LESSON 9 Stewardship Bible Basis: 1 Sam uel 1:1 28; 3:1 11; Mark 12:38 44 Key Verse: Psalm 24:1: The earth belongs to the LORD. And so does everything in it. Key Question: What is God s call on my life? Key Idea: I believe everything I am and everything I own belongs to God. Resource: Believe Storybook Bible, Chapter 9, Stewardship Master Supplies List Believe Storybook Bible PowerPoint slides or printable posters of illustrations Several pennies Offering plate or jar Family Page (one per child) Optional Supplies You will need the following supplies based on which option(s) you choose in STEP 3 Explore More: OPTION 1: Containers such as coffee cans or baby-wipe cases (one per child), various colors of construction paper, glue, glitter, stickers, scissors OPTION 2: Blue painter s tape, paper, marker OPTION 3: An assortment of magazines, large poster board, permanent marker, glue sticks, scissors (one per child) OPTION 4: Crayons or markers, Let s Color! sheet (one per child) OPTION 6: Two puppets, play money or pennies from Step 1
STEP 1 Come Together (5 min) Supplies: Several pennies, an offering plate or a jar INTRODUCTION GATHER the children. GIVE each child some pennies, making sure to give some children more than you give to others. OFFERING SAY, Today we will be learning about giving. Count your pennies. CONTINUE, I want each of you to consider how many pennies you want to give in our pretend offering. PASS around an offering plate or a jar. OBSERVE which children give the most. REVIEW ASK, For those of you who only had a few pennies, how did you feel when you gave in the offering? (Take responses) ASK, Those of you who had more pennies, how did you feel during the offering? (Take responses) SAY, The reason people sometimes find it hard to share or to give is because they are afraid that they will not have enough left for themselves. This is really true when you have only a little to begin with. SAY, Today we will learn about a lady in the Bible who had very little money and yet still wanted to give to God. SAY, Everything we have belongs to God, and that includes time and money. God wants us to make wise decisions about everything he has given us. He wants us to take good care of what he has given us and be willing to give some to others and to him. KEY VERSE REVIEW this week s Key Verse. You may want to repeat the verse slowly a few times until the children are able to say the verse from memory NOTE: You may also choose to review last week s Key Verse together. Psalm 24:1 The earth belongs to the Lord. And so does everything in it. (point up to heaven) (sweeping gesture to all around you) LESSON 9: Stewardship EARLY ELEMENTARY 2
STEP 2 Hear the Story (10 min) Supplies: Believe Storybook Bible, PowerPoint slides or printable posters of illustrations INTRODUCTION TELL the children that they will be learning about the importance of giving back to God what already belongs to him. SAY, We have already been talking about how sometimes it feels hard to give. ASK, Why should we be happy to give to God? (Because everything belongs to him anyway) SAY, The Bible tells us lots of stories about people who were willing to give up very important things for God. SAY, Listen for the story of Hannah. She gave God her child! When you hear Hannah s name, say, She gave God her child! SAY, Listen for the story of the poor widow. She gave God all the money she had. She only had two coins to give, but she gave them all anyway. Can you pretend like you re putting two coins in an offering when you hear about the poor widow? CONTINUE, Listen closely for these stories about generous people who gave everything to God. READ CHAPTER 9 READ aloud chapter 9, Stewardship, from the Believe Storybook Bible. SHOW the illustrations included with this curriculum on PowerPoint slides or printable posters. REVIEW HANNAH ASK, What special thing did Hannah ask God for? (She asked him for a child) ASK, Did God give Hannah her request? (Yes) ASK, What did Hannah do with this special gift? (She gave her son back to God) REVIEW WIDOW S OFFERING ASK, Why did Jesus say that the widow s offering was extra special? (Because she did not have very much but was willing to give it all anyway) LESSON 9: Stewardship EARLY ELEMENTARY 3
ASK, What does God want us to give? (He wants us to give ourselves, and that sometimes means our money or things too) ASK, Why should we want to give to God? (Because everything we have came from God; giving shows God we are thankful; giving helps other people; giving helps us depend more on God and less on our money or possessions) PRAY, God, please help us to remember that everything we have belongs to you. Help us to take good care of our things and make wise decisions about our time and money. Help us to have a giving spirit. Amen. STEP 3 Explore More Choose from these activity options, depending on your available time frame, to help children explore the lesson further. Option 1: Cheerful Giving Cans (15 min) Supplies: Containers such as coffee cans or baby-wipe cases that can easily be used for coin jars (one per child), stickers, glue, glitter, various colors