Category Archives: Building Character

Soap – What you are inside is important

Aim

To help pupils understand that just as we need to be made clean on the outside, so God wants us to be made ‘clean’ on the inside.

Bible base

Mark 7:20-23 – ‘dirty’ on the inside.

You will need:

5 different brands of soap
A ‘smellograph’ score chart on card Soap Smellograph pdf (3878 downloads )
A copy of ‘Reasons why I never wash’ on Card (see Content below)
2 or 3 blindfolds
A small prize (eg a bar of soap or sponge)

Preparation

Prepare cards as suggested

Content

Introduction

1. Begin by saying that if you were to mention the word ‘soap’, many people would immediately think of Home and Away or Coronation Street, but actually, there is another meaning of the word! Soap is something we use to wash with!

At Christmas or for birthdays, one of the most popular gifts is soap. Comment that you are not sure what we are trying to say to our friends and relatives about their personal hygiene, but obviously, making ourselves and our loved ones clean and smelling nice is a favourite national pastime!

2. Explain that the very first soap was made in the Nile valley around 6000BC and carried by Phoenician seamen all around the Mediterranean coastline. Soap is actually a substance made by the action of alkali on fat. Most of us don’t care about that, we just want the right colour and fragrance.

The ‘smellograph’

1. Display the ‘smellograph’ score chart.

2. Explain that you are going to have a competition. Ask for two or three volunteers. Blindfold them and explain that they are going to have to smell five different brands of soaps (eg Dove, Palmolive, Imperial Leather, Fairy washing-up liquid, Ariel washing powder). To make it easier, you could tell them in advance the five brands they have to choose from. The winner will be the contestant who can recognise the most brands of soap correctly.

3. In turn, ask the contestants to smell the different soap brands one at a time. Record their verdicts on the ‘smellograph’.

4. When the contest is complete, take off the blindfolds, reveal the results and award the winning contestant a prize of a bar of soap, or a sponge!

Reasons why I never wash

Ask the pupils whether they think our national obsession with cleanliness is really necessary. Tell them that one young person didn’t think so. He gave these reasons for why he never washed (display the ‘Reasons why I never wash’ list on card):

I was made to wash when I was little, but I got bored with it, so I stopped.
None of my friends get washed. I’d look stupid if I started!
I haven’t got the time.
I still get washed on special occasions, like Christmas and Easter!
The bathroom’s always too cold!
Maybe when I’m older, I’ll start getting washed. I’ve got plenty of time.
There are so many different brands of soap. How do you know which one to choose?
People who wash are hypocrites – they reckon they’re cleaner than other people.
People who make soap are only after your money!

Application

Point out how silly these reasons for not washing are. We all need to be clean. Life wouldn’t be anywhere near as pleasant if we all stopped washing!
The Bible makes it clear that it’s not just on the outside that we need to be made clean. It talks about our wrong attitudes, actions and thoughts (called ‘sin’), which make us unclean and keep us separated from a holy, pure God. The Bible also talks about Jesus, who was born in a dirty stable, in a dirty world, and who wants to clean up people’s lives on the inside.
Comment that it is interesting that people often give very similar reasons for saying ‘no’ to God, as the young person gave for saying ‘no’ to soap. Ask the pupils to look again at ‘The reasons why’ list, and try to replace the references to soap and bathrooms with God, the Church and being cleaned up on the inside.
Conclude with a few moments of quiet for pupils to read through and think about ‘The reasons why’ list in the way you have suggested.

Who is the greatest? Serving others

Aim

To show pupils that in God’s eyes, the greatest of all is the servant of all.

Bible base

Mark 9:35 – the last will be first.
John 13:1-17 – Jesus washes the disciples’ feet.

You will need:

Some sheets of A4 paper for making paper aeroplanes.
A bowl of water and a towel for the feet washing exercise.

Content

Introduction

1. Ask the pupils: ‘Who is the greatest?’ Say that for some people the answer might be…(say the name of a popular, successful football team); or for someone else it might be…(say the name of a singer or group who has recently had a number one hit). Give one or two examples of your own favourite celebrities – possibly provoking some groans from the audience!

