Free Bible School Materials

Running the Race

2011-08-09T08:03:00.001-04:00

Running the Race

We found five passages in the New Testament that speak of the Christian life as a race that we run, and so we wrote from them five lessons that emphasise lordship, faithfulness, the importance of God's word, holiness, and heavenly rewards. In Galion we initially developed these materials for use in 2005, then we polished them up and used them for the second time in 2011, so they're fairly complete at this point.

This theme is essentially complete, although there are a few bits that I still need to finish posting online (most notably, the teen and preschool Bible lessons).

	Elementary		Preschool		Teens
Monday	Bible Lesson:	David and the Lord's Annointed: Jesus should be Lord and Master of our lives.	Bible Lesson:		Bible Lesson:
	Memory Verse:	1^st John 2:3	Shape Lesson:	The Ball	Discussion:	8 questions
	Missions:	(Skit) What is a Missionary?			Missions:	[same as elementary]
	Craft:	Bean Mosaic	Craft:	Felt Pennant	Craft:	Baked Rock
	Game: Baton Relay
	Snack: animal crackers
Tuesday	Bible Lesson:	Daniel and the Satraps: God Expects Faithfulness	Bible Lesson:		Bible Lesson:
	Memory Verse:	1^st Corinthians 15:58	Shape Lesson:	The Book	Discussion:	7 questions
	Missions:	(Skit) Why Do We Send Missionaries?			Missions:	[same as elementary]
	Craft:	Suncatcher	Craft:	Lion Face	Craft:	Suncatcher (same as elementary)
	Game: Water Relay
	Snack: Lion Cookies
Wednesday	Bible Lesson:	Josiah and the Book: we should study God's word and apply it to our lives.	Bible Lesson:		Bible Lesson:
	Memory Verse:	1^st Thessalonians 2:13	Shape Lesson:	The Heart	Discussion:	9 questions
	Missions:	(Skit) What Does a Missionary Do?			Missions:	[same as elementary]
	Craft:	Painted Silhouette	Craft:	Watercolor Painting	Craft:	Painted Silhouette (same as elementary)
	Game: Obstacle Course
	Snack: cupcakes*
Thursday	Bible Lesson:	The Rich Young Man: throw off things that entangle	Bible Lesson:		Bible Lesson:
	Memory Verse:	2^nd Timothy 4:7-8	Shape Lesson:	The Cross	Discussion:	7 questions
	Missions:	(Skit) Where Does a Missionary Go?			Missions:	[same as elementary]
	Craft:	Felt Pennant	Craft:	[Needed]	Craft:	Felt Pennant (same as elementary)
	Game: Sand Relay
	Snack: chocolate coin and fruit cup
Friday	Bible Lesson:	The Finish Line: Heaven (John on Patmos)	Bible Lesson:		Bible Lesson:
	Memory Verse:		Shape Lesson:	The Crown	Discussion:	8 questions
	Missions:	(Skit) Who Can Be a Missionary?			Missions:	[same as elementary]
	Craft:	Potato Painting (heaven scene)	Craft:	Posterboard Crown	Craft:	Colored Sand Design in Glass
	Game: Dress-Up Relay
	Snack: crown cookies

* - Items marked with an asterisk are incomplete or otherwise need work.

Preschool Memory Verse (all week): Luke 11:28, Jesus said, Blessed are those who hear the word of God and obey it. (NIV)

Substitute Indoor Games:

[Needed]

Decorations:

I do have photos of most of the decorations we did. I'll post some at some point, and link to them here once they're up. I wanted to go ahead and get this summary posted first.

Running the Race Snacks

2011-08-08T08:43:00.005-04:00

Monday: Animal Crackers

Each person gets a small cup of animal crackers, and punch to drink.

Lesson Tie-In:

The animal crackers go with the preschool shape lesson on creation. We were unable to devise a snack to go with the elementary or teen Bible lesson (suggestions welcome), but you can ask them questions about the lesson while they eat.

Tuesday: Lion Cookies

Using a lion-shaped cookie cutter, prepare lion-shaped cutout cookies. Frost them in yellow or orange. Optionally, some of them can have manes made of licorice or coconut (but be sure to have some available without, too: a lot of children don't like licorice or coconut). Preschool should get one cookie each, and punch to drink. Older children will be able to eat two cookies.

Lesson Tie-In:

The lion cookies correlate with the story about Daniel, prayer, and God's care for us. Ask the children to tell you about the Daniel lesson while they eat.

Wednesday: Cupcakes

Each person gets a cupcake, and punch.

Lesson Tie-In:

This one unfortunately does not correlate with the lesson. (If you can figure out a way to make scrolls out of some kind of food, that would correlate with the Josiah lesson, but we were unable to work out a good way to do this. Suggestions welcome.) However, you can ask the children questions about the lesson while they eat.

Thursday: Chocolate Coins and Fruit

Each person gets one (foil-wrapped) chocolate coin and a cup of fruit.

Lesson Tie-In:

The coin goes with the lesson about the rich young man. Ask them questions about the lesson while they eat. (The fruit cup is just there to make the snack more substantial, so they have something to eat besides a piece of chocolate.)

Friday: Crown Cookies

Make cut-out cookies in the shape of crowns, frosted bright yellow. If desired, they can also be decorated with gumdrop "gemstones". Preschool children should get one crown cookie each, and punch to drink. Older children will be able to eat more.

Lesson Tie-In:

The crown goes with the elementary and teen Bible lessons (on heaven) and with the preschool shapes lesson (also on heaven). Ask the children to tell you about the lesson while they eat.

Colored Sand in a Bottle

2011-07-25T09:41:00.000-04:00

Friday:	Colored Sand in a Bottle
Bible Lesson:	The Finish Line: Heaven (John on Patmos)
Memory Verse:	2^nd Timothy 4:7-8

Age Groups:

elementary
preschool
teens

Supplies Needed:

small (clear) glass containers with lids or corks
colored sand

Preparation:

You can actually dye sand, but the colors come out fairly muted in my experience. Brighter colors can be achieved by rubbing colored chalk into the sand so that chalk dust mixes with the grains. You can also use salt instead of sand.

Instructions:

Give each teen one glass container (skinny jar, cork-lidded vase, etc). Allow them to pour in different colors of the colored sand, in layers, to make a design. Tilting the container when inserting some of the layers may result in a more interesting design. When the design is complete, fill the remainder of the container with plain sand and attach the lid.

Posterboard Crowns

2011-07-25T09:23:00.002-04:00

Friday:	Crowns
Bible Lesson:	Fishing All Night
Shape Lesson:	The Crown: Heaven

Age Groups:

preschool

Supplies Needed:

yellow posterboard
gold glitter
gemstones (can be construction paper)

Preparation:

Pre-cut the posterboard into bands (strips) with decorative protrusions along one edge, so that when the ends are brought together a crown shape results.

Instructions:

Give each child one of the posterboard crown shapes. Allow them to decorate the crown by glueing gemstones and stuff on it it, maybe beads or gold glitter. When they finish, fit the crown to their head and staple it together. Let the teacher hold onto the crowns until time to go upstairs.

Potato Painting

2011-07-11T06:30:00.000-04:00

Friday:	Potato Painting
Bible Lesson:	The Finish Line: Heaven (John on Patmos)
Memory Verse:	2^nd Timothy 4:7-8

Age Groups:

elementary

Supplies Needed:

raw potatoes, cut in pieces
paint, paper, damp paper towels

Instructions:

Each child gets a hunk of paper. Put several pieces of potato with each color of paint – each piece should stay in the same color. Children dip the potato pieces in the paint and stamp it onto the paper, picking it up and down like a stamp, to create a scene depicting heaven.

You should provide them with a list of things the Bible says about heaven. For example:

pure gold as pure as glass
streets of gold
river flowing from the throne through the middle of the city
tree of life on the banks of the river
many homes (John 14)
great, high wall
twelve gates, three on each side, always open
each gate is a giant pearl
the city is a square, as long as it is wide
the foundations are decorated with gemstones (rubies, emeralds, and so on)
no night, the glory of God gives it light

Felt Pennant (Elementary and Teen Version)

2011-07-10T14:43:00.004-04:00

Thursday:	Felt Pennant
Bible Lesson (elementary and teen):	The Rich Young Man: throw off things that entangle.
Memory Verse (elementary and teen):	Matthew 19:29
Bible Lesson (preschool):	The Paralytic Man

Age Groups:

elementary
teens

Supplies Needed:

felt

Preparation:

Depending on age group and time considerations, you may want to pre-cut the felt into pennant shapes. Leave scraps for them to cut out the shapes for on the pennant.

Instructions:

Make pennants out of felt, by cutting out shapes and gluing them on. Each child or teen gets an oblong isosceles triangle of the stuff (solid color), plus little bits to cut out letters and shapes and stuff, to glue on. The pennant should display a Christian battle cry (such as “Jesus”, “Victory”) or symbol (e.g., a cross or ΙΧΘΥΣ) or a runner or something from the Bible lesson. Once it is decorated, attach it to a length of dowel rod, and they can take it home afterward and hang it on a wall.

Lion Faces

2011-07-09T20:55:00.003-04:00

Wednesday:	Lion Faces
Bible Lesson:	Josiah and the Bible

Age Groups:

preschool

Supplies Needed:

paper plates
construction paper
yarn (yellow, orange, or brown)
glue and cotton swabs

Preparation:

Cut out the needed pieces (see image) from the construction paper ahead of time. Cut short pieces (2-4 inches each) of yarn for the manes.

Instructions:

Give each child a large paper plate and construction paper eye, nose, and mouth pieces. Let them glue these in place. (Put some glue on a small paper plate and let the children use cotton swabs to brush the glue on – no bottles of glue.) Show them where to glue them. Give them pieces of yarn about three inches long to glue around the edge for a mane.

Painted Silhouette

2011-07-09T18:41:00.002-04:00

Wednesday:	Painted Silhouette
Bible Lesson:	Josiah and the Book: we should study God's word and apply it to our lives.
Memory Verse:	John 3:14-15

Age Groups:

elementary
teens

Supplies Needed:

squares of white cloth
black paint, brushes, and pencils
stencil of a boy reading the Bible
stencil of a girl reading the Bible
lengths of dowel rod

Preparation:

Find silhouettes of a boy reading and of a girl reading. (It should be possible to find these with an image search on the web.) Trace each silhouette onto posterboard and cut them out, creating the stencils. Depending on the number of children you have, you may need multiple copies of each stencil, so that several children can trace them at once.

Instructions:

Children place the stencil on their cloth and trace around the edge with a pencil, mount a dowel across the top (for hanging), and paint inside the lines.

Watercolor Painting

2011-07-09T08:59:00.000-04:00

Tuesday:	Watercolor Painting
Bible Lesson:	Daniel and the Lions

Age Groups:

preschool

Supplies Needed:

Paper suitable for painting on, with a coloring page copied onto it (depicting a scene from the Bible lesson).
Watercolor paints and brushes

Instructions:

Give each child a copy of the picture from the lesson, on a somewhat heavier grade of paper. Let them paint it.

Suncatchers

2011-07-09T07:46:00.002-04:00

Tuesday:	Suncatchers
Bible Lesson:	Daniel and the Satraps: God Expects Faithfulness
Memory Verse:	1^st Thessalonians 2:13

Age Groups:

elementary
teens

Supplies Needed:

overhead transparencies OR transparent report covers
photocopied scenes (from the lesson, or runners)
permanent markers, various colors
yarn or decorative string
posterboard (for frames)
transparent tape

Preparation:

Cut out posterboard frames ahead of time. Each frame consists of a matching pair (front and back) of posterboard rectangles, larger than the transparent sheets by a couple of inches in each dimension, with a hole in the middle just smaller than the transparent sheets. Pair them up and punch the holes for the yarn through both the front and the back together.

Instructions:

Each child or teen gets a transparency sheet and chooses a photocopied scene, such as a runner, Daniel praying, or cetera. Have them each tape their transparency to the photocopied scene paper (to hold them still) and color the scene onto the transparency with the permanent markers. They should use a black marker last to trace the outlines, then remove the paper and tape, and use the yarn to weave through the pre-punched holes to attach the frame to the front and back of the suncatcher in a decorative fashion. A length of yarn can be left at the top for hanging in a window. The front and back parts of the posterboard frames may be glued together where they hang out beyond the transparency.

Baked Rock

2011-07-08T19:31:00.002-04:00

Monday:	Baked Rock
Bible Lesson:	Daniel and the Satraps: God Expects Faithfulness
Memory Verse:	1^st Corinthians 15:58

Age Groups:

teens

Supplies Needed:

rocks (at least as large as a fist)
old crayons
aluminum foil
you also need the use of an oven

Instructions:

Preheat oven. Each teen gets a two-pound rock (approximately). They color the rock (except the underside) with crayons; they color designs on it (depicting something from the Bible lesson, ideally) and also fill in the background, so it's all colored, except the underside. Then place the rocks on a foil-covered cookie sheet or pan, and bake them just until the crayon melts together into a smooth design. Let it cool, and afterward they can take it home and use it as a doorstop, paper weight, or conversation piece.

Felt Pennant (Preschool Version)

2011-07-08T09:21:00.002-04:00

Monday:	Felt Pennant
Bible Lesson:	David and Saul: God is in Charge
Shape Lesson:	Ball: God made the world.

