ACT 1 n aims of ShowStopperS! Showstoppers! takes children through God s great plan for his world. It will: Give children the chance to discover God s plan for saving his world. Help them discover that God is faithful and trustworthy. Explain the significance of Jesus and what he came to do. Give them the chance to respond to Jesus and help them discover that God has a plan for their lives. Allow them to hear what it means to be a Christian, as they talk with adult Christians. Give them a fun and active week! n HoW it S done The activities provided in the Showstoppers! programme give you a flexible framework within which to construct your own daily plan according to the skills and abilities of your team and the needs of the children. The programme uses a tried and tested mix of small-group activities and upfront presentations. Along with the ideas for creative Bible teaching, ideas for games and craft, discussion starters, drama scripts and songs, Showstoppers! gives you the chance to explore the Bible stories through different creative arts in the form of a 40-minute workshop. n using creative arts Based on the belief that creativity and spirituality are inextricably linked, the workshops allow the children to explore their own spirituality through the process of creating. All individuals made in God s image have the ability to create and should enjoy having a go. The output is not important it is the learning and sharing process that counts. It is this process rather than the finished product that allows the child to develop spiritually. Remember, ability in the creative arts is not necessary for the children or team in this holiday club! You may not end up with a polished performance at the end of the workshop, but that does not matter. The children will have enjoyed and learnt from their creative experience, regardless of whether they have produced a finished piece. However, children (or adults!)
act 1 SETTING THE SCENE should never be forced into taking part in activities which make them feel uncomfortable. To that end, craft activities are provided to be used as a full activity involving all, or as a supplementary activity for those who feel uncomfortable taking part in drama, dance etc. A more detailed explanation is provided in the article Spirituality, theology and the arts on the Showstoppers! website. n the teaching programme Recognising the fact that many of the most well known Bible stories are no longer well known, Scripture Union carried out research into which Bible stories people considered the most iconic. A list of the ten most popular stories was put together, and books for children and adults were published in 2008. Called the Must Know Stories, the books seek to capture the imagination with creatively retold stories, pointing people back to the Bible. Showstopppers! explores five of these stories, which, when put together, give a great picture of God s plan for salvation, starting with creation through to Jesus sacrifice and resurrection. Showstoppers! aims to help children grow familiar with this great plan, whether they have heard these stories before, or are new to them. The Bible teaching is the most important part of the programme children will encounter the Bible in the up-front presentation in the Showstoppers! showcase, in discussion in Rehearsals and through creatively exploring the passages in the workshops. This should all be well prayed through, prepared and presented to allow God s Word to settle in children s minds. Alongside this is the importance of how you relate to the children, as this gives the Bible teaching credibility. Jesus said, When you welcome even a child because of me, you welcome me. And when you welcome me, you welcome the one who sent me (Luke 9:48). So as you welcome children you are welcoming Jesus; as you talk with them, listen to their stories, laugh at their jokes and cheer their successes. However ordinary they may be, you are doing these things as if to Jesus. Treat them with the love, respect and dignity with which you would honour him. Showstoppers! covers seven days: five holiday club days and two Sunday services. If you are running a club which is shorter, then do Days 1, 4 and 5 with your choice of Days 2 and 3. Choose which ones best fit the aims of your club. Sunday 1: reading the Script n Key passage: Psalm 78 n Key theme: Passing God s story on to the next generation n Key aims: To launch the Showstoppers! holiday club. To inspire the church family to pray for the club. To introduce the importance of sharing Bible stories with children and young people. day 1: in the gods n Key passage: Genesis 1:1 3:13; 3:22 24 n Key theme: God creates it s perfect, but we rebel it s spoilt n Key aims: To learn that God created an amazing and perfect world. To understand that God has a design for his world, which is represented in his big plan. day 2: in the dressing room n Key passage: 1 Samuel 17:1 54 n Key theme: David trusts God so that he can play his part in God s plan n Key aims: To recognize that everyone is important to God. To learn from the story of David and Goliath that when we trust in God, we can do amazing things for him. day 3: under the trapdoor n Key passage: Daniel 6 n Key theme: Daniel is in exile and under threat, but he stays true to God. n Key aims: To learn from the story of Daniel in the lion s den, that God hears us when we call out to him. To encourage the children to keep on following God in all situations. day 4: in the WingS n Key passage: Luke 1:26 38; 2:1 20 n Key theme: God comes to earth in Jesus n Key aims: To show how the birth of Jesus was the next part of God s plan for the world. Because Jesus came to earth and lived among us as a human being (while at the same time being God), he identifies with our humanity and knows all our cares. day 5: on the Stage n Key passage: Luke 22 24 n Key theme: Jesus dies and comes back to life again, to complete God s rescue plan n Key aims: To learn that the death of Jesus was
