All Change

An assembly from the Culham St Gabriel archive

Suitable for Whole School (Pri) - Church Schools

Aims

To consider that our lives are constantly changing, with new things to learn and enjoy.

Preparation and materials

• You will need to arrange for a child and an adult to prepare a brief description or demonstration of a skill that they have recently acquired. For example, riding a bike, swimming, counting in tens or playing a musical instrument.

• Optional: you may wish to read the passage from Philippians 4.8–9, which encourages people to set a good example in all that they do.

Assembly

1. Ask the children if they have learnt anything new recently.

   Listen to a range of responses.

   Ask the children to describe the joys and challenges of learning a new skill.

   Listen to a range of responses.

2. Ask the prearranged child to describe or demonstrate their newly acquired skill, and then ask the prearranged adult to do the same.

3. Following the presentations, discuss the following questions.
   
   - What difference do new skills make to people’s lives?
   - Was the skill described/demonstrated by the child/adult easy to learn?
   - What would happen if they stopped practising their new skill?
   - Do the children enjoy learning new skills?
   - What is the most difficult skill the children have learned?

4. Throughout our lives, we all continue to learn from each other. Ask the children if they can remember a time when they were able to teach something to their teachers. Ask the teachers if they ever learn from the children. Encourage the children to consider that we are all teachers and learners, no matter how old we are.

5. Most religions, and their teachers, remind us that we continue to learn and change throughout our lives.

Time for reflection

Christians believe that God is actively involved in changing and transforming the world. Creation is not just an event from the past; it is a continuing process. As human beings, we change and develop all the time. The process of change can be very slow, almost unnoticed. Alternatively, change can be obvious, transforming our lives and the lives of those around us.

However, Christians also believe that God never changes. They believe that he is the same yesterday, today and forever. Christians also recognize Jesus as the greatest teacher and try to follow his example throughout their lives.

Optional: you may wish to read the passage from Philippians 4.8–9, which encourages people to set a good example in all that they do.

Prayer
Dear God,
Give us all ears that are eager to listen,
Eyes that are quick to see,
Hands that are sure to do,
And hearts that are always open to learn more of your love.
Amen.

Song/music

‘The prayer of St Francis (Make me a channel of your peace)’ (Come and Praise, 147)