Talks that teach by Pioneer Clubs

Talks That Teach 40 devotional talks to use at parties and special events

Talks That Teach 40 devotional talks to use at parties and special events.

Writers Brad Davis, MDiv Judy Gillispie Marilyn Schneider, MA Elizabeth Smith, MA, LCPC Editors Rebecca M. Allen-Powell Hollis Pippin Designer Nikki Peters

©2014 Pioneer Clubs® PO Box 788, Wheaton, Illinois 60187-0788 (630) 293-1600 www.pioneerclubs.org All rights reserved. Except where noted, no part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without written permission from Pioneer Clubs. Produced in USA.

TABLE OF CONTENTS HOW TO USE THESE TALKS.............................................................................................................................5 ACHIEVEMENTS

Cheering: Celebrate achievements....................................................................................................................6 Guidebooks: Be imitators of God........................................................................................................................7

BIBLE HEROES

Family Pictures: We can make a difference by appreciating our family................................................8 Guitar: God makes heroes of everyday people..............................................................................................9 Olympic Gold: Paul’s secret was to pray all the time................................................................................. 10 Trees: Andrew didn’t envy Peter....................................................................................................................... 11

RELATIONSHIPS

Cookie Cutter: You are made special by God............................................................................................... 12 Forgiveness: Forgive others as Christ forgave us........................................................................................ 13 Labels: People may not be what you expect............................................................................................... 14 Pizza: Jesus made friends with all types of people.................................................................................... 15 Puzzle Pieces: You are an important part of the picture.......................................................................... 16 Rules: Love God and others................................................................................................................................ 17 Snow: The body of Christ is strong when we work together................................................................. 18

SPECIAL DAYS

Calendar: Get a fresh start with God............................................................................................................... 19 Camp: Make a living picture of camp............................................................................................................. 20 Corn Kernels: Give thanks to God.................................................................................................................... 21 Easter Eggs: Celebrate new life at Easter....................................................................................................... 22 Father’s Day: Encourage and build up dads................................................................................................. 23 Gifts: Give yourself at Christmas....................................................................................................................... 24 God’s Valentine: God showed His love by sending Jesus........................................................................ 25 Masks: You don’t need to hide from Jesus.................................................................................................... 26 Mother’s Day: Thank mothers for what they do......................................................................................... 27 National Ear Muff Day: Be careful what you listen to................................................................................ 28 New Shoes: Walk in God’s ways in the new year........................................................................................ 29 Unleavened Bread: Get rid of sin in our lives............................................................................................... 30

WALKING WITH JESUS

Baseball: Join the family of God....................................................................................................................... 31 Bible: The Bible gives us direction................................................................................................................... 32 Bike Race: Keep your eyes on Jesus................................................................................................................. 33 Cages: Going to church doesn’t make you a Christian............................................................................. 34 Cheerful Givers: Give to God cheerfully........................................................................................................ 35 Go! Go! Go! Tell others about Jesus................................................................................................................. 36 Hide and Seek: Jesus seeks out lost people................................................................................................. 37 Jesus Our Lord: Make Jesus Lord in every part of life............................................................................... 38 Mirror: Be a reflection of Jesus.......................................................................................................................... 39 Report Card: God doesn’t grade you as teachers do................................................................................. 40 Show and Tell: Tell others about Jesus by showing your faith............................................................... 41 S’Mores: Jesus holds all things together....................................................................................................... 42 Sneakers: Jesus’ love never wears out............................................................................................................ 43 Sweets: Overcome temptation with the Bible............................................................................................ 44 Trumpet: Find joy in Jesus.................................................................................................................................. 45

TABLE OF CONTENTS TALKS ARRANGED BY SCRIPTURES Deuteronomy 10:12: Guitar............................................................................................................................................................9 Ruth 2:11-12: Family Pictures.........................................................................................................................................................8 Psalm 106:1: Corn Kernels............................................................................................................................................................. 21 Psalm 119:1: New Shoes................................................................................................................................................................ 29 Psalm 119:105: Bible......................................................................................................................................................................... 32 Proverbs 31:27-29: Mother’s Day............................................................................................................................................. 27 Isaiah 43:1: Cookie Cutter.............................................................................................................................................................. 12 Matthew 14:22-23a: Camp.......................................................................................................................................................... 20 Matthew 25:21: Cheering................................................................................................................................................................6 Matthew 28:19-20: Go! Go! Go!................................................................................................................................................. 36 Mark 12:28-31: Rules........................................................................................................................................................................ 17 Luke 4:1-13: Sweets........................................................................................................................................................................... 44 Luke 19:10: Hide and Seek............................................................................................................................................................ 37 John 1:12-13: Baseball..................................................................................................................................................................... 31 John 3:16: Gifts..................................................................................................................................................................................... 24 John 10:14-15: Masks....................................................................................................................................................................... 26 Romans 3:22-24: Report Card..................................................................................................................................................... 40 Romans 8:38-39: Sneakers............................................................................................................................................................ 43 Romans 12:4-6a: Puzzle Pieces.................................................................................................................................................. 16 Romans 15:7: Labels......................................................................................................................................................................... 14 1 Corinthians 5:6-7: Unleavened Bread................................................................................................................................ 30 1 Corinthians 12:7: Snow.............................................................................................................................................................. 18 2 Corinthians 3:18: Mirror............................................................................................................................................................. 39 2 Corinthians 5:17: Cages............................................................................................................................................................. 34 2 Corinthians 9:7-8: Cheerful Givers....................................................................................................................................... 35 Ephesians 2:10: Trees....................................................................................................................................................................... 11 Ephesians 4:32: Forgiveness........................................................................................................................................................ 13 Ephesians 5:1-2: Guidebooks.........................................................................................................................................................7 Philippians 4:4; 1 Peter 1:8: Trumpet..................................................................................................................................... 45 Philippians 4:8-9: National Earmuff Day.............................................................................................................................. 28 Colossians 1:17: S’Mores................................................................................................................................................................ 42 Colossians 3:17: Jesus Our Lord................................................................................................................................................ 38 1 Thessalonians 5:11: Father’s Day.......................................................................................................................................... 23 1 Thessalonians 5:17: Olympic Gold...................................................................................................................................... 10 Hebrews 12:1-2a: Bike Race......................................................................................................................................................... 33 James 2:14-17: Show and Tell..................................................................................................................................................... 41 1 Peter 1:3: Easter Eggs................................................................................................................................................................... 22 1 Peter 1:8; Philippians 4:4: Trumpet..................................................................................................................................... 45 1 John 1:9: Calendar.......................................................................................................................................................................... 19 1 John 4:9: God’s Valentine........................................................................................................................................................... 25 1 John 4:11: Pizza................................................................................................................................................................................ 15

HOW TO USE THESE TALKS Talks That Teach works as a resource tool for special children’s ministry events. Use it during events where you would like to have a short devotional message or where the group is too large or diverse for a fuller Bible study. These devotional talks may be used for a wide variety of special events: • • • • • • • • • • • • •

holiday parties achievement ceremonies parent open houses overnight events campouts cookouts theme parties yearly kickoffs summer get-togethers parent/child events service projects missions events ministry presentations in church

TIPS FOR TALKS BEFORE THE TALK

• Choose a talk related to your special event. The Table of Contents lists the talks by title and theme and also by Scripture verse. • Do the preparation at the top of the page listed under “Do Ahead.” This may include bringing any items needed for the talk and enlisting volunteers. • Mark the verse in your Bible so you can find it quickly without interrupting your talk. You will need a Bible for every talk. You may want to consider using an easy-to-read version for kids. • Read over the talk you choose. Familiarize yourself with it so you can “tell” it more than read it.

DURING THE TALK

• Be enthusiastic and excited about what you are teaching. • Make your talk fun—have the kids participate when appropriate. • To add variety, ask someone to demonstrate the object while you give the talk. • Make your talk personal. Apply the theme to your group (consider their ages, interests and needs). • Think of a way they can practically live out what you are teaching them. • Some of the talks have optional “talking points” at the end of them. Use these to discuss the theme of the talk with the kids. This is also a good way to make the talk more personal.

CHEERING Theme: Celebrate achievements Scripture: Matthew 25:21; background: Matthew 25:14-23 Do Ahead: Bring certificates, badges or prizes that will be handed out.

OBJECT TALK

Where would you hear sounds like these? Clap and cheer to imitate how fans react when their team scores a goal. Then let listeners call out answers. When a team scores in football, soccer, or the Olympics, it’s natural to be happy about it and to show it. What do you do when your team reaches the goal? I’ll give you five seconds for all of you together to show how you act. Ready? Go! Encourage listeners to cheer and clap. It’s fun to celebrate something successful, isn’t it? Today we’ve got something to celebrate. We’re celebrating a goal that you have reached. Your goal was to ________. Show items you brought. The ________ you’re receiving today will help you remember the goal you reached.

BIBLE TALK

God is happy when we reach goals, and He encourages us to celebrate. The Bible tells us about all kinds of feasts, festivals, and parties that people gave to celebrate things that were important to them. Jesus went to celebrations, and He also told stories about people who were honored and showed their happiness when they reached goals. Jesus told one story about a man who gave his servants some money to take care of. The servants had the goal of making more money with the money the owner gave them. Two servants worked hard and reached their goal. Listen for what the owner did. Read Matthew 25:21. The owner was happy, and he showed it. He rewarded his servants and said, “Well done, good and faithful servant!” This is like the things we cheer when our team scores. Well done! Good job! Yay!

You’ve reached a goal. Part of your reward is ________. Show items again. Part of your reward is this celebration. But the most important part of your reward is how you’ve grown because of what you’ve learned by working toward this goal. Look around at the other kids who have reached the goal. They’re your team members because you’ve all worked together and helped each other. Let’s cheer for your team because you reached this important goal. Let’s shout, “Good job!” and “Way to go!” and clap for each other. Ready? Go! Encourage listeners to express their praise and happiness in cheering and clapping.

TALK TO GOD

Dear God, thank You for helping us learn as we worked to reach our goal. We’re happy to cheer each other on and to help each other as teammates. In Jesus’ name, amen.

TALKING POINTS (optional)

• Why is it important to celebrate accomplishments and goals that are reached? • How do you like to celebrate your accomplishments? What are a couple of examples from the Bible of how people celebrated? • Does celebrating your achievements affect how you will work toward reaching goals in the future?

GUIDEBOOKS Theme: Be imitators of God Scripture: Ephesians 5:1-2 Do Ahead: Plan the skit with one helper. Choose other actions as desired. Bring a spiral notebook.

OBJECT TALK

Welcome to our group’s newest game show, “Imitate Me”! Let’s bring up our first contestant. Have helper run eagerly to the front. You seem very excited. Helper does not say a word but nods head vigorously with a huge grin and shakes your hand with gusto. Are you ready to begin? Helper again nods with great animation both to you and the crowd. All right then. All you have to do is exactly what I do. First I’ll do a Duck Walk. Do this while quacking. See if you can imitate me. Helper imitates perfectly. Very good. Now this is what I call the Slide Stomp. Slide to one side and stomp your foot. Helper imitates perfectly. Good job. You imitate me well. Now for the Doobie Doobah Walk. Walk around while making complicated funny movements with arms and head. Helper tries to imitate but can’t quite remember how. Not bad. I think you just need to practice. Now try to imitate my Wiggle Zonk Around. Wiggle, do some leg slaps and claps and spin around. Helper tries to imitate but can’t quite get it. Not bad. Practice is what you need. Here’s a guidebook (show spiral notebook) showing all the moves. If you use this guidebook and practice a lot (hand over spiral notebook), soon you’ll be able to imitate me great!

kids? They love to imitate Mom and Dad. God’s goal for us is to live a life of love and become more and more like Him. You have been working toward that goal, too. When you work on (type of achievements) in our group, you learn a lot of things. You think of ways to help and serve others. You learn what the Bible says about living God’s way. Most important, you get to know God better. Together, those things help you become more like God—to learn about Him and imitate Him. The Bible is our guidebook for becoming more and more like Him. Show Bible. You are learning and practicing what the Bible says. We’re celebrating that you’ve achieved _________. But the most important goal is to become more like God. So whenever you work on (type of achievements), remember that you can get to know God better. You can become a better imitator of God in all you do.

TALK TO GOD

Dear God, we praise You for loving us as Your children. Thank You for the Bible as our guidebook to knowing You better. Help us become better imitators of You in everything we do.

TALKING POINTS (optional)

• What have you learned about God in our group recently? • How has the Bible been like a guidebook for you?

You and helper turn toward the crowd and take a bow. Helper sits back down. Wow—what a great contestant for “Imitate Me”!

All he (she) needs is some practice.

BIBLE TALK

You know, this reminds me of someone the Bible tells us all to imitate. Read Ephesians 5:1-2. The verses are telling us to be like children who God loves very much. Have you ever watched little

FAMILY PICTURES Theme: We can make a difference by appreciating our family Scripture: Ruth 2:11-12; background: Ruth 1-2 Do Ahead: Bring a digital camera. Recruit a helper.

OBJECT TALK

look more like this. Strike happy pose, pointing camera at yourself. Ruth let it show that she loved and appreciated Naomi. She made a difference in her family. You and I can make a difference in our families by appreciating them, too. Our families have happy days, sad days and exciting days, just like all families. We can find ways to show love and appreciation every day—by helping out when needed, by playing and sharing, by giving a card or even just a smile.

Let’s pretend we’re all one big family and we’re taking family pictures. Show camera. They will be pictures about feelings. (Helper’s name) and I will show you what I mean. If I call out, “Happy family,” everyone will strike a happy pose (you and helper strike pose together) and I’ll take the picture. If I call out, “Mad family,” everyone will strike a mad pose (you and helper strike pose together) and I’ll take the picture. You can just stay where you’re sitting.

I’ll name some types of family members. As I do, think of ways you can show your family members you appreciate them. Slowly name: Dad or the person who’s like a dad to you…sister…grandma or grandpa…mom or the person who’s like a mom to you…brother…aunt or uncle….

Ready? Happy family! Take picture.…Sad family! Take picture.…Excited family! Take picture.… Frustrated family! Take picture.

I’ll take another picture of you again. This time show me how your family may feel when you show them you appreciate them. Let kids pose, and take the picture.

You can come see the pictures I took later. Now let’s think about real families. Real families have feelings, too. Sometimes family members are excited, or nervous, or disappointed, or happy.

BIBLE TALK

Did you think of some good ideas? Try to do that idea at home this week.

TALK TO GOD

Dear God, thank You for our families. Help us to show we love and appreciate them. In Jesus’ name, amen.

