Leader’s guide · 12 weeks
Leader’s guide: C. T. Studd (For Children)
Using this guide with a class? See Ochorus for schools or homeschool families
This guide walks a Sunday school class, homeschool group or family through “C. T. Studd (For Children)” in twelve weeks, one chapter a week. It works for a small family around the table or a class of up to twenty, and suits ages 6–12; the youngest will enjoy the cricket and journey games, and older children can carry more of the talking.
Each session takes about 30 minutes. Welcome everyone and say the memory verse together (3 minutes). Read the chapter aloud (5–7 minutes). Talk together using the chapter’s three questions (5–10 minutes). Do the activity (10 minutes). Close by praying the chapter’s prayer, or your own (2 minutes).
To prepare, read the chapter yourself beforehand, have paper, pencils and crayons ready, and clear a little floor space for the movement weeks. The book touches on illness, the loss of two baby sons, and the deaths of Priscilla and Charlie, so read those parts calmly, answer questions simply and truthfully, and keep coming back to the book’s own point: the Chinese and Congolese Christians in this story are its heroes, and whatever we do for Jesus will last.
Week 1 — A Boy Called Charlie
Charlie Studd is born in 1860 into a very rich English family; their money came from indigo grown in India, where Indian farmers did the hard work and were often treated unfairly. At Tedworth House his father builds a cricket ground, and Charlie grows up tall, cheerful and one of the best young cricketers in England. The big idea: every good gift we have comes from God, who is glad when we use it for him.
“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above.” — from James 1
Memory verse
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom can be no variation, nor turning shadow.
James 1:17
Talk together
Where did the Studd family’s money come from?
From India, where Charlie’s father grew indigo, a plant that makes blue dye. Indian farmers did the hard work in the fields, and they were often treated unfairly.
What did Charlie’s father make for his boys at Tedworth House?
A cricket ground. He also made a racecourse for his horses.
What is one good gift God has given you?
Any honest answer is good here. The chapter’s point is that every good gift comes from God, and he is glad when we use our gifts for him.
Activity
Guess My Gift
You will need: Nothing
- Sit in a circle and talk about gifts God gives people, such as running, drawing, singing, building or being kind.
- Take turns standing up and silently acting out one gift, while everyone else guesses what it is.
- When someone guesses right, the whole group says together, “Thank you, God, for that gift!”
- Finish by each quietly naming one way you could use your own gift for God this week.
Pray
Dear God, thank you for all the good gifts you have given me. Help me to remember that they come from you, and to use them for you. Amen.
Week 2 — The Father Who Sold His Horses
Charlie’s father, Edward, hears D. L. Moody preach and gives his life to Jesus; he sells his racehorses, turns the great hall into a meeting place, and keeps praying for his embarrassed sons. He dies in 1877, but the next summer a visitor shows Charlie God’s promise of eternal life, and Charlie, Kynaston and George all decide to follow Jesus. The father’s death is mentioned only briefly; there is no need to dwell on it. The big idea: God hears our prayers for our families, even when the answer takes a long time.
“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.” — from Acts 16
Memory verse
Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your house.
Acts 16:31
Talk together
What did Charlie’s father do after he became a Christian?
He sold his racehorses, kept only one each for his older sons to ride, and filled the great hall at Tedworth with chairs so that preachers could tell the neighbours about Jesus.
What promise did the visitor show Charlie in 1878?
That whoever believes in Jesus has eternal life. Charlie believed it, knelt down and thanked God.
Who is someone you could pray for this week?
Any honest answer is good here. The chapter’s point is that God hears our prayers for our families and friends, even when the answer takes a long time.
Activity
A House Full of Prayers
You will need: Paper and crayons
- Draw a big house with lots of windows.
- In each window, draw or write someone you want to pray for, such as family, friends or neighbours.
- Above the roof, write “God hears me.”
- Keep your picture to yourself, take it home, and pray for one window each day this week.
Pray
Dear God, thank you for the people who pray for me. Help me to pray for my family and friends, and to trust you to answer. Amen.
