Rev Helen Van Koevering visits Southall from Mozambique to collect eight banners made by Blair Peach pupils on the gifts of the Spirit

Creating a collaborative ‘gift’ or designing a fundraising campaign for our local church or overseas neighbours (Companion Link)

Consider jointly planning an RE theme day with your local church to enable pupils, staff and parents to engage in an extended reflection with an individual, local and global ‘virtues in action’ focus. This enables pupils to consolidate their understanding of concepts, consider what difference  learning about ‘Loving your Neighbour as yourself’ makes to believers and to themselves. Through creating a ‘gift’, sharing in a project or fundraiser between their local church and overseas Companion Link pupils engage in social action, experiencing what it is like to ‘Love your neighbour’ .

Download   RE-with-Soul-Love-your-Neighbour-Theme-Day-Outline-.pdf

This part of the unit can be undertaken as a cross-curricular project linked to Art or DT teaching and learning.  The applied learning via the extended creative reflection involving creating gifts for our local or global neighbours,  allows for useful assessment opportunities both of theological understanding and personal reflection. This ‘gift-giving’ opportunity can be initiated through the school’s communication with the local church and their overseas church community.(Companion Link) 

SIAMS and Global Neighbours These activities support schools on meeting SIAMS criteria for example ‘Courageous Advocacy’ and complements the Christian Aid, Global Neighbours Accreditation Scheme.

Understanding Christianity Links

Examples of pupil-led values in action

‘Gifts’ created as part of an extended reflection include translating their ideas and learning into textiles designs for the Companion Link  community, such as an  altar cloth, designs for stained glass windows or a fundraising project. See examples below:

• banners on a theme – Love your Neighbour  Gifts of the Spirit Banner
• designs for windows Water of Life’
• altar cloths
• priests vestments
• priests stole
• resources for children overseas
• fundraising campaign

What could we do to help our local church ‘love their neighbours’?

Pupils are given opportunities to engage directly with ‘loving your neighbour as yourself’ supported by ‘helping our local church love their neighbours’. This meets the citizenship objectives that are built into the work as well as supports schools in meeting SIAMS criteria for ‘Courageous Advocacy’. For example, pupils are able to explore ‘live relationships’ between Christian believers in their local church communities and communities overseas. This may be achieved via the Church of England’s Diocesan Companion Links, the partnerships between groups of churches (Dioceses) and diocese overseas.

The Diocese of London’s Diocesan Companion Link is Angola, London, Mozambique Association (ALMA) which is the inspiration for RE with Soul and this unit, demonstrating aspects of ‘Loving your neighbour as yourself’. RE with Soul Primary resources are designed to be adapted for use with other Companion Links. 

There are opportunities for pupils to share directly in projects arising from the existing relationships between local churches and for example their Mozambican neighbours, via Companion Links.  One means is through an RE with Soul theme day extended creative reflection, for example,  Blair Peach Primary School worked in partnership with St George’s Church to create  banners on the theme of ‘spiritual gifts’for the Companion Link church in Lichinga, Mozambique. Click here to see a gallery of images for this project. 

Understanding Christianity links

SIAMS and Global Neighours: This activity, supports schools in engaging with the SIAMS linked initiative Christian Aid, Global Neighbours Accreditation Scheme.

Key Questions

• What could we do to help our local church ‘love their neighbours’?
• What can we write to show that we understand the idea of loving your neighbour?
• What could I create for my local or overseas neighbour (e.g. in Mozambique?)

Learning Objectives

• To reflect upon their own interpretations of Loving God and loving your neighbor
• To identify what we can learn from the commandment to love our neighbours as ourselves

Starter

What difference do these overseas partnerships make to people involved in UK churches and schools?

In what ways has investigating the ways that Christian believers follow the commandment to  love their neighbours impacted us:

• individually
• as a class
• as a school community

Write a class Acrostic poem using the letters from’ Love your neighbour’ to enable pupils to process their thoughts and communicate their response. Pupils could work in pairs to compose a line for the class poem.

Main activity (Can be linked to Art and Design/DT lessons)

Thinking locally and globally  – How can we express our understanding of the importance of Loving our neighbours as ourselves, locally and globally?

