God’s Messenger: Meeting Kids’ Needs

Copyright © 2006 Ellen G. White® Estate, Inc. Joy in Witnessing: K - 2nd 1

Joy in Witnessing Grade Levels: K - 2 Objective: To encourage all the students to be witnesses for Jesus by sharing His love with others. In This Lesson Plan:

• Audio Story: “Witnessing for Christ” (12:30) - Summary (for teacher) - Introduction (to read to students before playing the audio) - Discussion questions (after playing the audio)

• Story Time: “Missionary Missiles” (read to the students)

- Discussion questions - Class activity - Worksheets (2) + Teacher’s KEYS

• Class Project • Ellen G. White Quotes

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

(after playing the audio)

1. Have you ever been told you’re too young to share Jesus?

2. Why do you think people tried to discourage Ellen from witnessing?

3. What did Ellen and her sisters decide to do?

4. How can you be a witness? 5. When Ellen grew up, she wrote

that “A kind, courteous Christian is the most powerful argument that can be produced in favor of Christianity” (Gospel Workers, p. 122). What do you think that means?

AUDIO STORY

“Witnessing for Christ” (12:04 minutes)

SUMMARY (for teacher): When Ellen White was a young girl, she was excited about sharing Jesus with others. Church members tried to discourage her, labeling her as too zealous, too young, too inexperienced, and even proud, but Ellen was determined to witness for God. Ellen and her sisters wanted to do more to help others learn about Jesus’ soon return, but how? They came up with the idea of raising money to buy books and tracts that could be distributed to others. Ellen was eager to do her part, and even when she was sick and in bed, she continued doing all that she could. INTRODUCTION (to read to students before playing the audio): Ellen Harmon loved to share Jesus’ love with others, but some people tried to discourage her. “You’re too young. You don’t have enough experience. Little girls should keep quiet,” they told her. What should Ellen do? She wanted to tell

God’s Messenger: Meeting Kids’ Needs

Copyright © 2006 Ellen G. White® Estate, Inc. Joy in Witnessing: K - 2nd 2

others about Jesus. And how could she help when she was often sick in bed?

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

(after reading the story)

1. How did Willie witness to the lumbermen?

2. How many different ways are there to be witnesses for God?

3. What do you think happened to the tracts and magazines Willie threw to the lumbermen?

4. Can witnessing be fun? Explain. 5. Mrs. White, Willie’s mother, wrote

that “A kind, courteous Christian is the most powerful argument that can be produced in favor of Christianity” (Gospel Workers, p. 122). What do you think that means?

CLASS ACTIVITY Time Needed: 10-15 minutes

Divide the class into two groups. You will give a message to one person in each group, and their goal is to get the message to everyone in the group as quickly as they can. In Group A, only that one person can tell the others one by one. In Group B, as soon as students hear the message, they can help by whispering the message to other students. See which group finishes first. Do this activity a few times and then switch groups, and try the activity again.

Obviously, Group B (the group that can help share the message) will be faster than the other group. Explain to the students that that’s how it is with witnessing, or sharing the good news of Jesus. If we all join together in witnessing to others, we’ll be able to get the message to everyone more quickly. Adaptations:

• Small class: Do the activity in two parts. The first time through, only one student

STORY TIME

“Missionary Missiles” “Hey, the boat’s already here,” Willie exclaimed, carrying his luggage toward the dock. His parents, James and Ellen White, followed close behind. “So it is,” Willie’s father replied. “Looks like we’ll be leaving right on time for campmeeting. Why, I see nearly a dozen other church members who will be going along with us. Good morning, Brother,” he called out to a nearby passenger. “Fine day for a river trip!” The man tipped his hat and waved, then continued helping his family to board the ship. “Whoo-ooh!” The boat’s mournful whistle hurried the travelers on board. Engines began to chug and paddlewheels turned and splashed. Promptly at nine o’clock the boat pulled away from the dock. Willie’s mother went down below to spend some time writing while Willie and his father stayed on deck. Father led a group of boys to the front of the boat where they could watch it plow through the water. “Look!” Willie pointed. “Something’s coming down the river. What is it? It looks like a boat, but it’s too broad and long. And look how low it’s sitting in the water.” As the floating object drew closer the boys could see that it was a raft, piled high with beams and boards. The men on the raft were using boards shaped into crude propellers and rudders to guide the clumsy craft downstream. “What are they doing?” Willie asked. “They’re floating the boards downriver to sell in the cities,” Father explained. “After chopping logs in the forest and cutting them into boards and beams, the cheapest way to transport them is to float them downriver.” “What a great idea!” Willie remarked, eyeing the little cookhouse on top of the raft. “They make the river do the work. But it must take them a long time to get anywhere.”

God’s Messenger: Meeting Kids’ Needs

Copyright © 2006 Ellen G. White® Estate, Inc. Joy in Witnessing: K - 2nd 3

can spread the message. The second time, everyone can help spread the message as soon as they hear it.

• Large class: Have some of the students come up and demonstrate while the others watch. You can repeat the exercise a few times with different groups of students.