the ultimate part of God s plan to bring people into friendship with him. To know that Jesus rose from the dead and is alive today. Sunday SerVice 2: my own Script n Key passage: Genesis 37 50 (selections) n Key theme: God has a plan for me n Key aims: To discover that God has a plan for each and every one of us. To bring together the children and adults who have participated in the holiday club, together with their families, and to share the teaching and fruits of the week. n a programme This programme runs for 2 hours 30 minutes, not including preparation and clear-up time (2 hours 20 minutes of planned activities, with 10 minutes spare for moving around, over-running activities etc). activity running time includes backstage 30 minutes Spiritual and practical preparation preparation curtain up 10 minutes Introductory activities in (SMALL GROUPS) Dressing Rooms Showstoppers! 40 minutes Up-front Bible teaching, DVD, showcase warm-up, songs, games (ALL TOGETHER) rehearsals 60 minutes Bible reading, creative (SMALL GROUPS, workshops (or games and THEN AS REQUIRED) craft), refreshments Second act 20 minutes Songs, learn and remember (ALL TOGETHER) verse, drama, interview curtain call 10 minutes Creative prayer, refl ection (SMALL GROUPS) backstage 30 minutes + Clearing up, debrief, clear up preparation for tomorrow HelpFul SymbolS Throughout act 5 day by day you will see these two symbols: {Small groups Whenever you see this logo it means the children work in small groups }all together This logo indicates that all the children are together for these activities PROgRAmmE BREAKDOwN A typical Showstoppers! day will consist of the following elements: n backstage preparation Any holiday club s success must be built on prayer. The material provides notes to encourage the team to think and personally refl ect on each day s Must Know story, in terms of its historical signifi cance and its relevance to today. Before the children arrive, spend some time engaging with the Bible, pray for each other and pray also for the children who will meet God through his Word. During this time, you ll also need to check that you have everything you need for the session, make health and safety checks and ensure everything is ready for the children s arrival. n arriving at ShowStopperS! The fi rst moments at Showstoppers! are so important! Be welcoming, but not overwhelming in putting children and adults at their ease. Strike a balance between helping parents to see that their child will be safe with you and giving children a sense of the fun that they ll have during the session. Make sure that you have enough people at the registration desk (especially on the fi rst day) to show children and their parents to the right teams. It is always helpful to have someone available to answer questions as parents leave, or to remind them of the collection time, or just to say a cheerful Goodbye, see you later! registration Make sure that the registration desk is well organised with spare forms and pens for any parents who want to register children at the door. Have a fl oor plan of your venue to show where each team is sited so that parents can fi nd their way round. If possible have a large plan available a little distance from the desk so that parents dropping children at more than one team can go back to check the layout without clogging the registration area. Even if you are keeping central registers with the desk team, Acting Coaches need a copy of who is in their group each day. They should keep these with them at all times so that in the event of a fi re they can quickly check their team and be sure everyone is safely out of the building. curtain up This is not just a fi ll-in until the last child arrives, but a great opportunity for the Crew to get to know the Cast, to recap on the events of the 10
act 1 SETTING THE SCENE previous day or to set the scene for that day s activities. Your priorities as Crew are to get to know the children and help them to settle; theirs will be to play the game or complete the activity. Try to get a balance between the two early on to allow everyone to get the most from this time. n ShowStopperS! SHoWcaSe This section of the programme should have something of the pace and fun of weekend children s television. Younger children may struggle to keep up with things that are too fast, so give them a chance to think and answer whilst keeping the attention of older ones. Activities are led from the front, by a pair (or more) of Directors, but it would be beneficial for groups to sit with their Acting Coaches. limbering up Use this time to get the children ready for what is ahead. Play some lively music in the background, if possible with a theatrical connection. Keep the actions simple but build up the number of different ones through the week. If children have registered in advance, check for any special needs and include some actions that will be easy for them; try to include options for children who are sitting as well as more active movements. Vocal warm up and chorus line Choose a mix of songs that children who come to church regularly will know and others that are new to everyone. If you have children coming who are not used to church, avoid songs that express belief or faith and keep them factual ( God is or Jesus did rather than I believe ). Children will enjoy music from a live band but use CDs or tapes and good quality sound equipment, if a band is not possible, and this will work just as well. The Showstoppers! song is the theme for the week, so sing that a couple of times during the whole session. audition time This is an up-front challenge, played by two volunteers. It should be fast and fun, but don t put much emphasis on winning or losing. Encourage the children to cheer for the volunteers (make sure you choose a volunteer from each of the groups during the course of the whole club). read the script Each day, the children will hear a story from the Bible. Use the Showstoppers! DVD, the script given each day, or read the story from The 10 Must Know Stories (see details on page 9). There are other storytelling options for each day on the Showstoppers! website. Don t let this section get squeezed by the other elements in Showstoppers! showcase this is the most important part! director s chair This is where the Bible story is explored a bit further. Don t labour this section, but make it punchy and to the point. It s important that you choose a good communicator to deliver this section: someone who can really connect with the children and open up the stories simply and clearly. n rehearsals The programme gives small-group discussion time, a workshop, a craft activity and games, but you won t have time to do everything. The recommended route is small-group time followed by the workshop. However, if you can t get Crew with the skills to run the workshop, do the smallgroup time, craft and games. interval