1. Jeffrey’s Project:
Learning about Jesus

2. When I was very young I was baptised like this baby here
When I was very young I was baptised like this baby here. My parents promised they would bring me up to know Jesus, and everyone welcomed me into the Church.
Were you baptised or have you been to a baptism service? What happened?

3. When I was old enough to understand what was going on, I started going to Sunday School at the church. There are over 200 children in our Sunday School – how many are there in your local church’s Sunday School?
Many Church of South India churches are expanding rapidly and include significant numbers of young people amongst their congregations – pastors will often tell you how many families there are in a congregation, rather than individual believers. In Sunday school children hear Bible stories, learn songs and have competitions to memorise the most Bible verses. The large group of children will be broken down into smaller teams for teaching sessions – you can see how many teachers and helpers there are standing at the back in this photo.

4. In our church schools we have assembly every morning
In our church schools we have assembly every morning. The assembly always includes a Bible reading and a talk and prayers. Are your assemblies the same?
Most schools do not have an assembly hall but use a large playground or compound instead. In church schools the assemblies are always Christian, although probably most of the pupils will be Hindus. Church schools serve the local community, and many schools are strategically placed in the poorest communities.

5. Here we are having a well-deserved lunch break!
A lot of churches have Summer Bible Schools or holiday clubs. We learn more about Jesus, put on shows for our families, and have competitions such as learning the most Bible verses.
Here we are having a well-deserved lunch break!
As with the Sunday School earlier, you can see that there are a significant number of adults from the local church community giving their time freely to run the Bible School – some of these will be school teachers who are giving their holiday time to the church. Mothers and father who are helping with the cooking can also be seen in this photograph. Occasionally special trips will be planned for the children, perhaps to somewhere like a local waterfall, which the adults also join in with enthusiasm!
The school holiday period is in the hottest months of May and June but the Summer Bible schools only last a week or a fortnight. Many English churches run holiday clubs – you may be able to find out what happens locally – perhaps your children already attend them..

6. Our family reads the Bible and prays together
Our family reads the Bible and prays together. Here is a picture of my Bible. It is written in Tamil.
At you can find the Lord’s Prayer written in Tamil. This includes a transliteration of the text of the prayer (unfortunately placed against a German translation, not an English one).
What are your favourite stories from the Bible?

7. Children can often help lead Christian worship
Children can often help lead Christian worship. We can help with the music group or lead the singing. Both boys and girls (as well as adults) love dancing to Christian songs.
Can you make up a dance to go with one of the songs or hymns you use in assembly?

8. The depiction of Jesus as the Good Shepherd – the shepherd who knows and loves his sheep / people and would die for them – is a popular image in the Church of South India and often chosen for stained glass windows.
The stained glass window is one of a set depicting the life of Jesus – in this case his baptism by John the Baptist.
The door panel shows the crucifixion of Jesus, while the painted compound wall shows his empty tomb.
All of these examples are from larger town churches – small village congregations could not afford work of this kind unless a generous benefactor paid for it.
Design some art for a church (stained glass window / sculpture) on your favourite Bible story.
The pictures in our churches remind us about the stories of Jesus too. My favourite is Jesus as the Good Shepherd, showing how he looks after us.

9. Jeffrey will have some time to wait for his confirmation – most people are confirmed in their late teens or twenties, or much older, after a period of teaching and preparation. You can find a film of a confirmation service elsewhere in the pack.
I know and love Jesus now and enjoy learning about Him. When I am old enough I shall ask to be confirmed and become a full member of the Church of South India.