Week 3 — Playing for England
At Cambridge, Charlie plays cricket brilliantly: he beats the Australians, scores a thousand runs and takes a hundred wickets in one season, and plays for England in the famous match at the Oval that gave the world “the Ashes.” But for about six years he keeps his faith to himself, and later says cricket had taken first place in his life. The big idea: games are good gifts and God is glad when we enjoy them, but nothing should take his place in our hearts.
“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” — from Matthew 6
Memory verse
But seek first God’s Kingdom, and his righteousness; and all these things will be added to you.
Matthew 6:33
Talk together
What happened to Charlie in the famous match at the Oval?
He was sent in near the end, but the last English batsman was out before Charlie faced a single ball, and Australia won by seven runs.
How did the Ashes get their name?
A newspaper joked that English cricket had died and that its ashes would be taken to Australia. Charlie’s team went to Australia that winter to win them back.
Is there something you love that could take God’s place?
Any honest answer is good here. The chapter’s point is that the things we enjoy are good gifts, but God should always come first.
Activity
God-First Cricket
You will need: Nothing (no bats or balls; everything is mimed)
- Stand in a space with room to swing your arms.
- When the leader calls “Bat!”, swing an imaginary bat; “Bowl!”, bowl an imaginary ball; “Field!”, crouch to stop it; “Run!”, run on the spot.
- When the leader calls “Seek first!”, everyone stops, kneels and points up, saying “God first!” Nobody is out; everyone keeps playing.
- Speed up the calls for a minute, then finish by kneeling together and saying the memory verse.
Pray
Dear God, thank you for games and fun. Please help me to put you first in my life, before everything else. Amen.
Week 4 — At George’s Bedside
In 1883 Charlie’s brother George becomes very ill, and at his bedside Charlie sees that fame cannot help anyone and that what matters is being ready to meet God. George gets better, Charlie hears Mr Moody again and starts telling his cricket friends about Jesus, and in 1884 he offers to go to China with Hudson Taylor, though his family is very upset. Some children may think of someone who is ill; be honest that not everyone gets better as George did, and that God is with them either way. The big idea: God can use a hard time to show us what really matters.
“This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God.” — from John 11
Memory verse
But when Jesus heard it, he said, This sickness is not to death, but for the glory of God, that God’s Son may be glorified by it.
John 11:4
Talk together
What did Charlie think about while George was so ill?
That fame could not help George at all, and that the only thing that mattered was being ready to meet God. He felt ashamed that he had lived as if cricket mattered most.
Why was Charlie’s family upset in 1884?
Because he had offered to go to China with the China Inland Mission. His mother begged him to stay.
Has a hard time ever helped you see what really matters?
Any honest answer is good here. The chapter’s point is that God is with us in hard times and can use them to show us what is most important.
Activity
What Really Matters?
You will need: Nothing
- Stand in a space together.
- The leader calls out things one at a time, such as a gold medal, a famous name, God’s love, a new bike, helping a friend, a big house, praying for someone.
- If it will last for ever, stretch up tall; if it will not last, crouch down low.
- Talk about any that were hard to decide, remembering that good things like games and toys are gifts, just not first place.
- Finish by standing tall together and saying, “God’s love lasts for ever!”
Pray
Dear God, when hard things happen, help me to remember what really matters. Thank you that you are always with me. Amen.
Week 5 — Seven Young Men
Seven young men, the Cambridge Seven, offer to go to China with the China Inland Mission, and Charlie tells students that cricket will not last but living for Jesus will. They sail in 1885, and in Shanghai they put on Chinese clothes, because Hudson Taylor taught that missionaries should come as guests and learners, not bosses. Charlie finds Chinese very hard, and every child in the street knows more than he does. Present the clothes as respect for Chinese people, not as dressing up. The big idea: anyone can say “Here I am” to God, and be humble and ready to learn.
“Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.” — from Isaiah 6
Memory verse
I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then I said, Here am I; send me.
Isaiah 6:8
Talk together
Who were the Cambridge Seven?
Seven young men, most of them from Cambridge, who offered to go to China with the China Inland Mission in 1885. Charlie was one of them.
