Bible People of Faith: Learning about Bible People

By Marcia Stoner

A book for multigenerational use covering the lives of Jesus and 100 Bible people. The book contains over 50 portraits on perforated pages of the Bible people so that they may be made into a biblical art gallery. There are directions on how to make this art gallery with creative ways to make frames for the portraits.

This informational resource book for teachers also includes activities that can be used to add to most any study of Bible people. These activities can be combined into a short-term intergenerational study for 3rd grade through adults. The activities also include directions for making a pictorial time-line and a genealogy from Adam to Jesus.

An outline of each person and where to find the biblical references is included in the book, as well as a page on how to combine activities into a study.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Abingdon Press
• Release date: Dec 1, 2010
• ISBN: 9781426738715

Marcia Stoner

Marcia Stoner is a retired editor of children's Sunday school resources and writer of children's books. She has taught English as a second language both in Japan and in the U.S. She and her husband live in Nashville, Tennessee.

Book preview

Learning About Bible People

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For Intergenerational Use

by

Marcia Joslin Stoner

Abingdon Press

Nashville

Bible People of Faith

Learning About Bible People

For Intergenerational Use

Copyright © 2007 by Abingdon Press

All rights reserved.

No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, except as may be expressly permitted by the 1976 Copyright Act or by permission in writing from the publisher with the exception of pages displaying the following notice:

© 2007 Abingdon Press. Permission is granted for the original purchaser to reproduce this page for use in the local church or educational setting.

Copyright notice must be included on reproductions.

Requests for permission should be submitted in writing to: Rights and Permissions, The United Methodist Publishing House, 201 Eighth Avenue South, P.O. Box 801, Nashville, TN 37203; faxed to [phone]; or submitted via e-mail to [e-mail].

Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise noted, are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Credits are listed on page 157.

ISBN 9780687642380

07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 — 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

MANUFACTURED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Table of Contents

How to Use This Book

Bible People Portraits, Part 1

Old Testament Patriarchs and Matriarchs

Old Testament Leaders

Old Testament Prophets

Genealogy Chart: Adam—Jesus

Jesus

People Jesus Knew

The Early Church

Map of Paul's Missionary Journeys.

Jesse Tree Ornaments

Bible People Portraits, Part 2

Index of Bible People

Index of Activities, Charts, and Reproducibles

How to Use This Book

This book is a reference book, an art book, and an activity book. It is meant primarily for ten-year-olds through adult, though there are a few activities that can be adapted for younger age levels.

FOR PRETEEN AND YOUTH ACTIVITIES

Information About Bible People—Share some of the background of the people of the Bible as they are studied on a regular basis. If you are doing a Bible survey, use the portraits in the front and back of the book to make a pictorial timeline.

Additional Activities—You may wish to supplement current studies with one or more of the activities in this book.

Stewardship Retreat—The Day Retreat—Let's Form a Faith Community on pages 120 & 122 makes a good study for tweens and youth to complement your church's stewardship drive. If you wish to make it into a weekend retreat, pair this activity with some of the stewardship activities from Tween Spirituality: Offering Opportunities in Preteen Spiritual Growth, © 2003 Abingdon Press, ISBN 9780687075515.

FOR INTERGENERATIONAL ACTIVITIES

Third Grade Through Adult—Many activities in this book require an ability to read, so those in the third grade and up are best suited to appreciate the activities in the entire book. Let more-sophisticated readers work with less-sophisticated readers. Some activities require abstract thinking skills and are most appropriate for the preteen level and beyond.

Kindergarten Through Adult—"The Bible People Art Gallery," some of the Christmas activities, and some service projects are the only ones that are really appropriate for children below third grade.

FOR SHORT-TERM INTERGENERATIONAL EVENTS

Use the reproducible Lesson Plan Form on page 6 to set up Advent sessions for all age levels. Try to form intergenerational groups that contain members of every age level.

The Day Retreat—Let's Form a Faith Community on pages 120 & 122 is perfect for intergenerational use, especially fifth grade through adult. Again, if you pair it with Tween Spirituality ( see Stewardship Retreat above), you can easily have a weekend retreat for preteens through adults.

Sample Lesson Plan

This sample lesson plan is based on one possible way a class could use this book for a lesson.

SESSION TIME: 1 hour

ARRIVAL ACTIVITY:

Two or three early arrivals make frame for Solomon's portrait, pp. 28, 30, & 32. Let another make a title for the picture to hang under it.

Supplies to gather:

colored construction paper, glue, scissors, ruler, glitter

Supplies to get / things to do:

Buy white art paper. Cut out Solomon's portrait,

OPENING ACTIVITY:

Read today's Bible story: 1 Kings 3:16-28.

Supplies to gather:

Bibles

Supplies to get / things to do:

MAIN ACTIVITY:

Have a short discussion of the wisdom of Solomon's choice. Then discuss how we make choices.

Supplies to gather:

Bibles

Supplies to get / things to do:

GAME:

"Wise Choices Game," p. 52 (bottom)

Supplies to gather:

81/2-by-11 sheets of paper (4 for each participant)

Supplies to get / things to do:

Make copies of Wise Choice Game Cards, p. 54 and top of p. 55.

