End-of-Summer Special!

Transcription

1 14th Sunday End-of-Summer Special! Theme: Be Faithful! End the summer with this fun special event! If your congregation has more than one middle elementary class, you may want to combine classes and enjoy the event together. Use the invitation on page 14 to let kids and families know that something special will be happening! The following pages give a suggested schedule, lots of fun activities, and a tandem story script to help kids focus on being faithful to God. Choose the activities your kids will enjoy! Make copies of page 13 to give to parents. It gives some simple, but great ideas for how families can work together to be faithful to God. Note: The craft activities and page of Family Ideas replace Middle Elementary Activities and Kidz Chat for this session. Suggested Schedule 2 or 3 games and activities Make a video Tandem Bible story Prayer time Craft (choose 1) Snack 1 or 2 games and activities Games and Activities Walk by Faith, Not by Sight Materials: blindfolds; chairs, tables, and boxes for creating a maze Play this old game with a new twist. Place students in pairs and blindfold one person in each pair. Carefully guide pairs to a prearranged location where you have created a maze with chair paths, tables to crawl under, and boxes to step over. In each pair, have the student who can see lead the blindfolded student through the maze. Make it clear that the only form of communication should be to whisper. If time allows, have partners trade places, quickly rearrange the maze in several places, and have the pairs go through the maze again. After all pairs have gone through the maze, talk about times in life when the kids may need to walk by faith, not knowing exactly where they will go next. It is in these times that it is very important to be still and listen carefully for God s leading. 1

2 14th Sunday End-of-Summer Special! Yes, No, Wait Game Have the kids line up at one end of the room. One by one have each player ask a question as in the game Mother, May I? (Examples: May I take two giant steps? May I hop three steps? ) Instead of always saying Yes, you may or No, you may not, sometimes say You must wait. Randomly go back and allow players who are waiting to move ahead. As they get behind in the race, players who are waiting will get more anxious about you not allowing them to move forward. This will add to the message of this lesson. Sometimes allow a player who has been waiting patiently to move ahead of everyone. After the game, explain that when God does not seem to be answering our prayers immediately, He is not ignoring us. He knows there may be lessons we can learn as we wait. Discuss with the class some things they learned during the game. Fruit of the Spirit Scavenger Hunt (high energy) Materials: colored index cards, bulletin board, tape or reusable adhesive, Middle Elementary Resources sheet 6, apples Prepare four sets of cards (each set should be a different color) that are labeled with the fruit of the Spirit (one fruit per card love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control). Hide all the cards around the room before your event begins. Display the Resources sheet 6 Bible memory poster next to a bulletin board. Divide the kids into four teams and assign a color to each team. When you say Go! have each team try to find all of the fruit of the Spirit cards in its assigned color. When a team finds all of its cards, team members must race to the board and tape their fruits in order, according to Galatians 5:22, 23. The first team to finish successfully receives an apple for each player. Give apples to members of the other teams too. 2

3 14th Sunday End-of-Summer Special! Service Game Relay (high energy) Materials: 3 brooms, 3 dustpans, 3 Ping-Pong balls Explain to kids that sometimes being a faithful Christian means serving God in ways that help others. This may mean doing things we may not usually enjoy doing, such as volunteering to clean at the church building or helping an elderly person clean her home. Use this game to show kids that cleaning can be fun! Divide kids into three teams and have teams line up at one end of the room. Give the first player on each team a broom, a Ping-Pong ball, and a dustpan. When you say Go, the first player on each team must sweep his Ping-Pong ball to the opposite end of the room, sweep the ball into the dustpan, and then carry the ball in the dustpan and the broom back to the next player on his team. The first team whose players each complete the sweeping activity wins. Make a video Bring small hand weights, heavy containers, and pieces of armor (plastic or cardboard swords and shields, variety of helmets, belts, shoes of different sizes and styles) to help kids make a video about putting on the armor of God. Some kids can be lifting weights and/or heavy containers; others can dress in various parts of the armor of God. Videotape the kids when they have practiced several times. Show the video during your snack time. Tandem Bible Story Plan to work with another teacher or assistant to share the tandem Bible story, Hebrews 11 God s Faith Hall of Fame. Or invite two guest storytellers to come and share the story at your event. The script for the story is included on pages

