Plan to observe Lent simply this year

Leader Guide

Student Guide

The season of Lent is observed beginning with Ash Wednesday and continuing until Easter as a time of penitence and spiritual growth as we focus on our relationship with Jesus Christ. Christians spend these days in various ways, some “giving up” something for Lent, and others spend focused time in study, reflection, prayer, and service to others.

As your adult class makes plans to observe Lent, consider what may be meaningful to your group. Several different new Lenten studies are available, including a lectionary-based study (Come to the Cross: Scriptures for the Church Seasons for Lent 2009), a thematic study (Watching the Disciples—Learning from Their Mistakes), and a Lenten study based on the book Three Simple Rules by Rueben Job entitled Three Simple Rules for Christian Living.

Three Simple Rules for Christian Living Leader Guide provides a guide for in-depth reflection on three principles of Christian living illuminated by John Wesley in the General Rules and by Bishop Rueben Job in his book Three Simple Rules: A Wesleyan Way of Living. The three principles are (1) Do no harm, (2) Do good, and (3) Stay in love with God. Though simple, these guidelines are also very profound and very biblical, and can lead to a more faithful way of living as a disciple of Jesus Christ.

During this thought-provoking Lenten study, participants focus on each rule for 2 sessions, with the first lesson looking at the meaning and biblical basis for the rule, and the second session focusing on “Practicing the Rule” with discussion of how we may live out the principle in our Christian life. For example, one question invites participants to consider the rule “Do no harm” in light of the Ten Commandments. In another lesson tough questions invite participants to consider how we respond to Jesus’ message to love and do good to enemies. In the section on “Stay in love with God,” participants consider practices that draw them closer to God, especially daily prayer. The leader guide for Three Simple Rules for Christian Living includes a CD-ROM with detailed session plans and a DVD with insights from Bishop Rueben Job about the General Rules. In addition to using the study guide for Three Simple Rules for Christian Living, participants are also urged to read the small volume Three Simple Rules: A Wesleyan Way of Living by Rueben Job as a part of their study.

Consider how our lives and our world would be different if everyone practiced the rules “Do no harm,” “Do good,” and “Stay in love with God.” This would include doing no harm to people both near and far (doing no harm physically, emotionally, or financially) or to the environment or animals, but instead finding ways to do good to those around us and in our world. Certainly we long for such a time and we notice when we come to know people with this kind of caring spirit. A pastor tells of an interesting encounter he had while making a hospital visit dressed in his usual sport coat and tie but no clerical collar. As he made his way through the corridors of the hospital, he encountered a hospital staff member who asked, “Are you a pastor?” Surprised by the question, he replied, “Yes, but how did you know?” The lady simply smiled and said “Because you walk like you wouldn’t harm an-y-body!” As we travel through our world, what kind of “walk” do others see? How can this Lenten time make a difference in our life and our world?

Service is important in the life of the class and is an opportunity for spiritual growth and learning. Plan a devotion, lesson, or series of studies to focus the class on scriptures about giving and to inspire and help stimulate discussion so the class members can select a service project. Projects can provide an opportunity to reach out to many different groups both within the church and in the community and world.

Christmas can be an especially difficult time for persons who are lonely, are poor and in need, are experiencing financial and health difficulties, have lost love ones, or are away from home during military service. Make plans that suit your particular class, considering class members’ ages, gifts and talents, and interests and your group’s available resources. Not all service projects cost money but instead may involve sharing your time. Following are suggestions for your class project:

• Send cards to members who are homebound, or prepare small gifts to be delivered to them, including large-print devotional books, small poinsettias, or recordings of a Christmas programs and music. Arrange for visits to members who are homebound, in assisted living, or in nursing homes to sing carols, read the Christmas story and Christmas poems, and talk with residents about favorite Christmas memories.
• Send cards or small gifts such as phone cards or devotional books to service men and women overseas.
• Help staff a homeless ministry or soup kitchen during the Christmas season.
• Prepare food baskets for a hunger ministry. Include a copy of the Christmas story in the basket. Or have a holiday bake sale, with all proceeds going to a local or world hunger ministry.
• Sponsor a “mitten tree” for your church. Invite church members to bring gloves or socks for all ages to be donated to homeless shelters. Include a Christmas story or prayer with each pair of socks or gloves.
• Sponsor a “white Christmas” food drive. Have church members donate cans of food and non-perishable items wrapped in white tissue paper. Send the donated items to your local food bank.
• Sponsor a baby shower for the local crisis pregnancy center. Donate practical baby items.
• Sponsor an “alternative giving” fair, offering opportunities for class members and others in the church to give gifts to charitable causes (near and far) in honor of persons for whom they ordinarily purchase gifts. Some organizations offer specific information on making such gifts and provide gift cards to send to the honoree. For example, you may purchase a tree or farm animal to be sent to a poverty-stricken area of the world, which provides a means of making a living to the family who receives it; or give a gift through your denomination’s mission agency for a specific project such as providing water wells to make clean water available to a community.

