wordless bracelet

Friday:	Wordless Bracelet
Bible Lesson:	Fishers of Men: elementary, preschool, teen
Memory Verse:	Matthew 4:19

Age Groups:

• elementary
• preschool
• teens

Supplies Needed:

• beads in the five Wordless Book colors (black, red, white, yellow, green)
• fishing line, leather cord, or some other bracelet material
• clear beads (optional)

Instructions:

String the five colored beads onto the bracelet in order, knotting at each end to prevent them from sliding around too much (though you can leave a little slack so that there can be a small gap between the beads that have been explained and the ones that remain). (If you are using fishing line, the line must go through the bead twice, wrapping around, so that the knot ties together two strands. Otherwise, the knot could slip through the beads. With leather cord, this is unnecessary, since the knot is too large for the hole.)

Clear beads can be used to make the bracelet size adjustable, or you can just tie it at a reasonable size.

While you make the craft, discuss the meaning of each of the five colors and how the bracelet can be used to share the good news with friends.

Memory Verse on Heart

Thursday:	Memory Verse on Heart
Bible Lesson:
Memory Verse:	reference

Age Groups:

• teens

Supplies Needed:

• cardboard
• construction paper
• spongy-foam shapes
• glitter (optional)
• gellpens or markers

Instructions:

Make a heart shape out of cardboard. Cover it with construction paper. Make a border by gluing spongy-foam shapes around the edge. Write the verse in the middle with a marker, gellpen, or cetera. Try to make it look like calligraphy. Add glitter as desired.

Peat Pot Tomb Scene

Thursday:	Peat Pot Tomb Scene
Bible Lesson:	Fish in the Net: Jesus rose from the dead.

Age Groups:

• preschool

Supplies Needed:

• peat pots
• cardboard
• construction paper
• dirt or sand
• white cloth

Instructions:

Cut peat pots in half vertically; each child uses half of one for the tomb. The open side gets glued to a square of cardboard, which serves as the ground (it can be colored green if desired, or a layer of green construction paper can be glued on first, representing grass), and the open semicircular top of the peat pot forms the open door of the tomb.

A smaller piece of cardboard, cut to a roughly circular shape, brushed with glue, and dipped in sand or dirt to give it a texture, is mounted beside the tomb, representing the stone door that has been rolled away. A small piece of folded white cloth can be put inside the tomb to represent the empty burial cloths.

While doing all this, discuss with the children that the tomb is empty because Jesus isn't there anymore: he rose from the dead.

Fishing All Night Boat Scene

Thursday:	Fishing All Night Boat Scene
Bible Lesson:	Following God
Memory Verse:	2nd John 1:6

Age Groups:

• elementary

Supplies Needed:

• peat pots
• paper disciples
• netting from the bags that onions, potatoes, oranges, etc. are sold in.
• fish (stickers or other small fish objects)

Instructions:

Cut peat pots in half vertically; each child uses two halves for the hull of their fishing boat. Glue the two halves together end-to-end by the lip, so that the bottom of the pot is at each end of the resulting boat hull. Let them color paper outline pictures of disciples (e.g., from a coloring book) and mount them inside the boat. (A piece of cardboard can be glued on the back of each paper disciple to help him stand up.) Hang some of the netting out the side of the boat, representing the fishing net. Fish stickers (or some other small objects representing fish) can be placed either in the net (creating the scene in the morning after Jesus tells them where to put the nets) or else on the other side of the boat (creating a scene from earlier in the night, when they had caught nothing), but not both.

Colored Sand Tomb Scene

Wednesday:	Colored Sand Tomb Scene
Bible Lesson:	Raised from the Dead
Memory Verse:	1st John 4:10

Age Groups:

• teens

Supplies Needed:

• paper
• colored sand

Preparation: Colored Sand

While it is possible to dye actual sand, it is generally easier to use salt, and results in stronger colors. Add small amounts of food coloring to a container of the salt and stir until the color is evenly distributed.

Instructions:

Provide the teen with a sheet of paper each, glue, and an assortment of colors of colored sand. Have them create an empty-tomb scene in colored sand by brushing glue onto the portions of the page where each color will go in turn, then sprinkling the colored sand on the glue.

