Reach Texas 2011-12 Teachers of Preschoolers and Children Teachers, thank-you for the impact you are making in the lives of preschoolers, children, and families by teaching God s Word. The lesson that you will be presenting for Reach Texas is focused on cities and towns in the state of Texas. Much of the information about Texas and the state s missions efforts comes from the Reach Texas 2011-12 Life in the Big City brochure. If you do not have a brochure, please ask your church staff for a copy. By reading the brochure you will get a more complete picture of the state s emphasis. Please read and prepare your lesson in advance. There are several activities that need you attention ahead of time, including baking cookies. My prayer is that you enjoy teaching your preschoolers and children about our state s mission efforts. Many times we teach about the International Mission Board and the North American Mission Board and neglect our state missions efforts. The focal verse for the Reach Texas Sunday is Jeremiah 33:9, Then this city will bring me renown, joy, praise, and honor before all nations on earth that hear of all good things I do for it. Teachers of preschoolers will be emphasizing 1 John 4:7 and teachers of children will be emphasizing 1 John 4:7-11. We want children to understand that God loves our next door neighbors as well as many others. Teachers of preschoolers please remember: Bible Passage: 1 John 4:7 Emphasis: Texas has many towns and cities with people who need to hear about Jesus. Application: Preschoolers can pray for others, they can be kind to others, they can invite friends to church, they can learn about missions and God s love. Teachers of children please remember: Bible Passage: 1 John 4:7-11 Emphasis: Texas has many towns and cities with people who are not Christians. There are many who believe in other gods, not the One True God. In the state of Texas we have missionaries and church planters who are spreading the good news about Christ. Application: Children can pray for others, they can share the gospel with others, they can be good examples of a Christian, they can participate in missions, and they can participate in the local church. May the Lord bless your time with children, Karen Kennemur, Assistant Professor of Childhood Education, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
Reach Texas 2011 Life in the Big City Children s Bible Study The focal verse: Then this city will bring me renown, joy, praise, and honor before all nations on earth that hear of all the good things I do for it. Jeremiah 33:9 Purpose of the Reach Texas lesson: The emphasis for the Texas State Mission Offering is to recognize the many cities and towns in Texas in need of the gospel. For children, this lesson will expose them to mission efforts in Texas. Bible Study: 1 John 4:7-11. Early Arriver Activity: For Older Children: Supplies needed: Pencils Make enough copies of the Reach Texas 2011-12 Word Search for each child on the class (The Word Search is found at the end of this lesson). As children arrive give them a pencil and a copy of the Reach Texas 2011-12 Word Search. Ask them to complete them. They may work together or separately. For Younger Children: Supplies needed: Texas Road Map Print the names of the Texas towns and cities found at the end of this lesson Use colored paper if possible As children arrive help them locate the Texas towns and cities. Locate where you live. Talk about how big the state of Texas is. Point out other cities, lakes, rivers, etc. Show them the Gulf of Mexico. Engage the children in the conversation.
Group Activity: Prayer Jars (G.A. World, May/June 2010 published by WMU) Supplies Needed: One Jar of any size for each child (If jars are not available, large 8 X 11 envelopes may be used) Paint pens or markers Stickers Foam stickers Paper cut in strips Pencils Give each child a jar or envelope. Ask the children to write the words Prayer Jar (Prayer Requests on the envelope) on the jar. Next encourage the children to decorate their jar or envelope with stickers and/or markers. When the children have finished decorating ask them to write the following on strips of paper, folding each one and placing them in their prayer jar or envelope: Texas (The name of your church) (The name of their school) Bob Alderman (Pastor of FBC Rio Grande City, TX) Sharon and Homer Hawthorne (Church Planters in Fort Worth, TX) Chuy Avila (Church planter in Laredo, TX) Missionaries in Texas Tell the children: This jar is to take home. Put it in a place where they will see it every day. Pull out a strip every day for the following week. Pray for what is printed on the strip of paper throughout the day. Large Group Time: Supplies Needed for Group Activity: Before class time write the following on large index cards: o A church planter is someone who starts and leads a church. o Samuel is a church planter in Dallas, Texas. o There are about 200,000 people from India who live in Texas.
