Objectives To discover God s heart for his people to work together in unity to build his Kingdom. To consider practical ideas for children s ministry workers to connect with others and begin working together. Lesson Overview Welcome & Warm Up The Farmer and the Turnip Story Why is Working Together so Important? Working Together Quiz Body Challenge What do God s People Have to Offer? Idea Exchange Wrap Up Approximate Total Time: 10 minutes 10 minutes 5 minutes 5 minutes 15 minutes 5 minutes 10 minutes 10 minutes 70 minutes Participants will need: Bibles Participant notes Writing utensils Illustration options: Erasable board and writing supplies 10 small objects (keys, pens, pencils, etc.) 4 chairs 1 sheet of paper for each participant A treasure 4 blindfolds 1 paper puzzle piece for each participant Media options: Power Point slides for this lesson Lighthouse video The Tree video Before You Begin Pray. Ask God to open the hearts of participants and to help you to share from your heart about this important topic. Gather all materials (see right). Make substitutions as necessary. Read through the lesson to find places where you will be asked to give a personal story or thought. Plan ahead to choose powerful examples. page 1
Welcome & Warm Up (10 minutes) A Game: The Moving Nest (Put one chair in the center of an open space. Place three other chairs about 5 feet/1.5m away from the center chair and an equal distance from the other 2 chairs, forming a triangle. On the center chair place ten small common items such as keys, pens, etc. Invite nine volunteers forward and divide them into three teams of three members. Have each team stand beside one of the three empty chairs. Read the following instructions EXACTLY as written: 1. Transfer all the items to one chair. 2. Transfer all the items one at a time. 3. You may steal from each other s chair. 4. You cannot stop anyone from stealing from your chair. Let the game begin. Teams will likely rush to the center chair and attempt to transfer all the items to their respective chairs. After about 30 seconds of play, stop the game and ask each team to count the number of items on their respective chairs. Do we have all items on one chair? Not yet. Let the game resume. Invariably the same thing will happen for several rounds. If teams don t make any progress after three attempts, ask them to listen carefully to the instructions and very slowly repeat them in the correct order. At this time one person will get a clue, and may even pass it on to others that you had asked them to transfer the items to ONE chair. The game is over when all the items are transferred to just one chair it does not matter which chair! Debrief with the following questions:) Which team won the game? (All the teams, everyone) Why did it take so long (if it took several attempts) to win? What did we learn from this activity about working together? What does the Bible say about some of the things we learned? Working together is so important for reaching children in a lasting way. This lesson will help us consider God s heart for his people to work together. We will also consider practical issues related to working with others. THE 1for50 HAND: This lesson is a part of Building God s Kingdom Together. The Farmer and the Turnip Story (10 minutes) (Note to Instructor: A turnip is a large root vegetable that is cooked and eaten. You may substitute a local vegetable to tell the story, i.e., cassava. Tell the story of the farmer and the turnip with energy. Invite participants forward to dramatize the story as you tell it.) page 2
One day a farmer wanted turnip stew. He went to his garden, grabbed a large turnip and pulled. He pulled and pulled. But the turnip just would not come out. So the farmer called his wife for help. The wife pulled the farmer, and the farmer pulled the turnip. They pulled and pulled. But that turnip just would not come out. The wife fetched the girl. The girl pulled the wife, who pulled the farmer, who pulled the turnip. They pulled and pulled. But that turnip just would not come out. The girl fetched the boy. The boy pulled the girl, who pulled the wife, who pulled the farmer, who pulled the turnip. They pulled and pulled. But that turnip just would not come out. They called for their dog. The dog pulled the boy, who pulled the girl, who pulled the wife, who pulled the farmer, who pulled the turnip. They pulled and pulled. But that turnip just would not come out. Then they called for their cat. The cat pulled the dog, who pulled the boy, who pulled the girl, who pulled the wife, who pulled the farmer, who pulled the turnip. They pulled and pulled. But that turnip just would not come up. The cat meowed for the mouse. The mouse pulled the cat, who pulled the dog, who pulled the boy, who pulled the girl, who pulled the wife, who pulled the farmer, who pulled the turnip. They pulled and pulled. And do you know what happened? The earth cracked, and pop! The turnip came out. That night, the farmer, the wife, the boy, the girl, the dog, the cat, and the mouse dined on the tastiest turnip stew ever imagined. What lessons can we learn from this story about working together? (Let participants discuss in pairs for a few minutes and then share together. Answers may include): The size of the task required everyone No one person or group has everything We have to put aside our differences to accomplish the task Even the smallest one was necessary Instructor s Guide Why is Working Together so Important? (5 minutes) The Bible has much to say about the importance of working together. (Have volunteers read the three Scriptures, also found in participant s notes, below. Discuss the principle highlighted in each scripture.) John 13:34-35 We shine brighter together Ephesians 4:16 God s design is that we work together John 17:20-21 Jesus prayed for our unity As we work together, we help the name of Jesus to be known in this world. We help Jesus prayers to be answered, and ours, too. It is especially important for us to work together as we consider the children. page 3
