PRELUDE SOCIAL STORY WORSHIP GROUPS HOME USER AGREEMENT. Used by permission of Biblica.

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1 Undercover Christmas: Make Others Your Mission WEEK CEO Reggie Joiner DIRECTOR OF MESSAGING Kristen Ivy DIRECTOR OF CHILDRENS STRATEGY Mike Clear CREATIVE TEAM Molly Bell Elloa Davis Elizabeth Hansen Brandon O Dell Greg Payne Phil Pierce Dan Scott Mike Tiemann Jon Williams TEAM WRITERS Jodi Blackwell Sharon Carey Bill Hughes Becky Jarrett Erin Mashaw Julie Tiemann Dana Wilkerson EDITORS Molly Bell Dana Wilkerson ORANGE SPECIALIST Abbey Carr Amy Fenton Leslie Galema Amy Grisham Barbara Graves Terri Jones Misty Phillips Stephanie Porter Annette Stickney Courtney Templeton Gay Tucciarone USER AGREEMENT Orange gladly grants permission to churches, schools, and other licensees to tailor 252 Kids 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 Kids and the 252 Kids logo are trademarks of Orange and the rethink Group. Scripture marked NIrV is taken from the NEW INTERNATIONAL READER S VERSION. Copyright 1996, 1998 Biblica. All rights reserved throughout the world. Used by permission of Biblica. Scripture marked NIV is taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, NIV Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide The rethink Group. All rights reserved.

2 15 MIN 25 MIN 10 MIN 25 MIN PRELUDE: Setting the tone for the experience For Leaders Only Create the Environment Monthly Overview SOCIAL: Providing time for fun interaction Early Arrivers Compassion Profiles STORY: Communicating God s truth in engaging ways Opener Bible Story Prayer Closer WORSHIP: Inviting people to respond to God Jingle Bells from Jingle Jam: Songs for the Season Love One Another from Every Beat GROUPS: Creating a safe place to connect God Can Use Me Flashlight Limbo Light Write Prayer HOME: Prompting action beyond the experience GodTime Parent Cue 2018 The rethink Group. All rights reserved. 2

3 GETTING READY SOCIAL: PROVIDING TIME FOR FUN INTERACTION CHOOSE ONE OR BOTH OF THESE ACTIVITIES. EARLY ARRIVER IDEA Made to Connect: an activity that invites kids to share with others and build on their understanding An offering container Five-foot length of butcher paper Markers COMPASSION PROFILES Made to Create: an activity that explores spiritual ideas through the process of drawing, building, and designing Print the Compassion Profile Activity Page; one for each kid Markers GROUPS: CREATING A SAFE PLACE TO CONNECT CHOOSE AS MANY OF THESE ACTIVITIES AS YOU LIKE. * If you don t have time to do all these activities, be sure to do activity #1. Note: You can use one of the kids flashlights, but you may want to get a bigger one with a stronger beam for this activity. 3. LIGHT WRITE [HEAR FROM GOD ACTIVITY] Made to Play: an activity that encourages learning through following guidelines and working as a group Flashlights (from last week); one for each kid Bibles PRAYER [PRAY TO GOD PRAYER ACTIVITY] Made to Reflect: an activity that creates space for personal understanding and application Kids Compassion Profiles from Social ADDITIONAL RESOURCES: Make copies on cardstock or this week s GodTime and Parent Cue cards. Tell parents about our additional family resources: Studio252.tv and the Parent Cue app. * 1. GOD CAN USE ME [LIVE FOR GOD APPLICATION ACTIVITY] Made to Connect: an activity that invites kids to share with others and build on their understanding Kids completed Compassion Profiles from Social Markers 2. FLASHLIGHT LIMBO [TALK ABOUT GOD REVIEW] Made to Move: an activity that increases the oxygen in the brain and taps into the energy in the body Flashlight 2018 The rethink Group. All rights reserved. 3

4 15 MINUTES CONNECT an activity that invites kids to share with others and build on their understanding Welcome kids and spend time engaging in conversation and catching up. Get ready to experience today s story. Before kids arrive, take a few moments to pray for them. Ask God to give kids some opportunities to Pray that kids would recognize these opportunities and have the confidence to show godly compassion in those situations. Pray that kids would be able to see past any barriers and take on the challenge of showing compassion. 1. EARLY ARRIVER IDEA Offering container, butcher paper, markers Collect kids offerings as they arrive. Tell kids to gather around the butcher paper and markers. Encourage them to write down as many people as they can think of who meet their needs on a daily or weekly basis. As they write, ask them what those people do to meet those needs The rethink Group. All rights reserved. 4

5 15 MINUTES 2. COMPASSION PROFILES Compassion Profile Activity Pages, markers Hand out the Activity Pages and explain that kids are going to create a compassion profile of themselves, similar to a character profile an author might create. Instruct kids to make the person look like they do and write down personal traits for each of the four categories listed in the box. Collect kids papers to use again after Large Group. WHAT YOU SAY: Those are some great traits you listed on your compassion profiles. I like how there s such a variety of talents, strengths, and likes within our group. I bet those things that describe you could be important in some way. [Transition] Let s go to Large Group to find out more about that. Lead your group to the Large Group area. CREATE an activity that explores spiritual ideas through the process of drawing, building, and designing 2018 The rethink Group. All rights reserved. 5