Age Groups:

preschool

Supplies Needed:

black felt
scraps of felt in other colors
dowel rods (short)

Preparation:

Pre-cut the pennant shapes out of black felt, and shapes of things that God created out of other colors of felt, e.g., yellow sun, white moon and stars, green plants, etc.

Instructions:

Each child gets an oblong isosceles triangle of black felt, plus small pieces representing things God created. Help the children glue the things God made onto their pennant. Remind them that God made everything, and these things they are gluing onto their pennant are just examples. Attach the finished pennant to a dowel rod. After Bible School, they can take their pennant home and hang it on a wall.

Mosaic

2011-07-08T08:11:00.004-04:00

Monday:	Mosaic
Bible Lesson:	David and the Lord's Anointed
Memory Verse:	1^st John 2:3

Age Groups:

elementary

Supplies Needed:

lightweight dried beans, corn, plastic beads, airsoft beebees, or similar items, in various colors
posterboard
photocopied outline pictures (scenes from the Bible lesson and/or runners)

Instructions:

Each child selects one of the available scenes and glues a copy to their posterboard. Then they fill in each area with a color of beans or whatever, in a paint-by-number fashion (e.g., an object that should be yellow could be filled in with corn) to assemble the mosaic. They can also put a solid-color frame around the edge, if time permits, with another color of beans.

Lesson Visuals for Running the Race

2011-07-07T16:39:00.006-04:00

We are pleased once again this year to be able to offer a complete set of visuals for all the elementary Bible lessons, courtesy of Mary Beth Frey. There are five images for each of the first two lessons and four visuals for each of the three remaining lessons.

Unfortunately, due to the size of these images (7204 x 5408 pixels each, with file sizes ranging from 3.6MB to 5.5MB, for a total of nearly 100 megabytes altogether) they are too large to post here. (I tried. Blogger chokes on images that large. It's really designed to handle web-resolution images, and these are print-quality images, suitable for printing on a full page each.)

However, I have put together the following thumbnail image, showing what the pictures basically look like:

First row, visuals for lesson one: Saul and David; Saul Chasing David into the Hills; David and His Men Hiding in the Cave; David Cutting off the Corner of Saul's Robe; David Taking the Spear and Water Jug While Saul Sleeps
Second row, visuals for lesson two: Daniel Praying; Satraps Scheming; Signing the Proclamation; Daniel with the Lions; Paul in Prison
Third row, visuals for lesson three: Idolatry; Hilkiah Finding the Scroll; Josiah Reading; Destroying the Idols
Fourth row, visuals for lesson four: Runners; Jesus and the Rich Man; Going Away Sad; Sunday Morning Video Games
Fifth row, visuals for lesson five: John on Patmos; The City Coming Down; Gate of the City; Inside the City

For Galion, we took them to Staples and got them printed on overhead transparencies. Another option would be to print them on large paper (perhaps 11"x17"). Or, if you have a computer projector, you could use presentation software (like PowerPoint or OpenOffice.org Impress) to show them, which would save on printing costs. In any case, if anyone knows of some server space where they could be hosted, I'd be interested in hearing about it. Meanwhile, they are available upon request: contact me, and I can send them to you by email. (Please allow several days for me to get around to it. Thanks.)

Do be aware that these images are large (nearly one hundred megabytes altogether), so check your email service to be sure it can receive them. The largest individual image is 5717166 bytes; add some overhead to that for MIME and RFC-822, and the message that bears it will necessarily be very nearly 5.5MB. If you only need certain ones (e.g., if you're only doing some of the lessons), it would be good to specify which ones you want.

Who Can Be a Missionary?

2011-07-02T07:24:00.004-04:00

Monday:	Who Can Be a Missionary?
Bible Lesson:	The Finish Line: Rewards in heaven await believers who finish the race. (John on Patmos)
Memory Verse:	2^nd Timothy 4:7-8
Missions Concepts:	Foreign missionaries are sent out by the church, but any believer can do the work of a missionary locally.
Missions Examples:	[personal, from the group]
Bible Passages:	Matthew 28:18-20, Acts 13

Introduction: Missions Marathon

[Perform the Missions Marathon Skit by way of introduction.]

In the skit, Earnest was confused about who could be a missionary. He wasn't sure if just anybody could be. Kristina helped him to realize that part of following God for every Christian is to teach other people about how to follow Jesus.

Explanation: Full-Time Missions versus Everyday Missions

While some people are missionaries full-time: it's their job, and they travel to far-away places and spend all day doing just missions, all of us are responsible to help share God's teachings with other people who don't know.

Application: Being Sent

For people who want to be missionaries all the time and move far away, they probably have to be sent by a church, or sometimes by a group of churches. If the churches are going to send offering money to help pay for the work that they're doing, then they definitely have to be sent by the churches.

However, all of us can do a little missions work right where we are: telling people about how to follow Jesus. Nobody has to tell us to go tell our neighbors and our friends. Jesus already told us to do that.

[As time allows, let some of the kids give examples from their own lives, of people that they have shared with or would like to share with about Jesus.]

Invitation: Missions

Invite any children who want to do missions work to stay after the lesson and discuss it further.

Where Does a Missionary Go?

2011-07-01T19:20:00.001-04:00

Thursday:	Where Does a Missionary Go?
Bible Lesson:	The Rich Young Man: We need to be dedicated to God, not other things.
Memory Verse:	Matthew 19:29
Missions Concepts:	Missionaries go wherever there are people who need to hear.
Missions Examples:	Zambo Solomon, Paul Rajan
Bible Passages:	[Needed]

Introduction: Missions Marathon

[Perform the Missions Marathon Skit by way of introduction.]

In the skit, Earnest wasn't sure how much of the world he had to go to in his Missions Marathon. So today, that's what we're going to talk about: where missionaries go.

Explanation: Where the People Are

Do missionaries go to the moon? Do they go to the north pole? Do they go to the middle of the ocean? No, missionaries don't go to any of those places. They don't need to go to those places, because there's nobody living there.

Yesterday, we said that missionaries teach people to follow Jesus. So to do that, they have to go where the people are. That's where missionaries go: wherever there are people. Missionaries don't all go to the same place. Zambo Salamon is a missionary in northwest Cameroon. He went there because he knew there were people there who needed to be taught about God. Paul Rajan is a missionary in India, because there are people there. Both Zambo Salamon and Paul Rajan were born in the country where they are missionaries. Sometimes missionaries go overseas, to a different country where they weren't born. Other times, they stay closer to home. But wherever they go, they go where there are people who need to be taught about how to follow Jesus.

Game: Naming Places

[Set up a white board or the equivalent.] Let's name some places where you could go and be a missionary. Remember, it has to be a place where there are people who need to be taught about how to follow God. [Accept answers from the kids and write them on the board. Make sure they include some that are close to home and some that are farther afield.]

[If there's time, make a separate list and have them name places where they cannot be a missionary, any place where there's nobody that needs to be taught – Antarctica, Mars, deep underground, etc.]

Invitation: Missions

Invite any children who want to do missions work to stay after the lesson and discuss it further.

What Does a Missionary Do?

2011-07-01T08:10:00.003-04:00

Wednesday:	What Does a Missionary Do?
Bible Lesson:	Josiah and the Book: The Bible is God's word. We should study it and apply it to our lives.
Memory Verse:	1^st Thessalonians 2:13
Missions Concepts:	Missionaries make disciples and start churches.
Missions Examples:	Philippi
Bible Passages:	Matthew 28:16-20, Acts 16, Philippians 2:19-30

Introduction: Missions Marathon

[Perform the Missions Marathon Skit by way of introduction.]

In the skit, Earnest wasn't totally sure what he needed to do to be a missionary. He knew that it might involve talking to people, but he wasn't sure what he needed to tell them. So that's what we're going to talk about today: what missionaries actually do.

Kristina reminded Earnest that those who follow Jesus are to go tell people what they learned in the Bible. People need to know that their sin separates them from God, but also that he loves them and sent Jesus to pay for their sins. Earnest knew that they were to go and make disciples.

The Point: Discipleship

A disciple is a learner, a follower of God. If we teach people how they can have their sins forgiven, they can choose to become disciples, to learn more about God, to follow him and obey his word.

The Bible verse Earnest was quoting from is in Matthew 28. Jesus didn't just say we should tell everybody that Jesus loves them. That's part of it, but he also said Teach them to obey everything I have commanded. That takes time. Missionaries have to make sure that they do the whole thing: it's not enough to just tell the people how to be saved and then abandon them. Missionaries have to do more than that: they have to make sure the people are taught everything Jesus commanded.

Example: Philippi

Remember, yesterday, we talked about when Paul went to Macedonia. Paul spent several days in the Macedonian town of Philippi, teaching people, but that's not all he did. Because of Paul's ministry, a church was started in Philippi.

Paul stayed in contact with the Philippian church, too. He sent them a letter, which we have in our Bible: the book of Philippians. In the letter he taught them more about how to follow Christ. With the letter he sent a Christian man named Epaphroditus, who could help them as well. He also said that he was hoping to send Timothy to them soon, because Timothy would take a real interest in how they were doing. (Timothy was a Pastor whom Paul had trained specially.) Paul also said that he wanted to visit them again himself. For Paul, it wasn't enough to tell the people in Philippi that they needed Jesus: he had to keep helping them until they learned everything they needed to know.

Application: Today

When we tell people about Jesus today, we can't just get them to pray a prayer for forgiveness and then forget about them. We have to follow it through. That's what missionaries do. So if somebody asks you what a missionary is, you should say that missionaries teach people how to follow Jesus.

Invitation: Missions

Invite any children who want to do missions work to stay after the lesson and discuss it further.

Why Do We Send Missionaries?

2011-06-30T14:03:00.002-04:00

Tuesday:	Why Do We Send Missionaries?
Bible Lesson:	Daniel and the Satraps: God expects faithfulness.
Memory Verse:	1^st Corinthians 15:58
Missions Concepts:	We work together with other believers to fulfill the great commission.
Missions Examples:	The Macedonian Call
Bible Passages:	Matthew 28:18-20, Acts 16-17

Introduction: Missions Marathon

[Perform the Missions Marathon Skit by way of introduction.]

Today we're going to talk about why we send missionaries. In the skit, Earnest wasn't sure at first why he was going to run the Missions Marathon, but he learned that we send missionaries because Jesus said to go and make disciples from every nation. The church works together as a group to fulfill this commission, because every person can't go to every place.

Example: The Macedonian Call

In the Bible, when the apostle Paul was traveling as a missionary, he had a vision of man from Macedonia (a place north of Greece) saying, Come over to Macedonia and help us! Paul and his companions went to Macedonia, because God wanted them to, and they shared Jesus with the people there and started several churches.

Paul went to Macedonia because there were people there who needed to hear about Jesus, and God sent him as a missionary to tell them. If Paul hadn't obeyed, they might never have heard.

Application: Today

So today we decide to send missionaries based on the fact that people need to hear the gospel. If they need to hear, then somebody needs to tell them. God told us to tell people all over the world, to make disciples from all nations, and to teach them to obey everything he has commanded. That's why we do missions.

Invitation: Missions

Invite any children who want to be involved with missions to stay after the lesson and discuss it further.

What is a Missionary?

2011-06-29T15:56:00.006-04:00

Monday:	What is a Missionary?
Bible Lesson:	David and the Lord's Anointed: Jesus should be Lord and Master of our lives.
Memory Verse:	1^st John 2:3
Missions Concepts:	Missionaries tell people about God, what he expects of them, and how they can be forgiven for their sins.
Missions Examples:	Paul in Athens
Bible Passages:	Acts 17

Introduction: Missions Marathon

[Perform the Missions Marathon Skit by way of introduction.]

In the skit, Earnest didn't seem to be real sure exactly what missions is. That's what we're going to talk about today: what is missions, and what is a missionary?

A missionary is a Christian who tells other people the good news of how Jesus came so that we could be forgiven of our sins and go to heaven.

Example: Paul in Athens

In the book of Acts, we read about a time when the apostle Paul came to a city called Athens, which is in Greece. He found a whole city full of people who had never heard of the true God. They didn't know who Jesus was, or how they could be forgiven of their sins. They didn't even know that God had created the world.

So Paul got up and told them about God, about how he had created the world, and about how God expected certain things of them, and that they needed to change their beliefs, change the way they were acting, and follow God. Some of the people did believe, and Paul helped to start a church.

Paul was being a missionary in Athens. He was running his missions marathon for God.

Application: Today

If you are going to be a missionary, you might not have to go to Athens, but you do have to find people who don't know about God and about what he expects of them, and tell them.

Invitation: Missions

Invite any children who want to do missions work to stay after the lesson and discuss it further.