(Give each participant a piece of paper. Ask them to draw a line down the center of the paper. In one column, instruct them to write the names of people or groups in their LOCAL CHURCH with whom they may need to work to reach/disciple children, such as families, pastors, leaders, other teachers, etc. In the other column, have them write the names of other Christian individuals, organizations or ministries reaching and discipling children in the community. You will use the lists later in the lesson.) Instructor s Guide The ultimate champion of working together and partnership is God himself. Just think of all he could do by himself. Yet he chooses to work through us and with us. We feel amazing love, purpose and belonging in this. Working Together Quiz (5 minutes) As we consider working together, it can feel like a burden because it takes more time and effort in the beginning. Is it really worth it? Let s take a quiz on working together to find out. (Read the following multiple choice questions found on Page 2 of participant notes. Let participants guess before giving the correct answer, underlined below.) 1. If one draft horse can pull 2000 kg/4500 lbs, how much could two draft horses pull if they were harnessed/yoked together? a. 4000 kg/9000 lbs b. 12,000 kg/27,000 lbs c. 8000 kg/18,000 lbs In the case of draft horses, two horses combining their efforts could pull three times the weight than if they had pulled individually! 2. If one Canadian goose can fly 300 kilometers in one day, how many kilometers could a flock of Canadian geese fly in one day? a. 300 kilometers b. Less than 250 kilometers c. More than 500 kilometers Canadian geese fly in a V formation, taking turns leading at the front of the V to break the wind, so they go farther together! 3. If one ministry can accomplish great things for God, how much could a group of organizations working together accomplish? a. The same as if they all worked individually b. More than if they all worked individually c. Less than if they all worked individually In the case of ministries and children s leaders, it depends! Why does more get done when people work together? What are some of the obstacles to working together? page 4
(Invite participants to work in pairs to discuss answers to this question for a few minutes, then share ideas as a large group. Answers may include): We are too busy doing our own thing We don t trust others We don t want to take the time to build relationships We don t think it will be worth the effort We want to do things our own way Share an example of a time you overcame the obstacles to working together and saw great results. Instructor s Guide Body Challenge (15 minutes) (Invite nine or twelve volunteers to participate in this game whose goal is to be the first team to find the treasure. Divide volunteers into teams of three people. The three people in the team have three roles: the mouth, the hands, and the feet. Let teams decide who will be each part before explaining the roles. The feet The person who carries out the verbal instructions given by the mouth and moves to find the treasure/object. The feet is the only person on the team who can move. The mouth The person who verbalizes directions to the feet, based on the motions communicated by the hand. The mouth is the only person on the team who can speak. The hands The person who sees the progress of the person who is the feet and uses only hand motions to guide the mouth. The hands is the only person on the team who can see. Starting Positions: The hands stands at the starting point facing the room and the mouth. The mouth stands or sits on a chair, facing the one who is the hands. The mouth cannot turn around to look at the room. The feet is blindfolded and stands back to back with the mouth. Instructions: After teams are in position, place the treasure anywhere in the room at least 5-10 meters in any location ahead of the feet. The hands are the only team member who can see the treasure. When the game starts, the hands communicate to the mouth, using hand motions, the location of the treasure and what direction the feet need to go. The mouth calls out these directions to the feet verbally, who in turns searches for the treasure. All the teams compete at the same time to find the same treasure. The first team to find the treasure wins the game. When finished, debrief the game with the following questions:) Which of the three roles was most important? Which of the three roles was least important? Which role did you feel was the easiest to play? page 5