Why did the Seven wear Chinese clothes?
Hudson Taylor taught that missionaries should come as guests and learners, not as bosses, so they dressed the way Chinese people did.
What could you say to God, like Isaiah did?
Any honest answer is good here. The chapter’s point is that anyone, famous or not, can say, Here I am, God, and be ready to learn and to serve.
Activity
Here I Am, Ready to Learn
You will need: Nothing
- Sit in a circle. The leader asks, “Who will go for us?” and everyone jumps up and says, “Here I am!”
- Ask one child to make up a short clapping or tapping pattern and teach it to the group, while everyone else is the beginner.
- Repeat the “Who will go?” call, then let a different child be the teacher with a new pattern.
- Finish by talking about how it felt to be a beginner, as Charlie was in China, and say the memory verse together.
Pray
Dear God, here I am. Please use me, and help me to be humble and ready to learn. Amen.
Week 6 — Treasure in a Field
At twenty-five Charlie receives his share of his father’s fortune, and, taking Jesus’ words to the rich young man seriously, he gives almost all of it away to Mr Moody, George Müller’s orphans, George Holland and the Salvation Army in India. Like the man in Jesus’ story who sold everything for the treasure in the field, he feels glad and free, not poorer. When you talk about giving, keep it to time, help and kindness; do not ask children to give away money or belongings. The big idea: Jesus is better than any treasure, and giving gladly makes us happy.
“It is more blessed to give than to receive.” — from Acts 20
Memory verse
The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found, and hid. In his joy, he goes and sells all that he has, and buys that field.
Matthew 13:44
Talk together
What did Charlie do with his fortune?
He gave almost all of it away, to Mr Moody, George Müller, George Holland, Frederick Booth-Tucker and other Christian work.
Why was Charlie like the man in Jesus’ story about the treasure?
Because he gave everything up with joy. He did not feel he had lost anything, because Jesus was worth more than all of it.
What is something you could give to someone this week?
Any honest answer is good here. The chapter’s point is that giving gladly makes us happy, because it is more blessed to give than to receive.
Activity
Treasure in the Field
You will need: One sheet of paper and a crayon (for the leader)
- Before the session, draw a treasure chest on a sheet of paper, write “Jesus” on it, fold it small and hide it somewhere in the room.
- Tell the children the room is a field with treasure hidden in it, and let them search quietly.
- When it is found, open it together and read the word inside.
- Let the finder hide it again for one more round, then talk about why Charlie was glad to give everything for Jesus.
Pray
Dear Jesus, you are better than any treasure. Help me to give gladly to others, the way you gave yourself for me. Amen.
Week 7 — Scilla
Priscilla Stewart, called Scilla, is one of the hundred and two missionaries sent to China in 1887 after Hudson Taylor and his friends prayed for a hundred. She and Charlie fall in love, laugh for years about who asked whom, and are married by a Chinese pastor; then Priscilla gives the money Charlie kept for her to the Salvation Army, so they start married life trusting only God. The big idea: God gives us families and friends so that we can help each other and do not have to be brave alone.
“Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour.” — from Ecclesiastes 4
Memory verse
Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor.
Ecclesiastes 4:9
Talk together
How did Priscilla come to China?
She was one of the hundred and two new missionaries sent out by the China Inland Mission in 1887, after Hudson Taylor and his friends prayed for a hundred.
What did Priscilla do with the money Charlie gave her?
She gave all of it to the Salvation Army, because she wanted to start married life trusting only God, as Charlie had done.
Who helps you, and whom do you help?
Any honest answer is good here. The chapter’s point is that God gives us families and friends so that we can help each other.
Activity
Two Are Better Than One
You will need: Nothing
- Find a partner, sit on the floor back to back, link arms, and try to stand up together without using your hands on the floor.
- Now stand face to face and play mirror: one person moves slowly and the other copies like a mirror, then swap.
- With your partner, think of one thing that is easier with two people than one.
- Share your ideas with the group, then thank God for the people who help you.
Pray
Dear God, thank you for my family and my friends. Help us to help each other and to trust you together. Amen.
