Lenten materials compiled and edited by Julia Frisbie, with children’s materials written by Anne Kayser and additional contemporary elements from Maria Maxwell.

ContentsRoadmap...............................................................................................................................................................................3

Letter of Appeal from Pastor.................................................................................................................................................4

Worship Resources

Ash Wednesday.................................................................................................................................................................5

Week 1: Give Up Excess....................................................................................................................................................8

Week 2: Give Up Indifference..........................................................................................................................................11

Week 3: Take Up the Charge...........................................................................................................................................13

Week 4: Take Up the Challenge......................................................................................................................................16

Week 5: Lift Up Those Hurting.........................................................................................................................................18

Week 6 (Palm Sunday): Lift Up the Healed......................................................................................................................20

Week 7: (Easter Sunday) Look Up to Overcome..............................................................................................................23

Children’s Messages

First Sunday in Lent.........................................................................................................................................................32

Second Sunday in Lent....................................................................................................................................................33

Third Sunday in Lent........................................................................................................................................................34

Fourth Sunday in Lent.....................................................................................................................................................35

Fifth Sunday in Lent.........................................................................................................................................................36

Palm Sunday Children’s Message....................................................................................................................................37

Sunday School Materials for Children grades pre-K to 2

Sunday before Ash Wednesday.......................................................................................................................................38

First Sunday of Lent.........................................................................................................................................................40

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Second Sunday of Lent....................................................................................................................................................41

Third Sunday of Lent.......................................................................................................................................................42

Fourth Sunday of Lent.....................................................................................................................................................43

Fifth Sunday of Lent.........................................................................................................................................................44

Sixth Sunday of Lent........................................................................................................................................................45

Sunday School Materials for Children grades 3-6

Sunday before Ash Wednesday.......................................................................................................................................46

First Sunday of Lent.........................................................................................................................................................47

Second Sunday of Lent....................................................................................................................................................48

Third Sunday of Lent.......................................................................................................................................................49

Fourth Sunday of Lent.....................................................................................................................................................50

Fifth Sunday of Lent.........................................................................................................................................................51

Sixth Sunday of Lent........................................................................................................................................................52

Materials for Youth or Adult Sunday School

Roadmap.........................................................................................................................................................................54

Sunday School Skit..........................................................................................................................................................54

Week 1 of Lent: The Start of Jesus’ Ministry...................................................................................................................55

Week 2 of Lent: Jesus fortells his death and resurrection...............................................................................................55

Week 3 of Lent: Jesus Shakes Things Up.........................................................................................................................56

Week 4 of Lent: New Life and Second Chances...............................................................................................................56

Week 5 of Lent: Jesus shows great emotion...................................................................................................................57

Week 6 of Lent: Palm Sunday..........................................................................................................................................57

Labyrinth Instructions.....................................................................................................................................................57

Daily Lenten Devotions.......................................................................................................................................................64

Mission Moments

Malaria Basics Mission Moment......................................................................................................................................67

Mission Moments from Kanzenze, Democratic Republic of the Congo...........................................................................67

Church Growth Mission Moment: Kortihun, Sierra Leone..............................................................................................69

Sister Abigail Mission Moment: Nyadire, Zimbabwe.......................................................................................................70

Muriel and Tiaima Mission Moment: Sierra Leone.........................................................................................................70

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Roadmap

January: Appoint leadership team (including Sunday school and youth leaders) and meet to go over the roadmap and determine a goal.

February: Include a letter of appeal from the pastor in your church newsletter. Order giving envelopes, collection boxes, and any other needed supplies from shop.umc.org.

Two Sundays before Lent: Introduce the theme to your youth group or an adult Sunday school class and invite them to prepare a skit for the Sunday before Lent.

Sunday before Lent: Print the Giving From Abundance calendar and include as an insert in each bulletin. Have your youth group or adult Sunday school class perform their skit during your worship service (possibly as part of the children’s moment).

Each of the Sundays during Lent: Keep reminding your congregation about Imagine No Malaria by using the social media graphics, bulletin inserts, and/or worship resources provided in this toolkit. Use the supplementary Sunday school activities to teach the kids about Imagine No Malaria.

Palm Sunday: Remind people to bring the money that they’ve collected through the giving calendar for the special offering on Easter Sunday. Include giving envelopes as an insert in the bulletins.

During Holy Week: If your youth group or adult Sunday school class has created a labyrinth, plan to consecrate use it during worship on Mandy Thursday, Good Friday, or Holy Saturday. Additional prayers and litanies are available for these days in the worship resources packet.

Easter Sunday: Celebrate the risen Christ with a special offering for Imagine No Malaria. Make sure to briefly explain the program or show a short video clip for any visitors in your midst. Make giving envelopes available.

April: Include a letter of thanks from the pastor in your church newsletter, announcing the total raised by your church during the season of Lent.

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Letter of Appeal from PastorDear Friends:

“Watching a small child die from malaria is a horrific experience. First come the headache, tiredness, weakness in the joints and general malaise, followed by a very high fever. Then the fever’s effect on the brain causes the child’s muscles to jerk, just before the end.” ~Tom Gillem, Interpreter Jul/Aug 2009.

Our church has the opportunity to change this image and help eliminate deaths from malaria. Through Imagine No Malaria, we can save thousands of lives. “It is possible to give without loving,” said John Wesley, “but it is impossible to love without giving.” Imagine No Malaria is our opportunity to respond to our calling—to show our love through our generous gifts.

In 2006, our church embraced the message “Send a Net, Save a Life” through Nothing But Nets. Over four years we raised $7.5 million for this cause, and in doing so, ignited the passion of our members for global health. Now, through Imagine No Malaria, we’ve increased our participation tenfold, because we believe that we are called to strengthen the infrastructure of malaria treatment and prevention to ensure the greatest impact of this effort. Our efforts may have started with nets, but they won’t end there! We will revitalize hospitals and clinics that treat malaria and distribute medication. We will support and train additional community health workers who educate communities about proper net usage and other simple ways to prevent malaria. We will build communications networks to spread health information. Finally, we will enhance partnerships with leaders in global health to leverage the greatest impact of our resources.

On Easter Sunday, join us in a Sunday to Save Lives and help our church reach our goal to raise [$X,XXX]. During all services on this day, members can return gifts to support Imagine No Malaria by using the special envelope provided and placing it in the offertory.

Deuteronomy 15:7-8, NRSV says, “If there is among you anyone in need . . . do not be hard-hearted or tight-fisted toward your needy neighbor. You should rather open your hand, willingly lending enough to meet the need, whatever it may be.”

We are blessed to live in a country where diseases of poverty like malaria do not touch our lives on a daily basis. In Africa, a child dies from malaria every two minutes. We can help to provide hope through this effort. $5 is enough to provide a lifesaving course of medication. $10 protects a family. Just imagine what $100… $500… $1000… could do. How many lives will you save?

The spirit of Christ is in our church as we care for each other in our times of need.

Blessings,

[INSERT PASTOR NAME]

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Worship ResourcesThe Sunday Before Ash WednesdayShow the “Malaria by the Numbers” video-- available at http://youtu.be/yDpTeD7f9uE --and have your youth or adult Sunday School class introduce Imagine No Malaria as a theme for Lent. (Note: this video was created a few years ago and we have made more progress in fighting malaria since.) Include the Giving from Abundance calendar as an insert in every bulletin.

Ash WednesdayLectionary Years A, B, and C: Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21. This scripture describes how to give, pray, and fast in humility. “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

The way we spend our time and money and energy reflects our true passions. Lent challenges us to become passionate about God once more as we hear and read stories of Jesus’ life. This year, we’re using Imagine No Malaria as a way to focus ourselves on God’s work in the world.

Calls to Worship: Leader: God, as we enter this Lenten season, All: Help us feel your spirit close by. Leader: Move us to generosity, All: And not to pride. Leader: Move us to prayer, All: And not to performance. Leader: Move us to sacrifice for the sake of love, All: And not for the sake of self-punishment. Leader: Everything we have on earth will pass away, All: But your love lasts forever.

O God, you delight not in pomp or show, but in a humble and contrite heart. Overturn our love of worldly possessions

and fix our hearts more firmly on you,that, having nothing, we may possess everything,a treasure stored up for us in heaven.

(Worship and Song Worship Resources, page 11)

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Prayers:

Almighty God, you have created us out of the dust of the earth. Grant that these ashes may be to us a sign of our mortality and penitence,

so that we may remember that only by your gracious giftare we given everlasting life;

through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.

(United Methodist Book of Worship, page 323)

Cover me with ashes, the thick-smoke soot of the earth.Make my breathing like the journeyfrom death into life -- second by second, prayer by prayer.Cover me with a cloak -- bring me low to the earth,your justice whispering to me like the gleam of red rocks,the colors dancing in the darkness.Let me know the power of sage and cedar in my bones,not that I may trap them there,but bring them forth in words.Cover me with darkness --with the presence of my elders, their tears falling around me,reminding me of why we are here --sighing, groaning with our singing, longing to hear us into being,stretching us beyond breathing and praying and weeping.Cover me with mercy--let the bones you have crushed rejoice, like the woman who channeled every ounce of courage and dignityto touch your cloak and find new life.Breathe unto me life anew, of possibility,of beauty,of balance,of grace.Cover me with mud --bring me to my lowest state, so that in my weaknessesI see your strength --the reflection of your eyes in the brokenness around me, the fullness of your love in the depths of our hearts.Cover me with ashes --the ashes of my grandmother, who in living her days knew no strangers,worked tirelessly with worn handsand lifted grandchildren high into the air.Cover me with mercy --let my cheek come to rest on the cold earth,its faithful presence a call to walk humblybeyond myselfbeyond my fearsand ever on to the red road that leads to your love.

áýx̣ əs – Changer. Cover me.Cover me with ashes.Change me.

(By Adrienne Trevathan, Director of Christian Education at Northminster Presbyterian Church in Evanston, IL. As a Native American (Port Gamble S'Klallam) and United Methodist, Adrienne is currently looking for new ways to weave these traditions together as a part of her teaching and work in the church. http://www.gbod.org/resources/changer-a-prayer-poem-for-ash-wednesday)

Prayer in Poetry: Blessing of the AshesAll those days you felt like dust, like dirt,as if all you had to do was turn your face toward the wind and be scattered to the four corners or swept away by the smallest breath as insubstantial—Did you not know what the Holy One can do with dust?This is the day we freely say we are scorched.This is the hour we are marked by what has made it through the burning.This is the moment we ask for the blessing that lives within the ancient ashes,that makes its home inside the soil of this sacred earth.So let us be marked not for sorrow. And let us be marked not for shame.Let us be marked not for false humility or for thinking we are less than we arebut for claiming what God can do within the dust, within the dirt, within the stuff of which the world is made,and the stars that blaze in our bones,

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and the galaxies that spiral inside the smudge we bear.

(by Jan Richardson)

Imposition of the Ashes:“God can works wonders with dust.

Remember that you are dust, and to dust you will return. Amen.”

Altar Decoration Idea: Remove all shiny objects and flowers from the worship space. Drape burlap or another rough gray or brown cloth (to symbolize sackcloth) over the altar. If you’re feeling ambitious, make a small campfire the week before and let some logs burn halfway before dousing the fire and allowing them to cool. You can then bring the charred logs into the worship space and arrange them on the burlap. You may also choose to include:

Tea lights The bowls of ashes used for anointing

Song Ideas: Lord, I Want to Be A Christian, UMH 402

Sunday’s Palms are Wednesday’s Ashes, TFWS 2138 (new words to a familiar tune)

Come and Find the Quiet Center, TFWS 2128

Dust and Ashes, W&S 3098

Falling on My Knees, W&S 3099

A Wilderness Wandering People, W&S 3113

The Lord’s Prayer by Mark Miller (possible choral anthem)

Treasures in Heaven by Burlap to Cashmere

Multimedia Resource:

Meditative video about Ash Wednesday by Trinity Cathedral Media: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sB_OflgtJwg

Dear God 2.0 by The Roots: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32Qr5oKKP-M&ob=av3e

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Week 1: Give Up Excess

Lectionary Year A: Matthew 4:1-11. Jesus is tempted in the desert.

Lectionary Year B: Mark 1:9-15. Jesus is baptized by John and tempted in the desert.

Lectionary Year C: Luke 4:1-13. Jesus is tempted in the desert.

When Jesus went into the desert, he was giving up food, shelter, and an opportunity for instant notoriety after God’s spirit had come down like a dove at his baptism. Sacrificial giving was a crucial part of his relationship with his Father. We too are called to give from the God’s abundance. It is our privilege to give up excess and turn it into a holy offering.

Calls to Worship: As we walk through the unfamiliar and unknown, Walk with us, God.As we are tempted to gather more than we can possibly carry for the journey,Help us trust that you will provide.As we are called to give things away,Replace those things with your love. God, we need you in the wilderness and on the journey.We step out in faith because we know you go with us.

(adapted from the Ministry Matters Living Stone resource 2013)

In the deserts of the heart, Let the healing fountain start;In the prison of his days,Teach the free man how to praise.

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(From the poem In Memory of W.B. Yeats by W.H. Auden)

Prayers:Eternal God, rock and refuge:

with roots grown old in the earth,river beds run dry,and flowers withered in the field, we wait for revival and release.

Abide with usuntil we come alivein the sunrise of your glory. Amen.

(© 2002 Consultation on Common Texts, admin. By Augsburg Fortress Publishers, from Worship and Song Worship Resources, page 16)

Lord, prevent us from falling into the sinof believing that the slavery of Egyptis better than the struggle in the desert. Amen.

(From the church in Nicaragua, Worship and Song Worship Resources, page 69)

Poem: The Desert Has Many TeachingsIn the desert,Turn toward emptiness,Fleeing the self.Stand alone,Ask no one’s help,And your being will quiet,Free from the bondage of things.Those who cling to the world,Endeavor to free them;Those who are free, praise.Care for the sick,But live alone,Happy to drink from the waters of sorrow,To kindle Love’s fireWith the twigs of a simple life.Thus you will live in the desert.

(by Mechthild of Magdeburg, translated by Jane Hirshfield, from Women in Praise of the Sacred, 1995)

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Altar Decoration Idea: Use a purple cloth to symbolize the season. Cover the altar with rocks of various sizes. Gather three clear vases of various shapes. Fill them hallway with sand. Place one bare branch in each vase and arrange them on the altar among the rocks. The finished altar should look simple and spare.

Song Ideas: Lord, Who Throughout These Forty Days, UMH 269

What Gift Can We Bring, UMH 87

God, How Can We Forgive, TFWS 2169 (New Words to a Familiar Tune)

Live in Charity, TFWS 2179

Amazing Abundance, W&S 3120

“For the Sake of the World” by Bethel Music, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9oqi86yS3g

Multimedia Resources: “Gratitude” by Nichole Nordeman-- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PEzM-4VXdg

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Week 2: Give Up Indifference

Lectionary Year A: John 3:1-17. Jesus speaks with Nicodemus.

Lectionary Year B: Mark 8:31-38. Jesus rebukes Peter: take up your cross and follow me.

Lectionary Year C: Luke 13:31-35. Jesus longs to gather Jerusalem like a mother hen gathers her chicks under her wings.

In these scripture passages, Jesus shows deep emotion as he fortells his transformation from life to death and resurrection. He’s passionate about God’s plan. Malaria attacks the most vulnerable people in the world, and we know it’s not part of God’s plan. This week, challenge each other to give up indifference and take malaria personally. In order to end preventable deaths, we have to work alongside our Creator with true passion.

Calls to Worship: The needs of our world are too numerous to name. Shelter, food, clean air and water... Our gifts touch these needs,but the biggest gift we can give is to love the worldso much that we give of ourselves. Nothing will transform need more than sacrificial love. Today’s offering is just the beginning.

Something drew us together this morningSomething we can’t name but which we experience in worshipSome holy mystery we call GodSome sacred calling we hear in the life of JesusSome indescribable hope we feel when we gather in the SpiritMay our experience of the Divine transform our doubts and fears and prepare us to love the world.