Basket of Fish and Bread

Wednesday:	Basket of Fish and Bread
Bible Lesson:	Feeding the Big Crowd

Age Groups:

• preschool

Supplies Needed:

• molding dough (see recipe)
• paper basket pattern

Instructions:

Provide each child with a quantity of molding dough, let them play with it for a couple of minutes to get a feel for it, and then show them how to shape it into small bread loaves and fish. Have each child divide up their dough into seven parts and make five loaves and two fish.

Provide a photocopied cut-and-fold basket pattern. If there is time, they can color the basket before being assisted with cutting it out and folding and taping it together.

Place each child's fish and bread in their basket.

Sponge-Painted Tomb Scene

Wednesday:	Sponge-Painted Tomb Scene
Bible Lesson:	Raised from the Dead
Memory Verse:	1st John 4:10

Age Groups:

• elementary

Supplies Needed:

• paper
• paint
• bits of sponge

Instructions:

Each child receives a sheet of paper. Provide small dishes of paint and pieces of cut sponge. Have them paint an empty-tomb scene by dipping the sponge pieces into the paint and stamping them on the paper.

You might want to provide them with an example to look at.

Sign of Jonah Craft (teen)

Tuesday:	Sign of Jonah
Bible Lesson:	The Sign of Jonah
Memory Verse:	Romans 6:23

Age Groups:

• teens

Supplies Needed:

• squares of yellow posterboard
• sticks (paint stirsticks or dowels)
• fishing line
• poster paints (for the whale)
• construction-paper
  • blue daytime sky
  • black night sky
  • yellow suns (3 per)
  • white moons (3 per)

Instructions:

Each teen gets a square of yellow posterboard, which will be angled at 45 degrees to resemble a roadsign. On one side, have them draw and paint a whale silhouette. On the flip side, the diamond should be divided vertically down the middle: to the left side blue black construction paper, and to the right side light blue. On the black half, glue three construction-paper moons, and on the blue side three construction-paper suns.

Using fishing line, have them hang the sign from the middle of a stick (paint stirstick, dowel, etc). When hanging the sign should rotate freely to show both sides.

Sign of Jonah Craft (elementary)

Tuesday:	Sign of Jonah
Bible Lesson:	The Sign of Jonah
Memory Verse:	Romans 6:23

Age Groups:

• elementary

Supplies Needed:

• squares of white posterboard
• sticks (paint stirsticks or dowels)
• poster paints (lots of yellow)
• black construction-paper figures
  • whale
  • numeral 3
  • empty tomb with stone rolled aside

Instructions:

Each child gets a square of posterboard and a stick to mount it on (paint stirstick, dowel, etc). The square, when turned at a 45-degree angle, resembles a diamond-shaped roadsign. The children paint the sign yellow, stick it on the stick (like a roadsign is mounted on a post), and stick black cutout construction-paper figures on it to make a sign of Jonah. The black figures on the sign may include a whale silhouette, the numeral 3, or a grave with the stone rolled aside. The sign means that just as Jonah was in the belly of the fish for three days and three nights, so also Jesus was in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights.

Molding Dough Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 cups flour
• 1 cup salt
• 3 TBSP cooking oil
• 3 TBSP cream of tartar
• 2 tsp food coloring
• 2 cups boiling water

Mix flour, salt, and oil in a bowl. Mix food coloring into boiling water. Add boiling water to dry ingredients. Mix very well until lumps are formed. Cool down. Knead until smooth.

Store in airtight containers. Supposedly it'll last up to 6 months when stored in a cool place (but don't freeze it). Makes enough for 4 children.

Fishing for Christ Snacks

Okay, a couple of these don't correlate with the elementary and teen lessons (suggestions welcome), but here are the snacks we are using for the Fishing for Christ theme.

Monday:	Fish Cookies
Elementary Bible Lesson:	The Fish with the Coin: Jesus is God
Memory Verse:	Matthew 16:16
Preschool Bible Lesson:	The Coin in the Fish's Mouth

Snack: Fish Cookies

Make cutout cookies using a fish-shaped cookie cutter. Frost if desired. Serve with punch.

Lesson Tie-In:

The first fish Peter caught had a coin in its mouth, just like Jesus said.

---

Tuesday:	Cross Cookies
Elementary Bible Lesson:	Sign of Jonah
Memory Verse:	Romans 6:23
Preschool Bible Lesson:	Jonah: Obey God

Snack:

Make cutout cookies using a fish-shaped cookie cutter. Frost if desired. Serve with punch. For preschool, use red punch.

