Order for today:
I will introduce myself as Mrs. Elizabeth
and tell them how excited I am to be teaching them,
that we will learn lots together about the Lord, the
Church Feasts and Saints. I will make clear
that this is not exactly like a school class because
we will have lots of different activities depending
on the week and that I want to have time to
just talk about things with them and not
miss their questions.
Our church loves them and we are hear together to
see how God gave us the church for
us out of His deep love for us and that the
life with peace, true joy and true life is found here in church.
*
1. Introduce the Jesus Prayer and pass out prayer ropes.
2. Practice saying Jesus prayer together.
3. Practice saying the prayer silently in your seat.
Note: We are going to begin each Sunday School class
with handing out prayer ropes to each child. We will then sit quietly
and do some Jesus prayers (for the youngest kids it will be
"Lord have mercies") together. The prayer ropes will be collected
again at the end of class for next time.
I was told about this at the
Sunday School conference I was at, of another church
that begins Sunday School this way. Not only does this
help us focus on Christ at the very outset but it
teaches us about prayer by doing prayer, calms and quiets us,
and hopefully instills in all of us the desire and habit of
doing the Jesus prayer in our lives.
*
Check time after this (1-3) is done.
*
Possibly get juice and crackers out during this time for the kids
*
2. Get everyone's name, birthday, Saint and Name's day written down
*
Possibilities for teaching:
Read this book: The Jesus Prayer and Me
*
Discuss the Jesus prayer:
Do you know where the Jesus prayer is from?
Ask kids and see what they say.
Then tell them about this:
The words of the Jesus Prayer are themselves based on Scriptural texts: the cry of the blind man sitting at the side of the road near Jericho, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me" (Luke 18:38); the ten lepers who "called to him, Jesus, Master, take pity on us' " (Luke 17:13); and the cry for mercy of the publican, "God, be merciful to me, a sinner" (Luke 18:14).
*
3. If there is more time, hand out paper and have them draw
either something about the people in the New Testament asking
Christ for mercy OR draw something about where you think
you can do "Lord have mercy's" OR draw something you like
about church - could be your names day, Christmas, Pascha,
or something else.
4. If there is still more time, read a story that I have brought with me:
Note: this story goes well with learning about the Jesus Prayer
as it speaks of how we need to nurture the Garden of our Soul so
that Christ can be more and more within,
making beauty and spreading life.
*
Be sure to remember to collect prayer ropes from
all children by the end of the time together.
If it seems that the prayer ropes are in danger of getting dirty
or being dropped on the ground, they can be collected earlier.
*
The main goal for today is to get comfortable with
the routine of Sunday school, understand how
we are going to start the time together with
doing Jesus prayers,
and get the information in #2.
This means that if we do not get to any more
"teaching" today that is listed here, that's OK.
If the children know they are loved at our church,
in our Sunday School Program and understand the
structure of it.
No comments:
Post a Comment