Category Archives: Key Stage 3 and 4

Working together – supporting each other

Bible base

1 Corinthians 12:12–21

Aim

To help students understand that people are stronger when they work together and support each other.

Things you’ll need

A telephone directory

Presentation

1 Invite to the front three or four volunteers who think they are strong. Challenge them, one by one, to rip the telephone directory in half in less than five seconds. Tell them that if the first one to do it will win £10.

2 After all three have tried – and failed – ask them why they couldn’t do it. Tear out the first page or two and ask them if that will help.

3 Say that you want them to do some maths. Tell them how many pages there are in the directory. Tell them that they have to divide this number by the approximate number of people there are in the room. Ask for their guesses about the number, but give them a definite approximate number for the calculation. Agree on the answer.

4 Tear out this number of pages. (Check beforehand that your answer is not likely to be more than ten.) Give the ripped-out pages to one of the volunteers and ask them to see if they can tear these into two (point out that your offer of a £10 prize no longer applies!). Have your volunteer rip the pages, which this time they should be able to do.

5 Tear out two more lots of the same number of pages from the directory. Give these to the other two volunteers. On a given signal ask them to rip their pages in two.

6 Encourage applause for the strength of your volunteers and ask them to sit down.

7 Point out that even though it’s hard to rip up a whole directory on your own, it’s easy if the directory is divided up amongst lots of people who work together. In fact, if there was time in the assembly, you could have given everyone a few of the pages and then together you would have been able to have ripped the telephone directory in two in under five seconds. As a group of people working together, you are much stronger than when you work on your own.

Reflection

1 Talk briefly about how everyone has a part to play – we can’t do everything ourselves. We all need to help each other .What is impossible for one person alone isn’t so difficult for a group working together. There’s a description in the Bible of the church (ie a community of Christians) likening it to a body. Everyone’s gifts and talents are needed just like hands and toes are all important for a body. Everyone is important.

Whether or not we’re Christians we’re all part of different communities (eg family, school) where we have a special part to play. We need to work together with others and help them too as they do their part.

2 Working together makes sense whatever you believe, but Christians believe that what really makes a difference is remembering to rely on God because he is the one who really helps us to achieve the impossible.

Response

In a time of quiet, ask the students to think about:

If there are projects you are working on with others, how good a part of the team are you?
Who could you help today?

Conclude by encouraging them to pray,asking God to give them the strength and confidence to be able to do this.

Respect! – The Good Samaritan

Bible base

Luke 10:25–37

Aim

To encourage students to value and care for one another, whatever their differences.

Preparation

Spend some time rehearsing your reading of the ‘newspaper article’, which is made-up and based on the story of the good Samaritan. Decide whether you can adjust the story or add current/local interest details to make it more appropriate for the particular assembly you will be leading.

Presentation

1 Tell everyone that you are going to make three statements. Ask them to put their hands up if they agree with the statements. Hands down between each statement.

a) I am the most important person here.

b) I like it when people listen to me.

c) There has been a time in my life where I have been treated unfairly.

Respond as appropriate to your audience’s reaction to the three statements.

2 Talk about the three ideas:

a) Tell them that they are looking at the most important person here – YOU! Make sure they know that you are joking. Go on to qualify the statement, saying that before they think you are a complete big-head, each of them is also the most important person here. Each of them is also sitting next to the most important person here. Give any other examples appropriate to the situation. Comment that we all have great value because God made us. And to appreciate others, we need to value ourselves.

b) Say that if we like it when people listen to us, we should listen to others. Ask: ‘How much time do you spend actually listening to others and putting others first?’

c) Ask everyone to think about whether they always treat others fairly. Be honest. Ask: ‘How do you treat others, especially people you don’t get on with?’

3 Tell the students you are going to read them the following extract from a newspaper article. Add current / local details to add interest. Read the ‘article’.

Police overwhelmed as thugs go on rampage!

Police were outnumbered yesterday as thugs went on the rampage. Officer Peter Smith was patrolling near to the riot when a gang of youths attacked and mugged him, ‘leaving him for dead’, as a colleague later put it.

Though no one appears to have witnessed the attack, it is reported that several passers-by walked straight past the injured officer and some even turned and walked the other way to avoid getting involved.