Lesson Tie-In:

Elementary/Teen: Jesus died on a cross to pay the penalty for our sin.

Preschool: The cross shape and the red punch fit with the wordless book lesson (red page): Jesus died on a cross so that we could be forgiven.

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Wednesday:	Banana Bread
Elementary Bible Lesson:	Raised from the Dead
Memory Verse:	1st John 4:10
Preschool Bible Lesson:	Feeding the Big Crowd

Snack:

Serve banana bread and punch. (It is best to use a banana bread recipe that does not involve nuts. A large percentage of young children don't like them, and then you have the risk someone will be allergic.)

Lesson Tie-In:

Elementary/Teen: The snack itself does not correlate with the lesson, but review the lesson or the memory verse while they eat.

Preschool: Jesus fed thousands of people from the five little bread loaves (and two small fish), and there was more bread left over after they all ate than when he started!

---

Thursday:	Goldfish Crackers
Elementary Bible Lesson:	Following God (Fishing All Night)
Memory Verse:	2nd John 1:6
Preschool Bible Lesson:	Fish in the Net

Snack:

Serve fish-shaped crackers, and punch.

Lesson Tie-In:

How many fish were there in the disciples' net when they counted them? 153 large fish!

---

Friday:	Cupcakes
Elementary Bible Lesson:	Cupcakes
Memory Verse:	Matthew 4:19
Preschool Bible Lesson:	Fishers of Men

Snack:

Serve cupcakes and punch. The preschool cupcakes should have green icing. For the older groups, the color doesn't matter.

Lesson Tie-In:

Elementary/Teen: The snack itself does not correlate with the lesson, but review the lesson or the memory verse while they eat.

Preschool: The green icing goes with the wordless book lesson (green page): we grow in Jesus when we come to church, pray, listen to the Bible, etc.

Don't Break the Rod

Indoor Game:	Don't Break the Rod

Age Groups:

• elementary
• teens

Equipment Needed:

• chairs
• toilet paper
• toy pool nets (one per team)
• buckets (one per team)
• small wading pool
• foam packing peanuts
• fish (you can use the fish sponges)

Instructions:

Set up the pool full of packing peanuts (in lieu of water) and fish at one end of the room. Divide the group into equal teams and line them up at the other end of the room. Each team must line up single-file starting next to their bucket.

Each team receives a connected strand of toilet paper containing one square for each team member. This is their fishing rod, which they must not break. Each team member must hold onto one of the squares, so that the entire team is holding the rod, and the person at the front of the line carries the net.

When the starting whistle is blown, the team must make its way across the room to the fish pool, retrieve one fish (but no packing peanuts) using the net, then return to their bucket and deposit the fish there. They may then pass the net to the next team member and go back for the next fish.

If at any time a team's rod breaks (i.e., the toilet paper tears), they must stop, return any fish they may be carrying to the pool, and go back to their bucket. They will then be issued a new rod and may start again.

Play until time expires or the fish run out. The team with the most fish wins.

Copyright © 2003—2009, Theresa Wagoner and the Galion Grace Brethren Church, but you are welcome to use it in your local church. See licensing for more detailed information about rights and permissions.

Fishermen's Relay

Friday:	Fishermen's Relay
Elementary Bible Lesson:	Fishers of Men
Memory Verse:	Matthew 4:19
Preschool Bible Lesson:	Fishers of Men

Age Groups:

• elementary
• preschool
• teens

Equipment Needed:

• fish (you can use the same sponge fish from earlier in the week)
• toy pool nets (2)
• small plastic pool
• optional: fill the pool with water (outdoors) or packing peanuts (indoors)
• fisherman gear (in pairs, essentially identical items for each team)
  suggestions:
  • fisherman's boots (hip waders or galoshes)
  • fisherman's hat (can be decorated with bobbers)
  • oversized jacket
  • life jacket
  • bug spray (water in a reusable spray bottle; they can spray a little on themselves and leave the bottle behind)
  • sunscreen
  • stringer (on a belt)
  • tackle box
  • lunch cooler
  • rod and reel, or cane pole
  • bucket for the fish
  • bait
  • oar
  • inflatable raft

Instructions:

Divide the group into teams of equal size. Various articles of clothing and (non-sharp) fishing paraphernalia are available for each team. Each team member in turn must don all the fisherman stuff, run down to the pool of fish, fish out one fish (using a hand-held net, like a toy pool net), return with it, and take off all the fisherman stuff so the next team member can do the same thing.