Week 8 — Sowing in Tears
Charlie and Priscilla live in Lungan, in Shanxi, where people do not want foreigners, partly because foreign countries had forced opium on China. They live simply, slowly make friends, and work beside Chinese Christians such as Pastor Xi, whose homes helped people trapped by opium get better. Four daughters are born, but two baby boys live only a very short time, and illness sends the family home in 1894. Read the line about the baby boys gently and simply, without adding to it. The big idea: God is close when we are sad, and nothing we do for him is wasted.
“They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.” — from Psalm 126
Memory verse
Those who sow in tears will reap in joy.
Psalm 126:5
Talk together
How did the people of Lungan feel about Charlie and Priscilla at first?
They did not want foreigners there. Some shouted insults and made threats, but slowly some of them became friends.
Who ran the homes where people trapped by opium could get better?
Chinese Christians, like Pastor Xi, who had once been trapped by opium himself.
Have you ever kept going when something was hard and slow?
Any honest answer is good here. The chapter’s point is that God is close to us when we are sad, and what we do for him is never wasted.
Activity
Seeds and Harvest
You will need: Paper and crayons
- Fold a sheet of paper in half.
- On the left half, draw brown soil with a few small seeds hidden underneath.
- On the right half, draw the same field full of tall plants, flowers or a harvest.
- Write the memory verse across the bottom, and tell God about something you are working hard at, even if it is growing slowly.
Pray
Dear God, when I am sad or tired, please stay close to me. Help me to keep doing what is right, even when I cannot see what will come of it. Amen.
Week 9 — A Notice in Liverpool
Back in England the family has little money; Charlie visits American universities, then is a pastor in Ootacamund in southern India for six years. In 1908 a notice outside a hall in Liverpool leads him to hear Karl Kumm speak about peoples in the middle of Africa who had never heard of Jesus, and Charlie asks: why has nobody gone, and why should I not go myself? The big idea: people can only hear about Jesus if someone tells them, and every one of us can tell and pray.
“How shall they hear without a preacher?” — from Romans 10
Memory verse
How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in him whom they have not heard? How will they hear without a preacher?
Romans 10:14
Talk together
Where did the Studd family live from 1900 to 1906?
In Ootacamund, a town in the cool hills of southern India, where Charlie was the pastor of a church.
What question did Charlie ask himself after hearing Karl Kumm?
Why had no Christians gone to the peoples in the middle of Africa? And then, why should he not go himself?
Who could you tell about Jesus?
Any honest answer is good here. The chapter’s point is that people can only hear about Jesus if someone tells them, and we can all tell and pray.
Activity
Praying Around the World
You will need: A large sheet of paper and crayons
- Draw a big circle on the paper for the world, and add rough shapes for England, India, China and Africa.
- Take turns adding a small picture or name of a place or people you want to pray for, near or far.
- Add a few stick figures walking to show people going to tell others about Jesus.
- Stand around the picture and let anyone who wants to pray one short sentence for one place on it.
Pray
Dear God, please send people to tell everyone about Jesus. Help me to tell my friends about you too. Amen.
Week 10 — To the Heart of Africa
Charlie and his friends start the Heart of Africa Mission, and in 1913, at fifty-two, he travels nine months by ship, train, steamer and on foot to Niangara in the Congo with young Alfred Buxton. Priscilla, though she has a weak heart, runs the whole mission from London. The people of the Congo had suffered cruelly under rulers who forced them to gather rubber and ivory; keep that to one plain sentence, as the chapter does. The big idea: like Abraham, we can obey and trust God one step at a time even when we do not know where we are going.
“By faith Abraham, when he was called… obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.” — from Hebrews 11
Memory verse
By faith, Abraham, when he was called, obeyed to go out to the place which he was to receive for an inheritance. He went out, not knowing where he went.
Hebrews 11:8
Talk together
Who went with Charlie to Africa in 1913?
Alfred Buxton, a young man of about twenty-one who gave up training to be a doctor so that he could go.
What did Priscilla do while Charlie was in Africa?
