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John Wesley

Music Lesson

K-3rd Grades

Summary: hear story pausing several times to sing a song.

Memory Verse:
Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole creation.
Mark 16:15

Objectives:

  • John Wesley was the founder of Methodism.
  • John Wesley was called by God.
  • John Wesley spread the good news of Jesus to all people.
  • Methodism spread to the United States around the time of the American Revolution.
  • The first American Methodist preachers were circuit riders.
  • Camp meetings led many people to Jesus.

Supplies:

  • CD with music
  • Slides with words for the songs
  • Bibles
  • J.W. & Company by Daphna Flegal, published by Cokesbury

Lesson Plan:

Outline:

  • Arrival Activity
  • Opening
  • Memory Verse
  • The Story
  • Closing

Arrival Activity
As people enter the room, welcome them.
Have the CD playing the music for this lesson as everyone arrives.

Opening:

Open by leading the kids in the Lord’s Prayer.
Have the kids introduce themselves. Introduce yourself to them, too.

(1st week) Tell the students that we are studying the life of John Wesley, the founder of Methodism.

(other weeks) Ask the students who are we studying? What do you know about him?

Memory Verse
Review the memory verse.
Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole creation.
Mark 16:15

Dig:


The Story

John Wesley was a man who lived in England in the 1700s. John Wesley felt he was called by God to tell others about Jesus and help people in need. He started a religious movement called Methodism. The United Methodist Church is founded on John Wesley’s ideas.

John Wesley was born in 1703 in Epworth, England. His father was an Anglican priest. His mother, Susanna, a strong, intelligent woman, raised their family in a tradition of Christian service and worship.

One night when John was young, their house caught fire. All the other people in the house escaped, but John was trapped in the children’s attic bedroom. Some neighbors managed to rescue him just in time. His family was ecstatic and gave thanks to God.

Song: Hallelu/Praise the Lord (Divide into 2 groups: 1 for the Hallelus and 1 for the Praise the Lords. Have each group stand when it is their “turn” to sing and then be seated when it is the other group’s turn.)

His mother thereafter thought him especially set apart by God – “a brand plucked from the burning.”

In 1714, at age 11, John was sent away to school in London and later, at 17, to Christ Church College, Oxford. There he proved to be an excellent student, particularly gifted in languages and theology.

When he was 23, he was appointed a fellow of Lincoln College, Oxford. In 1728, at age 25, Wesley was ordained a priest of the Church of England.

Shortly after his ordination, John joined his brother Charles and other Oxford students who had formed a religious society called the Holy Club. Each member of the Holy Club did these things: Got up early; read the Bible; prayed; didn’t waste time. Fellow students nicknamed the club members “methodists” because the members had a method to everything they did. The Holy Club members felt that their methods helped them be more like what God wanted them to be.

The Holy Club members felt called to help others. They visited prisons to read Scripture and pray with the prisoners. The members of the Holy Club also used their own money to buy food, clothing, and medicines for people who were in need.

In 1735, John went on a mission trip to the colony of Georgia in North America. The mission was not a success. John began to question his faith. He felt like he had fallen short of what God wanted him to do. He had a lot of knowledge about God, but he didn’t feel close to God in his heart.

Song: Lord I Want to Be A Christian

After John came back to London, he went to a Bible study meeting on Aldersgate Street in London. At that meeting, John said, “I felt my heart strangely warmed.” He felt God’s love. He felt that God was sending him to tell everyone about God’s love.

Song: Go Into All the World (from God's Great Gallery – Cokesbury VBS 2002)

John began preaching outside of the churches. Many people came to hear him preaching, especially the people who were poor. John started riding his horse from place to place. He preached two or three times every day, seven days a week. He carried a saddlebag with books and food. He would preach in the fields, in the mines, and near factories. He averaged 15 sermons a week and travelled 4500 miles a year, mostly on horseback. John Wesley felt that the world was his parish.

Song: Big House (from Sing & Shout Songs for Children’s Ministry Volume 1) (teach motions)

John and his brother Charles took the good news about Jesus to people who were not welcome inside the churches. They went to hospitals, workhouses, and prisons. John was the first person to open a place where poor people could come to get free medicines. He hired a doctor and a pharmacist to help people who could not pay for medicines or doctor visits.