The surprising twist in this story is that Ian Thomson, the notorious football hooligan wanted by the police, stopped and helped the man. Not only did he administer first aid, but he then took the injured man to a private hospital where he paid for all the bills. He was indeed a ‘good Samaritan’.

4 Tell the students that, in fact, this ‘article’ was made up. Explain that it is an updated version of the story in the Bible about the Good Samaritan. Jesus was talking to his fellow Jews who hated the Samaritans.

5 If appropriate and if there’s time, you could also read the story from a contemporary version of the Bible: Luke 10:25–37.

Reflection

1 Comment that the story in the Bible makes it clear that people (including those who are different from us) are equally valuable and that we should treat others with care and respect. Jesus told this story to illustrate what it means to keep one of God’s commandments in the Bible:

‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength and all your mind … Love your neighbour as you love yourself.’ Luke 10:27(NCV).

2 Challenge the students to think about how they treat others – including those who aren’t their friends or whom they don’t like.

Response

1 Ask the students to think about one or two others in school whom they consider ‘different’ from themselves, or whom they don’t value. Now ask them to think how they could show they value them or times when they could be ‘a good Samaritan’ to those people.

2 Encourage everyone to be quiet for a few moments to think about this, and decide to do something about it today. If appropriate, you could suggest that people might like to ask God’s help to do this.

Embarrassing – the story of Naaman

Aim

To show pupils that being embarrassed may be a price worth paying for doing what’s right.

Bible base

2 Kings 5:1-15 – the story of Naaman

You will need:

Find out in advance if there is a teacher who would be willing to tell the pupils about their most embarrassing experience (optional).
Prepare and rehearse your telling of the story of Naaman (see 2 Kings 5:1-15). Aim to make it as entertaining as possible, emphasising any ‘embarrassing’ aspects.

Content

Introduction

Talk about how embarrassing it could be for you taking an assembly in front of all of them! You might make a mistake, or say the wrong thing, or forget what to say completely. So, you are relying on everyone to help you.

A survey

1. Announce that you are going to conduct a survey on the subject of embarrassment. Tell the pupils sitting on the front row of the assembly that you would like them to help you. (You need a group of about fifteen to twenty people.)

2. Say that you are going to give them a series of two alternatives. Each of the options will be represented by opposite sides of the hall. They must each decide which of the two alternatives is the most embarrassing situation and move to the appropriate side of the hall. Insist that they must make their own decisions.

3. The choices are

Being singled out by name in assembly or to go forward as a group to receive an award;
Falling flat on your face in some mud or being drenched by a passing car going through a puddle;
Making the alarm go off in Marks & Spencer’s doorway or not having enough money to pay at the supermarket (you could use the name of the local supermarket) checkout;
Getting bottom marks in a test or getting top marks in a test;
Being seen by your friends with a member of the opposite sex or being seen by your friends out shopping with your parents.
Photos of you from four or five years ago being shown to relatives at a family party or everyone at the party being told how well you are doing at school.

4. When the survey is complete, thank those who took part and ask them to return to their seats.

How embarrassing

1. Make the point that whilst some of them might have found it embarrassing to come to the front, at least they had other people with them! The most embarrassing times are when you feel as if everyone knows that you alone have done something stupid! For example:

An American – Tony Randall – who had been asked to be a spokesman for the National Sleep Disorder Month, overslept and missed a guest spot on the TV show Wake Up America.
Police were called to a flat in Bournemouth after a passerby heard screams of ‘Help!’ They found twenty-one year old Toni Hoare in the shower, singing along to the Beatles’ song of the same title at the top of her voice!
Tell the audience about one of the most embarrassing moments you have experienced and/or ask a teacher to do this.

2. These are all situations where the embarrassment has been due to a simple mistake. But there is another kind of embarrassment – the sort of embarrassment you know you are going to feel because you have chosen to do or say something unusual because you believe it is right or necessary.

3. As an illustration, tell the story of Naaman dramatically, drawing out all the embarrassing aspects. Explain that Naaman was a very important man with lots of servants. Unfortunately, he had a serious skin disease – leprosy. He reluctantly agreed to God’s way of curing him. Emphasise how embarrassing it must have been going to bathe not once, but seven times, one after the other, in a not-very-beautiful river, especially in front of all his servants.

Conclude your telling of the story by saying that he obviously thought the embarrassment of doing something so apparently stupid was worth it for the sake of being cured.

