GOOD NEWS CLUB AGENDA. THANKSGIVING The First Thanksgiving

GOOD NEWS CLUB AGENDA THANKSGIVING The First Thanksgiving WEEK OF: MAIN THRUST: You should thank God for what He has done for you. TO DO AS THE CHILDREN ARRIVE: 1. Greet the children; make them feel welcome. 2. Take attendance. 3. Listen to previous week s memory verse. 4. Have children put money in missions bank. 5. Have children put acorns in their team s storehouse according to the number of points earned. (This is the last week for this contest.) PRE-SESSION ACTIVITY: 1. OLDER CHILD: A Grace-Ful Thank You 2. YOUNGER CHILD: Thanksgiving Activity Sheet SONG: (2 minutes) PRAYER: (4 minutes) 1. Prayer song: 2. Ask the children to share any Thank You Prayers or Please Prayers they have. 3. Teacher leads the class in Thank You and Please Prayers. MEMORY VERSE: (8 minutes) Psalm 92:1 It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto Thy name, O Most High. (The underlined portion of the verse indicates what the younger children should memorize. See Involvement Helps for Younger Children for helps in teaching the verse to the younger children.) Solo Word After you have read this verse from the Bible, explained what it means, and repeated it at least two times, you may begin this drill. Choose a child to select any word of the verse. When the group repeats the verse together, that child will say his solo word. He keeps his solo word, and another child chooses a different word from the verse. Again the group repeats the verse except for the solo words which are repeated only by the persons who chose those words. Continue in the same manner as you have time. HYMN OF YOUR CHOICE: (2 minutes) BIBLE LESSON: (20 minutes) THANKSGIVING The First Thanksgiving COUNSEL TIME: (If you have a helper, hostess, or Teacher Junior Grade, let them do the review time while you counsel those who responded to the invitation. Otherwise, at the end of club, be sure to remind the children who responded to the invitation to stay after club for a few minutes.)

QUIET TIME NOTEBOOK: (1 minute) Briefly highlight what was learned from last week s Quiet Time. Ask the children to do one per day before the next club. Remind them that they must show you their Q.T. Notebook next week. MISSIONARY TIME: (16 minutes) 1. Sing God s Way while child comes to look in the Go and Tell Box. 2. Share missionary information for Week #7 using the Go and Tell Box. (See attached page.) 3. Pray for the missionary. 4. Show goal chart and mention the amount given so far. 5. Missions song: 6. Story: Ly Huy s Escape. Teach the portion of the story listed under Week #7. REVIEW ACTIVITY: (7 minutes) Giving Thanks or Thanks Giving The words THANKS GIVING and GIVING THANKS mean the same things regardless of which way you say it. In this review game, you will get an opportunity to say these words in either order. For a correct answer to the review question, you will earn 100 points. Then you will say either THANKS or GIVING. For an opportunity to double your points, you may then choose one of two cards that have one of the words on it. If you say THANKS, and you choose the card that says GIVING on it, you will double your points. If you say GIVING, you must choose the card that says THANKS. If, however, you say and choose the same word, you earn only 100 points. Ralph Bechtel. See Give and Take, November/December 1961. Review questions for The First Thanksgiving: 1. Why did the Pilgrims leave England to go to Holland and then to America? (So they could freely worship the Lord.) 2. What hardships did the Pilgrims face on the boat trip to America? (Storms, seasickness, little food.) 3. When the Pilgrims finally could see America, or the New World, from the boat, what did they do? (They knelt down and thanked God for bringing them safely to America.) 4. Where did they decide to settle in America? (Plymouth, Massachusetts.) 5. Name one of the two Indians who came to visit the Pilgrims. (Samoset or Squanto.) 6. What did the Pilgrims do when they saw Chief Massasoit and sixty of his warriors coming? (One Pilgrim took them gifts and told the Indians they wanted to make peace.) 7. Why did Squanto stay when the other Indians left? (To help them and to teach them how to plant corn and how to catch a certain kind of fish.) 8. What did they do to celebrate their first year in America? (Held a feast to thank God for His goodness to them.) 9. Who proclaimed the last Thursday of November as a day of thanksgiving? (President Lincoln.) 10. Name three things for which you are thankful. *COUNSEL TIME: (*Only if you did not counsel with the children earlier.) SEND HOME WITH THE CHILDREN: 1. Pre-session papers for older and younger child 2. Memory verse token/take Time Review 3. Quiet Time CHILD EVANGELISM FELLOWSHIP OF EASTERN PA, INC. P.O. BOX 4375 HARRISBURG, PA 17111-0375

PRE-SESSION, Younger Child THANKSGIVING The First Thanksgiving As you color this picture, you can tell God that you are thankful for the things in it. It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord.... Psalms 92:1 Coloring Plus Activities, Jesus Our Lord and Savior, Copyright 1992 Rainbow Books.