If we could have taken a picture of one family in Bible times, they would have looked like this. Strike sad pose, pointing the camera at yourself. In the Bible story, a woman from Israel named Naomi and her daughter-in-law Ruth had been living in the country of Moab. Naomi’s husband and sons died. One son was Ruth’s husband. So Ruth and Naomi were both very sad. Ruth was from Moab. But Naomi, who was getting old, decided to move back home to her country of Israel. Ruth said she would leave her home in Moab and go with Naomi. They moved to Israel, and Ruth took good care of Naomi. People in the town noticed. This is what a respected man said to Ruth. Read Ruth 2:11-12. Boaz realized that Ruth appreciated her motherin-law and gave up a lot to care for her. He liked Ruth so much that he married her and took care of Naomi, too. Now their family picture would

TALKING POINTS (optional)

• How do you like family members to show they appreciate you? • What difference do you think it could make in a family if family members make an effort to show each other they appreciate each other? • If family members know you care, why does it matter if you say or show it?

GUITAR Theme: God makes heroes of everyday people Scripture: Deuteronomy 10:12; background: Luke 21:1-4; John 20:10-18; Acts 9:36-42 Do Ahead: Think of a Christian singing group that your kids like and a song they sing. Be sure you can sing some of the lyrics. Bring a guitar.

OBJECT TALK

What are some Christian singing groups you like? Let kids call out names. I’ve been thinking that to be useful to God, maybe we should start a singing ministry like (name of group). They touch so many people through music. It would be great for us to be useful to God like that, too. Do you think we could do that? Strum guitar. Practice (name of song the group sings) with me. Strumming guitar, lead a few lines of a song. Do we sound like (group)? Pause for response. I guess not. We enjoy singing to God, but our voices aren’t famous. We’re not great Christian athletes, either, or famous evangelists or missionaries. One day, some of you may be, but right now we’re pretty ordinary, everyday people. Do you think we can be useful to God even if we’re not great or famous? Raise your hand if you think God can use ordinary, everyday people like us. Pause. If you raised your hand, you’re right. Let’s look at some people in the Bible who were useful to God.

had. But she was useful to God because she was willing to give. In the book of John we read about Mary, who went to Jesus’ tomb after He died. When she got there, she found Jesus was alive! Jesus told Mary to tell others that He had risen from the dead. How many of you can talk? Pause. All Mary had to do to be useful to God was talk. She told people about Jesus. Dorcas, the widow, and Mary were everyday people, just like us. But in God’s eyes they were heroes. They were useful to God because they loved Him, obeyed Him, and served Him. Hold up guitar. Raise your hand if you are great or famous right now. Pause. Not too many! But God doesn’t ask you to be great or famous before you can be useful to Him. Read Deuteronomy 10:12. God only asks that you love Him, obey Him, and serve Him. Can an ordinary, everyday person like you be useful to God? Raise your hand if you think so. Pause. You can all raise your hands, because you are a hero in God’s eyes if you just love Him, obey Him, and serve Him.

TALK TO GOD

Dear God, we’re glad You can use ordinary, everyday people, because that’s what we are. Help us to love You, obey You, and serve You in all we do. In Jesus’ name, amen.

BIBLE TALK

In Acts we read about Dorcas, who was good at making things with her hands. How many of you are good with your hands? Pause for show of hands. Dorcas used her hands to make clothes and help poor and sick people. Even though she wasn’t famous, she was useful to God because she helped people. In Luke we read about a poor woman whose husband had died. Raise your hand if you don’t have a lot of money. Pause. This poor widow put only two small coins in the offering, but it was all she

OLYMPIC GOLD Theme: Paul’s secret was to pray always Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 5:17 Do Ahead: Recruit 3 helpers and plan the skit with them. Have them sit among the audience. Buy or make a gold medal (available from party stores).

SKIT Walk back and forth looking at your watch as kids are seated. I’m forming a great running team for the next Olympics. I only want the best runners. Who wants to be in the Olympics? Helpers wave arms with excitement and say things like “Pick me!” Carefully look over the crowd. Dramatically choose the three helpers, one by one. Helpers come up enthusiastically. Now listen up! I am getting together the world’s best running team. I have chosen you to run in the Olympics. Do you know how hard it will be to win? Athletes nod enthusiastically. See this gold medal? Show medal. Do you know the secret to winning? Athletes begin nodding, then stop, and start shaking heads no. It takes practice. Practice, practice, practice! And then what? Athletes look at one another and you and shrug, indicating “what.” More practice! Great athletes practice so much that their moves start to come naturally. And that makes it look easy to everyone watching. But is it really easy? Athletes slowly shake heads. You’re right. It takes practice. Let’s train. Ready? Stretch! Athletes stretch in different ways comically. Jump! Athletes jump up and down, not in rhythm. Twist! Athletes twist right and left comically. Okay, team. Let’s run. Athletes run out of room comically.

BIBLE LESSON

Real gold-medal athletes often make their sports look easy. Hold up medal. Sometimes people in the Bible made trusting God look easy. The Apostle Paul and his co-worker, Silas, were beaten and thrown into jail for their faith. Their reaction wasn’t to pout or complain. Instead, they prayed and sang to God. Christians in the Early Church might have thought, “Paul makes praying look easy. What’s his secret?”

Paul’s secret is the same as gold-medal athletes. Read 1 Thessalonians 5:17. The more you pray, the easier and more natural it becomes. In nearly every New Testament letter Paul wrote, he talked about prayer. In fact, the Bible is full of praying people. I’m going to name some of those people who prayed. Count them with me. One—Abraham, who followed God to a new country. Two—Job, who searched for answers. Three—Daniel, who trusted God even in the lions’ den. Four—Miriam, who sang a praise song after the Israelites left Egypt. Five—Nehemiah, who needed protection to rebuild Jerusalem. Six—the prophetess Anna, who thanked God when she saw baby Jesus. Seven—Isaiah, who told the messages God gave him. Eight—Peter, who wanted to learn new things from God. These people became like gold medalists at praying because they spent time talking to God. What are some ways to talk to God? Let listeners answer. One way is to bow your head, close your eyes, and talk to God either aloud or silently. You could also pray by singing hymns or praise songs; you could even make up your own songs! You can pray alone or with others. You can talk to God by writing Him a letter or drawing a picture. However you do it, what’s important is that you tell God what’s on your mind. Talk to Him as you would a close friend. Praying can become natural for you, just as skills become natural for Olympic athletes. Hold up medal. Like people in the Bible, you can become like a gold medalist at praying. Follow Paul’s secret: (read 1 Thessalonians 5:17 again).

TALK TO GOD

Dear God, it’s great to know we can talk to You anytime, anywhere, about anything. Thank You for loving us and wanting to hear from us. Help us to practice praying every day. In Jesus’ name, amen.

TREES Theme: Andrew didn’t envy Peter Scripture: Ephesians 2:10; background: John 1:35-41; 6:8-9; 12:20-22 Do Ahead: Bring a potted tree and place it near where you will talk. Plan a place for someone to hide near the tree (such as behind a door or behind a blanket draped over a clothesline). Recruit someone to hide and help you. Option: Rig a microphone instead.

OBJECT TALK Leader: Walk to front. Helper: Hey, you! Leader: Who’s talking to me? Look around, puzzled. Helper: Hey! Down here! The tree. Leader: Look at tree. Trees don’t talk. Helper: That’s news to me. Leader: You must be a very special tree. Helper: No, that’s the whole problem. I’m not. I’m ordinary. I saw a special on TV the other day… Leader: You watch TV? Helper: Well, yeah. Now pay attention. I’ve got issues here. I saw this special on TV about giant redwood trees. Redwoods get all the attention. I’m jealous. I’m just a plain old tree. Redwoods have tourists come to visit. Nobody ever notices me. Leader: Well, uh (look nervously at group members), I hope things get better for you, tree. Uh, see you later. Sneak away and face group. So what do you think? Did our skit sound kind of silly? Why? Let group members call out answers. Of course. Trees can’t talk or think. It’s also silly for one tree to envy another. All trees are good. You know what else is silly about this? Humans are more intelligent than trees, but sometimes we envy each other. Do you ever grumble because you think you’re not as popular as someone in your class or don’t have as many things as a friend or aren’t as good at sports?

BIBLE TALK

Let’s look at someone in the Bible who had a good reason to be jealous. His name was Andrew, and he was Peter’s brother. The Bible mentions Peter a lot, but it hardly ever mentions Andrew. Peter had a special place among Jesus’ 12 helpers—his disciples. Peter gave great sermons and wrote famous letters. Andrew didn’t. Do you think Andrew envied his brother? Let’s see what clues the Bible gives us. Andrew met Jesus first; right away Andrew went and told Peter and brought him to Jesus. Then when Jesus fed more than 5,000 people with just five pieces of bread and two small fish, Andrew was the one who brought the boy with the fish and bread to Jesus. Later, some Greek people wanted to meet Jesus, and Andrew arranged that. These clues show what was important to Andrew. He focused on bringing people to Jesus. Think how things might have turned out if Andrew resented Peter or thought he wasn’t worthy of Jesus! Andrew didn’t let envy get to him. He didn’t waste time wishing he were someone else or resenting others. We can follow Andrew’s example. God made each of us and has things for us to do. Read Ephesians 2:10. We need to concentrate on accepting who God made us instead of grumbling about who He didn’t make us. So whenever you see this tree, do a quick check: Is there someone you’re jealous of? Let the tree remind you that you are God’s special workmanship. Helper: (As the tree) Absolutely!

TALK TO GOD

Dear God, thank You or making us and giving us good things to do for You. Help us accept who You made us to be and not envy others. In Jesus’ name, amen.

COOKIE CUTTER Theme: You are made special by God Scripture: Isaiah 43:1 Do Ahead: Recruit an adult helper. Option: Have him or her wear a funny hat or use a silly accent. Bring several cookie cutters in a bag, including one in the shape of a person.

OBJECT TALK

Leader: Hi, everybody. Today…. Helper: Enter, interrupting. I’m sorry to interrupt, but I have a problem and I want to ask the kids’ opinion. Leader: Oh. Well, okay. Helper: Pull several shapes of cookie cutters out of bag. The next time I make cookies and roll out some cookie dough, which cookie cutter do you think I should use? I only want to choose one. Hold up cutters one at a time. Have kids vote by applause. Okay, thanks! I’ll use this one. I think I could get a lot of different cookies with this cookie cutter. Imagine! I could get circles and stars and bunnies and snowmen… Leader: Um…wait…. Helper: What? Leader: Everyone, how many shapes of cookies could he (she) get out of that one cookie cutter? Let kids reply. For instance, if you use this cookie cutter (hold up person cookie cutter), all your cookies would have this shape with a head, arms and legs. Helper: Look over the group members. Kind of like the kids all have a head and arms and legs. Leader: Your cookies would all look exactly alike. Helper: Look over the group members. Kind of like the kids all….wait, the kids don’t all look exactly alike. Leader: Good point! Kids are not cut out exactly the same, like cookies. Show the cookie cutter. When God created the kids, He made them

special. Just as no two snowflakes are exactly alike and no two fingerprints are exactly alike, no two kids are exactly alike either.

BIBLE TALK

Helper: So if I made a dozen cookies from the same cookie cutter, I wouldn’t be able to tell them apart. But there are millions of kids on earth. Does God get them all mixed up? Leader: What do you think, everyone? Let kids answer. No! God created each one of you special and He knows you by name. God said so in the Bible in Isaiah 43:1. Read Isaiah 43:1. God, who created you, loves you and knows your name. He knows what you’re good at—and what you’re not so good at. He knows what you think and what you feel. He knows these things because He made you—He put you together—and He made you like nobody else. And God loves you just the way He made you. In some ways, you’re like other kids. Tap these body parts with me as I name them (tap parts). You have a head, shoulders, toes, elbows, knees, a back, fingers, and a pumping heart. But you’re not a cut-out cookie; you’re not just like any other kid. Give yourself a hug (hug self ) because you are a special creation of God Himself. Helper: Hug self, too.

TALK TO GOD

Lord God, we praise You for being the Creator who made everything and everyone. We thank You that we’re not like cut-out cookies, but that You made each of us special. It feels good to realize that You know us by name and that You love each one of us. In Jesus’ name, amen.

FORGIVENESS Theme: Forgive others as Christ forgave us Scripture: Ephesians 4:32 Do Ahead: Bring small balls or bean bags (enough for the kids to toss to a partner).

OBJECT TALK Each pair of kids face one another a couple of arms’ lengths apart. Have the kids toss the balls back and forth. Every time they’re successful, they take a step back from one another. When a ball drops, that pair sits down. Keep going until everyone has dropped their ball. Emphasize that there are no winners or losers. This game is easy to play if you and your partner work together. It would be really hard if your partner threw the ball so you couldn’t catch it. And sometimes, no matter how hard we try, someone just accidentally drops the ball. Would anyone like to share how they thought the game went for their team? Let kids respond.

to follow His example and forgive one another. The Bible tells us to forgive one another just as Jesus forgave us. When we tell Jesus we’re sorry for something we have done wrong, He tells us He loves us and He will always be with us. Since that’s how Jesus treats us when we do something wrong, how should we show forgiveness to each other? Let kids give ideas. We can say to one another, “That’s okay; everyone makes mistakes” or “I forgive you—we’re still friends.” Hold up one of the balls. Just as we passed the ball to one another, we are to pass on forgiveness to each other, too. When something in our relationships goes wrong, we can forgive one another just as Jesus forgave us.

TALK TO GOD

Dear Jesus, thank You for loving and forgiving us when we do something wrong. Thank You for showing us how to treat one another when our feelings are hurt or something goes wrong. Help us forgive each other as Jesus forgave us. Amen.

Some of you thought the game went well and others had a harder time. When we’re with our friends, things can go wrong sometimes. Maybe someone gets mad when someone makes a mistake. Or someone’s feelings get hurt. We can feel angry or frustrated or annoyed. When this happens, we need to know what the Bible says about how we should treat one another when we’re upset or when someone does something wrong to us.

BIBLE TALK

Let’s read Ephesians 4:32. Read. This verse tells us to be kind to one another. When we played the game, what were some ways that you were kind to one another? Let kids share. When you dropped the ball and you and your partner had to sit down, it was frustrating. When things like that happen, how does God want us to treat one another? What did our verse say? Let kids respond. Reread the verse. It can be hard to decide what to do when a friend disappoints us or a game goes wrong with other kids. But God says no matter what happens, we are

LABELS Theme: People may not be what you expect Scripture: Romans 15:7 Do Ahead: Replace the label on a can of food with a different label of a food that’s a different color. Bring the can, a can opener, and three bowls.

