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Reply to ""Cruising with Paul" (a summer of workshop lessons) --from St John Lutheran"

Paul's Travels

Missions Station


Workshop-specific Goals:

  • Realize that God cares less about the amount that we give, and cares more about WHY we give and HOW we give.
  • Learn that God wants us to give out of love for Him and for others.


For scripture and background - see above.


Preparation:

  1. Review Background notes. The Bible passage for this story is 2 Cor 8: 1-5, 10-14.
  2. Gather the materials.
  3. Refer to schedule and decide how you will make adjustments for the different ages.
  4. Each of the students has their own passport, which is kept in the teaching box for the summer. At the end of class, you or the guide should hand out the passports. The students will have the opportunity to write/draw on the passport page. There is also a space for you to put their passport stamp. Check the supply list for the proper stamp (the stamp applies to the lesson).
  5. Look at the passport page for your “city” for the background information and question of the day that the students will be getting (copy at end of lesson).
  6. Tape the map onto the wall and locate the city/region you are teaching about today so you are ready for the first part of the lesson.


Materials List:

  • Bibles (supplied in teaching box)
  • Large map of Paul’s journeys (tape to the wall)
  • Construction paper star to place on the map
  • Tape
  • Passport stamp of the 2 hands
  • Inkpad
  • Pencils, markers, crayons
  • Student passports (kept in teaching box for the summer)
  • Paper, notecards
  • Donations that the students/congregation have brought in

 



Lesson Plan


Opening:

Make sure you have your nametag on. Introduce yourself to the students.

Open with a prayer .

We would like to have a consistent opening and closing to each class, especially since the teacher and station changes each week. Please start the class by having everyone make the sign of the cross and say: “We make our beginning in the name of God the Father—and God the Son—and God the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Dig:

Introduction & Bible Story:
Please make sure that the students hear and “get” the Bible story as well as the application of that story to their lives. The Bible story is the MOST important part of the lesson—it is much more important than the activity associated with this station!
Say: This summer for Sunday School we are going on a Mediterranean cruise with the Apostle Paul. Every week we will visit a different port and learn something about Paul’s life or his teachings. This week we are visiting Macedonia, which was a region in northern Greece. It included cities like Philippi and Thessalonica. Locate this city/region on the large map and put the construction paper star with the appropriate name on the map. After the first week, you could ask the students some of the other places that they have “visited” and what they did and learned.

Paul was taking a collection of money for the poor Christians in Jerusalem. The churches in Macedonia were extremely generous. Paul was using them as a wonderful example as he wrote to the people in Corinth.
Read the passage from 1 Corinthians 8: 1-5, 10-14.

1My friends, we want you to know that the churches in Macedonia [a] have shown others how kind God is. 2Although they were going through hard times and were very poor, they were glad to give generously. 3They gave as much as they could afford and even more, simply because they wanted to. 4They even asked and begged us to let them have the joy of giving their money for God's people. 5And they did more than we had hoped. They gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us, just as God wanted them to do.

Ask: Were the churches in Macedonia wealthy? (No—going through hard times, very poor). How did this affect their giving? (generous, gave more than they could afford, asked to be able to give) Why were they so generous? (gave themselves to God first, wanted to do His will, cared about the people in Jerusalem…)
10A year ago you were the first ones to give, and you gave because you wanted to. So listen to my advice. 11I think you should finish what you started. If you give according to what you have, you will prove that you are as eager to give as you were to think about giving. 12It doesn't matter how much you have. What matters is how much you are willing to give from what you have.
Ask: What do you think this means—what matters is how much you are willing to give from what you have? God doesn’t just look at the amount that we give. He cares about WHY we give to others—love for God and for others, the joy of giving and helping others.
13I am not trying to make life easier for others by making life harder for you. But it is only fair 14for you to share with them when you have so much, and they have so little. Later, when they have more than enough, and you are in need, they can share with you. Then everyone will have a fair share.

We are going to put this into practice with our mission project.

Activities:
Insert your own mission project. We were collecting donations for someone in our congregation who adopts combat troops and sends them personal notes and various items (snacks,lotion,hand sanitizer, etc)

Reflection:

Pass out the passports to the students. Have each student write their name on the cover. Read the key point and the question for the day. Give them a few moments to write/draw in their passport. While they are doing this, go around and stamp in to each passport.

Closing Prayer:

We would like to have a consistent opening and closing to each class, especially since the teacher and station changes each week. Please end the class with this benediction from Numbers 6: 24-26 (CEV). Make the sign of the cross and say:
I pray that the LORD will bless and protect you, and that He will show you mercy and kindness. May the LORD be good to you and give you peace. Amen.


A lesson by Cathy Walz from: St. John Lutheran Church

A representative of Rotation.org reformatted this post to improve readability

Last edited by Rotation.org Lesson Forma-teer
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