2. Comment that everyone will have a different answer, according to their interests and allegiances.

3. Continue by asking, ‘But who is the greatest here?’ Say that today, you are going to find out.

The great aeroplane contest

1. Ask for three or four volunteers to take part in a ‘Who is the greatest?’ contest.

2. Explain that you want the volunteers to make a paper aeroplane from the A4 paper provided. They will then launch their aeroplanes from a raised point in the room (eg standing on a chair, or on the stage). The winner (‘the greatest’) will be the person whose paper plane travels the furthest.

3. Act as commentator whilst the contestants make their planes, building up the excitement and drama of the contest. When they are ready, ask each competitor to launch their planes in turn. Ask the audience to allow each plan to land and then the pupil nearest should pick up the aeroplane and hold it aloft as a ‘marker’ showing the next contestant the distance he/she must try to beat.

4. When the contest is over, announce the winner and reward them with a ‘tremendous’ prize (hand them a sheet of A4 paper) – an aeroplane! Give everyone a round of applause. Keep your volunteers at the front. Ask the winner how it feels to be the greatest (great designer, great scientist, great inventor and great test pilot) – officially!

Application

Comment that it’s a good feeling to be ‘the greatest’, getting all the glory and lots of attention. Then say that the Bible has something to say on the subject. Read these words from the Gospel of Mark: ‘Whoever wants to be first must place himself last of all and be the servant of all’ (Mark 9:35, Good News Bible). Say that this seems a strange way to describe greatness.
Jesus’ way of looking at things is not the same as ours. On one occasion he demonstrated this to his disciples by getting down on his hands and knees and washing their feet! An amazing thing to do – as you can imagine – considering they were living in a hot country and had been wearing sandals. Jesus said that he expected his disciples to do the same sort of things for one another, and that the most important people actually live as though they are the least important!
Bring out the bowl of water and the towel and ask the winner of the paper aeroplane contest how he/she feels – considering that they are ‘the greatest person’ here – about washing the feet of the losers. If the winner agrees, let him/her do this! If they are obviously uncomfortable about doing it, take the heat out of the situation by saying that we don’t have to wash one another’s feet literally! Whatever you ‘winner’ decides to do, point out that there are lots of other ways we can act as servants to one another (give some examples).
Comment that when people are asked to list those who they consider to be great, today or in the past, those included are nearly always people who have served others in some way.
Challenge ‘the winner’, and everyone else, to think of how they could serve others today.

The Universe, God and me – The significance of being human

Aim

To help pupils consider the vastness of the universe and the question of significance of human beings.

Bible base

Psalm 8:3,4,9

You will need:

Large pictures of the following:

Picture 1 – the sun, or another nearby star
Picture 2 – a galaxy, for example, the Andromeda galaxy
Picture 3 – a cluster of galaxies, for example, the Virgo cluster.

23 large pieces of card: the number ‘1’ written on the first; ‘0’ on all the others.

A beautifully wrapped gift with an accompanying card addressed, ‘To someone special’

Preparation

Prepare the pictures. You may be able to obtain these from the school science department or astronomy club or from Google Images.

Content

Introduction

Begin the assembly by selecting someone from the audience and presenting them with a beautifully wrapped gift (eg a small box of chocolates). Also give them a card, the envelope of which is clearly marked, ‘To someone very special’. Make sure that the audience are aware of what is happening and what the words on the envelope say.

The Universe

1. Ask: How many stars are there in the universe? After receiving some suggestions from the pupils, say that we know about at least one star – on sun (display Picture 1). Ask a pupil to come to the front to hold up the card showing the number ‘1’. They should stand on one side of the front area of the hall.

Explain that the sun is a huge ball of hydrogen gas, large enough for a million earths to fit inside it. Light from the sun takes eight minutes to travel the huge distance to the earth.

2. Continue by explaining that the sun is only one star in our local group of stars, which is called the Milky Way galaxy. Ask if anyone has seen the Milky Way? Say that if they can get somewhere where there are no street lights, on a clear night, they will be able to see a diffuse band of light across the sky. This is the Milky Way. Explain that it’s a vast collection of stars which are like our sun. Say that if we were to take a ride in the Starship Enterprise and go out of our galaxy and look back, we would see something like this. (display Picture 2).

3. But this is only one galaxy among many! (display Picture 3). Remember, each galaxy contains about 100 billion stars. Ask how many galaxies there are in the universe? Explain that there are about 100 billion!

4. To work out how many stars there are in the universe, you need to multiply 100 billion by 100 billion and you get… (ask eleven more pupils to come and hold up the remaining ‘0’ cards, so that the number is stretched across the front of the assembly hall)…a very large number indeed! This number was once likened to the number of the grains of sand on the beaches of the world (Genesis 22:17)!

