My
Church, Our Home
Session
V: In Deed and In Truth
This session
will develop the understanding in the participants, that we are called by Christ
to “love our neighbors”. We should live our lives in our homes,
our schools, and our places of business, etc. as messengers who reflect Christ’s
teachings. Participants should explore ways they may be part of outreach as
a member of their parish and family.
These are the understandings
we will teach in this session.
Understandings:
- Our lives should
reflect God’s “house rules” in our deeds towards our neighbors,
our families and for those who hate and oppose us.
- Our parishes
provide opportunities for outreach in which we should take Our own homes should
be a reflection of our life in “God’s home”.
These questions, when answered
and discussed, will lead back to the understandings for this session.
Essential
Questions:
- How can we make
our own homes like “God’s house?’
- How are we expected
to act and behave in our own homes? Should it be different than the way we
are expected to act in Church? In our communities?
- How can we take
the teachings of the church and live them at home?
- When Jesus teaches
us to “love our neighbor,” to whom is He referring?. Can we take
the teachings of the church and share them with others who are not of our
faith? How do we do this?
- Have you ever
hurt anyone, or have you ever been mean towards a person?
- What was it that
made you behave this way?
- Should we practice
intercessory prayer for all people? Why or why not?
- What does Jesus
teach us about how to do for others? Why do you think it is taught this way?
- Is it difficult
to love the people who treat you poorly?
- Why are you
expected to “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven?”. (Matthew
5:44-48)
- When we do something
good for others, and it makes us “feel good,” is this a bad thing
or a good thing?
Introduction:
Using the understandings
and the essential questions, begin a discussion about how we are expected to
act and behave in different circumstances. How is our behavior a reflection
on who we are? What are we expected to be like as Orthodox Christians? What
is it that Christ calls us to do for our fellow man? How do we see Christ reflected
in the faces of our friends, our neighbors, our enemies? When the discussion
is finished, have the students brainstorm ways that Christ calls on us to minister
to one another. Then when the lists are written, post them up for all to see,
and have them work on the activities listed.
Activities:
- Triptych
– Create a triptych, a tri-fold, free standing poster that depicts three
different outreach activities in which we may become involved. They can be
activities we may participate in our own homes, they may be something we do
at school for others, and they may include something we might participate
in at our own parishes. Each scene may be drawn; the participants may use
the collage approach, or may even use a symbol to represent what they might
do. (For example-, the picture of a plate of food could symbolize feeding
the hungry).
- Newspaper
– Create a “Good News” newspaper or magazine. You are the
editor of this publication, and it is your job to make sure it is filled with
“interviews” of people who are doing good works for others. You
may interview other participants, teachers, staff, parents etc. and ask them
to describe one time when they did a good work. Be sure to ask them why they
did it, and then ask them how it felt to be a participant in this activity.
Be sure to write one interview about yourself in this publication. The newspaper
or magazine may be constructed from newsprint, or white construction paper,
and should also include some illustrations of the editor’s choosing.
These may be hand drawn, cut out and pasted, or copied from another source.
Skills:
Define the word outreach- should be defined for each group- How do we participate
ourselves, how do we participate in outreach at home, and how do we participate
in outreach as a parish?