Application

1. People sometimes find it difficult to admit they are a Christian, or even to show that they are interested in the Christian faith. They are afraid they will be teased or ridiculed – and, as a result, embarrassed.

2. Continue by saying that many people throughout history have taken risks and been ridiculed for something they believed in (eg believing that the earth was round; that penicillin was an effective medicine; that the sun was the centre of the solar system). And sometimes the cost of doing what you believe in can be far worse than embarrassment – it can be persecution or even death. That is still happening to some people today, just for admitting that they are Christians.

3. Conclude by saying that sometimes it’s difficult to do what’s right, especially when most people act as if they think you are wrong. It takes courage to stand up for what you believe in, but the temporary embarrassment may be a price worth paying for doing what is right.

A time to remember – Remembrance Day

Bible base

1 Corinthians 11:23–26

Aim

To help students reflect on how memories are an important part of our lives.

Things you’ll need:

A song about remembering or memory, eg ‘Everything I do, I do it for you’ by Bryan Adams; ‘Memory’ from the musical Cats
PowerPoint equipment (optional) for presentation.
Objects, photos etc that you plan to use as examples in the assembly.
Remembrance Day poppies.

Preparation

Find the pictures or objects you plan to use in the assembly.
Find out some facts about wars by doing a web search.
If using PowerPoint or OHP for presentation of pictures (see below), prepare material as appropriate.
Wear a poppy.

Presentation

Start by talking about the different ways in which we remember things, pointing out that we have good memories and sad memories. Show some examples, beginning with some personal ones. You could show some of your ‘picture’ memories using PowerPoint or OHP and also some actual objects, holding them up for your audience to see. Choose things which you think this age group will enjoy. Examples might include:

Good memories

Photographs (eg a funny one of you on holiday as a child)
Your teddy bear
Your diary – includes important dates (eg your birthday, pay day, holidays, trip to the cinema)

Sad memories

Possessions (eg your grandma’s wedding ring)
Photographs (eg a picture of a relative who fought/died in a war)

2 Now comment that some students are wearing poppies (if they are). Show and talk about your ‘Remembrance Day’ poppy. Ask if anyone can tell you why we wear these at this time of year. Then talk about what the poppy is meant to help us remember. Include some facts about wars, for example:

First World War: On the first day of the Battle of the Somme, there were nearly 60,000 casualties, a third of whom were killed.

Some facts about a more recent war, eg the war in Iraq.

Talk about the fact that the people who were killed or injured were real people – someone’s father, brother, husband, and son. In the First World War, some of those fighting were very young – as young as 14.

3 Ask: Why is it important to remember?

Talk about a time you forgot something (eg your Mum’s birthday!). How did that make the person feel?
Talk about the importance of remembering friends and relatives who have died, including some personal examples. If we don’t remember people it’s as if we’re saying they weren’t important or that we don’t care about the contribution they’ve made to our lives.

In the same way, it’s important to remember the people who have died in wars, fighting for things that are important. How we live today is partly a result of their sacrifice. Remembrance Day is a time to remember.

Reflection

1 Say that remembering is important, because what happened in the past affects our lives now. It’s important because others (those we don’t know, like soldiers, and those we do know, like family) have done things for us which have an affect on our lives today and we need to remember them with thankfulness.

2 Now show the cross (an object, or picture on OHP or PowerPoint). Talk about, how for Christians it’s important to remember how Jesus died and in doing so took all the suffering and wrongs of the world. When we see a cross it reminds us of Jesus giving up his life for us, and challenges us about how we live for God and others now.

Response

1 Ask the young people to think about:

the soldiers who gave their lives for this country in wars;
their own good memories of people and what they mean to them;
Jesus giving up his life on the cross and why he did that.

Give a few moments of silence and encourage students to take the time to say thank you to God for what these memories mean and to think about what difference they might make to their lives now.

2 Show the prepared PowerPoint presentation (optional) with images of memories (family photos, war pictures), ending with one showing the cross, whilst listening to the song you have selected on the theme of remembering.

If PowerPoint isn’t available, use two or three OHP acetates with images and display these whilst the students are listening to the song.

