Assembly Objective:
- Do we need to be a celebrity to be happy? This assembly explores the Bible’s teaching that happiness can be found in many different types of life, it just depends on where your heart is.
Film:
- Postman Pat: The Movie (Lionsgate, 2014, certificate U). Click here to buy the DVD online.
Bible:
- Colossians 3:23 (Good News Translation)
Supporting Values Education:
- The values of Respect and Tolerance derive from an underlying belief that everyone is valuable, whatever they are able to achieve. This assembly enables pupils to explore how we can maximise our sense of value no matter what others may think about us and our achievements or status in life.
OPENING ACTIVITY
What’s the job? (game)
- Using strips of paper or card, each with a different job written on it, invite volunteers to describe the job without using its name. The rest of the group guesses the job, and once someone has guessed correctly, the strip of paper/card is stuck to a board or wall.
- Once all the jobs have been revealed, ask the whole group to help you arrange the jobs in order of importance.
- Finally, tell the group that in today’s assembly they will learn about the idea that every job is important. What makes a job special is the way you do it.
- Here’s a list of jobs you could use:
- Doctor
- Police officer
- Chef
- Builder
- Pop star
- Teacher
- Footballer
- Hairdresser
- Fire fighter
- Scientist
Would you rather… (game)
- To illustrate the diversity of the group, read out two activities and invite children to put their hand up for the one they’d rather do.
- Here are some examples:
- Would you rather watch television or play a video game? Television [wait for hands to go up] or video game [wait for hands to go up]?
- Would you rather be good at writing or good at speaking? Writing [wait for hands to go up] or speaking [wait for hands to go up]?
- Would you rather play football or tennis? Football [wait for hands to go up] or tennis [wait for hands to go up]?
- Would you rather do a drawing or do a sum? Drawing [wait for hands to go up] or sum [wait for hands to go up]?
- Would you rather play the guitar or the piano? Guitar [wait for hands to go up] or piano [wait for hands to go up]?
FILM CLIP
- Play the clip from Postman Pat: The Movie (Lionsgate, 2014, certificate U).
- Start time: 00:04:36 (in chapter 1 of the DVD)
- End time: 00:08:09
- Clip length: 3 minutes and 33 seconds
- The clip starts when Pat turns on his car radio and the presenter says ‘Good morning, Greendale! Here’s the Saturdays’ latest hit single…’ The clip ends when Pat announces, ‘Mission accomplished.’
- If you are unable to play the clip, say ‘Pat is a special postman. He is friendly to everyone he meets. He stops to help anyone who needs him, even helping Alf get his sheep down from a tree! He is careful to deliver the post in the best way possible – even if it means flinging Jess onto a roof! At the end of his round he can honestly say, “Mission accomplished.”’
TALK
Download the Wish I was a postman Assembly PowerPoint for use with this talk.
Scripted Talk
- [PowerPoint slide 1]
- When you grow up, what would you like to be? [Take several suggestions. You could share your childhood (or current) aspirations too.] It’s great to hear so many different answers! You are all so talented in so many different ways, and it’s exciting to imagine the different things you will go on to do.
- [PowerPoint slide 2]
- When we think about what we would like to be, we can sometimes confuse this question with another question: when we grow up, who would we like to be? Can you see the difference? Some celebrities seem so happy and their lives look so fun. It is easy to look at them and think that if we could only do what they do, then we would be happy, just like they are. But, the Bible says that we were all made unique, and each of us has a special role to play in the world. We aren’t all meant to be pop stars – in fact, not all of us would be happy if we were pop stars!
- To help us think about this a little bit more, we’re going to watch a film clip with a really happy postman, who is famous in his village.
- Play the clip from Postman Pat: The Movie:
- Start time: 00:04:36 (in chapter 1 of the DVD)
- End time: 00:08:09
- Clip length: 3 minutes and 33 seconds
- The clip starts when Pat turns on his car radio and the presenter says ‘Good morning, Greendale! Here’s the Saturdays’ latest hit single…’ The clip ends when Pat announces, ‘Mission accomplished.’
- If you are unable to play the clip, say ‘Pat is a special postman. He is friendly to everyone he meets. He stops to help anyone who needs him, even helping Alf get his sheep down from a tree! He is careful to deliver the post in the best way possible – even if it means flinging Jess onto a roof! At the end of his round he can honestly say, “Mission accomplished.”’
- [PowerPoint slide 3]
- Do you think Pat is a good postman? What does he do well? [Take suggestions.]
- [PowerPoint slide 4]
- Pat makes delivering post look so good that lots of the people he meets wish they were a postman too. Should all of the people living in Greendale become postmen and postwomen? Or is each person made for a different role in the village?
