A great tool for whole family sessions • Perfect for Lent! • Downloadable & reproducible
Also see the related resource: Through the Lens: Focusing on Matthew 25
Also available as paperback + download
Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?
Using the parable of the last judgment (Matthew 25:35-45), Phyllis Vos Wezeman helps us recognize that people in need are not always remote from us. This resource offers sixty learning activities to help participants see Jesus by meeting the needs of those around them—the hungry, the thirsty, the estranged, the poor, the sick, and the imprisoned.
The six chapters of Seeing Jesus each contain ten learning activities which explore one aspect of the chapter's theme. Each lesson plan is organized into three parts: Learn, Locate, and Lead. Learn presents a short description of the theme of the activity and describes what the students will do. Locate provides a list of supplies and preparations needed in order to present the learning experience. Lead details the directions for successfully guiding a group through the design. Although each lesson is related to the passage, Matthew 25:31-46, it is also organized around another story or verse from the Bible which further illustrates the specific topic.
Sharing God’s love was a task not only given to the disciples thousands of years ago, it is the responsibility of every Christian in any age. Seeing Jesus provides creative, concrete methods for responding to Jesus' commission. It once again challenges each and every learner with the question, “What will you do?”
PCUSA Matthew 25 Initiative
This is the perfect resource to support the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Matthew 25 initiative.
To understand how it connects with different aspects of the initiative, explore this document.
New social justice resource inspires children and adults to live out Matthew 25 (Presbyterian News Service)
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Product License
This reproducible eResource is sold with a lifetime license for use within a parish, school, or diocesan office. You are allowed to make unlimited copies for use within your own community. You may also email these to members of your team or participants in your program. If you serve more than one parish or school, each should purchase its own license. You may not post our eResources to any web site without explicit permission to do so. Please contact us if you have any questions. Thank you for cooperating with our honor system regarding our product licenses.
| Format: | eResource |
|---|---|
| Product code: | PW112 |
| Dimensions: | 8½" x 11" |
| Length: | 224 pages |
| Publisher: |
The Pastoral Center
|
Praise
Seeing Jesus is a rich array of activities organized for groups of any size and adaptable for many ages. Arranged by the areas of need in Matthew 25, leaders or students can search for an activity related to a specific passage (there are forty-seven scripture references on hunger alone!) or by theme. Each major area (I was hungry, thirsty, a stranger, poor, sick, imprisoned) contains at least ten lesson plans for leaders. Seeing Jesus would be a strong addition to any congregation or mid-council’s resources. Pastors and educators, church school leaders, planners and leaders of Vacation Bible School, youth group leaders, bible study groups and small groups will all find prompts and plans for meaningful, thought-provoking and interactive lessons and conversations. The possibilities are many and Phyllis Wezeman’s thoughtful guidance will serve us well as leaders committed to teaching, learning and leading.
Author
As a religious educator, PHYLLIS VOS WEZEMAN has served as Director of Christian Nurture at a downtown congregation in South Bend, Indiana; Executive Director of the Parish Resource Center of Michiana; and Program Coordinator for ecumenical as well as interfaith organizations in Indiana and Michigan.
In academics, Phyllis has been Adjunct Faculty in the Education Department at Indiana University South Bend and in the Department of Theology at the University of Notre Dame. She is an "Honorary Professor" of the Saint Petersburg (Russia) State University of Pedagogical Art where she has taught methods courses for extended periods on several occasions. She has also been guest lecturer at the Shanghai Teachers College in China.
As founder of the not-for-profit Malawi Matters, Inc., she develops and directs HIV & AIDS Education programs with thousands of volunteers in 200 villages and more than 1,500 schools in Malawi, Africa including “Creative Methods of HIV & AIDS Education,” “Culture & HIV-AIDS,” and “Equipping Women/ Empowering Girls.”
Author or co-author of over 2,000 articles and books, she has written for over 80 publishers.
Phyllis served as President of Active Learning Associates, Inc.; a consultant or board member to numerous local and national organizations such as the American Bible Society, Church World Service, LOGOS, and the Peace Child Foundation; leader of a six- week youth exchange program to Russia and Ukraine; and Project Director for four Lilley Worship Renewal grants. She is the recipient of three “Distinguished Alumni Awards," the Aggiornamento Award from the Catholic Library Association, and the 2021 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Association of Presbyterian Church Educators (APCE).
Wezeman holds undergraduate degrees in Business, Communications, and General Studies from various institutions and an MS in Education from Indiana University South Bend.
Phyllis and her husband Ken (who met when they were in second and third grade in elementary school) have three children and their spouses, Stephanie (Jeff), David, and Paul (Deha); five grandchildren, Quin, Ayle, Lief, Ashley, and Jacob; and two great-grandsons, Maddox and Troy.
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