5. Read Psalm 8:3,4 and 9, whilst Picture 3 and the number are still being displayed. Then ask the pupils holding the number cards sit down, but leave on display Picture 3.

Application

1. Ask pupils what they think the vast, unimaginable size of the universe means for our understanding of our own place in it.

Say that some people simply conclude that we are totally insignificant and that our existence and that of the whole universe have no purpose at all.

Christians take a different view. The Bible acknowledges this whole universe is the creation of God. The reason it is so vast is a demonstration of the exciting and extravagant being that God is! But far from man being insignificant, God has chosen to reach out to human beings in a special way.

2. Ask pupils if they have ever had the experience of being chosen out of a vast crowd (like the person who received the gift at the beginning of the assembly), and because of that they have felt special.

3. Explain that Christians believe human beings are special, in spite of their apparent insignificance in this vast universe – because God chose to come in the person of Jesus to demonstrate his love and care for us. We might be a very small part of the universe, but we are a very special part!

4. Draw pupils’ attention to the picture of the galaxies again (Picture 3, still on display). Say that you are going to end this assembly with a few moment of quiet. As they look at the picture, ask them to let it remind them, not of their insignificance in such a great universe, but of their great significance to God!

Going against the flow – The Narrow Gate

Aim

To help pupils realise that they have the freedom to choose between right and wrong; to challenge them to have the courage to ‘go against the flow’.

Bible base

Matthew 7:13,14 – the narrow gate.

You will need:

A large card showing a drawing of a little fish which is swimming in the opposite direction to a huge shoal of fish.
Items for the ‘choices’ exercise (see Content below)
A prize.

Content

Choices

1. Ask some pupils in the audience to choose between two things you offer them (eg two different flavour chewy bars; two different colour biros; a Mars or a Snickers Bar).

2. Comment that we are all used to this sort of choice, for example when we go shopping. This kind of choosing can be very enjoyable.

3. Continue by saying that there are, however, many things in life where we don’t have a choice (eg where we are born, the colour of our skin, the family we are part of etc). There are also things we have some influence over, but not much (which school we go to, which class we are in, which teacher we have). But that still leaves many areas of life where we are free to make our own choices.

4. Comment that it’s worth remembering that even if we don’t make a decision, we are still making a choice. We are choosing that we’ll drift along through life, being pushed and pulled in all sorts of directions by whoever and whatever has the strongest influence on us at the time.

It’s hard to be different

1. Say to the pupils that it’s hard not to do what everyone else does. Announce that you are about to demonstrate this.

2. Ask the front row of pupils to stand up. Ask them to go to one side of the room, but ask one person to stay with you on the opposite side of the room. Ask those in the group to walk – as a group – across the front of the hall. Ask the person on their own to try to walk through them. It’s difficult. Be prepared to step in to avoid injury!

3. Ask them all to sit down. Give the pupils who walked across the room on their own a prize.

4. Display the drawing of the fish on the large card.

5. Say that it is difficult to stand out from the crowd. It needs real strength. Sometimes we ‘go with the flow’ just to survive! But ‘going against the flow’ may have benefits! After all, it’s possible that the crowd is wrong! Those fish may be going in the wrong direction, perhaps even to their destruction!

6. Comment that, to a large extent, all of us get our ideas of what everyone else does and thinks from the media – TV and magazines. However, that is actually a very limited picture of what people do and think – it only represents this part of the world at this moment in time. ‘Everybody does it’, or ‘everybody says so’ is usually not a very well-founded claim! But even if it were true that ‘everybody does it’, it’s still not reasonable to think that you have to do it as well.

7. The fact that it’s difficult not to do something, doesn’t mean you don’t have a choice. For example, you are at a party where it seems as if everyone is drinking excessively and getting drunk. You have a choice:

You can join in and get drunk;
You can leave the party;
You can stay at the party but not drink.

8. Comment that the first option is the easiest. You could do this without having to think at all. The other options require you to do some thinking, to make a decision, and then stick by that decision – no matter what other people might say. But don’t deceive yourself by thinking that there is no choice.

