1. Morning Worship Liberation
Amnesty International – Human Rights
 Easter Season
29th April 2015
Bishop Justus Church of England School

2. Gather The Lord be with you And also with you
Today’s worship focuses on the work of Amnesty International and raises awareness about Human Rights issues.
Liberation is at the heart of Amnesty International’s work.
The website for Amnesty has many resources - please be aware that some issues can be very challenging and may upset or be rather adult in content—so pick your human right issues according to the students you have in your class.

3. Receive
Ananias went, entered the house where Saul was, and placed his hands on him. "Brother Saul," he said, "the Lord has sent me - Jesus himself, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here. He sent me so that you might see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit." At once something like fish scales fell from Saul's eyes, and he was able to see again. He stood up and was baptized; and after he had eaten, his strength came back. Saul stayed for a few days with the believers in Damascus.
Acts of the Apostles 9: 17-20
Seeing clearly
What is difficult for us to know and see
Do we prefer to not know so that we don’t feel upset?
Imagine your family are suffering human rights abuses. Would you
Want people to listen and to act to support your situation?
What should our school be doing in response to human rights issues?

4. Engage Human rights in areas of conflict
What if it happened in the UK?
Because we can’t see it doesn’t mean
it isn’t happening…
What is Amnesty International?
Amnesty sees the human rights issues
and fights for people’s freedom…
find out more
What does it look like to live
life in dignity?
Find a current issue and do something
as a class – write a class
to your MP or campaign for someone
who needs your voice.
Why Amnesty?
Watch students talk about their amnesty group in the film ‘I talk out loud’
Use the film to discuss how we should respond to human rights abuses in the world
Success stories
Urgent actions
Look at the current priority human rights actions
40 years of urgent actions
Women and Afghanistan
Find out about the campaign about ending violence against women in Afghanistan
Talk together about whether you will sign the petition?
letter writing guide
A large part of amnesty’s success has been the letter writing campaign about human rights abuses
Look at this letter writing guide and then get writing....
Ask if students know who their MP is? At school we are in the Beckenham Constituency and our representative MP is Bob Stewart

5. Respond
Lord Jesus, you experienced in person torture and death as a prisoner of conscience.
You were beaten and flogged and sentenced to an agonizing death though you had done no wrong. Be now with prisoners of conscience throughout the world. Be with them in their fear and loneliness, in the agony of physical and mental torture, and in the face of execution and death. Stretch out your hands in power to break their chains. Be merciful to the oppressor and the torturer, and place a new heart within them. Forgive all injustice in our lives, and transform us to be instruments of your peace, for by your wounds we are healed.
Amen Amnesty International, ‘Prayers for Peace’, SPCK

6. Go
Let us bless the Lord
Thanks be to God