You will want to vary the amount and type of gear according to age group. For the preschool, limit the carried items to one small item (plus the net), and skip the more complex worn items. For teens, load them up with as many large and/or awkward items as possible, and don't spare the hip waders.

If your group is large, you can divide into more than two teams, but you need as many of each piece of fisherman gear as there are teams, e.g., for four teams you need four sets of boots, four tackle boxes, etc. For a very small group, use just one set of stuff and time each person with a stopwatch to see who can get the best time.

Hula Net Race

Thursday:	Net Race
Elementary Bible Lesson:	Following God (Fishing All Night)
Memory Verse:	2nd John 1:6
Preschool Bible Lesson:	Fish in the Net: Jesus rose from the dead.

Age Groups:

• elementary
• preschool
• teens

Equipment Needed:

• hula hoops
• boat
• camera
• stopwatch

Instructions:

Set up the boat at one end of the playing area ahead of time. Divide the group into teams of 4-5 participants (fish). Each team receives one hula hoop, which you call a net. Each team starts spaced out across the lake (i.e., the yard); the fish farthest from the boat has the net. When each team (and the stopwatch) is started, the fish with the net must get inside it (i.e., hold the hoop around himself at waist level) and travel across the lake, collecting the other fish from his team, each of whom in turn must get into the net with him. Together in the net, they must all travel the rest of the way across the lake to the boat.

Upon reaching the boat, each fish must touch the boat before they can get out of the net. Then they must all get into the boat together and have their picture taken together in the boat (by the game leader with the camera). Then they all get out of the boat and back into the net and must travel back across the lake to the starting line. The leader with the stopwatch will tell them their time; the team with the fastest time wins. If you have more than one stopwatch, you can run multiple teams at the same time, as long as they're staggered so they don't need the boat at the same time.

For preschool you may want to send a helper with each group.

Copyright © 2003—2009, Theresa Wagoner, Nathan Eady, and the Galion Grace Brethren Church, but you are welcome to use it in your local church. See licensing for more detailed information about rights and permissions.

Indoor Fish Relay

Indoor Game:	Fish Relay

Age Groups:

• elementary
• teens

Equipment Needed:

• buckets (4)
• fish (You can use the same fish-shaped sponges we've been using all week.)
• toy pool nets (2)
• blindfolds (2)

Instructions:

Divide the group into two teams. Each team receives a bucket full of fish, an empty bucket, a net, and a blindfold. Place the two buckets a distance apart. For older agegroups, difficulty may be added by placing the buckets on opposite sides of some obstacle, such as a table or chair.

Each team member in turn must be blindfolded, and then, following instructions from the other team members, must use the net to retrieve one fish from the starting bucket and move it to the other bucket. The first team to move all of its fish to the second bucket in this manner, or the team with the most fish when time expires, wins the game.

Copyright © 2003—2009, Theresa Wagoner and the Galion Grace Brethren Church, but you are welcome to use it in your local church. See licensing for more detailed information about rights and permissions.

Twelve Baskets Full

Wednesday:	Twelve Baskets Full
Bible Lesson:	Feeding the Big Crowd

Age Groups:

• preschool

Equipment Needed:

• empty ice-cream buckets (for each child)
• bread and fish items

Instructions:

Each child is given a plastic one gallon ice-cream bucket, which you call a basket. There are items scattered about that represent loaves or pieces of bread and fish. The children find these items and collect the pieces of fish and bread in the baskets. For the fish and bread, use items that will not blow away. For the fish, you can use the sponge fish from the other day (possibly wet if it's windy).

Remind the children that the disciples collected twelve baskets full of leftover pieces, even though Jesus started with just one little boy's lunch.

Copyright © 2003—2009, Nathan Eady, Sarah Eady, Theresa Wagoner, and the Galion Grace Brethren Church, but you are welcome to use it in your local church. See licensing for more detailed information about rights and permissions.