Application

Ask the pupils to listen to these words of Jesus: ‘The gate to hell is wide and the road that leads to it is easy, and there are many who travel it. But the gate to life is narrow and the way that leads to it is hard, and there are few people who find it’ (Matthew 7:13,14, Good News Bible).
Comment that – when it comes to making choices about right and wrong – it isn’t easy to go in the opposite direction to most other people, especially if you feel as if you are on your own in the choice you have made.
Conclude with a few moments of quiet. Ask the pupils to think about the choices that face them. Ask if there are any areas of their lives where they are ‘going with the flow’ when really, they want to go against it.

Seeking life

Aim

To help pupils understand that there are different ways of looking at life; and to consider Jesus’ claim that he is the source of life in all its fullness.

Bible base

John 10:10; 14:6 – Jesus came to give us life.

You will need:

5 large cards – 4 of which should show the word ‘life’ written in 4 different ways; and the fifth showing the word ‘JESUS’:

Card 1 – l I f e
Card 2 – l I F e
Card 3 – L i f e
Card 4 – L I f E
Card 5 – JESUS

Content

Introduction

Begin with a simple word association game, where two volunteers must say words associated with a given theme alternately (eg for ‘holidays’, your volunteers might say words like: ‘sand’ , ‘sun’, ‘fun’ etc). As soon as one person hesitates, call up someone else to take over. Use other themes, like: ‘school’, ‘breakfast’, ‘sport’ etc. Then introduce the theme ‘life’. They will probably find this more difficult.

Life

Comment that it’s interesting how we find something we all have so difficult to describe! Say that you can think of at least four ways of describing life. Suggest that maybe they can identify with some of these ways of looking at life.

l I f e

1. Display Card 1 which shows the word ‘life’ written with a capital ‘I’. Say that some people spell ‘life’ this way. Explain that ‘I’, ‘me’ and ‘my’ are three of the most commonly used words in the English language. The person who sees life in this way puts him or herself first in life. They are number 1! There are things they want to do, places they want to see, money they want to make – and woe betide anyone who gets in their way! This person is a self-made man (or woman) and proud of it! They can look after themselves and don’t need anyone!

2. Tell the following story: A man was walking along a cliff. He slipped and fell and was hanging on for dear life, to a small bush, on the edge of the cliff. Although he was an atheist, he called out, in desperation, ‘Is anybody there?’ To his amazement, he heard a reply: ‘Yes, I’m here.’ He cried out again, ‘What do you want me to do?’ The voice said, ‘Let go of the bush, and I’ll save you.’ He paused for a moment and then cried out, ‘Is anybody else there?’ He couldn’t take the risk of trusting his life to anyone!

l I F e

1. Display Card 2 which shows the word ‘life’ written with the letters ‘I’ and ‘F’ as capitals. Say that some people spell ‘life’ in this way – with a big ‘IF’ in the middle. This kind of person says things like:

If there is a God, why is there so much suffering?
If there is a God, why did my loved one have to die?
If there is a God, why doesn’t he prove it?
If I can just get through my exams, then I’ll have time for God.
If God gets me that job I want, or that girl/boyfriend, then I’ll believe in him.

2. Tell this story:

Tommy was saying his prayers one night and his mum was with him. He prayed, ‘Dear Lord, if you get me that mountain bike, I’ll be good for a whole week.’ His mum stopped him and told him that wasn’t the sort of prayer God wanted to hear. ‘You can’t do deals with God,’ she said.

Next week he was praying again, and this time he prayed, ‘Dear Lord, if you get me that mountain bike, I’ll be good for two whole weeks.’ His mum stopped him again and repeated the same warning.

Some time later, his mum was doing some spring cleaning. In the airing cupboard, under some towels, she found a statue of Mary. She wondered if Tommy was behind this, so she went into his room to see if she could find him. He wasn’t there, but on the window-sill was a note in his handwriting which said, ‘Right, God, if you ever want to see your mother again…’!

L i f e

1. Display Card 3 which shows the word ‘life’ written with the letter ‘L’ as a capital. Say that some people spell ‘life’ in this way with a capital ‘L’, because, after all, ‘we’re all learning, aren’t we?’. They say things like:

‘I mean, no one’s perfect are they?’
‘We can only try our best, can’t we?’

This kind of person treats life a bit like a driving test. It’s as if they believe at the end of time, God will tot up the number of points they got and, hopefully, they will just about manage to scrape into heaven! But unfortunately, some of us just don’t learn!

