What is Lve? Unitts 9/18/2016 This Week s Theme: Lvingly cmmunicating with my friends and family! Teacher Insights : This Sunday we have a lessn abut the cncept f lve. Our stry and activities will fcus n the cncept f lve. The feeling f lve fr yurself and thers is Gd. Gd is lve. As yu tell yurself that yu are lved, remember that everyne else is lved t. We can shine frth ur light f lve even when we feel like we dn t want t send lve. It is ur lve that creates peace in the wrld. If we chse peace, then thers can feel ur lve and they can chse peace t. Imagine smene that yu have truble getting alng with. Nw imagine that yu are surrunding them with Gd s lve. The lve yu feel fr yurself is shining frth t this persn, filling them with peace. It is thrugh Gd s lve that we can change the wrld! Unity Writings: Lve is actually the substance, the building blcks, the essence f everything in ur lives. We are made up f lve. -Marci Shimff, Lve fr N Reasn What is present in all traditins is the certainty that Gd is lve and that each ne f us has access t that lve inside. - Marci Shimff, Lve fr N Reasn Scripture: I have lved yu with an everlasting lve; I have drawn yu with lving-kindness. - Jeremiah 31:3 (NRSV)
Unity Principles: (tday s principle is highlighted) 1: Gd is all Gd and active in everything, everywhere. 2: I am naturally gd because Gd s Divinity is in me and in everyne. 3: I create my experiences by what I chse t think and what I feel and believe. 4: Thrugh affirmative prayer and meditatin, I cnnect with Gd and bring ut the gd in my life. 5: Practice, Practice, Practice. I d and give my best by living the Truth I knw! I make a difference! Pre-sessin: Lving Hearts Make sure yu create a sacred space at the tables in yur rms. Yu can d this by lighting the Christ candle and then placing sacred bjects arund it. Greet Parents and Children. As much as pssible try t greet parents at the sign-in table. At the Sign-in table ask: Please print names Des yur child have a registratin frm filled ut? Any special needs that we shuld knw abut? Allergies? Can we have yur email address fr updates? Pre-sessin Activity : Lving Hearts Materials : Cardstck Hearts (with Yu Are Lve printed n them), markers/crayns Activity: As the children arrive, hand them a few hearts t clr and decrate hwever they wish. They can give sme t family members, and then hand them ut as we g int the sanctuary. Sacred Circle: We All Lve Each Other 3 Ohms: In rder t synchrnize ur energies, have the children sit in a circle and begin sacred circle with 3 hms. Wh is Jesus fr us in Unity? Our way-shwer, the great master f lve. Affirmatin: I Am Lve!
NEW Intrductins/Namaste/Hugs: In turns, have each student stand and, ne at a time in a circle say Namaste and put their hands in a prayer psitin, bwing t their neighbr n their left and then give them a hug. The child receiving the hug in turn repeats the greeting with their neighbr. Namaste means : "The light in me sees the light in yu." Heart Agreements : Heart Agreements establish the bundaries f hw everyne in the grup agrees t shw up in Sunday schl. They are nt being TOLD hw they must shw up; they are telling YOU hw they have agreed t shw up. During the curse f the lessn, yu may refer back t the Heart Agreements. Fr example, if a grup f kids is perpetually talking while yu are speaking, then yu may say t the class as a whle, What was ur heart agreement abut listening t speakers? And let the kids tell yu! Our basic heart agreements are: Gentle Hands Open Hearts Walking Feet Listening ears Kind Wrds Lve Offering: Divine Lve, Blesses and multiples, all that I have, all that I give and all that I receive. And I am jy-filled and grateful. FYI: students may place lts f things besides mney in the lve ffering basket: jy, friendship, peace, lve, etc. Meditatin: Let s take a slw deep breath in and feel Gd s lve fr us as we d. Then as we let ur breath slwly and quietly ut, let s feel hw much we lve urselves. Let s d that again Take a deep breath in Gd lves me Let the breath ut slwly I lve me. Nw let s keep breathing in and ut as we hug urselves and feel the lve. Thank yu, Gd, fr lve. Let s say that tgether: Thank yu, Gd, fr lve. Amen.
