Body of Christ Lesson Set
Workshop Summaries:
Art: "Godly Play" style story. Children will cooperate in groups of four or less to create posters of the human body.
Cooking: Children will have specific jobs as their group makes “Body of Christ Biscuits.” (Actually a recipe for "Monkey Bread.")
Drama: Children will create a "Church Machine" with their bodies
Video: After viewing a clip from "A Bug's Life" children will discuss how the church is like the bugs working together with specific jobs.
Misc: Children will go on a scavenger hunt for pieces of a puzzle describing the "parts" (jobs) of our church. When the puzzle is assembled, it is a photo of our church building.
Scripture:
1 Corinthians 12:12-20, 27
Life Guiding Verse: All of you together are the body of Christ. Each one of you is a part of that body. 1 Corinthians 12:27
Concepts for the Theme:
- The body of Christ is the Church.
- Each person in the Church is a part of the body of Christ.
- We are each different and serve in different ways, but we are all part of the same Church.
- Just like a human body is not complete without all its parts, the church is not complete without all its different people and ministries.
References are listed with individual lesson plans.
About the "I wonder” statements used in Faith Village Lessons
Educational Basis: While some children are eager to answer questions, and answer with confidence, many children feel a lot of pressure to give the “right” answer to questions. Starting the question with “I wonder” leaves the question open-ended. The words suggest that there doesn’t have to be a right answer, but are instead an invitation to think. Children are free to wonder out loud or privately.
Developmental Basis: The youngest children in Faith Village experience story very literally. They may be able to tell you what is pretend and what is “real,” but pretend is still very real to them. I wonder statements invite 4 & 5 year-olds to become a part of the story through their imaginations. The older children can experience story as deep metaphor, and Bible stories, especially, can take on great significance for them. Yet they lack the cognitive skills required to explain the metaphor and it’s meaning. “I wonder” statements help them to connect with their own sense of metaphor in the story, and invite them to find the words they can to describe the impact of the story in their thinking.
References:
Keaton, Mary Margaret, Imagining Faith with Children, Unearthing Seeds of the Gospel in Children’s Stories from Peter Rabbit to Harry Potter. Pauline Books and Media, 2005.
Stewart, Sonja M and Berryman, Jerome W., Young Children and Worship. Westminster John Knox Press, Louisville. 1989.
A lesson by Tanja Rouintree, Faith Village Coordinator, First Presbyterian Church,
Nevada, MO
