The Widow's Mite
Lesson Set
See the complete set of Faith Quest Lessons
There are 6 workshops in this Widow's Mite unit:
This Post contains:
- GAMES: Grades 3-5 play "Wheel of Fortune", while Grades 1& 2 play a "Quiz", both explore some of the ways in which the church uses our gifts to do God’s work and fill out a “Promises to God” card with their plan for serving the church.
- VIDEO: Video - “Adventures from the Book of Virtues - Generosity”.
Below Post contains (quick link):
- DRAMA: by acting out and discussing the story of the Widow’s Mite children will explore the emotions of the people placing donations in the collection boxes and Jesus’ response to their donations. Children will learn that donations (time or money) to the Kirk help to do God’s work.
- PUPPETS: Children will explore this idea of “giving up” (sacrificing) in their gifts to others using 5 brief skits.
- ART: make a collage of examples of people giving out of faith in every day newspapers and magazines.
The Widow’s Mite
Games Workshop
Summary:
Grades 3-5 play "Wheel of Fortune", while Grades 1& 2 play a "Quiz", both explore some of the ways in which the church uses our gifts to do God’s work and fill out a “Promises to God” card with their plan for serving the church.
Scripture Reference:
Mark 12: 41-44
Key Verse: From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required. -- Luke 12:48 ...(NRSV)
Concepts:
- A gift is special when it is a sacrifice.
- We should give to the church because the church does God's work.
- An offering can be money, time and talents.
Lesson Objectives:
The children will:
- locate the story in their Bibles.
- play a game to explore some of the ways in which the church uses our gifts to do God’s work.
- discuss the idea that God expects more from those who have the most.
- fill out a “Promises to God” card with their plan for serving the church.
Leader Preparation:
- Read the scripture ahead of time.
- Gather the materials.
Supplies List:
- Whiteboard
- Game Wheel
- Game Puzzles & Questions (found at end of this lesson)
Presentation
Opening - Welcome and Introductions:
Greet the children and introduce yourself.
Explain that in this workshop, we’ll learn about giving to the church and how the church uses our gifts to do God’s work.
Dig - Main Content and Reflection:
Scripture/Bible Story:
Make sure the children know that the story is known as “The Widow’s Mite,” and that a mite is a small coin. (Even though modern translations don’t use the word mite, the phrase is still widely used, and they need to recognize the allusion when they hear it in the future.)
With fifth-graders, you might let several children take turns and read the story out loud. With other grades, read the story to them or tell the story in your own words.
Application:
Ask: “The widow was giving her money to the temple, just as we give to the church today. Why do we need to give to the church?” (Because the church does God’s work, and that requires our money and also our time.)
Grades 3-5: Explain that the children are going to play Wheel of Fortune with puzzles that tell ways in which the church uses our money, time and talents to do God’s work.
Divide the class into several teams of three to five players. Have the shepherd keep score on a piece of paper. Line the teams up and tell them they are going to guess letters to words and phrases that tell different ways in which the church does God’s work. Draw short lines on the white board to represent each letter of the first puzzle. (Use the list at the end of the lesson plan, and add your own ideas to the list.)
The teams will take turns spinning the game wheel, then guessing letters to fill in the blanks. Let the first person in line for the team spin and guess a letter. The spinner can ask his team for help, but he is the only one who can make the guess. Don’t bother with “buying” vowels, just let the kids guess them along with the consonants. If the spinner guesses correctly, fill in the letter(s) and award his team the points he spun for (don’t multiply by the number of times the letter appears). If he guesses a letter that is not in the puzzle, write it at the bottom of the white board; award no points but don’t subtract points. Either way, go on to the next team for the next spin. After spinning, the player goes to the end of his team’s line. One spin, one guess per turn.
Instead of guessing a letter, the spinner can attempt to solve the puzzle. If he gets it right, award his team the points he spun for. If wrong, award no points and go on to the next team.
Keep going until every child has spun at least once. If the kids are taking too long to guess, give them a 30-second limit and get the shepherd to time the game using the timer in the supply bin.
AS EACH PUZZLE IS SOLVED, ask the team what the word or phrase means, and how it is an example of the church doing God’s work. For example, ask: “What is Habitat for Humanity?” (An organization that builds houses for poor people. One Saturday of every month, Kirk members volunteer to help build houses. The Kirk also gives money to the Habitat organization every year.) “When church members help with Habitat for Humanity, are we doing God’s work?” (Yes, because Jesus cared for poor people and commanded us to love and help others.)