Wet Sponge Relay

Wednesday:	Wet Sponge Relay
Bible Lesson:	Raised from the Dead
Memory Verse:	1st John 4:10
Indoor Variant:	Indoor Fish Relay

Age Groups:

• elementary
• teens

Equipment Needed:

• sponges (You can re-use the fish-shaped sponges from earlier in the week.)
• buckets (4)
• water

Instructions:

Divide the group into two equal teams. Each team receives a full bucket (of water), a (smaller) empty bucket, and a fish-shaped sponge. Team members line up and take turns running the fish sponge from the full bucket to fill the empty bucket, in an attempt to fill the empty bucket. If the full bucket gets empty, it can be refilled from a spigot. The first team to fill their empty bucket, or the team with the most water when time expires, wins the game.

Teen Variation:

Increase the difficulty by making them stand a little more than arm's length apart and toss the wet sponge from person to person down the line, trying to keep as much water in the sponge as possible; the last person in the line squeezes it into the bucket.

Team Slide

Tuesday:	Team Slide
Bible Lesson:	Sign of Jonah: Jesus died to pay the penalty for our sin. Elementary, Teen
Memory Verse:	Romans 6:23

Age Groups:

• elementary
• teens

Equipment Needed:

• plastic backyard waterslide toys (2-4)
• cooking spray
• stopwatch (optional)

Instructions:

Prepare ahead of time the plastic water slide toys (e.g., Slip 'n Slide) by spraying them with cooking spray and wiping it so that they are slippery without water. Lay them out end-to-end.

Divide the group into two teams. Each team must slide from one end of the slide setup to the other and back, on their bellies, each person holding onto the ankles of the person ahead of them.

If you have enough of the plastic waterslide toys, you can have both teams go at the same time, and the team that completes the course first, without letting go of one another's ankles, wins. Another option is to use a stopwatch.

Copyright © 2003—2009, Theresa Wagoner, Sarah Eady, and the Galion Grace Brethren Church, but you are welcome to use it in your local church. See licensing for more detailed information about rights and permissions.

Diving into the Whale

Tuesday:	Diving into the Whale
Preschool Bible Lesson:	Jonah: Obey God

Age Groups:

• preschool

Equipment Needed:

• plastic backyard-waterslide toys (1-2)
• large cardboard box, decorated to look like a big fish
• cooking spray
• plastic indoor/outdoor sliding board (optional)
• open cans of tuna (optional, for ambiance)
• fish gack

Instructions:

Prepare ahead of time the plastic water slide toys (e.g., Slip 'n Slide) by spraying them with cooking spray and wiping it so that they are slippery without water. Lay them out end-to-end. Erect around it a "whale" (cardboard box), with the sliding surface going through the "mouth" (opening). Place a miniature slide at the start (if available).

Preschool children individually slide down the slide and onto the "tongue", wiggling and sliding into the great fish. The group must count to three in unison before the one in the "whale" box can come out, since Jonah was in the big fish for three days. Remind the children that while Jonah was in the fish, he decided to obey God, and then the fish spit him out.

Depending on the age and maturity of your group, as each child comes out, you can "slime" them with slime or silly string, since Jonah would have been slimy when he came out of the big fish.

Copyright © 2003—2009, Theresa Wagoner, Sarah Eady, and the Galion Grace Brethren Church, but you are welcome to use it in your local church. See licensing for more detailed information about rights and permissions.

Fish Coin Hunt

Monday:	Fish Coin Hunt
Preschool Bible Lesson:	The Coin in the Fish's Mouth: Jesus is God

Age Groups:

• preschool

Equipment Needed:

• small portable wading pool
• water (outdoor) or packing peanuts (indoor)
• fish-shaped sponges (these can be cut from ordinary synthetic cleaning sponges)
• buckets (2)
• toy pool nets (2)
• one coin

Instructions:

Set up a pool containing either water (outdoors) or foam packing peanuts (indoors) and toy or sponge fish. One of the fish should have a coin hidden inside. You need two hand-held nets for fishing them out (similar to pool nets). Preschoolers take turns fishing a fish out of the pool with the net and running them to the team's fish bucket. When all the fish are out, have them look for the coin, and the team that has the coin wins. Get excited with them when they find it. Remind them that it was a miracle that Jesus sent Peter to find the coin in the fish and it was there. The coin may then be rehidden secretly in a random fish and all the fish returned to the pool for more gameplay.

Copyright © 2003—2009, Nathan Eady, Sarah Eady, Theresa Wagoner, and the Galion Grace Brethren Church, but you are welcome to use it in your local church. See licensing for more detailed information about rights and permissions.

