In Unit 5 children will learn that the Church is a community of people from all over the world. They will discover many ways that the church community serves others.
		Jesus' Followers Become the Church Prior to presenting each chapter, refer to the TAKE HOME FAMILY TIME pages in your child's book, or print out these pages from TAKE HOME FAMILY TIME. Learning Focus This chapter will help the children • learn about life in the first Christian community. • realize how members of a parish today act as Christians. • understand that Amen is a Christian prayer of faith. Background There are many types of love. Some people love others because they hope to be loved in return. Christian love, however, is different. We try to reach out in kindness and understanding to others without expecting anything in return. Such love is called by the Greek term agape, or selfless love. After Jesus ascended into heaven, he sent the Holy Spirit to help the Apostles found the Church. The first church members tried to love one another as Jesus had loved others throughout his life. They prayed together and celebrated the Eucharist. They shared their food with one another and helped people who were poor. They tried to reach out to everyone. Parish Life Today The parish is a place where we are encouraged to live and act as Christians. We try to live as the first Christians by loving and helping others. We try to give witness to our faith in Jesus Christ and his message of God's love. The chapter shows the children how they can act as Christians in their own parish and how they can pray an "Amen" prayer attesting to the beliefs we hold as members of the Church, God's own family.
		We Celebrate Pentecost Prior to presenting each chapter, refer to the TAKE HOME FAMILY TIME pages in your child's book, or print out these pages from TAKE HOME FAMILY TIME. Learning Focus This chapter will help the children • recognize the feast of Pentecost as the "Birthday" of the Church. • realize that on Pentecost Jesus' followers received the gift of the Holy Spirit. • understand that the Church is a world community of all kinds of people. Background In the Jewish tradition, Pentecost is a harvest festival, meant to thank God for the blessing of fruit and crops. It is appropriate that the Holy Spirit came to the Apostles on Pentecost and inspired them to preach the good news about Jesus. The Church they founded is truly the harvest that Jesus planted. Jesus is the seed that died in order for the Church to yield a rich harvest. The Apostles are the laborers sent by God to bring in the harvest. The First Pentecost The chapter recounts the story of the Church's birthday on Pentecost as found in Acts 2:1-6. The Holy Spirit came to Mary and the Apostles as they were gathered in prayer. The Spirit transformed the Apostles into passionate proclaimers of God's word. They were fearless in preaching to people all over the world. They nondiscriminately welcomed people of all races, languages, and abilities to be part of the Church. We believe the Holy Spirit continues to be with the Church today. Filled with this Spirit, we can be truly "catholic." We can reach out to people of all races, languages, and abilities. We can see all people as our brothers and sisters in Christ.
		The Church Helps the World Prior to presenting each chapter, refer to the TAKE HOME FAMILY TIME pages in your child's book, or print out these pages from TAKE HOME FAMILY TIME. Learning Focus This chapter will help the children • understand that our mission as Christians is to love and serve others. • realize that all the people in the world are our brothers and sisters. • discover ways Catholics help people around the world. Background All Catholics are called to serve others. Some men serve as ordained ministers–deacons, priests, and bishops. Some men and women serve as members of religious communities. Most Catholics serve as lay people. Basically, to serve means to help others. As Christians, we try to help all people throughout the world who are in need. Serving and helping others is our mission, or the way Jesus wants us to follow him. Missionary Witness The chapter introduces children to the concept of missionary witness. Some Catholics serve and help others as foreign missionaries. They help people by giving them food, clothes, and medicine. They teach people to believe in and follow Jesus. Some Catholics serve and help others as missionaries in their own countries. They help the poor and the disadvantaged. They try to bring the news of God's love to people who are homeless, unemployed, depressed, and discouraged. As Christians we are called to join in the Church's missionary work. We can do this by helping people in need in our local communities. We can pray for the Church's missionaries throughout the world.
		We Pray with Holy Songs Prior to presenting each chapter, refer to the TAKE HOME FAMILY TIME pages in your child's book, or print out these pages from TAKE HOME FAMILY TIME. Learning Focus This chapter will help the children • discover that holy songs, or hymns, are prayers. • realize that when we sing with our hearts and voices, we pray twice. • learn about some of the times Catholics sing at Mass. Background Have you ever found yourself throughout the week humming a melody from Sunday Mass? Most likely the song reminded you of what happened at the liturgy. Perhaps it helped you recall a specific part of the Scripture readings or homily. Music is a powerful language all its own. Melodies alone can transmit emotions and communicate empathy. Songs tend to transcend individual differences and build bonds with other people. We sing to celebrate important events. We sing to express patriotism or school spirit. We sing to communicate what words alone fail to say. Why Christians Sing The first Christians sang because the Holy Spirit filled them with joy. Today's church members sing for the same reason. When we sing holy songs with our hearts, we truly pray. Through song, we give God thanks and praise. We ask God for help. We tell God that we want to help others. This chapter encourages the children to join in the songs at Mass. As the children will learn, holy songs draw our hearts toward God. When we sing at Mass, we join in the Church's celebration. We truly participate. Through holy songs, we grow closer to God and to other parishioners. We truly become part of the Body of Christ.