Lesson video

Hello there.

My name is Mrs. Avshan.

I'm very excited to be learning with you today.

Today we are going to explore the fascinating world of Christian places of worship, churches.

We'll discover what makes them sacred? How they can look different and why that might be? The outcome of today's lesson is I can describe how Christian churches might look similar and different.

These are some of the key words we'll be exploring in our lesson today.

The words are church, a place of worship for Christians.

Altar, a table that is used in some religious ceremonies in a church.

Font, a bowl containing water for baptism.

Lectern, a special stand where the Bible is read.

Bible, the holy book for Christians.

Let's have a go at reading these again with me.

My turn first and your turn.

Church.

Church.

Altar.

Altar.

Font.

Font.

Lectern.

Lectern, Bible.

Bible.

You did that really well.

There are three cycles in today's lesson, but first we'll be looking at why do Christians have different types of churches? Let's meet two people who will help us understand why churches look different.

Here's David.

David is a nurse who lives in London.

He is also a Christian.

This is the church where David goes to worship God every week with his family.

David's church was built 150 years ago as a church.

There are some features that identify it as a church.

It has a tower with a bell that rings when there is a service taking place.

A cross, which is a symbol of Jesus.

It also has stained glass windows which tell stories from the Bible.

It's time for a check for understanding.

Which of the features of David's church is a symbol of Jesus? Is it a cross, a bell tower or stained glass windows? Pause the video and come back with your answer.

Well done if you got the answer cross.

That's correct.

Here's Sophia.

Sophia is a British Christian from London.

She visits her church to worship every Sunday.

That's the image of Sophia's church.

How does Sophia's church look different to David's church? Let's find out.

Sophia's church was not built as a church.

It has been turned into a church later by Christians who wanted a place to worship God.

It does not have the same outside features as David's church.

Time for another check for understanding.

True or false? All churches look the same from the outside.

What do you think? You're right if you got false as the answer.

There are different types of churches.

Some like David's have features like a cross.

Others like Sophia's do not have any features like that, but they're both churches.

David talked about his church.

Let's find out what he says.

David said, "I love my church.

I enjoy walking to it and hearing the bell ringing out to call me to the service.

I like to see the cross and it reminds me of Jesus.

It is a beautiful place where I can connect with God." Let's find out from Sophia who talked about her church.

Sophia said, "I love my church.

Although it looks quite different from the outside, I know that when I go inside, it is a sacred place where I can worship God.

There are different churches, but we all worship one God." Time for a check.

What two reasons did David and Sophia give for why their churches are important to them? Is it because they look different, they're not the same? They are a place to connect with God or is it that they are a place to worship God? What two reasons? That's correct, they are a place to connect with God and the other reason is they are a place to worship God.

We've learned that churches can look different, but they all serve a special purpose for Christians.

We can now find out how are different parts of a church significant? Now let's take a look at the inside of a church.

This is the inside of David's church.

It has different parts and objects that hold special meaning or purpose for many Christians.

Some of the important features inside David's church are an altar, a lectern, and a font.

Time for another check.

In David's church, you will find an altar, a font, and a lectern, true or false? True.

Well done, you got that right.

Here are different parts and objects that hold special meaning or purpose in Sophia's church.

The features in Sophia's church look different from those in David's church, but they both help Christians learn about God.

Sophia's church has an altar and a font.

This is the altar at David's church.

An altar is a special table where important parts of a service let communion happen.

It is usually at the front of the church and is used to respect and worship God.

Sophia's church also has an altar.

The altar in Sophia's church is smaller than the big altar in larger churches like David's church.

It is mostly used during special services like weddings or communion to lead prayers and to talk to God.

It's time for a check for understanding.

What is a special table in a church called? Is it a lectern, an altar, or an organ? An altar.

That is correct, great work.

This is the font at David's church, a font is a special bowl in a church which children and adult are baptised, which means they're welcomed into the Christian faith.

Sophia's church also has a font.

Time for another check.

Are you ready? Who can get baptised in a font? Is it both adults and children? Is it only children or is it only adults? Both adults and children.

That is correct.

This is a lectern at David's church.

A lectern is a special stand where the Bible is placed to read from or to give a talk on how to follow the Bible's teaching.

Sophia's church does not have a lectern, so the Bible is read while it is held in hand during the service.

Ready for a check for understanding? What is read during a church service? A newspaper, a Bible, or a letter? A Bible, correct answer.

Time for in the task.

I hope you're ready.

Match each church items with its correct description.

Pause the video now and come back when you're ready to check your answers.

Are you ready to check your answers? Match church item with its correct description.

Let's look at an altar first.

An altar is a special table where important parts of a service like communion happens.

A font is a special area in a church where both adults and children are baptised.

Lectern is a special stand where the Bible is placed to read from.

Great work, we're now going to look at why do Christians use different signs and symbols? Here's Sophia, who's talking about an important sign.

For Sophia, an important sign is the cross.

Sophia says, "The cross reminds me of the sacrifice that Jesus made through his death to save others." Another important symbol for Sophia is the bread and wine that she shares.

Sophia says, "This symbol reminds me of the last supper where Jesus asked his disciples to remember his life and teachings." An important symbol for David is a candles light.

David says, "The candles light reminds me that Jesus is the light of the world and shows us how to be closer to God." Time for a check for understanding.

Christianity has many signs and symbols that represent different aspects of their faith.

True or false? True.

That is correct.

Why are signs and symbols important to many Christians? Let's remind ourselves.

Alex says, "They help Christians feel connected to their faith." Aisha says, "They represent important beliefs." Izzy says, "They help Christians express their belonging in different ways." Time for another check for understanding.

Which statement is correct? Is it all Christians belong to the same tradition or all Christians do the exact same thing at their church, or all Christians belong to different traditions? Have a go.

That is correct.

All Christians belong to different traditions.

Well done.

Here is time for another task.

Hope you're ready.

Help Jun decide why Christians use different symbols or signs like a cross, a candle or the bread and wine and give reasons why.

You can pause the video now and come back when you're ready to check your answers.

Are you ready to check your answers? Help Jun decide why Christians use different symbols or signs? Some of the possible suggestions are the cross reminds Christians of the sacrifice that Jesus made through his death to save others.

The altar reminds Christians of the last supper where Jesus asked his disciples to remember his life and teachings.

The candle's light reminds many Christians that Jesus is the light of the world and shows them how to be closer to God.

Great work.

Well done.

Here's the summary of today's learning.

We now know there are many different types of churches where Christians come together to worship God.

We also know that different parts of a church are important to different Christian groups.

And we've also looked at Christians using different signs and symbols to show they belong and are part of different traditions or groups in their faith.

You worked really hard today.

Well done.

I'll see you in our next lesson.