of construction paper, scissors Teacher Prep: Collect containers for several weeks to ensure you have one per child. You may also choose to cover offering containers that your church currently provides, such as cardboard boxes to collect change for missions, or you may order some online if that better suits your needs. SAY, We have learned today that it pleases God when we give or share. Today we are going to create our own offering containers. GIVE each child a container. INSTRUCT children to cut construction paper to fit their container and glue it around it. CONTINUE, You can fill these with coins at home over the next few weeks. Then once your container is full, ask your family to help you put the money in the offering. INSTRUCT the children to decorate their container with stickers, and help them use glue and glitter as well. SAY, Make your container cheerful and happy because God wants us to be happy givers. LESSON 9: Stewardship EARLY ELEMENTARY 4
Option 2: Bible Memory Hopscotch (15 min) Supplies: Blue painter s tape, paper, marker Teacher Prep: Before class, mark out hopscotch squares on the floor with the tape. Write out one phrase from this week s Key Verse on a piece of paper. Write the rest of the phrases on separate pieces of paper. Place a piece of paper in each square, and tape it down so it doesn t slide around. SAY, We will play a game to help you learn your Key Verse today. INSTRUCT the children how to play hopscotch, but with the twist that as they land on each square, they will say a phrase from their verse. LEAD the children in several rounds of hopscotch so that each child can play and practice their verse. Option 3: The Whole Earth Is God s (20 min) Supplies: An assortment of magazines, large poster board, permanent marker, glue sticks, scissors (one per child) Teacher Prep: Draw a large circle on the poster board, using the entire space. Write The Whole Earth Is God s across the poster board. You may choose to hang up the poster or lay it on a flat surface so that the children are easily able to glue pictures to it. SAY, Our Key Verse teaches us that the whole earth belongs to God. Today we are going to see what that really means. GIVE each child a magazine and a pair of scissors. SAY, Flip through your magazine and find at least five things that you think belong to God. Cut them out and hold on to them for a few minutes. ALLOW children a few minutes to find their items and cut them out of the magazines. ASK the children, one at a time, to choose one of their items, explain to the class why this item belongs to God, and glue the picture onto the poster board, inside the circle, collage-style. CONTINUE until each child has had a turn to glue a picture onto the world, allowing children additional turns with their extra items if there is still space on the poster board. HOLD UP the poster board when all of the space inside the circle is covered and show the children all of the things that belong to God. SAY, Wow, everything in the whole world really does belong to God! LESSON 9: Stewardship EARLY ELEMENTARY 5
PRAY with the children, thanking God for entrusting us with all of the wonderful things in this world. Ask God to help you all be good stewards of his wonderful gifts. Option 4: Let s Color! (10 min) Supplies: Crayons or markers, Let s Color! sheet (one per child) Teacher Prep: Print and photocopy the Let s Color! sheet (one per child). GIVE each child a coloring page. PROVIDE a selection of crayons and/or markers for the children to share. DISCUSS this week s Key Idea as the children color. Option 5: Praise and Worship (15 min) He s Got the Whole World in His Hands, public domain I Give Myself Away, by Sam Hinn and William McDowell 2008 by Delivery Room Publishing CCLI #5873382 Option 6: Act It Out (10 min) Giving and Getting The characters in this script can be played by two puppets or by a teacher, class helper, or student leader. To help the children remember what they have learned about giving and sharing today, instruct them to say the words, It s all God s, every time they hear the word money in the play. Characters Marcus Julia Children a stingy child a generous child the class Optional Props: Two puppets, play money or pennies from Step 1 Marcus: Oh! Wow! Look at all my money! Children: It s all God s! Julia: Where did you get that money? Children: It s all God s! Marcus: Some of it was from my birthday, and some of it was from Grandma. Julia: You re lucky. I wish I had some money. LESSON 9: Stewardship EARLY ELEMENTARY 6
