Me Being Church

Context

This 20-minute interactive Religious Education session for Year 7 students explores the idea of "Me Being the Church," drawing on Māori and Pacific perspectives and imagery. It aligns with New Zealand Curriculum Refresh values, key competencies, and the principle of teaching through cultural responsiveness, with explicit focus on participating and contributing, relating to others, and using language, symbols, and texts.

---

Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson, students will:

• Understand the concept of "the church" as a community of people rather than just a building.
• Appreciate their personal role in the church community, drawing on Māori and Pacific cultural understandings of whānau, communauté, and whakapapa.
• Develop key competencies: Participating and Contributing, Relating to Others, and Using Language, Symbols, and Texts.
• Engage respectfully with Māori and Pacific visual symbols and concepts related to community and spirituality.

These objectives align with the New Zealand Curriculum Refresh focus on values, principles, and key competencies relevant to social and cultural contexts,.

---

Lesson Outline

Introduction (5 minutes)

• Open with the introduction slides featuring striking images of Māori and Pacific church communities and symbols such as koru, pōhutukawa, tapa cloth patterns, and church gathering scenes.
• Prompt discussion: "What makes a church? Is it just a building or more than that?"
• Encourage initial student ideas about community, family, faith, and actions.

Teaching Input (5 minutes)

• Present the concept that being the church means being part of a caring community working together, based on collective values (manaakitanga, kaitiakitanga).
• Show Māori and Pacific images representing community connectedness and spiritual belonging (e.g., Māori meeting houses, Pacific church gatherings), linking cultural symbols to the church as "people."
• Connect this to students’ own lives: How do they show kindness, care, or responsibility like "being the church"?

Interactive Activity (7 minutes)

• In pairs or small groups, students receive the ‘Me Being the Church’ reflection worksheet which:
• Asks them to identify ways they can "be the church" through actions at school, home, or community.
• Includes short reflective prompts about Māori and Pacific values that support community and “church.”
• Invites students to draw or write about one way they contribute to their church/community.
• Teacher circulates, prompts reflection, and scaffolds understanding of cultural values.

Plenary and Reflection (3 minutes)

• Invite 3-4 students to share their reflections or drawings from the worksheet.
• Reiterate: “The church is us — our actions, our kindness, our care.”
• Reinforce the importance of participating, relating to others, and living values central to Māori and Pacific ways of being, linking to New Zealand Curriculum key competencies.

---

Assessment

• Informal formative assessment via worksheet reflections and group discussions to gauge student understanding of the concept of church as community.
• Observations of participation and ability to connect cultural values to the idea of “being the church.”

---

Resources

• One slide deck (slides-1) — Introduction images, teaching points, activity instructions, and plenary prompts.
• One worksheet (worksheet-1) — Reflection prompts and drawing space to personalise learning.

---

Curriculum Links

Values and Principles

• Inclusivity and Diversity: Reflecting local tikanga Māori and Pacific values as part of school curriculum.
• Community Engagement: Whānau and Pacific community connectedness as integral to wellbeing and identity (Principles).
• Equity in outcomes: Cultural responsiveness supporting Māori and Pacific learners (Principles).

Key Competencies

• Participating and Contributing: Engaging actively in communities and showing responsibility.
• Relating to Others: Understanding and respecting diverse perspectives and cultures.
• Using Language, Symbols and Texts: Interpreting cultural imagery and expressing ideas through words and art.

Learning Area

• Social Sciences / Religious Education: Exploring societal roles, beliefs, and cultural identity through interaction with Māori and Pacific ways of being.

---