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(“The Indescribable Radiance of Love”, Service Prayers for Transfiguration Sunday, was written by the Rev. Dr. David Bahr, pastor of Park Hill Congregational United Church of Christ in Denver, Colorado. © 2010 Local Church Ministries, Congregational Vitality and Discipleship Ministry Team, United Church of Christ, 700 Prospect Avenue, Cleveland, OH  44115-1100.  Permission granted to reproduce or adapt this material for use in services of worship or church education.  All publishing rights reserved. http://www.ucc.org/worship/worship-ways/nlb/advent-christmas-epiphany/epiphany-transfiguration.html)

Prayers:Jesus prayed that we might be one: one in spirit, one in mission, one in communion with each other and with You. Today, God, we confess fumblings and failures in accomplishing unity. We think first of our needs, and not your abundance. We treat lifesaving resources as pocket change. We have divided the world into “us” and “them,” even as we try to make a difference. Forgive us, Oh God.

On this communion Sunday, give us eyes to recognize your reflection in the eyes of Christians everywhere. Give us a mind to accept and celebrate our differences.Give us a heart big enough to love your children everywhere. We thank you for setting a table with space enough for us all! Amen.

Adapted from the Africana Worship Book, Year B, (Discipleship Resources, 2007) http://www.gbod.org/resources/a-prayer-for-world-communion-sunday

Change our hearts, O Holy one. Jesus longs for us, wants to give us new life, but unless we turn away from our worldly things and towards Him, we are not ready to be changed. Help us get ready. Conquer our indifference. Light us up with passion to improve the lives of people living with malaria, and as we pursue that goal, help us come face-to-face with you in an encounter that changes us for good. Make us hungry for your face and for your re-imagined world. Amen.

Altar Decoration Idea: Start with last week’s altar setting (purple cloth, various rocks, and vases with sand and bare branches). Your goal is to portray transformation on the three branches. Leave one branch bare. On the middle branch, glue tiny tissue paper buds (1-inch squares of tissue paper, rolled up tightly). On the third branch, glue small tissue paper flowers. Viewed side by side, these branches depict a re-awakening as the sap rises.

Song Ideas: This is a Day of New Beginnings, UMH 383

Quando El Pobre (When the Poor Ones), UMH 434

Give Me Jesus, W&S 3140

For Everyone Born, a Place at the Table, W&S 3149

Jesus Messiah by Chris Tomlin (2008): http://www.worshiptogether.com/songs/songdetail.aspx?iid=1008615

Captivate Us by Christy Nockels (2004): http://www.worshiptogether.com/songs/songdetail.aspx?iid=560992

Multimedia Resource: Inmate Gift Fights Malaria: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SL-Y4GfWr5U

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Week 3: Take Up the Charge

Lectionary Year A: John 4:5-52. Jesus speaks with a Samaritan woman at a well.

Lectionary Year B: John 2:13-22. Jesus drives out the moneychangers from the temple in Jerusalem.

Lectionary Year C: Luke 13:1-9. Jesus tells the parable of the fig tree that won’t bear fruit.

Today’s theme is “Take up the charge.” In the scripture passages, Jesus disrupts the status quo (by talking with a Samaritan woman, driving out the money changers, or entreating his listeners to change their lives). This is in line with many of Jesus’ parables, in which the Kingdom of God turns the normal order of things on its head. Jesus is a disruptive teacher. Our church has the opportunity to disrupt the status quo of malaria. Malaria is a disease of poverty-- meaning that it affects mostly poor people, and it keeps them poor-- but we can eliminate it in our lifetime. This is a good time to review Imagine No Malaria’s four program areas:

Communication-- Our work in each community starts with public awareness campaigns through radio, cell phones, and schools. We’re trying to get the message out about what causes malaria, how it can be prevented, and where people can get treatment.

Education-- We teach leaders to apply for grant funding through the Health Board system. We also train community health workers and equip them to improve health in their own neighborhoods. This is what makes our program sustainable.

Prevention-- Networks of volunteers, led by community health workers, go door-to-door distributing bed nets. We also clean up stagnant water and do some targeted use of pesticides inside of people’s homes.

Treatment-- We’re working to improve access to healthcare in sub-Saharan Africa by building infrastructure and supporting our 300+ UMC health clinics and hospitals so that they have the medicine, staff, and facilities they need to fight malaria. This also equips them to fight other diseases.

Through all of these strategies, we’re trying to make sure that the malarial status quo of lost lives and lost opportunities doesn’t continue forever.

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Calls to Worship: Show us, good Lord, how to be frugalTill all are fed;How to weepTill all can laugh;How to be meekTill all can stand in pride;How to mournTill all are comforted;How to be restlessTill all live in peace;How to claim lessTill all find justice. (Peter W. Millar, Worship and Song Worship Resources, page 77)

Just as Jesus turned society’s norms on their heads, Help us disrupt the status quo this season. Throughout history, children have died from mosquito bites. But we can imagine a world with no malaria. Help us to take this dreamAnd make it real. Just as Jesus preached good news to the poor and broken, Help us to spread the word. Just as Jesus healed the sick, Help us to stop needless suffering.

Prayers:O Lord our God, listening to us here, you accept the prayers of our sisters and brothers in Africa, Asia, the Pacific, the Americas and Europe. We are all one in prayer. So may we, as one, rightly carry out your commission to witness and to love in the church and throughout the world. Accept our prayers graciously, even when they are somewhat strange. They are offered in Jesus’ name. Amen.

(From the church in Ghana, Worship and Song Worship Resources, page 69)

God, today we pray for the family of Domingos Antonic. He was eight months old and weighed only 15 pounds when his family brought him to the hospital. His malaria was advanced and he was completely unresponsive. He struggled to breathe, but the hospital had no oxygen tank. He needed a transfusion, but the doctor didn’t have a small enough needle for his tiny veins. We lost him that day. We will never know what blessings he could have brought to our world. Guard his soul, Lord. Comfort his parents and aunts and uncles. Sustain his community as they struggle to keep their other children alive. Guide the doctors and nurses. And, Lord, use us today to make sure that hospital gets the supplies it needs. With your help, we will see a day when children like Domingos are safe from malaria. Amen.

Altar Decoration Idea: Use the same altar as the previous week, but add a photo of Domingos [available in the Graphics folder], framed or mounted, among the vases. Add a strip of white tulle snaking through your desert-scape to symbolize a bed net.

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Song Ideas: We Cannot Measure How You Heal, W&S 3139 (New words to a familiar tune)

Heal Us, Emmanuel, Hear Our Prayer, UMH 266

Wounded World that Cries for Healing, TFWS 2177

You Are Mine, TFWS 2218

Come, Let Us Dream, W&S 3157

God is Able by Reuben Morgan, Hillsong (2010): http://www.worshiptogether.com/songs/songdetail.aspx?iid=1849637

Multimedia Resource: Imagine No Malaria ministry overview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bE6DiD0QOho&list=PLByvp1Kd0UotFdnNAlBMHZTe5yD9C9JB4

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Week 4: Take Up the Challenge

Lectionary Year A: John 9:1-41. Jesus heals a man born blind on the Sabbath.

Lectionary Year B: John 3:14-21. Jesus explains his own presence in the world to Nicodemus.

Lectionary Year C: Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32. Jesus tells the parable of the prodigal son to a room full of tax collectors and sinners.

Our theme is “Take up the challenge” on this fourth Sunday of Lent. The scripture passages describe new life and second chances. The man born blind gets a new lease on life when Jesus heals him. Jesus explains to Nicodemus that he has come into the world so that people can be born again into a different kind of life-- eternal life. And the parable of the prodigal son describes God as a loving father whose arms are always open, even when his children make mistakes. As we take up the challenge of building a new world without malaria, we’re fighting for the sake of children and pregnant mothers who would otherwise die from this disease. We’re fighting to give them a second chance at life abundant.

Calls to Worship: Come let us worship and praise GodCreator of heaven and earth, who is still creating and re-creating. Come let us worship and praise GodJesus, who ushered in a new order and a new way of life.Come let us worship and praise GodHoly Spirit, who empowers us to transform.Come let us worship and praise GodTrinity, holy mystery, imagination itself!

(adapted from the Ministry Matters Living Stone resource 2013)

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It is by our love that we are known to be followers of Christ. It is by trusting that we become fully human. It is by changing that we hope to grow. What we were when we came here, we will not be when we leave,For we have met each other in the presence of God. Let us therefore show love to one another. God’s love will transform the world!

(Adapted from Worship and Song Worship Resources, pg 76)

Prayers:Oh God, be with our brothers and sisters who suffer from malaria today. Slow the course of the parasite. Cool the fevered brow. Comfort the aching muscles. Steady the hands of the caretakers. Jesus the healer, be present in Africa. Lift away the disease so that those who are afflicted get a new lease on life. Make us your hands and feet, that in helping to end malaria, we are also born anew. Amen.

God of all nations, your love and mercy surrounds us, wherever we are. So many people are suffering from malaria. Help us to learn about the suffering of others and give us the wisdom and compassion to act. It is so easy to look the other way. With open hearts and open minds, we seek to learn what you would have us do. We ask all this in your son’s name. Amen.

(by Rev. Marji Bishir, from Imagine No Malaria’s 2013 Lenten Devotionals)

Altar Decoration Idea: Remove the photo of Domingos from your altar. Add more tissue paper buds and flowers so that the branch which used to be bare now has buds, the branch which used to have buds now has flowers, and the branch that used to have flowers now has flowers and leaves. Add more tulle so that it begins to overflow from the altar.

Song Ideas: The Summons, TFWS 2130

In Christ There Is No East or West, UMH 548

Sent Out in Jesus’ Name, TFWS 2223

Risen by The Indigo Room (2013): http://www.worshiptogether.com/songs/songdetail.aspx?iid=1990263

Lift High (also known as Broken People Call His Name) by Steve Fee (2007):

http://www.worshiptogether.com/songs/songdetail.aspx?iid=974654

Multimedia Resource: Sierra Leone Church Growth: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnxCXPo0HMw

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Week 5: Lift Up Those Hurting

Lectionary Year A: John 11:1-45. Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead.

Lectionary Year B: John 12:20-33. Jesus predicts his death.

Lectionary Year C: John 12:1-8. Mary anoints Jesus’ feet with oil.

Our theme in the fifth week of Lent is “Lift up the hurting.” In all three lectionary cycles this week, Jesus shows his empathy and his humanity. He weeps with Mary and Martha before raising Lazarus from the dead, he is full of sorrow and fear as he approaches his final days, and he’s deeply moved when Mary anoints him with oil. Jesus was fully God-- as the mysteries of the next few weeks will prove-- but also fully man. Because Jesus empathizes with us, we are called to empathize with each other. That’s what it means to lift up the hurting: not to just send money overseas for a quick surge of self-satisfaction, but to be moved with compassion for families who are affected by malaria. We lift up the people of sub-Saharan Africa, not as faceless beneficiaries, but as our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Calls to Worship:

We worship a ChristWho is fully God, and yet fully man. We worship a ChristWho is moved by compassion to heal and protect. We worship a ChristWho becomes vulnerable for the sake of others. We worship a ChristWho calls us to follow him!

Prayers:God of our ancestors, when your children are suffering, hear our cry. Help us to remember your faithfulness in ages past, and teach us to offer ourselves and our gifts as generously as you do. Let our giving bear witness to your love and make

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it possible for others to experience the abundant life Jesus offers. May our journey this Lent draw us closer to Christ and so to you. Amen.

(by Rev. Kerry Greenhill, from Imagine No Malaria’s 2013 Lenten Devotionals)

Dear Lord, make me an instrument of your peace and love by sharing with others that they may have freedom from the disease of malaria. May we do this not for our own ambition, but simply out of interest and love that we have for others, as Christ has for us. In Your name we pray. Amen.

(by Dr. Peter L. Paulson, from Imagine No Malaria’s 2013 Lenten Devotionals)

Altar Decoration Idea: Add to last week’s altar by draping additional tulle so that it spills onto the floor. Print out and frame/mount some pictures of children and their families, arranging them with the tulle and vases.

Song Ideas: O Love, How Deep, UMH 267

There is a Balm in Gilead, UMH 375

Rule of Life, W&S 3117

Forever, W&S 3023

Come, Now is the Time to Worship, W&S 3176

Greater by Chris Tomlin (2014): http://www.worshiptogether.com/songs/songdetail.aspx?iid=2240401

Multimedia Resource: “Imagine” Text to Donate video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eaQDTdAR-qc&list=PLByvp1Kd0UotFdnNAlBMHZTe5yD9C9JB4&index=2

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Week 6 (Palm Sunday): Lift Up the Healed

Lectionary Year A: Matthew 21:1-11. Jesus enters Jerusalem.

Lectionary Year B: Mark 11:1-11 or John 12:12-16. Jesus enters Jerusalem.

Lectionary Year C: Luke 19:28-40. Jesus enters Jerusalem.

On Palm Sunday, our theme is “Lift up the healed.” The United Methodist Church is operating more than 300 hospitals, clinics, and health posts across the African continent. Thousands of lives have already been saved by the staff and volunteers who have dedicated their lives to improving access to health care. The death rate from malaria has been cut in half!

In the lectionary passage, Jesus rides into Jerusalem and puts it all on the line for the people he loves. We’re called to do the same. We’re called to step outside our comfort zones in the fight against malaria. As we celebrate his triumphal entry, we also celebrate the people whose lives have been spared from malaria. (Most of the focus for this week is on Jesus’ story, not the Imagine No Malaria story, and that is appropriate.)

Calls to Worship:

We tell your story.We follow in your footsteps.Lead us Into Holy Week!We walk towards the city.We wait in the garden.Lead us onto Holy Ground!We journey towards death.We hope for resurrection.Lead us into Holy Joy!

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(Shout Hosanna!  Service Prayers for Palm/Passion Sunday was written by the Rev. Daniel B. Randall, Senior Pastor of the First Congregational Church, U.C.C., in Bristol, RI and a USAF Chaplain (Reserves).Copyright 2011 Local Church Ministries, Congregational Vitality and Discipleship Ministry Team, United Church of Christ, 700 Prospect Avenue, Cleveland, OH  44115-1100.  Permission granted to reproduce or adapt this material for use in services of worship or church education.  All publishing rights reserved.  http://www.ucc.org/worship/worship-ways/year-a/le/lent-service-prayers-2.html )

Come and give thanks!Our God is doing miracles!Parents can rest easy knowing their children are safe, Children have a chance to reach their potential. Come and hear the good news!God’s love is stronger than disease. With our gifts and prayers,We can lift up precious lives.

Prayers:Creator and Lord of us all, we are marching with you to Zion. Remind us again of your power to break through even the dissonance and incongruence of life. We pray for our brothers and sisters on the continent of Africa who daily face the challenges of poverty and disease. In the words of Sir Isaac Watts, may “we who love the Lord…join in a song of sweet accord and thus surround the throne.” May the harmony of our individual voices create a symphony of praise that gives life to your children around the world. We pray in the name of Jesus who died that all might have life. Amen.

(by Rev. Janice Griffith, from Imagine No Malaria’s 2013 Lenten Devotionals)

Lord, we are too nervous to ask for help from one another. The Master needs your donkey, but we're afraid to ask.Lord, we are afraid to give you what you ask.Help us realize that what we have is just a gift from you.Lord we are too proud to lay our cares before you.Help us to lay our cloaks on the colt, on the road, on your way.Lord, we have been quiet in our praise,our shouts of Hosanna sound like mice whispering.Put palms in our hands; help us in grace to stand.Lord, we have looked from the pinnacle of the temple,craving, protecting, and manipulating power.We have told you time and time again,make the crowds pipe down!Break our hearts of stone; let us see your steadfast love,and bring forth your Kingdom in this place.Lord, forgive us for what we have not asked;forgive us for what we have asked that was not needed,for what we have kept that was needed,and for what we have given that was unjust.

Hear the Good News. Christ came riding a donkey of peace and reconciliation,not a charging war horse of judgment.In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven.

