The JK1 class led this morning’s ELC chapel service. Representatives from the class spoke into a microphone and announced each of the pledges, O Canada and The Lord’s Prayer.
For the musical worship, Ms. Faris chose three familiar and beloved songs. She started with “The B-I-B-L-E”, a traditional children’s song, but this version had a robot in it! Her second selection was “Making Melodies in My Heart”. Everyone, especially the JKs and SKs, loved following the actions that continued to build on each other with every verse. Lastly, the children sang an energetic favourite, “Everybody Everywhere” by Jana Alayra that declares that Jesus is alive!
Ms. Faris’s message focused on parables – stories that Jesus told to teach a specific lesson. In particular, she shared the story of “The Good Samaritan”. Using colourful slides, Ms. Faris asked the students to help fill in parts of story since many of them knew it already. The children learned that Jesus recounted a parable about a traveller who was injured during a robbery. Instead of stopping to help, two men on separate occasions walked past the hurt individual and carried on with their own journeys. Finally, a third man, someone from Samaria, stopped and cared for the injured man. He even took him to a nearby inn and paid for his care.
To make the story more meaningful to the children, Ms. Faris asked for four volunteers. With a minute of behind the scenes coaching , the four students acted out a similar scenario to this morning’s Bible story. One of the students pretended to be hurt and crying. However, two others walked past her. The third student, checked on the injured one and helped her up. Ms. Faris focused on the kindness that was shown to the “injured” child.
After the role play, Ms. Faris explained that Jesus loves everyone, and He wants us to show love and kindness to everyone as well, even people that we may not like. Then, she showed a short video that reinforced today’s lesson. To conclude the service, she closed in prayer, thanking God for His blessings and asking Him to help each of us to show kindness and love like the Good Samaritan.