Missions Marathon Skit, Day Five

2011-06-20T07:29:00.001-04:00

Skit:	Missions Marathon
Friday:	Joining the Missions Marathon
Missions Lesson:	Who can be a missionary?
Missions Examples:	[personal, from the group]
Bible Passages:

	[Earnest and Kristina are running a Missions Marathon, jogging in place with exaggerated “running” arm motions.]
Earnest:	Wow, this is great! Some of these people we've been talking to have decided to join the race for Jesus!
Kristina:	Yeah, it's really great to see them serving God in the church.
Earnest:	A couple of them were asking me if they can join in on this Missions Marathon, too, but I'm not sure what I should tell them. Can just anyone join in the Missions Marathon?
Kristina:	Well, you said they already joined the race for Jesus, right?
Earnest:	Yes, they're serving the Lord now in the church, but they want to do missions, too. How can they join up?
Kristina:	Remember how I pulled you out of the bleachers?
Earnest:	Oh, yeah. I was waiting to join the Missions Marathon, but I didn't know what I needed to do.
Kristina:	Right, so I told you to get out of the bleachers and start running the course, and you've been running all week.
Earnest:	Oh, I see. So once somebody is saved, once they have given their lives to Jesus, they can start running the Missions Marathon any time?
Kristina:	Yep, they just have to get on the course and start doing it.
Earnest:	[Point to audience.] So, what about these people sitting in the bleachers here, watching us? Can they join the Missions Marathon?
Kristina:	I hope they do!

Missions Marathon Skit, Day Four

2011-06-19T14:13:00.002-04:00

Skit:	Missions Marathon
Thursday:	Running the Race in a Particular Place
Missions Lesson:	Where does a missionary go?
Missions Examples:	Zambo Solomon, Paul Rajan
Bible Passages:

	[Earnest and Kristina are running a Missions Marathon, jogging in place with exaggerated “running” arm motions.]
Earnest:	So how long is this Missions Marathon, anyway? We're still in Ohio, right? How long will it take us to get to another nation?
Kristina:	That could take a while. Ohio's a pretty big place, and then there are forty-nine other states in the US...
Earnest:	So, do you think we can finish telling everyone in the US about Jesus by this time next year?
Kristina:	I doubt it. I think we'd better stick with Ohio for now.
Earnest:	But, Jesus said to make disciples of all nations! How many nations are there?
Kristina:	I think there's more than a hundred.
Earnest:	More than hundred! I'll be an old man by the time we get to all of them, even if we only spend one year in each nation. I'll be running this marathon with a cane!
Kristina:	Well, of course you will. You don't want to stop just because you get a little bit older, do you?
Earnest:	I guess not.
Kristina:	You know, there are different marathons in different places, right?
Earnest:	Oh, yeah, my aunt Lucy once ran in the Boston Marathon.
Kristina:	Right, but we're not in Boston. We're running a marathon race for missions right here in Ohio.
Earnest:	Well, how can I run all those different marathon races at once?
Kristina:	I think it's okay to start with just running the one you're in now. Other people can run the race in other places.
Earnest:	Different people run the same race in different places?
Kristina:	Well, there are people in many different places. So God needs missionaries all over the world. We can be missionaries right here in Ohio, but Zambo Salamon is a missionary in Cameroon, and Pastor Jusleimar is a missionary in Brazil, and Paul Rajan is a missionary in India. Just like there are marathon races all over the world, missionaries are all over the world too.

Missions Marathon Skit, Day Three

2011-06-18T20:05:00.002-04:00

Skit:	Missions Marathon
Wednesday:	Making Disciples
Missions Lesson:	What does a missionary do?
Missions Examples:	Philippi
Bible Passages:	Matthew 28:16-20, Acts 16, Philippians 2:19-30.

	[Earnest and Kristina are running a Missions Marathon, jogging in place with exaggerated “running” arm motions.]
Earnest:	I sure am glad we're running this missions marathon.
Kristina:	Yeah, it'll be so great to tell those people the good news.
Earnest:	If we tell them, do you think they'll run the race with us?
Kristina:	Right — and not just this Missions Marathon today, but hopefully they'll run the whole race for Christ — the whole Christian life.
Earnest:	Yeah, because I was running that race before, even before I started this missions marathon. This isn't the first time I've run, and it isn't the first thing I've ever done for Jesus.
Kristina:	In fact, we wouldn't be very good in this missions marathon if we hadn't been training, by reading reading our Bible and going to church and all the rest of the race that we run.
Earnest:	Right. So, what exactly do we have to tell them again?
Kristina:	We have to tell them what we learned in the Bible. You know, about how the bad things we do separate us from God, but he loved us and sent Jesus to die and pay the price for us, so we can go to heaven some day and live with God.
Earnest:	Oh, right, we're going and making disciples of these people, just like Jesus said, make disciples of all nations. Ohio's a nation, right?
Kristina:	Well, Ohio's part of a nation, so it counts.

Missions Marathon Skit, Day Two

2011-06-18T07:11:00.001-04:00

Skit:	Missions Marathon
Tuesday:	Let's Go!
Missions Lesson:	Why do we send missionaries?
Missions Examples:	The Macedonian Call
Bible Passages:	Matthew 28:18-20, Acts 16-17

	[The race has started. Earnest and Kristina are jogging in place (with exaggerated running arm motions).]
Earnest:	Okay, I'm wearing my running clothes, I have my number, I'm on the course, now let's see... why am I going, again?
Kristina:	You want to be a missions marathon runner, right?
Earnest:	Right!
Kristina:	Well, missionaries tell other people the good news about how Jesus came to Earth to save them from their sin. That's what you want to do, isn't it?
Earnest:	Yes! But aren't all Christians supposed to do that?
Kristina:	Yes, all Christians are supposed to be sharing their faith with others, but sometimes some of them sit around in the bleachers, instead of running the race.
Earnest:	Oh, I don't want to be like that. I want to do it. I want to get things done. I want to tell people about Jesus. I want to run this race!Jesus said, “go and make disciples of all nations”, and I want to obey.
Kristina:	That's the spirit! [Point.] Look, over there are some more people we could tell about how Jesus died for them.
Earnest:	Great! I wonder why somebody didn't already tell them? If we pick up the pace, we can be over there in a few minutes.
Kristina:	That's why we're going on this missions marathon: because there are people who have never heard how they can get to heaven.
Earnest:	Let's go tell them.

Missions Marathon Skit, Day One

2011-06-17T08:46:00.004-04:00

Skit:	Missions Marathon
Monday:	Get in the Race
Missions Lesson:	What is a Missionary?
Missions Examples:	Paul in Athens
Bible Passages:	Acts 17

	[Setting is near the starting line for a marathon race. Kristina is dressed to run in the race, standing on the track. Earnest is also dressed to run, but he's sitting in the bleachers.]
Kristina:	Hey, Earnest, I thought you were in this marathon race today.
Earnest:	I am! This is really going to be fun. I'm really excited about it!
Kristina:	Well, then what are you doing in the bleachers?
Earnest:	What do you mean? Isn't the marathon here?
Kristina:	The marathon is a race, Earnest. It's down here on the race course. If you're going to run the race, you have to be on the course.
Earnest:	Well, look, all these other people are sitting here. Why can't I do the marathon sitting here too?
Kristina:	Earnest, those people aren't in the marathon. They're just watching. If you're going to be in the race, you have to run.
Earnest:	Oh. I see. So I guess I'd better come down out of the bleachers then, huh? [Join Kristina.] Say, what kind of race is this, anyway?
Kristina:	Didn't you read the sign? It's a missions marathon!
Earnest:	A missions marathon? What's missions?
Kristina:	Missions is how Christians tell other people the good news about how Jesus wants to save them from their sin.
Earnest:	Oh, right. That's what I want to do. That's why I came to the missions marathon. But why do we have to run?
Kristina:	Well, when we run a marathon race, we have to actually run. We can't just sit around in the bleachers. Just like that, missionaries have to share their faith with others, so they have to go where the people are, who need to hear about Jesus, and then, they have to actually tell them.
Earnest:	Yeah, that makes sense.
Kristina:	Right. They can't just sit around in church. So the missions marathon we're running this week is a way of reminding ourselves that if we're going to do missions, we can't just sit around. We have to get out and actually do something.

The Finish Line Discussion Questions

2011-06-16T15:28:00.003-04:00

Friday:	The Finish Line: Heaven
Main Passage:	Revelation 1:1-20
Other Passages:	2^nd Timothy 4:7-8, John 14:1-14, Revelation 21:1-22:6, Romans 10:4-13, 1^st John 2:1-6
Memory Verse:	2^nd Timothy 4:7-8, I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day...

Where's Patmos? Why was John there?
What was John doing while he was on Patmos?
Why did Jesus show John what heaven would be like?
What will heaven be like?
How can you be sure that you're going to heaven?
What happens to people who don't go to heaven?
Who are we running our race for?
What have we learned this week that will help us run our race better?

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

Things That Entangle Discussion Questions

2011-06-15T10:18:00.002-04:00

Thursday:	Things that Entangle
Main Passage:	Matthew 19:16-30
Other Passages:	Hebrews 12:1-3, Philippians 3:7-11, Mark 10:17-31, Luke 18:18-30
Memory Verse:	Matthew 19:29, And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.

What was keeping the rich young man from running his race?
What did Jesus tell the rich young man to do? Why did he tell him that?
Why did the rich young man go away sad? Explain.
Does that mean Jesus wants all of us to give away all of our money and possessions in order to follow him?
What does Hebrews tell us to do so that we can run a good race?
What are some things that could entangle you if you're not careful? How can you keep that from happening?
Should we feel deprived if we have to stop doing some kinds of things in order to run our race better? How should we regard those things that we throw off?

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

Discussion Questions: Josiah and the Book of the Law

2011-01-04T20:27:00.003-05:00

Wednesday:	Josiah and the Book
Story Passages:	2^nd Kings 22-23, 2^nd Chronicles 34
Other Passages:	1^st Corinthians 9:23-27, 1^st Timothy 4:7-10, 2^nd Timothy 3:16-4:8, 2^nd Kings 21:10-11, 2^nd Chronicles 33:10-16, 2^nd Kings 23
Memory Verse:	1^st Thessalonians 2:13

How old was Josiah when he began to seek the Lord? How old was he when he had the temple repaired?
Why did Josiah have the temple repaired and cleaned? How did he know to do this, if he didn't have a copy of God's word to tell him?
How many people were involved with the work of repairing the temple?
When Hilkiah found the book, he gave it to a secretary, and the secretary took the book and read it to King Josiah. What was the secretary's name?
When the king heard what was written and realized that Israel had not been following the law, he sent men to ask the Lord about it. What was God's response?
What was the name of the person through whom God spoke his answer?
What did Josiah do when he received God's answer?
What are some things you have learned recently by studying God's word? How can you apply them to your life?
How can you make time in your schedule to study God's word more?

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

Daniel and the Satraps Discussion Questions

2011-01-02T06:37:00.002-05:00

Tuesday:	Daniel and the Satraps
Story Passage:	Daniel 6
Other Passages:	Philippians 3:12-16, Psalm 118, Hebrews 13:5-6, Exodus 20:5-6, Isaiah 31:1, Jeremiah 1:17-19, Philippians 3:7-11, Romans 8:28-39, 1^st Corinthians 1:17-29
Memory Verse:	1^st Corinthians 15:58

If the satraps' job was to oversee each section of the kingdom, why did King Darius need Daniel to oversee the satraps?
Why would Darius enact such a strange law?
Daniel probably could have avoided getting caught if he'd prayed privately, behind closed doors, to avoid being seen. Why did he pray in front of an open window?
How can God expect us to do something that might turn other people against us?
What kind of prize did Paul expect to win?
Unbelievers often think the things of God are foolish. Why do they think this? What gives us the right to believe that we are right and they are wrong?
What are you doing to be faithful to God?

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

The Lord's Anointed Discussion Questions

2010-12-29T06:58:00.003-05:00

Monday:	The Lord's Anointed
Story Passages:	1^st Samuel 24, 1^st Samuel 26, 2^nd Samuel 1:1-16
Other Passages:	2^nd Timothy 2:3-5, 1^st Samuel 10:1, 1^st Samuel 16, 1^st Samuel 8-9
Memory Verse:	1^st John 2:3

Why do athletic competitions have to have rules?
Why can't a soldier go wherever he wants, whenever he wants?
Why didn't David want any of his men to kill Saul?
Why was Saul ashamed when he found out that David could have killed him and didn't?
Usually the next king is one of the king's sons. Why did Samuel anoint David to be the next king, instead of Jonathan or one of Saul's other sons?
David had several older brothers. Why did Samuel pass them over and anoint David, the youngest, instead?
Why did Samuel anoint Saul to be king in the first place?
How can you make Jesus the Lord and master of your life, as David did in his life?

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

2 Timothy 4:7-8

2010-12-08T08:10:00.000-05:00

Friday:	2^nd Timothy 4:7-8
Bible Lesson:	The Finish Line: Heaven (John on Patmos)
Memory Verse:	I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day... 2^nd Timothy 4:7-8

Introduction: Subtitle

Hold up a posterboard with the verse written on it, and have the children read it as a group.

This verse comes from 2 Timothy, a letter that the Apostle Paul wrote to Timothy, who was a pastor. He's talking about the prize we can win for finishing the race, following Jesus with our lives.

Explanation: 2^nd Timothy 4:7-8

What does Paul mean when he says that he has fought the good fight? What is the good fight? (The Christian life.) Paul has lived for Jesus. He says he has finished the race – Paul is old, near the end of his life, and he has done the things God wanted him to do with his life. Many people have come to know Jesus because of Paul's ministry. He also says he has kept the faith: what does that mean? Even when times got tough, Paul never let go of what he believed and knew to be true about Jesus.

