Starting to Plan Part 2
If you missed or misplaced or deleted Starting to Plan Part 1, fear not! You can find it on the RFL website. Just click “Life Advocate Training” in the navigation menu. Dr. David Adams’ booklet is available here as well.
Again, if you have not watched the DVD on Practical Applications, I urge you do so. You can find this DVD under “Media Downloads.” This can be an outline for you as you plan to do more within your congregation to connect the Word of Life to the life issues.
As you enter into this planning process, please remember it is planning. No one expects you to DO everything at once! But you can start planning to do them this year, next year, in two years. Look ahead. Work with other educators, teachers, DCE’s, etc. and see how you might coordinate some of your ideas into the congregation’s educational ministry.
Plan to Teach the Older Children
Dr. Adams says, “As our children grow and become more exposed to the steady diet of violence and selfishness that the media promotes, we must teach them to be other-oriented, to serve and care for those in need.”
By “older children” I tend to think in the range of grades 5-8. We can begin to teach these children not only about the value God gives to human life, but also how human life is devalued in our culture. We can talk appropriately about human sexuality, about abortion, stem cell research—this age group is particularly interested in biotech kind of issues—assisted suicide, etc.
As with the younger children, assess what is already going on in your congregation that you can “plug into” when it comes to this age group. In Part One of this training we discussed using LFL’s Teaching For Life® day school curriculum. You do not need to have a day school to use this. I have talked to many people who just use the lesson suggestions for a particular age group in a Sunday School or confirmation class. The Service Learning projects these lessons suggest might prove particularly useful. You do not need to purchase the entire curriculum. You can purchase individual grades: PreK-K, 1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8. Ordering information is at: http://www.lutheransforlife.org/Teaching_For_Life.htm
Fearfully and Wonderfully Made
Teaching fetal development is a great way to help students understand that we are truly “fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:14). LFL has resources to help with this. If you go to, http://www.lutheransforlife.org/Catalog/fetal_development_(C).htm you will find a variety of teaching aids. These could be used in Sunday School, Confirmation, Junior High Youth Groups, Children’s Messages, or where ever this age group gathers together in your congregation. Speak with your pastor and other educators and leaders involved with these children. Discuss with them how you might incorporate some of these teaching tools during the year. Some examples:
· Dedicate a Sunday School class once a month or once a quarter to teach about how God knits us together using the above resources.
· Have the Junior Youth Group dedicate one of their meetings or activities each quarter/year to learning about life.
· Display the Watch Me Grow posters in your school or Sunday School area. Some churches/schools follow Jesus’ development in Mary’s womb starting on March 25 (The Annunciation) by putting a poster up each month until Christmas.
· Suggest the use of these fetal development materials for confirmation class under the First Article and creation and/or under the Second Article and Jesus’ conception.
I also recommend that you browse through the information under the Creation tab on the RFL site for more information in this area.
The Least of These
Young students, especially in grades 6-8, are often very interested in some of the biotechnologies such as stem cell research, cloning, and bioengineering. This will give you opportunity to become familiar with the many resources available under the “Biotechnology” tab on the RFL site. These resources can be used first of all to educate yourself in this area and then to help in educating the children.
When you click on the “Brochures” tab under “Biotechnology”, it will take you to the various materials LFL has on these issues which provide a biblical perspective on these issues.
Click on “Audio/Visual” and you will have access to LFL’s DVD “Stem Cell Research and Cloning 101: A Primer.” You could break this up into 3 or 4 segments and have a series of Sunday School classes in which these are viewed or they could be shown at those Junior Youth meetings or other educational events.
There are also two movies that deal with the issues of cloning and genetic engineering which are educational and fun to watch. Gattaca deals with genetic engineering. A plot summary may be found at http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119177/plotsummary. The Island is about the dangers of cloning. That plot summary may be found at http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0399201/plotsummary.
Sexual Purity
The upper end of this age group can benefit from Christ-centered education in regard to sexual purity and modesty. We will address these resources in the next Paraclete when we look at resources for Youth.
There is much to think about and plan for in the above. Remember, these are ideas and idea starters. Be creative. Use your imagination. Pray! Work with already established educational ministries in your congregation to incorporate some of these ideas and others you might have.
AND LET US KNOW IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS!!!