WORKSHEETS

“Share the Good News” (Maze with Message)

Directions: Do you want to be a witness for Jesus? Help the boys and girls learn about God by getting the Bible to them. Along the way, collect the letters to find a special message you can share. Don’t let distractions get in your way. Additional suggestions:

• Have the students use crayons to color the maze.

• Talk about things that can get in the way of witnessing. (Possible answers: too young, don’t know what to say, afraid of what others will think, fun things to do, etc.)

Answer: Jesus loves you.

“Witness to Your Family” (Coloring Page)

Directions: Color the page.

“Follow the Footprints” (Follow the Path)

Directions: Help Nikki and Derek share about Jesus’ soon return with others in far away lands. Follow the footprints from person to person and pick up a word from each one to find an important message! Write the message on the lines below.

By now other passengers had crowded against the rail to watch the raft go by. The lumbermen cupped their hands and shouted, “Papers! Papers! We want papers!” Of course they would, Willie thought. They’ve probably been on that raft for several days with nothing to read. Suddenly one of the men jumped off the raft and swam toward the steamboat. Passengers on the boat took their newspapers, twisted them into hard rolls, and threw them into the water. The man grabbed the papers and swam back to the raft. Pulling himself up onto the logs, he opened the wet newspapers and spread them in the sun to dry. Soon the lumbermen would have something to read. James White stroked his long beard. “Willie, I have an idea,” he said, a twinkle in his eye. “Let’s give those men something really good to read. Let’s give them tracts about Jesus’ second coming.” “That’s a good idea,” Willie said. “I’ll go get some.” He sprinted across the deck and took the steps two at a time. Coming back up with the papers, he laid them on the bench near his father. “Now go get some string from the cook and some pieces of coal about as big as my fist from the engine room,” James White continued. Willie hurried off wondering what in the world Father wanted with those things, but he returned with the requested items. Willie watched while his father made a neat package with several magazines and tracts and then folded them around a lump of coal to add weight and tied the package tightly with string. Before long he had a neat pile of little packages. “Now, Willie,” he said, “when the next lumber raft comes past us we’ll be ready.” “May I throw some of them?” Willie asked. “Of course,” his father replied. “This should be fun.” Willie and his father watched and waited. Soon another lumber raft poked its nose around a bend in the river. Would it come close enough to their boat so they could throw the packages? Willie’s eyes gleamed with excitement as he tightened his

God’s Messenger: Meeting Kids’ Needs

Copyright © 2006 Ellen G. White® Estate, Inc. Joy in Witnessing: K - 2nd 4

Answer: “And the gospel must first be preached to all nations.”

“Connect the Dots”

(Dot-2-Dot, Message)

Directions: Connect the dots and write each letter on the line below to hear how Jesus told His disciples they could be witnesses for Him. If you need help, look the text up in your Bible. Answer: “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.”

CLASS PROJECT

As a class, come up with a list of ideas on how you can share Jesus’ love. Pick one to be your class witnessing project. Here are some examples:

• Make cards that say “Jesus loves you” and have the students give them to neighbors and friends.

• Find a project that you can collect money for. ADRA, Adventist World Radio, Adventist Heritage Ministry, and Maranatha, each has affordable projects students could support. (Search the web for their sites to find out more information on how to get involved.) The students can be encouraged to save the money they would use for candy or toys and donate it to the project.

• Collect food items for a needy family. Enclose a note that says “Jesus loves you.”

• “Adopt” a needy family for Christmas.

• Visit a nursing home or an elderly couple and sing for them.

• Encourage students to tell a story for family worship at home.

grip on the package in his hand. When a swift current swept the raft close, Willie drew back his arm and threw as hard as he could. His father also threw a package. Both missiles landed right on the raft. As the raft floated out of range, Willie saw the men settling down to read the tracts. Willie laughed. “That’s a new way to do missionary work!” he said. “And they’ll read them too, especially since they don’t have anything else to do.” “Right,” said Father. “Now, let’s get some more ready for the next raft.” Several times that day the riverboat met lumber rafts, and each time Willie and his father and some of the boys nearby threw missionary missiles to the eager lumbermen. “Do you think there’ll be more rafts?” asked one of the boys. “It’s getting dark, but I hate to quit. I landed that last one right in the fellow’s hands! I could be a pro with a little more practice!” James White laughed. “It was fun, wasn’t it? We’ve entertained ourselves all afternoon and had a good time, too. We’ll never know what good comes from those tracts, but I’m sure the Lord will bless the seeds of truth we’ve sown here on the Mississippi River.”

God’s Messenger: Meeting Kids’ Needs

Copyright © 2006 Ellen G. White® Estate, Inc. Joy in Witnessing: K - 2nd 5

ELLEN G. WHITE QUOTES

• “No sooner does one come to Christ than there is born in his heart a desire to make known to others what a precious friend he has found in Jesus.” Steps to Christ, p. 78

• “When the joy of the Lord is in the soul, you will not be

able to repress it; you will want to tell others of the treasure you have found; you will speak of Jesus and His matchless charms.” In Heavenly Places, p. 123

• “A kind, courteous Christian is the most powerful

argument that can be produced in favor of Christianity.” Gospel Workers, p. 122