title: A PARTNER CHURCH SUNDAY LESSON IN CLASSES FOR 5-14 YEAR OLDS
author: Gabrielle Farrell <FirstUSTL@aol.com> First Unitarian Church
(partnership: St. Louis MO/ Csokfalva TRAN)
file length and location: PDF 161 KB, MS Word file 56 KB
purpose: To convey to the children that Unitarianism began in Transylvania
To introduce the children to the location of Transylvania
To help the children connect with and know something about their Transylvanian partner church
intermediate (ages 10-11, grades 4-5), and middle school (ages 12-14, grades 6-8)
# of sessions: one Sunday morning, especially good for Partner Church Sunday, or a Sunday when partner church
visitors are present
possible uses: This special Sunday service was held to celebrate St. Louis’s partnership with Csokfalva. There were several visiting Transylvanian ministers and student ministers who led both the adult and children’s worship services. The night before there was a wonderful Hungarian dinner and fundraiser with stories and slides of recently returned St. Louis pilgrims to Csokfalva as well as talks by the visiting Transylvanians. NOTE: contains some good ideas for how to include your partner church visitors in classes and gatherings.
cautions: The craft activity should definitely be tried out ahead. Instructions for making the luminaria (the project for each lesson) are on pages 4-5 of uu&me! 12/99. Give copies of these pages to all adults and copy the patterns for each child. Children can take the luminaria they make home, and the week before many can be colored with red markers, many rows tied together (with red yarn through holes punched in each corner), and used to decorate the Partner Church Sunday pulpit as is done in Transylvania.
This issue also contains a story about John Sigismund that will be read to the younger children.
where this has been used: at First Unitarian Church, St. Louis MO February 2000
contact person if you want to learn more: Gabrielle Farrell FirstUSTL@aol.com