252 Groups Group Experiences for K-5 th Grades

Transcription

1 252 Groups Group Experiences for K-5 th Grades Scripture marked NIrV is taken from the Holy Bible, New International Reader s Version, Copyright 1995, 1996, 1998 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Scripture marked NIV is taken from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION (NIV). Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Statement of Faith ABOUT GOD God is the one and only true God, yet He exists in three persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. God is the Creator, so everything belongs to Him and is under His control. God is holy, so He is righteous, majestic, and loving. God is all knowing and purposeful, so He s at work to bring about His will. No person, thing, or idea compares to God. ABOUT THE SCRIPTURES God reveals Himself to us through the Bible, and it is 100% accurate, reliable, and authoritative. ABOUT PEOPLE People are made in God s image and for His pleasure. But everybody falls short of God s intention, or ideal, for people. In other words, everyone has sinned. As a result, we are all separated from Him, even though He wants an intimate relationship with each of us. ABOUT SALVATION That s why Jesus God s Son came and lived on this earth, died, and rose again. God offers His free gift of salvation to all who believe in Jesus and accept Him as Savior the only way to be forgiven and reconciled to God. Anyone who accepts this gift is adopted as a son or daughter into God s family and will live with Him forever in heaven. User Agreement Orange gladly grants permission to churches, schools, and other licensees to tailor 252 Basics materials to fit their unique leadership requirements, locale and format preferences, and physical environment needs. However, if you wish to edit the content substantively, including Bible stories, learning activities, scripts, and any other content in which biblical principles and concepts are presented, you are obligated to do so within the doctrinal guidelines we ve expressed in our Statement of Faith. These resources are intended to be downloaded and printed for use by the subscribing entity only and may not be electronically transferred to or duplicated by other non-subscribing entities. Any unauthorized reproduction of this material or incorporation into a new work is a direct violation of US copyright laws The rethink Group. All rights reserved. 252 Basics and the 252 Basics logo are trademarks of Orange and the rethink Group. Chief Executive Officer Reggie Joiner Creative Team Kristen Ivy Elizabeth Hansen Cara Martens Brandon O Dell Greg Payne Phil Pierce Dan Scott Jon Williams Contributing Writers Jodi Blackwell Tony Myles Kelly Nishi Phil Pierce Julie Tiemann Copy Editors Elloa Davis Jennifer Wilder Dana Wilkerson Illustrations & Graphic Design Mike Davis Dan Scott Brian Bascle Joe Goode Technical & Web Support Hadley Brandt Orange Specialists Amy Grisham Joy Bowen Abbey Carr Becky Kizer Misty Phillips Stephanie Porter Susan Richards Courtney Templeton 2013 The rethink Group, Inc. All rights reserved. Adapted by Jodi Quinn, Community Bible Church, 9/2013 1

2 Men vs. Wild Bible Story: Men vs. Wild (Joshua and Caleb) Numbers Bottom Line: I can be brave even when others aren t. Memory Verse: When I m afraid, I will trust in you. Psalm 56:3, NIrV Life App: Courage being brave enough to do what you should do, even when you re afraid. Basic Truth: I need to make the wise choice. GETTING READY: Here s everything you need to know to get ready for this week. Supplies Needed Power Up: Engage the Heart (Large Group, minutes) Engage children s hearts in a Large Group setting through interactive worship, prayer, and an innovative re-telling of today s Bible story. Note: This week is a big week lots of props, lots of people! But we think it s worth it for the grand finale of the summer, especially since you will hopefully have a lot of visitors in response to the party you have planned for the day! 1. Opener/Closer What You Need: Assistant Leader Apple UGLI or tangelo fruit (at least two) Note: If you cannot find UGLI/tangelo fruit, consider making or purchasing a gross-looking green fruit juice smoothie. Blend together spinach, green apple, lime, kiwi, etc. for a delicious-tasting, gross-looking healthy drink! Music and Sound Effects (SFX): Upbeat music to use as kids enter and exit the room Optional: Theme from Dragnet (just the Duh duh duh duh duuuuuuh section) Large Group Visuals (downloadable from the website): Courage Slide Bottom Line Slide Memory verse Slide What You Do: Download the slides and have them ready to use. Cut up one of the UGLI fruit; leave the other whole 2013 The rethink Group, Inc. All rights reserved. Adapted by Jodi Quinn, Community Bible Church, 9/2013 2

