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Teamwork (Olympic Themed)

Items Needed: Scripture Union ‘On Your Marks’ DVD, Projector, laptop, speakers, broom handle and powerpoint (click to download)

Introduction: Who you are, what you do etc.

Opening: Explain that this morning we’re going to be thinking about team work.

Challenge: Ask for six volunteers and bring them to the front. Explain that their challenge is going to be to work as a team to lower the broom handle to the floor. They must each hold it with one finger and must have all their fingers touching it all the time. You need to have 3 young people facing the other 3 (although not opposite). You may want to use older students (years 4,5,6)

Ask: After the young people have done it ask them how they found it. How did their team work?

Explain: There are lots of things we come across every day which require us to work in teams

Ask: Can anyone think of some examples?

Explain: So there’s lots of different ways which we work in teams, sometimes in our classes for a particular project, sometimes for sports and in lots of other ways too. Often with teams each person has a very important yet different role to play.

And in teams we have to work together. Our group at the front wouldn’t have managed the task if they hadn’t worked as a team…

As a Christian I believe the bible talks about teamwork too! I want to read you a bit from the bible and as I read it I’d like you to think about what it might mean

Bible: 1 Corinthians 12:12-26 (you may wish to shorten this)

A person’s body is one thing, but it has many parts. Though there are many parts to a body, all those parts make only one body. Christ is like that also. 13 Some of us are Jews, and some are Greeks. Some of us are slaves, and some are free. But we were all baptized into one body through one Spirit. And we were all made to share in the one Spirit.

14 The human body has many parts.15 The foot might say, “Because I am not a hand, I am not part of the body.” But saying this would not stop the foot from being a part of the body.16 The ear might say, “Because I am not an eye, I am not part of the body.” But saying this would not stop the ear from being a part of the body.17 If the whole body were an eye, it would not be able to hear. If the whole body were an ear, it would not be able to smell.18-19 If each part of the body were the same part, there would be no body. But truly God put all the parts, each one of them, in the body as he wanted them.20 So then there are many parts, but only one body.

21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the foot, “I don’t need you!”22 No! Those parts of the body that seem to be the weaker are really necessary.23 And the parts of the body we think are less deserving are the parts to which we give the most honor. We give special respect to the parts we want to hide.24 The more respectable parts of our body need no special care. But God put the body together and gave more honor to the parts that need it25 so our body would not be divided. God wanted the different parts to care the same for each other.26 If one part of the body suffers, all the other parts suffer with it. Or if one part of our body is honored, all the other parts share its honor.

Ask: What do you think that might mean?

Explain: As a Christian I believe that part is telling us to work together and that each of us has an important role no matter how insignificant we think we are…just like different parts of our body has a different role…if we had no ears or mouth but lots of noses not only would we look very silly but we wouldn’t be able to hear, talk or taste!

The passage also means that a church is like a big team of people, all working together to achieve a goal…whether it’s working together to help those in their community who don’t have money to buy food, whether it’s looking after elderly people who don’t have many visitors or whether it’s something completely different.

There are lots of famous people who are Christians and often their faith and what they believe influences how they act and how they aim towards their goals.

Ask: In the coming months there’s a big event involving lots of different teams coming up…can anyone tell me what it is? (Olympics)

Explain: In a few months we’ll be in the middle of the olympics and lots of countries will be competing in their teams to win medals…maybe some of you even know someone who’s taking part.

I want to show you a short clip of some people talking about their experience of sports teams but also about their faith.

Video: Scripture Union – On Your Marks DVD – first episode up to 5:45 (different athletes talk about being part of a team and their faith)

Explain: So those were some famous people who do sports talking about how it feels to be part of a team involved in the Olympics and also how their own faith effects that.

Ask: What do you think it takes to make a good team? (Get some ideas)

explain: A good team doesn’t just involve the people at the front who you see all the time (like the actual athlete) but involves lots of people behind the scenes. The individuals taking part in the Olympics have a team of people helping them, they might have people training them, people helping them to keep motivated and people who will cheer them on on the actual day. All of these people have an important role in that team even though all the roles are different.

So whether you’re part of a sports team, or church or class or school you can all work together to achieve something…no matter how small or big you think your role is it’s still important in being part of a team. The bible story we looked at reminds us that each person is important.

Prayer: Dear God, thank you for making each of us different and giving us each of us unique gifts. Thank you that when we work together we can make a team and achieve great things. Please help us to work better together and be thankful for the role we have and the role others play. Amen