Which role did you feel was the most difficult to play? How did other teams participating affect the game? What made the game difficult overall? What did you learn from this activity about working together? How did you feel when a teammate did his job well? How did you feel when a teammate did not perform to your expectation? (Write a list of lessons learned about working together on the board as they are mentioned. Guide participants to discover others on the list below if not mentioned by the group.) 1. Uniqueness Each of the roles was unique, and so are all of us in our roles in the Kingdom. 2. Diversity Each of the roles was distinctly different from the other roles, just as all of us are distinctly different from each other in our personalities and gifts in ministry. 3. Equality Though each of the roles was different, all were equally important, just as all of us are equally important. 4. Unity The game could never have been completed successfully without absolute unity among the three roles. So also the Kingdom can never be built unless there is unity amongst ourselves. 5. Communication The game required good communication so that the instructions could be carried out correctly. Likewise communication within the Kingdom should never be underestimated. 6. Transparency There had to be a sense of transparency amongst the members for communication to be clear. Similarly transparency in the Kingdom plays a vital role for effective partnership to occur. 7. Trust Each person had to trust the other team members to carry out their role effectively; so also each person in the Kingdom needs to have a level of trust with the other members of the Kingdom, as without trust, no effective work can be accomplished. 8. Commitment Every person had to give his/her best for the team to win; so also we are called to serve the Lord with our whole heart so as to achieve or accomplish what he s called us to in the Kingdom. 9. Shared Vision All the roles had the common goal of locating the treasure first, just as we all share the goal of building God s Kingdom. 10. Patience and Perseverance There may have been times of frustration when a teammate was not able to understand or carry out instructions well, so patience and perseverance with each other was required. So also patience and perseverance are both required when working with other people in the Kingdom. 11. Forgiveness and reconciliation There may have been times when errors were committed and forgiveness and reconciliation were required, as will also be the case in Kingdom work. page 6
What do God s People Have to Offer? (5 minutes) Many people in the community may work together on different projects. These are not necessarily Christian groups or groups that are focused on reaching and discipling children and their families. (Discuss the two questions as a large group.) What do we (God s people) have to offer that no one else has? If we are really being Jesus in the community, what will people see us doing together? As followers of Christ, we have the gospel, God s love, the Holy Spirit, hope, transformation, etc. These are things that no government or human group can offer in the same way. The Church is God s Plan A. There is no Plan B. Are we focused on working together to bring the love, hope and power of Jesus into our communities in a way that is different from good works that others might do? Idea Exchange (10 minutes) How can children s leaders work together in the community for the sake of children? (Have participants form groups of four or five people and think of ideas that the people of God might do together to reach and disciple more children and families for Christ. Encourage them to use the papers with names of people in local churches and also of groups in the community as a reference to help think of ideas or partnerships. Think of simple activities as well as larger projects. Share a few innovative/creative ideas from your experience. After five minutes, ask groups to share some of their ideas. Answers may include): Put on a shared children s event as outreach. Ask local churches to adopt each school and offer loving prayer and support to teachers or leaders. Work together to put on a training event for children s leaders from multiple local churches or groups. Start a children s ministries prayer support group or network for sharing ideas, training, and encouragement. Other? God loves to see his people work together in love and unity to make his name known to the world. Ask God to help us share a vision for working together for the sake of loving, reaching and discipling children for Christ. page 7
Wrap Up and Prayer (10 minutes) Puzzle Piece: What is your part? Video Options: Show Lighthouse video or The Tree video Lighthouse: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ieuxkcym_m) The Tree: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gpeez6vingy) (Before the lesson, cut a paper puzzle piece for each person. Give each participant a puzzle piece. Encourage them to work alone. On one side of the piece, write a few words or phrases of what they learned in this lesson that was most impactful. Then have participants turn over the puzzle pieces and answer the questions, What gifts, talents, skills, etc., do you have to share? What is your part to play in helping reach and disciple our children? When participants are finished, ask them to form a circle in a central place. One by one, invite participants to place their puzzle pieces in the center of the circle, either on a table or floor, as a symbol of offering themselves to the Lord. Read Romans 12:3-5. For a puzzle to be complete, every part must be in its place. No piece is more important than any other. For a body to be complete, all parts must be doing what they were created to do. God is asking all of us to take our place in his big picture and fulfill our role as part of the Body. (Pray together. Commit to work together in unity. Commit to continue listening to God s heart of love for the children, for families and for the world. Commit to offer what we have to help build the Kingdom and, together, bring glory and honor to God.) page 8