OBJECT TALK

What do you think is in this can? Hold up can; let listeners call out what the label says. When I give the signal, if you like this food, clap, and if you don’t like it, stomp your feet. Give a signal to start and stop. Those of you who stomped your feet would probably read the label on this can and not even bother to open it. You know just from the label that you won’t like what’s inside. Those of you who do like this food would probably be ready to come up here and eat some. Let’s have three volunteers. Choose three to come up. Give each a bowl and spoon. Open can and pour contents into bowls, showing the audience. Okay, eat your (type of food on label). What’s wrong? You say the food doesn’t match the label on the can? Hmmm….The problem isn’t with the food, it’s with the label. Someone put the wrong label on the can. Let volunteers sit back down. People sometimes have the wrong label put on them, too. Sometimes we look at someone else and think, “He doesn’t look like my type of person” or “She looks like a loser.” In school or in our group or on a team, you come across lots of different kids. You have to work with them and play with them. Maybe when you first meet someone you think, “He looks like a troublemaker” or “She dresses different from me or talks different from me and we couldn’t be friends.” That’s a label (hold up can). When you make up your mind about someone else before you’ve even given that person a chance, that’s putting a label on.

When you’ve gone ahead and gotten to know the person, you might have discovered you had fun doing things together. Or maybe you learned you

shared some of the same interests or favorite games. Or that you could enjoy learning about the other kid’s culture or background. That’s like opening a can and finding out the label was wrong (hold up can) and what’s inside is something you like. It’s a good discovery.

BIBLE TALK

The Bible asks us to look underneath people’s labels for what’s really there. Read Romans 15:7. God wants us to drop the labels we see and accept each other. God looks underneath all our labels and sees who we really are—and He accepts us. Let’s look for ways to do the same.

TALK TO GOD

Dear Father, it’s great to be able to come to this group to learn more about You and about who we are underneath the labels. Thank You for accepting us. Help us to accept each other. In Jesus’ name, amen.

PIZZA Theme: Jesus made friends with all types of people Scripture: 1 John 4:11 Do Ahead: Bring pizza ingredients in individual packages: crust, cheese, spices, toppings. Put them in a pizza box or bag.

OBJECT TALK

Picture in your mind a hot, fresh pizza covered with your favorite toppings. Smell the spices (inhale). Watch the cheese bubble. Think of the taste (lick your lips). Guess what I’ve got here. Hold up pizza box or bag. A pizza! Who would like part of a pizza? Call up several volunteers. Before I open the box, I want each volunteer to tell me what his or her favorite part of a pizza is. After all have answered, open box and give each person one ingredient. You look disappointed. Is something wrong? Let volunteers explain. So what you’re saying is that pizza is better when it’s all put together than when you have just one ingredient, even if it’s your favorite ingredient? Let volunteers put ingredients back in box and be seated. Believe it or not, pizza has a lot to do with the way we make friends and the way Jesus made friends. Just as one pizza ingredient doesn’t make a tasty pizza, having only one type of friend doesn’t make life tasty, either.

BIBLE TALK

How’s that for a supreme pizza of friends? Jesus didn’t have just one ingredient in His life. He made friends with all types. He even offered to make friends with you! Here’s why we should make friends as Jesus did. Read 1 John 4:11. God loves us, and we need to pass this love on to others. Do you have a supreme pizza of friends? You can add more ingredients to your life by making friends with people who aren’t just like you: kids in other classes or schools, adults at church—like your group leader, people from different cultures or neighborhoods. So whenever you eat pizza (hold up box), think about how you can make friends with people outside of your usual group.

TALK TO GOD

Dear Jesus, thank You for accepting us and wanting to be friends with us. Thank You for Your example. Help us follow it. Amen.

TALKING POINTS (optional) • Tell us about a time when you weren’t sure you wanted to be friends with someone because he or she was a little different from you. • Think of the friends you have—what is unique about them? How are they like you? How are they different? • Why do you think Jesus talked to all kinds of people? How can you be more like Jesus when you meet new people?

Think about Jesus and the people He made friends with. Remember stories from the Bible. Let’s try to name all the types of people Jesus spent time with. Call on volunteers to give answers. Add the following if not mentioned. Jesus spent time with religious leaders, people who truly loved God, and people who didn’t know how to follow God. He freely accepted kids, women, men, sick people, healthy people, rich and poor people, educated and outcast people, people from His own ethnic background, and those who were supposed to be His enemies.

PUZZLE PIECES Theme: You are an important part of the picture Scripture: Romans 12:4-6a; background: Romans 12:6-8 Do Ahead: Recruit two helpers and plan the puzzle competition with them. Bring 2 interlocking jigsaw puzzles of only 8-12 pieces. Put puzzles on opposite ends of a table, with pieces jumbled up.

OBJECT TALK Play the announcer. Helpers each stand beside one puzzle. Welcome to the World Cup Championship of Puzzle Making! We have two players who can put together puzzles faster than you can say, “I love puzzles!” Lead applause. Contestants, when I say go, put together your puzzle. You may not have even one piece missing! Go! Contestants work. The key is for them to finish at the same time and say together, “We’re done!” However, one player left one piece out on purpose. It’s a tie! We now have to choose a winner. Who will help me judge? Pick a volunteer. Come on up here and thanks so much for helping me figure this out. Walk to the puzzle that’s complete. How about this puzzle? Is it complete? Tell the audience. Let kid say yes. Let’s go to the next puzzle. What do you think? Does it look done to you? Tell the audience. Child will see a piece missing and indicate that. You’re right! What a great judge you are! He (she) left a piece out. Pick up piece and show crowd. What happened, contestant? Why is this piece left out? Contestant: I don’t like that piece. I don’t think it’s important. The other pieces have more important places in the puzzle. Announcer: Looks at kid. If you leave one piece out, the picture is incomplete. One piece is not less important than another piece. Do you agree? I think this contestant has lost. Contestant: You mean I lose over this unimportant, nothing piece?

Announcer: Yes, you lose. The winner is the contestant who knew every piece is important and needed. Lead applause. Contestants and kid sit down.

BIBLE TALK

In a jigsaw puzzle, every single piece is important! When I look at all of you, I see a type of jigsaw puzzle. Each of you is a piece of the picture. It’s a beautiful picture, and I wouldn’t want any of you to be missing from it. Let’s think about some of the different things you each give to our group as a whole. You’re all good at something. Some of you are leaders or helpers. Others make friends easily and encourage others. Others are creative or musical. Others can help visitors feel welcome. We all need each other in this puzzle. The Bible says the same thing. But instead of comparing us to a puzzle, it compares us to a person’s body, which has hands, feet, eyes, ears, and lots of other parts. Let me show you what I mean by reading out of our Bible. Read Romans 12:4-6a. The Bible tells us that we are each gifted in our own special way and we are not all good at the same thing. That would be like having 500 of the same puzzle piece! That just wouldn’t work. A puzzle needs different pieces that all fit together. God says that we belong to each other—just as the parts of your body connect to each other and just as the pieces of a puzzle interlock. Put two puzzle pieces together. We are like an interlocking jigsaw puzzle. Link arms to show that each of us is an important piece of the picture. Keep arms linked as we pray.

TALK TO GOD

Dear Lord, thank You that You made each of us an important part of a beautiful picture. Help us to remember that we need each other to make the picture complete. Amen.

RULES Theme: Love God and others Scripture: Mark 12:28-31 Do Ahead: Make a few signs stating common rules, such as “Beware of dog,” “No running in the hall,” and “Don’t walk.”

OBJECT TALK Hold up signs, and ask volunteers to read them aloud. What are some other rules we see around us? Let group members respond. We see rules all day long. You probably have rules posted at school, and we have some rules for our group. Your family sets up rules, and there are even rules in the Bible. Rules have an aim. The aim of some rules is to keep you safe. Other rules are set up so that everyone is treated fairly. Some rules are aimed at making sure you understand what to do. Though you have to deal with lots of rules, they usually aim at doing what’s best for you. Rules in the Bible have a similar aim. God gives us rules, not to spoil our fun, but to help us do what He knows is best for us.

and others, we’ll end up following all the other rules, too. If we love God, for instance, we’ll tell others about Him. If we love others, we won’t kill or steal. If we love others, we’ll honor our parents, just as God wants us to. Jesus’ rules help us do what He knows is best for us. We can honor Jesus every day by following His top rules: Love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and love others as yourself.

TALK TO GOD

Dear Jesus, we’re so grateful for Your love for us. Teach us how to love You with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. Help us to love others as we love ourselves. We want to honor You in all we do. Amen.

TALKING POINTS (optional) Help kids act out and discuss some scenarios where they need to decide how to love someone as they love themselves.

BIBLE TALK

People who lived in Bible times had to know hundreds of God’s Old Testament rules. Certain men had the job of teaching and explaining these rules to everyone else. They were called teachers of the Law. Teachers of the Law used to come to Jesus to talk about God’s rules. One day they started debating which one rule was the most important of all. Picture yourself in that conversation. Which Bible rule would you pick? Be kind...share what you have...help those in need...tell people about God’s love...don’t steal, kill, or lie...honor your parents.... There are a lot of good rules in the Bible. Let’s see what Jesus said was the most important rule that God gave. Read Mark 12:28-31. Jesus said that to love God is the most important rule and that loving others is the second most important. If we aim to show our love for God

SNOW Theme: The body of Christ is strong when we work together Scripture: 1 Corinthians 12:7 Do Ahead: Bring snow (or crush ice in a snow cone machine). Keep it outside or in a freezer until right before the lesson. If you crush ice, it must be crushed as finely as possible. You can make this “snow” in front of the kids or bring it prepared.

OBJECT TALK

Lots of wonderful things happen in winter—like snow! Snow is beautiful and amazing! Did you know that no two snowflakes are alike? Each is beautiful and special in its own way. What do you like to do with snow? Let kids call out answers. How many snowflakes would you say it takes to do all these things? Allow responses. I notice no one said just one snowflake. One snowflake alone is beautiful, but it takes a bunch of them to (start forming a snowball)…make a snowball! A snowball is awesome! You can have a snowball fight with your friends. Throw a tiny snowball at another leader. You can use it in target practice and try to knock things over. You can turn really big snowballs into a snow fort or snowmen. Put many snowflakes together, and there’s no telling how many different things you can do!

BIBLE TALK

We as a group are like snowflakes. Individually, we are all wonderful. There are no two people exactly alike, just like snowflakes. However, just like snowflakes, when we come together, we make something amazing and even greater— God’s family. Read 1 Corinthians 12:7. This verse tells us that each Christian has the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit shows up in our lives in different ways. Some of you have gifts of friendliness or helpfulness or teaching or being generous. Some of you can fix things. Some of you are creative. But God did not make us in these special ways just for our own benefit. He wants us to use our gifts with other Christians,

like our kids group friends, so that everyone benefits. If you are creative, maybe you can help your group leader do a skit. That benefits everyone. If you are helpful, maybe you can help set up supplies for your group. If you are generous, maybe you can give money to a special church project. If you are good at an instrument, maybe you can play in church or kids group. That builds up the other people in God’s family. When we all use the gifts God has given us to help each other, we are stronger together than when we are apart; we need each other. Every time you see snow (or a snowcone), I want you to thank God for how amazing He has made you as an individual person. But I also want you to think of ways to use your gifts to benefit God’s family, so that we can be stronger together than when we’re apart.

TALK TO GOD

Dear Father, thank You for giving us Your Holy Spirit and for giving us gifts individually. Whatever You have made us good at, we are to use it for the benefit of one another. We need each other. Help us to grow closer as a group and to work together. Amen.

TALKING POINTS (optional)

• Brainstorm together about each person’s gifts and strengths. Help each other come up with ways to use them to benefit God’s family.

CALENDAR Theme: Get a fresh start with God Scripture: 1 John 1:9 Do Ahead: Bring a large calendar.

OBJECT TALK

Hold up the calendar opened to January. What new beginning do we have in January each year? (Start of a new year, New Year’s Day.) Some people think of other times during the year as new beginnings. What date or month in the year do you think of as a fresh start or a new beginning? Raise your hand and I’ll pass you the calendar. Open the calendar to the date you’re thinking of and tell us why you thought of it. Let a few volunteers have a turn. After each person, ask for a show of hands of others who think of the same date as a new beginning. If kids need help getting started, suggest birthdays or the beginning or ending of a school year.

(flip calendar page), ask yourself if you need a fresh start with God. If you ask Him to forgive you, He will. Then you’ll have your own New Year’s Day to start fresh with.

TALK TO GOD

Dear God, thank You for helping us grow stronger in our relationship with You. Please forgive our sins. Thank You for giving us a fresh start with You whenever we need it. In Jesus’ name, amen.

TALKING POINTS (optional)

• What are wrong things that kids your age might think or do or say? • How can we fight the temptation to do wrong? • Why do you think God gives us a fresh start when we ask? • What do you think God wants us to do with the fresh start He gives us?

All these times can give you a new beginning. You’re older. You can put away things you’ve outgrown and decide what will be different in your life. You’ve got a chance for a fresh start.

BIBLE TALK

God gives you the wonderful gift of a new beginning in your relationship with Him any time you need it. When you get tired of living your life as if God weren’t important, when you realize your faith isn’t growing with your age, when you know you’ve done wrong things and need help to stop doing them—God can give you a fresh start. He offers you forgiveness. God gave us this promise in the Bible. Read 1 John 1:9. This is God’s promise: If you tell Him you’re sorry for wrong things you’ve done—or right things you haven’t done—He will forgive you completely and give you a fresh start. You don’t have to wait for January or September or June or your birthday to get a new beginning in your relationship with God. You can make that decision any day of the year. Then you’ll have your own special New Year’s Day with God! So whenever you flip a page on your calendar

CAMP Theme: Make a living picture of camp Scripture: Matthew 14:22-23a Do Ahead: Have on hand any number of these items: Bible, flashlight, sleeping bag, firewood, guitar, nature item, craft, canoe paddle, insect repellent, life jacket, archery equipment. Put them in a large bag(s). Have on hand brochures from a camp you support.

OBJECT TALK

I have a riddle for you to solve. You’ll get the clues as we make a picture of what the answer is. Every time I give a clue, I’ll ask someone to come up and show how the clue is used. We’ll make a living picture from the clues to solve the riddle. The riddle is: Where would you find all these things? The first clue is (take Bible from bag) a Bible. I need a volunteer. Choose someone to come up. What do you do with a Bible? The volunteer will probably answer, “Read it.” Very good. Please open the Bible and pretend you are reading it. Position the volunteer off to one side. Stay frozen in that position while we look at the other clues. The next clue is (take paddle from bag) a canoe paddle. Who would like to show what to do with a canoe paddle? Choose someone to demonstrate and then to freeze in that position next to the first volunteer. Continue in this manner for each item you brought until all are displayed. Look at this living picture we have here. Every person is a clue. Now let’s solve the riddle. Raise your hand if you know where to find all these things. Call on volunteers until someone names the correct answer, which is “camp.” Let volunteers unfreeze but remain up front.