Children: It s all God s! Julia: I wanted to give something in the missions-for-children offering. Marcus: What is that? Julia: It is an offering for children in other countries to help buy them food. Hey, you can give a lot because you have a lot of money. Children: It s all God s! Marcus: No! This is my money! Children: It s all God s! Julia: Oh, well, that s not very nice. Marcus: I m not trying to be mean, but I was going to buy a toy with my money. Children: It s all God s! Julia: My teacher says God owns everything, even our money. Children: It s all God s! Marcus: This is really God s money? Children: It s all God s! Julia: Yeah, she said that God owns all the animals, all the plants, and even all the people. Marcus: So I belong to God too? Julia: Yep, you and your money. Children: It s all God s! Marcus: Well, I bet God would want me to help by giving some money in the missions-for-children offering. Children: It s all God s! Julia: Right. And don t worry, God will make sure you have what you need just like he is making sure the hungry children get food. Marcus: So I will be helping God help them, and then God will help me too! Julia: That s how it works. Marcus: Thanks for clearing that up. I always thought if I wanted stuff for myself, I should never give away my money. Children: It s all God s! Julia: You mean God s money! Children: It s all God s! LESSON 9: Stewardship EARLY ELEMENTARY 7
STEP 4 Going Home (5 min) Supplies: Family Page (one per child) Teacher Prep: Print and photocopy the Family Page supplied with this lesson (one per child). GIVE each child a copy of this week s Family Page. SAY, Give this page to your family when they pick you up. It will remind you to tell your family what we learned today about giving and how God owns everything, even you. HAVE children practice telling you about ways to give back to God. REVIEW this week s Key Verse as well as today s story and Key Idea from the Believe Storybook Bible as you wait for the children to get picked up. MAKE sure each child remembers to take home any activity sheets or craft projects and the Family Page. LESSON 9: Stewardship EARLY ELEMENTARY 8
Lesson 9
Lesson 9
Lesson 9
Lesson 9
Lesson 9
Lesson 9
Let s Color! Name: [Coloring page to come] Simple line drawing of the widow placing her two coins in the offering. Pick up from Preschool LESSON 9: Stewardship EARLY ELEMENTARY
FAMILY PAGE Lesson 9: Stewardship Bible Basis: 1 Sam uel 1:1 28; 3:1 11; Mark 12:38 44 Key Verse: Psalm 24:1: The earth belongs to the LORD. And so does everything in it. Key Question: What is God s call on my life? Key Idea: I believe everything I am and everything I own belongs to God. Resource: Believe Storybook Bible, Chapter 9, Stewardship How to Use This Page This week, your family can either read the story from the Believe Storybook Bible or read the Bible Basis passages from your Bible to help your child remember it. Use the Table Talk questions below to start a discussion around the dinner table, while driving in the car, or just about anywhere. The Living Faith activity is designed to remind your child of the Bible lesson through a drama or other engaging activity. The Extra Mile ideas provide interactive ways for your child to connect with the story. Table Talk 1. Why is it important to give to God? (It pleases God) 2. What ways can you give to your family at home? (Helping with chores, obeying parents right away) 3. Even though we do not give each other money at home, why is it important to give to one another with our time and energy? (It shows we love each other and God) 4. Why should we be willing to give? (Because everything already belongs to God, and he will make sure we always have what we need) Living Faith Option 1 The story of Hannah and Samuel is a great story to reenact to help children learn the importance of giving even when we may want to keep things for LESSON 9: Stewardship EARLY ELEMENTARY
ourselves. Explain to your child how precious baby Samuel must have been to Hannah after she had prayed so hard for him. While reenacting this Bible story, instruct your child to show the emotions that Hannah must have felt when she prayed and then the emotions she must have felt when she was willing to give him back to God. While acting this out, make sure to include how God used Samuel when he grew older and how it was a reward for Hannah to see her son serve God. Option 2 Ask your child to be a Sneaky Giver. Over the next week, challenge your child to watch for ways to help in your home, giving of their time and energy without making a huge announcement. This will give you an opportunity to talk about how it s nice to give of yourself just because you want to, not because you will get something for it. Extra Mile Your child learned a lot about giving this week. As a family, brainstorm different giving projects that you could all do together. Start a coin jar or use the coin can your child made this week. Come up with creative ideas, such as can collecting, to help you raise money for your family giving project. If your child receives an allowance, talk about where that allowance goes each week (or month, etc.). If you haven t done so already, talk to your child about setting aside a portion of the allowance to give in the offering at church or to give to another mission or charity project. Remind your child that, even though they don t have a lot of money to give to God, they have other things they can give. Stewardship isn t just about money, but about giving back to God with time and talents as well. Let your child use his or her gifts and talents to serve God in other ways, such as helping to serve food at the next church meal. LESSON 9: Stewardship EARLY ELEMENTARY