2. Tell this story: There was a man who was doing a parachute jump. He pulled the cord – nothing happened. He pulled the emergency cord, and still nothing happened. As he was heading towards earth at a hundred and twenty miles an hour, he passed another man on the way up!

‘Hey’ he shouted at him, ‘Do you know anything about parachutes?’

‘No!’ the man replied, ‘Do you know anything about gas ovens?’

We’re all learners!

L I f E

1. Display Card 4 which shows the word ‘life’ written with the letters ‘L’, ‘I’ and ‘E’ as capitals. Say that some people spell ‘life’ in this way because, as we all know, there are many voices wanting to get our attention out there in the world, and we have to try to decide which is the truth and which are lies. Sadly, some people have ended up living their lives according to the lies they have hard and believed, like:

‘You’re worthless, you’ll never be any good,’ ‘You’ve got to look good to be accepted.’
‘Go on, do it, everyone does it.’
‘Go on, take it, it won’t do you any harm.’

2. Tell this story:

There was a person who jumped out of a sixteen storey building just to see what it felt like. Half-way down, he shouted to his friends, ‘See! So far so good!’

Application

1. Say that Christians aren’t very good spellers, because they spell ‘life’ like this: JESUS (display card 5 which shows the word ‘Jesus’). It’s not because they can’t spell, but because Jesus said things like:

‘I am the way, the truth, and the life’ (John 14:6, Good News Bible).
‘I have come…that you might have life – life in all its fullness’ (John 10:10, Good News Bible).

It was as if Jesus was saying, ‘This is life, knowing me!’ These are amazing claims that are worth checking out.

2. Conclude by challenging pupils to ask themselves: ‘What am I going to base my life on?’

Tongue Twister – Think before you speak

Bible Base:

Exodus 20:7; Matthew 12:33–37; James 3:3–12;

Aim:

To help students think about the things they say and reflect on how these can help or hurt others.

Things you’ll need:

Two or three ‘tongue twisters’.
Display equipment (large pieces of card or PowerPoint and projector).
Blindfolds (two or three should be enough)
A few different foodstuffs for a taste test. Include contrasting foods: salty, sour, sweet – things the students will like and things they won’t. Avoid any to which people may have common allergies.
Suitable containers and spoons.

Preparation

Write out your tongue twisters for display on card or PowerPoint.
Put the chosen foods into the containers and make sure you have enough spoons as you have volunteers.

Presentation

1 Start with all or some of these interactive ideas to introduce the theme of the tongue and what you say.

Tongue twisters

Get everyone saying one of the tongue twisters you have written up. Let them do it with the words on display at first, then without. If you have the words written on separate pieces of card, you could remove a few words at a time. Depending on the time available and enthusiasm of students, do one or two different ones.

Tongue-tied

Ask the students if any of them can curl their tongues. Can anyone touch their nose with their tongue?

Tongue-taster

Ask for two or three volunteers. Blindfold the students and ask them to taste some food (check first that your volunteers do not have dietary food allergies, eg nuts). Let the audience, but not the volunteers, know what’s being tasted. Ask your volunteers to guess what each foodstuff is.

2 Follow this up by pointing out how important the tongue is for talking. Ask students to think about the things they say.

Do their words help others or hurt them?
How much of what they say is positive and encouraging?
Do they often swear or say negative things?
Are they rude to others?

Ask them to think about the kind of words they use in their everyday speech, for example: in the last couple of days have they said words which have hurt or encouraged someone else? Have they been rude to anyone, or sworn at someone?

Reflection

Say that you are going to read some things about the importance of the words we use from the Bible. Use a contemporary version (eg CEV or– the Youth Bible, NCV).

Read James 3:3–12. Comment on the passage, giving some examples of how a few words can cause enormous problems. The students might have some examples of their own. Emphasise how we can let good and bad words come out of our mouths. These verses suggest that the words we say have something to do with the kind of people we are on the inside (verse 12).
Read Exodus 20:7. How do you use God’s name? As a swear word? The Ten Commandments talk about not misusing God’s name. Even if you don’t believe in God, remember that lots of people do. When you use God’s name in this way you might be offending others.

Response

Ask students to think about how they speak to people. Is it good and positive? Or unkind and often putting others down?
There’s the suggestion in the Bible verses that thinking about God – what he’s like, how he wants us to live – will make a difference to the kind of people we are on the inside. For example, what’s your thought life like? Are there ways in which you need to change on the inside?
Decide to do something positive about the words you use today. You could try today:

not to swear;
not to use God’s name as a swear word;
to say something positive and encouraging to at least one person today.