BIBLE TALK

Camp is a place where we can do all these cool things, all wrapped up with learning about God in His wonderful creation. We all need a chance to get away from the busyness of everyday life to be with God. Read Matthew 14:22-23a. Even Jesus took time to be surrounded by God’s nature and

get away from everyday distractions to pray. At camp, you can grow closer to God through Bible studies and campfire devotions. You have time to become friends with other campers and with Christian counselors who care about you. You have fun learning activities, skills, and games. Maybe you’ll swim, canoe, ride a horse, shoot a bow and arrow, go fishing, hike, do drama, build a campfire. Let’s see that living picture of camp again. Help volunteers freeze into picture. Now let’s each pick one thing in this picture to imitate, perhaps something you look forward to doing at camp this summer. Everyone stand up, choose an action, and freeze. Allow a minute for listeners to do this. Then let them be seated.

TALK TO GOD

Dear God, thank You for a special place like camp where You show us how much You care for us. Thank You for all we learn about You and ourselves through camp. In Jesus’ name, amen.

TALKING POINTS (optional) • Have camp brochures on hand. • Allow for a Q & A time about camp.

CORN KERNELS Theme: Give thanks to God Scripture: Psalm 106:1 Do Ahead: Bring corn in the husk and enough corn kernels to give each listener five. Option: Bring popcorn (not safe for children under four).

OBJECT TALK

Pass around popcorn, if you brought it. What are some things we eat that are made from this plant? Show corn ear, and let listeners respond. From corn on the cob to tortillas to corn flakes to popcorn, we eat a lot of corn! We also eat a lot of things that have corn syrup or corn oil or corn meal in them. Corn is an important food all over the world. But do you know where corn grew first? Let listeners respond. Native Americans first grew corn. Then when explorers from Europe came to the New World, they found out about corn and brought it back to their countries. From there it spread all over the world.

encourages us to thank and praise God (read Psalm 106:1). And one way we can praise God is by using corn the way some of the early settlers did at their Thanksgiving feasts. They began the custom of putting five corn kernels (show kernels) beside each plate. Then each person thought of five things to thank God for. Let’s do the same thing now. Hand out five corn kernels to each listener. Think for a minute about five things you can thank God for. Then we’ll pray “popcorn prayers” together. Here’s how they work: You stand up and say, “Thank You, God, for _____,” and name one thing. Then you sit back down. You may pray more than one time, if you want to. This is something you may want to do with your family, too! Allow listeners a minute to think, and then pray popcorn prayers together.

TALK TO GOD

Dear God, we have so many things to thank You for! You are so good to us! Help us remember to thank You every day. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Corn reminds us of harvest time and Thanksgiving. People who came from Europe to live here in North America had many hard times. Many of them starved during the first winter months after they came. But friendly Native Americans taught the survivors how to grow corn (hold up corn). And when these surviving settlers held a feast to thank God for helping them live through the winter and grow enough food for the coming year, they probably ate corn! What are some ways we use corn around Thanksgiving? Let listeners respond. We may have decorations made from colorful Indian corn or husks or stalks. At our Thanksgiving dinner, we may eat foods made from corn, such as corn muffins or cornbread stuffing for a turkey.

BIBLE TALK

Another way we can use corn (hold up corn again) at Thanksgiving is to help us with the most important part—thanking God! The Bible

EASTER EGGS Theme: Celebrate new life at Easter Scripture: 1 Peter 1:3 Do Ahead: Bring colorful plastic candy-filled Easter eggs for the group or just the Leader (not safe for children under four). Recruit a helper.

OBJECT TALK

Leader: Hi, _________. Helper: Come in and hand out plastic eggs, leaving a few for the Leader. Don’t eat them yet—let’s just admire them for a while. Option: Just bring in some eggs to give to the Leader. Plastic eggs are so colorful. And they’re fun! They mean that Christmas is right around the corner! I get so excited to see all the eggs at Christmas. Every year we have baskets with fake grass and eggs and other candies…. Kids will probably be trying to correct the helper by now. What? What’s wrong? Let kids explain. Oh. Oh, I guess you could be right. Eggs go with some other holiday…don’t they? Keep talking while edging toward the door. Maybe I’m remembering things wrong. Look confused. Well, I’ll see you later. Enjoy your non-Christmas eggs. Leader: What was wrong in our skit? Let kids answer. Indicate that kids may open and eat the candy in their plastic eggs now, if you handed them out. Have you ever wondered why we have so many eggs around at Easter? Show eggs. There are colored hard-boiled eggs and chocolate eggs and plastic candy-filled eggs. Here are three possible ideas why eggs go with Easter like trees go with Christmas. Listen to them first, and then you can vote for the one you think makes most sense. 1. Eggs can be colorful. 2. Eggs are good to eat. 3. Eggs stand for new life. Now let’s vote. Repeat list; have listeners raise hands. Each of these ideas can help us understand something about the meaning of Easter. Let’s think about the first two you voted on: “Eggs can be colorful” and “Eggs are good to eat.”

These eggs (show eggs again) are certainly both colorful and contain good things to eat. When are some times that we want food to look really good? When are some times we might serve candy? Let listeners respond. At a party, we serve food that looks good and is special, and we may have candy, too. What are we celebrating at Easter? Let listeners respond. At Easter we celebrate a wonderful event! Jesus came back to life after dying on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins—the bad things we’ve done, thought and said. To show what a special and happy day Easter is, we sing and talk about Jesus’ resurrection—his coming back to life. We have special church services. Many families and friends get together for a special holiday meal. What are some ways you celebrate at Easter? Let listeners respond. These plastic eggs (show eggs) can remind us of real eggs. How many of you have seen an egg hatch? Allow for show of hands. It’s fun to watch baby chicks break out of their shells and begin a new life. Eggs at Easter can remind us of the beginning of new life.

BIBLE TALK

The Bible says that because Jesus came back to life, you can have new life in Him. Read 1 Peter 1:3. If you believe in Jesus and accept His gift of forgiveness, you can begin a new life as God’s child! That’s the best reason to celebrate Easter! So when you see eggs at Easter (show eggs), whether they’re candy eggs or real eggs, you can remember why Easter is such a special day. It’s a time to celebrate because Jesus came back to life, and it’s a time to remember that you can have new life in Him.

TALK TO GOD

Dear Jesus, we’re so happy You’re alive again! Thank You for the new life we can have because You died for our sins and You now live for us. Help us remember these reasons as we celebrate Easter. Amen.

FATHER’S DAY Theme: Encourage and build up dads Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 5:11 Do Ahead: Bring a yellow construction hat, a police or fire hat, a fishing hat (or chef’s hat), and a baseball cap. Lay out the hats on a table up front in a row.

OBJECT TALK

Play a guessing game with me. I’m going to put on a hat and you tell me what the person who wears the hat does. Put on the construction hat. What does someone who wears this hat do? Let kids respond. We’ll use this hat to help us think of anyone who builds things or fixes things. Put on the police or fire hat. What does someone do who wears this hat? Let kids respond. We’ll use this hat to help us think of anyone who helps keep people safe and takes care of them. Third, put on the fishing hat. How about this one? Let kids respond. Fish are food. This hat can remind us of anyone who gets food for us. Fourth, put on the baseball cap. Last, what about this one? Let kids respond. This hat can remind us of someone who likes to play. Now, I have a riddle for you and then a clue. After the clue, tell me who the riddle and clue are describing: I am someone who wears all these hats. I am someone you know quite well. Just for you, I wear all these hats. But who am I? I won’t tell! Don’t guess yet—here’s my clue: Whoever this is does not wear the hats all at once; they change them. They put on one (put on one hat), then they take it off and put on another one (put on the next one), then they quickly switch (switch to the third), and they switch again (change to the last one). Whew—I’m tired. It’s a lot of work switching all these hats. Okay, that’s my riddle and clue. Who am I describing? Let kids guess. I am describing…a dad.

BIBLE TALK

Dads, and the guys who are like dads to us, wear a lot of hats. Put on the construction hat. Dads may build or fix things for us. Put on the police or fire hat. Dads take care of us when we are hurt or have an emergency. Put on the fishing hat. Dads get food for us. Dads provide for us. Put on the baseball cap. Dads play with us and maybe take us to games. Dads and men who are like dads to us are special people who God has made to love us, guide us, play with us and take care of us. I think it must be hard to be a dad. Dads wear so many hats—they have so much to do. When we see someone working hard for us, I wonder how God wants us to respond to them. Let’s learn what God says. Read 1 Thessalonians 5:11. What do you think God means to “encourage” and “build one another up”? Allow kids to give ideas. It means we say, “I appreciate you!” and “Good job!” It means we inspire them to keep up the good work. We ask, “Is there anything I can do to help you?” We say, “What you just did really helped me.” We tell them how important they are to us and how God uses them in our lives. God wants us to encourage and build up our dads and the guys who are like dads to us. We need our dads, but our dads also need us—to let them know we are thankful for them and we love them.

TALK TO GOD

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for the gift of our dads and the men who are like dads to us. Be with them and take care of them as they work hard to take care of us. Help us to encourage them and build them up. In Jesus’ name, amen.

TALKING POINTS (optional) • Make cards that say, “Happy Father’s Day.” Have the kids list things their dads do that they are thankful for. • Make coupon books with pages that say things like “Dad, this is good for one free cleaning of the family room” or “This coupon is good for one big hug when you need it!” • Help kids think of one way they can go home that day and help their dad. Encourage the kids to ask their dad, “How can I help you today?”

GIFTS Theme: Give yourself at Christmas Scripture: John 3:16 Do Ahead: Bring a wrapped empty gift box and a source of music.

OBJECT TALK Have everyone (or just 6-8 kids, if you have a bigger group) form a circle. We’ll play a version of Hot Potato with this Christmas present. Give one kid the empty wrapped box. Play music while kids pass the box. When you stop the music, the kid holding the box unwraps it and shows everyone what’s in it. Are you surprised? I didn’t put a gift inside. That’s because the very best gifts we can give and receive at Christmas don’t come in boxes. Joy, hope, and love don’t fit in a gift box. And the gifts of ourselves—things like our friendship, care, help, and kind words—don’t fit in a box, either. Take the gift box and continue the talk.

BIBLE TALK

God’s best gift to us didn’t come in a box at Christmas. The Bible tells us... (read John 3:16, and then have listeners repeat the verse together). God gave us His best gift—His only Son, Jesus, who was born in Bethlehem long ago. Jesus grew up and taught people about God’s love. And He loved us so much that He died for our sins—the wrong things we say and think and do. Then He came back to life so we could be forgiven and have the wonderful gift of living with God forever. Think about what you can give to God during this Christmas season. It won’t be anything that will fit in a box (hold up box). Instead, you can give Him the best kind of gift, a gift of yourself. You can do this by giving Him your trust and love as you accept Jesus as your Savior. Tell Him you’re sorry for the wrong things you’ve done, and that you believe Jesus died in your place so you could be forgiven. When you do this, you give yourself to God and become His child. If you’ve already given yourself to God by accepting Jesus as your Savior, you can give Him other gifts this season. Hold up box again.

Remember, the best kind of gifts aren’t the kind that fit in a box. Instead, you can give God gifts of yourself by being kind and helping and serving others. What are some ways you can help and serve your family, friends, neighbors, and classmates? Let listeners respond. Think about what you want to give God this Christmas season. Remember that the best gifts don’t fit in a box (hold up box upside down and shake it). Tell God what you want to give Him. Then later today, tell a parent or group leader what you decided to give God.

TALK TO GOD

Dear God, thank You so much for Your great gift to us of Jesus! This Christmas season, we want to give You ourselves—our trust and our love and our service to others. We love You! In Jesus’ name, amen.

GOD’S VALENTINE Theme: God showed His love by sending Jesus Scripture: 1 John 4:9 Do Ahead: Bring a large valentine.

OBJECT TALK

Since this is the time of year when you see lots of these (hold up valentine), let’s think about valentines and what they mean. Listen to these statements, and then clap if you agree or stomp your feet if you disagree. Hold up valentine as you make statements, and allow time after each one for listeners to clap or stomp. 1. Sending a valentine is the only way to show love. 2. Sending a valentine is one way to show love. 3. Sending a valentine is the best way to show love. Sending a valentine is only one way to show love. What are other ways that your moms and dads and grandparents and friends have showed you that they love and care about you? Let listeners stand up and pantomime, one at a time, while the others guess what they’re doing.

life and wants to forgive you and help you and be your special kind of friend. And Jesus is making a special place for you to live with Him forever in heaven. Now that’s love! So when you see a valentine (hold up valentine), think about God’s valentine to you—Jesus. Remember that God sent Jesus to show how very much He loves you!

TALK TO GOD

Dear God, we’re so glad You love us. Thank You for all the ways You care for us. Thank You especially for sending Jesus to be our Savior and friend. Help us remember every day how very much You love us. In Jesus’ name, amen.

TALKING POINTS (optional)

• What’s your favorite way that God shows His love to you? • When do you especially need to remember God’s love for you? • How could you show your love back to God?

People who love you show their love in many different ways. They show it by taking care of you, spending time with you, hugging you, having fun with you, helping you, teaching you, and even by keeping you from doing things that could hurt you. And they might also send you a valentine (hold up valentine) on Valentine’s Day!

BIBLE TALK

Just like your parents and friends and relatives, God shows His love in many different ways. He created a wonderful world for you to use and enjoy. He gave you family and friends to care for you. He listens when you pray and helps you when you’re in trouble or afraid. God showed His love for you in an even greater way, too. But He didn’t mail you a valentine (hold up valentine again) to tell you He loves you. Instead, the Bible says: (read 1 John 4:9). Jesus is like God’s valentine to you. And the greatest way Jesus showed His love for you was by dying to take the punishment for your sins—the wrong things we all do and say and think. He came back to

MASKS Theme: You don’t need to hide from Jesus Scripture: John 10:14-15 Do Ahead: Bring a mask.

