Simon Birch Reminders: Coffee and Donuts If you are going to use a movie clip, ALWAYS PREVIEW IT! No exceptions! You are responsible for what you show your group! Our writers will always try to provide clean clips and warn you of nearby questionable words or content, but all art forms are subjective. Only you can determine what to show your group. Number one rule: watch it first. Please read the Terms of Use at the end of this lesson for important licensing and copyright information. Goal: To contemplate God s priorities for the church.
Setting the Stage: Start your meeting by serving coffee and donuts or other snacks to your youth. If your youth group is like most, the donuts will be a big hit. You will later be able to tie in their excitement to the statement that Simon makes about the continental breakfast. While students are eating donuts, have a discussion about what frustrates them about the church. What changes would they make to the service? What would they do differently if they were in charge of everything that goes on at church? Make a list of all the changes or frustrations they mention on the board or a sheet of paper for reference at the end of the lesson. Simon Birch Overview: Simon Birch is a boy who has a disease that causes abnormal development of his bones, joints, and ligaments. Simon, who is not expected to live a long life, is 12 when the movie begins. Simon has been told since birth that he is a miracle and, despite the fact that his parents are not religious, he has incredible faith. Simon attends church with his best friend Joe, and he believes that God has created him for a great purpose. One of Simon s struggles throughout the film is his desire to fulfill his destiny before he runs out of time. Simon Birch is a wonderful story filled with laughter, heartache, faith, and friendship. It will touch your kids hearts and yours. IMPORTANT NOTE: Simon Birch is rated PG for language, emotional thematic elements, and an accident scene. There are a few words scattered throughout the film that may be deemed inappropriate and should be handled accordingly. Leaders should
preview clips prior to showing them to the group. Also, it would be helpful if the leader has seen the entire movie. Scripture: Matthew 22:34 40 In this scripture, we find Jesus teaching. In Jesus day, it was common for rabbis to be questioned while they taught so others could better grasp the rabbi s understanding of the Old Testament law. The Pharisees come to question Jesus. They ask a common question of the day: What is the greatest commandment? Jesus answers their question by quoting first from Deuteronomy 6:5 and then from Leviticus 19:18. These scriptures would have been very recognizable to all the teachers of the law. We are using this scripture to try to answer the question, What does God see as important? These two commandments give us great insight into God s desires for the church. This passage is a great one for students to memorize. Movie Clip: Coffee and Donuts DVD Time: Start the clip near the beginning of chapter eight (time: 26:58) as Mr. Birch s truck pulls up to the church. End the clip about halfway through chapter eight (time: 29:44) after Rev. Russell says, Children may be excused to go to Sunday school. Introduction to Clip In this scene, Simon very audibly questions his church s priorities as he stands up to Rev. Russell during the service. Although we cannot approve of how Simon raises his
question, he challenges us to examine what the church s priorities should be. (The rest of this scene is picked up in the second lesson in this series.) Key Comments and Principles from Clip What do coffee and donuts have to do with God? Simon is frustrated with the church. Are you? Simon s response is inappropriate, but is his question? Simon s parents do not come to church, but at least his dad drops him off. Compare the kindness of Ms. Wenteworth to the church s response to Simon. What Did You See? After viewing the clips, ask the group these questions: What spiritual elements did you see? Which words, phrases, or images were the most powerful to you? Why? What did we learn about Simon s parents? How did the gift from Ms. Wenteworth make Simon feel? How did Ms. Wenteworth treat Simon? Why is Simon upset in church? Should Simon have acted this way? Why or why not? What would happen if you did this at church? How did the people in the church respond? If God is not concerned about the bake sale, what do you think God is concerned about? What Did You Read?
After reading the scripture for today, ask the following questions: What are the key elements in this scripture? From the scripture, what does Jesus tell us that God is concerned about? How do we love God with all our heart? Soul? Mind? How do the heart, soul, and mind interact? Why does God desire all three of these parts of us? What does it mean for us to love our neighbor as ourselves? Have you ever loved your neighbor as yourself? When? How? How does this scripture relate to Simon s point? What Does It All Mean? Tie the movie clip and scripture together by asking the following questions: Do you think Simon has a reason to be upset? Why or why not? Have you ever felt the way Simon does about the church? Do you have friends who attend church without their parents? How does that affect how they feel about the church? What is the church supposed to be about? If someone visited your church, what would they think it is about? What about your youth group? Would someone be able to tell that you were a group of people seeking to love God with all your heart, mind, and soul? If so, how? If not, why not?
Go back and look at the list of things you are frustrated with in the church. In light of Jesus statement, which ones are legitimate frustrations? Talk about how you might begin to bring about change as a group in these particular areas. Creative Activity: Bring copies of recent church bulletins, newsletters, or youth newsletters from churches in the area. Have students look at the bulletins or newsletters and describe what that church values. Can you tell whether the church cares more about a bake sale or loving God from the newsletter? Now take time to look at your own church s bulletin, newsletter, or youth newsletter. What would others say about your church and youth group? Close by praying that all students as well as members of the church would love God with all their heart, mind, and soul, and that God would be glorified through your church. TERMS OF USE: In producing this teaching material, Barefoot Ministries references the use of movie clips as suggestions for teaching Christian principles in home small groups. The use of movie clips is a suggestion only, and alternatively the movie content could be discussed verbally, without showing any movie clips. Special permission must be granted for any public performance of copyrighted material, including church use. Legal use of and licensing of suggested material under copyright is the responsibility of the local user and/or the local church. Barefoot Ministries is not responsible for the licensing or use of any media suggested in this material. Barefoot Ministries advises that any church or individual secure proper licensing before any public showing of any part of any motion picture, or recorded copyright media. You can secure a Church Video License and/or find out more information about public viewing of copyrighted media by contacting Christian Video Licensing International at www.cvli.org or calling 1-888- 771-CVLI.