6 25 MINUTES LIVE FOR GOD APPLICATION ACTIVITY CONNECT an activity that invites kids to share with others and build on their understanding * 1. GOD CAN USE ME Kids Compassion Profiles from Social, markers Hand kids papers back out. Allow a minute or two for kids to share their papers with the kids around them and talk about what makes them who they are. Explain that you re going to list ways God can use people to meet others needs. After each one, they can call out something from their profile that would qualify them to help meet that need and then explain how they can use that quality to meet the need. Note: Make sure to explain that it s okay if there are some things they wouldn t be good at or enjoy. Remind kids that God made each of us different for a reason. Everyone won t be good at everything. Therefore no one will be able to meet all the needs listed. Ways to Meet Others Needs: Make a card for someone in the hospital. Set up a lemonade stand in the front yard to raise money for missions. Help your mom decorate for your sibling s birthday party. Help a little kid learn to go down a slide. Sing songs at a nursing home to bring happiness to the residents. Help your teacher organize a messy bookshelf. Help your dad make a new fire pit area in the backyard. Take part in a bike race to support a cause you believe in. Cook a meal for a neighbor who just had a baby. Feel free to add other needs, based on what you know personally about the kids in your group. WHAT YOU SAY: God created each of us uniquely to do the things He made us to do. Some of us are good at some things and others are not. But those people have other things they re good at. We can t all be good at everything, right? So keep thinking about all the ways God has created you to be able to meet others needs, and then think of how you might actually do some of them The rethink Group. All rights reserved. 6

7 25 MINUTES LIVE FOR GOD APPLICATION ACTIVITY CONNECT an activity that invites kids to share with others and build on their understanding Don t wait for someone else to tell you what you can do to Take the initiative and do it yourself! meet others needs, and that includes you and me! (Collect kids profiles to use again during Prayer.) 2018 The rethink Group. All rights reserved. 7

8 25 MINUTES TALK ABOUT GOD REVIEW MOVE an activity that increases the oxygen in the brain and taps into the energy in the body 2. FLASHLIGHT LIMBO Flashlight Guide the kids to sit in a circle with you. Starting with the kid on your left, tell kids to go around the circle and each say one sentence of something that happened in today s Bible story. Encourage them to try to go in order of what happened. After they ve retold the story, instruct kids to line up to your left. Turn out the lights (if possible), and turn on your flashlight. Hold the flashlight at your chest level with the light shining straight out from you, as if the light beam is a limbo pole. If any kids don t know what limbo is, you will need to explain it and have one kid demonstrate. Explain that you want someone to say one reason why Mary might not seem to be the most qualified person for the job of being the mother of God s Son (very young, not from an important family, from a small town, etc.). After they say it, everyone will limbo under the light beam. Then someone else will say another reason, you will lower the light by a few inches, and they will limbo again. Continue this until they can t think of any more reasons. WHAT YOU SAY: It seemed like Mary had a lot of things going against her, but God used her anyway! (Move the flashlight beam so it s higher than all kids heads when they re standing up straight.) Let s limbo again! (Let kids limbo.) And again! Do it faster! (Allow kids to run under the light beam several times.) Okay, you can sit down now. God used Mary, because He knew she was the right person for the job. He knew her talents and strengths. He knew her likes and dislikes. And He knew they were exactly what Jesus needed in a mother. God also knows everything about You. He knows your talents, strengths, likes, and dislikes, and He knows that you can meet others needs in amazing ways just like He used Mary. [Make It Personal] (Tell kids about a way God has used your skills and likes to meet others needs in an amazing way.) Say the Bottom Line with me: God can use anyone to meet others needs! 2018 The rethink Group. All rights reserved. 8

9 25 MINUTES HEAR FROM GOD ACTIVITY PLAY an activity that encourages learning through following guidelines and working as a group 3. LIGHT WRITE Flashlights, Bibles Hand out Bibles and flashlights. Guide kids to look up John 3:16 in their Bibles. Assign a word or phrase from the verse to each kid. Instruct kids to use their flashlights to write their word/phrase (by tracing its outline) on the floor or wall. Let them practice a few times, all at the same time. Then tell them to light write the words in order. Repeat several times, encouraging kids to go faster each time. You might want to mix things up by putting kids in a random order (instead of them standing in order of the verse) or by reassigning words/phrases after a couple rounds. Collect kids flashlights to use again next week. WHAT YOU SAY: Today we re learning that But who did He use to meet our greatest need? (Pause.) Of course! Jesus met our greatest need, as we read in our memory verse. God loved us SO MUCH that He sent Jesus to die for us so that we can believe in Him and live with Him forever. And you know what else? God can use all of us to tell others about how Jesus met our greatest need. It doesn t matter what you re good at or not good at. It doesn t matter what you like or don t like ALL of us can tell others about how God had compassion on us and sent Jesus The rethink Group. All rights reserved. 9

10 25 MINUTES PRAY TO GOD PRAYER ACTIVITY REFLECT an activity that creates space for personal understanding and application PRAY AND DISMISS Kids Compassion Profiles Hand out the profiles again. Instruct kids to take a minute to silently pray. They should ask God to help them use their talents and likes to meet others needs. Encourage them to ask God to show them practical ways they can do so. Close with the prayer below. WHAT YOU SAY: God, thank You for making each of us unique. Help us all to use the talents, skills, and likes you ve given us to meet the needs of the people in our lives. Show us ways we can do that every single day. Help us to be people who show Your love by the way we love others. In Jesus name, amen. As adults arrive to pick up, tell them to ask kids about their Compassion Profiles and how those will help them 2018 The rethink Group. All rights reserved. 10