Oven Mitt Relay

Monday:	Oven Mitt Relay
Bible Lesson:	The Fish with the Coin: Jesus is God. Elementary, Teen
Memory Verse:	Matthew 16:16

Age Groups:

• elementary
• teens

Equipment Needed:

• two oven mitts
• assorted pairs of essentially-identical objects
• two buckets for the objects
• fish-shaped sponges
• bucket or small pool for the fish
• one coin

Instructions:

Divide the group into two equal teams. Each team receives one oven mitt and a bucket of assorted objects. Stand each team in line single-file.

The objects may only be touched using the oven mitt. Team members must pass the mitt (and the object with it) from person to person down the line. Hands must go inside the mitt (no using it as a potholder). The next team member puts his hand into the mitt and thus takes the object so that the previous person can remove his hand from the mitt without dropping the object.

Any object that is dropped must return to the bucket at the beginning of the line; the team may either start that object over or try another object.

Each object that reaches the end of the line earns the team a choice of one fish from the fish bucket (or pool). The player at the end of the line runs the earned fish, the object, and the mitt back to the beginning of the line, selects a new object from the bucket, and starts the mitt and the object on their journey down the line by passing them to the person who was at the head of the line before.

One of the fish contains a hidden coin in its mouth. The team that earns he fish with the coin wins the game. (No peeking for coins until the game is over.)

Teen Variation:

The assortment of objects for the teens should be more difficult than for the younger grades. Possibilities include firm, round objects; small objects, like marbles or coins; smooth objects; light objects, like inflatable toys or balloons; heavy objects, like small barbells; large, awkward objects, like plastic punch bowls; or thin objects, like papers or overhead transparencies.

Copyright © 2003—2009, Nathan Eady, Sarah Eady, Theresa Wagoner, and the Galion Grace Brethren Church, but you are welcome to use it in your local church. See licensing for more detailed information about rights and permissions.

Matthew 4:19

Friday:	Matthew 4:19
Bible Lesson:	Fishers of Men: We should tell others about Christ.

Introduction:

[Needed]

Explanation: Matthew 4:19

Matthew 4:19: Come, follow me, Jesus said, and I will make you fishers of men.

[Show the verse and read it aloud.]

How can we follow Jesus when we can't see him? (We see his life in the Bible, and we see his commands and obey him.) What does Jesus mean when he tells the disciples he will make them fishers of men? (It means, they will teach other people to obey and love Jesus; instead of catching fish, they will catch men.) How can we catch people? (We tell them about Jesus, and about the Bible.

One way to tell people about Jesus is by using the wordless bracelet, like this one [show one]. You'll be making wordless bracelets for your craft today.

Game: Sign Gestures

Display posterboard of verse. Read through the verse together.

Teach the children the sign motions together with the words, and have them say the verse and perform the motions at the same time. Either use a real sign language (e.g., ASL), or an improvised set of gestures and motions, like below:

Come	Hand beckons toward self.
Follow	Fingers walk along other hand.
Me	Point to self.
Jesus	Middle fingers point out nail marks in hands.
Said	Hand moves out from mouth.
I	Point to self.
will make	Set left fist on right, then right on top of left, as if building.
you	Point away from self, toward your audience.
fishers	Cast like with a fishing pole.
of men	Point to several persons as if counting.

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

2nd John 1:6

Thursday:	2nd John 1:6
Bible Lesson:	Following God

Introduction: Love

Who remembers what the Bible means when it uses the word "love"? (Love is an action, something you do for another person.) Who is the person we are to love in this verse? (It is God.)

Explanation: 2^nd John 1:6

And this is love: that we walk in obedience to God's commands. (from 2 John 1:6)

[Show the verse and read it aloud.]

In this verse, how are we to show love for God? What does it mean to walk in obedience to his commands? (It means, we do what he commands.) Where do we find God's commands? (In the Bible.) What commands is it talking about? Is it just the ten commands in the Old Testament? (No, it means all the commands in the Bible.) Who can give some examples of God's commands from the Bible? (Accept answers from the children. e.g., Love the Lord your God, obey your parents, pray continually, preach the gospel, make disciples, etc.)