3 End with a few moments silence, leaving the image of the cross on display.

Light and Dark – Hallowe’en

Bible base

Matthew 15:16–20; Luke 11:33–36; John 1:4,5

Aim

To help students reflect on what causes evil and Jesus’ reassurance that he is the light of the world.

Things you’ll need:

Appropriate pictures from newspapers etc to remind students of ‘evil’ events that are currently in the news (bombings, crimes which have hurt people, oppression) –these could be prepared for display on PowerPoint.
Flip chart and pens (optional)

Preparation

Search out and prepare for display pictures you plan to use.

Note: When you refer to Halloween, take care not to appear to trivialise it or associated topics, which may be frightening issues for some students (eg the occult and supernatural).

Presentation

1 Start by talking briefly about Halloween. Point out how, although most people don’t take Halloween seriously; there is real evil in the world which is very serious. Ask the students for some examples of ‘evil’ they’ve noticed recently in the news.

2 Show them some of the pictures you’ve selected as reminders of ‘evil’ that’s happened recently and talk about the kinds of ‘evil’ these represent.

3 Ask:

Why did these bad things happen?
Who was responsible?

4 Say that while we would probably never do some of the terrible things they’ve just looked at, all of us do sometimes do ‘evil’ things. Asking students for their ideas, make a list (on flip chart) of different ‘evil’ things they might do (eg bullying, telling lies, taking something which isn’t yours). Even though these aren’t big crimes, they are still small steps in the wrong direction and which often result in hurt for others.

Reflection

1 Dark

Comment that most of the evil and suffering in the world is caused by human beings. The Bible talks about the wrong things we do coming from within us. It’s our own fault! Christians believe that God created human beings with the ability to choose right from wrong: a lot of the time evil is caused by people who deliberately choose wrong.

2 Light

Christians believe that the power of evil has been overcome through the death of Jesus on the cross. If we do wrong things, God will forgive us when we say sorry to him, and will help us to do what’s right.

Response

1 Light a candle, placed so that people can see it. Then read out Jesus words, saying:

‘Jesus said, “I am the Light of the World.”’ John 9:5 (NIV)

2 Ask students to consider:

Have you contributed towards evil in any ways?
What good have you done recently?

3 Invite students, if they wish, to take a moment as everyone is quiet to ask God to forgive them for wrong things they’ve done and to find ways of bringing some ‘light’ into others’ lives today.

4 Conclude by reading John 1:4,5, explaining that these are some words from the Bible about Jesus.

Note: Check that the school’s Health and Safety rules will allow you to light a candle during assembly.

Get Ready – Advent

Bible base

Matthew 2:1–12

Aim

To encourage students to think about why we celebrate Christmas.

Things you’ll need

2 boxes.
Sheets of Christmas wrapping paper, pre-cut if necessary, ready to wrap the boxes.
2 rolls of sticky tape.
8 envelopes.
8 cards.
2 address lists (4 addresses on each).
8 mince pies.
2 sets of words of a carol.
4 Christmas chocolates as prizes.
3 more boxes, one wrapped in gold and the two others in plain colours, labelled with large letters: ‘gold’, ‘frankincense’ and ‘myrrh’.

Preparation

• Before the assembly begins, set up a table with all the items necessary in place for the team game. As far as possible, make sure that the table is arranged so that the audience can see the teams’ efforts.

• Place the three gifts of the ‘Wise Men’ separately to avoid them getting spoilt in the team game. These could be put on view to act as a focus through the assembly.

Presentation

1 Start by talking about getting ready for Christmas and students’ preparations. Ask for eight volunteers to take part in team game.

Note: check for food allergies.

2 Have two teams of four people in each. Explain that both teams have to complete four activities to do with getting ready for Christmas. The activities are:

Wrap up a ‘gift’.
Write four cards and put each in its envelope which must be addressed.
Eat four mince pies.
Sing a carol.

Involve the audience by having one half supporting Team A and the others supporting Team B. Give prizes to the winning team and encourage applause for all the volunteers.

3 When everyone is quiet again, comment that this time of year coming up to Christmas is called Advent. It’s the time when Christians get ready for Christmas – not just wrapping presents and writing cards – but by thinking about the reason for Christmas.

If appropriate to your audience, ask them what they think are reasons for Christmas (eg presents, parties etc). Say that, really, it’s a celebration of the birth of Jesus.