In the name of Jesus Christ you are forgiven.Glory to God, Amen.

(Adapted from A Prayer of Confession For Palm Sunday by the Rev. Nathan Decker, http://www.gbod.org/resources/the-master-needs-your-donkey-a-prayer-of-confession-for-palm-sunday)

Altar Decoration Idea: Add palms to your existing altar design. You can put some in the vases alongside the branches, tape others to the back of the altar so that they point upwards behind it, and lay many on the ground in front of it.

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Multimedia Resource: There is Hope for You by William Elliot Whitmore, with art by He Qui (Lenten meditation from the perspective of Jesus): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-27PYq60WSg

A message for United Methodists from Rear Admiral Tim Zeimer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLoM4LqbsOg

Song Ideas: All Glory, Laud, and Honor, UMH 280

Hosanna, Loud Hosanna, UMH 278

I Will Enter His Gates, TFWS 2270

The Trees of the Field, TFWS 2279

Hosanna by Brooke Ligertwood, Hillsong (2006): http://www.worshiptogether.com/songs/songdetail.aspx?iid=979900

Hosanna (Praise is Rising) by Paul Baloche (2005-2006): http://www.worshiptogether.com/songs/songdetail.aspx?iid=559270

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Week 7: (Easter Sunday) Look Up to Overcome

On Easter Sunday, as we celebrate the risen Christ, we also celebrate the role that we are able to play in the fight against malaria. Collect the special offering generated by the Giving From Abundance calendars. Make sure that a brief overview of Imagine No Malaria is provided for visitors in your midst-- either through a bulletin insert, video clip, or brief announcement-- so that they can participate.

Calls to Worship: God of new beginnings, you wipe away our tears and call us to care for one another. Give us eyes to see your gifts, hearts to embrace all creation, and hands to serve you every day of our lives. Amen.

(©2002 Consultation on Common Texts, from the Worship and Song Worship Resource, page 71)

Morning has broken, but this morning is different.The birds are singing tunes of joy in the trees surrounding the graves.The flower buds are bursting in colors vibrant around each stone.We've come to visit the grave of a friend, but "he is not here."The Sun is rising in the East; the shadowed grays turn bright!The Son is risen in our Hearts; darkness and death end in defeat.Now we understand what Christ said, what God did.Now we can proclaim, CHRIST IS RISEN! HALLELUJAH!

(by the Rev. Nathan Decker, http://www.gbod.org/resources/morning-has-broken-easter-call-to-worship)

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Prayers:Lord, we can still see miracles performed by your hands, if only we look. Allow us to be your hands and feet here on Earth each day so that the miracle of the elimination of malaria may occur. Every life that is saved is a reason to celebrate. Praise be to you, oh God. Amen.

(by Margo Jacobs, from Imagine No Malaria’s 2013 Lenten Devotionals)

Good God, we are so blessed that Jesus made room for us at the table. We are so blessed that the love of Christ breaks down every wall and helps us to see the entire human family as brothers and sisters. Help us to see Imagine No Malaria as a way to “return to the Lord for all his bounty.” Let our support of Imagine No Malaria be just another expression of your invitation to be at the table together, sharing of the abundance you have given so freely. Hallelujah! Amen!

(by Rev. Gary Henderson, from Imagine No Malaria’s 2013 Lenten Devotionals)

Altar Decoration Idea: The liturgical color for Easter is white, so decorating with white tulle (representing mosquito nets) is appropriate. Cover the altar with as many flowers as possible. Have at least one piece of netting loose on the altar so that it can be used to collect the Easter offering.

Multimedia Resource: Thanks To You-- play this video before the offering so that visitors get a brief overview:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3yYhDnxiX8

Communion Litany:

The Lord be with you. And also with you.Lift up your hearts.We lift them up to The Lord.Let us give thanks to The Lord our God.It is right to give our thanks and praise!

It is right, and a good and joyful thing, always and everywhere to give thanks to you, creator of heaven and earth.

Holy are you, and blessed is your Son Jesus Christ.Your Spirit anointed himTo preach good news to the poor,To proclaim release to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind,To set at liberty those who are oppressed.

O Lord, we have fallen short of the example of your son, Jesus Christ. We can do more for those who are oppressed, blind, captive, and poor. Too many children still die from the bite of a mosquito. Today we celebrate God’s vision for our world and the new life of the resurrection by helping to end malaria.

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In the name of Jesus Christ, you are beloved and forgiven!In the name of Jesus Christ, we are all beloved and forgiven! Thanks be to God!

On Jesus’ last night, he gathered with his closest friends for the Passover dinner. During the supper, Jesus took bread and gave thanks to God, saying, “Take and eat. Every time you do this, remember what I have taught you.” After the supper he took the cup and gave thanks to God saying, “Drink from this all of you. This is the cup grace, poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Every time you do this, remember what I have taught you.”

O God, pour out your Holy Spirit on us gathered here and on all your beloved children around the world. Help us to see your grace, forgiveness, and surprising joy in the empty tomb. Your amazing love will always have the last word.Amen.

(Drew Frisbie, 2014)

Song Ideas: Christ the Lord is Risen Today, UMH 302

Easter People, Raise Your Voices, UMH 304

In The Garden, UMH 314

Woke Up This Morning, TFWS 2082

Trading My Sorrows, W&S 3108

Christ is Risen by Matt Maher (2009): http://www.worshiptogether.com/songs/songdetail.aspx?iid=1004257

Happy Day –Tim Hughes (2006): http://www.worshiptogether.com/songs/songdetail.aspx?iid=558069

Offering: Assign children and youth to be the reader and ushers for this offering.

Reader: Today’s offering will benefit Imagine No Malaria. Every two minutes, a child in Africa dies from malaria, even though we know how to prevent it and treat it. But United Methodists can imagine a better world where no child lives in fear of a mosquito bite, and with God’s help, we’ll make it happen! Take a look at what our brothers and sisters in Sierra Leone have to say about it.

[Play the Thanks to You video]

Sung response: Our God Saves by Paul Baloche: http://www.worshiptogether.com/songs/songdetail.aspx?iid=1018722

[While the congregation learns this simple melody, four ushers should come forward and take the net off the altar and bring it down to the head of the aisle. One of them should hold each corner as if they’re about to fold it like a sheet so that money can be placed in the middle. Then, have the singers pause between the verse and the chorus while the instrumental music continues.]

Reader: We have been saving up our gifts for an entire season. Today, we bring them forth and dedicate them to the God who gave up everything for us. And we’re going to do it in the African style by singing and dancing while we give!

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When you’re moved to do so, make your way forward and place your offering in the net. Today, we have the power to save lives.

[Continue the sung response… it may be helpful to prep a few key people for this moment ahead of time so that they’ll be ready to dance up there first. Continue the song until people are finished coming forward.]

Reader: Dear God, thank you so much for working through us to help save lives and create a better world. Our gifts represent a tiny fraction of what you have given to us. We stand in awe of your generosity. Death will never have the last word. In the spirit of your resurrection, bring new life to communities affected by malaria. You’ve already brought new life here-- we can feel it! Thank you, God. Hallelujah!

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Thursday, Friday, and Saturday before Easter

We realize that every church has different traditions for the three days leading up to Easter. We’ve tried to provide a variety of adaptable resources that can fit into your services, whether you celebrate Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday, or some combination.

The Passion

Lectionary Year A: Matthew 26:14-27, 66 OR Matthew 27:11-54. Jesus is killed.

Lectionary Year B: Mark 14:1-15:47 OR Mark 15:1-39. Jesus is killed.

Lectionary Year C: Luke 22:14-23, 56 OR Luke 23:1-49. Jesus is killed.

Calls to Worship:

May the Christ who walks on wounded feet

Walk with us on the road.

May the Christ who serves with wounded hands

Stretch out our hands to serve.

May the Christ who loves with a wounded heart

Open our hearts to love.

May we see the face of Christ in everyone we meet,

And may everyone we meet see the face of Christ in us.

(Adapted from the traditional Celtic blessing, Worship and Song Worship Resources, page 15)

From Bethlehem to Nazareth, From Jordan to Jericho, From Bethany to Jerusalem, From then to now, Come, Lord Jesus. To heal the sick, To mend the brokenhearted, To comfort the disturbed, To disturb the comfortable, To cleanse the temple, To liberate faith from convention, Come, Lord Jesus. Today, To this place, To us, Come, Lord Jesus. Amen.

(Wild Goose Group, © 1998, Worship and Song Worship Resources page 13)

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Prayers:Eternal God, when nothing existed but chaos, you swept through a formless void and brought forth order with the creation of day and night. We celebrate day as it brings forth light that enables us to see the beauty of your creation. We cherish the stillness of the night where your promise for the world is revealed to us as we rest. Day and night, darkness and light, they belong to you. You created them and you called them good. Yet God, in the beauty of creation, chaos still appears. Chaos can remind us of what we’ve overcome. Chaos can lead us to seek realities different from that which we’ve become complacent in. Chaos can turn us into better versions of ourselves, but chaos can also consume and destroy us. From the chaos of lies, misinformation and ignorance, defend us. From the chaos that severs right relationships and leads to the study of hate, violence and war, save us. From the chaos of fear, release us, and from the chaos of unexpected suffering and untimely death, heal us. Remind us to pray together and for one another. Teach us to mourn together and for each other and lead all of your people to fully rest in the assurance that whether we are in deep waters or walk through the valley of the shadow of death, you are with us. With the audacity of faith, and through the power of your Holy Spirit, we pray. Amen!

(By Janjay Innis, http://www.umcmission.org/learn-about-us/news-and-stories/2014/august/0806aprayerfortheworld)

There are questions that wait in the shadows, doubts that lurk, and so we shut the lights off and try to sleep. The kind of despair that forms its own tape over our mouths when we try to pray. The question trembles in our chest, fights its way out of our throats and sticks in the air, vapor like warm breath meeting cold wind: God, where are you? Maybe I shouldn’t question you, maybe I shouldn’t doubt you, but sometimes I do. Sometimes life and tragedy and grief make it difficult to believe you. I want to. But sometimes it’s hard to. So, where are you now when I cry, when I try, when I want to know why? Where do I find your quiet in the midst of the noise? How do I not mistake your silence for the thought that you don’t hear my voice? There are questions that wait in the shadows, doubts that lurk and so we shut the lights off and try to sleep.

(From Garden, by The Liturgists. Used with permission.)

Tenebrae Prayer: Dear Jesus, because you became human, suffered, and died, we know you are with us even in our darkest nights and deepest valleys. Tonight we remember your final moments. We also remember the innocent lives extinguished by malaria. Hear our silent prayers tonight. We will put out a candle every sixty seconds to signify one life lost to a preventable, treatable disease. Be near us, Lord Jesus.

[silence as candles are extinguished, one every minute]

Jesus, guard these souls and keep them close to you. Comfort their families. Help us to end this disease. And until it ends, have mercy. Amen.

Altar Decoration Idea: Dismantle your altar decorations completely. Use only a black cloth and candles to decorate it, and take down any other decorations in the worship space.

Song Ideas: Eat This Bread, UMH 628

O Sacred Head, Now Wounded, UMH 286

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Were You There, UMH 288

We Sang Our Glad Hosannas, TFWS 2111 (sing all but the last verse)

Jesus remember me, UMH 488

At the Cross – Darlene Zschech (2006): http://www.worshiptogether.com/songs/songdetail.aspx?iid=1798199

(see Taize service below for additional music suggestions)

Foot Washing Litany based on John 13: Necessary items include pitchers of lukewarm water, basins, and at least one towel per person.

Leader: It was Jesus Christ who humbled himself on his last night by kneeling before each of his closest friends and washing their road-weary feet before the Passover Feast. This was a servant’s job. An unpleasant task. And yet, he did tenderly, it with tears of affection in his eyes.

All: O Lord, teach us to be humble!

Leader: As he tied the towel around his waist, the disciples became uneasy. Was this some sort of test? It was clear Jesus that meant business as he wiped their feet clean. Peter couldn’t bear the thought of his teacher and Messiah doing such a task. But Jesus assured him that this was part of a much bigger lesson. He would miss out if he didn’t allow the master to become a servant.

All: O Lord, teach us to serve!

Leader: In washing the feet of his disciples, Jesus gave us an example of how to live our lives in service to God and our neighbors both near and far. As we gather today to humbly wash each other’s feet, we remember children of God around the world who are suffering. We imagine their feet: calloused, mosquito bitten, muddy because even asphalt is a luxury… would we be willing to wash those feet? Help us today to wash away our guilt, our trepidation, and anything else that holds us back from serving our global neighbors with God’s living water. With God’s help, we will make malaria a thing of the past.

All: Thank you Lord for the chance to be your hands and feet in a world of need! Amen.

Jesu, Jesu (UMH 432)

All are invited to come to one of several foot-washing stations to kneel and serve one another until everybody has had an opportunity to wash someone’s feet or hands.

Leader: Will you join me in prayer--

All: Jesus, you are our teacher and our Lord. We are humbled by your example, and called to do likewise. We pray today for those all around the world who are afflicted by disease, war, and poverty. Jesus, just as you sought out those living on the margins to offer new life, we are called to change the world so it reflects your love. Amen.

(Drew Frisbie, 2014)

Labyrinth Taize Service:

The Youth or Adult Sunday School materials include instructions for making a labyrinth. If your church participates in this project, this is a great way to dedicate it and start using it. If not, you can still sing the Taize songs and do the reading-- just skip past the labyrinth dedication. Set up a darkened worship space with candles and an assortment of chairs and

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pillows for seating. Taize songs repeat many times until the spirit moves the assembled group to silence. After a minute of silence, you can begin the next song. Keep the music quiet and simple to facilitate meditation. The Holy Saturday reading can be read aloud, printed in a bulletin, or simply written on paper and placed in the center of the labyrinth. Print a notice or announce that someone is available just outside the worship space to pray with people.

Reader 1: Dear God, we’re here today to present this labyrinth to our church.

All: Please bring peace to every person who walks on it.

Reader 1: Help it remind us of what we’ve learned during Lent this year…

[silence when each person who helped create the labyrinth can think about the word they painted on it]

Reader 1: Let it be a sacred space where we find you at the center of our lives.

All: Guard our steps, and help us to know that you are with us.

Reader 2: Sometimes when we pray, we focus inwards and forget to focus outwards.

All: It’s easier not to think about kids who have malaria.

Reader 2: So we put up walls and say, “This problem is too huge! There’s no way I can make a difference.”

All: But the walls we create are not as powerful as your love.

Reader 2: This labyrinth leads us to the center of our faith, where we remember that every child of God is precious.

All: Help us to tear down the walls!

[As a group, carefully peel off the blue tape to reveal the lines of the labyrinth. Joyful noises are appropriate! If your group likes to sing, choose a few favorite songs for this time. It will take a few minutes. When the tape is off, place candles around the labyrinth. Slowly dim the lights and light the candles.]

Reader 3: Ephesians 3:20 says that God can do more than we could ever ask or imagine, according to God’s power that works inside of us.

All: We have the power to create beautiful things and save lives.

Reader 3: God, thank you for working through us today!

All: We really can change the world.

Pastor: Thank you! We accept this labyrinth as a precious gift. We promise to take care of it and use it with joy. Let us pray.

All: In the name of God who created us, taught us how to live, and walks beside us wherever we go, we dedicate this

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labyrinth. May it be a tool for peace, centering, and connection here at our church. Oh God, without you, none of our projects or prayers have meaning. Accept this gift as a symbol of our love for you. And just as we dedicate the labyrinth to your service, we dedicate ourselves. Amen.

In the Lord I’ll Be Ever Thankful, TFWS 2195

Come and Fill Our Hearts, TFWS 2157

Bless the Lord, TFWS 2013

Live in Charity (Ubi Caritas), TFWS 2179

Holy Saturday Reading (below)

Wait for the Lord, W&S 3049

Exit in silence

Holy Saturday Reading: Oh, my God! Where are you? In the Sabbath garden, silenced, broken, behind the stone… my God is lost to me.