John also organized Methodist Societies. These were class meetings or small groups that met to share their faith and help each live as Christians. The Societies usually met in people’s homes. You could compare these societies with today’s Sunday Schools.

To help spread the good news about Jesus, John’s brother Charles wrote many songs. He usually only wrote the words. He used music from popular tunes that people already knew. You probably know several of his songs: O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing, A Charge to Keep I Have, Hark the Herald Angels Sing, and Christ the Lord is Risen Today are all written by Charles Wesley.

The Methodist movement crossed the sea from England to the American colonies. Circuit riders traveled on horseback from town to town telling others the good news about Jesus. Thomas Coke was sent to America after the American Revolution. He became the first American bishop. Thomas Coke ordained another man, Francis Asbury. Francis Asbury traveled 275,000 miles, mostly on horseback, to tell people the good news about Jesus.

Francis Asbury set up the early American church into circuits. Each circuit was made up of several towns. A preacher traveled the circuit from town to town. It was often more than a month before the preacher returned to the same town.

It was hard to be a circuit rider. He traveled on his horse carrying everything he owned in his saddlebags. He often slept on the ground, even in the rain and snow.

Song: Circuit Riders (from J.W. & Company) (teach motions)

Camp meetings were times for many people to come together for worship and fellowship. Camp meetings usually were held once or twice a year. Sometimes as many as one thousand people would come to the meetings. Families would set up camp and stay for five to ten days. People would meet together for hours at a time. The best preacher in the area would preach and people would sing hymns. Hundreds of people would become Christians at the camp meetings. The camp meetings included lots of singing, as well as preaching. The songs they sang included ones written by the Wesleys.

Song: O For A Thousand Tongues to Sing (from J.W. & Company)

Closing
You or the shepherd need to lead the kids in Joys and Concerns. Go around the group asking each kid if they have a Joy (happy thing) they want to share. Then, go around again and ask for Concerns (sad things).

Someone needs to offer a closing prayer. If that is you, then you can pray something like this:

Dear God, thank you for this chance to learn about you. Help us share your good news with others by our words and our actions. Amen.

Extras While waiting for parents to arrive
Sing the Books of the New Testament song.

Work on learning the memory verse. Sit in a circle. Pass a bean bag around the circle. Each person says the next word in the verse when they get the bean bag. After going around the circle several times, start tossing the bean bag across the circle instead of always to the next person.

Cleanup
Make sure all instruments are put away in the closet and that the sound system and slide projector are turned off.




John Wesley

Music Lesson

4th-5th Grades

Summary: hear story pausing several times to sing a song.

Memory Verse:
Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole creation.
Mark 16:15

Objectives:

  • John Wesley was the founder of Methodism.
  • John Wesley was called by God.
  • John Wesley spread the good news of Jesus to all people.
  • John & Charles Wesley used songs to teach about Jesus

Supplies:

  • CD with music
  • Slides with words for the songs
  • Bibles
  • Clipboards
  • Pencils
  • Paper
  • J.W. & Company by Daphna Flegal, published by Cokesbury

Lesson Plan:

Outline:

  • Arrival Activity
  • Opening
  • Memory Verse
  • The Story
  • Activity
  • Closing


Arrival Activity
Have the music playing as the kids arrive.

Opening:

Begin class by leading the kids in saying the Lord’s Prayer.
Have the kids introduce themselves. Introduce yourself to them!

(1st week) Tell the students that we are studying the life of John Wesley, the founder of Methodism.

(other weeks) Ask the students who are we studying? What do you know about him?

Memory Verse
Review the memory verse.
Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole creation.
Mark 16:15

Dig:

The Story
John Wesley was a man who lived in England in the 1700s. John Wesley felt he was called by God to tell others about Jesus and help people in need. He started a religious movement called Methodism. The United Methodist Church is founded on John Wesley’s ideas.

John Wesley was born in 1703 in Epworth, England. His father was an Anglican priest. His mother, Susanna, a strong, intelligent woman, raised their family in a tradition of Christian service and worship.

One night when John was young, their house caught fire. All the other people in the house escaped, but John was trapped in the children’s attic bedroom. Some neighbors managed to rescue him just in time. His family was ecstatic and gave thanks to God.

Song: Hallelu/Praise the Lord (Divide into 2 groups: 1 for the Hallelujahs and 1 for the Praise the Lords. Have each group stand when it is their “turn” to sing and then be seated when it is the other group’s turn.)