Game: Faster & Slower

Read the verse through twice together at normal speed. Then, "Let's read it a little bit faster." Go faster, faster, faster until the words are indistinct and the speed absurd. Then, "Let's see how slooooowly we can say it." Read the verse through more and more slowly until this becomes absurd as well. Then take away the posterboard of the verse and say it through at normal speed together.

Announcement: Verse Points

Read announcement about saying the verse the next day:

Tomorrow, when you come to Bible School, if you can say your memory verse without looking, you can earn 100 points for your team's score. Each person who can say the verse can earn 100 points. So, if you want to help your team win more points, go home and practice your verse a few times. Don't forget the reference! On your way out the door tonight, you will be given a slip of paper with your verse on it. Don't lose it, because if you learn your verse, your team gets 100 more points!

You can say your verse for points tomorrow when you check in at the registration table. Remember, tomorrow is the last day of Bible School, so it's your last chance to score points for your team.

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

1st John 4:10

Wednesday:	1st John 4:10
Bible Lesson:	Raised from the Dead

Introduction: Love

Today's verse talks about an act of love. In the Bible, love is an action, something you do for another person. Love in the Bible isn't just nice feelings, though you may have nice feelings also. But Love is more than that: it's a promise that you don't break, that doesn't go away, something you do because you have decided to show love for someone.

Explanation: Reference

In this act is love: not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son, a payment for our sins. (1 John 4:10)

[Show the verse and read it aloud.]

Who in the verse showed love? Was it us? No. It was God. How did God show love for us? He sent his Son. Who's that? Jesus, the Christ. Why did he send Jesus? Because he loved us, yes, but why did Jesus have to come? To pay for our sins, so that we could go to heaven and be with God forever.

Why did we need someone to pay for our sins, so that we could go to heaven? Because the wage of sin is death, and sin and death cannot enter heaven. How did Jesus pay for our sins? He had to die. Wow, that's really a strong love. Have you ever loved someone enough to die for them? God did.

Game: Covered Words

Show the posterboard of the verse. Read the verse together twice, then begin covering words, one at a time, and read the verse after each, filling in the covered words. Cover unimportant words first, saving nouns and verbs for last. When all the words are covered, cover the reference and have the children say the whole thing a couple more times.

Announcement: Verse Points

Read announcement about saying the verse the next day:

Tomorrow, when you come to Bible School, if you can say your memory verse without looking, you can earn 100 points for your team's score. Each person who can say the verse can earn 100 points. So, if you want to help your team win more points, go home and practice your verse a few times. Don't forget the reference! On your way out the door tonight, you will be given a slip of paper with your verse on it. Don't lose it, because if you learn your verse, your team gets 100 more points!

You can say your verse for points tomorrow when you check in at the registration table.

Romans 6:23

Tuesday:	Romans 6:23
Bible Lesson:	The Sign of Jonah: Jesus died to pay the penalty for our sin.

Introduction: Wages

Today's verse talks about wages. What are wages? Wages are what you earn for doing something, like if you have a job, and your boss gives you a paycheck.

Explanation: Romans 6:23

Romans 6:23: For the wage of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life, through Christ Jesus our Lord.

[Show the verse and read it aloud.]

How do you earn the wages in this verse? By sinning. What is sin? Sin is something you do that God doesn't like. How do we know what God doesn't like? He tells us in the Bible.

What do you earn, when you sin? Death. Death is separation. If your body dies, you are separated from your body, and from the people still here on Earth. If you die spiritually, you are separated from God, forever. Who wants to earn death, and be separated from God forever?

What is a gift? A gift is a present. Do you have to earn a gift? No, somebody gives it to you. Who gives the gift in the verse? God. What does he give you? Eternal life. What does eternal mean? Forever. So if you have eternal life, do you get the death that you earned? No, you get to be with Jesus (and other Christians) forever.

How does God give us this gift? Through Jesus our LORD. When Jesus died on the cross, he paid the wage of our sin, so that we don't have to receive it. What does it mean for Jesus to be our LORD? It means he is our master, and we follow him.

Game: Every Other Word

Display the posterboard of the verse. Read through the verse together. Explain to the children that you will take turns reading with them: you will say one word, and they will say the next, all the way through the verse. Do this several times, switching who goes first. Select a child to come and take your place, taking turns with the other children. Rotate through several children this way. If you have two children up front at once, each will read every third word. Now, take away the posterboard and continue until everyone knows the verse pretty well.