4 Encourage students to ask God to help them do what they’ve decided.

The truth is…

Bible base:

John 8:32; John 14:6

Aim:

To encourage students to think about what ‘truth’ means, whether they are always truthful, and why Jesus said that he is ‘truth’.

Things you’ll need:

Statements for the ‘True or False?’ quiz.
For the game of Call my Bluff: a ‘word’ written out for display on a large piece of paper; 3 definitions written on cards, 1 of which is correct (choose a word that the young people are extremely unlikely to have heard before, and that, preferably, sounds funny).

Preparation

Prepare what you’ll need for the ‘True or False’ quiz and the game of Call my Bluff.

Presentation

1 Start by telling the students that you are going to read out some statements and they must decide whether they are ‘true or ‘false’.

Use your list of statements prepared beforehand. You could include factual statements which are definitely either true or false, and also include some which are to do with beliefs, opinions and values in order to encourage discussion, for example:

The acceleration due to gravity is 9.81 m/s on Earth [True]
Mozart wrote ‘Twinkle twinkle little star’ [True]
The Battle of Hastings took place in 1066 [True]
Life exists on other planets
I love my parents
The sun rises in the east
God exists
Smoking is bad for your health
The Bible is true

Talk about some of their answers. Ask them what criteria they used to decide if the statement was true or false.

2 Play a version of the TV quiz game, Call my Bluff.

Display the ‘word’.
Ask for three volunteers to come to the front who think they can convincingly say what the word means. Give each person one of the ‘definition’ cards. Only one person has the card with the correct meaning; the other two ‘meanings’ are incorrect.
Get each of the volunteers to read their card, then to tell the audience what the word means as convincingly as they can.
When the three volunteers have finished, ask the audience to vote on which they think is the true meaning.
Now, reveal the ‘true’ one. Again, ask the question: What criteria did you use to decide if what you were being told was true or false?

Reflection

Ask: ‘So, what is truth?’ Get the students to come up with some definitions. Depending on time, you could ask for a volunteer to write up some of the suggestions on a flipchart or OHP for everyone to see.
Read out the two Bible passages (John 8:32 and John 14:6). Ask the students some open-ended questions about the passages, for example:

The Bible speaks of Jesus as being ‘the truth’. What do you think that means?
What is meant by ‘the truth will set you free’? What ‘truth’ was Jesus talking about?

Note: Be careful how you speak about these verses, remembering that there may well be faith groups other than Christian present in the assembly. Where appropriate, use the phrase, ‘Christians believe that…’.

3 Can students think of some ways in which knowing or telling the truth about things makes them ‘free’, and examples of how being lied to, or not knowing the truth can hurt people or make them confused?

Respond

In a time of quiet:

Invite the students to think of a time recently when they have not been altogether truthful. Invite them to say sorry to God for their actions and thoughts.
Say that one of the reasons Christians believe that the truth sets us free is because we can be forgiven through Jesus for all we’ve done wrong, including not always being truthful.
Read out John 8:32: ‘You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.’ (NCV)

Moral Code – The Rich Fool and Rich Young Ruler

Aim

To challenge pupils to think about the moral code they live by.

Bible base

Luke 12:16-21 – the rich fool;
Mark 10:17-31 – the rich young ruler.

You will need:

A tray with a selection of three or four chocolate bars and some ‘undesirable’ obejcts (eg a used match, an old comb, a biro that’s run out, a snapped elastic band). As one of the ‘undesirable’ objects include a lump of dirty Blu-tack which is wrapped around and conceals a two pound coin.
The name of the game, ‘The Grab’, displayed on a large piece of card.

Content

The Grab

1. Ask for three or four volunteers to come to the front. Explain to them that they will be shown a tray with a selection of objects on it. At a given signal you want them to grab whatever they want from the selection of ‘goodies’.

2. Explain to them that the idea of the game is simply to take what they want, before someone else does. After all, isn’t that the whole point of life?

3. Explain that you will count down (‘Three, two, one…’) and then, they are to grab! If someone else gets what they wanted, they must go for something else quickly. Increase the drama by stopping the countdown a couple of times to restrain any overeager ‘grabbers’ who are trying to start too soon.

