WFMW: Goals in Sunday School

Goals should be set for Sunday School enrollment and attendance because it gives everyone an objective target to strive towards. In addition, goals provide an objective measure of performance so that you can gauge the effectiveness of your efforts.

 

Sunday School

I teach the early childhood class in our Sunday School program. Tomorrow’s lesson will be over the Good Samaritan. Here is my lesson plan:

Good Samaritan

Opening prayer

Review of friends – characteristics of friends (good, kind, honest, trustworthy, loving caring)

Today, we are going to learn about being loving and caring to one another – in the Bible we find out that Jesus told us about how someone took time out to care for someone who was hurting when no one else would.

Read & act out “the Good Samaritan”

Chant – Sing this song to the tune of “London Bridge.”

Jesus wants me to be kind,

to be kind, to be kind.

Jesus wants me to be kind,

Kindness makes me happy!

Reflection:

It’s easy not to help others. It’s easy to make up excuses to what we don’t want to do. What about the phrase about “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you?” What does God wants us to do as Christians?

Talk about it – Good Sam

Bible Memorization:

Galatians 5:14

The entire law is summed up in a single command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

Good Samaritan Maze Worksheet

Good Samaritan Coloring Book

Review and application

1. God wants us to love God, love our neighbors, and love ourselves.
2. We are good neighbors when we show kindness and mercy toward others no matter who they are.
3. We must listen to the teachings of Jesus and then go out and live them.
4. We should help others in need without expecting a reward.

Closing Prayer:

Lord, Help us to know your will in all that we do and help us do it. In your name we pray. Amen.

 

Free VBS resources

Click here for free VBS curriculum plans!

 

Memorizing Scripture

 I came across the following, which prompted my post:

 

To sugar-coat their deception, our children’s religious instructors are making the false claim that the world is in such bad condition that they don’t want to make life any more difficult on our children by asking them to memorize Holy Scriptures and commandments via rote memorization.

 

Pasted from <http://olinepublishing.blogspot.com/2010/05/war-of-sugar-coated-deception.html>

 

I think it is important to teach children to memorize Scripture.  I know in my own training, we are taught to emphasize principles / concepts rather than specifics, so that is why we do not emphasize rote memorization.  The reasoning? — we want the essence of the Scriptures to come alive, be understood, and impressed upon the heart.  Scripture is the very word of God which transcends any tangible existence.

 

 

Bible commentaries are awesome!

 (there — I said it!!)

What works for me when preparing for Sunday School lessons are commentaries. 

I love, love LOVE Bible commentaries.  A Bible commentary is a reference tool which compiles the works of theological scholars in the interpretation of Scripture.  My Bible study soared to new heights when I was introduced to the wonderful world of commentaries in my applied hermeneutics class!!  Good commentaries give you historical, biographical, contextual, geographical…FANTASTICAL notes about Scripture.  I started off with Matthew Henry’s commentary – an oldie, but a goodie, and then began working with several others, such as the Expositor’s Bible commentary. 

Other resources that also served me well:

Interpretation

Westminster’s Bible Companion

Oxford Bible Commentary

For more information on commentaries, check out www.bestcommentaries.com