Grades 1-2: Tell the children they are going to play a game to learn about some of the ways our church does God’s work. Divide them into several teams of four or five kids and line the teams up as above. Explain that they will take turns spinning the wheel and answering questions about things that we do in our church.
Have the teams take turns as described above, with the child at the head of the line spinning and answering the question with the help of his teammates. Award points for correct answer, no points for wrong answer. Either way, the spinner goes to the end of his team’s line and it’s the next team’s turn.
AFTER EACH QUESTION, talk about what the activity is and why it is an example of doing God’s work. The idea is for them to become more aware of our church’s activities. Be sure you don’t give the impression that any of the “wrong” answers are “wrong” things to do – they’re just not the correct answer to the question at hand.
Use the multiple-choice questions at the end of the lesson plan, and add your own.
Reflection Time:
Gather in a circle and discuss: “In the game we thought about a lot of ways in which the church does God’s work. All of those things happen because church members give their money and their time and use their talents to do them. Now, some people have more money, or more time, or more abilities, than other people.
Look at the Bible verse on the wall. Let’s read it together. “From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required.” What do you think that means? (God expects more from people who have the most money, talents, time.) Did the widow have a little or a lot? (a little) Yet what did Jesus say about her offering? (She had given more than the rich people because she gave everything she had.) So whether God has given us a lot or a little, we need to use it to do God’s work.
Pass out the “Promises to God” cards (a Stewardship card for children. Faith Quest lessons - Widow's Mite, Promises to God card (Have the children think about how they can use their gifts to serve the church. Suggest that they think, “Do I have a little or a lot to give?” Then fill out the cards with their plan. Encourage them to share the cards with their parents. (This activity takes the place of journal writing. They will take the cards home with them.)
Closing:
Ask the children to sit quietly for a prayer. Thank God for all of our gifts and ask for guidance in how to use them to do God’s work. Ask for help in being generous like the widow in doing as much as we can for the church and for others.
Note: I find that the kids participate better if they get little rewards along the way. Skittles are highly motivating for some reason.
A lesson set from Kirk of Kildaire Presbyterian Church
This lesson plan is copyrighted and belongs to the Kirk of Kildaire Presbyterian, Cary North Carolina. It may be used for non-profit uses only.
A representative of Rotation.org reformatted this post to improve readability.
Games
"Wheel of Fortune" Puzzles (Grades 3-5)
WORSHIP (We praise God, pray, think and learn about how God wants us to live.)
CHOIR (People in the choir use their musical talent to praise God and help us worship)
ACOLYTES (Lighting candles shows that something special is happening, helps prepare us for worship. When the acolyte enters the sanctuary with the flame, it means “Christ is the light of the world.” When the acolyte leaves with the flame, it means “You are the light of the world.”
FAITH QUEST (Teaches kids about the Bible and what it means for our lives. Kids serve God by attending and learning; workshop leaders and shepherds serve God by giving lots of their time to Faith Quest.)
3-4-5 FAITH ALIVE (Getting together, making friends and having fun is a way to share God’s love with each other. Also, sometimes the group has helped the church with landscaping or does projects to help other people.)
YOUTH GROUP (Older kids also get together for fun, service, learning how to live as Christians.)
APPALACHIAN SERVICE PROJECT (High school students travel to the mountains and help build and repair houses for people who don’t have much money.)
SUMMER IN THE CITY (Middle school students spend four days helping at local service agencies like the North Carolina Food Bank, Tammy Lynn Center, Interact, Wake Interfaith Hospitality Network, the Boys and Girls Club. They spend one day gleaning vegetables left in fields after they have been harvested by machine.)
STEPHEN MINISTERS (church members who serve as special friends for people who are coping with an illness, or a death in the family, or a divorce, or losing their job, or some other crisis or big challenge.).
CAREGIVERS (church members who visit sick people, bring meals to families when somebody is sick, help out in other ways like giving people a ride to the doctor if they can’t drive.)
USHERS (make sure everybody has a bulletin and a seat, collect offering and assist with sound system)
HABITAT FOR HUMANITY (An organization that builds houses for poor people. One Saturday of every month, Kirk members get together and help build a house. The Kirk also gives money to the Habitat organization every year.)
