A Moment for Mission
“So continue encouraging each other and building each other up.” —1 Thessalonians 5:11, CEB
Have you ever watched a student grow up in our church equipped to pursue his or her dreams? They often take with them the knowledge and understanding of what it means to follow Christ. A justice-seeking, healing and compassionate upbringing is often carried through to their work. In our verse for this day, Paul writes about the importance of encouraging and building one another up.
Next week is United Methodist Student Day. When The United Methodist Church comes together to serve our students, we partner with God to positively impact the lives of students. Even as the denomination is at a time of discernment in our future together, we recognize that we are all connected as sisters and brothers. We are siblings created in the image of God. We can pray with and for United Methodist students while putting our prayers into action through our special offering.
Our gifts are a way to encourage students and build them up as leaders in the church and the world. Please give generously.
Children’s Message
Preparation:
Ahead of time, ask some of the college or high school students to be prepared to share one thing they are thankful for in their life as a student.
Put together a basket or box of different school subject symbols. For example:
Math: measuring cups
Reading: library book
Languages: a globe
History: image of a circuit rider
Writing: pencil
Science: microscope
Other cultures: fabric from another country
God and Jesus: cross
Children’s Message:
Invite the children and older students to your usual gathering place. Place the basket of symbols next to you.
Today’s memory verse is from Paul’s First Letter to the Thessalonians. Please repeat after me:
“So continue encouraging each other and building each other up.”
This week we will celebrate Thanksgiving. We rejoice and give thanks for everything that God has given to us.
God rejoices in you and wants you to be strong in body, mind and spirit. And God wants us to encourage one another and build one another up to be the best people we can be. One of the ways that you strengthen your mind is through school.
You learn about math, reading, languages, history, writing, science and other cultures. You also learn about God and how much Jesus loves you. (As you name each subject, hold up a symbol.) And through all these subjects, we learn how to be stronger servants for God. We learn how to love and care for God’s people in more meaningful ways. We learn how to continue encouraging one another and building one another up.
Today I have invited some of our older students to share one thing they are thankful for about their own education.
Testimonies:
Invite three or four students to say their names and share a one-sentence testimony about their experience in school.
Offertory Prayer
Gracious God, bless these gifts and multiply them to encourage your people and to build up communities of shalom. Amen.
Newsletter Nugget
“So continue encouraging each other and building each other up.” —1 Thessalonians 5:11
One of six denomination-wide Special Sundays, the United Methodist Student Day offering funds a channel of hope for young scholars.
The burden of taking on prohibitive amounts of debt can feel overwhelming. It limits bright, qualified students from bringing their full selves into the professions to which they feel called.
Supporting United Methodist students gives them a financial boost to help them realize their dreams, and a spiritual boost to help them recognize that the church has confidence in them and in their gifts. It offers encouragement and builds them up to be strong leaders in the church and the world.
This offering helps send United Methodist students into the world with justice seeking, healing and compassionate values that have been instilled in them over the years.
When the church comes together to serve our students, we partner with God. We pray for them while putting our prayers into action through this special offering. Please give generously when we receive this special offering next week or give now: Write a check to your local church with “UMSD” in the memo line. To give online or set up monthly giving, go to UMC.org/SSGive.