She ran the whole mission from their home in London. She wrote letters, looked after the money, found new missionaries and spoke at meetings, even though she had a weak heart.
What is something you can trust God with, even if you do not know how it will turn out?
Any honest answer is good here. The chapter’s point is that, like Abraham and Charlie, we can trust God one step at a time.
Activity
The Long Journey
You will need: Nothing
- Stand in a line behind the leader.
- Follow the leader’s actions for each part of Charlie’s journey: rock side to side for the ship, chug with your arms for the train, paddle for the steamer, and march for the long walk.
- Every so often the leader calls “Next step!”, and everyone freezes, then takes one big step forward together.
- Finish sitting down and say together, “I can trust God one step at a time.”
Pray
Dear God, I do not know everything that will happen to me, but you do. Help me to trust you one step at a time. Amen.
Week 11 — The Church in the Forest
At Ibambi in the Ituri forest, Charlie lives simply among the Budu people in a house built by Congolese builders. The real heroes of the chapter are the Congolese evangelists who walked the forest paths, taught people to read and gathered churches; their churches sent and supported their own messengers, and Congolese men and women helped translate Luke and Acts into Kingwana, printed in 1930. The big idea: God thinks the feet of everyone who carries his good news are beautiful.
“How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!” — from Romans 10
Memory verse
And how will they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things!
Romans 10:15
Talk together
Who did most of the telling about Jesus in the forest?
Congolese Christians. They walked to villages where nobody knew about Jesus, lived with the people, taught them to read and gathered little churches.
What part of the Bible was printed in Kingwana in 1930?
The books of Luke and Acts. Charlie worked on them with two other missionaries, helped by Congolese speakers.
How could your feet be beautiful, like the evangelists’ feet?
Any honest answer is good here. The chapter’s point is that God thinks the feet of everyone who carries his good news are beautiful.
Activity
Beautiful Feet
You will need: Paper and crayons
- Stand on a sheet of paper in your shoes and ask a partner to draw around one shoe.
- Colour your footprint in, and write “Beautiful feet” across it.
- Inside the footprint, draw or write one place your feet could take you to share God’s love, such as school, a neighbour’s house or a friend’s.
- Hold up your footprints together and thank God for the Congolese Christians who walked the forest paths.
Pray
Dear God, thank you for the Congolese Christians who carried the good news through the forest. Make my feet beautiful too, ready to go and share your love. Amen.
Week 12 — Hallelujah
Charlie and Priscilla live apart for twelve years and see each other one last time in 1928; Priscilla dies in 1929. Charlie, old, ill and not a perfect man, keeps loving Jesus and the Congolese people, writes to his grandchildren “Only one life, ’twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last,” and dies at Ibambi in 1931 with “Hallelujah” as his last word. Today the church in the forest, led by Congolese Christians, numbers hundreds of thousands. Two deaths come in this chapter: read them plainly, give children room to feel sad, and point to the hope and praise in Charlie’s last word. The big idea: we each have one life, and whatever we do for Jesus will last.
“I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.” — from 2 Timothy 4
Memory verse
I have fought the good fight. I have finished the course. I have kept the faith.
2 Timothy 4:7
Talk together
What two lines did Charlie put in his letter to his grandchildren?
“Only one life, ’twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.” He loved them, though he had not written them himself.
What did Charlie’s family remember as his last word?
“Hallelujah,” which means “Praise the Lord.”
What is one small thing you could do for Jesus this week?
Any honest answer is good here. The chapter’s point is that we each have one life, and whatever we do for Jesus will last.
Activity
Hallelujah Circle
You will need: Nothing
- Stand in a circle and remind everyone that “Hallelujah” means “Praise the Lord.”
- Go round the circle; each person names one thing to praise God for from the whole book or from their own life.
- After each one, everyone answers together, “Hallelujah!”
- Finish by saying Charlie’s two lines together: “Only one life, ’twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.”
Pray
Dear God, thank you for Charlie Studd and for the Congolese Christians who carried your good news through the forest. Help me to live my one life for you. Amen.