4 14th Sunday End-of-Summer Special! Caution You will want to make sure your students are wellsupervised when they are using knives or food choppers. If you feel your students are unable to handle this, you might want to pre-slice the fruits and have the students mix them together. Or use soft fruits such as bananas, strawberries, and melons that can be sliced into smaller pieces with plastic knives. Prayer Time Materials: Bible, variety of fresh fruit, knives or food chopper, cutting boards, large bowl, stirring spoon, small cups, plastic spoons, liquid hand sanitizer, napkins or paper towels Have a student read Galations 5: Allow students to chop, peel, and remove seeds from the various fruits. Create a delicious fruit salad and spoon individual servings into small cups. As the kids enjoy their fruit salad, discuss how beautiful a salad is with all of its different colors, shapes, and flavors. Relate this to how beautiful Christians are when they are filled with the fruit of the Spirit. Ask volunteers to share about parts of the Spirit they feel they personally struggle with (patience, kindness, etc.). Take turns praying for needs that have been expressed. Pray that each person can grow in following God s Spirit. Crafts Celebration Sheet Materials: large, light-colored, flat, bedsheet; variety of washable paints; markers; 6 8 large foam plates; paint shirts or old T-shirts; moist towelettes or water and paper towels for washing hands Before class, draw or paint a tree trunk and branches on the bedsheet. Pour a thin layer of a different color of paint on each foam plate. Have kids put on paint shirts or old T-shirts to protect their clothing. Briefly review some of the topics recently studied: being strong in the Lord, doing good, demonstrating the fruit of the Spirit, showing love, and celebrating God! Explain that the group will work together to make a Celebration Sheet for the classroom. Show kids how to dip one hand in the paint so that most of the fingers and palm are covered with paint. Then they can press their handprints on the branches on the bedsheet to create colorful leaves and fruit. Handprints can also be placed around the base of the tree to represent fallen leaves. Using markers, have the kids write on the bedsheet teachings they have learned from God s Word. (Examples: I want to show love to others. I need to resist temptation. Gentleness is a fruit of the Spirit.) When finished, allow the sheet to dry and then hang it on a classroom wall as a celebration of the teachings of God! Teaching Tip: Push two 8' tables together and cover them with a plastic tablecloth. Lay the prepared bedsheet on top of the plastic tablecloth. This will provide a solid surface for kids to work on and paint will not soak through and stain the surface. Or spread the plastic tablecloth with prepared bedsheet over it on the floor and let the kids work there. 4

5 14th Sunday End-of-Summer Special! Faith Fans Materials: white paper, colored construction paper, markers, stickers, paper clips or staplers and staples, glue On sheets of white paper, have kids write as many things as they can about what faith is and what faith means to them. Encourage them to write their sentences in decorative and random ways (circles, loops, boxes, etc.), rather than just in straight lines. Allow the kids to decorate the sheets with artwork and stickers. When finished with the sentences and decorating, have each person choose a colored sheet of construction paper and glue her white sheet to it. While the glue is drying, move to another activity, such as prayer time or song time. Later come back to the glued sheets and have kids fold their sheets back and forth in 1" folds, starting at one end and working to the other. Pull the bottom of the fanned sheet together and paper clip or staple it so that the top fans out. Kids will be able to read the messages they have written on their faith fans while cooling off!! Snack Hall of Faith Marshmallow People Materials: marshmallows, toothpicks, raisins, chocolate chips, graham crackers, frosting (other decorating supplies, if desired) Tell the kids that they are going to make marshmallow people to create a Hebrews 11 Hall of Faith. Using names from Hebrews 11, assign a Bible character to each student (Abraham, Noah, etc.). Show kids how to create marshmallow people, using graham crackers as bases, marshmallows as bodies, and frosting as glue. Toothpicks can be used to add arms (or legs, if daring!). Tell kids they can try to personalize their characters if they would like (i.e., place a small ark-shaped cracker behind Noah, build an altar for Abraham, etc.). After the creations are complete, line them up and read Hebrews 11 aloud. Take a photo of the Hall of Faith before kids eat their snacks. Hang the photo in your classroom as a reminder of the faithful people whose examples we can follow. 5