Oh, my God! Where are you? In the bodies of children too young to name, almost weightless when tucked into the soil… my God is lost to me.

Oh, my God! Where are you? In the grief which first shatters life into “before” and “after,” then consumes, and chaperones, and carves me… my God is lost to me.

Oh, my God! Where are you? I resist my day of rest and prepare Sunday’s burial spices. I take the night watch even though I am spent. I wait. I beg my lost God for the dawn… and my lost God holds vigil.

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Children’s MessagesFirst Sunday in Lent

Visual Props: Gift bag of box wrapped in Christmas paper containing bright green Imagine No Malaria bracelets

Script: Merry Christmas! (After kids laugh and correct you): What? It isn’t Christmas now? Do I have the wrong season? Well, what season is it now?(Kids will probably say “winter”; if anyone says “spring”, acknowledge whatever early signs you’ve noticed… maybe little green shoots pushing up through the mud. If anyone says “Lent”, affirm this answer and ask if he/she knows what Lent is about).

In the Christian calendar, the word for early spring is “Lent.” It’s the season leading up to Easter.

Advent was the season leading up to Christmas, when we remembered Baby Jesus. During Lent, we remember Jesus as an adult. When Jesus grew up, he did and taught some amazing things. Lent is a time to learn about that.

Lent reminds me of Christmas because both are about Jesus, and both are about gifts (hold up wrapped package). When Christmas was coming, did you think about what gifts you might get? Yeah? Well, during Lent, it’s time to think about what gifts you might share.

It’s tempting to keep our gifts all to ourselves (hug the wrapped present and say something like “this is all mine!”). Even Jesus was tempted to use his gifts just for himself, but he knew that God wanted him to share his special gifts with all sorts of people. He gave up some of his gifts for us.

Many Christians have a tradition of giving up something for Lent. Usually it’s something they like, but that might not be very good for them… maybe TV, or candy.

This Lenten season, many United Methodist Christians around the world are going to give up – or share – a gift that can help others. United Methodists have a theme for this Lent: “Give up a gift, take up a cause, lift up a life.” That’s what Jesus did. In church and Sunday school, we can learn more about what he did, and what we can do during this season leading up to Easter.But for right now, I think it’s time for me to give up holding on to this gift, and to share it with all of you! (Let the kids help unwrap and/or reach into the present. Give a bracelet to each of them).

You’ll find out more about what these spring green bracelets mean in Sunday school today!

Let’s fold our hands now and say a prayer:

Dear God,

Thank You for sending Your son, Jesus, into the world. Help us learn about him, and become ready to share like he did. Amen.

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Second Sunday in Lent

Note: This message assumes that Imagine No Malaria Lenten Calendars were introduced to the congregation and Sunday school students previously.

Visual Props: Pipe cleaner mosquito inside a small opaque container Imagine No Malaria Lenten Calendar Collection container (jar or small box) with some money in it

Script: Good morning! Today I need your help to get rid of some evil villains! I’ve captured one of them in this box (hold up the opaque container). Don’t you think an evil villain could fit inside this little box? Well, the big monsters you see in some movies couldn’t fit in here, but there are some tiny monsters that can do a lot of harm. Can anybody guess what kind of villain this is? (Reach in and pull out the pipe cleaner mosquito).

Yeah, it’s a mosquito! See, here are its six legs and its evil little eyes and its long proboscis – that’s what it uses to suck your blood! It’s like a creepy little vampire! And you know what? Real mosquitos are a lot tinier than this pipe cleaner one.

Have any of you ever been bitten by a mosquito? Yeah? Did you get a bump on your skin that itched a lot? Around here mosquitos can make us itch, but they can’t make us sick. In some other places, though, especially in Africa, there’s a type of mosquito that only comes out at night, and she carries a bad disease that makes millions of people sick! Who remembers what that disease is called? (Give the kids a chance to answer).

Malaria. It isn’t something you can catch here in the United States anymore; we got rid of malaria in this country a long time ago. But children who live in Africa are in danger because of villains like this (hold up the pipe cleaner mosquito again).

The good news is that we can help protect them! Some of us here at church have already started doing that. (Hold up the Imagine No Malaria Lenten calendar). How many of you (ask kids and whole congregation) are doing the activities on this Imagine No Malaria Lenten calendar? If you’ve been collecting some money each day (hold up jar/box with coins in it), then you are helping to fight bad bugs like this one (hold up the mosquito).

How many of you helped your parents count all the medicine bottles in your house this past week? That was one of the first activities on this Lenten calendar, wasn’t it? Did it surprise you to find so much medicine in your house? Most of us can go to a doctor or drug store to get medicines we need to help us get and stay well. But many people in poor countries have trouble getting medicines they need. That’s one thing the money we collect (hold up the jar) this Lent can pay for: it can help hospitals and clinics in Africa provide medicine for people with malaria.

When Jesus walked on the earth, he showed concern for people who were sick, and he helped them. He taught his friends to do the same. This Lent, let’s try to be like Jesus and do what we can to help people. Let’s be thankful for the good things we have, and share some of our money so other people can get what they need to be healthy.

Now let’s fold our hands and pray together:

Dear God, thank you for blessing us with so many good things. Please help us to bless others like Jesus did. Amen.

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Third Sunday in Lent

Visual Props: A bed net or large piece of filmy fabric folded and wrapped in a bag, mailing box or envelopeA pipe cleaner mosquito

Script: Good morning! Somebody just gave me this package (hold up whatever you’ve wrapped the bed net in). I’m curious to find out what’s inside. Let’s find out together! (pull out the net and unfold it).

Hmmm… I wonder what it is. Maybe it’s some kind of clothing (get up and wrap the net around you like a robe). Well, maybe not. It isn’t very warm because it’s got all these little holes in it. Hey, maybe it’s a fishing net! Let’s see… (try casting one edge of it out in front of you while you hold on to the other edge).

Well, that didn’t work quite right… I don’t think I could catch many fish this way, do you? Hmmm… maybe I could make a hammock out of this thing… what do you think? (Hopefully some kids who were in Sunday school last week will recognize that it’s a bed net and say so. If not, prompt them with questions like, “Have you ever seen anything like this?” or “Did you have something like this in Sunday school last week? What did you do with it?” Let a few of the children help you hold the net up like a tent over a few other kids).

Okay, I see. This is a bed net to hang up around people who are sleeping. Why would some people want to sleep under a bed net? (Give kids a chance to answer, and help paraphrase any relevant responses).

(Take out the pipe cleaner mosquito). Remember this little villain? Yeah, it’s a mosquito. What if this were one of those mosquitos in Africa that only come out at night to bite people? What if it carried that bad disease, malaria, that makes so many people really sick? (Make the mosquito “fly” into the net) The net keeps mosquitos away from the people under it. And the mosquito nets our church gives people in Africa have a little mosquito poison on them, so when the mosquitos land on them they die (make a choking noise and drop the pipe cleaner mosquito off the net).

But we’ve learned that when we only give out nets without explaining what they are and how to use them, people try to use them for all sorts of other things… like wedding gowns, fishing nets and hammocks. That’s why a big part of the Imagine No Malaria project is about teaching. The United Methodist church teaches community health workers to teach everyone in a whole village why these nets can help keep their families safe, and how to use them right.

That’s kind of like what Jesus and his disciples did long ago. They traveled from village to village, teaching and healing people. They helped all sorts of people. By helping to raise money for things like nets and education, we can help all sorts of people too.

Let’s pray together. Dear God, thank you for the example Jesus set for us. Please use our gifts to help others get and learn what they need to stay healthy. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

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Fourth Sunday in Lent

Visual prop: Photograph of Bill Gates that’s large enough to see easily for the size of group you expect

Script: Hi, everybody! I have a picture to show you this morning. Do any of you know who this man is? (Hold up the photo and move it around so everyone gets a view of it). No, it isn’t Jesus! (If no one guesses right, give some hints): I have read that, at some point, this guy was the richest man in the world. He’s a computer genius. He started Microsoft. He and his wife, Melinda, also started a foundation to give money to make the world a better, healthier place. It’s called the Gates Foundation.

Yeah, this is a picture of Bill Gates! A lot of people envy Bill Gates because he’s so smart and rich. A lot of people also admire him and his wife because they have been very generous to a number of good causes.

One of those causes is ending malaria. In fact, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has given $5 million to Imagine No Malaria, the United Methodist project we’ve been talking about lately. Yeah, that’s a lot of money! You might wonder, with so many good causes to support, why would Bill and Melinda Gates choose this one?

Bill Gates says one reason is that we know how to prevent and treat malaria. Do you remember what we learned about last week that can stop mosquitos from biting people and giving them malaria? That’s right: bed nets. When people learn how to use them right, they can protect themselves and their families from catching malaria. If some people are already sick with malaria, there are medicines that can help them get better.

The United Methodist church has been providing bed nets, education and medicine for quite a few years in many African countries. In those countries, less than half as many people die from malaria now. In fact, a child lives every minute who otherwise would not have survived.

Bill Gates could see that what our church is doing is working. He also knows that in some African communities 4 out of every 10 people who go to a hospital or clinic have malaria. That one disease takes up so many resources that there aren’t enough left to treat other problems. If we could end malaria, the doctors and nurses in these places could spend more time helping to cure and treat other illnesses.

So Bill and Melinda Gates have made fighting malaria one of their causes. So have many people in our own church. (Turn to the congregation and ask): Please raise your hand if you have helped raise money for Imagine No Malaria. Thank you for taking up this cause!

Let’s pray together: Dear God, thank you for working through all kinds of people, rich and poor, to help all kinds of people. Please work through us, like you worked through Jesus. Amen.

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Fifth Sunday in Lent

The following suggestion for an enactment of John 11: 1 – 44 would take longer than an average children’s message, but could substitute for a straight reading of this scripture passage, thereby combining the Children’s Message with the Gospel lesson for the day.

If you can recruit enough volunteers to enact the story of Lazarus as a skit, it would be a very engaging way to tell the story. Ideally you would need to cast a narrator, Jesus, Lazarus, Martha, Mary, a messenger, a few disciples, and a few mourners/witnesses to the scene at the tomb. Having Lazarus “come out” (perhaps from behind the altar or organ) wrapped like a mummy would be unforgettable for kids! It would be powerful to see Mary, Martha and their friends follow Jesus’ instructions: “Unbind him. Let him go!”

Here’s a lead in to such a skit that would relate it to Imagine No Malaria:

“During this season of Lent, we have been learning some about Jesus, and some about a project inspired by our desire to follow Jesus’ example. Do you remember what that project is called?” (Wait a few seconds for a response, and give some hints if necessary: many of us have been raising money for this project… we’ve been learning about it in Sunday School). “It’s called ‘Imagine No Malaria’. Our Lenten theme has been “Give up a gift, take up a cause, lift up a life.”

“Today’s scripture lesson is about Jesus lifting up a life. It’s from the Gospel according to John. It’s a long story, so rather than just read it to you, some of my friends are going to act it out for you while I narrate.”

(Begin reading John 11:1-2 as Mary and Martha walk out in front of the kids).

The way you adapt the story to a skit will depend on how many players you have and how much time you want to take recounting the details of the story. You could do something as simple as having two other readers in addition to the narrator, one for Jesus and one for all other speaking parts; you could have a cast of two dozen all in costume, with a different actor for each speaking part, plus many other actors playing the rest of the disciples and crowd. Or you could just tell the story.

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Palm Sunday Children’s Message

Visual Props: Palm branch Imagine No Malaria calendar Jar or other clear container with some coins & bills in it

Script: Hosanna! What do you think that means? Hosanna! (Listen to responses). We say Hosanna today because it’s a special day, right? What day? Yes, it’s Palm Sunday (wave your palm branch). On Palm Sunday we remember when Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey’s colt and hundreds of people came out to greet him with songs and shouts of joy! They said, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” That’s a quote from one of King David’s psalms, and it was a way of saying “Hurray! Here comes the hero we’ve been waiting for! He has already done great things, and now he’s coming to our city to set things right!”

Many people in Jesus’ time had high hopes that Jesus would fix all their problems right away. They cheered for him because they believed he would free them from injustice under Roman rule and from every kind of sickness. The Bible tells us that Jesus did speak and act out again injustice, and he did cure many people who were sick, but he didn’t do it all at once. He left much work for his followers – like us – to do.

I bet when United Methodist community health workers arrive in African villages where they have visited before, they are greeted with songs and shouts of joy, and with high expectations. After all, the death rate due to malaria has been cut in half twice since they started bringing bed nets and teaching people how to use them. So many people who would have died from malaria are alive today because of life-saving medicines made available by the Imagine No Malaria project.

But stopping malaria isn’t something we can do all at once, or by ourselves. It will take the help of many people over several more years to get rid of this awful disease for good.

How many of you have been helping by doing the activities on the Lenten calendar and collecting money for Imagine No Malaria? (Hold up your calendar and cash container. Acknowledge the adults in the congregation as well as the kids who raise their hands). That’s great! This is the last week of Lent – Holy Week -- when we remember Jesus’ last week before his death and resurrection. Let’s try to complete what we have started, and bring what we have collected for Imagine No Malaria on Easter Sunday. Together, we can make a difference… we can lift up a life!

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Sunday School Materials for Children grades pre-K to 2

Be sure to also check out the Imagine No Malaria coloring book!

Sunday before Ash Wednesday

Ten-minute Sunday School Lesson Add-on for Grades K – 2

Supplies needed: Imagine No Malaria Lenten Calendars (one for each child) Jars or boxes for collecting coins and bills Blank sticky labels for jars that can be labeled & colored Crayons and/or markers Cups and fresh water; snacks if possible too A globe of map of the world Enough coins to complete one easy calendar activity

Outline for lesson:Consider having all the children sit down at tables for snacks and cups of water. While they are busy eating, give them a simple explanation about what Lent is – a time when we learn about the grown up Jesus getting ready for the first Easter.

Ask all the kids to pick up their water cups and look in them. Ask if they see any bugs in their water. This should get them looking and giggling. Look in your own cup, say something like, “Hurray, no bugs!” and then drink the water and make a satisfied sound & smile. Invite the kids to do the same.

As kids finish their snacks, explain that in some places in the world – especially in Africa – there are bugs in much of the water, and that these bugs sometimes carry diseases that make people sick. (Point to Africa on a globe or map). Malaria is a bad sickness that lots of people in Africa catch because it’s carried by mosquitos that hatch in still water.

Start passing out blank sticky labels to kids who have finished their snacks and water. Before you pass out crayons or markers, explain that during this Lenten season, people in our church are going to collect money to help get rid of bad bugs in Africa. A special Lenten calendar will help us know how much money to put in our jars each day. (Pass out the calendars to each student). Explain that this calendar helps us realize some of the blessings that we have that help us stay healthy, like fresh clean water with no bugs!

Ask one of the older students who can read to look at a particular day on the calendar and read what it says (choose a day that asks you to count something your classroom has, like light switches or electrical outlets). Call on a few younger kids to find and count these things in the classroom. As they count them, drop a coin in a jar or box for each one. Tell kids that this money will help to pay for things like fresh water, mosquito nets, and medicine to protect people from getting sick.

Brainstorm a few ideas about how to decorate sticky labels to go on collection jars/boxes. Then pass out crayons and/or markers. Encourage kids to draw something that will help them remember what the containers are for, and help them (if they need and want help) with printing words like “Imagine No Malaria”. Then help them affix their labels on their jars/boxes.

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When parents come to pick up their kids at the end of Sunday school, make sure the parents get the calendars and containers.

First Sunday of LentK-2nd Grade Lesson Add-on

Note: This lesson should follow immediately after the first children’s time story in which all the children receive bright green Imagine No Malaria bracelets out of a gift box or bag from the story teller.