Announcement: Verse Points

Read announcement about saying the verse the next day:

Tomorrow, when you come to Bible School, if you can say your memory verse without looking, you can earn 100 points for your team's score. Each person who can say the verse can earn 100 points. So, if you want to help your team win more points, go home and practice your verse a few times. Don't forget the reference! On your way out the door tonight, you will be given a slip of paper with your verse on it. Don't lose it, because if you learn your verse, your team gets 100 more points!

You can say your verse for points tomorrow when you check in at the registration table.

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

Matthew 16:16

Monday:	Matthew 16:16
Bible Lesson:	The Fish with the Coin: Jesus is God

Introduction:

[needed]

Explanation: Matthew 16:16

Matthew 16:16: Simon Peter answered, You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.

[Show the verse and read it aloud.]

In today's Bible verse, we find Peter talking to Jesus, and he says, You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. What does it mean for Jesus to be the Christ? It means he was the one God sent to save the people. What does it mean to be the Son of the living God? What does it mean to be the Son of someone? That means he is the same as that person. So Jesus was the same as God -- he is God. Who is the living God? The living God is the one and only true God, who really is, not like a fake, made-up idol god.

So, Peter is saying that Jesus is the one true God, come to save the people. In the passage, Jesus answers Peter, saying that Peter is blessed, because he did not get this idea from men, but from God. So if Peter got the idea from God, then it's true. Jesus really is the Son of the Living God, the Christ come to save the people.

Game: Louder

Display the posterboard of the verse. Have the children read through it together twice.

Divide the children according to their red and blue teams. Have the teams sit together. Announce a contest to see which team can read the verse louder. Have the teams take turns reading the verse, until they are loud enough. Then take away the poster, and announce a contest to see which team can say the verse loudest without looking at it, for 50 points. Have them take turns until they are all horse, or you run low on time (save time for the announcement). Award the points to the team that is clearly louder, or if it's unclear, award it to both teams.

Announcement: Verse Points

Read announcement about saying the verse the next day:

Tomorrow, when you come to Bible School, if you can say your memory verse without looking, you can earn 100 points for your team's score. Each person who can say the verse can earn 100 points. So, if you want to help your team win more points, go home and practice your verse a few times. Don't forget the reference! On your way out the door tonight, you will be given a slip of paper with your verse on it. Don't lose it, because if you learn your verse, your team gets 100 more points!

You can say your verse for points tomorrow when you check in at the registration table.

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

Fishing for Christ lessons complete

Okay, that was the last set of discussion questions I just put up, so I believe the bible lessons for all three age groups, for the Fishing for Christ theme, are now more or less complete and online. More materials (crafts, games, and so forth) will hopefully follow soon.

Raised from the Dead, discussion questions

Wednesday:	Raised from the Dead
Main Passage:	Luke 24:36-49
Other Passages:	Mark 16:9-11,14; Luke 24:13-32; Matthew 28:16-20; John 10:11-33, 19:31-42, 20:11-25; 1st Cor. 15:1-7, 12-22
Memory Verse:	1st John 4:10

1. Have you ever been around when someone had died? What was done with the body? What would have happened, if nothing was done? Why?
2. In John 20, the disciples had the door locked, for fear of the Jews (v.19). How did Jesus get into the room?
3. Why did he ask them for something to eat?
4. Why is the fact that Jesus raised from the dead important to our faith?
5. Who does Jesus give eternal life to? Does he give it to the Pharisees, who tried to stone him for blasphemy? Then who?

If you need hints to answer some of the questions, look up the listed scripture passages.

Fishers of Men discussion questions

Friday:	Fishers of Men
Main Passages:	Matthew 4:18-22, Matthew 28, Acts 1:6-11
Other Passages:	John 14:1-4, 2nd Peter 3:9, Mark 16:15
Memory Verse:	Matthew 4:19

1. What did Jesus mean when he told Peter and Andrew he would make them fishers of men?
2. If Jesus is our Lord, what implications does that have in our lives?
3. How long does it take to teach someone everything Jesus taught us?
4. If we are going to teach others to follow Christ, is there anything we have to do first?
5. How can we ever finish?
6. 1.The church still needs pastors today, but how do they know that's what God wants of them, if Jesus doesn't stand physically in front of them and say, Feed my sheep?

If you need hints to answer some of the questions, look up the listed scripture passages.