Ages 7+ · Bible Stories · Easter and the early church
Dorcas the helper
🌊a port by the sea🧥robes and coats🍞bread🪔a little lamp🧵needle and thread
Dorcas of Joppa.
The big ideaThe Bible tells us Dorcas was always helping the poor, and her friends never forgot her.
How it works
The Bible tells us about Dorcas, also called Tabitha, a woman in the port town of Joppa. She spent her days doing good and helping the poor.
Dorcas sewed robes and coats for widows, women whose husbands had died, and she carried bread to hungry families.
One day she became ill and died, and her friends were very sad. They sent two men to Lydda, a town close by, to ask Peter to come.
Peter knelt and prayed, and he told her to get up. She opened her eyes and sat up, and Peter gave her back to her friends, alive.
The story in a row.Two towns.
Example 1: Tell it in order
Start with Dorcas sewing coats for the poor.
Then she is ill, and her friends are sad.
Next two men hurry to Lydda to ask Peter to come.
Last, Peter prays, and Dorcas sits up.
Example 2: Find the two towns
Joppa is the port town by the sea.
Lydda is not far away, inland.
The two men went to Lydda on foot to find Peter.
Example 3: Small kindnesses
Dorcas helped with what she could do, and she could sew.
She made a soft coat and carried it to a neighbor.
You can help with what you can do too, like carrying a bag or sharing a snack.
Words to know
widow
A woman whose husband has died.
disciple
A follower of Jesus, who learns from him.
tanner
A worker who turns animal skins into leather. Peter stayed at the house of Simon, a tanner.
Watch out
Dorcas and Tabitha are one woman. Tabitha was her first name, and friends who spoke Greek called her Dorcas.
Dorcas gave her coats away. She never wanted a reward.
Peter came from Lydda to pray. Dorcas was the one who sewed.
The widows cried and held up the coats. Peter asked everyone to go outside before he prayed.
Try it
What did Dorcas sew for the poor?
Who did the two men go to ask for help?
What is a widow?
What does the story say small acts of kindness do?
Answers: 1. Robes and coats · 2. Peter · 3. A woman whose husband has died · 4. They matter to the person who gets them
Try at homeWith a grown-up, pick one small, helpful thing to do for a neighbor this week. Make it, bake it, or carry it over.
For grown-upsThe story tells in one plain sentence that Dorcas died, and the episode keeps it calm. If your child asks about it, answer in your own words. Then ask what small thing they could do for a neighbor this week (the Mission suggests making, baking or carrying something over, with you).
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