Supplies needed: A few extra bracelets in case some of the kids didn’t go up for children’s time or get one at the end of it A few extra Imagine No Malaria Lenten Calendars for kids who missed last week’s lesson A few extra labeled collection containers (jars or little boxes) for kids who missed last week’s lesson Some pictures of magnified mosquitos, stagnant water, and people under bed nets (many images are available

on line, so consider bringing in a laptop or tablet) Play dough or clay -- some for each child Timer

Outline for Lesson Add-on:

Gather and seat the children together at tables or in a circle. Ask them to hold up their hand if they didn’t get a green bracelet. Distribute bracelets to those who don’t have one yet. Ask if anyone can read the words on the bracelet (help them as needed). Ask if anyone remembers from last week’s lesson what malaria is. Remind them that it is a bad disease carried by mosquitos that only bite people at night, mostly in Africa. Show pictures of mosquitos, stagnant water where they can hatch, and a family under a bed net. Can the kids guess why the family is sleeping under a net?

Hold up an Imagine No Malaria Calendar and ask kids to raise their hands if their families have started using it. Tell them you have extras for their parents if they didn’t get one last week. Demonstrate how to use the calendar by asking one of the older kids to read a particular day’s activity (choose one that tells you to count something you have in the classroom but didn’t count last week). Have a few younger kids look for and count these items. Put a coin in a container for each item counted.

Tell kids that you are giving this money help to protect people from malaria. Encourage them to talk with their parents about giving some money for this cause too. Let them know you have extra jars/boxes for their families if they didn’t get one last week.

Make a Jesus connection: Jesus gave people good news. He told them God loved them and wanted to help everyone who turned to God. He told people to love and help each other. We can help people in Africa by giving some of our money to Imagine No Malaria. The money can pay for bed nets, medicines, and other things people need to get rid of mosquitos and sickness.

Activity: Tell kids they get to make play dough (or clay) mosquitos and germs, and then squish them! Pass out play dough or Sculpy. Put a picture of a mosquito where kids can see it, but encourage creative-looking “germs” of whatever variety kids want to make. Set a timer for this activity, letting the kids know that when it goes off, everybody gets to squish his or her bugs!

When parents come to pick up their children, be ready to provide Imagine No Malaria Lenten calendars and labeled collection containers to any who didn’t receive one the previous week. Encourage them to involve their children in counting things in their home that are listed on the calendar, and to give thanks for these blessings.

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Second Sunday of LentK-2nd Grade Sunday School Lesson Add-on

Supplies needed: Mosquito net or some filmy fabric that is similar Pipe cleaner mosquito Imagine No Malaria Lenten calendar

Outline for Lesson:

Gather children together, preferably in a circle on the floor. Ask if anyone remembers what the name of this church season is. Affirm that it is Lent, the season leading up to Easter. Hold up an Imagine No Malaria Lenten calendar and ask kids to raise their hands if they’ve been using the calendar at home. Praise the kids who have been, and ask them to name something they’ve helped to count in their homes. Ask if they ever thought about these things much before, or felt thankful to have them… can they imagine not having sinks with clean running water?

Pull out the pipe cleaner mosquito and hold it up so kids can see it but not touch it. Ask if anybody remembers from the Children’s message in church what it is. Ask if anyone remembers the name of the bad disease that some mosquitos carry, especially in Africa. Reassure them that they won’t catch malaria from mosquitos here, but help them understand that children in some parts of the world are in danger because of the sickness they can get from mosquitos that bite only at night.

Pull out the bed net (or big piece of similar fabric). Explain that nets like this one can protect whole families from mosquitos. Ask a few kids to lie down on the floor next to each other and pretend to go to sleep. Ask a few other kids to help you make a tent over them with the net and whatever you can rig up to hold it. To be protective, the net has to come all the way to the sleeping surface (or be tucked under it), and it can’t be touching someone’s skin because it’s possible for a mosquito’s proboscis to stick through the netting and into a person right up against it. The kids will learn that it’s harder than it looks to get the net just right all the way around the “sleepers”. Use the pipe cleaner mosquito to pretend to bite “sleepers” if they aren’t protected completely by the net.

Acknowledge that this is hard. That’s why the United Methodist Church has trained thousands of community health workers in Africa to teach people why bed nets are important, and how to hang them up right. The money we are raising helps buy nets, but it also helps pay for education – so people learn how to keep their families safe from bad mosquitos.

Make a Jesus connection: Jesus was often called “Teacher” because he taught people about things that really mattered. Ask kids if they can name a few things that Jesus taught, like maybe the Golden Rule, or the two most important commandments (to love God and to love our neighbors as ourselves). Affirm what children know, and help clarify it. Then build on it. When Jesus was asked, “Who is my neighbor?” he told a story about a foreign man who stopped to help a stranger who had been badly hurt. Jesus told everyone listening to do the same. Jesus taught that God cares about all people, no matter what country they are from, and we should too. When we help somebody – even somebody on the other side of the earth – we are acting the way that good foreigner acted in Jesus’ story.

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Third Sunday of LentSunday School Lesson Add-on for K-2nd Grade

Supplies needed: A large piece of poster board or butcher paper with open block letters (ready to color in): TAKE UP A CAUSE!

Crayons or markers An ready-made Imagine No Malaria poster

Lesson Outline:

Invite the children to gather around a table or other hard surface where the TAKE UP A CAUSE poster is spread out. Help them read it and understand that it means to work at solving a hard problem. Ask who remembers the name of a problem that makes so many people sick in Africa… the disease carried by mosquitos. By now some of them will probably be able to answer, “malaria!”

Show them the ready-made Imagine No Malaria poster. Tell them that ending malaria is a cause our church has chosen to work on. We need a reminder to keep at it. Ask the children to color in the letters of the poster so they can be read easily from a distance.

When the letters are colored in, go on a quick “field trip” to hang up the hand-made and ready-made posters side by side in a place where lots of people will see them. Let the kids help choose the place (maybe give them a choice of two places to pick from) and help affix the posters with ticky tack or tape.

Make a Jesus connection on the way back to the classroom and/orwhen you arrive there: Jesus went to pray and teach in a building like a church. It was called the Temple. He cared a lot about what happened in the Temple. Jesus cared about how people at the Temple used money. He got mad when he saw some people making other people pay a lot of money for things they were supposed to have to get into the Temple. He turned over their tables so the money they had taken rolled all over! Another time he watched people give offerings of money at the Temple. He noticed when a woman with very little money gave all she had.

Some people in Africa have very little, but still give as much as they can to help their neighbors. When people here in our country give as much as we can to help them too, we use money for a good purpose that honors God.

The posters we helped make and hang up will remind people in our church to use some of their money for a good cause. You can remind your family to keep doing the activities on the Lenten calendar. Putting in a little each day will add up to enough to buy bed nets and medicine for people who need them.

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Fourth Sunday of LentAdd-on for K-2nd Grade

Supplies needed: A hula hoop Enough string, rope or masking tape to make a circle on the floor that is about 6 to 8 feet in diameter Whatever real human costumes (not animal or movie character) you can find that will approximately fit kids Some small, individually wrapped treats that everyone can eat without a mess

Outline for Lesson:

Before class, set hula hoop in the middle of the floor and then make a larger circle around it with string, rope or tape so that there is room to stand in between the hoop and this larger circle.

As children arrive, invite them to put on a costume (this could be as simple as a fireman’s hat or a small flag from another country for them to hold). If there aren’t enough costumes to go around, that’s okay; whoever doesn’t have one (or doesn’t want to choose from the selection you have) can stand inside the hula hoop. Make sure at least two kids and one adult are in the hoop together. This small circle represents our closest friends and family.

Ask the kids with local-looking costumes (like the fireman’s hat) to stand in between the circles. As their teacher, you can stand in between the circles too. This second circle represents our community.

Everybody in the room who is outside the circles represents the wide world. Ask the kids which groups God loves. Hopefully they will answer, “All of us!” or “God loves everyone.” That’s the point.

Turn toward the kids in the smallest circle. Explain that Jesus told a story about two brothers who lived and worked together on a farm with their father. The younger one wanted to leave, so his father gave him half of all he had and the young man went away (lead one child out of the inner circle and outer circle and across the room). This son spent all the money, and then felt hungry and lonely. He decided to go back home and tell his dad he was sorry for what he had done. (Lead the child back into the hula hoop). His father was so happy to have him home safely that he threw a big party! When the older brother found out he was angry about it. (Prompt another child inside the small circle to pout). He thought his little brother had wasted their dad’s money. But the father assured the older son that there was plenty for him too. He asked his older son to celebrate his brother’s return with him. Jesus said God is like that father: God wants us to love and forgive our brothers and sisters and others close to us. He wants us to live and eat together in peace. (At this point, the adult in the inner circle hands each child in the inner circle some treats).

Jesus also taught that God wants us to care about and help other people in our communities (gesture toward the kids between the two circles). Jesus healed, taught and fed many people near him. He taught his disciples to do the same. (Start passing out treats to kids in between the circles, and ask the people in the inner circle to share some of their treats with them so everyone has some).

Jesus also taught that God loves the whole world… God cares about all people everywhere. (Gesture toward the kids outside the circles). Start handing them treats, and ask the kids who have been inside the circles to step out and share with those who have been outside the circles.

Ask kids to sit down together at tables or in a big circle before they unwrap and eat their treats. While they enjoy their snacks and some water, remind them that our work for Imagine No Malaria is like stepping outside the circles of our close friends, family and community. It’s sharing with the wider world. Just like sharing with people we know well or live close to, it’s important to God, because people everywhere are important to God.

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Fifth Sunday of LentAdd-on for K-2nd Grade

Supplies needed:

Poster board or butcher paper of similar size as the one used in class two weeks ago (for the “Take Up a Cause” banner) with open block letters on it spelling “LIFT UP A LIFE”.

Cut out pictures of all sorts of people from magazines and catalogues, scissors, glue sticks, and/or crayons or markers to color in the banner letters.

Ticky tack or tape to affix the banner on a wall

Lesson Outline:

Spread out the banner on a table or other flat surface where kids can gather around and work on it. Put supplies where they can reach them.

As children arrive invite them to start gluing cut-out pictures of people into the open block letters of the new banner (you may need to help them use scissors to trim pictures so they don’t overlap too much and make the words hard to read). Or, if you prefer, just have them color in these letters as they did with the other banner two weeks ago. If you have some cut-out pictures but not enough for the whole banner, have the kids color the first three words and just use glued pictures to fill in the word “LIFE”.

While kids are busy filling in letters, talk to them some about the children’s story they’ve just heard in church about Jesus bringing Lazarus back to life. Ask them if they’ve ever felt like Martha and Mary at the beginning of the story: have they ever been really worried about someone they love who is very sick? Listen to their stories.

Tell Muriel’s story: She was the mother of four children who all got very sick at the same time. She took them to a United Methodist clinic near her village in Africa. The doctor there said all Muriel’s children had malaria. Muriel was afraid they would die because malaria had killed so many children in her country. But the doctor gave Muriel medicine for all her children, and all of them got better! Muriel was so thankful that she brought the most valuable thing she owned – a milk goat – to the clinic to pay for the medicine. The doctor and nurses at the clinic would not take her goat; they told her that people like us already paid for the medicine… people who had given money to Imagine No Malaria. Muriel was so surprised and grateful that she decided to be trained as a community health worker so she could teach other families how to protect their children.

Help kids see a parallel between Jesus lifting up the life of Lazarus and us lifting up the lives of children like Muriel’s. Jesus had power to restore life and health, but even we have power to save lives from malaria.

Go on a short “field trip” to the same place where you hung up the TAKE UP A CAUSE banner. If there’s room enough, hang up the new LIFT UP A LIFE banner next to or under it. If there’s not room for both, put the new banner over or in place of the old one. Let kids help affix the new one to the wall with ticky tack or tape.

Return to the classroom and encourage kids to continue the activities in their Imagine No Malaria Lenten calendars. Ask if they have counted the money their families have raised so far. Tell them that every dollar can pay for life-saving medicine, and every $10 can pay for a bed net to keep a family safe.

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Sixth Sunday of Lent Add-on for K-6th Grade

Supplies needed: A computer, preferably hooked up to a screen, for showing the short film “Thank you, Imagine No Malaria” An Imagine No Malaria Lenten calendar A container with some coins and bills in it

Lesson Outline:

Greet all the kids and ask them to sit down where they can see the screen. Once they have done this, thank them for their participation in fund raising for Imagine No Malaria. Remind them that this is the last week to finish the activities on the Lenten calendar, and ask them to bring their jars/boxes with the money they’ve collected to church on Easter Sunday for a special celebration. Hold up your calendar and cash container as examples.

Show the short film “Thank you Imagine No Malaria”.

Ask kids how they feel about participating in this project… what have they learned? What do they hope for as an outcome? Share your own thoughts about this.

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Sunday School Materials for Children grades 3-6

Be sure to also check out the Imagine No Malaria coloring book!

Sunday before Ash Wednesday

Supplies needed: Imagine No Malaria Lenten Calendars for each student Enough coins to complete at least one calendar activity A jar or box to drop the coins into as they are counted

(You can order Imagine No Malaria donation boxes for FREE at shop.umc.org)

Outline for Lesson:

Start by finding out what kids already know about Lent and malaria. Help them understand that Lent is not the fuzzy stuff that sticks to clothes, but a season in the church calendar that helps us prepare for Easter. It’s a time to learn about what Jesus did and said as he was preparing for the first Easter. One thing Jesus did – and told his disciples to do -- was heal the sick. Ask the kids about some ways that modern-day disciples are doing that. Ask if anyone knows what United Methodists are doing to prevent and treat malaria in Africa. Build on what they know already, and fill in the missing pieces:We’re helping distribute millions of bed nets to keep people from being bitten by the mosquitos that carry malaria. These mosquitos only come out at night.We’re teaching people how and why to use the bed nets.We’re teaching people how to get help if they think they or their loved ones might have malaria or some other disease.We’re supplying life-saving medicines to more than 300 clinics and hospitals that we’ve built in Africa.We’re working with other churches and organizations to stop malaria and other bad diseases.

Explain that all these things cost money, and that’s why United Methodists all over the world are giving money to Imagine No Malaria. If your church has already done one or more fundraisers for this cause, ask kids what they remember about it.

Explain that in the next six weeks leading up to Easter, people in your church will be counting blessings in their homes that help to keep them healthy, and making small offerings for each of them. These offerings will support the fight against malaria. Pass out the INM Lenten calendars.

Ask for a volunteer to read one of the activities listed for a particular date (choose one that asks you to count something you have in the classroom, like light switches or electrical outlets). Help kids see how these conveniences help us to see and do things that are sometimes important for our health and safety.

Ask other volunteers to count the listed items and put a coin in your container for each one they count.

Review some of the ways this money can help protect people from or treat people for malaria and other bad diseases. Encourage students to involve their families with this fundraiser by doing the activities on the calendar together throughout Lent.

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First Sunday of Lent

3rd-6th Grade Sunday School Lesson Add-onFor the First Sunday in Lent

Note: This lesson should follow immediately after the first children’s time story in which all the children receive bright green Imagine No Malaria bracelets out of a gift box or bag from the story teller.

Supplies needed: * A few extra bracelets in case some of the kids didn’t go up for children’s time or get one at the end of itA few extra Imagine No Malaria Lenten Calendars for kids who missed last week’s lessonA few extra labeled collection containers (jars or little boxes) for kids who missed last week’s lessonSome pictures of magnified mosquitos, stagnant water, and people under bed nets (many images are available on line, so consider bringing in a laptop or tablet)Pipe cleaner mosquitos craft supplies

Outline for Lesson Add-on:

Gather and seat the kids together at tables or in a circle. Ask them to hold up their hand if they didn’t get a green bracelet. Distribute bracelets to those who don’t have one yet. Ask them to read the words on the bracelets. Ask if anyone can explain to the class what malaria is. Remind them that it is a bad disease carried by mosquitos that only bite people at night, mostly in Africa. Show pictures of mosquitos, stagnant water where they can hatch, and a family under a bed net. Explain that these nets are treated with an insecticide that kills mosquitos that land on them. A little insecticide is also sprayed on the corner of walls where mosquitos tend to land, but it is NOT sprayed all over the land because we have learned that spraying that way kills bees that are needed to pollinate crops.