Stry time: Lve Is, 1 Cr. 13:4-8 Tday during ur stry time we are ging t really explre the cncept f lve. In yur tubs and attached t the email cntaining this lessn will be a script f srts. The script fr ur stry will give the children an pprtunity t talk abut what lve is and what it means t them. After they have had a chance t d that, they will be able t hear what Paul wrte abut lve in his letter t the Crinthians. One f the activities during this time will give yur class the ptin f pantmiming a way t express lve withut using the wrd lve. This part f the lessn will be ptinal t bth yu and the children. Cnsider reading a line f the verse and asking the children t tell yu a time when they were they quality f lve. Fr example, yu may ask Hw have yu been lve while being patient? Yu will find the scripture belw: Discussin Questins: What d these Bible verses tell us abut lve? What is lve? What are sme f the qualities that lve is nt? What d these wrds mean, endures thrugh every circumstance? Wh d yu knw that shws this kind f lve? Tell us abut that. Hw d we knw Gd lves us? Hw d these wrds frm the Bible fit with Gd s lve fr us? Hw d yu think Gd shws us lve? ============================================================================ IMPORTANT ACTIVITIES BELOW ============================================================================
Creative Expressin: Where is the Lve? Materials: Printed questins (pick and chse depending n the children in yur class and their attentin span) Materials fr acting ut the questins There is printed sheet that has sme questins n it. Tell the class the fllwing: Often it desn t feel right t say I lve yu, but we can shw it. I m ging t read yu a list f situatins where yu might be able t shw lve. Pick ne that yu like. Then yu will wrk either n yur wn r with a partner and create a skit, r dance t shw lve in actin abut that situatin. There will als be materials t help supprt the acting ut. We will act these ut briefly, s everyne has a chance t d ne. When This Happens: Yu see a sad child. Hw can yu shw lve? Yu are playing sprts r games. A team mate falls dwn. Hw can yu shw lve? Yu ntice an elderly persn struggling t carry many packages. Hw can yu shw lve? Yu see smene wh is hungry. Hw can yu shw lve? Yu disagree with a parent. Hw can yu shw lve? Yur friend shves smene else when s/he is upset. Hw can yu shw lve? Creative Expressins: *Bnus activity: A special Gd-Bye card is available fr the children t sign, r draw a picture fr Rev. Jan Strmseth. We want as many children have a chance t sign the card. It will be given t her n her final Sunday at UCOP TODAY! Bnus Activity: We will practice this prayer as a grup during the hur, and we will recite it t Rev. Jan TODAY, when we are n the platfrm. We will frm a circle arund Jan as I have discussed the lessn. I will present her the card, and then we will d the blessing.
Creative Expressin: Lve Dance! Lve feels s gd that we ften smile, laugh, sing and dance when we are with thse we lve. There will be a sng r tw fr the children t listen t, and then they can make up actins r dance mves t d tgether as a grup. Have a gd time and savr the mments spending sme time with smene yu lve. Being jyful helps us shw and accept lve. Clsing Prayer: Let us pause fr a mment in silence. We send thughts f lve t everyne in the wrld. Pause. Father Mther Gd, thank yu fr this time tgether t learn abut the law f giving and receiving. In this mment we chse t create a wnderful wrld fr all. We allw ur Christ light t shine ut fr the wrld t see and speak wrds f lve and peace int ur wrld. We are grateful. Thank yu Gd! Amen. Teacher Reminders : Please HELP Return the teacher tub and all supplies t the Resurce Rm Sign ut by writing the number f children yu had n the Teacher Sign-In Sheet. At 11 put the sign-in sheets in yur supply tubs. Put the lve ffering in the envelpe in yur tubs.