4 Talk about the story of the Wise Men. Ask the students if they can remember what gifts they brought to Jesus. Explain that each of their gifts tell us something about who Jesus is and what he had come to do.

5 Now, show the audience each of your ready-prepared, labelled gifts.

Gold

Say that gold was thought of as a gift for a king. Christians believe that Jesus is a King – God’s Son – and his special gift to us.

Frankincense

Explain that this was a substance with a strong smell which was used by priests, like incense. A priest was someone who talked to God on behalf of the people. Christians believe that Jesus, a bit like a priest, came to help us know God and show us what he is like.

Myrrh

Myrrh was a substance that was used to cover bodies before they were buried. Explain that Christians believe that this gift reminds us about Jesus’ death for us – so that we could be put right with God.

Reflection

Encourage the students, as they get ready for Christmas this year, to take some time to think about these questions:

Where is Jesus in your Christmas?
How could you and your family include him in the festivities which started because of his birth?

Response

In a time of quiet, encourage students to pray, or lead with a short prayer yourself, using this or similar outline:

Thanks for Christmas and fun: What do they especially enjoy about Christmas?
Thanks for Jesus: Ask them to think about the three gifts of the Wise Men and what those tell us about Jesus. Give thanks for his coming to earth for us.
Ask God’s help to remember Jesus this Christmas.

Note: Check first with school that it is OK for you to offer mince pies to students and that this isn’t a problem regarding possible food allergies.

Gifts – Christmas

Bible base

Matthew 2:11; John 3:16

Aim

To encourage students to remember that the reason for Christmas and presents is to celebrate the birthday of Jesus, God’s gift to the world.

Things you’ll need:

Party hat, large birthday badge (eg ’18 today’).
Five or six ‘presents’, eg small bags of sweets (optional, see ‘Note’).
A CD which the age group would enjoy for a party.
A bag of crisps.
A can of drink.
A CD of the carol you plan to use.
Equipment to play the CD.

Preparation

Before the assembly, wrap up the ‘presents’.
Set up equipment for playing the CD in the assembly, and make sure it all works.
‘Party guest’ volunteers. Before the assembly, enlist the help of four or five volunteers and give them one of the ‘presents’. Explain briefly that you are going to ask them to the front, bringing their ‘present’ with them, and then to act as if they are enjoying a party. You will tell them what to do as the assembly progresses. You might like to ask the teacher responsible for the assembly to select ‘appropriate’ volunteers for you. See ‘Note’ at end of outline. (Optional)

Presentation

1 Start by talking about parties.

• Are they going to any parties this Christmas?

• Have they been to/had any good birthday parties?

2 Say that you want them to imagine how they would feel if the following happened at their birthday party.

(Put on a party hat yourself, badge with ’18 today’ etc at this point.)

Say that:

You are going to have a party. You invite your friends and they are all going to come. The food and drink look great.

(Bring out a token bag of crisps and can of drink!)

It’s all ready. Everyone comes.

(At this point, invite your ‘party guest’ volunteers to come to the front carrying their presents. Put on the CD, keeping volume low, so you can be heard. Encourage your volunteers to act as if they are at a party.)

Say that, all is going well. You notice that they’ve each brought a present with them – and you think, ‘Great – wonder what I’ve got!’

Then the music stops.

(Turn off the music.)

People start getting out their presents.

(Encourage your ‘party guests’ to look at their presents.)

You wait for them to give you the presents – after all, it is your birthday.

(Look excited.)

But they don’t. Your friends give each other the presents!

(Encourage your ‘party guests’ to give one another the presents and to unwrap them, dropping the paper on the floor, leaving you out.)

Ask, ‘How would you feel if this was your party?’

(Thank your volunteers and ask them to go back to their places.)

Say that the party is over. All your friends have gone and you have been left on your own with just the wrappings.

Reflection

1 Say that maybe that’s how Jesus feels about Christmas. Briefly comment on how there’s lots of partying at Christmas. Then ask, about the meaning of Christmas, ‘Whose birthday is it anyway?’

2 Talk about how today we often forget that Christmas is about celebrating Jesus’ birthday. We get preoccupied with thinking about the presents we’re going to give to other people, and what we’re going to get. This is a contrast to the first Christmas when Jesus was the centre of attention and three very special gifts were given to the baby. Briefly explain that gold was for a king, frankincense for a priest and myrrh, used in burial customs, reminds us of Jesus’ death.

