Paul's Jail Lesson Idea

This was probably the best lesson I did last year--we also transformed a classroom into a jail, "arrested" the kids (using older kids as guards so we didn't scare the little guys), and ate bread and water. The kids loved it.

However, after the "fun" part of the lesson, we then shifted gears a bit and I gave a brief age-appropriate presentation to the kids on Christians who are CURRENTLY imprisoned for their faith around the world. I found a great organization online called Release International (based in the UK). They provide you with a frequently-updated, downloadable info pack on specific Christians, with letter-writing materials giving names and prison addresses and information about what led to their arrest. They are very clear about which prisoners it is safe to write to (for the prisoners and their families) and which individuals should simply be prayed for because to write or contact them would endanger them.

Prior to the lesson, I had gone through and culled out several prisoners with interesting (and not too scary) stories that I thought were appropriate to share with our kids (who range in age from 4-10 years old). I presented the prisoners' stories to a completely spellbound audience--I have never seen the kids so focused on anything. Afterwards, we wrote letters (the writers) or drew pictures (the younger ones) to send to the prisoners. Two adults from the congregation with an interest in prison ministry volunteered to help the older kids with letter writing, spelling, etc. Kids who finished more quickly were put to work making a long paper chain out of grey construction paper.

We ended the morning by sitting in a circle and holding the paper chain. We went around the circle and each person got a chance to say a prayer for someone or something. As they prayed, they got to break the link they were holding. We went around the circle 3-4 times, and the kids were praying fast and furiously, with an attentiveness and intensity that I have rarely witnessed. The first round was rather predictable--lots of prayers for the prisoners and their families. But it quickly turned very personal with kids praying for their dead family members, their parents who are fighting, dead pets, etc.--clearly an unburdening of little hearts, and a true breaking of chains. One of the dads who was present teared up witnessing such an outpouring of prayer and emotion. But I should stress that it wasn't a sad time--the kids seemed to be finding great relief in their prayers.

What I took from the experience is that kids, even the littlest ones, can handle very serious topics (e.g. currently imprisoned Christians) if the lesson is presented in a non-scary way and they are given a chance to do something truly meaningful about it. We wound up posting copies of our letters (along with a map) on a bulletin board in our church hallway, and some adults were moved to take down the addresses of the prisoners and write their own letters. It turned out to be a ministry and education for the whole parish. Thank you all for the great ideas that helped spark the "Christians in prison" theme!