4. When ‘The Grab’ is over, and the volunteers have their choices, talk to them about whether they are happy about what they wanted, the reasons for their choices etc.

5. Explain that sometimes it’s better not to go for the things in the nicest packaging. For example, once you’ve eaten the chocolate bars, you’ll soon be hungry again! Then pick up the Blu-tack and reveal that concealed inside this very ordinary and not very attractive object, there is hidden treasure – a one pound coin. This one object could buy four or five of the things they grabbed.

Make the point that to have opted for the dirty Blu-tack or one of the other ‘undesirable’ things would probably have seemed odd to everyone else, because in our society the best packaging, the way things look on the outside and ‘image’ are very important to us.

6. Ask the volunteers to return to their seats. They can keep what they ‘grabbed’.

Application

Tell the pupils that Jesus had a lot to say on the subject of priorities. Read to them from a contemporary version of the Bible the story of the rich fool (Luke 12:16-21).
Explain that Jesus himself had no home and very few possessions, but he didn’t ever seem jealous of the rich people he met. In fact, he seemed to feel sorry for them because that was all they had – their riches; and he knew that they couldn’t see beyond them. The danger was that the wealth they believed to be so important, would only bring them disappointment. (See also Mark 10:17-31) – the story of the rich young ruler.)
Comment that perhaps some of them have already noticed that the ‘richest’ people they know don’t necessarily have lots of money or attractive possessions. Instead, they have decided to make the sort of person they are on the inside their priority, and that’s infinitely more precious than wealth and outward appearances.
Conclude by challenging pupils to decide what their priorities for life are going to be.

I say, I say – using positive and encouraging words

Bible base:

James 3:3–12; Proverbs 10:18; 11:13; 16:28; 18:8; 26:20

Aim:

To encourage students to think about the things they say and the effect these have on others.

Things you’ll need:

A list of sayings for the quiz.
Bible verses from the outline. (Optional)
Display equipment, eg large piece of card, or PowerPoint and projector. (Optional)

Preparation

Write the Bible verses selected for use in the assembly on card or prepared on PowerPoint slides.

Presentation

1. Explain that this assembly is all about the kind of things we say.

2. Begin with this quiz to start people thinking about the subject. To add interest, you could divide your audience in half and see which side gets most correct. There are some examples below for the quiz. Add more, or different ones depending on current films and TV programmes that you think the young people will be familiar with.

Ask your audience who said the following well-known sayings, which are all from films:

‘Life is like a box of chocolates.’ (Forest Gump)
‘May the force be with you.’ (Star Wars)
‘We wants it we does, my lovely, my precious.’ (Lord of the Rings)
‘Shaken not stirred.’ (James Bond)
‘Hacuna matata.’ (Lion King)
‘To infinity and beyond!’ (Toy Story)

3 Ask the students to think for a moment what the world would be like if we took the things people say literally, for example:

‘I’ll murder you if…’
‘I never want to see you again.’
‘Pigs might fly.’
‘Get lost.’

4 You could ask them to suggest some more examples. Comment/speculate on what the consequences could be if we all took such examples literally.

5 Comment that, sadly, the words we use, whether or not they are meant to be taken literally, are often destructive and negative. They can hurt other people. Ask them to think about, but not say aloud, when they did or said one of the following in the last 24 hours. Read the list slowly, giving time for reflection:

lies
gossip
quarrelling
nasty comments
angry words
exaggeration
slander, about other people
insults, to someone’s face

All these kinds of words hurt others.

6 Tell the students that the Bible has got quite a lot to say about the kind of words we use to others. Say that you’re going to read some which are all about gossiping, something we’re probably all guilty of. You could simply read from the Bible, or have these displayed on card/PowerPoint as you read:

‘Anyone who spreads gossip is a fool.’ Proverbs 10:18 (NCV)

‘Gossips can’t keep secrets, but a trustworthy person can keep a secret.’ Proverbs 11:13 (NCV)

‘…and a gossip ruins friendships.’ Proverbs 16:28 (NCV)

‘The words of a gossip are like tasty bits of food. People like to take them all up.’ Proverbs 18:8 (NCV)

‘Without wood, a fire goes out; without gossip, quarrelling stops.’ Proverbs 26:20 (NCV)

‘A big forest fire can be started with only a little flame. And the tongue is like a fire.’ James 3:5,6 (NCV)

Reflection

1 Comment that words can help people, as well as hurt them. Ask them to think of ways in which what they say could encourage others, make others feel happier, or help others.