3 Explain that Christians started giving gifts to each other at Christmas as a reminder and celebration of God’s gift of Jesus to the world. At this point, you could read from the Bible: John 3:16.

Response

1 In a time of quiet:

• Ask the students to think about the presents they plan to give, and the ones they hope to get. Encourage them to let every present, this Christmas, be a reminder of how God showed his love for us through his gift of Jesus to the world.

• Thank God for sending Jesus into the world for us.

• Ask the students if they can think of someone who is going to be left out of Christmas celebrations this year. Is there something they could do, or a gift they could give, to show them some of God’s love – just as God did for us when he sent Jesus.

2 You could finish the time of quiet by listening to a verse from a Christmas carol about God’s gift of Jesus at Christmas (eg the appropriates verse from ‘O Little Town of Bethlehem’, ‘The First Nowell’ or ‘We Three Kings’). Alternatively, you could read the words.

Wish everyone a very happy Christmas!

Note: If you don’t wish to involve volunteers or it’s not easy to do so, simply use the outline as above, omitting the sections about inviting volunteers to the front and instructions to them as you talk about the party. You can still set the scene by putting on the hat and badge yourself, playing the CD etc.

How do you spell harvest? – Harvest

Aim

To encourage pupils to be ready to share with those in need

Bible base

Luke 16:19-31 – the rich man and Lazarus

You will need:

7 pieces of card, each one showing a letter of the word ‘harvest’
Some unusual fruit (eg a star fruit, a fig, a kiwi fruit, a mango, an avocado; a toffee apple – for fun!)
A diagram of ‘the global’ village (see illustration) either on large card or via a digital projector.
6 jam-filled, sugar-coated doughnuts
A roll of kitchen towel

Preparation

Prepare cards showing the letters to make the word ‘harvest’.
Prepare the diagram of ‘the global village’ – The Global Village (7330 downloads ) .

Content

Introduction

1. Begin by saying that you are going to be thinking about the meaning of harvest time in this assembly.

2. Ask for seven volunteers. Give each of them one of the cards showing a letter from the word ‘harvest’. Ask them to order themselves, so that the letters spell the word ‘harvest’.

Harvest time is about…

• EARTH

1. Ask the volunteers to order themselves so the letters spell ‘earth’.

2. Say that harvest time is about celebrating all the good things the earth provides. Remind pupils that there is produce in our shops from all over the world. Some of it is familiar, some less so.

3. Show pupils the pieces of ‘unusual’ fruit, one at a time. Ask them if anyone can tell you what each is called. If the person you ask gets the answer correct, give them the piece of fruit. (Show them a toffee apple for fun!)

4. Comment that the variety of food in the world is staggering. And there is so much of it – enough to feed twice the world’s population. And all this is what is remembered at harvest time – as a gift from God.

• STARVE

1. Ask the volunteers to rearrange themselves, so that the letters spell the word ‘starve’.

2. Say that in spite of the vast supplies of food on our planet, people are starving – not just a few people tucked away in the corner of the world, but millions of people!

3. Say that if this world of 5.7 billion people were described as if it were a global village of 5000 people, we would discover some interesting facts (Display the diagram of ‘the global village’). Talk about the contrasts which exist between the lives of the rich and the poor.

4. Comment that the world’s resources are not evenly spread. Ask: How can this be put right?

• SHARE

1. Ask the volunteers to order themselves so that the letters spell the word ‘share’.

2. Announce that you could all ‘share’ now! Ask who would like a doughnut. Ask for three more volunteers.

3. Give each volunteer a doughnut and give them this instruction: This doughnut must be eaten, but you must not lick your lips!

4. Tell the audience you would like them to help with this challenge by shouting, ‘Licking your lips!’ if they spot anyone doing just that. Have the kitchen towel handy!

5. Allow about thirty seconds for the challenge. At the end of the ensuing mayhem, see who has eaten the most without licking their lips.

6. Then remind them that the instruction was that the doughnut must be eaten, but that they must not lick their lips! Ask how else they could have achieved the task. Eventually someone will realise that it could be done by feeding someone else!

7. Then give each of the three volunteers another doughnut and ask them to go and feed as many people as possible!

8. After a few moments ask them to return to their seats and give them a round of applause.

• HEART

1. Ask the audience what they think will have to happen for people to be willing to share on a global – or even local – scale.