o Many of the people from India are Hindu, they do not believe in the One True God. o Highland Lakes Baptist Encampment teaches students how to tell others about Jesus. o 1/3 of all Texans under the age of 5 years old speak English and another language. o Homer and Sharon Hawthorne are church planters in Fort Worth, Texas. o Bob Alderman is a pastor that helps in Disaster Relief. o Disaster Relief is a group of Texans from Baptist churches who help people following storms, floods, tornadoes, and other types of disasters. o Chuy Avila is a church planter in Laredo, Texas. o There are 500,000 Muslims who live in Texas. o Muslims do not believe in the One True God. After the phrases are printed on the index cards, cut the cards into two PUZZLE pieces. Place the cards in a large container, shuffling them in the container. Large Group Time: Ask the children to join you in a large group area. Ask them to bring their Bibles and place them under their chairs. Begin circle time by explaining that today we are talking about mission work in the state of Texas. We have many large cities and towns in Texas with people who are not Christians and many who do not go to church. Lead the children in an opening prayer, praying for the people and churches in Texas. Large Group Activity: Using the large container filled with the puzzle pieces, ask each child to take a puzzle piece. Pass out all puzzle pieces, some children may have more than one puzzle piece. Ask the children to find the person who has the matching puzzle piece. When all the pieces are matched, ask various volunteers to read the information on the cards. If possible, tape these to the wall or place on a bulletin board. Talk about the information on the cards. Divide the children into groups of twos and threes. Assign each group one of the index cards. Ask them to pray for those listed on the card. After the children have prayed, ask them to return to their seats.
Have the children locate 1 John 4:7-12. Ask them to follow along as you read these verses. Discuss the following: 1. How can we learn about God and know God? Possible answers: a. Through reading our Bible b. Praying c. Going to church d. Bible study with others e. Other responses 2. How can we share the love of God with others? Possible answers: a. Invite them to church b. Do nice things for them c. Be their friend d. Other responses 3. Is it important to share the love of God with others? Why? Yes, we want all people to know God s love and become Christians. 4. What does the word propitiation mean (this word is found in verse 10 of many translations)? It means The act of Jesus death on the cross which provides forgiveness of our sins. This allows us to have a right relationship with God. Otherwise, our sins would keep us from God. (The Holman Bible Concordance for Kids) Explain this in your own words. 5. Discuss with the children the importance of kindness and good behavior. Our actions are a reflection of God. So it is important to try to obey God s Word. We can be missionaries on a daily basis and show God s love by showing acts of kindness, giving to others, praying for others, caring for others. In our daily lives how can we: Show acts of Kindness: Give to others: Pray for others: Care for others: Write the above bullets on a chalk board, white board, or poster board, making each one the heading to a column. Ask the children to describe how they can show acts of kindness, give to others, pray for others, care for others in their daily lives. Write their responses on the board. Encourage the children to remember these ideas in their daily lives. (Activity from Mission Moments 2 by Mitzi Eaker)
End large group time in prayer, remembering to pray for the people of Texas and the mission efforts that take place every day. The following are activities for small groups: Activity #1 Tri-Bead Bluebonnets Supplies Needed: Collection of beads (blue, sapphire and white), Green chenille sticks 6-inch square pieces of green net (optional) glue blue ribbon to tie a bow. Instructions: Allow each child to make 2 to 3 bluebonnets if supplies and time allows. Glue or otherwise attach the different colored beads to the chenille stem in the color pattern as the child desires. Wrap the green net around the two stems and tie it all together with a bow. As the children are making the bluebonnets, talk about how they grow in the Spring in many areas of the state. They are the Texas state flower. Remind them of the beautiful nature that God created. Tic Tac Toe Pray: Supplies Needed: Paper Pencils Write the following phrases on a chalk board, white board, or poster board: o Baptist Encampments, where children go to Pre-teen camp o Bob Alderman, a pastor who works with Disaster Relief o Church Planters in Texas o Homer and Sharon Hawthorne, church planters in Fort Worth, TX o Chuy Avila, church planter in Laredo Divide the children into groups of two. Ask them to play Tic Tac Toe. When they have completed a game of Tic Tac Toe, have them stop and pray for one of the items written on the board. Then play again and pray for another item on the list.