MEMORY VERSE HELPS THANKSGIVING The First Thanksgiving Psalm 92:1 It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto Thy name, O Most High. (The underlined portion of the verse indicates what the younger children should memorize.) USE the visual and let the children read the verse with you. READ the verse from your Bible while holding the visual so the children can follow along. DO MOTIONS together with the children while you EXPLAIN the verse as follows: Psalm 92:1 (Hands as an open Bible.) It is a good thing (Put thumbs up.) to give thanks unto the Lord, (Put hands together as praying and then point up toward God.) and to sing praises (Point to mouth.) unto Thy name, O Most High. (Point up toward God.) Psalm 92:1 (Hands as an open Bible.) This is the address (where the verse is located in the Bible). This verse is found in the book of Psalm, chapter 92, verse 1. It is the right thing to do. The psalmist (the person who wrote this Psalm) encourages us to do something good. We are encouraged to thank God. Why should we do this? God has done so many things for us. He created the world, He gave us the Bible, He sent Jesus to die on the cross for us. Giving thanks to God is the right thing for us to do. We can thank God in our prayers by telling Him we are grateful for what He has done for us. Also, as we sing songs of praise and thanksgiving, we are expressing our thanks to God. Most High is another name for God. He is the One who deserves our thanks. Not only is it right for us to thank God, but it should be a joy for us to say thank you to Him for what He has done. The book of Psalm, chapter 92, verse 1. DRILL the verse with the activity listed on the Thanksgiving Agenda. TEST the children for their understanding of the verse. Why should we thank God? Who is the Most High? CHILD EVANGELISM FELLOWSHIP OF EASTERN PA, INC. P.O. BOX 4375 HARRISBURG, PA 17111-0375

INVOLVEMENT HELPS FOR YOUNGER CHILDREN by Elizabeth Clark and Jen Walker MEMORY VERSE: Shortened verse THANKSGIVING LESSON The First Thanksgiving Psalm 92:1 It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord.... Psalm 92:1 It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord.... Psalm 92:1 Hands as an open Bible. Put two thumbs up. Softly clap hands together. Point up toward Heaven. Hands as an open Bible. BIBLE LESSON HELPS: FT 1 FT 2 FT 4 FT 5 FT 6 Have children pack a bag for the journey. Name some the things to pack. Have children count to 7 with you. Have children cut trees, saw boards, and help put up a wall for the house. As you say, Sin is anything that you think, say, or do that makes God sad, point to head, mouth, and extend hands, palms up. Right before the MT, have the children smile and say, Thank You, God! Have children motion to come, and say, Come, join us. Have children pretend to write a letter. BIBLE LEARNING GAME: Have the children march in a circle and sing the following to the tune of If You re Happy and You Know It. O, give thanks unto the Lord, for it is good. (Clap twice) O, give thanks unto the Lord, for it is good. (Clap twice) O, give thanks unto the Lord. O, give thanks unto the Lord. O, give thanks unto the Lord, for it is good. (Clap twice) Have children stop marching and ask one child, What do you want to thank the Lord for? Repeat as time allows. CHILD EVANGELISM FELLOW SHIP OF EASTERN PA, INC. P.O. BOX 4375 HARRISBURG, PA 17111-0375

GO AND TELL BOX Week #7 Where Do the Jenkins Serve? (Suggested items to put in the Go and Tell Box Red, yellow, white, black, and brown crayons.) What do you think crayons have to do with going and telling? (Let the children share their ideas.) These crayons will help us understand a little more about the many different people who live in the country of Suriname. WHERE DO THE JENKINS WORK? (Use WHERE wordstrip.) Mr. Jared and Mrs. Cindy were missionaries for over 20 years in Suriname, South America. (Show picture and use SURINAME wordstrip and map.) They worked mostly with Hindus, sharing with them the Good News about Jesus how He died for them and can be their Saviour. Suriname has many different people living in the country. These five colors can remind us of the different people who live in the country. Red is for the native Indians that live in the jungle. Yellow for the Chinese who own most of the stores. White for the Dutch people who first ruled the country. Black for the Africans who also live in the jungles like many do in Africa. Brown for the East Indian people with whom the Jenkins worked the most with in Suriname. At one time, these colors were part of the national flag of Suriname. Now that they are living in Florida, Mr. Jared visits the University of Southern Florida and talks to foreign students about the Lord Jesus. He often shares that he grew up in India and how he asked Jesus to be his Saviour. Many times, Mr. Jared invites the students to their home, and Mrs. Cindy cooks a special meal. They become friends and the students often return. Through the friendship, they have many opportunities to speak to them about Jesus. Some attend Bible studies in their home and go to church with them. LET S PRAY FOR OUR MISSIONARIES: THANK God for Mr. Jared s and Mrs. Cindy s willingness to be missionaries to the students from other countries. PRAY for Mr. Jared and Mrs. Cindy to have wisdom as they talk to the different students about the Lord Jesus. CHILD EVANGELISM FELLOWSHIP OF EASTERN PA, INC. P.O. BOX 4375 HARRISBURG, PA, INC. 17111-0375

You should thank THANKSGIVING: The First Thanksgiving God for what He has done for you.