WAKE INTERFAITH HOSPITALITY NETWORK (An organization that uses churches to give homeless families a place to stay. Four weeks of the year, 5 or 6 homeless families eat supper and sleep at the Kirk. Lots of Kirk members help with this by serving meals, spending the night, playing with the children, driving the van, and hauling beds and supplies in and out. The Kirk also gives money to WIHN every year.)
ARK SHELTER (A place in Raleigh where homeless women stay. On the second Monday of every month, Kirk members cook dinner and serve it at the Ark, and a Kirk member works at the front desk. The Kirk also gives money to Urban Ministries of Raleigh, the organization that operates the Ark.)
MADAGASCAR (an island off the coast of Africa where the Kirk helps support two missionaries, Dan and Elizabeth Turk. Dan is a forester and works to teach people about taking care of the land. Elizabeth is a nurse and teaches people about how to have good health. The Kirk gives money every year to support the Turks and their work in Madagascar.)
AFTER-SCHOOL TUTORS (A new program at the Kirk this year. Two afternoons a week, Kirk members help children who live in the church’s neighborhood who need help with their school work.)
CARYING PLACE (An organization that teaches homeless people how to spend their money wisely and helps them to find a place to live. The Carying Place meets at the Kirk in the fellowship hall every Tuesday night, and lots of Kirk members volunteer there, working with homeless families, serving meals, or helping with child care during the meetings. The Kirk also gives money to the Carying Place every year.)
FAMILY TIES (The Kirk’s Christmas project, providing Christmas gifts for people who don’t have much money. In November you can choose a card from the bulletin board and buy a gift for somebody.)
REFUGEES (The Kirk has helped families move to America from Bosnia, Poland, Ethiopia and other countries to escape war or bad treatment. Kirk members help the refugees get jobs, find a place to live, learn English, go to college. Right now we are waiting for another family from Bosnia who we hope will arrive soon.)
FOOD OFFERING (On the first Sunday of every month we bring canned and boxed foods to church. It is taken to the Dorcas Shop and given to people who are in an emergency and need food.)
PENNIES FOR HUNGER (On the first Sunday of every month we bring pennies and other money for this offering. It goes to a lot of different programs that help to keep people from going hungry.)
MEALS ON WHEELS (Delivers meals to old people and others who are not able to cook for themselves. On the second and fourth Wednesday of every month, Kirk members pick up the meals and deliver them. It takes 12 people to deliver the meals in the Cary area. The Kirk also gives money to the Meals on Wheels organization every year. )
Games
Quiz Questions (Grades 1-2)
Which of these things is something we do at our church every Sunday?
a. Play soccer
b. Worship (We praise God, pray, think and learn about how God wants us to live.)
c. Cook hot dogs
Which of these groups of people helps us to worship?
a. The Girl Scouts
b. The Boy Scouts
c. The choir (People in the choir use their musical talent to praise God and help us worship)
What is the name for the kids who light the candles in the sanctuary?
a. Sopranos
b. Acolytes (Lighting candles shows that something special is happening, helps prepare us for worship.)
c. Ushers
Where can you go to learn about the Bible?
a. Faith Quest (Teaches kids about the Bible and what it means for our lives. Kids serve God by attending and learning; workshop leaders and shepherds serve God by giving lots of their time to Faith Quest.)
b. Chuck E. Cheese
c. Disney World
Which of these is a special activity just for third, fourth and fifth graders?
a. 3-4-5 FAITH ALIVE (Getting together, making friends and having fun is a way to share God’s love with each other. Also, sometimes the group helps the church with landscaping or does projects to help other people.)
b. Cherub choir
c. Vacation Bible School
Which of these is a special activity just for kids in middle school and high school?
a. Stephen Ministry
b. Meals on Wheels
c. Youth group (Older kids also get together for fun, service, learning how to live as Christians.)
When people visit our church for the first time, afterwards somebody from the church goes to their house and takes them a gift. What is it?
a. A vase of flowers
b. A loaf of bread (We share God’s love with visitors by making them feel welcome in the church)
c. A puppy
There’s a group of people in our church called the Caregivers. One thing they do is:
a. Cut the grass
b. Preach sermons
c. Visit sick people (They also take meals to families where somebody is sick, drive people to the doctor and help out in other ways when there is an illness or death in the family.)
