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The Apostle Paul- Shipwrecked In this lesson, Paul is under arrest and must sail to Rome to stand trial before Caesar. The dangerous journey gives Paul another opportunity to put his faith in God. Children learn that God is trustworthy and He always cares about them. TOPICS Apostles, Believing, Caring, Faith, Paul AS KIDS ARRIVE (10 minutes) Paul Waves Goodbye (Coloring Page) page 3 Paul Hears an Angel (Coloring Page) page 4 Have copies of both coloring pages available along with colored markers or crayons for when the kids arrive. Let them choose which page to color. If time permits, they can do both. Later, as you are reading the Bible story, use these coloring pages to help visualize the story. BIBLE VERSE (5 minutes) Turn all your worries over to God. He cares about you. 1 Peter 5:7 NIRV Explain that the Bible says we should give all of our worries and fears to God, for He cares about us. Ask the children if they know what that means. Young preschoolers may not realize they have worries or anxieties that affect their lives, but they do. Have them think about the last time they were not feeling well, or when they scraped a knee. Younger children may have worries when left alone, or with a new babysitter. Help the children understand that giving their cares to God means to let Him completely take care of them, and He will through our Lord, Jesus. Have the children say the verse several times together. Then, have them change the word "your" to "my" and "you" to "me" and repeat the new phrase several more times. BIBLE STORY (15 minutes) Gather the children around you for story time. After the introduction, read the provided children's version of the story. As an option, you can read the story about the shipwreck directly from the Bible. Introduction: Last week we found the Apostle Paul and his friend Silas in Jail praying and singing hymns. Although he was in Jail, it didn't stop Paul from praising God. Does anyone remember what happened to Paul while in Jail? That's right: a violent earthquake shook the ground and opened all the doors. But Paul and Silas didn't escape. Instead, they told the jailor about Jesus, and he believed with his entire household. Paul spoke to many more people after that. Then he came back to Jerusalem, and found himself faced with yet another dangerous adventure. Dangerous Voyage (Story) page 5-6 (Option) Read Acts 27:13-44 Discussion Questions: 1. Where was Paul supposed to be going when he boarded the ship? (Rome, to stand trial before Caesar.) 2. How would you describe the journey? (Dangerous.) 3. Who told Paul the ship would be lost, but that everyone aboard would be safe? (An angel of the Lord.) 4. How did Paul trust God? (By listening to the angel and doing what God said.) 5. How did God care for Paul? (By keeping him safe from the hurricane.) 6. Does anyone remember how Paul and the other passengers made it safe to the island? (They swam or used planks and broken pieces from the ship.) 7. What are some ways God shows that He cares for us? FUN TIME (10 minutes) Come Aboard (Activity) page 7 ALTERNATE FUN TIME (10 minutes) Shipwreck in Action (Activity/Story) Tell the story about Paul in the storm again. This time, have the children pretend they are in a boat with Paul. Use

The Apostle Paul- Shipwrecked carpet squares or masking tape to mark off the sides of the ship and let the kids sit on the floor. Use rope, empty boxes for cargo, and spray bottles to spray ocean mist on the children's faces. Let the kids join in the action. Make your story as interactive and colorful as possible. Example: Paul went aboard a ship sailing to Jerusalem. There were many people, and it was so crowded. (Have the children get into the boat and scoot close together.) As they sailed, the wind started to get rough. (Have the children sway back and forth.) The waves came over the bow of the ship. (Spray a few kids with the spray bottle.) The sailors were afraid. They tossed the cargo over the side of the ship. (Let the kids toss some empty boxes out of the ship to the floor.) Then an angel of the Lord came to Paul, and told him that everyone would be safe, if everyone stayed on the ship. (Have the children sway back and forth again.) The waves became worse. The ship hit a reef. (Let the kids fall to the floor and spray them again.) Now the ship is breaking up. Everyone hold on to the rope. (Have the children grab onto the rope.) Let's go to shore. (Have the children hold on to the rope or grab an empty box as they go back to their seats.) PRAYER/SNACK (10 minutes)

PAUL WAVES GOODBYE The Apostle Paul- Shipwrecked Paul waves goodbye before sailing to Rome to stand trial before Caesar. (Acts 27) TOPICS: Paul MATERIALS: Coloring page page 8 Crayons or colored markers DURATION: Approximately 10 minutes