2 Ask the students:

What kind of words will come out of your mouth today?
Will you say mainly positive or negative words?

Response

1 Allow a short time of quiet and ask the students to think about how they speak to others.

2 Challenge them to decide:

not to gossip about others today;
to say at least three positive things to other people today, for example something to encourage, a compliment, an apology to someone they know they have hurt with unkind words.

3 If they like, they could ask God to help them do these things; they could say sorry for bad things they’ve said; and help them in the future to watch their words so that others are helped, not hurt.

Strength of Character – David

Bible base:

1 Samuel 16:7

Aim:

To help students understand that ‘strength’ is not just about physical strength, but also about having the strength inside yourself to do what is right.

Things you’ll need:

Three balloons, one of which needs to be a giant balloon.
A container or box with a pretend spider (or a real one!).
A simple brainteaser or riddle (see example below).

Preparation

Before the assembly begins, set up a table or other suitable surface and two chairs where the audience will be able to see for the arm-wrestling contest.
Find and write up on a large piece of card a brainteaser or riddle, for example, the sequence: O T T F F S S ? (What are the next two letters in the sequence. Answer: ‘E’ and ‘N’. The letters are the first letter of the numbers 1 to 9 written as words, Eight and Nine.)

Presentation

1 Start by getting students to think about strength with illustrations from current news or TV programmes that they will be familiar with (eg World’s Strongest Man).

2 Explain to students that in this assembly you’re going to be finding out how strong some of them are. Ask for three volunteers to take part in a series of strength tests – two boys and one girl works well.

Arm-wrestling

Have an arm wrestling contest with each volunteer. Set this up so that everyone in the audience can see the contest. Make sure you lose at least one round. Talk about the physical strength needed to arm wrestle.

Balloon race

Next, give each of your three volunteers a balloon. Give the giant one to the person who beat you in the arm-wrestling contest. Tell the contestants that the first one to blow up their balloon and burst it by blowing it up (no nails or pins!) is the winner.

Get the other students to cheer the competitors. Whether or not anyone manages the balloon challenge, when you’ve ended the contest, comment that this test needed physical strength (keeping on blowing into the balloon), but also courage – no one likes the idea of a balloon bursting in their face!

The spider test

Introduce your pretend (or real) spider! Are the ‘tough’ arm wrestlers so brave now? Is being ‘tough’ always about being fearless? Sometimes even the biggest, ‘toughest’ people are afraid of creepy crawlies!

Note: keep this light-hearted, being careful not to make any of your volunteers feel embarrassed.

The brain-teaser test

Show the brain-teaser to your contestants (and audience). Can the contestants work it out? (No help allowed from the audience.) Their physical strength or bravery can’t necessarily help them now; a different kind of strength is needed to get the answer and succeed.

Tell everyone the answer to the brain-teaser if no one can work it out.

3 Thank your contestants and ask them to return to their places.

Reflection

Comment that all kinds of strength are needed in life: physical, mental and academic strengths all have a part to play in life.
Ask how ‘strong’ they think they are when it comes to making some of the big decisions in life about right and wrong. Point out that it often takes strength to do what you know or believe is right (give some examples which you think are relevant to your audience).
Ask how they know what is right and wrong. Explain that everyone needs to have a basis for decisions about moral or ethical issues. Explain it has to do with:

Character: what you are like (eg honest/dishonest, reliable/unreliable, fair/unjust, etc).
Values: what’s important to you (eg you only think about yourself; you’re concerned about others).

Both of these have to do with what you’re like on the ‘inside’ – not how physically strong or how clever you are.

Briefly refer to the story in the Bible about the choice of David as king in 1 Samuel 16. David was chosen not because he was a good-looking singer who fought wild animals, but because of the strength of character and the person he was, which God saw on the ‘inside’ (1 Samuel 16:7).

Response

1 In a short time of quiet, ask the students to reflect on:

What do you think your strengths are (eg sport, dancing, music)?
What do you think are your strengths of character (eg work hard, good friend)?
What are your values (eg right, wrong, honesty, morals)?
Do you need to change anything or do something differently?

2 Ask students how they might need to be strong in standing up for what’s right. Conclude by challenging them to be strong enough to make good choices and to decide to make a difference in good ways today.