Children
• 6 Teaching Guide Sessions
• 21 Handouts
• 6 Take Home Pages
• 6 Session Pictures
1. Psalm 19, Romans 1:20
2. Philippians 2:5-11, Romans 10:9
3. Acts 2:1-21, Galatians 5:22-23
4. Romans 12:1-8, Colossians 1:18
5. Romans 5:12-21, 1 John 1:9
6. John 6:24-40, 1 John 2:25
Session 1 Key Concept: God is the creator of the heavens and earth and all that is in them.
Session 2 Key Concept: Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior.
Session 3 Key Concept: The Holy Spirit gives guidance for life.
Session 4 Key Concept: The Church was and is ordinary people who are called by a holy God and have responded to God within a community of believers.
Session 5 Key Concept: By Jesus’ death on the cross, sin is overcome.
Session 6 Key Concept: Eternal life is the hope and promise to all who come to faith in Jesus.
Introduction
"What Do I Believe?" is a six session curriculum geared for children in fourth through sixth grades to help them understand and formulate their own faith beliefs. These sessions can be used during the church school hour or as a separate discipleship emphasis. Centered on Scripture and the Apostles’ Creed, the sessions can encourage both teacher and child to focus on basic faith beliefs of the church and why they are so important. It will help children to begin to express in their own words and actions their commitment to the Christian faith.
About The Apostles’ Creed
A creed is a formal statement of faith of what one believes. It is important to understand that there is more to faith than just trusting God. All Christians need to be able to express to someone who is not a Christian what they believe about God. The Apostles’ Creed is a creed that expresses the basic beliefs that are held by all Christians, and the statement is based on the New Testament.
One of the earliest creeds is in New Testament Scripture. In Philippians 2:11, one of the earliest creeds is found: "Jesus is Lord." For people in the early church, saying this creed publicly was a threat to their very lives. The Christians were persecuted, so to say these words had significant meaning and significant consequences. Eventually more needed to be said about what Christians believed concerning God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. Legend has it that the Apostles’ Creed was formulated by the apostles. It probably was not written by the apostles, but it is a summary of the teachings of the apostles. By the fourth century, the creed was found in letters, and by the seventh century it was the form we have today.
This creed and others have been used throughout the history of the Church. In the early church, new believers went through instruction during the Lenten season and then they were baptized on Easter. Once the new believers understood the basics of the faith, they recited the creed together. Portions of the Apostles’ Creed were and are used as a profession of faith at baptism.
The Apostles’ Creed gives a holistic view of the Christian faith. It makes statements about all aspects of the Christian faith. Stating the creed itself does not create faith. Saying and studying the creed can help give understanding and roots to faith. The Apostles’ Creed gives areas to explore for all Christians and connects believers today to the larger faith family down through the ages.
Alister McGrath, "I Believe: Exploring the Apostles Creed". Downers Grove, Illinois: Intervarsity Press, 1997, 10-16.
by Marcia Taylor Thompson
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