3 2. Bible Story What You Need: Leader Rectangular table Prop box (this will need to be preset onstage) filled with: o Bible o DESERT and CANAAN signs (see below) o Water bottle o Pita bread o Canned chicken o 12 mini Coke cans o 1 Classic Coke bottle o 1 regular size Coke can o Chopstick o Grapes o Fruit-shaped candy (like Runts ) o Gallon of milk o Honey bear o 2 2-liters of Grape Crush soda o Keebler Grasshoppers cookies o Chicken nuggets o tent cards see below What You Do: Make two tent cards: one that says DESERT and one that says CANAAN. Fold two pieces of cardstock or poster board in half, and then write each place on one of the signs. The fold will make the sign be able to stand up on its own. Put the empty table on the stage. You may want to make sure the Leader has a chance to practice with all the different props before telling the actual story The rethink Group, Inc. All rights reserved. Adapted by Jodi Quinn, Community Bible Church, 9/2013 3

4 FOR LEADERS ONLY GOD VIEW: the connection between COURAGE and God s character, as shown through God s big story In the beginning of their relationship with Jesus, the disciples might not have been the most courageous bunch you ve ever seen. Remember when the storm blew up and even the most seasoned fishermen woke Jesus in a panic (Mark 4)? But Jesus wasn t scared. He knew the power and reliability of God. Time and again Jesus showed His disciples that God would provide whenever they needed Him. As they learned to trust God, the disciples courage grew to the point that Peter and John boldly testified before the Jewish government (Acts 4) about Jesus life and resurrection. Courage is being brave enough to do what you should do, even when you re afraid. Peter and John were facing imprisonment or worse but they had courage to speak openly about Jesus because they knew God would give them the words they needed. We can also face potentially scary situations because we trust God will take care of us. Courage is not the absence of fear but how you respond in the face of fear. When we approach situations, we can remember that God is bigger than anything we face. If we re afraid we ll be all alone, He will be with us. If we re afraid we re not good enough, He ll provide the gifting we need. And when we can t understand what s going to happen, we can remember that God sees everything that s happening and wants what s best for us. Then we can move forward courageously. This month, let s think about how: (1) God desires a relationship with us. Being courageous demonstrates trust and builds that relationship. (2) The Bible challenges us to respond to life with courage even when what we face doesn t make sense. (3) As we trust God and show courage, we become more like Jesus who was brave enough to say and do what God asked even when He faced death on the cross. This week, we re discovering: In this week s Bible story, 12 spies snuck into the land of Canaan (Numbers 13 14). Ten of them reported that they were afraid to attack the land, but Joshua and Caleb were the only two who spoke up and said God would provide a way for them to conquer the land. Our Bottom Line is I can be brave even when others aren t. Sometimes others will let their fear overcome them and keep them from doing what needs to be done. In those moments, we can still have courage because we know God will provide wherever He leads. The monthly memory verse is: When I m afraid, I will trust in You. Psalm 56:3 NIrV. Everyone is afraid of something. Sometimes, everyone is afraid of the same thing. In those moments, we can be the one to have courage because we remember our trust isn t in our own ideas or strength. Our trust is in God The rethink Group, Inc. All rights reserved. Adapted by Jodi Quinn, Community Bible Church, 9/2013 4

5 Men vs. Wild Bible Story: Men vs. Wild (Joshua and Caleb) Numbers Bottom Line: I can be brave even when others aren t. Memory Verse: When I m afraid, I will trust in you. Psalm 56:3, NIrV Life App: Courage being brave enough to do what you should do, even when you re afraid. Basic Truth: I need to make the wise choice. Power Up: Engage the Heart (Large Group, minutes) Engage children s hearts in a Large Group setting through interactive worship, prayer, and an innovative telling of today s Bible story. Slide: Logo with intro music Video: Countdown when queued Slide: Logo Assistant enters, eating an apple, in an extremely chipper mood even over the top. Leader: Good morning, you guys! Welcome back to (In a creepy, but silly voice.) Phobia Island! Did anyone remember their God Time sheets this week? You may wonder why I m so happy when we re on Phobia Island. Already this month I ve had to face my fears of (insert your own), and honestly, I just don t think there s anything else I m really scared of. So I m in a pretty great mood! I m so glad to see you all this morning! Let s check in with Vince and see how he is doing! Video: 252_IO LEADER: Alright, everyone, Stand up on your feet! Remember, Our God is bigger and greater then anything we could ever face. God is more powerful and stronger than any other. It s with God that we find the true courage that we need in this life. Psalm 77:14 says, You are the God who performs miracles; you display your power among the peoples. Let s honor and worship the one who is our God! Video: This Little Light Video: Our God Leader grabs preset prop box and sets it on the table, but remains standing The rethink Group, Inc. All rights reserved. Adapted by Jodi Quinn, Community Bible Church, 9/2013 5