OBJECT TALK

Put on mask and enter room. Do you know who I am? Let listeners guess, and then take off mask. Yes, you’re right. I’m (your name). Do you think this is a good mask? Hold up mask. If so, give a thumbs-up sign. If not, give a thumbs-down sign. Allow time. Who has ever worn a mask? Hold up mask and allow for a show of hands. Why do people wear masks? Let listeners respond. Sometimes people wear masks to try to scare others. Sometimes they wear masks to have fun at a costume party. Some people wear masks to hide their faces because they’re doing something wrong, like robbing a bank. Of course, there are other ways to hide who you are besides wearing one of these (show mask). You can hide by staying away from others. You can hide by not telling your thoughts or feelings. You can hide by acting as if you’re interested in something that you’re really not. You can hide by acting as if you don’t care about something that really does matter to you. You can even hide by pretending you did or didn’t do a certain thing. Sometimes you might wish you could just put on a mask (hold up mask) to hide yourself from others. There are a lot of reasons you might feel that way. Maybe you’re afraid someone might hurt you or make fun of you. Maybe you’re worried that others might not understand you. Maybe you think others wouldn’t want anything to do with you if they found out what you’ve said or done or thought.

BIBLE TALK

One person you never need to hide from is Jesus. Listen to what He says. Read John 10:14-15. Jesus, the Good Shepherd, knows all about you. You really can’t hide from Him! Jesus knows the good and the wrong things you think and do, your hopes and fears, your likes and dislikes, your

family and school situations. And He always loves you. In fact, His love is so great that He died to take the punishment for your sins—the wrong things you think and do and say. Then He came back to life so that He could forgive you and be your friend. Jesus, the Good Shepherd, will care for you, help you, forgive you, and guide you all your life. Sometimes you might wish you could just put So when you see a mask (hold up mask), remember that you don’t need to hide from Jesus. You can tell Him all about yourself because He always loves you. What would you like to tell Him today? Maybe it’s something you’ve never told anyone. Your dreams, the best thing that happened today, the worst thing that happened today, something you’re angry about, something you did wrong, something you did right. Take a moment right now to tell Him. You don’t need to hide from Him. He loves you. Allow time.

TALK TO GOD

Dear Jesus, thank You for being our Good Shepherd. Thank You for loving us enough to die for us. We’re very glad You know all about us and care for us so we don’t have to hide from You. Amen.

TALKING POINTS (optional) • When are you glad Jesus knows everything about you? • When are you not so glad Jesus knows everything about you? • When you feel like hiding from God, how can you be sure it’s okay to go to Him anyway?

MOTHER’S DAY Theme: Thank mothers for what they do Scripture: Proverbs 31:27-29 Do Ahead: Bring a packet of flower seeds (or a bulb), a container of dirt, water, fertilizer, and a full-grown flower.

Who is the writer of Proverbs 31 talking about? If they have a difficult time, show the clue from verse 28—“her children.” Proverbs 31:27-29 is talking about a mother. Verse 27 says she watches over her household—that means she keeps track of you and your family and looks out for what is best for you. It also says she is not lazy. Most moms are busy! What are some things that keep your mom busy as she takes care of you? Let kids respond.

OBJECT TALK

Moms and the women who are like moms to us do a lot. They make sure we have what we need. They help us in good times and in bad. Would anyone like to tell us one reason why your mom is awesome? Let volunteers share.

Given the right conditions, these seeds will become flowers. We are in the month of May—springtime! This time of year, gardeners take seeds like these and plant them in dirt—like this. Take your container of dirt and plant the seeds. Once the seeds are planted, it’s important to nurture them—to feed them (add fertilizer), water them (add water), make sure they get enough sunshine and protect them from bad weather. When you take good care of the seeds, they will grow strong and become beautiful flowers for people to enjoy. It’s a lot of work and you have to take care of them every day—but it’s worth it! Here’s an example of a full-grown flower that came from a seed that was taken care of very well. Show flower.

God gave us mothers and women who are like mothers to us. Verse 28 shows us that we are to praise them. Let’s read verse 28 again. Do so. I have something very important for you to do today. Tell your mom or the woman who’s like your mom how great she is. Praise her for all she does and thank her for taking care of you. The Bible shows us it’s important to do this. Let’s celebrate Mother’s Day by making sure our moms know how much we appreciate them!

Who knows what these are? Hold up the seed packet (or bulb); let kids answer. Yes, seeds (or bulb). Do you have an idea of what they will become? Let kids guess.

BIBLE TALK

As kids, you are like seeds. You need to have the right nourishment—the right kind of food to grow. You need to drink healthy beverages—like water, juice or milk. You need someone to protect you, care for you, watch out for you and guide you. Someone needs to do a lot of work to make sure you grow up and become big and strong and wise in character. Who has God put in your life to help you grow into the person He wants you to be? Let kids name various people. God has put many people in your lives to help you grow. Let’s read Proverbs 31:27-29 and learn about one special kind of person God uses to help us as we grow. Read.

TALK TO GOD

Dear Jesus, thank You for our moms and the women who are like moms to us. They work hard to take care of us and help us grow up big and strong. They help us become the people You want us to be. Take care of them while they take care of us and let them know how much we love them. Amen.

TALKING POINTS (optional)

• What is one thing you are glad your mom does for you? • What specifically could you do to show your mom you appreciate that thing? Be creative.

NATIONAL EAR MUFF DAY Theme: Be careful what we listen to Scripture: Philippians 4:8-9 Do Ahead: Bring a pair of ear muffs and a calendar showing March.

OBJECT TALK

Winter is coming to an end and spring is right around the corner. What month are we in? Let kids respond. It’s March. This is a calendar of March. Show the calendar. What special holidays do you know of in March? Let kids give ideas. Here’s a funny holiday. It’s on March 13 and it’s National Ear Muff Day. Put on ear muffs and model them. How do I look? Can you give me any ideas of why celebrating ear muffs is a good idea? Let kids respond. You have a lot of great ideas! Ear muffs are great because they keep your ears protected from cold and windy weather. They help your whole body feel warmer. They’re nice and fuzzy. They come in lots of cool colors. There are many good reasons to celebrate ear muffs.

BIBLE TALK

Did you know that what you put in your ears makes an even bigger difference than what you wear on them? The sounds we put in our ears—what we listen to—influence us. The Bible tells us what God wants us to think about and listen to. Let’s read Philippians 4:8-9. Read. How can what we listen to—TV, music, gossip— affect us? Let kids share. We start thinking and copying what we hear. If what we are listening to is bad, it will hurt who we are as people. What are some things we need to keep out of our ears? Let kids respond. Gossip or unkind jokes or music that encourages us to hurt people or turn away from God are things to keep out of our ears. God wants us to put good things in our ears and listen to things that are good for us. What are some things God would want us to listen to? Let kids respond. Listening to God’s Word, praise music, and

the encouragement of our friends—these are definitely things we should put in our ears. We need to put on special invisible ear muffs (show ear muffs) to keep out anything that does not please or honor God—and let the good things in.

TALK TO GOD

Dear God, thank You for our ears. Help us use them in ways that are pleasing to You. Help us keep what’s bad for us out of our ears and let the good things in. In Jesus’ name, amen.

TALKING POINTS (optional)

• What is gossip? What isn’t gossip? • Why is gossip harmful? • What can you do if friends start telling dirty or unkind jokes? • What difference does it make if a song has bad lyrics? • How do you think God would rate the shows you watch on TV? Why?

NEW SHOES Theme: Walk in God’s ways in the new year Scripture: Psalm 119:1 Do Ahead: Bring a pair of new shoes. If possible, notify the kids to wear socks or bring socks with them. Bring extras for kids who forget.

OBJECT TALK

Hold up the new shoes. These are new shoes. I love new shoes. I love to walk back and forth, turn around, jump up and down. What do you like to do when you get new shoes? Let kids respond. You might like to see if they can help you run faster or jump higher. You might like to put them on and go someplace special or explore someplace new. In January every year, we all get something new. What do you think it is? Let kids respond. We get a new year. A new year is a good starting point—you can think about where you’re going and what you’re going to do. It’s a good time to dream of what you’ll do in new shoes (hold up shoes). Where could you go in new shoes in a new year? Let kids respond. That is a lot of places. Your neighborhoods, homes, schools, church, kids group, vacation spots, homes of friends and relatives. Some of these places you already know, and some will be new to you. Because you have so much walking to do, let’s practice walking. To do this, we’re going to play a game. Take off your shoes; keep your socks on. Hand out socks as needed. Next take your shoes and put them in a pile in the middle of the room. Then make a big circle around the shoes. This is the “New Shoes” game. When I say go, everyone races to the pile and picks out two shoes that don’t match and are not your own. Then try to somehow put the shoes on your feet. If they are too small, you may just put them on your toes or hold them in your hand. Do not force your foot into a shoe or you might ruin it! Ready? Go!

the right, move around the circle to the left, turn yourself around in a circle, jump up and down, sit down. That was great! Now pass the shoes to the right. When your own shoes are passed to you, put them on. Allow time.

BIBLE TALK

How did you like wearing a “new” pair of shoes? Let kids respond. If some were grossed out, acknowledge that and say it may be more fun when the new shoes are our own. It’s usually fun to wear new shoes, especially in a crazy game. However, wherever you go this new year, the most important thing is not the shoes you wear, but how you walk. I don’t mean the kind of walking we just did in our game. I’m talking about walking in God’s ways. Walking in God’s ways means doing what God tells us in the Bible (hold up Bible). What are things God wants us to do? Let listeners respond. Being kind to others, telling the truth, praying, listening to parents, sharing things, learning about Jesus—these are ways you can obey God. When you do, you walk in His ways. New shoes (hold up the new shoes) can help you feel happy for a little while—until the newness wears off. But the Bible tells us that happiness that lasts comes from obeying God. Read Psalm 119:1. This is a new year and we can start it off right by walking in God’s ways. Think of a way you can walk in God’s ways in this new year. Pause. Are you thinking of a way to obey God? Pause a bit longer. Let’s ask God to help you obey Him.

TALK TO GOD

Dear God, thank You for the new starting point of a new year. Help us remember every day to choose to do what You want us to do. We want to walk in Your ways and obey You. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Let kids get shoes and put them on. Everyone stand up in your “new shoes.” If you have a shoe in your hand, crouch down and put it on the floor. Your hand will act as a foot. Now follow my directions. Give directions such as move around the circle to

UNLEAVENED BREAD Theme: Get rid of sin in our lives Scripture: 1 Corinthians 5:6-7 Do Ahead: Sprinkle some yeast on the floor. Add some crumpled pieces of newspaper. Make this “dirty” area in the front and to the side of where you will be speaking. Bring another packet of yeast, matzo, a loaf of regular bread, broom, dust pan, and wastebasket. Break some matzo and regular bread into small pieces. Place them on plates to pass around.

OBJECT TALK

What’s this? Hold up loaf of regular bread. Let kids reply. What’s this? Hold up matzo. Let kids reply. It’s bread, too. But there is a big difference between the two. What’s the difference? Allow for various answers. The difference I would like us to talk about is that one is “risen”—it’s fluffy and tall, and the other is not—it’s flat. Does anyone know why one is flat and one is risen? Let kids give ideas. The fluffy or risen bread has yeast (leaven) in it. I am going to pass around some risen bread and some matzo so you can see, feel, and taste the difference that yeast makes. Do so. Put the yeast in your palm with your palm flat out. What do you think this is? Allow kids to guess. This is yeast. This yeast goes into bread dough, and when the dough bakes, the yeast allows the bread to rise tall and fluffy. Yeast has to do with an important Jewish holiday, called Passover. Every spring, Jewish people celebrate the time when God freed their people from slavery in Egypt long, long ago. God told them to celebrate by eating bread with no yeast. Hold up matzo. When a Jewish family celebrates Passover, they take all the yeast out of their home. They get out their broom (pick up broom and start sweeping) and they thoroughly sweep and clean every corner of their home in case any yeast fell on the floor. They then collect all the dirt and remove it far from their home. Put the yeast and dirt from the floor in the wastebasket and have a volunteer take it out of the room. Do

not place the wastebasket to the side; it must be removed completely to reenact what Jewish families do.

BIBLE TALK

Listen to 1 Corinthians 5:6-7. Read. Paul tells us to clean out the old yeast from our lives. Paul isn’t talking about this kind of yeast that I am showing you. He is using yeast as a picture that stands for something in our life. What do you think yeast stands for in the Bible? Have kids guess. Yeast stands for sin—the wrong things we do and say and think. What are some sins that kids your age might be tempted to do? Let volunteers reply. Paul says that a little yeast raises the whole loaf of bread. Paul knew that it only took a few bits of this yeast (hold up yeast) to make the whole loaf of bread rise tall and fluffy. Paul is telling us that only a little bit of sin can affect our whole life. Let’s say you don’t mind telling a few lies here or there if you think they’ll help you out. Pretty soon your friends wonder if they can ever believe you. Maybe your teacher takes a privilege away from you because you don’t seem as trustworthy as before. Maybe your mom or dad grounds you. What looked like a little sin, like this little yeast, has started affecting your whole life. 1 Corinthians 5:7 says that we are already like bread with no yeast (show matzo) because Jesus has died for us. This means Jesus paid the penalty for our sin and if we are Christians we are forgiven by God. Do we act like it? When Paul says to clean out the old yeast, he means that today we need to start getting rid of wrong attitudes, thoughts and actions. Think of a sin in your life that seems little, like this yeast. Show yeast. Because Jesus died for you, start cleaning out that sin today!

TALK TO GOD

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for sending Jesus to die for us on the cross to pay for our sins. Help us to clean out our sins and follow Jesus. In Jesus’ name, amen.

BASEBALL Theme: Join the family of God Scripture: John 1:12-13 Do Ahead: Bring a baseball bat and picture of a family. Wear a baseball cap.

OBJECT TALK

Swing bat. Let’s say you want to join a baseball team. How would you get to be a team member? Let kids give answers. To join a baseball team, you’d have to go to practice, try out, and then be picked. You’d have to be invited onto the team. How do you join our kids group? Let kids answer. To join our group, you have to _______. Then you get to be a member. Hold up picture. What about joining a family? How did you join your family? What are the ways to become a member of a family? Let kids suggest answers. There are only two ways to join a family. You have to be born into it or invited into it—through adoption or foster care.

BIBLE TALK

Let’s think about God’s family. Can you join it like you would a baseball team? Pick up bat and let kids answer. How about like joining our kids group? Let kids answer. You’re right—the answer is no! God’s family is like a human family—you have to be born, or invited, into it. That might sound impossible—you’ve already got a family. But you can have another family, too. God invites you to join His family and become His child. To be born into God’s family, you don’t have to go to the hospital and start all over again as a baby. God’s Word tells how to become a child of God. Let’s read in our Bible, John 1:12-13. Read verses. To be born into God’s family, you have to believe in Jesus and receive Him into your life.