Hold up an Imagine No Malaria Calendar and ask kids to raise their hands if their families have started using it. Tell them you have extras for them if they didn’t get one last week. Demonstrate how to use the calendar by asking one of the younger kids to read a particular day’s activity (choose one that tells you to count something you have in the classroom but didn’t count last week). Have a few kids look for and count these items. Put a coin in a container for each item counted.

Tell kids that you are giving this money help to protect people from malaria. Encourage them to talk with their parents about giving some money for this cause too. Let them know you have extra jars/boxes for their families if they didn’t get one last week.

Make a Jesus connection: Jesus gave people good news. He told them God loved them and wanted to help everyone who turned to God. He told people to love and help each other. We can help people in Africa by giving some of our money to Imagine No Malaria. The money can pay for bed nets, medicines, and other things people need to get rid of mosquitos and sickness.

Assist kids in following the pipe cleaner mosquito craft project instructions. Let them take home their finished mosquitos if they want to, but keep at least one in the classroom for future lessons.

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Second Sunday of Lent

3rd-6th Grade Sunday School Lesson Add-onFor the Second Sunday in Lent

Supplies needed: * Mosquito net or some filmy fabric that is similar *Pipe cleaner mosquito

* Imagine No Malaria Lenten calendar

Outline for Lesson:

Gather kids together, preferably in a circle on the floor. Ask if anyone remembers what the name of this church season is and what it means. Affirm that it is Lent, the season leading up to Easter. Hold up an Imagine No Malaria Lenten calendar and ask kids to raise their hands if they’ve been using the calendar at home. Praise the kids who have been, and ask them to name something they’ve helped to count in their homes. Ask if they ever thought about these things much before, or felt thankful to have them… can they imagine not having sinks with clean running water?

Pull out the pipe cleaner mosquito and hold it up so kids can see it. Ask if anybody remembers where mosquitos hatch (stagnant water), and the name of the bad disease that some mosquitos carry, especially in Africa. Reassure them that they won’t catch malaria from mosquitos here, but help them understand that children in some parts of the world are in danger because of the sickness they can get from mosquitos that bite only at night.

Pull out the bed net (or big piece of similar fabric). Explain that nets like this one can protect whole families from mosquitos. Ask a few kids to lie down on the floor next to each other and pretend to go to sleep. Ask a few other kids to make a tent over them with the net and whatever they can rig up to hold it. To be protective, the net has to come all the way to the sleeping surface (or be tucked under it), and it can’t be touching someone’s skin because it’s possible for a mosquito’s proboscis to stick through the netting and into a person right up against it. The kids will learn that it’s harder than it looks to get the net just right all the way around the “sleepers”. Use the pipe cleaner mosquito to pretend to bite “sleepers” if they aren’t protected completely by the net.

Acknowledge that this is hard. That’s why the United Methodist Church has trained thousands of community health workers in Africa to teach people why bed nets are important, and how to hang them up right. The money we are raising helps buy nets, but it also helps pay for education – so people learn how to keep their families safe from bad mosquitos.

Make a Jesus connection: Jesus was often called “Teacher” because he taught people about things that really mattered. Ask kids if they can name a few things that Jesus taught, like maybe the Golden Rule, or the two most important commandments (to love God and to love our neighbors as ourselves). Affirm what students know, and help clarify it. Then build on it. When Jesus was asked, “Who is my neighbor?” he told a story about a foreign man who stopped to help a stranger who had been badly hurt. Jesus told everyone listening to do the same. Jesus taught that God cares about all people, no matter what country they are from, and we should too. When we help somebody – even somebody on the other side of the earth – we are acting the way that good foreigner acted in Jesus’ story.

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Third Sunday of Lent

Sunday School Lesson Add-on for 3rd-6th Grade,Third Sunday in Lent

Supplies needed: * A large piece of poster board or butcher paper Construction paper of multiple colorsStencils for the letters in TAKE UP A CAUSEScissors and pencils for each class memberA ready-made Imagine No Malaria poster

Lesson Outline:

Invite the students to gather around a table or other hard surface where the craft supplies are spread out. Let them each choose a piece of colored paper and a letter stencil, but don’t show or tell them yet what the letters will spell (just that you need two As, two Es, two Us, and one each of C, K, P, S, and T.

As kids finish tracing and cutting out letters, start arranging them on the poster board or butcher paper. Let them figure out where the last half of the letters go to spell out TAKE UP A CAUSE.

Show them the ready-made Imagine No Malaria poster. Tell them that ending malaria is a cause our church has chosen to work on. We need a reminder to keep at it. Go on a quick “field trip” to hang up the hand-made and ready-made posters side by side in a place where lots of people will see them. Let the kids help choose the place (maybe give them a choice of two places to pick from) and help affix the posters with ticky tack or tape.

Make a Jesus connection on the way back to the classroom and/or when you arrive there: Jesus went to pray and teach in a building like a huge stone church in Jerusalem. It was called the Temple. He cared a lot about what happened in the Temple. Jesus cared about how people at the Temple used money. He got mad when he saw some people making other people pay a lot of money for things they were supposed to have to get into the Temple. He turned over their tables so the money they had taken rolled all over! Another time he watched people give offerings of money at the Temple. He noticed when a woman with very little money gave all she had.

Some people in Africa have very little, but still give as much as they can to help their neighbors. When people here in our country give as much as we can to help them too, we use money for a good purpose that honors God.

The posters we helped make and hang up will remind people in our church to use some of their money for a good cause. You can remind your family to keep doing the activities on the Lenten calendar. Putting in a little each day will add up to enough to buy bed nets and medicine for people who need them.

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Fourth Sunday of LentForth Sunday of Lent Lesson Add-on for 3rd-6th Grade

1. Supplies needed: A hula hoop Enough string, rope or masking tape to make a circle on the floor that is about 6 to 8 feet in diameter Some small, individually wrapped treats that everyone can eat without a mess

Outline for Lesson:

Before class, set hula hoop in the middle of the floor and then make a larger circle around it with string, rope or tape so that there is room to stand in between the hoop and this larger circle.

As students arrive, invite them to stand either inside the hula hoop, between the two circles, or outside them. Make sure at least two kids and one adult are in the hoop together. This small circle represents our closest friends and family.

Stand in between the two circles. Explain that this second circle represents our community… teachers and students at our schools, health workers in our hospitals and clinics, bankers, firefighters, engineers, construction workers… all our neighbors.

Everybody in the room who is outside the circles represents the wide world: people in different countries or distant parts of the US. Ask the kids which groups God loves. Hopefully they will answer, “All of us!” or “God loves everyone.” That’s the point.

Turn toward the kids in the smallest circle. Retell Jesus’ parable of the prodigal son: Two brothers lived and worked together on a farm with their father. The younger one wanted to leave, so his father gave him half of all he had and the young man went away (lead the youngest child out of the inner circle and outer circle and across the room). This son spent all the money, and then felt hungry and lonely. He decided to go back home and tell his dad he was sorry for what he had done. (Lead the child back into the hula hoop). His father was so happy to have him home safely that he threw a big party! When the older brother found out he was angry about it. (Prompt an older child inside the small circle to pout). He thought his little brother had wasted their dad’s money. But the father assured the older son that there was plenty for him too. He asked his older son to celebrate his brother’s return with him. Jesus said God is like that father: God wants us to love and forgive our brothers and sisters and others close to us. He wants us to live and eat together in peace. (At this point, the adult in the inner circle hands each child in the inner circle some treats).

Jesus also taught that God wants us to care about and help other people in our communities (gesture toward the kids between the two circles). Jesus healed, taught and fed many people near him. He taught his disciples to do the same. (Start passing out treats to kids in between the circles, and ask the people in the inner circle to share some of their treats with them so everyone has some).

Jesus also taught that God loves the whole world… God cares about all people everywhere. (Gesture toward the kids outside the circles). Start handing them treats, and ask the kids who have been inside the circles to step out and share with those who have been outside the circles.

Ask kids to sit down together at tables or in a big circle before they unwrap and eat their treats. While they enjoy their snacks and some water, remind them that our work for Imagine No Malaria is like stepping outside the circles of our close friends, family and community. It’s sharing with the wider world. Just like sharing with people we know well or live close to, it’s important to God, because people everywhere are important to God.

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Fifth Sunday of Lent3rd-6th Grade Fifth Sunday of Lent Lesson Add-on

Supplies needed:

Poster board or butcher paper of similar size as the one used in class two weeks ago (for the “Take Up a Cause” banner) with open block letters on it spelling “LIFT UP A LIFE”.

Cut out pictures of all sorts of people from magazines and catalogues, scissors, glue sticks, and/or crayons or markers to color in the banner letters.

Ticky tack or tape to affix the banner on a wall

Lesson Outline:

Spread out the banner on a table or other flat surface where kids can gather around and work on it. Put supplies where they can reach them.

As students arrive invite them to start gluing cut-out pictures of people into the open block letters of the new banner (encourage them to use scissors to trim pictures so they don’t overlap too much and make the words hard to read). Or, if you prefer, just have them color in these letters as they did with the other banner two weeks ago. If you have some cut-out pictures but not enough for the whole banner, have the kids color the first three words and just use glued pictures to fill in the word “LIFE”.

While kids are busy filling in letters, talk to them some about the children’s story they’ve just heard in church about Jesus bringing Lazarus back to life. Ask them if they’ve ever felt like Martha and Mary at the beginning of the story: have they ever been really worried about someone they love who is very sick? Listen to their stories.

Tell Muriel’s story: She was the mother of four children who all got very sick at the same time. She took them to a United Methodist clinic near her village in Africa. The doctor there said all Muriel’s children had malaria. Muriel was afraid they would die because malaria had killed so many children in her country. But the doctor gave Muriel medicine for all her children, and all of them got better! Muriel was so thankful that she brought the most valuable thing she owned – a milk goat – to the clinic to pay for the medicine. The doctor and nurses at the clinic would not take her goat; they told her that people like us already paid for the medicine… people who had given money to Imagine No Malaria. Muriel was so surprised and grateful that she decided to be trained as a community health worker so she could teach other families how to protect their children.

Help kids see a parallel between Jesus lifting up the life of Lazarus and us lifting up the lives of children like Muriel’s. Jesus had power to restore life and health, but even we have power to save lives from malaria.

Go on a short “field trip” to the same place where you hung up the TAKE UP A CAUSE banner. If there’s room enough, hang up the new LIFT UP A LIFE banner next to or under it. If there’s not room for both, put the new banner over or in place of the old one. Let kids help affix the new one to the wall with ticky tack or tape.

Return to the classroom and encourage kids to continue the activities in their Imagine No Malaria Lenten calendars. Ask if they have counted the money their families have raised so far. Tell them that every dollar can pay for life-saving medicine, and every $10 can pay for a bed net to keep a family safe.

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Sixth Sunday of Lent

Final Lenten Lesson Add-on for K-6th Grade

Supplies needed: * A computer, preferably hooked up to a screen, for showing the short film “Thank you, Imagine No Malaria”

An Imagine No Malaria Lenten calendarAn Imagine No Malaria donation box with some coins and bills in it

Lesson Outline:

Greet all the kids and ask them to sit down where they can see the screen. Once they have done this, thank them for their participation in fund raising for Imagine No Malaria. Remind them that this is the last week to finish the activities on the Lenten calendar, and ask them to bring their jars/boxes with the money they’ve collected to church on Easter Sunday for a special celebration. Hold up your calendar and cash container as examples.

Show the short film “Thank you Imagine No Malaria”.

Ask kids how they feel about participating in this project… what have they learned? What do they hope for as an outcome? Share your own thoughts about this.

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Materials for Youth or Adult Sunday SchoolRoadmap

Learn about Imagine No Malaria during Sunday School the week before Lent starts, distribute the Giving Calendars and start collecting money at home.

On Sunday before Lent, kick off the season with an awesome skit during the children’s time to get your whole congregation onboard.

Work on a labyrinth during Sunday School as you discuss the Lenten themes each week. Dedicate and use the labyrinth for a contemplative Taize service on Holy Saturday. Bring in your offerings from the calendar on Easter Sunday morning and celebrate saving lives!

Sunday School Skit

Two Sundays before Lent: prepare the skit! First, watch the Ministry Overview video on a laptop: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bE6DiD0QOho

Explain that the church will be learning about and fundraising for Imagine No Malaria during Lent, and the leadership needs help kicking it off and getting everyone onboard! So, this group will perform a skit during the children’s time next Sunday.

Spend the rest of class modifying and rehearsing the skit.

Dr. Mal Aria (wearing green face paint) appears onstage from right. She is carrying a marshmallow zapper and seems to be in a hurry. Dr. Nettie Goodwater is center stage and Dr. Aria addresses her.Dr. Aria: Have you seen any mosquitoes around here. I am out to zap all the mosquitoes. It is the only way I know to get rid of Malaria.

Nettie: Is zapping each mosquito the only way? Dr. Aria, I don’t think that is possible. The real way is to get rid of places mosquitoes breed and lay eggs. I go all over Africa looking for water holes that breed mosquitoes, then I help people figure out how to have clean water that does not attract mosquitoes.

Dr. Aria: Well, the scientists in my lab tried to make a vaccine that would keep people from getting malaria, but it turned me green! That is so not working.

Nettie: Stop a minute. You want to zap all the mosquitoes; I want to clean up the water so they can’t breed; and your lab is trying to make a vaccine. We may be on to something. It will take all of us working together to stop children’s deaths from malaria.

Dr. Aria: You’re right. But what can we do? This is serious. Malaria kills a child every two minutes!

At this point have voices from the pews ready to make suggestions.Voice 1: What about nets? I heard that sleeping under nets can stop the mosquitoes from biting.

Voice 2: Keep working on a vaccine. Even if it turns you green, it’s worth doing.

Voice 3: Tell people what is causing malaria. Then, everyone who hears can help prevent malaria.

Voice 4: Send doctors who know how to treat malaria, and help families know where to get treated.

Voice 1: Sounds like we all need to be Malaria Zappers. Let’s get to work on it right now!

Nettie: Did you hear that Dr. Mal Aria? These folks are ready to be Malaria Zappers. If every church in our conference helped, I think we could zap malaria for good.

Dr. Aria: I’m going back to my lab. Maybe the next try for a vaccine will work.

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Nettie: I am going back to Africa to work on cleaning up the water.

Voice 1: (stand up in the pew and face the congregation) And we are going to get busy doing our part to make malaria disappear. In your bulletin today there is a giving calendar that turns our blessings into offerings. Take a look, and consider taking this on for Lent.

Voice 2: (stand up in the pew and face the congregation) This year, I’m going to give up some money for a gift to Imagine No Malaria.

Voice 3: Yeah, I think I’ll take up this cause.

Voice 4: Give up a gift, take up a cause,

ALL: LIFT UP A LIFE!

Week 1 of Lent: The Start of Jesus’ MinistryRead one or more of the scriptures and discuss the questions while you work on the labyrinth together (detailed instructions at the end of this packet).

Matthew 4: 1-11, Mark 1:9-15, and/or Luke 4:1-13 – Temptations in the wilderness

What did Jesus give up by going into the desert? (If the group is stumped, it might help to look at the story immediately before this one for context.)

At first, the devil tempts Jesus with a basic necessity: bread. What basic necessities did you count on your giving calendar this week?

What would it be like to live without those things? What things are you tempted by? Have you ever remembered a scripture passage to help you counter one of your own temptations?

Week 2 of Lent: Jesus fortells his death and resurrection Read one or more of the scriptures and discuss the questions while you work on the labyrinth together.

Lectionary Year A: John 3:1-17. Jesus speaks with Nicodemus.

People who believe in God are perishing, and nobody lives forever. So, what is Jesus talking about here? Jesus emphasizes spiritual well-being in this story, but in many other stories he heals people and shows concern

for their physical well-being. How do you think the two are related? Has the giving calendar changed the way you see your house over the past two weeks? How are we transformed through giving?

Lectionary Year B: Mark 8:31-38. Jesus rebukes Peter: take up your cross and follow me.