What is a crown of righteousness? (A reward people receive for being righteous.) What does it mean to be righteous? You do what is right – all the time. Jesus was righteous, and if we follow Jesus, we will do what is right, for the right reasons: because it's what God tells us to do. Can we be righteous on our own? (No.) We need God's help to be righteous. If we follow Jesus – if we run the race – God will give us his crown of righteousness.

When will the Lord give us the crown of righteousness if we earn it? (On that day.) What day is Paul talking about? (When Jesus takes us to be with him, and gives us rewards.) The crown of righteousness is stored up for us in heaven until then.

Game: Manly & Ladylike Voices

Divide the children into two groups by their teams (red and blue). Have a competition to see which team can say the verse in the deepest, strongest, loudest, manliest voices. Go back and forth between the teams, having them work on the deepness of their voices, then the strength of their voices, then the loudness, and finally the manliness of the voices. Then put all four together. Award points to the team that tries hardest and does best.

Then have another contest to see which team can say the verse in the highest, softest, most quiet, most ladylike voices. Go back and forth between the two teams, having them concentrate on first the highest pitch of their voices, then on the softest quality, then on whispering most quietly, then on the ladylike quality of their voices. Then put all four together. Award points to the team that tries hardest and does best.

Announcement: Verse Points

Tomorrow, when you come to Bible School, if you can say your memory verse without looking, you can earn points for your team's score. Each person who can say the verse can earn 200 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 200 more points!

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

Matthew 19:29

2010-12-07T07:24:00.000-05:00

Thursday:	Matthew 19:29
Bible Lesson:	The Rich Young Man: Throw Off Things That Entangle
Memory Verse:	And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. Matthew 19:29

Introduction: Rationale

Hold up a posterboard with the verse written on it, and have the children read it as a group.

This verse comes from the book of Matthew. Jesus was talking to his disciples about the rewards that people will receive who followed Jesus. He's talking about the prize we can win for running the race, following Jesus with our lives.

Explanation: Matthew 19:29

Does the verse mean that Jesus asks everyone to leave your house or your family? (No.) It's talking about whatever sacrifices you have to make for Jesus. Leaving your house or your family is an example – something some people might have to do, for Jesus. Can anyone tell me something you might do for Jesus that would mean you would have to leave your house or your family? (e.g., Going to Africa as a missionary.) Is that what everyone has to do? (No.) But some people do that — and everyone who follows Jesus will have to make some sacrifices, do some things that other people would think you wouldn't want to do. When you follow Jesus, that becomes the most important thing in your life, and sometimes you have to give up other things so that you can be a better Christian for Jesus. Jesus says in this verse that when you give things up to follow him, you will receive eternal life and a reward in heaven — a hundred times as much as you gave up.

Game: Learning the Verse

Hand out 3x5 cards with one word of the verse written on each. (You can divide into groups if there are too many children for the number of words in the verse — have more than one set of cards ready if attendance is running that high.) Stand (each group) in a big circle. Have each child hold their card facing themselves, so only they can see their word. Then go through the verse, everyone saying it together, and for each word, the person with that card turns their card around for the group to see, until all the cards are turned around. Shuffle and repeat as necessary until the children all know the verse cold or you run out of time.

Announcement: Verse Points

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

1 Thessalonians 2:13

2010-12-06T08:27:00.000-05:00

Wednesday:	1^st Thessalonians 2:13
Bible Lesson:	Josiah and the Book: We should study God's word and apply it to our lives.
Memory Verse:	When you received the word of God... you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe. 1^st Thessalonians 2:13

Introduction: Rationale

Hold up a posterboard with the verse written on it, and have the children read it as a group.

Someone tell me why we should memorize this verse? (Accept answers from the children. Example: because it's from the Bible.) This verse is from the New Testament, and was written by the Apostle Paul, in his letter to the church at Thessalonika. Paul is talking about how the Bible is God's word, and how it is important for our lives.

Explanation: 1^st Thessalonians 2:13

What does it mean to receive something? (That means somebody gives it to you, so then you have it.) So what is the word of God, that you received? (It's the Bible.) So the Christians at Thessalonica had the Bible, just like we do. What does the verse say next? It says they accepted it. That means they knew it was true. How did they know that? Because, like the next part of the verse says, the Bible is not the word of men — it wasn't just made up by people. The Bible is God's word. The Thessalonians knew that Paul was writing what God wanted him to write, so they accepted the Bible as God's word.

What does it mean for God's word to be at work in someone? (It means it changes the way they think and act.) Should we let just anything, or just anyone, change the way we think and act? No. But this is God's word, and God knows how we need to think and act. So if we believe in God, then his word needs to be at work in our lives — it needs to change us, to make us more like Jesus, more like God wants us to be.

Of course, the Bible can only change us, if we actually read and study the Bible. That's why we learn memory verses at Bible School, and that's also one reason we come to church.

Game: Arrange into Order

Read the big card together several times, then turn it around.

Divide the children into groups of three or four (all from the same team in each group), and give each group a baggie containing all the words in the verse on separate pieces of paper. Have the children arrange the words into the proper order, to make the verse. Some groups may need a little help. Have each group stand up and read their verse through together when they think they have it in order. If it's not right, tell them which words are in the wrong place, and let them keep trying. Award points for their team to the first groups that finish. When all the groups have finished, have all the children say the verse together without looking.

Announcement: Verse Points

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

1 Corinthians 15:58

2010-12-04T20:08:00.002-05:00

Tuesday:	1^st Corinthians 15:58
Bible Lesson:	Daniel and the Satraps: God Expects Faithfulness
Memory Verse:	Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. 1^st Corinthians 15:58

Introduction: Rationale

Hold up the posterboard with the verse written on it and have the children read it as a group.

Someone tell me why we should memorize this verse? (Accept answers from the children. Example: because it's from the Bible.) This verse is from the New Testament, and was written by the Apostle Paul, in his letter to the church at Corinth. Paul is talking about how we need to be faithful to God.

Explanation: 1^st Corinthians 15:58

Who are Paul's dear brothers? (Christians.) He was writing to the church in Corinth, but his advice is good for all Christians everywhere. What does Paul mean, when he says, stand firm? The rest of the verse explains it more: Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord. Does that mean we shouldn't ever let our feet move from the floor? (No.) It means we shouldn't let things pull us away from the work of the Lord. What is the work of the Lord? (Accept some answers from the children: e.g., studying the Bible, telling others about Jesus, missions, ...) Why shouldn't we let anything move us away from God's work? Look at the verse: it says, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. What does that mean? What's labor? (Work.) So your labor in the Lord is when you do God's work. So when you do God's work, that's not in vain. That means it's not for nothing – it's for a purpose. What's the purpose for doing God's work? Why do we do it? (To please God.)

Game: Divide and Conquer

Pick volunteers to hold up the signs for each part of the verse:

Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm.
Let nothing move you.
Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord,
because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
1 Corinthians 15:58

Line up the sign-holders across the front, so that everyone can see all five parts of the verse. Have everyone read the verse together as a group, off the signs, once. Now, concentrate on the first part: have everyone read the first card several times, until they can say it with the card turned around. Now, add in the second card, saying the first part from memory and reading the second part, until you can turn the second part around also. Continue with each part until the children can say the whole verse from memory. Say it several times that way for good measure.

Announcement: Verse Points

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

1 John 2:3

2010-12-03T07:51:00.003-05:00

Monday:	1^st John 2:3
Bible Lesson:	David and the Lord's Anointed: Jesus should be lord and master of our lives.
Memory Verse:	We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. 1^st John 2:3

Introduction: Rationale

Hold up a posterboard with the verse written on it, and have the children read it as a group.

Someone tell me why we should memorize this verse? (Accept answers from the children. Example: because it's from the Bible.) This verse is from the New Testament, and was written by John, one of Jesus' twelve disciples. John is talking about how we can know that we know God.

Explanation: 1^st John 2:3

Who is the him that we have come to know in this verse? (Jesus — see verses 1-2.) What does it mean to come to know Jesus? Verses 1 and 2 are talking about how Jesus paid for our sins, and how he sticks up for us and says we can go to heaven, even if we have sinned. If we have come to know him, that means we believe in and follow Jesus, and he sticks up for us. Does he stick up for just anybody? (No, only the people he knows.) So it's important to know him. We can know that we know him – and that he knows us – if we obey his commands, like the verse says.

Game: Covered Words

Cover up one word on the poster at a time, starting with small, unimportant words, and have the children read the verse as a group each time, inserting the missing words. Keep covering up words until the whole verse is covered up and the children can say the whole verse.

Announcement: Verse Points

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

Dress-Up Relay

2010-12-02T14:15:00.000-05:00

Friday:	Dress-Up Relay
Elementary Bible Lesson:	The Finish Line: Heaven (John on Patmos)
Memory Verse:	2^nd Timothy 4:7-8
Preschool Bible Lesson:	Throw Your Net on the Other Side

Age Groups:

elementary
preschool
teens

Equipment Needed:

starting and finish lines (rope is good)
clothing: two of each item, one for each team (see ideas below)

Instructions:

Divide the children into their red and blue teams. Line each team up behind the starting line. When the whistle is blown, the first person on each team must don all the garments and things, run down to the relay line and back, and take off all the stuff so that the second person can do the same things, and so on, down the line, until the whole team has gone.

Variations:

For preschool, use significantly fewer items than for the older groups, and they may need help getting them on. If there's time left over, you can just let them play dress-up with the oversize clothing.

For teens, use more clothes and make them bigger, floppier, and more outlandish. Add more accessories that they must carry, and put extra weight inside the items (e.g., in the backpacks and purses and belly pouches), to make them more awkward.

Clothing Ideas:

ties
belts
oversize shirts
jackets
enormous pants
hats and/or helmets
gloves and/or mittens
old clodhoppers, or floppy clown shoes
handkerchiefs or bandannas
purses
backpacks or satchels
water bottles
belt clips for: cell phone, keys, et cetera
eye patches
whistles (on lanyards)
Bibles
over-robes
winter coats, ski masks, etc.
snow pants
umbrellas (which must be carried open)
sweaters
oversized tube socks or tights
leg warmers
clip-on earrings
sports pads (knee pads, elbow pads, etc)
belly pouch / fanny pack
water wings or other inflatable accessories
swimming goggles, safety glasses, and/or sunglasses
medical mask or gas mask

Sand Relay

2010-12-01T10:54:00.004-05:00

Thursday:	Sand Relay
Elementary Bible Lesson:	The Rich Young Man: Throw off Things that Entangle
Memory Verse:	Matthew 19:29
Preschool Bible Lesson:	The Paralytic Man

Age Groups:

elementary
preschool
teens

Equipment Needed:

sand
buckets

Instructions:

Divide the children into their red and blue teams. Stand each team in a straight line. Place a bucket full of sand at one end of each line and an empty bucket at the other end. The person next to the starting bucket begins on the whistle-blow by picking up handfuls of sand and passing them to the next person, who passes the sand to the next person, and so on down the line. At the end of the line, the last person puts it in the finish bucket. The team that gets the most sand into their bucket (or fills it fastest) wins.

If you have time to play again, dump the sand back into the starting buckets, and send the person from the end of the line to the front of the line.

Variations:

Preschool: Play as one team, or make sand castles in a wading pool of sand.

Teens: The beginning sand bucket may be moved away from the starting line, so that the first person in line must make round trips to collect the sand, or you can have them stand farther apart so that they each must carry the sand a short distance to the next person.

Obstacle Course

2010-11-30T11:23:00.002-05:00

Wednesday:	Obstacle Course
Elementary Bible Lesson:	Josiah and the Book: We should study God's word and apply it to our lives.
Memory Verse:	1^st Thessalonians 2:13
Preschool Bible Lesson:	Josiah and the Bible

Age Groups:

elementary
preschool
teens

Equipment Needed:

This depends on exactly what obstacles you intend to implement, but in general most of it will be stuff you already have or can borrow. Plan ahead.

Basic Instructions:

Have the obstacles positioned all over the back yard. (Creativity counts on this one – the more different obstacles you can arrange, the better.)

Explain the course order to the children. Have one person demonstrate for everyone to watch the proper running of the course. Then divide the children into several even teams (4-5 teams, however many you can do while dividing the children more-or-less evenly). Send the first person from each team when you blow the whistle; when they return, they tag the next person on their team, who then runs, and so on, until everyone has run the obstacle course. If one team is a person short, someone runs twice. Whichever team finishes first wins. Play again as time allows.

Depending on the obstacles you use, you may need extra helpers to reset some of the obstacles to their original state after each person passes through.

Variations:

For preschool, skip the teams and have all the children follow you and run the course together. If necessary, simplify the harder parts of the course, or have a helper help the children past hard parts. Once you have run it all together, run it again, or let them run the course on their own like a playground.

For teens or small groups, dispense with the teams and run each person individually, and time them. Fastest time wins. As time permits, they may try again to improve their time, or you can rearrange the course a bit to make it more interesting. Play until time expires, then stop.