6 SETTING UP THE STORY LEADER: Our God is for us! And wow! We have a story today about how God came through for His people. But first, let s review a bit. See, even though God had sent Moses to free the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, like we talked about the last couple of weeks, the Israelites still had quite a journey before they reached the Promised Land. Slide: Big Story Timeline We re still here in the Lost Tribes section of our timeline, (point to this section) where God is still leading His people through the broken world. God wanted everyone to know He was the only way the world could be rescued. Slide: Logo So, He used Moses to lead His people through the desert. But the Israelites weren t very happy about facing what lay ahead. They complained of being thirsty, so God gave them water from the rock (pull out a water bottle and put it in the desert). They whined about being hungry, and God sent special bread (pull out Pita bread) and quail (pull out canned chicken) to eat. They faced enemies who tried to wipe them out, and God gave them victory. By now, the Israelites had been traveling in the desert for over a year. They had finally reached the home God had promised them in the land of Canaan (on the other side of the table, set out the CANAAN sign). But there was just one teensy, little problem SCOUT MOB LEADER: Other people were already living in the land! Of course, none of this caught God by surprise, so He immediately had instructions for Moses. (Read Numbers 13:1-2 directly from the Bible.) The LORD spoke to Moses. He said, Send some men to check out the land of Canaan. I am giving it to the people of Israel. Send one leader from each of Israel s tribes. (NIrV) So, God s instructions were to send twelve men one from each tribe to scout out the land. Let s see, twelve men, what do I have in here that could be twelve men? Aha! (Pull out the 12 mini Coke cans and set them on the table on the desert side.) And I need a Moses too. (Pull out the bottle of Coke and put it opposite the mini cans, but still on the desert side.) Moses had some specific things he wanted the men to look for: how many people lived there; how strong they were; what their land was like; what kind of towns they lived in and if there were high walls around the towns; what the soil was like things like that. And he asked them to bring back some fruit of the land, since it was the season for grapes to be ripe. GAPE AT THE GRAPES LEADER: And so they went. (Push the mini cans around the table, moving away from Moses and toward Canaan.) They traveled all throughout the land, taking in the sites and looking for all of the information that Moses had asked them to dig up. When they came to the Valley of Eshcol, they cut off a branch that had a single bunch of grapes on it. (Pull out the grapes.) The Bible tells us that they carried the branch on a pole between two men. (Pull out the chopstick and balance it between two Coke cans. Then hang the grapes from the chopstick.) Okay, I don t know about you guys, but the single bunch of grapes I usually buy at the store wouldn t really require two men to carry. We re talking 2013 The rethink Group, Inc. All rights reserved. Adapted by Jodi Quinn, Community Bible Church, 9/2013 6