What’s the misunderstanding between Jesus and Peter in this story? (What does Jesus know that Peter doesn’t know?)

What are some of the “crosses” that you have to bear in your life? Can you think of a time in your life when God took a bad situation and turned it into something beautiful? Malaria is an awful disease that kills a child every minute. In the face of this tragedy, how do you think God is

working to turn things around? Lectionary Year C: Luke 13:31-35. Jesus longs to gather Jerusalem like a mother hen gathers her chicks under her wings.

Who might be threatened by Jesus’ message, and why? (This isn’t the first time we’ve heard from a King Herod.)

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Have you ever seen a mother hen gathering chicks under her wings? If not, watch this video now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQEty_Pi73w

After watching the video… who does the gathering, the hen or the chicks? Who does the gathering, Jesus, or his followers?

Week 3 of Lent: Jesus Shakes Things UpRead one or more of the scriptures and discuss the questions while you work on the labyrinth together.

John 4:5-52 – Jesus speaks with a Samaritan woman at a well.

What status quo is Jesus disrupting in this story? How did most Jews see Samaritans back then? (Think back to other bible stories about Samaritans.) How does

Jesus treat the Samaritans? Who are the “Samaritans” in our culture? Our western culture sees people in Africa as “the other,” totally separate from us because they are foreigners. If

malaria doesn’t threaten us here in the US, why should we care?

John 2:13-22 – Jesus drives out the money-changers from the temple in Jerusalem.

What status quo is Jesus disrupting in this story? Have you ever witnessed injustice? How did you react? Is malaria a justice issue? Why or why not?

Some evidence to add to your discussion: malaria affects mostly poor people, because people who spend most of their time indoors in houses with window screens aren’t exposed to it. Of the people who get malaria, the ones most likely to die are those whose immune systems are already weak: children and pregnant women. Chronic malaria slows down education and economic activity because people can’t go to school or to work when they’re sick. Most people who get malaria don’t have any access to healthcare.

As followers of Christ, what is our responsibility when we see injustice?

Luke 13:6-9 – Jesus tells the parable of the fig tree that won’t bear fruit.

Which character do you relate to most (the owner, the gardener, or the tree) and why? In this story, the gardener knows something that the rich landowner doesn’t: it takes most fig trees four or five

years to get established before they produce any fruit. Jesus’ original listeners probably knew this. Does this change the story for you?

What does it look like for our lives to bear fruit? What does it look like for Imagine No Malaria to bear fruit? What if we never see the fruit with our own eyes? Do we listen to the experts and keep fertilizing?

Week 4 of Lent: New Life and Second ChancesRead one or more of the scriptures and discuss the questions while you work on the labyrinth together.

John 9:1-41 – Jesus heals a man born blind on the Sabbath.

Who is to blame for disability and illness? Where is God when innocent people suffer? What’s the difference between somebody who is born blind and somebody who contracts malaria? What are

the similarities? As followers of Christ, how should we respond?

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People who believe in God are perishing, and nobody lives forever. So, what is Jesus talking about here? Jesus emphasizes spiritual well-being in this story, but in many other stories he heals people and shows concern

for their physical well-being. How do you think the two are related? Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32 – Jesus tells the parable of the prodigal son to a room full of tax collectors and sinners.

What character do you relate to most in this story, and why? Where do you see God in this story? What would it look like for us to treat each other the way the father treated the prodigal son?

Week 5 of Lent: Jesus shows great emotion Read one or more of the scriptures and discuss the questions while you work on the labyrinth together.

John 11:1-45 – Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead.

Can you imagine witnessing this scene? What would you have thought? What emotion does Jesus show in this story? Why do you think Jesus weeps for Lazarus, even though he knows he will raise him from the dead? Where is God in the midst of human suffering? In this story, Jesus literally “lifts up a life.” That’s our theme for this week. How can we lift up a life?

John 12:20-33 – Jesus predicts his death.

What emotion does Jesus show in this story? Have you ever done something that you knew would hurt, but you had to do it anyway? What unpleasant truths will our global community have to face before it can end malaria for good?

John 12:1-8 – Mary anoints Jesus’ feet with oil.

What emotion does Mary show in this story? What emotion does Jesus show in this story? What’s the difference between Mary’s motivation and Judas’s? Jesus says the poor may be with us always. What about malaria? What would it be like to end it once and for all?

Week 6 of Lent: Palm SundayRead one or more of the scriptures and discuss the questions while you work on the labyrinth together.

Matthew 21:1-11, Mark 11:1-11, Luke 19:28-40, and/or John 12:12-16 – Jesus enters Jerusalem

Can you imagine being part of the crowd welcoming Jesus to Jerusalem? How would you describe it to your friends?

A lot of people expected Jesus to be a military Messiah, saving the Jews from Roman occupation. For those who imagined him coming on a warhorse with an army, how do you think it must have felt to see him on a donkey colt with crowds singing and waving palm branches?

If Jesus came into our world today as a vulnerable child in a poor family, what kind of welcome would you want him to have?

Labyrinth InstructionsMaking a labyrinth is an empowering process. Your group will learn that, through patience and teamwork, they can create something incredible! Christians have been using labyrinths in worship for at least 1,700 years. A labyrinth is different from a maze because there is only one path, and it leads to the center. Because it is impossible to take a wrong turn, walking the labyrinth is a contemplative, centering experience.

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Editor’s note: I’ve experienced the power of a labyrinth to captivate teenagers, especially when they are involved in its creation. Because walking a labyrinth allows for meditation without requiring stillness, it can make prayer more accessible to kinesthetic learners and people with high energy. I’ve seen it transform an unruly group into a family of silent pilgrims. Even if it’s outside of your comfort zone, I encourage you to make a labyrinth.

Although the supplies for this project cost more than most activities-- about $120-- keep in mind that this activity will occupy your group for an entire season, and the church will be able to use it for years to come. Note the man-hours required for each step: if your group is very small, you may need to schedule extra time for this project or simplify it by skipping the painter’s tape. Labyrinths made without tape are still beautiful and functional-- they just look a little less polished. Make sure to read all the instructions before starting this project. It’s a lot of work, but it’s worth it!

Template 1: Petit ChartresThis is a scaled-down version of the famous Gothic labyrinth found in the Chartres Cathedral in France. At 24 feet by 24 feet, it requires the largest canvas (and the largest room) of these three options. But its symmetry is gorgeous. In the grid on the pattern below, each small square represents one square foot.

Template 2: Dove and FlameThis original labyrinth design by Julia Frisbie is in the shape of a flame and a dove, common symbols of the Holy Spirit. It’s a good choice if you have plenty of space and don’t want to agonize over whether or not your labyrinth is perfectly symmetrical. It requires a 14-foot by 24-foot canvas. In the grid on the pattern below, each square represents one square foot.

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Template 3: Three Circuit Labyrinth from Seed PatternIf you have limited space, a very small group of participants, and/or you’re anxious about the complexity of the other two designs, then here is the simplest pattern of all. You can draw it freehand. It requires only a 14-foot by 14-foot canvas-- you might even be able to fit the whole thing on one large canvas drop cloth, eliminating the need for sewing!

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BEFORE BRINGING THE LABYRINTH TO CHURCH:

1) Choose a template (you could let the whole group vote on which design they prefer to help them buy in)2) Round up your supplies ($120 or less):

Canvas (can be either drop cloths or scenery muslin-- drop cloths are cheaper, but lower quality and more difficult to sew)

1 roll of lightweight plastic sheeting 3 rolls of 1 inch wide painter’s tape (optional) 3-6 sample jars (approximately 8-oz) of indoor latex or acrylic wall paint in coordinating colors of your choice 2 cheap foam brushes (a variety of 1 inch and 2 inch) for every person participating Sturdy disposable bowls (plastic is best) to pour the paint in-- 1 per person Paper towels

3) Sew the drop cloths or lengths of scenery muslin together so they create one large canvas. Find a volunteer in your church who has a gift for sewing to help with this task.

THEN, SET UP FOR SUCCESS:

1) Choose a large room where you can have the youth group or Sunday School meet during Lent. During the DRY stage, you will set up and put away the labyrinth every Sunday. But for the last week, during the WET stage, you will need to leave it out overnight. Take this into consideration when you choose the room.

2) Move the furniture to make space for the entire canvas to be laid flat on the floor. Vacuum or sweep. 3) Print out the template of your choice and draw it with pencil onto the canvas. You may need to find an

artistically gifted volunteer to help with this task. Depending on the size of your labyrinth, you might even be able to hang it from the wall, project the design, and trace it.

4) Once the entire design is traced, walk the labyrinth at least twice to make sure that there is only path, and it is unbroken, and it leads to the center. Correct any mistakes BEFORE moving forward!

5) On one corner of the labyrinth, lay out a bit of the design in painter’s tape as an example. You are taping around the places where the paint will go (the painted lines should be between one and three inches thick). This gives you a guide and a “margin of error” when it comes to the painting: if the paint goes over the line created by the blue tape, it won’t get on the canvas, and when the tape is pulled away, you will have nice, crisp lines. You can use many short pieces of tape overlapping each other to create graceful curves.

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THE DRY STAGE:

1) Once the canvas is sewed together and the pattern has been traced onto it, it’s time to get the whole youth group or Sunday School class involved! Lay some groundwork: the labyrinth is a sacred space with no horsing around. No shoes allowed.

2) Distribute the painter’s tape and explain how to lay out the design. 3) Together, lay out the design in painter’s tape. This will take 40 to 50 man-hours.

4) While you’re laying out the design, you can discuss the devotional questions. As a leader, it’s your job to take notes. If someone has an a-ha moment or says something profound, write it down.

5) Once the entire design is laid out in painter’s tape, have one person walk the labyrinth to make sure that there is only one path, and it is unbroken, and it leads to the center. Also, make sure that the path is wide enough to comfortably walk. Correct any mistakes BEFORE moving forward!

6) Remind your group to come next week wearing old clothes that can get paint on them.

THE WET STAGE:

1) Fold up the labyrinth and roll out your plastic sheeting in strips on the floor. The strips should overlap at least two inches. Tape the sheeting down so it won’t move once the labyrinth is on top of it and people are walking around. It needs to lay flat under the entire area of the labyrinth. THE PAINT WILL BLEED THROUGH THE FABRIC. Plastic sheeting is how you protect the floor beneath from becoming too colorful.

2) Lay the labyrinth on top of the sheeting. 3) Set up fans and open windows as needed for ventilation. 4) Before you begin painting, make sure the group agrees to work from the inside outwards! Give everyone paper

towels to put in their pockets. 5) Each person needs one paintbrush and one plastic bowl with about an ounce of paint in it (their choice of colors

from the paints you purchased). 6) Have everyone start in the center and paint outward. When two people’s segments meet each other, have them

blend the edge so that there is a seamless gradation from one color to the next. This will take 20-30 man hours.

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7) As the facilitator, it’s your job to make sure that people are painting slowly and carefully. You can also help to refill people’s bowls with new colors as needed.

8) Once the labyrinth is painted, have everyone step back and debrief. What was it like to make this labyrinth? What have they been learning during Lent? How is Imagine No Malaria related to this project, and why is it so important? Share your notes from the discussions to help people remember their a-ha moments.

9) Encourage each person to choose one word that represents this season or this experience for them and paint that word somewhere outside the labyrinth on the edge of the canvas.

10) Allow the labyrinth to dry overnight (at least twelve hours, preferably twenty-four) before you dedicate and use it. Leave the fans running and the windows open if possible. Leave the tape on! It won’t look perfect yet, but that’s okay.

FINISHING TOUCHES:

1) Get the group together an hour before the dedication service to unveil the labyrinth. Invite their families and your pastor(s) to come and participate. Make sure the labyrinth is dry. Peel it away from the plastic sheeting and carry it as a group to the worship space.

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2) Lay it on the ground. 3) Lead the group in the consecration liturgy. If possible, have members of the group do all the speaking parts

instead of you or the clergy. Your task is to use your phone to take a video so that members of the congregation who aren’t present can see the dedication!

4) Once the labyrinth is dedicated, give members of your group the chance to be the first ones who walk on it. You may need to space them out so they don’t all enter at once and crowd each other. It’s appropriate to play some contemplative music or sing some Taize songs softly. This time can flow seamlessly into a Taize service.

DEDICATION LITURGY

Reader 1: Dear God, we’re here today to present this labyrinth to our church.

All: Please bring peace to every person who walks on it.

Reader 1: Help it remind us of what we’ve learned during Lent this year…

[silence when each person can think about the word they painted on the labyrinth]

Reader 1: Let it be a sacred space where we find you at the center of our lives.

All: Guard our steps, and help us to know that you are with us.

Reader 2: Sometimes when we pray, we focus inwards and forget to focus outwards.

All: It’s easier not to think about kids who have malaria.

Reader 2: So we put up walls and say, “This problem is too huge! There’s no way I can make a difference.”

All: But the walls we create are not as powerful as your love.

Reader 2: This labyrinth leads us to the center of our faith, where we remember that every child of God is precious.

All: Help us to tear down the walls!

[As a group, carefully peel off the blue tape to reveal the lines of the labyrinth. Joyful noises are appropriate! If your group likes to sing, choose a few favorite songs for this time. It will take a few minutes. When the tape is off, place candles around the labyrinth. Slowly dim the lights and light the candles.]

Reader 3: Ephesians 3:20 says that God can do more than we could ever ask or imagine, according to God’s power that works inside of us.

All: We have the power to create beautiful things and save lives.

Reader 3: God, thank you for working through us today!

All: We really can change the world.

Pastor: Thank you! We accept this labyrinth as a precious gift. We promise to take care of it and use it with joy. Let us pray.

All: In the name of God who created us, taught us how to live, and walks beside us wherever we go, we dedicate this labyrinth. May it be a tool for peace, centering, and connection here at our church. Oh God, without you, none of our projects or prayers have meaning. Accept this gift as a symbol of our love for you. And just as we dedicate the labyrinth to your service, we dedicate ourselves. Amen.

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Daily Lenten Devotions Getting reacquainted with Jesus through selected readings in the Gospels

Author’s Note: In church we hear the stories of Jesus birth every Christmas, and the stories of his death and resurrection every Easter, but many of the stories of his life we visit less frequently. I have chosen this selection of readings from the four gospels to help us get to know or remember the Jesus in between the holidays. Who was he? What did he do? What did he teach? How did he affect people around him? What’s the take-away for us today? These are some of the questions I hope these passages will help to answer.

There are many other questions these readings will raise. I have noted one or two of mine in italics after a caption about each passage. Some readings are uplifting; others are very challenging. Most take less than five minutes to read aloud, but can be pondered for a lifetime. You can use this guide as a Lenten study (there are 40 readings), or stretch it over a longer period; there is no “time limit.” I hope what you read will nourish your mind and spirit as you think and pray about these stories and sayings of Jesus.

John 1: 1-18 – A mysterious poem and testimony about who Jesus is – What does it mean to you?

Matthew 3:13-17 – Jesus’ baptism – Can you imagine yourself a witness to this scene?

Matthew 4: 1-11 – Temptations in the wilderness – Have you ever remembered a scripture passage to help you counter one of your own temptations?

John 1: 29-50 – Andrew, John and Nathaniel encounter Jesus for the first time – What do you think they were looking for in a Messiah?

Mark 1: 1-20 – A quick summary of how Jesus got started in ministry – What was his first message to people?

Luke 5: 1-11 – Jesus is full of surprises – What surprises you most in this passage?

Mark 1: 21-39 – Solitary prayer, company of friends, and compassion for people – How can we live what Jesus models here?

Matthew 4: 23-25 – A sweeping summary of Jesus’ early ministry throughout Galilee – What would it have felt like to be there?

Mark 1: 40-45 – Compassion leads to healing leads to notoriety – Can you imagine what people would do today if they witnessed somebody with Jesus’ power to heal?

Luke 5: 17-26 – Forgiveness and healing – When, in your own experience, have these two things gone hand-in-hand?