Then Jesus came back to life. He’s alive now and wants to live in our lives through His Spirit. To receive Jesus, you just have to ask Him to forgive you and come into your life. Have you ever asked Jesus to come into your life and make you God’s child? If not, you can ask Him now. If you have, you can thank Him that you’re in His family. If you’re not sure about joining God’s family, you can tell God your questions. It’s your choice to accept God’s invitation into His family. He loves you and wants you to be His child. Talk to God now. Tell Him how you feel about His invitation to join His family.

TALK TO GOD

Father in heaven, thank You for inviting us to be Your children. Thank You for giving us the way to do this through Jesus. Thank You for Your tremendous love for us. In Jesus’ name, amen.

TALKING POINTS (optional)

Play “Blob Tag,” where kids who are tagged by IT hold hands, making IT bigger and bigger until everyone is caught. Discuss: • Is everyone on the team? (Yes. Everyone was included. When you were tagged, you were invited to be a part of the team. All you had to do was grab hands.) • God invites you to be a part of His team. All you have to do is say yes by asking Him to forgive you and come into your life.

To believe in Jesus means to believe Jesus is God’s Son. Jesus lived on earth just as we do, but He lived a perfect life. To believe in Him means to believe that He was put to death on a cross to take the punishment for our sins—the wrong things we do, say, and think. He did this because He loves us.

BIBLE Theme: The Bible gives us direction Scripture: Psalm 119:105 Do Ahead: Bring a flashlight. If possible, dim the lights in the room.

OBJECT TALK

When you’re outside at night in a place with no streetlights or building lights or even moonlight, it’s hard to see where you’re going. It would be easy to trip and fall. You might get lost. You’d probably be a little afraid. How many of you have been in pitch darkness before? Pause for a show of hands. Some kids may have stories of when they were in a cave or a dark room. If time allows, let one or two share. When you’re in the dark, it helps to have some light with you. Turn your flashlight on. Shine it on the group—all over. Have some fun with them— shine it on the sparkles on their clothes, or in their eyes, or in their ears. Wiggle the light around or make circles with it. When you have a flashlight, you can shine it in front of you to see where you’re headed. Shine it directly ahead of you. You can shine it at your feet so you don’t trip over something. Shine light at your feet. You can shine it around you so you know there’s nothing there to be afraid of. Shine light around you. Turn around in circles, crouch down and act as though you are looking under something. Imagine someone trying to live in the dark without any light. Turn off the flashlight. Can you imagine how hard it would be to do some everyday things completely in the dark? What are some things you do every day that would be hard to do in the dark? Let kids volunteer suggestions. Some people try living in the dark anyway. But this darkness isn’t the kind that comes at night when you don’t have light. It’s the darkness of not knowing how to live God’s way.

BIBLE TALK

When you don’t know God’s ways, it’s hard to see a good direction to head in. Just as it’s easy to trip

when you’re walking in the dark, it’s easy to make mistakes and to do wrong when you don’t know God’s ways. It can also be scary to not know God’s ways—you wouldn’t know that He is with you to help you or if what you are doing is the right thing to do. Not knowing God’s ways is a kind of darkness, and we all need light. A flashlight won’t do it. Turn on the flashlight. I can’t know God’s ways with a flashlight! The light that shows God’s ways is the Bible. Shine light on the Bible, open it up and read Psalm 119:105. The Bible is my light! Say the verse with me. Have kids repeat the verse with you a phrase at a time; then repeat the point. The Bible is my light! The Bible is your light! The Bible is like a light on your path in life. When you need direction (point flashlight straight ahead), the Bible guides you to right decisions. When you need to see what mistakes and wrong things you might trip over (shine light on feet), the Bible gives you warnings and advice. When you’re afraid or uncertain (shine light around you), the Bible reminds you that God loves you and is always with you. Let’s say our verse again. Repeat Psalm 119:105. If you trust the Bible as your light, say the word “my” loudly. Have the group repeat.

TALK TO GOD

Dear God, thank You for the Bible. Help us follow it so we will know Your ways. In Jesus’ name, amen.

TALKING POINTS (optional)

• What is a time when the Bible helped you? • What kind of help or direction would you like from the Bible? • What are some Bible verses that could help in these situations?

BIKE RACE Theme: Keep your eyes on Jesus Scripture: Hebrew 12:1-2a Do Ahead: Bring a bicycle. Wear a bicycle helmet.

OBJECT TALK

Raise your hand if you’ve ever watched a bicycle race, either on TV or in person. Pause. Raise your hand if you’ve ever been in a bike race. Pause. Being in a race takes some special skills that are learned through lots of practice. But some skills that bike racers need are the same skills you need just to ride your bike down a street. One of the most important ones is to know where to look. Sit on the bike, and grab the handlebars. Let’s say I’m in a race and aiming for the finish line, which is straight ahead (lean forward and stare straight ahead). What if I start looking behind me at the other riders or looking around at the scenery? Look around you, and demonstrate how handlebars follow your gaze and the bike wobbles. Look what that does to my racing. It sure would slow me down and might even steer me off the race course. You can’t steer straight toward the finish line if your eyes aren’t fixed on it. You can’t even ride safely down a street if you aren’t looking where you’re going!

around and comparing yourself with other people instead of looking to Jesus to see what He wants you to do (wobble handlebars), your faith won’t grow very fast. Or if you start going off in directions that will take you away from Jesus, your faith won’t grow that way, either. By keeping your eyes on Jesus, your faith will grow and you’ll finish the race strong.

TALK TO GOD

Dear Jesus, we want our faith in You to grow. Help us keep our eyes fixed on You so we can learn from You and grow to be more and more like You. Amen.

TALKING POINTS (optional)

• What are some things that can distract us from following Jesus? • What’s wrong with listening to what other people think we should be doing? When have you listened to someone else and done something you shouldn’t have instead of what God wanted? • What are some ways that you can keep your eyes on Jesus this week?

BIBLE TALK

Growing in your faith in Jesus is sort of like being in a race. To grow in your faith, you have to fix your eyes on the goal. Listen for what the Bible says that goal is. Read Hebrews 12:1-2a. We need to look to Jesus to finish our race. That means to pay attention to Him and spend time with Him. We fix our eyes on Him because He is the one who gives us faith and makes it grow. We also look to Him because He has been in this race already. This means we need to pray and ask for His help. He knows what it’s like and what we need. We look to Him because He promised to always be there for us. Let’s say you’re working on growing your faith (lean over bike handlebars). If you start looking

CAGES Theme: Going to church doesn’t make you a Christian. Scripture: 2 Corinthians 5:17 Do Ahead: Put a real or stuffed animal in a cage that it doesn’t belong in, such as a fish (in a jar of water) in a birdcage, a hamster in a cat carrier, or a toy dog in a fishbowl. Cover the cage. This talk refers to the fish in the bird cage. Change animal and cage to match what you bring.

OBJECT TALK

In this covered birdcage, I brought my pet bird, Chirpy. I wanted you to meet her. How many of you like pets? Allow for a show of hands. When I call out a pet, if your family has that pet, clap your hands. Call out pets, such as dog, cat, hamster, and fish, and allow a moment for listeners to clap. Would you like me to take the cover off and show you Chirpy? Remove cover and reveal fish. How do you like my bird? I know she looks like a fish now, but if I leave her in the birdcage long enough, she might become a bird, right? Let listeners respond. Of course, you know it’s ridiculous to think that spending time in a birdcage would make a fish a bird. But some people think that’s how to become a Christian—not by spending time in a birdcage, but simply by spending time in a church.

BIBLE TALK

Did you know that you can’t become a Christian just by going to Sunday school or memorizing Bible verses or going to kids group or even becoming a member of the church? Those are great things to do, but they won’t make you a Christian any more than a fish will become a bird if it eats birdseed and sits on a swing in a birdcage. This fish would have to become a whole new creation to be a bird. And you have to become a whole new creation to be a Christian. You’ll still be human, but Jesus Christ will come and live in your life, and he’ll make you a new person. Read 2 Corinthians 5:17.

The way to become a Christian is to ask Jesus to make you His new creation. Tell Him you’re sorry for the wrong things you’ve done. Thank Him for dying on the cross to take your punishment for those wrong things. Ask Him to live in your life and change your life. Are you a Christian? Are you a new creation? Or have you just been going to church? If you’re not sure you’re a new creation, talk to your group leader or another Christian adult before the end of our meeting. And take time now to talk to Jesus about it.

TALK TO GOD

Dear Jesus, thank You that we don’t have to just sit in church but that we can have a relationship with You. Thank You for making us new creations when we turn our lives over to You. Amen.

TALKING POINTS (optional)

• Let kids ask questions they have about salvation. • Pray a simple salvation prayer for kids to repeat silently or softly if it says what they want to say to Jesus.

CHEERFUL GIVERS Theme: Give to God cheerfully Scripture: 2 Corinthians 9:7-8 Do Ahead: Festively gift-wrap a box (or use a gift bag). Mark an envelope “My gift to God.” Find a helper.

OBJECT TALK

I have a gift here. It’s for a friend of mine. Here he (she) comes now. Watch what I do. Helper walks in. Speak to helper gloomily. Hi, ________. I guess I have a gift for you. I don’t really want to give it to you. Slump shoulders. But I guess I have to. Oh, here. Shove gift at helper. Helper should look surprised and disappointed and then walk off to one side. What do you think of my gift-giving style? Let kids reply. We were just pretending! Tell me what I should do to improve my gift-giving style. Let kids make suggestions. Act them out with your helper. Keep the present with you for later. From all that you said, I should make this fun and happy. I should give my friend the idea that I want to give this gift—that I’m cheerful about giving.

BIBLE TALK

Your ideas remind me of a Bible verse. Read 2 Corinthians 9:7. God is talking about when we, His people, give Him a gift of money—like our offering at kids group or church (show the marked envelope). God want us to be happy to give Him money. In fact, did you notice? This verse even tells us how He doesn’t want us to give. How doesn’t He want us to give? If kids don’t remember, reread the verse.

I think you’re right. He (she) looked hurt. He (she) probably wanted me to just to keep the gift because he (she) didn’t want it when it was given like that. That’s how God feels when we give to Him and we aren’t happy. God wants cheerful givers—people who love to give Him their offerings because they love Him. Here is one reason why we can give cheerfully. Read verse 8. We can give cheerfully because God gives so much to us already to meet our needs. Name some things God has given us. Let kids reply. We can give cheerfully because we have a wonderful God who loves us and takes care of us!

TALK TO GOD

Dear God, thank You for all the things You have given us. You are generous! We want to give back to You some of what You’ve given to us. Help us give generously and cheerfully back to You. We love You! Amen.

TALKING POINTS (optional)

• Prior to this meeting, ask kids to bring an offering to go to the kids group, the local church, or a special project. Before they give their money, give this talk. Then talk about what the money will be used for. • Brainstorm a giving project that your group will take on. Start making plans.

God doesn’t want us to give with a sour, grumpy attitude, feeling that we have to give. After all, how do you think my friend felt when I gave the present (show present) with a grumpy attitude and said, “Here’s your gift that I have to give to you”? Let kids respond.

GO! GO! GO! Theme: Tell others about Jesus Scripture: Matthew 28:19-20 Do Ahead: Bring a map. Option: Invite a missionary or someone who has been on a missions trip.

OBJECT TALK

I need a helper. Choose one of the kids who raise hands. Come on up! Now here is what I need you to do for me—I need you to go. Here’s a map. Off you go! The kid will most likely look confused and ask something like, “Go where?” Repeat the command but give no further information. Go! Go! Go! Be excited, animated, encouraging; point to several random places in the room as you speak. Don’t answer any questions. I really would like you to go! The kid may stand still looking indecisive or start running around randomly. Wait a minute! Stop! You don’t know what you are doing, do you? Now that’s a problem. Let me see that map, please. Did you know what to do with this? Let kid respond. I didn’t give you any directions. But you did a great job even if you didn’t have a clue where you were going or why I even asked you to go. Everyone give my helper a big round of applause as he (she) sits down!

necessary. Jesus says to go to all the nations. What do you think He means when He says “all the nations?” Let kids answer. Jesus means the whole world. We are to go everywhere! And when we go everywhere, Jesus wants us to make disciples of everyone. Clap for which of these examples is helping others get to know Jesus and follow him: walking my neighbor’s dog…telling how Jesus answered a prayer of mine… playing soccer with a friend from school…inviting a friend to kids group…fighting with a friend…explaining why I believe in Jesus. Tell the correct answers for any examples where kids’ opinions are divided. There are many ways to follow Jesus’ command to go. I have one more question for you: If you were going on a trip to an amusement park or somewhere else you were really excited about, would you want to go alone or take a good friend? Let kids respond. It’s better to go with a good friend. Going alone is not fun. I have good news for you. When we go and tell others about Jesus, Jesus says He goes with us forever.

TALK TO GOD

Dear Jesus, thank You for telling us what to do in Your Word, the Bible. Help us to tell others what we know about You. Help us to point them in Your direction. We are thankful that You will always be with us, that we are never alone. We love You and want to obey Your Word. Amen.

BIBLE TALK

How many of you think it was a good idea to give my volunteer a map but not tell him (her) what to do? Those of you who did not raise hands are absolutely right. We need a map to know what to do and where to go—but we need to read it and understand it, or it doesn’t do us any good. My directions were confusing for our volunteer. I’m glad God isn’t like that when He tells us to go! The Bible is like a map. It gives us clear directions. Let’s read Matthew 28:19-20. As you read, emphasize the word “go.” Just as I told my volunteer to go, God tells all of us to go. But the great thing about God is that when He says “go,” He doesn’t stop there. Where does God tell us to go? Let kids respond. Reread the verse if

TALKING POINTS (optional)

• Discuss what a missionary is. • Have a Q & A with a missionary: Where do you serve, what are the people like, what do their clothes or homes look like, what do you tell the people about Jesus, how has God been with you? • Discuss how kids can help missionaries (giving, praying, etc.).

HIDE AND SEEK! Theme: Jesus seeks out lost people Scripture: Luke 19:10 Do Ahead: Plan a way to play Hide and Seek safely with the group. Recruit helpers to tip you off as to where kids are hiding, if necessary, and to be at home base to welcome and watch the kids who have been found. Option: Ask just a few people to play the game with you and let them hide behind clusters of kids.

OBJECT TALK

Today we are going to play Hide and Seek. Once you are all hidden, I will seek you out and find you. Tell where kids may and may not hide and any safety rules you thought of. Play the game. When you find a kid, act excited and show sincere gladness (“I’m so glad I found you!” etc.). Once everyone has been found, regroup.

BIBLE TALK

Well done, group! You did an awesome job hiding. But did anyone notice that no matter where you hid, I always found you? That’s just the way Jesus is. Let’s read Luke 19:10 from our Bible and you can see what I mean. Read.