Suggested Obstacles

crawl under a table
belly-crawl under something even shorter, such as a rope
jump over (or limbo under) a rope strung between two stakes (or a broom set across two chairs)
crawl through suspended hula hoops
step through tires or horizontal hoops or rings
run around the tree three times
crawl through a tunnel made from sheets on a framework of hoops
crawl under, over, or through a set of chairs
jump over or slog through a wading pool (barefoot, by preference)
crawl through a wading pool full of sand (possibly right after the water one)
a jump-rope that they have to stop and use a certain number of times
kick a ball between stakes/cones/whatever, into a goal
weave back and forth around stakes/cones/whatever
fill a cup with water from one bucket and carry it to another bucket
fill a cup with water using a sponge and a bucket of water (without picking up the cup)
get a marble out of the bottom of a bucket of ice water
find an object buried in a bucket of sand
throw a ball through a hoop or a bean bag into a goal or cetera
drop a clothespin or other object into a jar or bucket
log roll between two ropes or lines
hop on one foot, or with both feet in a sack
say the memory verse while standing on one leg on a certain object. (Have copies of the verse available for those who haven't learned it yet.)
crawl under a large sheet, rug, or wet blanket
somersault, crabwalk, etc.
spin around ten times
carry a basket of something on one's head
slip-and-slide
stack blocks
pop a balloon with your bare hands

Water Relay

2010-09-20T07:44:00.003-04:00

Tuesday:	Water Relay
Elementary Bible Lesson:	Daniel and the Satraps: God expects faithfulness
Memory Verse:	1^st Corinthians 15:58
Preschool Bible Lesson:	TBA

Age Groups:

elementary
preschool
teens

Equipment Needed:

plastic plates
two large buckets
two smaller buckets

Instructions:

Divide the children into their red and blue teams. Give each team a plastic plate. (Rubbermaid plates like the ones distributed with Mainstay dogfood in the eighties work nicely. Otherwise, styrofoam will do in a pinch but not paper.) Line each team up in a line behind the starting line. Give each team a large bucket full of water at the starting line. Place a smaller, empty bucket for each team at the finish line. (For teens, place the buckets farther apart than for the younger children.) When the whistle is blown, the first person on each team must carry water on the plate from the large bucket to the small bucket, then give the empty plate to the next person, and return to the back of the line. Repeat until bucket is full (if time allows); each person may go more than once. The first team to fill their small bucket wins. (Repeat the game only if time allows.) The game leaders should keep plenty of water in the large buckets, using the hose as necessary. Whichever team wins the most number of times (or gets their bucket fullest if time runs short) should be awarded fifty points.

Pre-school Version:

Shorten the distance between the buckets, use cups instead of plates, and play all as one team together.

Baton Relay

2010-09-10T07:53:00.004-04:00

Monday:	Baton Relay
Bible Lesson:	David and the Lord's Annointed: Jesus should be Lord and Master of our lives.
Memory Verse:	1^st John 2:3

Age Groups:

elementary
teens

Equipment Needed:

baton objects (these can be basically anything)
marks for the starting line and relay line (e.g., rope or chalk line)

Instructions:

Divide the children into teams of four. Split each team of four into two groups of two. Place one group from each team at the starting line, and the other group from their team at the relay line. Give one person in the starting group from each team the baton for that team.

When the whistle is blown, the starting runner from each team must take the baton ring to the relay line and hand it off to the second runner there; the second runner must return the starting line and hand the baton ring off to the third runner, who must take it to the relay line and hand off to the fourth runner, who must carry the ring back to the starting line (which is also the finish line) to conclude the race.

Instruct the children to sit down after they have finished running their segment of the race (so that you will know who still has to run). Repeat as time permits, or until the children can no longer breathe.

Decoration Photos: Following the Footsteps 2010

2010-07-27T09:15:00.008-04:00

Okay, now that we're underway here in Galion, I've had time to transfer our photos from the decoration days onto the computer, go through them, and pick out some of the most illustrative ones. This is how we decorated for Following the Footsteps. The first thing we did was to find a footprint shape. Well, several of them, actually. One came from a cookie cutter that we had (which also came in handy for snacks...). Others came from the Open Clip Art Library and other sources. I think I may have drawn one from scratch as well.

Anyway, we used the enlarge/reduce feature of a photocopier to get different sizes then traced the footprint shapes onto posterboard and cut out footprint stencils, which we then used to make about a bazillion colored footprints (from construction paper, brightly colored cardstock, whatever was available). Here you can see a pile of these footprints sitting on a table waiting to go up. There are more where these came from.

We put them on the walls...

on the ceiling (sorry about the poor quality of the photo, but hopefully you can get the idea)...

and even hanging on a mobile. We also reserved some footprints for use in the auditorium later in the week (which we specifically wanted to go with the last night's skit). See the snake hanging separately? We found those cheap someplace (at Dollar Tree, I think), and we immediately thought of the third day's Bible lesson, so we couldn't resist getting four of them to hang from the ceiling. We put two of them in the main area (the other is shown below) and then we put one each in the preschool room and teen room (both of which I'll get to presently).

We traced one foot outline onto overhead transparency and used the old project-onto-posterboard trick to make big posterboard-sized stencil...

... and took sidewalk chalk to the driveway.

Here's our main bulletin board. I don't know if you can read the little signs there, but they feature names of people from the Bible and traits they exhibited that we would want to emulate— mostly the ones from the Bible lessons, though I think we might have thrown in a couple of extras to fill up the board.

In the auditorium we hung the missions flags as usual (I think I posted pictures of them last year as well), ran a few more feet up the wall, put up the projector and screen (which we use for lesson visuals and missions maps as well as song lyrics), set up the red/blue team points contest chart (don't worry, it's made to expand when the points go past the first page), and this year we put up a display sample of the t-shirts we're giving out to anyone who brings at least five different visitors.

Here's a close-up of the shirt, which features the Following the Footsteps logo. We've had one child earn a shirt already, in the first two days, so I consider this venture a success. We printed the iron-on patches in two sizes, half-page and full-page, and we bought returnable blank shirts, and we iron the logo onto whichever size we need. And no, I didn't deliberately plan the color of the logo to match the chairs. It sort of just worked out that way. I didn't even know we were going to do the shirts when I made that logo.

Since the teen room is painted blue, we decided to go with white feet in there...

We made some of them large, from posterboard, and wrote their memory verses on them, because it fills up a lot of wall space, and because it looks cool.

Here's the snake we hung in the teen room. Then there's the preschool room...

Here's the outside of the door. Those are puppy-paw prints, to go with their Zeke lessons.

Here's the inside of the door, with a trail of paw prints leading up onto the ceiling. Speaking of which...

The secret ninja stealth method of attaching things to false ceiling tiles. Stick a small blob of Sticky Tack (or the equivalent; in the photo we have HandiTAK, which is white but otherwise extremely similar) onto the head of the tack, stick that to the back of the item, and push it into the ceiling. With all the multitudes of little perforations false ceiling tiles feature anyway, nobody will ever notice a few more.

We also hung paw prints from a mobile, stuck them all over the wall, and...

... on the bulletin board, leading to a puppy dog. The dog is made from two sheets of posterboard, using the overhead-projector trick to transfer and enlarge an outline drawing (from a coloring book), which we painted. (Most years we do a lot more painted-posterboard decorations in this style, but this year we went with mostly the cut-out feet instead.)

Here's the preschool room snake.

Did I ever post a photo of the scale we use for our missions offering? Here it is. We found the matching red and blue buckets at Dollar Tree a few years ago, and one of the men in the church made the scale to go with them. We award 500 points each night to the team that wins the offering contest. This is enough to make the offering contest seem important, but one kid on the other team can offset it by saying his memory verse (200 points) and bringing a visitor (300 points), so it doesn't give an overwhelming advantage.

The prize bins, sitting on the registration table.

I took a photo of the registration box (where we keep not just the forms but everything else we use during registration) mainly so you can see the nametags. Those are three-by-four-inch resealable jewelry bags, with red and blue (team-color) construction paper inserts (cut just the right size to fit) slid inside. In front of the construction paper we slide in a shape related to the year's theme (this year: footprints), in white, which makes the child's name show up better, and also makes the name tag look more visually interesting than just a plain red or blue slab. The bag is enough protection (from water and sweat and abuse of all kinds) to allow the name tags to make it through the week in most cases. We write the child's name on the outside of the tag with a marker and use a safety pins to attach it to the child's shirt. When we prepare the blank name tags, we stack them every-other (red/blue/red/blue...), which assists with keeping the teams more or less even. (We often have to dig past a tag or two to grab one of a certain color, either to keep a family together or to keep a visitor on the same team as the person who brought them, but this leaves multiples of the other color on the top of the stack, waiting to go to the next new registrations.)

We also stick these signs on the registration table, delineating the point values. I guess that just about wraps up the decoration photos for this year. I could post more (there are, for instance, more footprints on the walls than these photos show), but it doesn't seem necessary.

Visual: Jesus on the Cross

2010-07-22T16:10:00.005-04:00

After I posted most of the Following the Footsteps lesson visuals, we received this last-minute addition, a third visual for the third lesson. We originally weren't sure if this one was necessary to do (on the grounds that everybody already has a picture of Jesus on the cross), but Marybeth ended up having time for it, and it's nice to have one that goes with the rest of the set. So here it is. As with the others, ~~you can contact us and request~~ you can now download a higher resolution version suitable for printing.

Gift Cards

2010-07-14T08:10:00.001-04:00

Friday:	Gift Cards
Preschool Lesson:	Elisha and the Shunnemite: we should serve others.

Age Groups:

preschool

Supplies Needed:

heavy paper or cardstock

Overview:

The children will make hand-made personal greeting cards for people in the church (sick people, the pastor, the elderly, widows, whoever). This is a service to the church, which correlates with the Bible lesson. The greeting cards can be sent along with the gift baskets that the older children will be assembling.

Preparation:

You will need to determine ahead of time who you are making cards for. Pre-print an outline drawing of something nice on the portion of the paper that will be the front cover of each card, and have an adult write a short personalized message on the part of the page that will form the inside of each card.

Instructions:

Explain to the children what they are doing, and why, then help them color the picture on the cards, fold the cards, and sign all their names inside all the cards.

Gift Baskets

2010-07-14T07:52:00.002-04:00

Friday:	Gift Baskets
Elementary Lesson:	Footsteps of Service: Epaphroditus and the Shunnemite
Memory Verse:	Philippians 2:4

Age Groups:

elementary
teens

Supplies Needed:

baskets
greeting cards (The preschool group can make these.)
card stock and ribbon for the bookmarks
left-over pencil can and cross necklace materials
trail mix ingredients and plastic bags
flowers or plants
pots, pot paint, and potting soil
aprons or canvas tote bags
fabric paint
molds, soap and scents (or wax and wicks)

Note:

This is a more difficult and more expensive craft than usual. In addition to the extra materials, you will also need extra help, to oversee the various tables.

Overview:

The children will be assembling gift baskets for people in the church (sick people, the pastor, the elderly, widows, whoever). This is a service to the church, which correlates with the Bible lesson. You can send them out along with the greeting cards that the preschool children make.

Preparation:

Print on the cardstock a basic (outline drawing) pattern for the bookmarks.

Explain to the children what they are doing, and why, then divide them into groups and assign each group to a table. Each table will make one or two items for the baskets. Each basket will get one of each thing.

Instructions: Bookmark & Trail Mix Table (Elementary)

Set out the ingredients for the trail mix (select from items such as Chex cereal, pretzels, M&Ms, peanuts, raisins, walnuts, cheese crackers, wheat/snack crackers, etc.) and a large bowl. Let the kids open the packages, mix the ingredients together in the bowl, stir, and scoop some into each bag. Let them tie off the bags with ribbon (or seal them if you are using Ziploc bags) and place one bag in each basket.

See the bookmark craft instructions from the God's Sheep materials. Have the kids make and place one bookmark in each basket.

Instructions: Cross Necklace Table (Elementary or Teens)

Let them make cross necklaces like the ones they made earlier in the week and place one in each basket.

Instructions: Pencil Can Table (Elementary)

Let them make pencil cans like the ones they made earlier in the week and place one in each basket.

Instructions: Potted Plant Table (Teens)

Let them paint the pots, then have them gently transplant the plant into the pot and surround it with the potting soil. When they are finished, place it somewhere to dry, and it can be added to the baskets later.

Instructions: Soap Table (Teens)

Use the Soap Molding instructions from the God's Sheep materials. Let them mold one or two pieces of soap for each basket. Alternately, if you prefer, you can have them do candles instead.

Instructions: Apron (or Tote Bag) Table (Teens)

Have them take the special paint for writing on cloth and, after carefully planning what they're going to write, they can go ahead and decorate. Give them suggestions for what to write, like VBS 2010 and a small footprint.

Finishing Up

If there's extra time, they can sign all the cards. When each basket has one of everything, make arrangements for the baskets to be delivered to their intended recipients.

Preschool Cross Necklace

2010-07-13T19:09:00.000-04:00

Wednesday:	Foam Cross Necklace
Preschool Bible Lesson:	Snakes in the Desert: We should look to Jesus to save us from our sin.

Age Groups:

preschool

Supplies Needed:

leather strap or other necklace material
craft foam (pre-cut into pieces the right size for each child)
cross stencil

Instructions:

Help the children trace the cross shape on their pieces of craft foam. Help them cut it out, punch a hole, and attach it to the necklace string.