Review what the pupils have learned so far and ask them to write a letter to their overseas neighbours to describe their learning journey and explain their understanding of the significance of Jesus commandment to ‘love your neighbour as yourself’ investigating Baptism in the UK and overseas. See examples of pupils letters to Lichinga Letters to Lichinga from RE with Soul pilot project work.

They can also explain the impact of their learning on themselves, for example how they have been challenged to think more deeply about who their neighbour is and different ways to ‘love their neighbour’.
Write a prayer from the viewpoint of a believer in UK or overseas about the importance of  loving our neighbour.
Pupils could add their own prayers on the theme of ‘water of life’ (physical or spiritual) to the class display

How can we show love to our local church, community or overseas neighbours in a practical way, (for example in Mozambique) on the theme of love your neighbour?

• Local: What could we make for the local church to show love to them, e.g. a banner, altar cloth on a theme of their choice? (Ask the leader of the local church)
  Prayer for a person, place or situation can be described as a gift of love, e.g. asking for God’s help in a situation. Find out what the local church are praying for their overseas neighbour.
• Global: Give pupils a map  of Africa, showing Mozambique or another Companion Link country – and invite them to write their own prayers  on heart-shaped ‘post-its’ or paper
  What could our class create as a gift or design as a fundraiser, for our local or overseas neighbour?

Plenary

What can I create for my overseas neighbour to show love?

See the following to inspire discussion with pupils around a collaborative initiative in partnership with the local church and their Companion Link community:

• Outlines for RE with Soul theme days for generating artwork or designing a fundraising campaign.
• See Love your neighbour extended reflection for visual documentation of the creative process from previous projects

Some pointers for planning a project

• Find out through the local church about their overseas partnerships or Companion Links, for example ALMA. Ask what priorities they have regarding supporting the church and community overseas, for example via ALMA in Mozambique e.g. equipment, decoration for the church – e.g. banners on a theme, designs for windows, altar cloths, priests vestments.
• Communication  with your local church about the priorities of the overseas community should inform the decision making for the extended reflection and focus for the creative process.
• Discuss with pupils ideas they might have for creating gifts for the overseas community  on the theme of ‘Love your neighbour’, in response to their learning and priorities discussed with the local church.
• Pupils should explain how the agreed project idea demonstrates ‘Loving your neighbour’

Learning Outcomes

•  I can raise and consider questions about what can be done to love our neighbours
•  I can ask questions about the meaning and purpose of the different interpretations of loving your neighbour
•  I can apply the ideas I’ve learned about loving God and loving your neighbour as yourself.
•  I can explain what I have learnt from exploring what Christians believe about following Jesus example of loving your neighbour

Resources and Points to note

• See www.almalink.org  for ALMA link Powerpoints, which offer examples of projects that ALMA has undertaken in Mozambique and Angola, e.g.  building hospitals, churches, schools,  providing water pumps
•  See Church of England Diocesan Companions – Diocese of London ALMA (Angola, London, Mozambique Association) www.almalink.org
•  See Primary Case Studies for Love your neighbour for documentation of the creative process involved in developing designs as extended reflection on Love your neighbour
•  See Twyford Academies case study  and exchange visit video clips and photos in visual sources
• Ask the local church leader about what projects they are involved with overseas – see church noticeboards e.g. for the ALMA linked church and community and find out if the school can get involved or contact ALMA/RE with Soul via this website.

How can we learn from our overseas neighbours?

Pupils have learnt about how believers love their neighbours overseas;  building on this, they are now asked to consider what they can learn from our overseas neighbours. They will find out how partnerships with overseas neighbours make a difference to a believer’s life. They will consider Diocesan Companion links, for example,  Angola, London, Mozambique Association (ALMA) and how they can learn from their overseas neighbours.

Understanding Christianity links

SIAMS and Global Neighours: This activity, supports schools in engaging with the SIAMS related initiative Christian Aid, Global Neighbours Accreditation Scheme.

Key Questions

What can we learn from our overseas neighbours?

Learning Objectives

• To identify what we can learn from our neighbours
• To consider ways of loving our neighbours as ourselves

Starter

How can we learn from our overseas neighbours?

Invite pupils to share attitudes about RE, church. Show an example of people worshipping in a church – singing and dancing a church service. See below or click on the link to see ALMA photographs showing styles of worship and prayer – worship

What can we learn from what they are doing? For example what would happen if we did our assembly like this?