Option: Pray a prayer for salvation now so that kids may repeat it silently or softly if it says what they want to say to Jesus. Let’s thank Jesus for coming to seek and save us!

TALK TO GOD

Dear Jesus, thank You for coming to seek and save lost people. Thank You for seeking out each one of us and wanting to make us Your own. Thank You for forgiving us as soon as we ask. We love You, Jesus. Amen.

TALKING POINTS (optional) • Why do you think our sins separate us from God? • What good things happen when we believe Jesus is God’s Son and ask Him to forgive us? • Once we accept Jesus as our Savior, do we sin anymore? Why or why not? • What should we do when we sin after we’ve • accepted Jesus as our Savior? • If you haven’t invited Jesus into your life, what questions do you have about it?

Jesus came to seek and save the lost. Who are lost people? Let kids suggest answers. Lost people are people who have wandered away from God and don’t have Jesus in their lives. We can try and hide from Jesus, but Jesus will always try and find us. He wants us to know Him and be with him. He loves us. The wrong things we do—sins—keep us away from Him. It’s as though we’re lost. What are some wrongs things people say and do—things that God doesn’t like? Let kids suggest answers. But Jesus came to earth to die for us to take the punishment we deserve. Then He came back to life! He wants to seek us all out and save us. If we want to be found, all we need to do is believe Jesus is God’s Son and ask Him to forgive us and come into our life. Then we’ll be God’s child!

JESUS OUR LORD Theme: Make Jesus Lord in every part of life Scripture: Colossians 3:17 Do Ahead: Bring two large clear glasses of water and red liquid food coloring.

OBJECT TALK

You can see that this glass of water is clear (hold up one glass). I’m going to make it full of bright, beautiful color. Put one drop of coloring in. Hmmm, looks as though one drop didn’t do much. Let’s try one more. Add another drop. I think I may have to add a lot to make this water bright. Count with me as I put drops in. Count aloud as you add drops one by one. You can see it takes a lot of drops of color to turn the water red. This little experiment is like something you’re learning in our group. You can practice this thing in our group. You can practice it at church and Sunday school. You can practice at home and at school and wherever you are. What is it? It’s making Jesus Lord in every part of your life.

BIBLE TALK

How is this experiment like making Jesus Lord in every part of life? Let’s say you are the clear glass of water (hold up second glass) and your friendship with Jesus is the red coloring. Let’s say you decide to practice treating your friends the way Jesus wants you to (put in one drop). Then you decide not to cheat on a test because you want to obey Jesus (put in another drop). The water starts to brighten. Then you decide to spend time praying every day because you want to show that Jesus is number one in your life. The water gets brighter. Others begin to see the difference in you. Let’s name some other things we can do to show that we want to make Jesus number one in our lives and we want to do what He wants us to do. I’ll put in a drop for each one. I’ll go first to give you some ideas: Play with someone who is lonely (put in drop), not call someone names when he/she hurts me (put in drop). Now it’s your turn. Call on volunteers to name things; add a drop for each thing.

Look how bright the water is! If you let Jesus be in charge of everything you do, lots of drops of color will come into your life. People will see Jesus in you. The Bible tells us: (read Colossians 3:17). Whether you’re at church or school or home, you can practice obeying Jesus and making Him number one in everything you do. That’s making Jesus Lord in every part of your life.

TALK TO GOD

Dear Jesus, thank You for being our friend and for brightening our lives with Your love. Help us practice doing what You want in everything we say and do. Help us make You Lord in every part of our life. Amen.

TALKING POINTS (optional)

• What areas of life do you have a hard time putting Jesus in charge of? • What can help you want to make Jesus Lord in a certain area of your life? • What might change if Jesus were number one in your life (in school, at home, with friends, etc.)?

MIRROR Theme: Be a reflection of Jesus Scripture: 2 Corinthians 3:18 Do Ahead: Bring a mirror.

OBJECT TALK Ask two kids to come forward. Show mirror to one kid. What do you see in the mirror? Let kid describe. Show mirror to other kid. What do you see in the mirror? Let kid describe. Why are you seeing two different people? Let kids try to explain. Mirrors don’t have people or pictures inside of them. They show what they’re pointed at. They reflect what they look at. Thank kids and ask them to be seated. People are like mirrors. We reflect the people we look up to. When we admire an older brother or sister or a favorite teacher or a famous sports star, we find ourselves not only watching what that person does, but also imitating him or her. We reflect that person, sort of like a mirror. The more you get to know that person, the more you can reflect him or her.

BIBLE TALK

Reflecting someone can be helpful if that person is a good example to follow. The best person to reflect is Jesus. The Apostle Paul loved Jesus and wanted to reflect Him. Read 2 Corinthians 3:18. Paul knew that if he got to know Jesus better, he could reflect Jesus more clearly, like a clean mirror. He would also become more like Jesus. Paul said this is something we all can do. We can be mirrors reflecting Jesus!

To point yourself toward Jesus, you talk to Him in prayer (with hands still poised as mirror frame, close your eyes), read the Bible and do what it says (look at Bible), and listen to others who are friends with Jesus (turn toward a Christian near you). If you do these things, you’ll begin to reflect Jesus with your life. Have listeners put hands down. Think of one thing you can do to reflect Jesus, maybe one of the things I just said. Pause. Whenever you look in a mirror, remind yourself to do what you thought of. You will be a mirror of Jesus as you deepen your friendship with Him.

TALK TO GOD

Dear Jesus, thank You for wanting to be closer friends with each of us. We want to be mirrors to reflect You. Help us point ourselves toward You by talking with You, reading the Bible and doing what it says, and learning from other Christians. Amen.

TALKING POINTS (optional)

• What are some things the Bible says to do? • Act out a way you could do one of these things. • How will it affect your life if you begin to reflect Jesus? How will it affect others?

How can you be a mirror for Jesus? Face mirror toward listeners. You have to point yourself toward Him, as you would point a mirror toward the person you want to reflect. Put mirror down. Pretend you are a mirror, and put your hands around your face as if they were the frame (encourage listeners to do this as you demonstrate). Now, how can you point yourself toward Jesus? Where would you point? Let listeners try to demonstrate.

REPORT CARD Theme: God doesn’t grade you as teachers do Scripture: Romans 3:22-24 Do Ahead: Bring a report card and a newsprint pad and marker. Instead of the references to A’s in the talk, substitute number grades if the schools in your area use them.

OBJECT TALK

Teachers come up with grades for your report card (show report card) by adding up scores from things like tests. Let’s say on one math test you get 8 out of 10 problems right. Write “8 out of 10” on the newsprint pad. What grade do you think you deserve? Write kids’ response(s). On the next test you get 2 out of 10 problems right. Write “2 out of 10.” What grade do you think you deserve? Write response(s). On the next test you get 9 out of 10 right. Write “9 out of 10.” What grade do you think you should get now? Write response(s). An 8, a 2, and a 9. What grade do you think you should get on your report card? Let kids make suggestions. Write them on the newsprint. It can be tough figuring out grades, especially when you think you deserve a better one than you got.

BIBLE TALK

What if God gave grades? Write “GOD?” on the newsprint. His reward is not a report card (show report card), but eternal life—life that lasts forever. What grades do you need to get eternal life? God doesn’t count your math or English grades (cross out grades). But what if He graded in other areas, such as how often you are kind or show patience or accept people you don’t like? Okay… let’s say you were kind 9 times out of 10 when you talked to your little brother last week. What grade do you think you deserve? Just think, if you were kind 90 percent of the time, you might get an A from God! But God’s grading system is very different. To have eternal

life, you must score 100 percent in every area of your life all your life long (under GOD write “100% ALWAYS”). Pretty tough, huh? The fact is that no one can do that—we all will fail. Read Romans 3:23. But there’s good news. Jesus earned all those straight A’s of life for you and He’s giving them to you as a free gift. Write “JESUS A+.” Read Romans 3:22-24. God doesn’t really give out report cards (hold up report card). But He does offer you life forever through Jesus Christ (hold up Bible). To accept His free gift, you have to admit to Him that you can’t earn it yourself. Ask Him to be your Savior and Lord. He’ll give you eternal life, which means he’ll be your special friend forever!

TALK TO GOD

Dear God, we realize we can’t earn eternal life because we’ll just never be good enough. We have done wrong things and not always obeyed You. Thank You for offering us forgiveness and the free gift of eternal life. In Jesus’ name, amen.

TALKING POINTS (optional) • Discuss salvation in more depth. • Pray a prayer for salvation that kids can repeat silently or softly after you if it says what they want to say to Jesus.

SHOW AND TELL Theme: Tell others about Jesus by showing your faith Scripture: James 2:14-17 Do Ahead: Ask a child you care about to be your helper.

OBJECT TALK

Let’s have “Show and Tell.” I’d like to show and tell you about a friend of mine. Ask the child you chose to come up. This is (child’s name), and I care about him (her). Now I’ve told you I care about (child), but what if I never showed it? If (child) came to me and said, “I’m lonely. Will you play with me?” (ask child to repeat those words to you) and I said, “I don’t have time for you,” would that show that what I told (child) is true? Or if (child) said to me, “I’m really hungry” (ask child to repeat) and I said, “Go away and get your own food,” would (child) believe I care? If I told (child), “I care about you,” but I never listened or gave hugs or said kind things, would (child) believe my words? Of course not. What I do has to back up what I say. Give child a hug and ask him or her to be seated.

It’s good to tell people about Jesus. But they have to see Jesus’ love in action, too. You can show them that by doing what Jesus said and did—by being kind to the new kid, by sharing your lunch with the kid who forgot, by accepting a kid who’s different from you. Let’s follow Jesus’ example and be showand-tell people, too.

TALK TO GOD

Dear Jesus, help us to be show-and-tell people like You. We want our actions to show what our words say. Please help our actions to show that we have faith in You. Amen.

TALKING POINTS (optional) • How do we know that Jesus loves us? • How could you show (mom, dad, brother, sister, lonely kid at school, kids at kids group, group leader, etc.) that you care about them? • Why do we need to show people Jesus’ love?

BIBLE TALK

The Bible says that our faith in Jesus is like this, too. It has to be show and tell, not just tell. If we say we have faith in Jesus, but aren’t kind, forgiving or helpful, people won’t believe us. Read James 2:14-17. We show we have faith in Jesus by doing what He says—the things He told us to do in the Bible. Jesus was a show-and-tell person. He didn’t just tell us, “Share what you have.” He showed us by sharing everything He had with anyone in need. He didn’t just tell us, “Accept other people.” He showed us by accepting and caring about people who weren’t popular or welcome. He didn’t just tell us, “I love you.” He showed His love by dying in our place.

S’MORES Theme: Jesus holds all things together Scripture: Colossians 1:17 Do Ahead: Bring two marshmallows— one big and not melted, one big and melted (or marshmallow fluff), 2 graham crackers and a square of chocolate. Option: Bring enough supplies to have s’mores with kids after the talk.

OBJECT TALK Hold up the marshmallow that is not melted. Today I want to take this marshmallow and make a snack. The snack is called a s’more. I have two graham crackers, one square of chocolate and one marshmallow. It’s really yummy! Put it together; this will not work well as the marshmallow is not melted. This s’more should fall apart. Show them that you are having trouble with it holding together. My s’more isn’t holding together. Does anybody have an idea of what I should do? Let the kids answer. Someone will probably say that you need to melt the marshmallow, or suggest the idea yourself. I happen to have a melted marshmallow (or marshmallow fluff ) with me. I’ll sandwich the melted marshmallow between my cracker and chocolate. Demonstrate. Here we are—a perfect s’more—completely held together and ready for eating! Take a bite. Yummy! Perfect! This s’more only works well if you have the one ingredient that makes it hold together—the melted marshmallow.

BIBLE TALK

When I make a s’more, I think about what holds my life and this world together. Do you know who holds everything together in this world? Have the kids guess. It’s Jesus. The Bible in Colossians 1:17 says: (read). This means that before anything ever existed— ever was here—there was Jesus. He is before all beginnings. He is God. As God, He holds all things

together. That means that what God has created, He uses His power to make sure it continues. I know from Colossians 1:17 that Jesus keeps my life going. He continues working in my life and holding my life together. And He does the same for you! Do you ever worry about what’s up ahead in your life? Do you wonder if you’re going to pass the test, or if your grandma is going to get well, or if your friend is going to dump you? None of us knows what’s going to happen. But someone does. What can you do when you wonder and worry? Let kids call out ideas. If no one says “pray,” suggest it yourself. Trusting Jesus when you wonder or worry is a smart thing to do because He’s the one who holds this whole world—and your life— together. You can trust Him to work with you in difficult times. Next time you wonder or worry about what’s up ahead, remember to pray. Jesus holds all things together!

TALK TO GOD

Dear God, thank You for holding all things together. Please help us to trust You even when we don’t know what is going to happen. Thank You that You love us and that we can pray to You about anything. Amen.

TALKING POINTS (optional)

• In nature, how do you see Jesus keeping the world going? In nature, where do you see the power of God? • What’s a bad time that Jesus helped you get through? • How do you feel when you realize that Jesus is the eternal God of the universe who holds everything together?

SNEAKERS Theme: Jesus’ love never wears out Scripture: Romans 8:38-39 Do Ahead: Bring a pair of well-worn sneakers.

OBJECT TALK Ask for a volunteer(s) who has bought new sneakers lately. Interview the volunteer(s): What was wrong with the old sneakers? How long do you think these new sneakers will last? Let volunteer(s) sit back down. Some things wear out. New sneakers get old. Hold up old sneakers. Maybe you outgrow them. Maybe the treads wear thin. Maybe your toes start to poke through or the laces break. Sneakers don’t last forever. Even good work doesn’t last. If you wake up some Saturday morning with a burst of energy and get your room sparkling clean, you feel great. But it doesn’t mean you’re all set for the year, or even for a month. Before long, books come off the shelves, dust collects beneath your bed, dirty socks pile up....You have to do it all over. Even friendships aren’t always permanent. Someone moves away or gets tired of skateboarding after school and looks for another friend who wants to do something different. You have to find another buddy.

Nothing can take Jesus’ love away from you. You might forget about Him sometimes. Or you might not listen to Him when you do something wrong. But He doesn’t turn His back on you. He forgives you—because He loves you. Take a look at your shoes. Are they worn out? Will you have to buy new shoes again some day? You can expect to do some things over and over. But you don’t have to keep asking Jesus to love you. Let your shoes remind you. When Jesus comes into your life, He comes to stay!

TALK TO GOD

Dear Jesus, it’s amazing to think that You will never stop loving us. Thank You for giving us this promise in the Bible. Help us remember every day that nothing can separate us from Your love. We love You, too. Amen.