Psalm 92:1 It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto Thy name, O Most High 1. 2. 3. - Thanksgiving feast lasted for three days; how thankful they were for God s blessing - Happy to be in a land where they could worship God freely - Thanksgiving celebrated for many years on different days - Sarah Hale wrote letters urging government officials to adopt National Thanksgiving Day CHALLENGE - Already received Jesus G Go over MT YOU SHOULD THANK GOD FOR WHAT HE HAS DONE FOR YOU R Review PAS verse Psalm 92:1 It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto Thy name, O Most High. O Overview PAS Examples 1. 2. 3. THE FIRST THANKSGIVING - Can you think of someone who did something special for you? - Perhaps your mom got you just what you wanted for your B-day - Maybe dad took you to a very special place - What should you say to them? Thank you - In America, we have a lot to be thankful for; we even have a day set aside to say Thank You - I want to help you understand why we have a Thanksgiving Day; what makes it special FT 1 A Stormy Voyage -... to the New World America - In mid-ocean, the storms finally overtook them - The Mayflower was battered by wind and waves - The only food they had was beans, salt pork, and hardtack - Many got sick; one man was swept overboard by a huge wave! - They must have wondered if God loved them G - It took 7 long weeks to complete their trip across the Atlantic to America - In the 1800's, after 17 years, her efforts were rewarded FT 7 National Holiday - President Lincoln declared last Thurs. in Nov. as A day of Thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father - Some Americans enjoy the food on Thanksgiving but forget to thank God for His blessings W Will you do it? INVITATION John 3:36 He that believeth on the Son (believe in your heart that Jesus can take away your sin if you ask Him) hath everlasting life (life to live in Heaven)... S P, E L BOW HEADS RESPONSE - A long time ago, King James I of England did not let people worship God freely - So, a group of Christians called Pilgrims left England & went to Holland to freely worship God - Later, they decided to leave Holland and sail to New World - On Sept 6, a ship named the Mayflower sailed from England - When Pilgrims finally saw the New World on the horizon they must have thanked God MT YOU SHOULD THANK GOD FOR WHAT HE HAS DONE FOR YOU - Pilgrims were grateful for what God had done to bring them safely to America

FT 2 Arrival in New World - Mayflower sailed along the coast of Massachusetts - 16 men in a small boat went ashore first to get water & food - Later, they began to build houses and set up camp; women waited on board ship - Weather that November was very cold in Massachusetts FT 3 Much Work to Do - Men/boys worked hard to build shelters for families - Four long months women and kids waited onboard the ship - They had to keep watch for Indians; Pilgrims wondered if Indians would be hostile - They knew who God was O - Pilgrims were glad to be off the Mayflower, but winter was harsh; half colony died FT 4 Squanto s Help - One day two Indians came to visit; Chief Samoset/Squanto - Pilgrims knew they had to make friends quickly with Indians or face being killed! S, PAU Psalm 51:5 Behold, I was shaped in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me. 1. 2. 3. - Everyone waited anxiously as Pilgrim Edward Winslow approached the Indians - Winslow presented gifts to Chief Massasoit who laid down his bow; told others to do same - After talking with Winslow, Chief agreed to talk to the other Pilgrims, but kept Winslow as a hostage - After talking with Pilgrims, Chief and his men understood that the Pilgrims wanted peace - The Pilgrims were thankful God was protecting them MT YOU SHOULD THANK GOD FOR WHAT HE HAS DONE FOR YOU - Squanto didn t leave with other Indians; stayed to help teach Pilgrims how to fish, hunt, plant FT 5 Preparing for Feast - Less than a year after they arrived, they had 11 buildings in their settlement - They stored corn they got from Indians, dried fish they caught, and dried deer meat - Governor Bradford, leader of settlement, said they would have feast to celebrate... -... God s goodness to them; women baked, men shot wild game for this feast - Governor Bradford invited Chief Massasoit to join them in first Thanksgiving feast - To everyone s surprise, he and 90 Indian warriors came FT 6 First Thanksgiving - Winter was coming; food would be very scarce as crops couldn t be planted until spring - Pilgrims wanted Indians to know they did not come to hurt or harm them - Pilgrims knew God had sent Squanto to help them, or they wouldn t have survived - Finally food was ready; a Pilgrim stood to thank God for His blessings to them that year - America was beautiful, but had no roads, cities, or places to buy what they needed - It was worth the hardships to worship God freely - One of the Pilgrims wanted to make peace with Indians - He took gifts of jewelry, biscuits, and butter to offer the Indian Chief Massasoit - That reminds me of how God sent His Son to help us P, E Romans 5:6... Christ died for the ungodly. - He thanked God for good help, safety, and His protection MT, PAS YOU SHOULD THANK GOD FOR WHAT HE HAS DONE FOR YOU