Many churches have built relationships with churches and communities overseas, to develop friendships.

Invite a representative of the local church involved with an overseas community or Companion Link, for example  ALMA, to explain why they have built relationships with communities and churches overseas. Ask them if they can show you examples of joint project work.

Consider what difference these links and ‘friendships’ have made to both communities – narrowing the distances, loving your neighbour as yourself.

For example ask pupils what difference they think an overseas visit to a Mozambican church and community might make to a Christian believer?

• How would it challenge them to think about loving their neighbour differently?
• What difference would it make to them?

Compare and contrast (see RE with Soul visual sources for additional images)

• church buildings  UK churches  Southall and  Mozambican churches – Niassa  Angola
• styles of worship and prayer – worship
• community and social needs between local church and Mozambique
• everyday life of children and families in UK and in Mozambique.

Plenary

What has impacted you about comparing and contrasting church and community life in UK and Mozambique?

Learning Outcomes

• Describe some ways in which we can learn from our overseas neighbours
• Raise and consider questions about what can be done to love our neighbours
• Explain what difference an overseas visit or exchange could make to a believer’s understanding of love your neighbour as yourself

Resources and Points to note

See RE with Soul visual resources section of the website for images from Mozambique.  These photos can be used to create resources to support enquiries that compare and contrast UK and Mozambique. Themes include:

• church life  – Mozambique Angola UK
• worship – Mozambique
• celebrations – Mozambique
• water – Mozambique

How are Christian believers loving their neighbours overseas?

Pupils will investigate the impact of the example of Jesus: following how, in Christian understanding, he is Saviour and servant to all mankind. They will find out and evaluate how this inspires Christians to follow Jesus: exploring how Christians participate in church life, love people in their local communities and share in loving our neighbours overseas, for example via their Companion Links.

Pupils will recognise how ‘loving your neighbour as yourself’ is a key concept in Christianity that unites and motivates believers in following the example of Jesus in serving others, for example working together in churches  and organisations to serve others  in the local community and overseas through mission and charity work.

Understanding Christianity links

SIAMS and Global Neighours: This activity, supports schools in engaging with the Christian Aid, Global Neighbours Accreditation Scheme.

Key Questions

• How do Christians in our local community show that Jesus is Saviour of the whole world: that everyone is a child of God, deserving of God’s love?
• Why do Christians build relationships with people overseas?

Learning Objectives

• To make links between the commandment to love your neighbour (local and global) and the teachings of Jesus
• To understand how initiatives with people overseas connect to the idea that Christians believe in God’s global family

Starter

Explore the following questions with pupils

• How do Christians in our local community show that Jesus is Saviour of the whole world and that everyone is a child of God, deserving of God’s love?
• How do our school rules or values help us love our neighbour?
• Which rules are they and what evidence is there them for making a difference in someone’s life?

Main activity

Walk to our local church and ask, ‘What can we do to find out how the church loves people in the wider community’?

Look at church or community noticeboards to find evidence of local community activities such as mothers and toddler groups, children’s holiday clubs, post retirement activities. See church noticeboard gallery

Find out ways that the church links to overseas communities. How does this show love to your neighbour? 

For example:introduce pupils to a church’s overseas Companion Links for example Diocese of London Angola, London, Mozambique Association (ALMA) ALMA means soul in Portuguese.

Invite a representative from the local church to talk about their link with their community and church overseas, and if they have made an exchange visit, what difference it makes to them.

Remind pupils about the work of charities they investigated in the last lesson, e.g. Christian Aid. What are the differences and similarities between overseas work through a local church and charity work?, i.e. people in a church often do the work voluntarily, whereas people involved in the work of Charities overseas can be both employees of the organisation or work voluntarily in different ways.

Plenary

Design a poster/leaflet to advertise ways that the local church loves their neighbours in the local community and overseas, encouraging people to get involved.

Learning Outcomes

• Describe the ways in which different church initiatives show how Christian believers love their neighbours locally and globally
• Show, using appropriate words, my understanding of the purpose of these local and global partnerships

Resources and Points to Note

• Ask your local church for information about community initiatives: eg mothers and toddlers groups, Christians against poverty CAP, A Rocha
• Ask about overseas Companion Links, for example, Angola, London, Mozambique Association, ALMA (Diocese of London)