- Participants will recognise that God knows everything about them, including their value in the world of work.
- Participants will reflect on what they learnt across the full programme
Lesson Preparation
When we yield to God's call to cultivate creation using our unique gifts and talents, we can trust that he is still growing us into greater reflections of his image. For we are God's workmanship, created in Jesus Christ to do good works. Work that he set for each of us before he made the world. Our responsibility on earth is not yet complete, so we can look forward with hope that God will continue blessing our communities through his Spirit working in us.
Psalm 139:1; Philippians 1:6; Ephesians 3:16-21
- Reflection: looking back at what you have learnt or experienced, thinking deeply about it, and understanding how it has shaped you
- Review: going over the main points again to remember them better, check your progress and make sure nothing important is missed
- Workbook
- Pen/Pencil
- Large paper or whiteboard
- Sticky notes
- Markers or pens
Need help teaching the session?
Need help teaching the session?
- Lesson Summary: The summary provides an overview of what will be covered in the lesson. It includes the Scripture or biblical truths and how the biblical principles apply to the lives of the participants.
- Lesson Objectives: These goals guide instruction and support the main idea of the lesson. They state what participants should know and be able to do once they have completed the lesson.
- Scripture References: These are passages of Scripture used in each lesson. Plan to read these passages prior to teaching the lesson
- Vocabulary: These are the key words discussed in each lesson that should be taught in context.
- Materials: This is a list of supplies needed to teach the lesson and/or to do the activities.
- Welcome and Review: Begin each class by welcoming the participants and reviewing the material from the previous lesson.
- Icebreaker: In Lesson 1, there is an icebreaker activity to start the lesson. This is a great way to get participants talking and comfortable with one another.
- Scripture Study: Includes different parts. The leader shares the Bible story interactively, asking questions and guiding discussion to engage participants in the Scripture.
- Workbook Activity: During each lesson, students will complete a workbook exercise that will help reinforce learning through hands-on engagement. The workbook activities provide structure for applying the lesson content to the project. Completed examples are provided in this leader's guide and at the back of the participant's workbook.
- Facilitation Tips: These support the leader with strategies for guiding the group projects. These reminders help facilitators adapt to challenges and adjust for learners with different abilities and styles.
- Project Milestone: This statement is designed to help define the progress goal for the group project. It outlines the key steps that the leader and student should aim to accomplish by the end of the lesson.
Pray: Participants will reflect on the lesson, and the facilitator will end the lesson with a prayer.
Welcome and Review
Say:
This will be our final time meeting together as a group. However, this does not mean the work that God began in you 11 lessons ago is complete. In all actuality, that work is just getting started. Accepting God's call to thrive is a lifelong endeavour. None of us will ever "arrive" at a place where God is finished shaping us into his perfect image.
Today, we will be discussing God's call to continue—to wake up every day, choosing to pursue Christ in everything we say, think, and do.
Say:
For our final opening activity, you will need a large paper or whiteboard, sticky notes, and markers or pens. In your project groups, write the phrase "Called to …" in the centre of your paper or board. Think back over all our sessions on Called to Thrive. What is one thing each of you now knows you are called to do or become? Write that word or short phrase on your sticky notes.
When the activity is complete, ask students to place their sticky note around the centre phrase. Then invite 3-5 volunteers to share briefly why they wrote their answer.
Say:
What you have just created is often called a concept map. It allows you to look at one topic from a nearly endless variety of angles. This concept map in particular paints us a picture of what it means to thrive; to live out God's call to cultivate creation in a way that brings him glory.
Ask:
How has God grown you since you began Called to Thrive—both in your faith and your work?
Allow time for responses.
Share how God has grown you as a leader since beginning this programme.
Say:
In some ways, this lesson is going to feel very similar to our first few gatherings. This is not an accident. Growing in our calling as bearers of God's image means frequently revisiting the foundational factors of our faith. Taking time to sit and wonder at how much God loves you, how incredible it is that Jesus came to die for you and how hopeful we can be as those filled with his Spirit keep our eyes fixed on the right things.
Before you are sent out to live on mission as difference-makers in your communities, we are going to sit in wonder at one final, foundational truth: God knows you.
Say:
Invite students to open to page 25 in their workbook and follow along as you read the Scripture selections.
Psalm 139:1:
O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me.
Pause and invite students to respond to questions 1 and 2 in the workbook.