Matthew 9: 9-13 – Hanging out with “sinners” – What’s the message here?

John 4: 1-42 – Talking to a foreign woman (and a loose one at that!) – What’s the message here?

Mark 3: 1-6 – Breaking the rules for the sake of compassion – What’s the message here?

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Luke 6: 17-26 and Matthew 5: 1-12 – Two similar sermons in different settings – What speaks most to you in your own setting right now?

Luke 6: 27-43 – Easier said than done – Which of these hard teachings do you need God’s help with most at this stage in your life?

Matthew 6: 1-34 – One loaded chapter – What speaks most to you in it?

Matthew 7: 1-28 – The rest of a gutsy sermon – How would our congregation respond if one of our pastors preached like this?!

John 7: 31 – 8:11 – Permission to throw rocks at somebody, but with an important caveat – Does this sound like the same guy who gave the sermon on the mount? Are there any common themes?

Luke 7:1-28 – A resurrection story, and a reply to a discouraged and doubting follower – What situation or question is heaviest on your mind right now? Can you pray about it?

Mark 5: 21-43 and Matthew 8: 5-13 – Another resurrection story, a healing on the sly, and a remote-control healing for a servant of an outsider – Is it all about faith?

Matthew 11: 20-30 – Judgment and mercy – Is it all about repentance?

Luke 7: 36 – 8: 3 – Forgiveness – Is it all about love? (Notice the role of women here).

Matthew 13: 3b-23 – A parable and interpretation – Is it all about follow-through?

Mark 6:1-13 – A hometown visit and instructions to travel light – What could Jesus NOT do because of people’s lack of faith in him? What did he empower his faith-full disciples to do?

Mark 6: 31-46 – Miraculous multiplication or contagious generosity – How do you understand this story? (BTW, it shows up in all four gospels. If you’d like to compare them, see Matthew 14: 13-21, Luke 9: 10b-17, and John 6: 1-13).

Matthew 14: 22-46 – Walking or sinking in a storm – What made the difference for Peter? What makes the difference for you?

Matthew 16: 13 – 17: 8 – A genuine “mountain top experience” – Why do you suppose Jesus told Peter, James and John not to tell anybody about it right away?Mark 9: 14-29 – A difficult healing, and a desperate father’s plea, “I do believe! Help my unbelief!” – Have you uttered such a plea? What happened?

Luke 46-50 – Jesus responds in a counterintuitive way to an argument among his disciples, and delivers several short but potent messages – Are there Christians with whom you disagree so much that you wish God would shut them up? What do you think Jesus would have to say about your dispute with them?

Matthew 18: 15-20 – A three-step strategy for dealing with disputes and injuries, and an assurance about Jesus’ spirit with us in community – How could you apply the basic process Jesus outlines for confronting somebody who is hurting you?

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John 9: 1-41 – The healing and testimony of a man born blind – Who is to blame for disability? To whom does God “listen carefully”?

John 10:1-21 – Jesus compares himself to a good shepherd, and explains why he came – What do you think it means to have life “abundantly”?

Luke 10:25-37 – The two greatest commandments and an unforgettable story to illustrate how to live by them – Who are the “Samaritans” of our day? Can you imagine them (or yourself) doing something as good as what Jesus describes in this parable?

Luke 10:38 – 11:13 – Two sisters with two different ways of welcoming Jesus; Jesus teaches his disciples to pray – Do you see any significance in these stories being back-to-back in Luke?

Luke 12: 22-48 – Worries, treasures, and expectations – One of the heroes in J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series quoted one of these verses. Spiderman’s wise and beloved uncle paraphrased another verse to his nephew. If you were writing a novel or a movie script, which one of these verses would you have one of your protagonists quote or emulate? Why?

Mark 10: 17-31 – “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” – What part of Jesus’ answer to this question do you think he meant to be universal, and what part do you think he meant to be specific to the man asking the question?

Luke 15: 11-32 – A famous story of a father and two sons – With whom do you identify most in this story? Why? How would you write an ending for this story?

Matthew 20: 1-16 – A story of unfair wages or Godly mercy? How would you feel about this parable if you and your family only got enough to eat on days when you received a full day’s pay?

Luke 19: 1-10 – Mercy and honor for a rich tax collector who served Roman occupiers?! (Note: The literal translation of what Zaccheus says in verse 8 is “Behold, Lord, half of my possessions I give [not “will give”] to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I am giving [not “will give”] back four times as much.” Perhaps this generosity was a discipline Zaccheus began practicing after hearing John the Baptizer speak several years earlier). Do you think Jesus expects such generosity from all of his followers? Why or why not?

John 11 – the whole chapter – One more resurrection story before the big one – How does this story foreshadow what is to come? What does it mean to you?

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Mission Moments

Malaria Basics Mission Moment

Malaria is caused by a parasite, which is transmitted to humans through the bite of the female anopheles mosquito. This mosquito flies and feeds at night (which is why bed nets are an effective prevention tool).

When an infected mosquito bites a person, the parasite enters the bloodstream and heads for the liver, where it multiplies. It then re-enters the bloodstream, attacking red blood cells. Typically, someone with malaria experiences a high fever, chills, joint pain and headaches. Left untreated, symptoms eventually advance to organ failure. Nearly 90 percent of malaria’s victims are children under the age of 5 and pregnant women.

Unlike many other diseases that are awaiting a cure, malaria was eliminated in the U.S. in the 1950s. However, in Sub-Saharan Africa, malaria continues to kill a person every two minutes. But there is hope! Imagine No Malaria is an extraordinary effort of the United Methodist Church to end preventable deaths from malaria. We’re part of a global partnership, and we believe that our generation can beat malaria once and for all.

Since Imagine No Malaria started in 2008, we’ve cut the death rate from malaria in half. But we’ve got a long way to go, and we need every church on board. A one-time special offering is great, but what we really need to do is to make this project a part of our church’s life. It’s easy to add Imagine No Malaria to any type of activity. If a women’s group is going on a retreat, add an extra $10 to the cost of the retreat. That $10 can pay for a bed net that protects a whole family. If you’re hosting a movie night, charge a $5 admission. $5 is enough to pay for a whole course of lifesaving medication for someone who is sick with malaria. If our churches are faithful and consistent, we will wipe out this disease for good. Just imagine saving millions of lives. Imagine No Malaria.

Prayer: God, help us to create a better world where no child lives in fear of a mosquito bite. Help us to Imagine No Malaria, and then make it happen.

Mission Moments from Kanzenze, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Mission Moment 1: Malaria, or Witchcraft?“Sometimes, villagers believe witchcraft is the cause of serious illnesses such as malaria,” said Mayeba Kalenga Louis, 49, who lives in Kanzenze, Democratic Republic of the Congo.

His daughter, who owns a small business, sometimes travels from to Kolwezi to buy goods to sell in Kanzenze. Once when she was traveling, she slept in the public warehouse, where mosquitoes bit her. On her return home, she fell seriously ill. Some of the villagers believed that Louis’ former mother-in-law, who allegedly practices witchcraft, brought the evil upon her.

However, a doctor told Louis it was “nothing more than malaria.” She recovered.

“Before, when someone had a real serious case of malaria, especially a child, or if a child died from a serious case of malaria, a lot of people attributed that to witchcraft or sorcery,” the Rev. Gary Henderson said. “But now after our training, and after distributing the (insecticide-treated bed) nets, they are beginning to see it is preventable.” Henderson is executive director of the denomination’s Global Health Initiative at United Methodist Communications.

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Just a few short years ago, statistics showed a child died every 30 seconds of malaria. Today, because of the dedicated and generous support of people through Imagine No Malaria, malaria’s impact has been cut in half twice. According to the World Health Organization, this disease now claims a life every two minutes.

Prayer: Loving God, we thank you for the gifts of healing and health. As we serve in health-care ministries in Africa and around the world, help us to share your love and the good news of Jesus Christ. In your holy name, we pray. Amen.

Mission Moment 2: Children at High RiskFighting malaria in small villages is no small task, even if the disease is correctly diagnosed.

“My second child had been in a coma for five days due to malaria,” recalled Veronique Kaj Ruwen, 33, from Kanzenze in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

“Everyone in the village was aware of this unfortunate situation.” The biggest health challenge for villagers, Ruwen explained, is finding an effective treatment for malaria. Quinine, an alkaloid that comes from cinchona bark, was administered to the child without terminating earlier treatments. “As a result, the child developed resistance to the germ against quinine.”

The World Health Organization website states that more than 400 children die every day in the DRC, almost half of them from malaria. “Anemia, low birth-weight, epilepsy and neurological problems are all frequent consequences of malaria and compromise the health and development of children,” WHO reports. “Yet, much of the impact of malaria could be prevented.”

Just a few short years ago, statistics showed a child died every 30 seconds of malaria. Today, because of the dedicated and generous support of people through Imagine No Malaria, malaria’s impact has been cut in half twice. According to the World Health Organization, this disease now claims a life every two minutes.

Thanks to insecticide-treated bed nets and other efforts of Imagine No Malaria, more and more children are growing to adulthood.

Prayer: Comforting God, teach us new ways to bring health and wholeness to your children. When words fail, help us to reach out and show your boundless love in our actions. Remind us to be generous through Imagine No Malaria. In your holy name, we pray. Amen.

Mission Moment 3: Malaria Hits Families HardContracting malaria can sometimes break apart the family unit. Most of those who contract the disease are children younger than age 5 and pregnant women.

“One of the deacons in my church had a married daughter who had given birth to her first child,” said the Rev. Tshijika Katombe of the Church 61st Community in Lualaba, Democratic Republic of the Congo. “While the families and church celebrated the birth, the baby’s mother had a fit of madness.”

No one understood what was happening to the young woman. Some thought it was witchcraft. Others believed it was the sorcery of her aunt. “On my advice,” the pastor said, “they went to the hospital, where her condition was diagnosed as cerebral malaria. After treatment, she was healed.”

After the second child was born, the mother experienced similar medical issues. Her physician diagnosed cerebral malaria. She was treated for the second outbreak and recovered.

However, the husband’s family became convinced that witchcraft caused the woman’s problems. The couple divorced because of the situation.

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Just a few short years ago, statistics showed a child died every 30 seconds of malaria. Today, because of the dedicated and generous support of people through Imagine No Malaria, malaria’s impact has been cut in half twice. According to the World Health Organization, this disease now claims a life every two minutes.

Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi: Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy. Amen.

Mission Moment 4: Education Creates Healthy HabitsAn innovative approach to combating malaria in Lualaba, Democratic Republic of the Congo, has meant more than 80 percent of the households are sleeping under insecticide-treated bed nets. As many as four people can sleep beneath each net.

The implementation of Project UNF07 is beneficial and of great importance in the Lualaba area, because of the net distribution and other educational activities concerning malaria, Betty Kafwimbi said. “Before the education took place,” she explained, “few people would think about looking at malaria as possible cause of the illness.”

Before this program, parents often waited until the last minute to bring their children to health facilities for treatment. Many children died.

Today the public is educated through door-to-door visits, radio and television, posters and fliers, and outreach to schools, churches and mosques, she said.

“Now, with this program, many people no longer fall ill from malaria,” Kafwimbi said. “But if they do become ill, they are brought here in time, which allows many of them to be treated and saved.”

Just a few short years ago, statistics showed a child died every 30 seconds of malaria. Today, because of the dedicated and generous support of people through Imagine No Malaria, malaria’s impact has been cut in half twice. According to the World Health Organization, this disease now claims a life every two minutes.

Prayer: Gentle God, help us to treat every one of your children as if he or she is our own. Grant us patience to listen, to seek new answers and to learn from others. Help us to wrap healing arms around those who need us the most. In your holy name, we pray. Amen.

Church Growth Mission Moment: Kortihun, Sierra Leone

In Kortihun, Sierra Leone, a gift of insecticide-treated bed nets is bringing people to church. On Sunday mornings, a new congregation draws Christians and Muslims, including elders and the tribal chief. At first, it met on the chief’s vernanda. Pastor Moses M.K. Sandy says: “when the congregation started growing beyond the capacity of the home where were worshipping, the idea of a new church came on our mind.”

Attendance is way up all across the region. Pastor Sandy serves four churches, walking miles each Sunday between villages. United Methodist district superintendent, the Rev. Francis Charley, isn’t surprised that new people want to learn more. He says life-saving bed nets are a meaningful example of the church’s commitment to the people of Sierra Leone.

Sierra Leone’s population is 60% Muslim and 30% Christian. But fighting malaria is a priority for everyone. The District Superintendent says: “When they see us coming to them as Christians with all of these changes affecting their lives,

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definitely they want to identify themselves with us.”

The Imagine No Malaria campaign also reminds church members that we are all one body of Christ around the world, committed to supporting one another. A simple gift of bed nets is a gift of life and of unity for Muslims and Christians in this community.

Prayer: God, we pray that this campaign will glorify you and bring peace and unity to your people, not only in Sierra Leone, but across the world. Help us be a part of this movement.

Sister Abigail Mission Moment: Nyadire, Zimbabwe

Malaria is caused by a parasite, spread by a mosquito that only bites at night. But did you know that in parts of Africa, people think it’s caused by witchcraft, a curse from one’s ancestors, or from eating too much palm oil? Malaria is rampant, killing a child every sixty seconds. But there are languages in Africa that don’t even have a word for it.

That’s what makes United Methodist Community Health Workers so important. In Zimbabwe, Sister Abigail, head of the nursing school at Nyadire United Methodist Hospital, is helping to spread some new information. Before a net is ever handed to a family, Sister Abigail hosts a community training to help local health volunteers learn about malaria. When nets are distributed, these volunteers go from door to door teaching families about the cause, prevention, symptoms and treatment of malaria.

We know this method can significantly increase proper net usage. Usually, when researchers from other nonprofits go door-to-door six months after a bed net distribution, they hope to find at 60% of families still using the nets correctly. In contrast, distributions coordinated by Imagine No Malaria regularly achieve an 80% success rate. This high rate of proper usage has made the United Methodist Church an international expert in bed net distribution.

Since Imagine No Malaria started in 2008, we’ve distributed more than 1.9 million nets and trained more than 11,600 Community Health Workers. And the death rate from malaria has been cut in half.

Prayer: Thank you, God, for our capable brothers and sisters in Africa who are getting the word out about how malaria can be prevented. Help us remain faithful to the call to work alongside the poor by supporting this vital ministry.

Muriel and Tiaima Mission Moment: Sierra Leone

Muriel was already struggling to maintain her home and put food on the table for her family when all of them were infected by malaria at the same time. Without the resources to afford a single dose of medication for herself or her children, she felt completely without hope. In desperation, she tried negotiating with a health worker to purchase drugs on credit, but to no avail.

Around this time, a Community Health Volunteers named Tiaima, trained by the Imagine No Malaria team at the UMC health center, found Muriel. She provided education about malaria prevention and referred her to the UM clinic. At the clinic, she found staff, ready with smiles on their faces to receive her. She and her four children were tested for malaria and all the tests came back positive. They were given medication on the spot and drugs to continue treatment and management at home as well as more education about malaria.

Tiaima worked to support the family in their follow up care and to ensure all of the medications were taken. This is important to help prevent a reoccurrence of the disease.

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In exchange for the care, Muriel offered to give up one of her goats and the nurse assured her that the services for malaria were free. It was then that Muriel broke down in tears and asked again and again if it was true or if she were dreaming. She had been praying for someone to help her family.

Muriel’s family is healthy now, and that’s a huge blessing. But Muriel wasn’t content to save only her own children. She has gone back to her community to tell the women there about how they can work to reduce malaria and she has signed up to become a Community Health Volunteer herself.

In our work, we do not simply hand out medication and nets. We welcome people as children of God, treat them with love, and build relationships with them. In the process, we empower them to be agents of change in their communities and the world.

Prayer: Thank you, God, for Tiaima’s witness and for Muriel’s determination. Help us be inspired by their example. Let us never be satisfied to save only our own children. Instead, let us respond to the threat of malaria as if all the children in Africa are children of our own, because we know that they are children of yours.

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