PAUL HEARS AN ANGEL The Apostle Paul- Shipwrecked Paul hears an angel tell him how to survive a shipwreck. (Acts 27:23-24) TOPICS: Angels, Paul, Protection MATERIALS: Coloring page page 9 Crayons or colored markers DURATION: Approximately 10 minutes

DANGEROUS VOYAGE The Apostle Paul- Shipwrecked God asks us to trust Him because He cares for us. In this story, the Apostle Paul shows how he believes God during a dangerous voyage. (Acts 27) TOPICS: Angels, Believing, Caring, Faith, Paul, Protection DURATION: Approximately 8 minutes Paul traveled many places telling people about Jesus. After one long journey, he came back to Jerusalem to preach there. But some of the Jews gave him a hard time. They accused him of causing trouble. They had him arrested, again. This time, Paul stayed in jail a long time. Finally, they put Paul on a small ship sailing to Rome along with some other prisoners. He had to stand trial before Caesar for all of the trouble he caused in Jerusalem. The ship was crowded. There were over 200 people on board and with lots of cargo. "Goodbye!" Paul said to all of his friends as the sea air filled the sails. They were on their way. The ship stopped several times because the weather had become very violent. It was becoming too windy to keep the ship going the right way. Paul told everyone not to continue on the journey. It was just too dangerous. However, no one listened. Instead, they sailed on, hoping the strong wind would help them go faster. Before long, a hurricane wind pushed the small ship into the open sea. All night long, the sailors battled the wind. The next day was even worse. They decided to throw all the cargo overboard so they could stay afloat. After a few more days, they tossed the ship's tackle overboard. However, the hurricane didn't let up. Paul looked at the weary sailors and said, "You should have listened to me! But do not fear. An angel of the Lord came to me last night and said I must stand trial before Caesar. The ship will be lost, but everyone on board will be safe." After fourteen days, the ship started to get closer to land. The water became more and more shallow. The sailors tossed the anchors into the water so the ship would not hit bottom. Then, the sailors tried to leave the ship in one of the lifeboats. "Remember what the angel of the Lord said. You must stay on the ship to be saved!" Paul shouted. The sailors listened to Paul, and did not leave the ship. But everyone was tired and weary. They had not eaten for a long time. "We should all eat something so we will be strong enough to survive," Paul suggested. So, everyone took some bread and ate until they were full. Then, to lighten the ship even more, they tossed the rest of the wheat into the sea. The next day they could see a beach off in the distance. They raised the anchors and hoisted the sails, but before long, the ship hit a reef. It was stuck. They were stuck. The strong waves began to break up the small ship. Pieces broke off and dropped into the water. Time to leave! They had to get off the boat before it was torn apart.

The Apostle Paul- Shipwrecked Because they all stayed on the ship as long as possible, they were not too far from the land. Everyone, including the prisoners made it safely ashore by holding onto planks and wreckage from the ship. There were two-hundred and seventy-six persons in all. God saved everyone aboard the ship just like He said He would. God asks us to trust Him, because He cares for us. Like Paul, we can always believe God will do what He says.

COME ABOARD The Apostle Paul- Shipwrecked Children come aboard the boat to show how much Jesus cares about them. TOPICS: Believing, Caring, Faith, Jesus MATERIALS: None DURATION: Approximately 10 minutes WHAT YOU WILL DO: Children pretend to come aboard a boat by grabbing the waist of the child in front of them, each time creating a longer line. To start this activity, have all the children scatter and find a spot in the room to stand and wait until their turn. They do not need to hide, only to find a place away from the other children. Use the entire room. Then, choose one child to start the activity. You can also start with a teacher's helper. This person becomes the captain of the boat, and sails (walks) over to any other child in the room. Upon reaching this child, the captain says the following: "Come aboard, Jesus cares about you." The child comes aboard by going behind the captain and placing his or her hands on the captain's waist. The two sail (walk) together to another child in the room. The captain again says, "Come aboard, Jesus cares about you." After that, the second child behind the captain says, "Come aboard, Jesus cares about you." Then, the third child comes aboard by placing his or her hands on the second child's waist. All three sail over to another child. Each person already aboard must say the phrase, one at a time and in order from front to back, before the next child can accept and join in. Repeat this process until all the children are aboard the boat. You can also call out a child's name and direct the captain to go to that person next. In this way, you can control the order of play, if needed. WHAT YOU WILL SAY: The Bible says that we should turn all of our worries over to God, because He cares about us. (1 Peter 5:7) To show that we believe Jesus truly cares about us, we are all going to come aboard a make believe boat. Once aboard, we will find others to join us.