Our sixth-grade Bible curriculum includes a unit on Paul’s letter to the church in Colossae. In the letter, Paul thanks the Colossians, encourages them, and prays for them. After studying Paul's words to the Colossians, the students were invited to select a person from their own life who exemplifies the character of Christ and with whom they have a personal relationship. They were challenged by teachers to “search their heart for the right words to encourage a saint.” Each student identified a saint and courageously designed a letter that imitated Paul’s words to the people in Colossae. The letters included elements of thanksgiving and encouragement. Each letter concluded with a personalized prayer. Students were invited to step into God’s Word to encourage others. They examined scripture, searched their hearts, and found the words to acknowledge and uplift a saint in their life. This fall they mailed their final drafts with the expectation that God would bless their efforts and, in turn, bless the faithful saints.

Rather than teachers grading the letters, the students used a rubric to self-evaluate their work for Biblical content and high-quality writing. One student reflected, “It was challenging to use ‘Godly words’ and phrases, but I was proud of how my letter sounded.” Another student said, “God’s words are powerful to me because I know that God only speaks the truth.”

Studying the book of Colossians led the sixth graders to see the story. Using the acquired knowledge and understanding allowed the students to live the story. Our theme verse, James 1:22, reads, “Do not merely listen to the word…Do what it says.” This project provided an opportunity for our students to do just that - listen and do!