Body of Christ

Cooking Workshop

Objectives for this workshop:

Children will...

• Learn how church members work together to do the work of Jesus
• Compare their roles in baking a treat with roles in the church (in a general way)
• Explore how church members help each other.

Workshop Preparation:

• Be familiar with the lesson plan, the Bible story and the wondering statements.
• Gather supplies
• On the index cards print the words: Separator, Cutter, Dipper, Roller, and Dropper.
• Come 30 minutes early for your workshop to pre-heat oven, set up supplies and prepare for the activity.

• Set up 5 stations with wax paper taped down in-between (the island and pass-through may be a good place for this):
  a. Separators: separate the biscuits and put them on the wax paper for the cutters
  b. Cutters: using plastic knives, cutters will cut each biscuit into four wedges and place the wedges on the wax paper for the dippers
  c. Dippers: dip the dough wedges in melted butter and place the butter dipped wedges on the wax paper for the rollers
  d. Rollers: roll the butter-dipped dough wedges in cinnamon sugar and place the dough on the wax paper for the droppers
  e. Droppers: “drop” four dough wedges into each muffin cup

• Melt butter

• Combine sugar and cinnamon in a shallow dish or pie pan (1 T sugar and 1/8 t. cinnamon for each biscuit)

• Grease muffin tins with shortening or spray with cooking spray.

• Pre-heat oven according to biscuit package.

Supplies:

• Index cards
• Markers
• Wax paper
• Masking tape
• Refrigerated biscuit dough (at least one biscuit per child)
• Plastic knives
• Butter (about 1 T for every 2 biscuits)
• Glass measuring cup or other microwave-safe container for melting butter
• Sugar (about 1 T per biscuit)
• Cinnamon (about 1/8 t. per biscuit)
• Shallow dish for cinnamon and sugar
• Shortening or cooking spray
• Muffin tins (one or two, depending on number of biscuits you plan to make)
• Oven mitts or hot pads
• Sandwich bags
• Children’s Bible 

Lesson Plan

Opening:

Greet the children and introduce yourself. Explain the purpose of this workshop: Today we are going to make “Body of Christ Biscuits”. 

Introduce the Memory verse: 1 Corinthians 12:27: All of you together are the body of Christ. Each one of you is a part of that body.

Dig:

Lesson Activity: (open)

• Look at a kitchen appliance (not the oven that is heating). Ask the children what parts they notice. Point out that the appliance is one thing with many parts that help it work correctly. When one of the parts is missing or broken, it won’t work correctly.
• Explain that the church is like that, too. It is one thing, but there are many people who make it “work.”
• Tell the children that they are going to pretend to be like the church, with its many different parts. The biscuits are like the “work” of the church.
• Assign duties to the children and explain (show) what they are to do. You may want to start with more at the beginning of the line at first and adjust as necessary. Children who work more slowly can be at the end of the process; children who work more quickly can help them catch up later.
• Comment on how well they work together.
• When the children are done preparing the biscuits, put them in the oven and bake according to package directions. Note that one of the ovens gets too hot. Set the timer for less time, and have the shepherd or a helper check frequently.
• If there is time, have the children help you clean up. Try to save time for reading the passage and discussion.
• Discussion (no later than 10:07): Discuss how the process went—Did everyone always have something to do? Did you have more than one job? Which job did you like the best? Did you ever feel like you got behind? Did someone help you get caught up? How did that make you feel? Did you help anyone catch up on his or her job?
• Let the children know they can come back to the kitchen after worship to get a biscuit

Suggested by Wormy:

A Cooperative Body Option:
You might choose to group kids in threes. Blindfold one, Let only one speak and tie their hands loosely behind their back. And the third can only use their LEFT hand and has tape over their mouth. Together, they must make the biscuits.  You can even require them to help each other eat!

Scripture Story 1 Corinthians 12:12-20, 27 (dig)
Prepare the children for the story they will hear:
After Jesus went up to heaven, sometimes people in the first churches got jealous of each other and had arguments about who was greater. The Apostle Paul wrote letters to churches that were fighting among themselves and reminded them that they were supposed to be like Jesus new body, working together to do Jesus’ work. This story comes from a letter from Paul in the Bible, called the first letter to the Corinthians. Listen to the word of God:

3rd - 5th grades: Read from the Children’s Bible.
k - 2nd grades: Read the following, edited for simplicity from the International Children's Bible (modifications in brackets), or underline in light pencil what to read in a children’s Bible

A person’s body is only one thing, but it has many parts. Yes, there are many parts to a body, but all those parts make only one body. Christ is like that too. [We are all different] But we were all baptized into one body through one Spirit [the Holy Spirit]. And we were all made to share in the one Spirit.
And a person’s body has more than one part. It has many parts. The foot might say, “I am not a hand. So I am not part of the body.” But saying this would not stop the foot from being a part of the body. The ear might say, “I am not an eye. So I am not part of the body.” But saying this would not make the ear stop being a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, the body would not be able to hear. If the whole body were an ear, the body would not be able to smell anything. If each part of the body were the same part, there would be no body. But truly God put the parts in the body as he wanted them. He made a place for each one of them. And so there are many parts, but only one body.
…
All of you together are the body of Christ. Each one of you is a part of that body.

Discuss:

I wonder what is the body of Christ…
I wonder what it feels like to be a part of the body of Christ…
I wonder how I am a part of the body of Christ…
I wonder how our church is like a body…
I wonder how it feels to be a foot or an eye or a kneecap…
I wonder what part of the body you are…
I wonder how the parts of the church body help each other…
I wonder if any parts of the church body are missing or need help…

Reflection time:

Think of a time when you worked with someone on a project. Did they need help? Did you need help?

Closing Prayer–led by the SHEPHERD

Let the biscuits cool during worship and provide sandwich bags for the children to put one in to carry it home.

Clean up completely, washing and returning all items to the places where you found them.
Help children who are struggling, if they want help. Warn the class when they have just one minute left.

Closing Prayer–led by the SHEPHERD:
“Dear Jesus, thank you for giving each of us jobs to do in the church. ...Amen

Lesson adapted from: State Street UMC Body of Christ Cooking Workshop by First Presbyterian
Nevada, MO

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