7 about some seriously big and luscious grapes! They also picked up some pomegranates and figs (pull out box of fruit candy and place them along with the grapes). And at the end of forty days, the men returned to Moses with their report. (Push the mini cans and fruit back over to Moses.) The twelve men stood before Moses and Aaron (pull out a full-size Coke can) and all of the people. Can you imagine how excited the Israelites were to hear about this land that God had promised to them? The men showed the people the beautiful fruit they had brought, and they shared how the land was flowing with milk (pull out milk container) and honey (pull out honey bear). THE BIG BUT LEADER: BUT the men also began to describe the powerful people who lived in the land (pull out the 2-liters of Grape Crush and put them back over in Canaan). They spoke of the high walls around their huge cities. (Push 2-liters together to make the wall.) They described how big the people who lived there were. Caleb interrupted the men. He tried to rally the people, saying We can do this! (Read Numbers 13:30 directly from the Bible.) Then Caleb interrupted the men who were speaking to Moses. He said, We should go up and take the land. We can certainly do it. (NIrV) But ten of the other men argued with him. They said, We can t attack those people they re stronger than we are! And the men went on spreading a bad report about the land and the people who lived there telling stories of giants that were so big that the men felt like grasshoppers (pull out the Grasshoppers cookies). That night, the Israelites were very upset, raising their voices, even sobbing out loud. They were worried that God had brought them out to the desert just to die there. It got so bad that some people were even suggesting that they choose another leader and head back to Egypt, to be slaves again! Joshua and Caleb were devastated. They spoke in front of all the people, telling them how amazing the land was. They told everyone that God would give them the land if they would just obey Him. They reminded the Israelites that they didn t have to be afraid of the people in Canaan, because God was with them. But the Israelites weren t listening to anything but their own fears. They were really being chickens (pull out the chicken nuggets; take a bite if they re not frozen), when you think about it. The people were so scared that they dared to disobey God and the leaders who listened to Him. And so God s incredible glory came down to rest on the Tent of Meeting where everyone could see it! God asked Moses why the people continued not to believe in Him. Despite all the miracles God had done for Him, the Israelites refused to trust God. WRAPPING UP THE STORY LEADER: God forgave the people for what they had done. But there were still consequences. None of the Israelites older than twenty would be allowed to enter the Promised Land. They would wander in the desert for the rest of their lives forty years! (Move 10 of the mini cans, the Coke bottle and the large can of Coke over to the edge of the table, away from Canaan. Keep them moving aimlessly around like they are wondering while you say the next few lines.) But God had seen that Joshua and Caleb trusted Him and were willing to face their enemies even when no one else was. He promised He 2013 The rethink Group, Inc. All rights reserved. Adapted by Jodi Quinn, Community Bible Church, 9/2013 7

8 would bring Caleb into the land and give it to Caleb s children as well. Joshua and Caleb had to wait for a long time to see the land flowing with milk and honey again (move the milk and honey back over to Canaan). But God remembered their trust and bravery. At the end of forty years, Joshua became leader of the Israelites and led them into the Promised Land (move the two remaining mini cans over to Canaan). Joshua and Caleb knew something really important. That: CG: Bottom Line Slide [Impress] I can be brave even when others aren t. Since Joshua and Caleb chose to be brave, they didn t miss out on the amazing things God had planned. God wanted ALL of His people to enter the land. But they had a choice, and almost no one chose courage. Only those who chose to bravely obey God got to see the Promised Land. Stand up and move away from the table. Just like Joshua and Caleb, you may find yourself in situations where you are the only one with the courage to stand up for what is right. God knows what is best, and when you obey Him and bravely make the wise choice, even when no one else is, God will honor your courage. It may take a while for you to see that after all, Joshua and Caleb still had to wait forty years before they saw the Promised Land! But eventually, they saw the results of their courage pay off. So, when you stand up to a bully when no one else is, or when the teacher steps out of the room and you re the only one who doesn t start cheating on your test those times when you courageously decide [Recycle] to make the wise choice, think of Joshua and Caleb and how it must have felt to enter the Promised Land. Let s pray. Slide: Prayer Slide Pray LEADER: Dear God, thank You for honoring the courage of Joshua and Caleb, and thank You for honoring our courage too. We know that we can be brave even when others aren t, because we know that You have a plan and You are with us. We can trust You, so we can be brave, even when we re the only ones. Help us always be brave to do what we should do. We ask these things in Jesus name, amen. Leader: It s hard to believe those Israelites missed out on forty years that they could have been sittin pretty in a land flowing with milk and honey, and some of them missed out on it entirely! The last thing I want to do is miss out on something because I m scared. After all, being scared isn t the problem; it s what you do despite your feelings that matters. Just like our definition of courage says CG: Courage Slide Courage is being brave enough to do what you should do, even when you re afraid. Video: 252_Out Let s check back in with Vince to see how things are going today. Leader: 2013 The rethink Group, Inc. All rights reserved. Adapted by Jodi Quinn, Community Bible Church, 9/2013 8

9 So, let s remember our bottom line today. Slide: Bottom Line [Impress] I can be brave even when others aren t. Say that with me. KIDS: [Impress] I can be brave even when others aren t. Leader: That s right! And if you start to feel your knees shaking and your teeth chattering because you re just so nervous to be brave all on your own, remember our verse for the month: Slide: Memory Verse Slide When I m afraid, I will trust in you, Psalm 56:3. (NIrV) *** Drawing for the week*** Dismiss kids when done. SFX: Play high-energy music as the kids exit The rethink Group, Inc. All rights reserved. Adapted by Jodi Quinn, Community Bible Church, 9/2013 9