Activity #2 for older children Crossword Puzzle Supplies Needed: Copies of the crossword puzzle (found at the end of this lesson) Pencils Help children complete the crossword puzzle. Talk about the information on the puzzles. Take time to pray for the missionaries listed in the puzzle. Please Answer Key to the puzzle: Across: 2. Chuy Avila (There are no spaces in the puzzle spelled chuyavila) 4. BobAlderman 6. ChurchPlanters 7. Hawthornes Down: 1. DisasterRelief 3. Hindu 5. Encampments Activity #2 for younger children Matching Game Supplies Needed: Index cards with the names and words printed on duplicate cards for a matching game: o Church Planters o The Hawthornes o Fort Worth, TX o Encampments o Disaster Relief o Hindu o Bob Alderman Shuffle the cards. Turn the cards face down. Play the matching game. When it is a child s turn he or she turns over to cards. If the cards match, they pick-up the cards. The next person takes a turn. Play the game several times. Talk about the information on the cards.
Activity #3 Beat the Clock Supplies Needed: 6 or 7 Solid-colored paper cups or Styrofoam cups A felt pen Timer Choose a Bible verse from the today s lesson 1 John 4:7-11 Write the verse on a piece of paper so the children can refer to it. Write the words of the verse on the 6 cups. For example, using 1 John 4:7 o Write Let us on the 1 st cup o Love one another on the 2 nd cup o Because on the 3 rd cup o Love is from God on the 4 th cup o And everyone who on the 5 th cup o Loves has been born of on the 6 th cup o God and knows God on the 7 th cup Look at the verse written on the piece of paper. Have the children say the verse aloud together. Show the cups in the correct order. Then mix-up the cups. Set the timer for 1 minute or less. Let each child take a turn. They try to put the cups in the correct order before the timer goes off. Final Group Activity: (Post an allergy alert sign for parents before class starts) While waiting for parents serve children cookies and water or juice. Before class bake the following cookies. This recipe is from India. The church plant led by Samuel and sponsored by Prestonwood Baptist Church ministers to people from India. Before children eat the cookies say a special prayer for Samuel and his ministry. Indian Cooking Recipe : Banana Nut Cookies Ingredients : 2 2/3 cups all purpose flour ½ tsp baking soda ¼ tsp salt 1 cup light Brown sugar ½ cup granulated sugar 1 cup unsalted butter, softened 1 large egg 1 tsp banana extract ¾ cup mashed ripe banana
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips 1 cup chopped walnuts Method : Preheat oven to 300ºF. In a bowl, combine flour, soda, salt. Mix well with a wire whisk. Set aside. In a large bowl blend sugars at med speed with an electric mixer. Add butter and mix to form a grainy paste, scraping down sides of the bowl. Add egg, banana extract and banana and beat at medium speed till smooth. Add the flour mixture, 1 cup chocolate chips, walnuts and blend at low speed till just combined. Do not over mix. Drop by rounded tablespoons onto ungreased cookie sheets, 2" apart. Sprinkle cookies with chocolate chips, 6-8 per cookie. Bake for 20-24 mins or till cookie edges begin to turn brown. Transfer immediately to a cool surface with a spatula. Store in airtight containers.
REACH TEXAS 2011-12 T J A M Q V N A M I L S U M P P W F X J P E B V D E T I J F O S C X D G V I N J A B P N O G R M R E C M S O U S X Y P G C R O N M I K N H X Y R H A L P T T T O O I S R V T U G R W F X U O I T Q H T T H F B T Y W K K D E F B S S A T V N A E F U A F H Y O T R W T I U W K A R I M N V B V B D H L A E H T A K L O L D J I T G R L C I D N D U H C P N E M V L S A L B A C U C D M R H H H R Z Z A M Z E B E M Q A U B E R C A R Z S O O C U T R L G M B I M I R W E U O Q U R M R E Y M P G R O S U T T U N H E W A X B U F M T F H T H H S P Y C F O S J H F D E C I H I C O A I D V H Q E U K L D N G S K A O R S I W T E C L N A J Z T I P V N B N I K R B I N X D W A B S U H I S M E D F T U D V A E P Y K M R N A M R E D L A B O B O Baptist Encampments Hindu Bob Alderman Homer Hawthorne Buddhist Muslim Christians Reach Texas Church Planting Samuel Chuy Avila SENT Disaster Relief Sharon Hawthorne
Texas Cities and Towns: Dallas Fort Worth Odessa Midland Paris
Marshall Corpus Christi Houston Austin Brownsville
Waco Amarillo Lubbock El Paso San Antonio
Reach Texas 2011-12 Clues: Across 2. A churchh planter in Laredo 4. Assists with Disaste er Relief 6. They start and lead churches 7. Church planter rs in Fort Worth, TX Down 1. Helps people after storms and disasters 3. A religion that does not believee in God 5. Camps for pre-teens and youth