2. Say that the final word you want your volunteers to spell is ‘heart’. Ask the volunteers to order themselves so that the letters spell the word ‘heart’.

3. Say that for people to be willing to share so that everyone in the world has all they need, there needs to be a change of heart – starting with you and me. It has been said that we need to live more simply, so that others may simply live!

Application

1. Tell the story which Jesus told about the rich man and the poor man called Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31). Lazarus sat each day at the gate of the rich man, begging. In the story, they both died. The poor man went to heaven and the rich man went to hell. The point of the story wasn’t that the rich man was to blame for the poor man’s state, but that he ignored him and did nothing to help.

2. Comment that it’s easy to think that we can’t do anything. After all, the poor and the starving are too far away for us to be able to make any difference, aren’t they? But we can do something: we can give our money to those working to relieve hunger: and we can ask God to change our hearts – now, today, so that we are more willing to share with those around us here.

I remember when – Remembrance Day & Forgiveness

Bible base

Matthew 5:9,38–48

Things you’ll need:

Items from the past, eg old vinyl records, Rubik’s Cube, large mobile phone, recordings of old songs to play.
Items from their lives today, eg current CDs, the latest games console, small mobile phone.
Equipment to play old songs, if using.
Remembrance day ‘poppies’.

Preparation

Set up equipment for playing music, if using.
Devise extra quiz questions, if needed.
If you have enough poppies to give the students one each, get some volunteers to give them out as the students enter.

Presentation

1 Show the students some of the items from the past you’ve brought in. You might like even to play an old song or two. Talk about how the items from the past have been surpassed by newer things.

2 Do this quiz, encouraging participation: ‘I remember when…’ The students have to tell you the year of the events. Below are some memorable events and their dates. Depending on time you have available, you might want to add some more notable dates.

You could do the quiz either by simply asking the audience, with hands up for answers; by dividing the audience in two, each section competing against each other; or having a competition between two teams of volunteers at the front.

Ask: In which year did the following events take place?

JF Kennedy shot (1963)
Man landed on the moon (1969)
The Falklands war (1982)
Bomb at the Atlanta Olympics (1996)
Princess Diana died (1997)
The World Trade Center destroyed by terrorist attack (2001)

3 Talk about the idea of history repeating itself, for example:

Old fashions come back in to fashion, eg mini-skirts, flares;
War re-occurs, eg Falklands War, Gulf War, Northern Ireland, Kosovo, Afghanistan, Iraq.
Violence and terrorism, eg September 11, suicide bombs in Israel.

4 Show the students a Remembrance Day poppy. Explain that these were first sold and worn as reminders of the fields of France covered in red poppies during World War I and also reminders of the bloodshed in wars since.

After the two major world wars in Europe in the first half of the last century, the British Legion wanted future generations never to forget the atrocities of war and to remember those who had died for their country.

5 Say that they might have heard these words, often spoken at this time of year, in remembrance of people who have given their lives in wars:

‘Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. They shall grow not old as we who are left grow old, age shall not weary them not the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning we will remember them. When you go home, tell them of us and say, “For your tomorrow we gave our today”.’ Kohima Memorial in Burma

6 Explain that some Christians, who were pacifists, did not fight in the two World Wars, believing that, whatever the reasons, it is always wrong to kill others and that other ways of making peace should be found. Other Christians believed it was right to go to war and gave their lives to preserve freedom and peace for others.

7 Explain that, whether we believe war is right or wrong, the Bible talks about the importance of being willing to forgive, and about reconciliation and seeking peace wherever possible. That applies to every day quarrels between people too.

8 Read out some of these verse from the Bible: Matthew 5:9,38–48.

Reflection

Ask the students:

How would you like to be remembered?
In what ways could you contribute to making peace (in school, your family, your community, the world)?
Can you forgive others, when you need to, and not seek revenge or retribution?

Response

1 Tell the students you are going to have a short time of quiet, when you want them to think honestly about the following:

• Are there people at home or school who they need to forgive?

Tell them they could ask God to help them forgive others.

• How could they help make peace between themselves and someone else, or even in the wider world?

Remind them they could ask God to help them do something about this today.

