Three Envelopes

Ask:

What does stewardship mean? It means to take care of or manage something that is given to you. A steward was a person who took care of another person’s finances or household. One of his jobs might be to make sure that the food was bought and prepared and he might even be in charge of those serving it.

Give each child a set amount of money (how much would depend on their ages) to manage each week. (Yes, we do some things because we live here, but giving children some money of their own will help them learn how to handle it.)

Give each child three envelopes with the word “Give” written on one, the word, “Save” on one, and the word, “Spend” on one. (If you have more than one child, put their names on the envelopes also.)

 Choose a specific time each week (every Saturday morning or every Sunday evening) and give them their money. (Coins are good, because it seems like they’re getting more and they can easily put the correct amount into the envelopes.) 

Teach them the following three principles:

TITHE: Leviticus 27:30 says the tithe (tenth) of what you have is the Lord’s. Give to Him first.

SAVE: Proverbs 21:20 says, “There is treasure to be desired and oil in the dwelling of the wise; but a foolish man spends it up.”

Save some of every dollar you make and you will have it when you need it.

SPEND: 1Timothy 6:17 says that man should not trust in their riches, but in God who gives you all things to enjoy. God gives you money so you can buy what you need. If you put Him first, He has promised to take care of you. 

Take Good Care of the Earth!

Read:
Genesis 1:26 “ And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.”

God put man in charge of taking care of the earth. How can you help take care of it.

Items needed: trash bags, plastic gloves for each child

family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Take a walk and pick up trash. Talk about how God wants each person to care for the beautiful world He made.

Dull Pennies

Do a science experiment with pennies.

Items needed:

dull, dirty pennies

vinegar and salt OR

taco or hot sauce OR

lemon juice and salt

Pennies get dull because the copper (what pennies are made of) slowly mixes with air to form copper oxide. (Copper is bright while oxide is dull and greenish.) How can you clean them?

Put a penny in different solutions – put one in water, put on in water mixed with salt, put one in vinegar and salt (about ¼ cup of vinegar with a tablespoon of salt), put one in taco or hot sauce.

Wait two minutes, then rinse the pennies.

Which solution cleaned the penny? Just water won’t do it; neither will salt. But when you put the pennies in the salt and vinegar solution (or the taco sauce which is made of vinegar and salt or the lemon juice and salt), the acetic acid from the vinegar (also in the lemon juice) dissolves the copper oxide, leaving shiny pennies.

God gives us all things to enjoy, including money. He has promised to take care of all our needs. (Philippians 4:19) God wants you to use your money carefully. He wants you to take care of what you have and not break it. He expects you to give and share what you have with others. He is watching to see how you use your money. Are you using it carefully and wisely?

Using Talents Wisely

Act out the parable in Matthew 25:14-30.

Items needed: 8 pieces of paper about the size of dollars

Jesus told a parable about a man who was traveling to a far country so he gave talents (amounts of money) to three servants. As you read the verses, give the different amounts to three different kids. (If you don’t have three kids, use stuffed animals in the place of real people.)

Ask:

• What do you think this parable was teaching? (God expects each person to use what He has given them--time, money, talents--and not to waste them.)
• How can you use your money wisely? (You can give some of it to God (the church), to poor people, to help others.)

Envelope System

Teach your children about being good stewards using the envelope system. (Optional: You could use baby food jars, yogurt containers, or any other small containers.) Write “Give” on one, “Save” on one, and “Spend” on the last one.

Give your child an allowance, using coins (dimes are good).  If the allowance is one dollar, give them ten dimes.
Teach them to:

• Give 10% to God (put one dime in the give envelope)
• Save 10% (put one dime in the “save” envelope)
• Spend 80% (put eight dimes in the “spend” envelope).

Serving Chicken, Helping People

Eat at Chick-fil-A and tell your kids the story of S. Truett Cathy.
 
S. Truett Cathy is founder and chairman of Chick-fil-A, Inc. Cathy started the business in 1946, when he and his brother, Ben, opened an Atlanta diner known as The Dwarf Grill (later renamed The Dwarf House). Currently, there are more than 1,380 Chick-fil-A restaurants in 37 states and Washington, D.C. with more than $2.64 billion in sales.

Mr. Cathy lives by Bible principles and wants to use the money God has given him to help others. He started the WinShape Foundation to help young people. They give scholarships every year to 20-30 students wishing to attend Berry College. He has given more than $23.3 million in $1000 scholarships to Chick-fil-A restaurant employees since 1973. He has built a retreat center/camp to teach Bible principles. He teaches a Sunday School class to 13 year-old boys, as he has done for more than 50 years.

Mr. Cathy says, "Nearly every moment of every day we have the opportunity to give something to someone else--our time, our love, our resources. I have always found more joy in giving when I did not expect anything in return.”

Ask:

What can you give to help others? (money, smile, time to help them, work for them, play a game with them, listen to them, invite them to church, etc.)