Do newcomers to your class feel welcome and invited to be part of the group?

If you were the newcomer to your class, what would you see as you enter the classroom? What would you hear? How would you be greeted? Is there a sign on the door with a class name? Are greeters “on duty” to watch for visitors and welcome them into the room and introduce them to class members? Are extra chairs available for new persons? If there are refreshments, is someone there to offer them a cup of coffee?

Are newcomers greeted formally by a class leader? Are they invited to be added to a class e-mail list or mailing list so that someone may write them a note thanking them for visiting and invite them back?

The class may want to designate a hospitality committee to assume some of the duties of greeting and following up with visitors in the class.

If you were a newcomer, what would you hope happens when you visit a class for the first time? One Sunday, ask your class and class leaders to think about their responsibilities for welcoming newcomers. Think about what newcomers may be seeking: to learn more about God, to meet and make Christian friends and become a part of a Christian fellowship, to find a deeper direction and meaning in their lives, to find answers for life’s questions. Remind your class that they represent the Body of Christ and that welcoming shows others the hospitality of God.

Hospitality in the Bible is a sacred duty. The importance of hospitality in both the Old and New testaments is apparent in many of the stories we find there: Abraham welcomes the strangers with a meal; the Good Samaritan puts the wounded man on his own donkey and takes him to an inn and pays for his stay while he recovers; Zacchaeus welcomes Jesus to him home; Mary and Martha entertain Jesus and his disciples in their home.

Respect also helps build community within the group. Our unspoken expectation is that all persons and their ideas are treated with respect, and that is most often the case. However, the value of respect for others’ ideas is often not modeled well in our media-saturated society. (For example, you may have seen talk shows become shouting matches or include comments that are disrespectful to others.) As a teacher of adult Sunday school you can do your part to encourage and model respect in your class.

The DISCIPLE Bible Study leader guide offers principles for doing Bible study as a group while respecting one another and one another’s opinions. These guidelines can work well in your Sunday school class also. For example:

• When we study the Bible, we need to look deeply for God’s Word—Jesus Christ.
• We need to listen to one another as we seek to understand the richness of God’s Word. No one Christian has a monopoly on understanding the Bible. Here’s a study tip: A variety of English versions of the Bible and other resources can help us understand the text.
• We need to realize that we may arrive at different understandings of scripture, and we should not be disturbed by this. We should not consider differences of understanding as unimportant, and we should not ignore them. We can instead use these to grow in our understanding of the Bible and of one another. And despite differences, we can remain warm Christian friends.
  
  

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As we lead our Sunday school classes, are we mindful of special needs that some class members or potential class members may have?

For example, some adults may be vision impaired, which may require a study book with larger print or an audio version of the Bible and class resources. Large print and audio versions of the Bible and Bible study resources are readily available. Some study resources may also be made available in Braille or for computer readers for use by persons who are sight impaired. Contact Cokesbury Curric-U-Phone at (800) 251-8591 for more information.

For those with other special needs, make sure the classroom is accessible (or made accessible) to those who have trouble walking some distance or climbing stairs. Also, see that doors are wide enough to accommodate wheelchairs and walkers.

Some people may have visual or physical conditions that do not allow them to drive to Sunday school or to the worship service or class events scheduled at other times, especially in the evening. In such cases, encourage other class members to extend an invitation to carpool. (This will save gasoline, too!)

These are some of the most common special needs we may encounter. But there are others. Look around you and consider if there are barriers that may discourage persons who have health issues or who are “differently abled” from participating in Sunday school. Work together with your class and all class leaders in your church to be ready for meeting special needs so that all may be mutually blessed by the fellowship and learning opportunities of Sunday school.

Adult Bible Studies Student Large Print Fall

Adult Bible Studies CD Fall

NIV Audio Bible Voice Only CD

NIV New Testament Audio CD

• Give details on next Sunday's lesson.
• Remind members of the class's service project.
• Include links to websites for larger projects in which the class may be participating (Heifer Project, Habitat for Humanity).
• Share prayer requests from class members.
• Ask for ideas and coordinate efforts to support class members during stressful times in their lives, such as the arrival of a new baby, illess, death of a loved one, and job loss.
• Invite folks to class get-togethers, and include maps and other details.

Just remember as you gather e-mail addresses from class members to be clear about how these will be used and to get permission to send class messages. For children and youth, get permission from a parent or legal guardian to send e-mails, as there are legal and safety issues. Read this pdf about cyber safety.