6 Tandem Bible Story Hebrews 11 God s Faith Hall of Fame Based On: Hebrews 11 Big Idea: In this chapter, the writer of the book of Hebrews lists many heroes of the faith who looked forward to Heaven, even though they never received all that they had hoped for while living here on this earth. Background: Some Bible scholars believe Apollos wrote the book of Hebrews. Others think it might have been Paul. Whoever it was, the writer provides a sweeping overview of heroes from the Old Testament in this classic chapter on the importance of faith. Each of the people listed received God s approval because of his faith, yet none of them received, in this life, all that God had promised them (Hebrews 11:39). We can learn from the examples of these trusting men and women that righteousness with God comes through faith alone, in Him alone. Type: Tandem storytelling Tellers: Bonnie A serious storyteller trying to tell the story (female or male); George Her friend, who keeps getting everything mixed up (male or female) Tools: A Bible Topics: Calling, consequences, conversion, conviction, courage, disappointment, faith, following God, God s sovereignty, grace, hope, ministry, new life, obedience, perseverance, rest, suffering, worship Tips: Bonnie begins onstage when the lights come up. She s rubbing her chin, thinking about something when George enters and the story begins. 6

7 Tandem Bible Story Script George: Hey, Bonnie. What cha doin? Bonnie: Oh, hi, George. I was just thinking about what faith is really all about. George: Oh, faith? That s easy! Bonnie: Oh, yeah? Well, what does it mean to have faith? George: Close your eyes. Bonnie: Why? What are you gonna do? George: Never mind, just close your eyes. Bonnie: Okay. (Close your eyes) Now what? What s supposed to happen now? George: I tickle you. (Tickle her) Bonnie: Hey! George: Let s try it again. Bonnie: No way! I m not closing my eyes. George: Why not? Bonnie: You re gonna tickle me! George: See, that s faith. Bonnie: What is? George: You believe I m gonna do something and that belief changes the way you live your life and the choices you make. Bonnie: Huh. That reminds me of a chapter in the Bible that talks about faith and tells about people who had faith in God. 7

8 Tandem Bible Story George: Yeah, Hebrews 11! Bonnie: And the first guy listed is named... (flip open the Bible and look up the verses in Hebrews 11) Abel. George: Cable? Bonnie: No, Abel. George: Clark Gable? Bonnie: Listen, George, his name was Abel. George: Oh, Mabel. Bonnie: Abel was one of the first people to live on the earth, and because he had faith in God, God was pleased with his offering. George: Is this a fable? Bonnie: No. Now, stop rhyming. George: Okay. Bonnie: His brother Cain didn t have faith, so his offering wasn t pleasing to God. George: What did Cain offer God? Bonnie: Vegetables. George: From his table? Bonnie: No. From his farm. George: What did Abel offer God? Bonnie: Sheep. George: Oh, from his stable? Bonnie: (Sighing) No! Look, it doesn t matter. Abel is the first hero of faith. 8

9 Tandem Bible Story George: Well, who comes next? Bonnie: Enoch. George: What did he knock over? Bonnie: George, he didn t knock anything over. That was his name, Enoch George: Ditover. Bonnie: He didn t knock it over! But he did have a close relationship with God his whole life. George: And that s what pleased God, his faith. Bonnie: Yup. And the next guy was Noah, who built a giant boat. George: That would float over the moat. Bonnie: He put animals on his boat. George: The goat floated in the boat, wearing his wooly coat. Bonnie: They all floated in the boat. And Noah and his family survived the flood. George: Because of their faith? Bonnie: Right. And the next guy listed is Abraham. George: Oh, I know about Abraham. Bonnie: You do? George: Sure. God told him, Abraham, leave your home. Go far away. And I ll tell you where to go some other day. Bonnie: Okay, let me get this straight, God. You want me to pack up everything I have and leave for a place I ve never been to without knowing where I m going, how long it will take me to get there, or when I ll arrive. 9

10 Tandem Bible Story George: Exactly. Bonnie: (To George) George, you do know this story! Do you know what Abraham said to God then? George: Yup. He said, What do you think I am, nuts?! I m not going anywhere! Bonnie: He didn t say that. He said, When can I get started? George: He must have been nuts. Bonnie: Well, God s always looking for people who are so crazy about Him that they ll do whatever He says, even when it doesn t make sense. George: So Abraham was nuts about God. Bonnie: Right. And Abraham s wife, Sarah, thought it was crazy at first too. But then, she trusted in God and had a baby, even though her biological clock wasn t ticking anymore and the batteries had been dead for decades. George: What does that mean? Bonnie: Never mind. Your parents will explain it to you when you re older. George: Oh. Bonnie: They obeyed God because they knew one day God would make all His promises come true. Then, Hebrews 11 lists Abraham s descendants like Jacob, Joseph, and Moses. George: Oh, Moses. I like Moses. He looks just like Charlton Heston. Bonnie: What are you talking about? George: You know, parting his hair in the middle. Bonnie: He didn t part his hair. He parted the Red Sea. George: That s a lot of shampoo. 10