Which of these things happens in the mountains?
a. Appalachia Service Project (High school students travel to the mountains and help build and repair houses for people who don’t have much money.)
b. Wake Interfaith Hospitality Network
c. The Carying Place
Which of these is a special program just for middle school students? a. Faith Quest
b. Vacation Bible School
c. Summer in the City (Middle school students spend four days helping at local service agencies like the North Carolina Food Bank, Tammy Lynn Center, Interact, Wake Interfaith Hospitality Network, the Boys and Girls Club. They spend one day gleaning vegetables left in fields after they have been harvested by machine.)
Our church helps to support an organization that builds houses for poor people. This organization is called
a. Meals on Wheels
b. Habitat For Humanity (One Saturday of every month, Kirk members get together and help build a house. The Kirk also gives money to the Habitat organization every year.)
c. The Red Cross
One organization that helps homeless families is called
a. Wake Interfaith Hospitality Network (An organization that uses churches to give homeless families a place to stay. Four weeks of the year, 5 or 6 homeless families eat supper and sleep at the Kirk. Lots of Kirk members help with this by serving meals, spending the night, playing with the children, driving the van, and hauling beds and supplies in and out. The Kirk also gives money to WIHN every year.)
b. Faith Quest
c. The choir
There’s a place in Raleigh where homeless women can stay. This place is called
a. Crabtree Valley Mall
b. The Farmers Market
c. The Ark Shelter (On the second Monday of every month, Kirk members cook dinner and serve it at the Ark, and a Kirk member volunteers to work at the front desk, answering the phone and greeting the residents as they arrive. The Kirk also gives money to Urban Ministries of Raleigh, the organization that operates the Ark.)
Missionaries are people who travel to other places to help people. The Kirk gives money every year to help two missionaries who work in the country of
a. Canada
b. Madagascar (Dan and Elizabeth Turk are missionaries in Madagascar, an island off the coast of Africa. Dan is a forester and works to educate people about taking care of the land. Elizabeth is a nurse and teaches people about how to have good health. The Kirk gives money every year to support the Turks and their work in Madagascar, and we also pray for them and write letters to them.)
c. France
The Kirk has just started an after-school tutoring program. This is a way for church members to help children who live nearby and need help with their
a. swimming
b. basketball
c. reading and math
Another program that helps homeless families is called
a. The Carying Place (An organization that teaches homeless people how to spend their money wisely and helps them to find a place to live. The Carying Place meets at the Kirk in the fellowship hall every Tuesday night, and lots of Kirk members volunteer there, working with homeless families, serving meals, or helping with child care during the meetings. The Kirk also gives money to the Carying Place every year.)
b. Meals on Wheels
c. Family ties
The Kirk’s Christmas project is called
a. Vacation Bible School
b. Choir practice
c. Family Ties (How we provide Christmas gifts for people who don’t have much money. In November you can choose a card from the bulletin board and buy a gift for somebody.)
Sometimes people come to America to escape wars and other hardships in their home countries. These people are called:
a. Teachers
b. Refugees (The Kirk has helped refugees from Bosnia, Poland, Ethiopia and other countries. Kirk members help the refugees get jobs, find a place to live, learn English, go to college. Right now we are waiting for another family from Bosnia who we hope will arrive soon.)
c. Pastors
On the first Sunday of every month, church members bring something to church and put it in baskets outside the sanctuary. What they bring is:
a. Toys
b. Clothes
c. Food (On the first Sunday of every month we bring canned and boxed foods to church. The food offering is taken to the Dorcas Shop and given to people who are in an emergency and need food.)
On the first Sunday of every month, we bring money for a special offering called:
a. Pennies for Hunger (On the first Sunday of every month we bring pennies and other money for this offering. It goes to a lot of different programs that help to keep people from going hungry.)
b. Toys for Tots
c. Sweets for the Sweet
Old people and others who can’t cook for themselves can have food delivered to their homes. This is called
a. Stars on Ice
b. Meals on Wheels (Delivers meals to old people and others who are not able to cook for themselves. On the second and fourth Wednesday of every month, Kirk members pick up the meals and deliver them. It takes 12 people to deliver the meals in the Cary area. The Kirk also gives money to the Meals on Wheels organization every year. )
c. Hooked on Phonics
The Widow's Mite
Video Workshop
Summary:
Uses video - “Adventures from the Book of Virtues - Generosity”.
Scripture Reference:
Mark 12:38-44
Memory Verse:
Matthew 22:37-39 Jesus said, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind. This is the first and most important commandment. The second most important commandment is like this one. And it is, ‘Love others as much as you love yourself.’” CEV
Concepts:
- A gift is special when it is a sacrifice.