- [PowerPoint slide 5]
- Constable Selby is a policeman. Mrs. Goggins runs the post office. Alf Thompson is a farmer. How can these people make the most of their own jobs? Constable Selby does a fantastic job of helping the children cross the road safely. Mrs. Goggins may not deliver the post, but she is great at sorting the letters and parcels, and telling Pat how to deliver them all. Alf Thompson, the farmer, has named every one of his sheep, but he could work harder at keeping an eye on them all!
- Pat may be a really happy postman, but Constable Selby can be a really happy policeman by being the best policeman he can be.
- [PowerPoint slide 6]
- The Bible has some good careers advice for us. It says:
- ‘Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as though you were working for the Lord and not for people.’ (Colossians 3:23 GNT)
- For Christians, the thought of working for God, rather than just for a boss or a teacher makes any job much more exciting. They are involved in God’s big plan for the world, and their work is valued by God.
- The Bible has some good careers advice for us. It says:
- [PowerPoint slide 7]
- You are all different and you will go into different jobs when you grow up. That is a really good thing. We’d be in trouble if we only had postmen and no policemen! Whatever you do, the important thing is to do it with all of your heart. If you do your very best then you’ll become the best you can be!
- Right now, you are a school pupil. This is the start of the exciting adventure of becoming the best you can be! So, ‘work at it with all your heart’ and you may be surprised where you end up.
- Remember, you don’t have to be a celebrity to be happy. Happiness can be found in any job; it just depends on where your heart is.
Headings and Bullets
- Career aspirations [PowerPoint slide 1]
- When you grow up, what would you like to be?
- It’s great to hear so many different answers, and exciting to imagine what you will all go on to do.
- Celebrity aspirations [PowerPoint slide 2]
- This question can be confused with another question: when we grow up, who would we like to be?
- It is easy to look at some celebrities and believe that if we could do what they do, then we would be happy like them.
- But, the Bible says that we were made unique and each of us has a special role to play.
- Play the clip from Postman Pat: The Movie.
- The really happy postman [PowerPoint slide 3-4]
- Do you think Pat is a good postman?
- What does he do well?
- Pat makes delivering post look so good that other people wish they were a postman too.
- Should all of the people in Greendale become postmen and postwomen? Or is each person made for a different role in the village?
- The really happy policeman [PowerPoint slide 5]
- Constable Selby is a policeman.
- Mrs. Goggins runs the post office.
- Alf Thompson is a farmer.
- How can these people make the most of their own jobs?
- Examples from the clip.
- Constable Selby can be a really happy policeman by being the best policeman he can be.
- Whatever you do [PowerPoint slide 6-7]
- ‘Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as though you were working for the Lord and not for people.’ (Colossians 3:23 GNT)
- For Christians, the thought of working for God, rather than just a boss or teacher makes any job much more exciting.
- They are involved in God’s big plan for the world, and their work is valued by him.
- It’s great that you are all different and that you’ll go into different jobs.
- Whatever you do, the important thing is to do it with all of your heart, becoming the best you can be!
- What you’re doing now
- Right now, you are a school pupil.
- This is the start of the adventure of becoming the best you can be!
- ‘Work at it with all your heart’ and you may be surprised where you end up.
- Remember, happiness can be found in any job; it just depends on where your heart is.
RESPOND
Reflection
- Close your eyes and think about all the different things you’re going to do today. Listen to the Bible verse again:
- ‘Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as though you were working for the Lord and not for people.’ (Colossians 3:23 GNT)
- Now imagine what it would be like if you did every one of those things you have to do today with all your heart, as if you were working for God and not just for your teacher or your parents. You can open your eyes now, and perhaps you can give it a go in your next class [or whatever follows the assembly].
Prayer
- [PowerPoint slide 8-9]
- I’m going to pray the Lord’s Prayer now. If you would like to say this to God as well, then you can say it with me, or just say ‘Amen’ at the end. ‘Amen’ means ‘I agree.’
- ‘Our Father in heaven, may your name be honoured. May your kingdom come. May what you want to happen be done on earth as it is done in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, just as we also have forgiven those who sin against us. Keep us from falling into sin when we are tempted. Save us from the evil one.’ (Matthew 6:9-13, NIRV)
YOU WILL NEED:
- Postman Pat: The Movie (Lionsgate, 2014, certificate U). Click here to buy the DVD online.
- Wish I was a postman Assembly PowerPoint.
- Blu-tack and strips of paper or card with a different job written on each for the What’s the job opening activity.
Ethos Education 