
PLACE (An organization that teaches homeless people how to spend their money
wisely and helps them to find a place to live. The Carying Place meets at the
Kirk in the fellowship hall every Tuesday night, and lots of Kirk members
volunteer there, working with homeless families, serving meals, or helping with
child care during the meetings. The Kirk also gives money to the Carying Place
every year.)
FAMILY
TIES (The Kirk’s Christmas project, providing Christmas gifts for people who
don’t have much money. In November you can choose a card from the bulletin
board and buy a gift for somebody.)
REFUGEES
(The Kirk has helped families move to America from Bosnia, Poland, Ethiopia and
other countries to escape war or bad treatment. Kirk members help the refugees
get jobs, find a place to live, learn English, go to college. Right now we are
waiting for another family from Bosnia who we hope will arrive soon.)
FOOD
OFFERING (On the first Sunday of every month we bring canned and boxed foods to
church. It is taken to the Dorcas Shop and given to people who are in an
emergency and need food.)
PENNIES
FOR HUNGER (On the first Sunday of every month we bring pennies and other money
for this offering. It goes to a lot of different programs that help to keep
people from going hungry.)
MEALS
ON WHEELS (Delivers meals to old people and others who are not able to cook for
themselves. On the second and fourth Wednesday of every month, Kirk members
pick up the meals and deliver them. It takes 12 people to deliver the meals in
the Cary area. The Kirk also gives money to the Meals on Wheels organization
every year. )
Questions (Grades 1-2)
Which of these things is something we do at our
church every Sunday?
a. Play soccer
b. Worship (We praise God, pray, think and learn
about how God wants us to live.)
c. Cook hot dogs
Which of these groups of people helps us to worship?
a. The Girl Scouts
b. The Boy Scouts
c. The choir (People in the choir use their musical
talent to praise God and help us worship)
What is the name for the kids who light the candles
in the sanctuary?
a. Sopranos
b. Acolytes (Lighting candles shows that something
special is happening, helps prepare us for worship.)
c. Ushers
Where can you go to learn about the Bible?
a. Faith Quest (Teaches kids about the Bible and
what it means for our lives. Kids serve God by attending and learning; workshop
leaders and shepherds serve God by giving lots of their time to Faith Quest.)
b. Chuck E. Cheese
c. Disney World
Which of these is a special activity just for third,
fourth and fifth graders?
a. 3-4-5 FAITH ALIVE (Getting together, making
friends and having fun is a way to share God’s love with each other. Also,
sometimes the group helps the church with landscaping or does projects to help
other people.)
b. Cherub choir
c. Vacation Bible School
Which of these is a special activity just for kids
in middle school and high school?
a. Stephen Ministry
b. Meals on Wheels
c. Youth group (Older kids also get together for
fun, service, learning how to live as Christians.)
When people visit our church for the first time,
afterwards somebody from the church goes to their house and takes them a gift.
What is it?
a. A vase of flowers
b. A loaf of bread (We share God’s love with
visitors by making them feel welcome in the church)
c. A puppy
There’s a group of people in our church called the
Caregivers. One thing they do is:
a. Cut the grass
b. Preach sermons
c. Visit sick people (They also take meals to
families where somebody is sick, drive people to the doctor and help out in
other ways when there is an illness or death in the family.)
Which of these things happens in the mountains?
a. Appalachia Service Project (High school students
travel to the mountains and help build and repair houses for people who don’t
have much money.)
b. Wake Interfaith Hospitality Network
c. The Carying Place
Which of these is a special program just for middle
school students?
a. Faith Quest
b. Vacation Bible School
c. Summer in the City (Middle school students spend
four days helping at local service agencies like the North Carolina Food Bank,
Tammy Lynn Center, Interact, Wake Interfaith Hospitality Network, the Boys and Girls
Club. They spend one day gleaning vegetables left in fields after they have
been harvested by machine.)
Our church helps to support an organization that
builds houses for poor people. This organization is called
a. Meals on Wheels
b. Habitat For Humanity (One Saturday of every month, Kirk members get together and help
build a house. The Kirk also gives money to the Habitat organization every
year.)
c. The Red Cross
One organization that helps homeless families is
called
a. Wake Interfaith Hospitality Network (An
organization that uses churches to give homeless families a place to stay. Four
weeks of the year, 5 or 6 homeless families eat supper and sleep at the Kirk.
Lots of Kirk members help with this by serving meals, spending the night, playing
with the children, driving the van, and hauling beds and supplies in and out.
The Kirk also gives money to WIHN every year.)
b. Faith Quest
c. The choir
There’s a place in Raleigh where homeless women can
stay. This place is called
a. Crabtree Valley Mall
b. The Farmers Market
c. The Ark Shelter (On the second Monday of every
month, Kirk members cook dinner and serve it at the Ark, and a Kirk member
volunteers to work at the front desk, answering the phone and greeting the
residents as they arrive. The Kirk also gives money to Urban Ministries of
Raleigh, the organization that operates the Ark.)
Missionaries are people who travel to other places
to help people. The Kirk gives money every year to help two missionaries who
work in the country of
a. Canada
b. Madagascar (Dan and Elizabeth Turk are
missionaries in Madagascar, an island off the coast of Africa. Dan is a
forester and works to educate people about taking care of the land. Elizabeth
is a nurse and teaches people about how to have good health. The Kirk gives
money every year to support the Turks and their work in Madagascar, and we also
pray for them and write letters to them.)
c. France
The Kirk has just started an after-school tutoring
program. This is a way for church members to help children who live nearby and
need help with their
a. swimming
b. basketball
c. reading and math
Another program that helps homeless families is
called
a. The Carying Place (An organization that teaches
homeless people how to spend their money wisely and helps them to find a place
to live. The Carying Place meets at the Kirk in the fellowship hall every
Tuesday night, and lots of Kirk members volunteer there, working with homeless
families, serving meals, or helping with child care during the meetings. The
Kirk also gives money to the Carying Place every year.)
b. Meals on Wheels
c. Family ties
The Kirk’s Christmas project is called
a. Vacation Bible School
b. Choir practice
c. Family Ties (How we provide Christmas gifts for
people who don’t have much money. In November you can choose a card from the
bulletin board and buy a gift for somebody.)
Sometimes people come to America to escape wars and
other hardships in their home countries. These people are called:
a. Teachers
b. Refugees (The Kirk has helped refugees from
Bosnia, Poland, Ethiopia and other countries. Kirk members help the refugees
get jobs, find a place to live, learn English, go to college. Right now we are
waiting for another family from Bosnia who we hope will arrive soon.)
c. Pastors
On the first Sunday of every month, church members
bring something to church and put it in baskets outside the sanctuary. What
they bring is
a. Toys
b. Clothes
c. Food (On the first Sunday of every month we bring
canned and boxed foods to church. The food offering is taken to the Dorcas Shop
and given to people who are in an emergency and need food.)
On the first Sunday of every month, we bring money
for a special offering called:
a. Pennies for Hunger (On the first Sunday of every
month we bring pennies and other money for this offering. It goes to a lot of
different programs that help to keep people from going hungry.)
b. Toys for Tots
c. Sweets for the Sweet
Old people and others who can’t cook for themselves
can have food delivered to their homes. This is called
a. Stars on Ice
b. Meals on Wheels (Delivers meals to old people and
others who are not able to cook for themselves. On the second and fourth
Wednesday of every month, Kirk members pick up the meals and deliver them. It
takes 12 people to deliver the meals in the Cary area. The Kirk also gives
money to the Meals on Wheels organization every year. )
c. Hooked on Phonics