Dear Jesus . . .

To help the children appreciate the importance of working together as Jesus' disciples

The children will give reasons why Jesus needs disciples and why they want to be disciples.

Copy of a paper with this greeting and sentence starters with writing space between lines for each group:

Dear Jesus,
I want to follow you __________,
So I can __________.
Challenge me __________.
I'll try my best __________.
Please help me __________.
Let me __________.
Every chance I get, __________.

• Tell the children that in this activity, they will write a letter to tell Jesus how they will answer his call to be a disciple like Peter.
• Divide the children into small groups. Give each group a copy of the disciple letter that they will be completing.
• Ask if they notice anything special about the letter. (The beginning letters spell disciple.) Invite the groups to discuss and decide on a good way to complete each idea and choose a recorder to write their responses.
• When all the groups have finished, have a sharing time for groups to read their letters aloud. Encourage discussion of the similarities and differences in their responses.
• Conclude by complimenting the groups on working together cooperatively as good disciples do. Encourage the children to remember what they told Jesus, so they can look for ways to be good disciples.

People Smart, Word Smart

Make sure the children understand that working together to write their letters to Jesus is a good example of friends helping each other to accomplish a goal.

Encourage groups to respect and include everyone's opinions.