- Even a little gift can be important.
Objectives:
- Children will view the video “Adventures from the Book of Virtues - Generosity”.
- Children will learn about a generous attitude - generosity of the spirit.
- Children will discuss ways they can be kind to someone.
Leader Preparation:
- Read the scripture ahead of time.
- Gather the materials.
Supplies List:
- Adventures from the Book of Virtues- Generosity DVD.
Presentation
Opening - Welcome and Introductions:
Greet the children and introduce yourself
Explain the purpose of this workshop is to learn about being generous in spirit. We will learn about being kind to others as a way of loving God. We’ll talk about what we can do to be kind to others.
Dig - Main Content and Reflection:
Today we are going to learn two Bible stories that teach us about bringing our offering to God and how we should use it. Listen and see if you can tell me which is the right way and which is the wrong way. Listen for the word of God.
Read Mark 12:38-40. CEV. Ask the children “What were the religious leaders doing that Jesus didn’t like?” (They were showing off, taking the best for themselves and not looking after the poor and widows.) Read Mark 12:41-44 CEV. Ask the children: Who did Jesus think did the better thing? The widow or the rich men? Why?
The teachers of the Law of Moses were the temple priests and Pharisees. Offerings to the temple were quite different from our church offerings. Most of the temple offerings went to paying for the priests and the temple. Very little money went to help the poor widows, orphans or strangers. This is really different from our understanding of how our offerings are to be put to use. When we give to the church, we expect a good deal of it to go to help the needy. So, Jesus condemns the rich people for pouring vast amounts of money into the temple while ignoring their obligation to be generous with widows, orphans, and strangers.
The widow's story is a contrast to the Pharisees story. The widow gives everything she has to God. The Pharisees and priests are not living up to God's commandment to care for widows, orphans, and strangers.
The point of these two stories together is that we must love God and show it as the widow did by giving to the church offering but also, we must love others by looking after the poor, homeless and needy with our offerings of money, time and talent – something the religious leaders did not do! This is what our memory verse says: love God and love each other.
Read the Memory verse together. The video we are going to watch is about loving others. There are 4 stories in today’s video about generosity of the spirit. Being generous is an attitude! You can be generous because you want recognition (like the rich men and the teachers of the Law of Moses) or you can be generous without calling attention to yourself (as the widow did). In each of the stories watch and listen for who was generous and what they did.
Application:
Show the movie. This video is approximately 30 minutes long.
Discuss:
- Why were Zach and Annie arguing as they planned their reward for bringing the food to the homeless. (they wanted to brag about doing a good deed, whose name should be first.) Who in the Bible story was bragging? (the rich men and the religious leaders) What did they finally decide to do (to give the food in secret.)
- Why did the young prince agree to let the Rocking horse go at last? (He loved the horse and wanted what was best for it.)
- What did old Mr. Rabbit do at Thanksgiving? (He shared his food with the other animals and made a special Thanksgiving for everyone)
- What was so special about the gifts that the couple gave each other (They sacrificed something special to make the other happy.)
Reflection Time:
Read the poem "Count the Day Lost" slowly and carefully for the children. This was the poem recited at the end of the video. Ask the children to think about what they can do to be kind to someone. Brainstorm ideas for being kind to others, friends, parents, siblings. Glue the poem to the journal sheet.
Prompts for journal writing: Describe (or draw a picture of) one or two ways you can be helpful or kind to 1) a friend 2) a family member, and do it this week.
Closing:
Say a prayer asking God to help us see ways to be kind, to think of the needs of others, to say something kind, to do something good without being asked. Help us to remember to do our acts of kindness this week and make each day count as “a day well spent.”
References:
- Adventures from the Book of Virtues – Generosity, PBS Kids, Porchlight Entertainment. Distributed by Vision Video Gateway Films
June 28/2010 - Moderator notes: This movie can be found on the DVD called "A Christmas Carol for Annie", Adventures from the Book of Virtue, and is the bonus feature called "The Gift of the Magi" by Porchlight #810863010371.
To Preview the video go to: https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x8ja33k
Poem
Count the Day Lost – by George Eliot
If you sit down at set of sun
And count the acts that you have done
And counting find one self-denying deed
One word that eased the heart of him who heard,
One glance most kind that fell like sunshine where it went.
Then you may count that day well spent.