2 Finally, get them to look at their own poppy or the one you’re showing them. Encourage them, every time they see one of these at this time of year, to remember what it means and to let it challenge them to work for peace, in big and small ways.

Attitude to Work

Note

This assembly is for use in preparation for work experience and is intended for use with older pupils.

Aim

To help pupils examine the nature of work; and to think about Jesus’ attitude to work.

Bible base

Matthew 20:1-16 – the workers in the vineyard.

You will need:

Items for task assignments: potatoes and peeler; dirty shoes, polish and brushes; pencils and sharpener; 26 cards showing the different letters of the alphabet.
A hat containing 4 cards showing assignments
4 small prizes (eg chocolate bars)
3 large pieces of paper showing:

A ‘graffiti board’ style list of issues which are part of the world of work (see Content below)
A picture of a famous person (eg well-known sports or music celebrity)
A picture of Mother Teresa

• Some music for timing the work activity (see Content below)

Content

Introduction

1. Tell pupils that as it’s the time of year for ‘work experience’, you are going to give them some practice.

2. Ask for four volunteers and give them each one of the following tasks together with the necessary equipment:

Peel three potatoes;
Clean and polish a pair of shoes;
Sharpen a dozen pencils;
Sort the twenty-six cards into alphabetical order.

3. Having told everyone what the four jobs are, assign the four volunteers their tasks by asking them to pull a card out of a hat. (Comment that you are sure that more care was taken in their real work placements!)

4. Play some music (it could be on the theme of work, or some ‘busy’ music like The Flight of the Bumble-bee by Rimsky-Korsakov), while they do their jobs. After one minute, see how they’ve got on.

5. Give the volunteers a round of applause and a small reward. You could say something like, ‘Don’t expect anything like that on work experience!’

Why work?

1. Ask some rhetorical questions about the nature of work. For example:

Do we work only for what we can get out of it ourselves?
Does it matter whether we work willingly or begrudgingly, as long as the job gets done?
What is ‘work’, anyway? Is what we do in school ‘work’? or is ‘work’ only a ‘proper job’ for which you get paid? What about ‘working’ in the garden or the house all day? Is that work? Or leisure?

2. Say to your audience that as they are preparing for the world of work, it’s worth remembering some of the similarities, as well as the differences, between school and work. Display the first piece of card showing some of the different issues involved in work which may or may not be part of their working life at school or in ‘a job’. You could include: punctuality, hours, holidays, working day, rules, law, discipline, contract, clothing, illness, wages, pay.

You might talk about some of these or leave them on display whilst you make the general point that the wonderful stress-free, hassle-free, world of work out there doesn’t exist! And probably, the things you dislike about school will be present, in some form, at work.

3. Display the second card (e.g. a top sports person, a super-model or filmstar). Then display the third card – the picture of Mother Teresa. Ask some questions like:

Whose job is the most important?
Whose job is the best paid?
Are there other criteria we need to consider?

4. Talk about the fact that even though they won’t be paid for the work they do on work experience, that doesn’t mean they are not important, or that the work they do next week doesn’t count.

Say that some people on work experience have made a real difference to their place of work: because of the kind of person they are; the atmosphere they’ve helped to create. And, as a result, they’ve made a lasting impression on their workmates.

5. Tell this story: There was a man who had a big job which had to be done in one day. So, he hired some men to do it for a fixed daily rate. Half-way through the day, he realised that the job wasn’t going to be completed on time. So he took on some more men at the same rate. In the early evening, he took on some more to make sure everything was finished and packed away. All the men got the same pay. Some of them didn’t like it, but the boss told them that they’d all got what was agreed at the time they were taken on.

6. Explain that Jesus told this story (see Matthew 20:1-16) – not to make out a case for everyone to be paid the same – but to show that everyone was equally important in getting the job done on time. They all had a part to play – however small it seemed.

Application

Say that you are sure they will all work very hard during work experience, and for no apparent reward.
Tell pupils that Jesus was a worker for many years. He knew what it was like to get dirt in his fingernails and to trade and bargain for the best deals. But Jesus said something very ironic about his work. He said that the most important thing he had come to do was to serve others and eventually die for them, not to gain a reward for himself, but for the greatest free reward ever for others; the best ‘bonus’ any boss could give to anyone, no matter how deserving – the gift of eternal life…heaven.