*The two children and their teacher are standing in a church. *
TEACHER: Hello Thomas and Nora!
THOMAS/NORA Hi there!
TEACHER: Have either of you heard of God before?
NORA: I think so.
TEACHER: Lots of religions around the world believe in one or many gods. In Christianity, Christians believe that there is one God who created the world and the universe. They also believe He had a son called Jesus Christ. Christians are Jesus Christ's followers. This is where the word 'Christian' comes from.
We see Jesus breaking bread with his disciples.
TEACHER: This is a church. Some Christian churches can look very different from each other, but their main job is to provide a place of worship to God.
We see a priest taking Communion.
TEACHER: Many Christian churches perform a service known as Communion, Eucharist or Mass.
THOMAS: Did you say maths?
TEACHER: Mass Thomas. It’s a service that some Christians attend, often on a Sunday, where they can learn about God. But that’s not the only way Christians can worship God.
As the teacher explains, we see a Bible appear on screen.
TEACHER: Christians also read the Bible. The Bible is a book full of stories and lessons about God and Jesus. It teaches Christians how to live their lives with love and kindness. Christians use the Bible to worship God in church, and also privately at home or in prayer groups.
We see Jesus healing a man.
TEACHER: The writings in the Bible are the messages that most Christians have been following since the New Testament was written over two thousand years ago.
NORA: Wow! That's a long time.
Church is a special place
Have you ever had a place that is very special to you?
Maybe it's somewhere you can go to think, learn or be part of a community.
For Christians, church is a special place where they can go to worship and pray.
Common church features
Churches may look different inside and outside. However, Christian churches will have common symbols, artefacts and features such as:
Crosses – to remind us that Jesus died on the cross
A Communion table or altar – where the bread and wine are blessed
A lectern or pulpit – from where the minister/priest can read the Bible
The comfort of prayer
Christians can come together and pray in a church service. They can also pray on their own at home, or even just wherever they feel comfortable talking to God.
Christians might pray to God to thank Him, ask for help, praise Him or to talk about things they have done.
The Bible
The Bible is the holy book for Christians.
Christians learn about God from listening to readings from the Bible, or from reading it themselves. This can be in church or at home.
Many of the stories in the Bible are used to teach us about how God wants us to live our lives.
You have learned that churches are where Christians hear the word of God. Now discover a bit more about how Christians respect and pray to God.
More on Being a Christian
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