Cross Necklace

2010-07-13T18:55:00.000-04:00

Wednesday:	Cross Necklace
Elementary Lesson:	Look and Live: the Bronze Snake and the Son of Man
Memory Verse:	John 3:14-15

Age Groups:

elementary
teens

Supplies Needed:

wedge-shaped nails, of the type that resemble miniature railroad spikes
fine steel wire
leather strap or other necklace string material

Instructions:

Note: These instructions have not yet been checked by anyone who has actually done the craft. We'll be doing it here on the 27^th>, so these directions may get revised after that.

Each child gets four of the special nails. Have them put pairs of the nails together, with the pointy end of one against the thick end of the other, so that they form a roughly rectangular beam. Wrap a couple of times with the fine wire at the ends to bind them in this position, twisting the wire tight to secure them. Do the same thing with the other pair of nails, so that you have two rectangular beams. On one end of one of the beams, leave a loop of the wire that can be used to hang the cross on the necklace. This end is the top of the cross.

Now position the two beams in a cross shape, take a longer piece of the wire, and wrap diagonally around the center point of the intersection, switching between the two diagonals (left bottom to right top then right bottom to left top) every couple of windings. Wind tightly until the nails are secured firmly to one another in the cross shape. Thread it onto the string through the loop you made earlier, then knot the cord.

Following the Footsteps

2010-07-13T11:15:00.011-04:00

Following the Footsteps

We wanted to include Old Testament saints in our Bible School, and it seemed obvious we would want to talk about following their example. That sounded hard to decorate for until we realised we could use footprints. The lessons cover trusting and obeying God, studying and obeying his word, salvation, prayer, and Christian service.

This theme is complete.

	Elementary		Preschool		Teens
Monday	Skit #1
	Bible Lesson:	Two Obedient Men (Caleb & Joshua)	Bible Lesson:	Caleb & Joshua Obey	Bible Lesson:	Two Obedient Men
	Memory Verse:	1^st John 2:5 (Footsteps Game)	Zeke Lesson:	Redeeming a Dog	Discussion:	6 questions
	Missions:	Missionaries Trust God			Missions:
	Game:	Wet Sponge Dodgeball	Game:	Floating Stuff	Game:	Wet Sponge Dodgeball
	Craft (all ages): Footprint Placemat
	Snack (all ages): Grapes & Pretzels
Tuesday	Skit #2
	Bible Lesson:	Do What It Says: Ezra & Nehemiah and the Feast of Booths	Bible Lesson:	Ezra Reads the Bible	Bible Lesson:	Do What It Says
	Memory Verse:	James 1:22	Zeke Lesson:	The Misbehaving Doggy	Discussion:	6 questions
	Missions:	Missionaries and the Bible			Missions:
	Game:	Soak the Paper	Game:	Through the Hoop	Game:	Soak the Paper
	Craft (all ages): Sukkot Shelters
	Snack (all ages): Footprint Cookies
Wednesday	Skit #3
	Bible Lesson:	Look and Live (The Bronze Snake and the Son of Man)	Bible Lesson:	Snakes in the Desert: Trusting God	Bible Lesson:	Look and Live
	Memory Verse:	John 3:14-15	Zeke Lesson:	Doggies Don't Like Baffs	Discussion:	7 questions
	Missions:	Missionaries Share the Good News			Missions:
	Game:	Crabwalking in the Footsteps	Game:	Crawling in the Footsteps	Game:	Crabwalking in the Footsteps
	Craft:	Cross Necklace	Craft:	Foam Cross Necklace	Craft:	Cross Necklace
	Snack (all ages): Gummi Snakes & Crackers
Thursday	Skit #4
	Bible Lesson:	Hannah's Prayer	Bible Lesson:	Hannah Prays	Bible Lesson:	Hannah's Prayer
	Memory Verse:	from James 5:16	Zeke Lesson:	Unconditional Love	Discussion:	6 questions
	Missions:	Missionaries and Prayer			Missions:
	Game:	Pile-Up	Game:	Pass the Sheep	Game:	Pile-Up
	Craft (all ages): Prayer Can
	Snack (all ages): Cookies
Friday	Skit #5
	Bible Lesson:	Footsteps of Service (Epaphroditus and the Shunemmite)	Bible Lesson:	Elisha and the Shunemmite**	Bible Lesson:	Footsteps of Service
	Memory Verse:	Philippians 2:4	Zeke Lesson:	Associating with a Skunk	Discussion:	6 questions
	Missions:	Missionaries and Service			Missions:
	Game:	Footsteps of Service Game	Game:	Gather & Sort	Game:	Footsteps of Service Game
	Craft:	Gift Baskets	Craft:	Gift Cards	Craft:	Gift Baskets
	Snack (all ages): Cornbread and Apple Butter

* - Items marked with an asterisk are incomplete or otherwise need work.

Substitute Indoor Games:

Footsteps Memory

Visuals:

Lesson visuals are available.

Decorations:

We posted a batch of photographs showing how we decorated for this theme.

Missionaries and Service

2010-07-11T08:10:00.000-04:00

Day 5:	Missionaries and Service
Bible Lesson:	Footsteps of Service (Epaphroditus and the Shunnemite): We should serve God by serving others.
Memory Verse:	Philippians 2:4
Missions Concepts:	Missionaries are missionaries because they want to serve God. We can serve God by serving them.
Missions Questions:	How do you serve God by serving others? How can we serve God by serving you?
Bible Passages:	Matthew 21:18-22, James 5:13-18, Philippians 4:13

Introduction:

In the Bible lesson today, you learned about two people who served God by serving other people, by taking care of some of the needs of missionaries. We can still be doing the same thing today.

Procedure: Picking Questions from the Box

Call a child volunteer to pull out each of the questions. Help them read it aloud to the group. You can use a microphone and/or repeat the question yourself so that everyone can hear it.

After reading the question, introduce each missionary before reading their answer. You can also show a photo and/or their country's flag and a map if desired. Then read and explain their answers. If there's time, you can lead a brief discussion of the answers or ask a few comprehension questions.

After each question, check the time, and if enough time is available pick a new volunteer to pull the next question out of the box. Finish up by having two or three children pray out loud for the missionaries before you dismiss to the next activity.

Pastor Tom Ricker

Tom Ricker is a church planter and home missionary in Burlington, Vermont. He and his wife Janelle went there in 2008 to try to start a Bible study that might grow into a church. A home missionary is someone who is a missionary in his own country. Pastor Tom is from Galion, Ohio, so when he want to Vermont, with his wife, he had to leave his family and friends, but he stayed in his own country. He is a Home Missions pastor and a church planter.

Pastor Zambo Solomon

Pastor Zambo Solomon is a missionary in Northwest Cameroon. He left his hometown, studied a foreign language and the Bible, and moved across the country with his wife and children to start churches. Pastor Solomon has started several churches in Northwest Cameroon. Once he starts a church, another man becomes the pastor, and Pastor Solomon can move on to start another church in another town. He is an evangelist and a church planter.

Question #13

How do you serve God by serving others?

Answer: Pastor Tom Ricker

As mentioned before, I clean bathrooms at businesses; I also give away little things peole can use or like: batteries for fire alarms, light bulbs, and (a favorite when I lived in Ohio) cookies. Giving cookies to people and telling them you are doing it to share the love of Jesus with them in a small way is a pretty easy thing to do— and God receives all the glory!

Answer: Pastor Zambo Solomon

I have to pray for them, helping them with what I have as well, visiting and assis[t]ing in [their] farming, caring [for the sick], etc. It happen[s] sometime[s] that I have to accompany other saints' kids or themselves in the hospital when the relatives are no[t] even there. Many time[s] I have to change my program for the sake of others, and it makes things not easy! But it is very necessary!

Pastor Solomon looks at the needs of the people in his community. If they need help with their garden, so that their family will have food, then he helps them in the garden. He does what people need.

Question #14

How can we serve God by serving you?

Answer: Pastor Tom Ricker

First and foremost, pray! We are in a spiritual battle here, and praying for us makes a difference. God has promised that when we pray according to his will much is accomplished. Second, you can give. Even kids can sometimes give five cents a week, and you are not giving to me but to God for his work. Third, you can share Jesus with peole where you are, because I can't do it there.

Another way to serve might be to save up and buy a Wal-Mart card and send it to us to help with buying bathroom cleaning supplies, and then you are a part of that work as well!

So we can help Pastor Tom by praying, by giving money, and by sharing God's word with others where we are.

Answer: Pastor Zambo Solomon

Praying for me and being always in contact as much as you can, by letters, email, or Skype sometime[s]. It help[s me] to know that others have concern and they want to know what you are facing and they pray for you then in a more effective way! [You can also] assist us in financial [needs] and [with needed] materials [such] as Bibles, toys for kids we use in service..., little Bible story books, etc. We nee some funds sometime[s] for missions trips as we are starting a new Bible [study] group in Ndop. We do need also some assistance [for] some orphan kids we are visiting, and they need [medicine], clothes, and [tuition] fees to pay for school. The most important and help[ful] thing is prayer, we believe. Also, once in a while some youth or the pastors or some women may visit us here; it is more [of] an encouragement for people to know we are more accountable, having eyes far away that hear from us and watch over us. For [us] prayer is the key!

Pastor Solomon needs prayer for his ministry, and he needs offerings to help him pay for travelling to the places where he is starting new Bible studies, and to help with the orphanage where they are starting a new ministry. By praying and giving offerings, we are serving God.

Conclusion: Prayer

Finish up by having two or three children pray out loud for the missionaries before you dismiss to the next activity.

Invitation: Missions

Invite any children who want to do missions service to stay after the lesson and discuss it further.

Footsteps Lesson Visuals

2010-07-10T09:28:00.008-04:00

We are enormously pleased to be able to offer a cohesive set of visuals for the Following the Footsteps Bible lessons, courtesy of Mary Beth Frey. The set is ~~available on request~~ (Update) now available for download as a thirteen-megabyte PDF. (The preview above shows reduced versions of all the pictures, but you'll want them at higher resolution for printing, so click that link and download the PDF. We took them to Staples and had them printed on overhead transparencies, but you could also print them on paper, or whatever.)

Update:

One last-minute addition ((also available for download)).

Missionaries and Prayer

2010-07-09T08:35:00.001-04:00

Day 4:	Missionaries and Prayer
Bible Lesson:	Hannah's Prayer: When we have problems, we should pray to God
Memory Verse:	from James 5:16
Missions Concepts:	Missionaries spend a lot of time in prayer to God. We should pray for them, too.
Missions Questions:	What kinds of problems do missionaries face? What do you do when you face these problems? How has God answered your prayers concerning these problems?
Bible Passages:	Psalm 61, Psalm 119:49-56, 113-120, Jeremiah 32 (esp. v.13-17, 27-28, 42-44), Romans 8:28-39

Introduction:

In the Bible lesson, Hannah had a problem that she could not solve herself, but she prayed to God, and he looked out for her. We all have problems. Even missionaries have problems, and it's important to talk to God about them.

Procedure: Picking Questions from the Box

Call a child volunteer to pull out each of the questions. Help them read it aloud to the group. You can use a microphone and/or repeat the question yourself so that everyone can hear it.

Pastor Tom Ricker

Pastor Zambo Solomon

Question #10

What kinds of problems do missionaries face?

Answer: Pastor Tom Ricker

Even here in America, there are people who do not want God's church to exist. They say hurtful things, and they try to discourage you -- and sometimes it works.

There are times when people do not give [money] to help you continue to do God's work. As a missionary, when you see this it makes you wonder how long you can keep doing what God has called you to do, and why people do not understand the importance of his work that you are a part of.

Pastor Tom sees two problems: people in the community where he is don't always want him to start a church, and sometimes even Christians from other churches don't care enough to really support his ministry by providing the things he needs in order to stay there and do the work.

Answer: Pastor Zambo Solomon

[They have] financial problems [and must leave] their wives and kids alone many times. They have no privacy sometime[s]! They have no agenda [of their] own: people make their agenda [for them], and [everything] that they planned for themselves mostly does not come to pass... The worst is when there are fights within the church.

Missionaries often have financial problems: that is, they have to be very careful with the small amount of money they have, because they only money they get is what the churches give, and sometimes people don't give as much. So missionaries don't always have enough money for food and clothes. Sometimes missionaries can't do the things they had planned, because there's something more important. And sometimes there are fights in the church, which makes things very hard for pastors and missionaries.

Question #11

What do you do when you face these problems?

Answer: Pastor Tom Ricker

I cry out to God in prayer. I place it in his hands, sometimes over and over in one day, until I leave it there. For our God is a strong tower, a fortress, and my protector. He can handle these problems; I can't. I then read his Bible— often the Psalms, so that I may be comforted by his word. Sometimes I call and talk to those whom I know that walk closely with God, to gain their perspective on things as well.

So Pastor Tom prays to God when he has problems.

Answer: Pastor Zambo Solomon

You pray ... more, seeking God's leadership! You share with some other brothers, and they support you in words and prayers. Some of the problems bring you to adjust more.

When Pastor Solomon has problems, he prayes. He also talks to other Christians about his problems and asks them to pray for him, and sometimes other pastors give advice. And sometimes he just has to change the way he thinks: maybe it wasn't as big a problem as it seemed.