11 Tandem Bible Story Bonnie: Listen, the people of Israel had faith too. They marched around Jericho George: (Singing) Jericho! Jericho! Joshua fought the battle of Jericho (Shake Bonnie as you sing) and the walls came a-tumblin down. Bonnie: Then a whole bunch of God s heroes are listed. Some of them were chased by lions George: Yikes! Bonnie: Thrown in the fire George: Ouch! Bonnie: And attacked with swords. George: Yowsa, that s gotta hurt. Bonnie: But they to trust in God through everything because of the heavenly kingdom they were looking forward to. George: Wait a minute, though. Some of these guys weren t all that great. Bonnie: What do you mean? George: Well, (looking it up in the Bible) Noah once got drunk, Abraham lied about his wife, Jacob tricked his dad, Moses murdered an Egyptian guy, the Israelites were complaining all the time, David s in here too. He took someone else s wife and had her husband killed. Samson was always out for revenge. All these guys messed up! Bonnie: You re right. They did. George: So then, how come they re still listed as God s heroes? Bonnie: Because in the end, what matters most to God is our faith. George: (Realizing this for the first time) Because that s what makes us right with Him! Bonnie: Yup. We all make mistakes. We all do things that are wrong. 11

12 Tandem Bible Story George: But when we have faith in God, we can be forgiven and made right with Him. Bonnie: You got it. And we can look forward to Heaven too. Just like the people listed in here. George: Cool. When we get to Heaven will we look like Charlton Heston, too? Bonnie: (Shaking your head) Why do I put up with this? Together: The end. (Bow. Fade out the stage lights as the storytellers exit.) Taken from 24 Tandem Bible Hero Story Scripts for Children s Ministry by Steven James (Copyright 2003 by Steven James. All rights reserved. Published by Standard Publishing, Cincinnati, Ohio. Used by permission.) 12

13 Family Ideas Did you have fun participating in our Be Faithful! Fun Day? Keep the fun going! Use these ideas and put into practice some great teachings from God s Word. Be Strong Park Cleanup Go to a favorite park, take along gloves and extra-strong garbage bags, and get busy! Most parks are in need of some cleanup and this is a great project to help serve your community. Enlist the help of other families and work together on this project. Do Good Animal Helpers Volunteer at a local animal shelter. Or have your family volunteer to help an elderly neighbor by walking and/or helping to care for her pet. Be Fruitful Lemonade Stand Work together as a family to set up a free lemonade stand in your neighborhood. While offering cold drinks, take the opportunity to invite neighbors to church services. Be Loving Help a Neighbor Day Find out if anyone in your neighborhood needs a helping hand and figure out how your family can help meet his or her needs. It may be that a family needs some groceries, needs help with yard work, or just needs some friends. Look for new neighbors too. Take them a gift bag filled with cleaning supplies, paper goods, and other items they may need as they move in. Be sure to include information about your congregation. Be Joyful Family Sing-Along Choose an evening when the entire family will be home. Let each person select two or three favorite songs to sing. Have fun laughing and singing together. Be sure to invite grandparents to join you. They will have some fun songs to share. End the evening by singing several songs to praise God. Be Faithful Hometown Hall of Fame Read Hebrews 11 together as a family. Talk about the Bible heroes listed in the chapter. Create a list of heroes in your hometown. Think of public servants (teachers, police officers, firefighters), elected officials, and local people serving in armed forces. Don t forget the heroes at your congregation (ministers, Sunday school teachers, ministry volunteers). As a family, do something special for at least one of these heroes (send a thank-you card, deliver a plate of cookies, etc.). Pray and thank God for each person named. 13

14 By faith we understand... Hebrews 11:3 Be Faithful! Fun Day Date: Time: Place: For more information: By faith we understand... Hebrews 11:3 Be Faithful! Fun Day Date: Time: Place: For more information: 14