- Participants will discuss the skills and abilities they each have to serve others.
- Participants will explore how they can use their skills by serving their community.
Lesson Preparation
God has gifted each of us with a unique set of skills and talents. These abilities are not just meant to be leveraged in our careers; God created us and equips us to serve the needs of others well. When we put the needs of others before our own dreams and ambitions, we can make meaningful contributions to our communities.
Matthew 16:24-25; 1 Peter 4:10
- Serve: to use one's ability to work in an effort to meet the needs of others
- Sacrifice: giving up something valuable to you—your time, comfort, or resources—for the good of others or in obedience to God
- Workbook
- Pen/Pencil
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
Greet participants and review the previous lesson.
Say:
Over the last few weeks, we have discussed how we are created and called by God to be workers. God equips each of us with different skills, resources, and connections so we can be a blessing to others. Today, we will see how each of these plays a role in our call to serve.
Label the four corners of the room: People, Skills, Materials, and Opportunities.
Call out the following scenarios one at a time. Then, instruct your students to move to the corner that represents the resource they think is most important for that scenario.
After the final round, debrief by pointing out how identifying what is available to you and what is missing empowers you to succeed.
Scenarios:
You open your shop and customers begin to arrive, but you cannot serve them all at once.
You design a product everyone likes, but when it comes time to advertise, you do not know where to start.
You receive your first big order, but your supplies run out halfway through production.
You present your idea at a community meeting, but no one gives you space to showcase it further.
Say:
Did you notice how each scenario required different types of resources? Some of them were simple, while others needed a variety of solutions. That is the beauty of serving together: God equips us with different gifts so that when we combine them, the whole community benefits.
Being called to serve does not require us to do everything for everyone all the time. Each of us is uniquely created with special skills and abilities so we can support each other in the work God has entrusted to us. Your talents are not merely tools meant to build up your future careers; God has equipped you to recognise and meet the needs of others right now.
Say:
In our very first lesson, we discussed how we were created to cultivate the world so we can thrive in community with one another and with God. This mission, our ultimate purpose, can be summarised into one simple word: serve. We serve one another when we use our ability to work in an effort to meet each other's needs. And sometimes, serving will require us to sacrifice—to give up something valuable for the good of others or in obedience to God.
Invite students to open to page 9 in their workbook and follow along as you read the Scripture selections.
Matthew 16:24-25:
Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it."
Say:
When Jesus says, "deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow me," he is revealing how service to others often means letting go of comfort and giving ourselves fully to something greater. The projects you have chosen are more than assignments; they are opportunities to live out your calling. Whether it is mentoring children, caring for the environment or creating spaces for others to thrive, each project will require sacrifice. Your personal time, your energy and your abilities can become communal blessings when you hold them with open hands.
Jesus reminds us that following him is not about chasing comfort or personal gain. To be his disciple, we must be willing to put aside self-centred desires for things like fame, wealth, and even comfort. True purpose and fulfilment are not found in holding on to everything for ourselves, but in giving our lives away for God's mission and the good of others.
Pause and invite students to respond to questions 1 and 2 in the workbook.
Question 1:
What does it look like in real life to "take up your cross" as a young adult today?
Question 2:
What is one specific sacrifice you may need to make—whether time, comfort, or resources—to see your project truly make an impact in your community?
Say:
Invite students to continue following along in their workbook.
1 Peter 4:10-11:
God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. Do you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Do you have the gift of helping others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen.
This verse reminds us that every gift, skill and resource we have comes from God. They are not just for our own benefit. They are meant to be shared. The generosity we show with everything we have been entrusted with gives others a glimpse of the abundant love God has for them. Your open-handedness could lead someone to the open arms of the God who wants to be known by them.
And here is the encouragement: you are not expected to do it all in your own strength. God provides the energy, wisdom, and perseverance you need so that your work points people back to him. Your project becomes more than just an activity; it becomes an act of worship.
Question 3:
What is one gift or ability you bring into your project that you recognise as coming from God?
Question 4:
How can you rely on God's strength, rather than just your own effort, to carry your project forward in a way that brings glory to him?
Say:
Every project needs resources to succeed: people, skills, materials, and opportunities. Today, we are going to take inventory of what we already have and figure out what we still need to make our project thrive. God equips us and calls us to serve others, but he also invites us to be resourceful, wise, and collaborative in using what we have been given.
Invite students to turn to page 10 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
This example assumes the project is tutoring academically challenged kids.
Use the activity below to brainstorm and record your ideas together. Be specific and realistic. This will help you plan your next steps.
| People |
Who can help? (Think of team members, mentors, community leaders, or other people who can support or assist.) – Mentors like Dr David – Volunteers like our parents – Local schoolteachers |
|---|---|
| Skills |
What abilities or knowledge do we already have? What new skills might we need to learn or develop? – Sarah is good at using Canva and can help us make flyers. – We might need a volunteer who is strong in writing. |
| Materials |
What physical items, equipment, or supplies are necessary? – Textbooks – Writing materials – Whiteboard |
| Opportunities |
What connections, events, or organisations could help us move our project forward? – Sports teams – Church |
| What are the gaps? How can we fill them? | We do not have enough volunteers. We can recruit friends who like kids. We can ask our local church pastor if we can invite older students from the youth group to help. |
Project
Milestone:
Milestone:
Define resources.
By the end of the lesson, students will have identified the materials needed to complete their project.
If you sense your students need additional support, consider these teaching strategies.
-
Think broadly
Encourage groups to think past physical items and to consider relational connections and personal skills as resources.
-
Turn the group as a whole into a Resource Marketplace
Each project group can "trade" skills, people or materials with other groups to fill gaps in their own project plans.
Say:
We have covered a lot of ground today, so let us review a few key takeaways:
We have been called to serve, and serving others is hard work. Do not allow complacency or insecurity to take hold of you. Instead, share your giftings with enthusiasm and excitement to make a difference in your community. Just imagine what would happen if everyone in your community focused on serving others instead of themselves!
God is inviting us to be the hands and feet of his work here on earth. It is not that we think we are qualified to do anything on our own; our qualifications come from God. In a world of brokenness and confusion, we are God's response to bring hope and restoration through his Son, Jesus.
What we observe as problems are really opportunities–chances to show God's love, creativity, and innovative heart! He wants us to be passionate and burdened to see opportunities around us.
Pray:
Allow time for participants to repeat each section after you.
Father, thank you for the unique gifts and talents you have placed in each of us.
Help us to use them faithfully in our projects to serve others and glorify your name.
Give us your strength when tasks feel hard, your wisdom when decisions are tricky, and a heart that seeks to honour you above all.
May every word we speak and every decision we make reflect your love and bring others closer to you.
Amen.
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