Question 1:
How does knowing that God fully knows and understands you change the way you view yourself and your call to thrive?
Question 2:
In what areas of your life do you find it hardest to remember that God already sees and knows you—and how could that change the way you respond?
Say:
As we wrap up Called to Thrive, this verse reminds us of how God knows us completely. Our strengths, our weaknesses, our struggles, even our dreams are all common knowledge to him. And still, he calls us his own. He calls us to his kingdom. He calls us to overcome every challenge that comes our way by the power of his Spirit. He calls us to thrive in a loving relationship with Jesus.
How marvellous is it that the God of the universe chooses to know you? How empowering is it to think that the One who wrote the pages of time takes delight in hearing your name? Do not let the magnitude of this truth escape you today. Say it out loud: God knows me.
Allow students to repeat after you. Encourage them to speak loudly as they repeat "God knows me" a second time.
God knows you, and he is not through with you yet.
Philippians 1:6:
And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.
Say:
As you walk out of this place and back into your communities, you carry a power with you that nothing can conquer. The same power that raised Jesus from the dead began living in you the moment you chose to follow him.
That power will give you hope when you do not get the job you interviewed for. It will carry you through moments when it does not seem that you have the resources you need to get by. It will ground you in security and joy when the world feels like it is falling apart.
Ask:
What change do you want to see happen in your community?
Allow students time to answer.
Say:
Imagine what your community would look and feel like if that change took place. That picture in your imagination is called a vision. Vision is a purpose that drives you to go beyond your normal routines, to trust in God, and to make a difference in the world around you.
Hold onto that vision, never let it fade away, and invite others to join you in fulfilling it. You are called to continue.
Say:
As we close Called to Thrive, let us pause and reflect on what we have learnt, what God has shown us, and how we will carry it forward. Each of you has contributed something unique in this journey, and together we have experienced what it means to follow God's call in real and practical ways.
Invite students to turn to page 26 in their workbook. Give them some time to complete the project activity. Then, invite students to share their thoughts aloud with the group.
Sample Completed Activity
Take a few quiet moments to respond to each writing prompt. Ask God to help you remember what he has taught you and to show you what comes next.
| What I Learnt, What God Showed Me, What Is Next |
|---|
|
Through our project, I learnt that working together means … When we do not agree, we do not stop until we find a way forward. |
|
Throughout this programme, God showed me that … I have so much potential as a leader and the ability to do more for my community. |
|
I believe God is calling me to continue this work by … Reaching out to more kids in my community. |
Project
Milestone:
Milestone:
Whole group reflection.
By the end of the lesson, teams should have reflected together on what they learnt across the full programme.
If you sense your students need additional support, consider these teaching strategies.
-
Provide sentence starters
Giving students prompts like "One thing I learnt was …" can help students organise their thoughts more effectively.
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Allow students to reflect with a partner
Talking through ideas with another person can help students build confidence about their ideas before writing them down.
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Do not be afraid of silence
Students often need time to process before responding. Make sure you give students space to think quietly before prompting them to share.
Say:
Before concluding the lesson, be sure the students have a chance to ask any remaining questions they might have. Offer to stay after the lesson has completed if any of their questions require a lengthier discussion.
Throughout Scripture, leaders like Paul would leave their students with a word of blessing. Today, I would be honoured to pray one of those blessings over you as you walk away from this place and into the world of work.
This is a sacred moment. After praying through the passage in Ephesians, bless the students using your own words. You do not have to sound any certain way—simply let the Holy Spirit guide you as you ask God to be with them in the next chapter of their lives.
Ephesians 3:16-21:
I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God's love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.
Your call to thrive is for life. We are God's hands and feet on this earth to transform our communities for Jesus. And it has started, where you are. So go! Thrive! You have been sent. And remember, you are never alone. God will be with you wherever you go.
Lessons 1-12
- Lesson 1 Being Who I Am Called To Be
- Lesson 2 Called To a Kingdom
- Lesson 3 Called To Image
- Lesson 4 Called To Serve
- Lesson 5 Called To Responsibility
- Lesson 6 Called To Overcome
- Lesson 7 Called To Collaborate
- Lesson 8 Called To Confidence
- Lesson 9 Called To Refine
- Lesson 10 Called To Implement
- Lesson 11 Called To Evaluate
- Lesson 12 Called To Continue