Games and Activities
We Are The Church: Lesson 3
Make a List
Supplies: Pen and Piece of Paper
First Make a list of all the things that you can think of that need to get done at a church. Try and list as many as you can think of. Once you have the list order the items from most important to least important.
After making this list spend some time talking about who is responsible for each job on the list. Some of them might have multiple people or even non-paid persons responsible for them.
Leadership Crest
Supplies: Paper and art supplies
Some people might not have a family crest, but everyone knows what they are: a visual representation of that clan’s strengths. It’s something that explains the family. We can apply that same idea to leadership. We are going to make a crest that represents the values, beliefs and ideas of a great leader.
First, draw a crest or download and print one by clicking here. We are going to fill in each section with one of these four things:
Leadership Attributes you have
Values that are important to you
Places you have led in the past
Places where you could lead in the future
Discussion Questions
Which section was easiest?
Does anything there reveal something about you that others might not know?
What other things did you notice about your crest?
* We would love for you to upload your crest to our forums and check out some of the others that have been uploaded there. Click Here to visit our forums !
Being the Church:
Read and Discuss the Paragraphs on John Wesley
John Wesley developed an international faith movement in a time when tensions between the American Colonies and England were increasing. John was sent to the colonies by a group called the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, which emphasized the habits of holiness. However, one of the most important encounters in John Wesley’s spiritual formation came in an unexpected place. While on the voyage to the American continent, the ship John was traveling on came into a terrible storm. He was terrified, but saw that some fellow passengers, members of a religious group called the Moravians, were calm and encouraging, strongly rooted in their faith. He remembered this group when he struggled with his ministry, and it was through continued conversation and worship with the Moravians back in England that John experienced God’s love and grace. In the colonies, John served congregations as an itinerant preacher, traveling from place to place to lead worship, preach, and celebrate the sacraments. This was tiring work and travel. As a result, Wesley encouraged lay leadership and small groups in local communities. These models were started due to the practical needs of a pastor stretched thin, but the smaller groups and more personal leadership ended up providing a flourishing framework for faith and community formation.
John Wesley was a pastor and founder of the United Methodist Churches. When John was a new young minister, he went on a voyage from England to the American colonies (now the United States) to serve a church there. When he started working, things didn’t go so well. John loved God, but he thought that he had to keep a strict set of rules to live out his faith. The church didn’t like this very much, and after struggling and feeling defeated, John went home to England. He was struggling with his faith. One day at church, John’s “heart was strangely warmed” as he realized that his relationship with God was rooted in God’s love and grace. This experience gave John the courage he needed to go back to North America. This time, he pastored
After learning about John Wesley, ask the following questions.
Are there any rules that you have a hard time following?
Are there rules about faith or church that are hard to follow? Why do you think
we have them?
Do you have any friends or family members who encourage your faith? How do
they do that?
How do you think encouraging is an important part of leading and serving?
* For an extra activity find a picture of John Wesley and do your best to recreate that picture. When you are done post a picture of your recreation on our forums by Clicking Here!