CRAFT:

None today

Supplies to gather:

Supplies to get / things to do:

MISSIONS:

None today. Substitute clip from Ice Age.

Supplies to gather:

DVD and TV

Supplies to get / things to do:

Call Judy J. at the church office to make sure we have licensing agreement.

MUSIC:

Combine with worship

Supplies to gather:

Tom B. (Make sure piano is in place for him.)

Supplies to get / things to do:

Ask youth to carry hymnals from sanctuary to classroom.

WORSHIP:

Use Upper Room Devotional for the day. Add music and prayer.

Supplies to gather:

Upper Room Devotional

Supplies to get / things to do:

See Music above.

What have I forgotten?

Lesson Plan Form

SESSION TIME______

ARRIVAL ACTIVITY:

______________________________________________

Supplies to gather:

______________________________________________

Supplies to get / things to do:

______________________________________________

______________________________________________

OPENING ACTIVITY:

______________________________________________

Supplies to gather:

______________________________________________

Supplies to get / things to do:

______________________________________________

______________________________________________

MAIN ACTIVITY:

______________________________________________

Supplies to gather:

______________________________________________

Supplies to get / things to do:

______________________________________________

______________________________________________

GAME:

______________________________________________

Supplies to gather:

______________________________________________

Supplies to get / things to do:

______________________________________________

______________________________________________

CRAFT:

______________________________________________

Supplies to gather:

______________________________________________

Supplies to get / things to do:

______________________________________________

MISSIONS:

______________________________________________

Supplies to gather:

______________________________________________

Supplies to get / things to do:

______________________________________________

______________________________________________

MUSIC:

______________________________________________

Supplies to gather:

______________________________________________

Supplies to get / things to do:

______________________________________________

______________________________________________

WORSHIP:

______________________________________________

Supplies to gather:

______________________________________________

Supplies to get / things to do:

______________________________________________

______________________________________________

© 2007 Abingdon Press. Permission is granted for the original purchaser to reproduce this page for use in the local church or educational setting. Copyright notice must be included on reproductions.

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ABRAHAM AND SARAH

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REBEKAH

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ISAAC

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ESAU

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JOSHUA

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JACOB

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RACHEL

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JOSEPH

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MOSES

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GIDEON

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DEBORAH

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SAMUEL

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SAMSON

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SOLOMON

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SAUL

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DAVID

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ESTHER

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RUTH

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EZRA

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JOB

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JONAH

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DANIEL

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NEHEMIAH

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JEREMIAH

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ISAIAH

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HULDAH

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ELIJAH

Old Testament

Patriarchs

and

Matriarchs

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ADAM AND EVE Adam means earth or earthy; Eve means the mother of all living. Some later traditions say that Eve comes from the word serpent.

There are two biblical accounts of the creation of man and woman. In Genesis 1:27-30 God created male and female. God blessed them and gave them dominion over the air, sea, and earth. In Genesis 2:4-25 Adam was created, and God created the animals in order to give Adam a partner. God decided this wasn't good enough, so God created woman from Adam's rib. Since these accounts were written long before history was recorded as we know it, exact details were not as important to believers as they are today. What was important was that God was the creator.

Adam and Eve were together when Eve was addressed by the serpent, so Adam heard the exchange (Genesis 3:6). Even if he hadn't been with her, Adam could have refused to participate. Later traditions ignore that and place all the blame on Eve.

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CAIN, ABEL, AND SETH The three sons of Adam and Eve. Cain was a tiller of the ground, and Abel was a keeper of sheep (Genesis 4:1-2). When they offered a sacrifice to God, Abel's was accepted but Cain's was not. Though the reason for rejection is not stated, verse 7 implies that God knew there was sin in Cain's heart.

Cain did not react well to God's rebuke. He lured Abel out to a field and killed him. Worse than that, he tried denying it and shifting responsibility to God, saying, Am I my brother's keeper? (verse 9). Cain was condemned to be a wanderer. However, God marked his forehead to protect him from others who might seek vengeance.

Seth was born as God's replacement for Abel. Seth, who died at the age of 912 (Genesis 5:8), is the ancestor of Noah.

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NOAH T he story of Noah is a lengthy one that begins with the wickedness of humankind in Genesis 6 and goes through the descendants of Noah in Genesis 10.

Noah was basically humankind's second chance. He is sometimes considered the new Adam, a lone, righteous man called by God to build an ark, rescuing the animals of the earth and his own family from a devastating flood. God made a covenant with Noah. The sign of this covenant is the rainbow, the promise never again to cut off the whole earth with a great flood (Genesis 9:8-17). God blessed Noah and his sons and told them to Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth (Genesis 9:1). Noah lived to be 950 years old (Genesis 9:28-29).

Noah's sons were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Abraham was descended from the line of Shem. (See pages 25 and 84.)

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ABRAHAM The first patriarch. His father was Terah, descended from Noah. His name was originally Abram (meaning the father is exalted). Born in