TALKING POINTS (optional)

Help kids invent a cheer or a rap thanking Jesus for His love for them. Encourage them to include specific ways He shows His love.

But there’s one thing in the world you can count on lasting forever. You don’t have to work at keeping it, the way you do to keep your room clean. It doesn’t need replacing, the way sneakers do (hold up sneakers). It’s Jesus’ love for you.

BIBLE TALK

If you’ve met Jesus, you might wonder how long He will stick around. Maybe you’re used to a friend who goes home when he gets mad. Or maybe your big sister only puts up with you when she feels like it. Even your mom sometimes might say, “Run along. I’m too busy right now.” But Jesus isn’t that kind of friend. When He comes into your life, He comes for keeps. The Bible says in Romans 8:38-39: (read verses).

SWEETS Theme: Overcome temptation with the Bible Scripture: Luke 4:1-13

and tried to get Him to turn some stones into bread so He could eat. Jesus knew it would be wrong to obey the devil. He answered with a Bible verse. Read verse 4.

Do Ahead: Plan the skit with a helper. Bring a plate of tempting items—cookies, candy or money. This talk is written about cookies; adapt it as needed.

Then Satan told Jesus that he would give Jesus all the kingdoms in the whole world. Gesture widely. All Jesus had to do was worship Satan. Jesus knew this would be wrong. He answered with another Bible verse. Read verse 8.

OBJECT TALK

Then the devil took Jesus to the top of a tall building. Stretch hand up high. Satan said, “Throw Yourself off!” Gesture. “God will send angels to catch You so You won’t get hurt.” Jesus knew that would be wrong. What do you think Jesus answered with? Let kids reply. That’s right—a Bible verse. Read verse 12. Satan knew he couldn’t win, and he finally left.

Bring out cookies. I have a special surprise for you today! Don’t they look yummy? Who wants some? While you are talking, your helper should be noticeably not paying attention, such as looking at fingernails or tying a shoe. It’s a wonderful treat. But I’m sorry to tell you that no one gets any today. Let kids be disappointed. While you begin talking about what’s still to come in your meeting, have your helper reach for a cookie. I just said no one could eat one. What are you doing? Helper: But they look so good. Leader: Didn’t you hear me say no one could have any? Helper: Not really. I didn’t listen carefully. I didn’t know what was the right thing to do, so I did the wrong thing! I’m sorry! Leader: I forgive you. And you’re right. If we don’t know what is right, we can’t do what is right! To the kids: You knew it would be wrong to take one since I told you not to, so you didn’t do it. Way to go, group! Now this was just a fun skit, but in real life it is very normal for us to think about doing something that we would like to do, but it would be wrong. Does anyone know the word for this? Allow ideas. The word I’m thinking of is “temptation.” It means want to do something I know I should not do.

BIBLE TALK

Did you know even Jesus got tempted when He lived on earth? It’s not a sin to be tempted; sin is when we actually do what is wrong, like take the cookie. Temptation is when you just think about it. Luke 4:1-13 tells the story of when Jesus was tempted. Read Luke 4:1-2. Jesus was very hungry. Satan, the devil, came

Every time Satan tempted Jesus, Jesus said a Bible verse! For Jesus to do the right thing, He had to know the right thing. He knew God’s Word, which told Him what is right to do. If Jesus needed God’s Word, so do we! Jesus is our example of how to fight temptation. To do the right thing, we need to know the right thing! Kids your age face a lot of temptations. Should you peek at the other kid’s answers when you’re taking a test? Should you take a kid’s cool new pen when he leaves it lying around? Should you lie to make yourself look better to your friends? To do the right thing, we need to know the right thing. How can we know what the Bible says about what is right and wrong? Let kids call out answers, such as reading it and listening during kids group. We all get tempted to do wrong things. When you’re tempted, turn to the Bible that helps you know the right thing and turn to Jesus to help you do the right thing.

TALK TO GOD

Dear Jesus, thank You for Your example. Help us use the Bible to know what is right and wrong to do. Help us turn to You for strength to obey. In Your name, amen.

TRUMPET Theme: Find joy in Jesus Scripture: Philippians 4:4; 1 Peter 1:8 Do Ahead: Bring a trumpet and rubbing alcohol (to clean mouthpiece).

OBJECT TALK

What kind of a musical instrument do I have here? Let listeners respond. What kind of sound does a trumpet make? Play the trumpet yourself, or let a kid who knows the instrument play it. Where could you hear someone play a trumpet? Let listeners respond. Even though they’ve changed a lot, trumpets have been around for thousands of years. God’s people, the Israelites, for instance, used a trumpet to announce the Year of Jubilee. Every 50 years the Israelites set aside one entire year as belonging to God. The trumpet would sound throughout the whole land. It was a time of great joy. One time God told Gideon and his soldiers to blow trumpets and make lots of noise to scare away some enemies. Gideon obeyed God. Everyone blew loud blasts on the trumpets and the enemies ran away. The Israelites won the victory!

Jesus understands the difficulties and problems we face. So He promises to always be with us so that we can face difficult times with His help. Remember that we said earlier that trumpets were used to show that God’s people, the Israelites, won a victory. Let’s blow the trumpet again to show that we can be victorious because of Jesus Christ. Ask for volunteers. Clean mouthpiece each time. Let’s thank God together for the joy He gives His children.

TALK TO GOD

Dear God, thank You for giving us the ability to be joyful. Thank You for letting us be victorious because of Jesus. Fill us with Your joy every day. In Jesus’ name, amen.

TALKING POINTS (optional) • When is it hard for you to feel joy? • What could you remember about God that would help? • When is a time God has given you special joy?

Trumpets were used during joyful times and times of victory. That’s why the Apostle Paul said a trumpet will sound when Jesus comes back one day. For Christians, that will be a time of great joy!

BIBLE TALK

What are some ways you’ve seen friends and family members express joy? Let listeners respond. We don’t always feel happy, though, do we? Sometimes we’re angry and sometimes we’re sad. But the Bible encourages us to be joyful no matter what is happening in our lives. Why is that? Because joy is something we can have just because we believe in Jesus. Read 1 Peter 1:8. The Bible calls joy a “fruit of the Spirit.” If you focus on God and what He’s done for you, you’ll find that the Holy Spirit can give you inward joy. As a matter of fact, the Bible even commands us to rejoice. Read Philippians 4:4.

Here are fun samples for you to try out in your children's ministry from other Pioneer Clubs resource books. Games Galore Get more than 290 games for your children’s ministry! Games include classic, hiking international, get acquainted, relay, races, musical, nature, camping, outdoor, holiday, indoor and noncompetitive. Here’s an idea of what you’ll find …

Water Balloon Sandwich Age-group: Grade 1 and up Number of players: 8 or more Have players pair up and stand back to back at the starting line. Place a water balloon between their backs. At the signal, each pair heads for the finish line. If the balloon pops or drops, they have to return to the starting line for a replacement.

Bridge of Doom Age-group: Kindergarten and up Number of players: 6 or more Construct the Bridge of Doom by placing an 8-foot (2.5 m) 2 x 4 on the ground over an imaginary deep pit. Divide players into two teams and put them at each end of the bridge. The goal is to have the teams change places by crossing the Bridge of Doom using teamwork to keep from falling off. The first two people meet in the middle of the bridge and work together to trade places on the bridge. Other players follow suit. Players who fall go to the back of the line to try again. Play until everyone has successfully crossed the Bridge of Doom. Time teams and play again to see if they can improve their time. Variation: Have two or three people from each team try to cross at the same time.

Funtastic Games More than 100 fun games for kids of all ages! This is a great resource to have on hand for fresh game ideas that engage children and keep them active. Here are a few to try…

Foam Softball Age-group: Grade 3 and up Number of players: 8 or more This game is similar to softball. Soak two foam balls in a bucket of water kept near the pitcher’s mound. Keep one ball in the bucket while the other one is being pitched. Divide players into two teams. Instead of using a bat to hit the ball, use a tennis racket. Players get three chances to hit the soaked ball. An out is called after three missed hits or when a player is tagged with a wet foam ball while trying to make it to base.

Bubble Gum Relay Age-group: Grade 3 and up Number of players: 6 or more Divide players into teams. Place a piece of bubblegum for each player behind the goal line. At the signal, the first person from each team runs to the bubblegum pile, unwraps a piece, chews it, blows a bubble and then runs back to touch off the next teammate. Have an adult at the goal line to monitor the bubble-blowing efforts. Even little bubbles count.

Skits Your kids can show their dramatic flair with this great resource. More than 50 skits cover topics including holidays, Bible stories and just for fun.

Shortly after leaving town, the driver of the STAGECOACH saw in the distance INDIANS on their HORSES riding straight for the STAGECOACH! The driver yelled and slapped the reins, and his strong HORSES broke into a gallop.

Wild West Story

“INDIANS!” called the driver. “I just hope our HORSES are faster than theirs!”

(Divide the AUDIENCE into five groups. Assign each group one motion from the list below. Each time a cue word is read in the story, the NARRATOR pauses while a group makes its motion. Cue words are capitalized.) Cue Words and Motions: HORSES: slap leg once and say, “Giddyup” STAGECOACH: click tongue to make clip-clop sound FAIR MISS LILA: place hands on cheeks and say, “My, oh my!” BRAVE CAPTAIN TED: pretend to tip hat, saying, “Howdy-do” INDIANS: make drumroll by slapping floor (or legs) with hands NARRATOR: It was a hot and sunny day in the frontier town of Dry Gulch. In front of the little post office stood four strong HORSES, hitched up to the STAGECOACH, waiting for FAIR MISS LILA to board. BRAVE CAPTAIN TED stepped gallantly up to the STAGECOACH door to help FAIR MISS LILA. “Oh, my BRAVE CAPTAIN TED,” exclaimed FAIR MISS LILA, “I am so afraid to make this journey because of the INDIANS.” “Don’t you worry, FAIR MISS LILA,” responded BRAVE CAPTAIN TED. “This STAGECOACH route has never been attacked by INDIANS. And besides, as soon as I hear of INDIANS in the area, I will gather my men and my HORSES, and be off to rescue this STAGECOACH quicker than you can wink.” “Oh, my BRAVE CAPTAIN TED,” sighed FAIR MISS LILA as the STAGECOACH rolled off. “You are so strong and gallant.”

“My, oh my!” exclaimed FAIR MISS LILA from inside the STAGECOACH. “Whatever is the matter?”

But the INDIANS drew closer and closer, though the STAGECOACH tried to outdistance them. Suddenly a bugle was heard! The STAGECOACH driver looked behind him. He saw the INDIANS gaining on them, but behind them was another group of galloping HORSES. It was BRAVE CAPTAIN TED with his men, come to defend FAIR MISS LILA! The driver pulled his HORSES to a stop, the INDIANS surrounded the STAGECOACH, and BRAVE CAPTAIN TED’s men surrounded the INDIANS. “Cease and desist!” cried BRAVE CAPTAIN TED. “You shall not harm FAIR MISS LILA!” “What are you talking about?” said the chief of the INDIANS. “We’re only trying to warn the STAGECOACH that the bridge is out up ahead!” BRAVE CAPTAIN TED ceased to look so gallant for just a moment. But he quickly regained his composure and his manners and ordered his men to dismount from their HORSES and shake hands with the INDIANS. So the STAGECOACH driver found another route to travel, BRAVE CAPTAIN TED and his men returned to town, and FAIR MISS LILA sighed, “My heroes!” as the INDIANS galloped off into the distance on their HORSES.

To learn more about these books or to purchase them, visit: www.pioneerclubs.org/resources OR call a ministry consultant at 800-694-CLUB (2582).

Easy-to-Make Projects More than 200 projects that kids can make out of clay, fabric, paper, paints, wood and more are offered in this handy resource. Special sections on puppets, holidays, missions and nature are also included. Here are a few of the projects offered …

Magnetic Pocket Supplies: pocket (cut off the back of old jeans), hot glue gun and glue (needs adult supervision), cardboard, adhesive magnet, scissors

Time Capsule Supplies: box, canister or potato chip can; paint; paintbrushes; newspapers; optional: decorations (stickers, construction paper, etc.) Create and save special memories. Cover work area with newspapers. Paint a box, canister or potato chip can. Add other decorations, if you want. Collect special things, and store them in the capsule. Put the capsule in a safe place for a certain length of time, such as a year or maybe 10 years. Then open it up and enjoy looking back on what was important to you. Items to save: coins, newspaper articles and other things from the year you were born; special cards or letters; family tree; baby picture; cards; poems; artwork; awards; school things and so on.

Trace the shape of the pocket onto cardboard. Cut out the cardboard shape. Put hot glue along the pocket’s edge and stick it onto the cardboard. Stick magnet to the cardboard. Use pocket on the refrigerator (or other metal surface) to hold pens, notes, coupons and so on.

Edible Christmas Tree

Plaster Leaf Print

Place the cone upside down on wax paper. Spread green frosting on it. Decorate with small candies and sugar to look like a Christmas tree. Drape thin strings of red or white icing around tree for garlands. After frosting has hardened, place tree on doily.

Supplies: non-toxic craft plaster, large container, water, Styrofoam veggie tray, paper clip, leaves or flowers, sand Mix plaster with water, following package directions. Pour into Styrofoam tray. Push paper clip halfway into top edge of plaster to make a hanger. Quickly lay an arrangement of leaves or flowers in wet plaster. Press them down gently. Sprinkle a thick covering of sand over entire mold. After 10 minutes, see if print is set enough to pull leaves off. If so, carefully remove them. After mold is hard, take it out of tray and brush off excess sand.

Supplies: pointed ice cream cone, round paper doily, wax paper, green frosting, spatula, tubes of red or white decorator icing, tiny cake decorations (nonpareils, red cinnamon candies, silver balls, colored sugar, etc.)

To learn more about these books or to purchase them, visit: www.pioneerclubs.org/resources OR call a ministry consultant at 800-694-CLUB (2582).

make biblical truths come alive! Object lessons that use everyday items like shoes, mirrors, ﬂashlights and puzzles can help kids realize that the Bible is not a stuﬀy, old-fashioned book, but the trusted Word of God that speaks to us today.

Talks That Teach is a great resource for anyone involved in children’s ministry. Inside you’ll ﬁnd 40 object lessons that grab kids’ attention while teaching biblical principles. Use them for parties, cookouts, holidays, kids retreats, mission trips—even as primers for serious or fun discussions.

Inside you'll find object lessons that cover:  holidays  Bible

 obeying God  God’s love

 growing spiritually

 making wise choices

and more!

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PO Box 788 | Wheaton, IL 60187-0788 | www.pioneerclubs.org | 800.694.CLUB (2582)