Question #12

How has God answered your prayers concerning these problems?

Answer: Pastor Tom Ricker

He has reminded me that he is in control of all things, that he can conquer everything, that nothing goes on without his allowing it, and finally that he works all things out for good to those who are called according to his purpose that we might be conformed to the image of God.

So Pastor Tom has faith. He knows that God is in control, not only of growing his church, but also of providing food and clothes and a house to live in for Pastor Tom and his wife.

Answer: Pastor Zambo Solomon

Sometimes I had to find a [second] job to provide more [money] for my family. I left some villages because of ... persecution, and other minnistries were able to [be] start[ed], [such] as [the church in] Kumbo.

When the churches didn't send enough money for Pastor Solomon's family to have food and clothes, he was able to get another job. Another time, when the village where he was trying to start a church treated his family very badly, they had to leave, but because they left that village they were able to start a church in another place, where there were people who were willing to hear about Jesus. So even what seemed like a setback at first turned out to be something good that God was doing.

Conclusion: Prayer

Finish up by having two or three children pray out loud for the missionaries before you dismiss to the next activity.

Invitation: Praying for Missions

Invite any children who want to pray for missionaries to stay after the lesson and discuss it further.

Missionaries and the Good News

2010-07-08T15:28:00.001-04:00

Day 3:	Missionaries and the Good News
Bible Lesson:	Look and Live (The Bronze Snake and the Son of Man): We should look to Jesus, trusting in God for our salvation.
Memory Verse:	John 3:14-15
Missions Concepts:	Missionaries share the good news so that people can be saved.
Missions Questions:	How were you saved? How do you share the gospel where you live? how can a child share the gospel?
Bible Passages:	Romans 10:9, 1^st Corinthians 15:1-11

Introduction:

In the Bible lesson, Jesus told Nicodemus that the Son of Man had to be lifted up for people to believe in, so they could be saved. Missionaries not only believe this for themselves; they also tell other people this same message. That's what it means to be a missionary.

Procedure: Picking Questions from the Box

Call a child volunteer to pull out each of the questions. Help them read it aloud to the group. You can use a microphone and/or repeat the question yourself so that everyone can hear it.

Pastor Tom Ricker

Pastor Zambo Solomon

Question #7

How were you saved?

Answer: Pastor Tom Ricker

I was saved when I was three years old. After a children's teacher at church talked about Jesus dying on the cross for me, I asked my mom at home if God would want me to ask Jesus into my heart. She said he would, and so at my bed in West Point, Ohio, I prayed to receive Jesus as my master, my God, and my savior.

[Pastor Solomon's answer to this question is too long and complicated to fully explain in a fifteen-minute lesson. The executive summary is, he'd been raised Catholic, got involved in the occult, became convicted that it was effectively idolatry, left that, began reading the Bible, and repented when he read Romans 10:9.]

Question #8

How do you share the gospel where you live?

Answer: Pastor Tom Ricker

One thing I do is clean bathrooms at businesses, for free, to share Jesus' love with them in a practical way. You should see the faces at those places when I ask if I can clean their bathrooms. This has led to them asking why I would do this, and I can share that because Jesus died on the cross 2000 years ago for our sins and then rose from the dead, I accepted him as my Lord and savior from my sins -- and they can too!

By cleaning bathrooms, Pastor Tom is creating a chance for people to ask him questions, so that he can share with them. He doesn't know a lot of people in the community, because he's new in town, but if he cleans the bathroom where they work, they can get to know him, and can tell he's a nice guy, so then they're not afraid of talking with him. That gives him a chance to tell them about God's love.

Answer: Pastor Zambo Solomon

I have three ways: publicly, individually, and door-to-door. I always ask [for] the leadership of the Lord to send me where he is at work! I may use tracts, direct quotations from the Bible, or illustrations.

Pastor Solomon doesn't just preach about Jesus on Sunday Mornings. He also shares with people he knows, people he meets, and sometimes even with people that he goes out of his way to meet, just so he can share Jesus with them.

Question #9

How can a child chare the gospel?

Answer: Pastor Tom Ricker

When I was little, I simply asked my friends if they knew Jesus and if they [had] asked him to be their Lord and savior. If not, I told them I had and what I did to do so. I then would ask if they wanted to do it. I led many friends to Jesus while we talked in a sandbox, sat on swings, or played Star Wars. Any child... can easily do the same thing. Just pray to God for boldness, and then step out in faith.

Answer: Pastor Zambo Solomon

By telling others [how] he was saved... He also has to talk to his [friends] and invite them [to] activities of the church. They may be saved then.

What do you need to tell someone for them to know how to be saved? That Jesus died for their sins, to pay the penalty for the wrong things they've done, and that he raised from the dead, that he conquered death so that they can go to heaven and live with him. You can tell your friends this good news anywhere you are, even on the playground.

Conclusion: Prayer

Finish up by having two or three children pray out loud for the missionaries before you dismiss to the next activity.

Invitation: Local Missions

Invite any children who want to start sharing the good news with their friends to stay after the lesson and discuss it further.

Missionaries and the Bible

2010-07-07T07:47:00.000-04:00

Day Two:	Missionaries and the Bible
Bible Lesson:	Do What It Says (Ezra & Nehemiah and the Feast of Booths): We should study God's word and obey it.
Memory Verse:	James 1:22
Missions Concepts:	Missionaries study and obey God's word.
Missions Questions:	Why is it important for missionaries to study God's word? Is it hard for you to obey God's word? What blessings do you see for being obedient?
Bible Passages:

Introduction: God's Word

In the Bible lesson, you learned about how Ezra read God's word to all the people of Israel, and they listened and obeyed. Did you know that missionaries also read and study and obey God's word?

Procedure: Picking Questions from the Box

Call a child volunteer to pull out each of the questions. Help them read it aloud to the group. You can use a microphone and/or repeat the question yourself so that everyone can hear it.

Pastor Tom Ricker

Pastor Zambo Solomon

Question #4

Why is it important for you, as a missionary, to study God's word?

Answer: Pastor Tom Ricker

It is the only way for me to know God and to know what he wants me to do, what he wants me to say, and how he wants me to live.

Since Pastor Tom doesn't have a pastor or a Sunday School teacher there teaching him, if he doesn't study the Bible on his own, he won't be hearing from God's word for a long time. We all need to study the Bible, but it's especially important for missionaries.

Answer: Pastor Zambo Solomon

I can only give what I have. If I have the word, as Colossians 3:16 [says] dwelling abundantly in me, I will be able to give in abundance the word.

Pastor Solomon can't share God's word with others unless he has studied it himself.

Question #5

Is it hard for you to obey God's word?

Answer: Pastor Tom Ricker

Sometimes. Because sometimes I don't want to be kind to people who don't like me. I don't want to keep reaching out to people when they are going to reject me and Jesus. But I know that he commands me to.

Answer: Pastor Zambo Solomon

Yes, sometime[s], when I face trials, [like] when [there was] sickness [in] my family, [or when my] brother and sisters [were] not faithful, I was tempted...

Just like all of us have trouble always obeying God all the time, pastors and missionaries are no different. They have to work hard at it too.

Question #6

What blessings do you see for being obedient?

Answer: Pastor Tom Ricker

Such joy when I think of him watching me and smiling. I live to make him smile.

Answer: Pastor Zambo Solomon

The Lord always opens doors where I cannot imagine. He will give me works with some souls.

God creates opportunities for Pastor Solomon to tell people how they can be saved. Sometimes there's an unexpected chance to share with someone Pastor Solomon did not think he would be able to talk to.

Conclusion: Prayer

Finish up by having two or three children pray out loud for the missionaries before you dismiss to the next activity.

Invitation: Missions

Invite any children who want to do missions work to stay after the lesson and discuss it further.

Elisha and the Shunammite

2010-07-06T07:07:00.000-04:00

Friday:	Elisha and the Shunammite
Story Passage:	2^nd Kings 4:8-13
Other Passages:	[NEEDED]
Objective:	God is pleased when we help other people

Introduction:

[Needed]

Story: Elisha and the Shunammite

Elisha was a prophet of God. (Show picture of Elisha walking to a town.) He traveled to lots of places telling people what God wanted them to know and to do. One day he went to a town called Shunem. (Show picture of lady's house.) A lady there invited him to stay at her house for a meal. So after that, whenever he was in Shunem, he would stop and eat with her and her husband.

One day the lady said to her husband, I know that this man who often comes here is a man of God. Let's make a small room up on the roof and put in it a bed and a table, a chair and a lamp for him. Then he can stay here whenever he comes. (Show picture with added room on roof.) So that's what they did. They built a nice room for him on the top of their house. The next time Elisha came to town he had a nice surprise. (Show interior of the room.) The people were very kind to him, weren't they?

Application: Helping

We have been learning this week about "following the footsteps." That means to do what someone else did that was a good thing to do. The Shunammite woman and her husband built a special room for Elisha when he came to visit. Do you think God wants you to build a special room for Elisha? (NO) Well then, what can you do that they did? There are other ways to be kind and to be a helper. (Show pictures). Look at these boys. They are sharing their toys. Do you think God likes us to share? Here's a girl setting the table. She is helping her mom. That's a good thing to do, isn't it. What are some other ways you can be a helper? (Let kids come up with ideas, or suggest picking up toys, watching your baby brother, or whatever.) Another way to make God happy is just by being nice to people, any way that you can. We can all share and be nice helpers.

Invitation: Helping Others

Invite any children who want to be good helpers to stay after the lesson and discuss it further.

Copyright © 2004—2010, Jill Eady and the Galion Grace Brethren Church. See licensing for information about rights and permissions. Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

Hannah Prays

2010-07-05T06:58:00.004-04:00

Thursday:	Hannah Prays
Story Passage:	1^st Samuel 1
Other Passages:	Matthew 6:24-34, James 5:13-20, Luke 18:1-8, Philippians 4:6-7
Objective:	When we have problems, we should pray to God.

Introduction: Hannah Wants Kids

Did you know that there is a woman in the Bible named Hannah? There is. Our lesson today is about her. Hannah was very sad. Even though she had been married a long time, she did not have any children. She wanted children very badly. She wanted to be a Mom.

Story: Hannah's Prayer

One day, when she was at the Temple (which was kind of like church) she began to cry because she was so sad. She was crying and praying to God. Eli, the priest (kind of like a pastor) saw her crying and wondered why she was crying.

She told him, I am very upset and am pouring out my soul to God. That means she was begging God for something. She was begging God to give her a baby, wasn't she?

Eli said, Go in peace, and may the God of Israel give you what you have asked him for. When she got up and left, she wasn't crying anymore. She did not look sad. She had a big smile on her face.

The Point: God Answers Prayer

Does God answer prayer? Yes, if we ask for good things, he does. (He doesn't always say yes though, does he?)

Do you think God answered Hannah's prayer and gave her a baby? Yes! He did. She named her baby boy Samuel, which means, God heard me. Hannah said, There is no one like the Lord. He is a God who knows. Hannah was very thankful to the Lord for answering her prayer.

Epilogue: Samuel

Samuel grew up to be a very important man who served God. There are two books in the Bible about him.

Application: Prayer

When there is something you need, do you just wish for it, or do you remember to ask God? God doesn't always answer with a Yes, OK. If we just ask for candy and ice cream for every meal, do you think He would say Yes? Why not? God wants things that are good for us. We should ask carefully, but we know that God always hears us, and He will give us what we need.

Invitation: Prayer

Invite any children who want to learn to pray to stay after the lesson and discuss it further.

The Bronze Snake

2010-07-04T15:51:00.005-04:00

Wednesday:	Snakes in the Desert
Story Passage:	Numbers 21:4-9
Other Passages:	John 3 (especially v.14-15)
Objective:	We should look to Jesus to save us from our sin.

Introduction: People are Whiners, Did You Know That?

Remember what we said Monday when the people wouldn't listen to Caleb and Joshua? They had to wander around in the dessert for 40 years.

They didn't like it. And even though God took care of them, they fussed. They fussed at Moses and they fussed at God. God got tired of their fussing, so he sent a punishment.

Story: Snakes in the Desert

God sent poisonous snakes to bite them. When someone got bit by one of these snakes, they got so sick that they died. So the people ran to Moses and begged for help. We're sorry! We were wrong. Pray to God and ask him to make the snakes go away. Moses did pray, but God didn't take the snakes away.

Instead, God told Moses what to do to keep the people from dying from the snake bites. He told Moses to make a metal snake and put it up high on a pole where everyone could see it. God said that if someone was bitten by a snake, they should look at the metal snake on the pole, and then they wouldn't die. And because God said it, it worked: when people who were bitten by the snakes looked at the metal snake, they didn't die. But the people who wouldn't look at it, did die. It was their choice.

Application: Trusting God

There was nothing magic about the metal snake. But the people had to trust God and obey Him. They had to believe that he could save them. Looking at the snake was how they showed God that they trusted Him and would obey Him.

Story: Nicodemus

Many years later, when Jesus was on earth, he told a man named Nicodemus that he needed to be born again. He needed to be saved from sin. But Nicodemus didn't understand. So Jesus told him, Just like when Moses lifted up the metal snake in the dessert and people were saved from snakebite, someday I will be up on a cross, so that people can believe and have their sins forgiven.

