I am a part of my church
key words
bible reference
Acts 2:42-47
lesson objective
To help preschoolers learn they are an important part of their church.
memory verse
“And let us not give up meeting together” (Hebrews 10:25, NIRV*).
prepare yourself to teach
The members of the Early Church were dedicated to teaching, fellowship, prayer and worshiping God.
Since the first Christians were Jews, the meetings were held in the temple or in houses. When they met, other people saw the way they worshiped God and loved each other. God blessed their dedication to the study of His Word, worship. and fellowship they had with one another.
The book of Acts tells us that “the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved” (Acts 2:47). When people decided to follow Jesus, they joined the group of redeemed Christians and shared all things. The church witnessed to others through their transformed lives and Christian fellowship.
Just as the Early Church witnessed, our churches today must be a reflection of God’s love for others. We must worship God together, pray for one another, help each other with any need, and share what we have with the needy. People will see that we preach a living gospel, and many people will be attracted to our Lord Jesus Christ. Remember part of our purpose is to reach the largest number of unchurched people for Christ and the church and bring them into fellowship.
adaptation
Some of the children you teach are part of families who actively participate in the church. Others belong to families who attend sporadically, and others may be coming for the first time. Preschoolers have little control over their attendance since they depend on their parents or relatives to take them to church. You can maintain and increase the attendance of your class by contacting the families of your children and developing relationships with them, especially with parents. Your job as a teacher is to make your classroom a place where your children feel safe and nurtured, where they learn more about God and worship Him freely. It must also be a place where they learn to love one another and share with each other.
Each of your children has a unique personality. Some are always ready to participate in everything they can. Others are more reserved and quiet. Even if they do not currently show a desire to be in the church, rest assured that they will learn from God and can develop friendships that will be in their life forever.
Help them understand that we are all part of God’s family and that we should love and care for each other.
introduce the lesson
Let’s build a church
For this activity you will need strong tape, plastic blocks, empty boxes, cans and clean cardboard.
Use the tape to make the outline of a square on the floor. Place the work material close by. Ask your children to use these elements to construct a church building.
When the work is finished, ask them: “What did you make?” (A church building) Remind them: “There are three meanings for the word, church. The place where we gather to praise God is called the church building. The people who gather to worship is also called the church. The Church can also mean all of the people of the world who love God and His Son, Jesus.”
teach the lesson
The church of Jerusalem
Tell in your own words the Bible story from Acts 2:42-47, including the following aspects.
The disciples loved Jesus very much. After He returned to heaven, the disciples spoke to many people about him.
More and more people believed that Jesus was the Son of God and decided to love him and follow him. Those people who lived in Jerusalem formed what we call the Early Church or the first church.
The people wanted to know more about Jesus and asked the disciples to talk about the Son of God. They spent many hours teaching people what Jesus had taught them.
Many became faithful followers of Jesus and loved one another. They also met to share their food, eat meals together, and talk about the love that Jesus had shown them by dying on the Cross.
At other times, the people met to pray for each other and thank God for sending Jesus into the world.
All these people formed a church in Jerusalem, and they met in homes to worship God. Today we gather in the church building to pray, praise God, listen to God’s Word, and receive salvation in Jesus’ name.
The people of the church of Jerusalem helped each other. Sometimes they sold their land or their houses to help needy people, because they knew that loving God also meant loving others.
They were happy to know about Jesus, and they talked about Jesus to other people. Every day the church grew larger because many others decided to love and follow Jesus.
connect the lesson
I am a part of my church
Before class, gather Student Activity Sheet #79-A and #79-B plus paper fasteners. Also make a sample of the completed activity to show the children. Help the children cut out the figure of the church and the circle of drawings in Student Activity Sheet #79-A. Follow the instructions on the activity sheets to help the children complete the activity.
After the children finish the activity, use it to review the Bible story.
Encourage the children to take home their activity sheets and share the lesson with their families and friends.
practice the memory verse
Verse with rhythm
Make or use rhythm instruments to use as the children say the words of the verse: "And let us not give up meeting together" (Hebrews 10:25). Some suggested instruments: pairs of wooden sticks, bells, drums, etc.
wrap-up
Pray
Ask for prayer requests. Listen to any children who volunteer to say a prayer. Thank God for providing Bibles so we can read and study God’s Word.
Encourage
Encourage the children to look at any Bible story books they possess. Perhaps they could invite a friend to their home and share a Bible story with their friends.
Invite
Ask the children to invite friends and relatives to come to church with them.
* Scripture quotations marked (NIRV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Reader'sVersion, copyright © 1995, 1996, 1998, 2014 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.