His mother thereafter thought him especially set apart by God – “a brand plucked from the burning.”

In 1714, at age 11, John was sent away to school in London and later, at 17, to Christ Church College, Oxford. There he proved to be an excellent student, particularly gifted in languages and theology.

When he was 23, he was appointed a fellow of Lincoln College, Oxford. In 1728, at age 25, Wesley was ordained a priest of the Church of England.

Shortly after his ordination, John joined his brother Charles and other Oxford students who had formed a religious society called the Holy Club. Each member of the Holy Club did these things: Got up early; read the Bible; prayed; didn’t waste time. Fellow students nicknamed the club members “methodists” because the members had a method to everything they did. The Holy Club members felt that their methods helped them be more like what God wanted them to be.

The Holy Club members felt called to help others. They visited prisons to read Scripture and pray with the prisoners. The members of the Holy Club also used their own money to buy food, clothing, and medicines for people who were in need.

In 1735, John went on a mission trip to the colony of Georgia in North America. The mission was not a success. John began to question his faith. He felt like he had fallen short of what God wanted him to do. He had a lot of knowledge about God, but he didn’t feel close to God in his heart.

Song: Lord I Want to Be A Christian

After John came back to London, he went to a Bible study meeting on Aldersgate Street in London. At that meeting, John said, “I felt my heart strangely warmed.” He felt God’s love. He felt that God was sending him to tell everyone about God’s love.

Song: Go Into All the World (from God's Great Gallery – Cokesbury VBS 2002)

John began preaching outside of the churches. Many people came to hear him preaching, especially the people who were poor. John started riding his horse from place to place. He preached two or three times every day, seven days a week. He carried a saddlebag with books and food. He would preach in the fields, in the mines, and near factories. He averaged 15 sermons a week and travelled 4500 miles a year, mostly on horseback. John Wesley felt that the world was his parish.

Song: Big House (from Sing & Shout Songs for Children’s Ministry Volume 1) (teach motions)

John and his brother Charles took the good news about Jesus to people who were not welcome inside the churches. They went to hospitals, workhouses, and prisons. John was the first person to open a place where poor people could come to get free medicines. He hired a doctor and a pharmacist to help people who could not pay for medicines or doctor visits.

John also organized Methodist Societies. These were class meetings or small groups that met to share their faith and help each live as Christians. The Societies usually met in people’s homes. You could compare these societies with today’s Sunday Schools.

To help spread the good news about Jesus, John’s brother Charles wrote many songs. He usually only wrote the words. He used music from popular tunes that people already knew. You probably know several of his songs: O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing, A Charge to Keep I Have, Hark the Herald Angels Sing, and Christ the Lord is Risen Today are all written by Charles Wesley.

Activity
New Songs to Old Tunes
(Intro from top of page 84 in J.W. & Company)

Display the slide with the new songs to old tunes (from page 85 in J.W. & Company). Go over some of the songs.

Pass out the clipboards (with paper), pencils, and Bibles.
Divide the students into group of 2-4 people. Have each group try to write a song to a familiar tune. They can use a Bible verse or Bible story.

Give them the suggested topics & tunes from page 84 in J.W. & Company, noting that they are welcome to use more contemporary songs.

If students have difficulty getting started, you can put topics on folded sheets of paper and have each group draw one slip of paper.

Have the students share the songs they’ve written (they don’t have to sing them – they can just read the words and say what tune they used)

Closing:

You or the shepherd need to lead the kids in Joys and Concerns. Go around the group asking each kid if they have a Joy (happy thing) they want to share. Then, go around again and ask for Concerns (sad things).

Someone needs to offer a closing prayer. If that is you, then you can pray something like this:

Dear God, thank you for this chance to learn about you. Help us share your good news with others by our words and our actions. Amen.

Extras While waiting for parents to arrive
Sing the Books of the New Testament song.

Work on learning the memory verse. Sit in a circle. Pass a bean bag around the circle. Each person says the next word in the verse when they get the bean bag. After going around the circle several times, start tossing the bean bag across the circle instead of always to the next person.

Cleanup
Make sure all instruments are put away in the closet and that the sound system and slide projector are turned off.
Pick up any papers, pencils, & clipboards.

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

Last edited by Luanne Payne
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