This is an opportunity for refreshments but also for the children to look at the day s passage in more depth. Remember to provide some healthy snacks as well as biscuits, and check that what you serve is suitable for any children with food allergies. Chat briefly over drinks but do be sure to allow enough time for your Bible exploration (using the Cast List or Star Sheets). Be aware that younger children will take a surprisingly long time to eat a biscuit and drink some squash! This time allows Crew to check if the children have understood the story, and develops the children s skills in thinking about the meaning of the Bible. Workshop This is a 40-minute section designed to help children engage with the Bible story using creative arts. Each day, a different creative art will be used in a workshop which is quite open-ended. On the Showstoppers! website, there is an alternative workshop which is more guided. Choose the most appropriate one for the Crew who are leading this section. n Open-ended The method in these workshops relies on listening and responding to the children, facilitating what they create and providing them with the tools to put together a work of art. The open-ended nature of these activities means that the outcome will be unknown until the end of the session. However, such a method allows children to engage with their own creative spirituality through exploration, discussion and cooperation, and through the conversation that takes place during and after the activities. 11
You ll be surprised at the children s insights about God and the world. n Guided The guided workshop gives more instruction on what to do during the workshop and is more suitable for Crew who are not as confident in leading workshops like these. Indeed they are a great way for Crew to learn and improve creative leadership skills. And children will still get a great deal out of these guided workshops! props cupboard and games If you don t have the Crew to lead the creative workshops, craft (called Props cupboard ) and games are provided as an alternative route to take during Rehearsals. Each day the Props cupboard activity is designed to explore the Bible story further and gives Crew and Cast a good opportunity to chat about the Bible story and their response to it. n Second act entr acte This is a time to draw Cast and Crew back to the stage after Rehearsals. Include some of the jokes, pictures, comments and questions that the Cast have posted through the Stage Door. Stage door A postbox where children can put any jokes, pictures, questions or comments that they have. If you have the materials, you could create a full-size stage door (next to your stage) with a letter box, through which children can post their contributions! learn your lines Every day the children will be challenged to continue learning the verse for the week, or to learn a new verse each day. A different activity is given each day to learn the verse. grand finale This wraps up the Second act, and includes prayer and singing the Showstoppers! song. n curtain call The session draws to a close in small groups. This part of the programme allows the children to make their own personal response to what they have learnt. Therefore it includes ideas for creative prayer and now response times where questions can be raised in a positive and safe environment. Acting Coaches should make a point of saying goodbye and reminding the children of the next session. n backstage clear-up It may be that some of your Crew have their own children at Showstoppers! and are unable to stay for long when the programme ends. As a minimum, have everyone together to check any problems, briefly remind people of tomorrow s activities, and pray for God s Word to be at work in the children. Then any further preparation can be done. If you can find willing volunteers to do this, have a team come in to help with clearing up and preparation. There may even be people who could bring in a snack lunch for the team to eat before they start on this work! drama: Search for a star Search for a star is the serial drama for the week, which links with the theme for each day. Join Malcolm and his team at the Showstoppers! Theatre as they launch a musical to raise funds for their theatre. in the spotlight This is an interview with one of the Crew about following Jesus, focusing on the theme for each day. It gives an opportunity for the children to discover how the Bible s teaching relates to everyday life for those who follow Jesus. Not everything that God does in people s lives is appropriate for children so choose testimonies with care. The children will be given the chance to think up questions for the Crew member in the spotlight, so make sure one or two of those are asked each time. n other elements of ShowStopperS! Services Starting Showstoppers! with a church service the Sunday before the club is a good way of getting the church praying for the club and commissioning the leaders. A service after the club will round things up nicely and be a good event to invite parents to. Outlines for these services are on pages 44 and 74. Research has shown that if you include the services in the dates of your club, then more children and families will attend them. So, instead of calling your club a five-day programme, call it a seven-day club! This is a good way to welcome families with no church background into your community. under-5s resources For details of resources to use with 5s and under in your teams, visit the Showstoppers! website at: www.scriptureunion.org.uk/showstoppers 12
act 1 SETTING THE SCENE 11 to 14s resources For details of resources to use with 11 to 14s, visit the Showstoppers! website at: www.scriptureunion.org.uk/showstoppers Following up Showstoppers! A holiday club lasts only a short time what about the rest of the year? How are you going to stay in contact with those children who have no other connection with church apart from the holiday club? Planning follow-up is as vital as planning for the club itself see page 77 for more details. Maybe you could start a midweek club (see page 78 for details of Dress Rehearsal, the follow-up programme to Showstoppers!) or build up links with your local primary schools by offering to take assemblies or to give out copies of It s Your Move! to Year 6 children as they move on to secondary school. For ideas and advice, contact Scripture Union on 01908 856170 or your local schools work trust. 13