Application: Salvation

Just like the people who got bitten by the snake had to believe God and look at the snake to be well, we must believe that Jesus died for our sins and ask Him to forgive us.

Invitation: Salvation

Invite any children who want to be forgiven to stay after the lesson and discuss it further.

Ezra Reads the Bible

2010-07-03T07:46:00.002-04:00

Tuesday:	Ezra Reads the Bible
Story Passage:	Nehemiah 7-8
Other Passages:	James 1:22
Objective:	We should hear the Bible and obey it.

Introduction: Ezra & Nehemiah

Ezra and Nehemiah were two men long ago who loved God. They were part of God's people, the Israelites. The Israelites had been away in another country for a long time. They had been slaves. While they were away, they had not been able to study the Bible. Now they were back in their own country. Nehemiah was their governor and Ezra was their priest (pastor). Ezra and Nehemiah knew that reading the Bible was important. They wanted the people to know what God said. And they wanted the people to DO what God said.

Story: Reading the Bible

Back then people didn't have their own Bibles. Many of them didn't know how to read. So a day was planned when Ezra would read the Bible to all the people. They built a big platform for him to stand on. He was up high so everyone could see and hear him. On that day, everyone came to hear Ezra read the Bible. Even the children who were old enough to understand came. Ezra read all morning. All the people stood very still and quiet so they could hear. It would be hard to stand still and quiet all morning, wouldn't it?

While Ezra read the Bible, the people started to cry. There were things in the Bible that that they didn't know about. They had not heard the Bible for many years. They were sad because they found out they had not been obeying God.

Ezra and Nehemiah told them to stop crying, because this was a GOOD day. They had heard the Bible now and could begin to obey God. So the rest of the day they ate and celebrated. They were glad to find out what God wanted them to do.

Application: Doing What the Bible Says

But even more important that finding out what God wanted, was for them to DO it. So the very next day, they began doing the things that God wanted them to do. We should listen to the Bible too. We want to learn what God wants us to do. Then we need to DO it.

The Bible says, Don't just listen to the Bible... Do what it says. This week at VBS, we are learning some of the things God wants us to do. Now we will be able to do what God wants. What did we learn yesterday? (We learned to trust God and obey Him.)

Invitation: Obedience to the Bible

Invite any children who want to learn to listen to what the Bible says and obey it to stay after the lesson and discuss it further.

Caleb and Joshua Obey

2010-07-02T06:40:00.003-04:00

Monday:	Caleb & Joshua Obey
Story Passage:	Numbers 13-14
Other Passages:
Objective:	We should learn to trust and obey God.

Introduction: Following the Footsteps

This week we're going to be learning about some people in the Bible, whose footsteps we should follow. What does it mean to follow in somebody's footsteps? (Accept some answers). It means to do what they did, or be the kind of person they were. Today we are going to learn about Caleb and Joshua and how they obeyed God.

Story: Caleb & Joshua

God was leading his people, Israel, to a new place to live. Moses was their leader. Moses picked Caleb and Joshua and ten other men to go look around in the new land to see what it was like. They looked around for forty days. They looked at what kind of people lived there, what the cities were like, what the food growing there was like. Then they went back and told Moses. They told him that the land was very good. They showed him a big bunch of grapes that was so big that it took two men to carry it.

Caleb said, We should go take the land. He knew that God had said he was giving them the land. Caleb trusted God to help them get it. Caleb wanted to obey. Joshua did too. But the other ten men forgot to trust and obey God. The others told Moses and the people, The people there are stronger than we are. They are so big, they make us look like little grasshoppers. But Caleb and Joshua said, We should not be afraid of them. God is with us, we should obey God.

The people would not listen to Caleb and Joshua. God punished the people for not obeying. He made them walk around in the dessert for forty years. None of them ever got to go into the new land that God and promised them. except, Caleb and Joshua did get to go. They had trusted God and wanted to obey. I think they were sad that the others wouldn't obey.

Application: Obedience to God

Have you ever been playing with friends and they started doing something wrong? Maybe they started hitting or calling names. Or maybe they went across the street where they weren't allowed to go. If this ever happens, you can tell your friends to do what is right. But if they will not listen to you, and they disobey, you can still obey. God wants us to obey, doesn't he?

Invitation: Obedience

Invite any children who want to learn to obey God to stay after the lesson and discuss it further.

Associating with a Skunk

2010-07-01T14:52:00.001-04:00

Friday:	Associating with a Skunk
Bible Passages:	1^st Corinthians 15:33-34, 1^st John 2:15-26
Objective:	We should be careful about the corrupting influence of the world.

Introduction: Excursions

Zeke likes to go for walks. He likes to go for walks in the woods, and across the fields, around the neighborhood, and through the parks. He's willing to go any time of day or night.

Story: Playing with Skunks

Sometimes Zeke gets to go for a walk in places where there are other animals. He loves to chase bunny rabbits, butterflies, squirrels, and geese. But there are some kinds of animals Zeke shouldn't get too close to.

One time, Zeke got very close to a skunk. That was bad. Do you know why it's bad to get very close to a skunk? The skunk sprayed its stink all over Zeke's face, and he came back smelling like skunk spray. It smelled very bad. Zeke had to have two baths, with special soap, and then he still smelled bad for a month. Yuck! Zeke shouldn't play with skunks.

Application: Bad Friends

Just like Zeke should be careful about getting close to some kinds of animals, there are some people we need to be careful about being around too much, because they don't love God, and they act in very bad ways. Sometimes those people talk us into doing the wrong kinds of things. We start to behave the way they do. We might start talking like they do, or disobeying our parents like they do, or other yucky things. When that happens, God thinks we stink. He still loves us, but he doesn't like the stink.

So we should be careful who our best friends are, to pick people who don't make us stink to God.

Invitation: Picking Good Friends

Invite any children who want to pick good friends to stay after the lesson and discuss it further.

Unconditional Love

2010-06-30T14:47:00.003-04:00

Thursday:	Unconditional Love
Bible Passages:	Romans 5:6-11, Romans 8:29-39, Romans 9:10-16
Objective:	God loves us unconditionally.

Introduction: Mrs. Eady Wants a Dog

Mrs. Eady wanted a dog for a long time. She prayed for a dog to come into the home. One day, when she least expected it, she came home, and there was Zeke! Zeke jumped into Mrs. Eady's arms and licked her, and she was very happy, because she had a doggy. She loved him right away. She even loved him before he came into the family.

Explanation: We Love Our Dogs

Sometimes Zeke isn't as well behaved as Mrs. Eady could want. He tears up Klenex, sneaks food off the counter and stove, and accidentally scratches people when he's playing. Mrs. Eady loves him anyway. She loves Zeke because he's her doggy. She tries to teach him to do better, because she wants him to be a good dog. But even when he misbehaves, she still loves him. She would never get rid of him.

Mr. Eady loves Zeke too. He didn't know that he wanted a dog. He said he didn't. But he shares his food with Zeke, and lets him sleep on his lap, and sometimes he takes him for a walk. Mr. Eady loves Zeke, even when Zeke is bad.

Application: God Loves Us

Did you know that God loves us? He loves us even more than Mrs. Eady loves Zeke. Now, he doesn't always like everything we do, just like Mrs. Eady doesn't like everything Zeke does. But even when we do things he doesn't like, he still loves us.

The Bible says that God loved us before we were born. Just like Mrs. Eady loved Zeke before he even came to her house, God always loved you.

Invitation: Subtitle

Invite any children who want to love God the way he loves us to stay after the lesson and discuss it further.

Missionaries Trust God

2010-06-30T06:04:00.004-04:00

Day One:	Trust
Bible Lesson:	Two Obedient Men (Caleb & Joshua): We should trust and obey God.
Memory Verse:	1^st John 2:5
Missions Concepts:	Missionaries trust God.
Missions Questions:	Why is it important to trust the Lord when you are a missionary? As a church planter, what do you trust him for? How has God shown that he is trustworthy?
Bible Passages:	Matthew 9:35-38, Matthew 16:13-19, Romans 8:26-39

Introduction:

In your Bible lesson today, you learned how Caleb and Joshua trusted God, and you learned that you need to trust God too. Did you know that missionaries also have to trust God?

This week, we're going to be looking in this [show box and speak slowly in a deep voice] Box of Questions to find some questions that were sent to actual missionaries, and the answers that they gave.

Today's questions are about trusting God, and you'll be able to see how important our missionaries think it is to trust in God.

Procedure: Picking Questions from the Box

Call a child volunteer to pull out each of the questions. Help them read it aloud to the group. You can use a microphone and/or repeat the question yourself so that everyone can hear it.

After each question, check the time, and if enough time is available pick a new volunteer to pull the next question out of the box.

Pastor Tom Ricker

Pastor Zambo Solomon

Question #1

Why is it important to trust the Lord when you are a missionary?

Answer: Pastor Tom Ricker

It is important because often it is just you and Him. If you do not trust Him you are doing things in your own strength and you will quickly come to your end and you will dispair and become extremely depressed.

Pastor Tom is saying that since he's trying to start a church, he doesn't have one yet. There's no group of believers there, no Christian friends or people for him to go to. He just has to trust God. It's easy for him to get discouraged, because there's nobody else there helping him from day to day— just God. So he really has to rely on God.

Answer: Pastor Zambo Solomon

Because he is the one that put us into his business. We are not going on our own. God is the owner of the harvest. He sent us and he will take care. All that we are to do should be according to his direction. It happen[s] sometime[s] that things are not moving as we want. No support, no converts, and we may plunge into discouragement. Only our faith in him shall make us conquerors!

Pastor Solomon has to trust in God because he's doing God's work and because God wouldn't have sent him if he didn't want him to do it. Also, when things don't go according to Pastor Solomon's plan, he has to trust that they're still going according to God's plan.

Question #2

As a church planter, what do you trust God for?

Answer: Pastor Tom Ricker

All things. Jesus said He will build His church. I must trust Him to guide me and direct me as I seek to trust Him to build His church.

Pastor Tom is trusting God to bring people into the Bible study and to build them into a church. Every part of the work that Pastor Tom is doing in Vermont relies on God.

Answer: Pastor Zambo Solomon

[That] he himself [will] build his church as he promised. God has to bring people to himself, and I ... will trust more in his sovreignty than my power and talents. Several [times] we [tried to] bring people to Jesus, but the Father [did] not bring them to him.

Pastor Solomon can tell people about Jesus, but only God can help them believe. Pastor Solomon has to trust God to take care of the church and to bring people into the group.

Question #3

How has God shown that he is trustworthy?

Answer: Pastor Tom Ricker

He has brought me into contact with people and given me ways to reach them that I never would have thought of on my own. He has brought people to the Bible study and He is giving me strength to continue to follow Him.

Answer: Pastor Zambo Solomon

I have been in different trials in Africa here, and any time I trust[ed] him he gave me the grace to see his deliverance. I can therefore trust him more, for he has shown that he is my redeemer.

Pastor Solomon trusts God, and God has helped him when times were hard.

Conclusion: Prayer

Finish up by having two or three children pray out loud for the missionaries before you dismiss to the next activity.

Invitation: Missions

Invite any children who want to do missions work to stay after the lesson and discuss it further.

Doggies Don't Like Baffs

2010-06-11T06:54:00.003-04:00

Wednesday:	Doggies Don't Like Baffs
Bible Passages:	[Needed]
Objective:	Even though we don't always like the changes God wants us to make in our lives, we still need to do it.

Introduction: Stinky Dog

Zeke is a nice doggy, but sometimes he gets dirty and smelly. Like the time that he ran away on his walk and got sprayed by a skunk, or the time that he rolled in nasty yucky stuff and came home smelling like a swamp. Sometimes he needs a bath.

Explanation: Baths

Now, Zeke doesn't like baths. He doesn't think he needs them.

He doesn't want to get into the bathtub, and when you manage to get him in, he tries to escape. It takes two people to keep Zeke in the tub long enough to wash him and rinse him, to get him clean.

But Zeke needs to obey and stay in the bath until he's clean and rinsed, so he won't stink, and so he can stay in the house (because he can't stay in the house smelling like a skunk), and so he won't have itchy soap all over him when he dries. Zeke doesn't always understand why he needs to stay in the bath. But he still needs to obey and do it.

Application: Obedience

Sometimes your mom or dad, or your teacher, will tell you to do something, or you might even find something in the Bible that God wants you to do. It's not always something you think you want to do. You might not even know why you need to do it. But you still need to do it. You still need to obey.

Invitation: Obedience

Invite any children who want to learn to obey to stay after the lesson and discuss it further.

The Misbehaving Doggy

2010-06-10T08:16:00.000-04:00

Tuesday:	The Misbehaving Doggy
Bible Passages:	[Needed]
Objective:	Our sin alienates us from God.

Introduction: Nice Doggy

Zeke is a nice doggy. He's cute, and cuddly, and lovable. He has nice doggy ears, and a cute doggy nose, and he does nice doggy things. He eats his dog food, and he likes to go on walks, and he doesn't bite, and he always goes potty outside. He's a good doggy.

Explanation: Misbehavior

But sometimes Zekiel (Zeke) doesn't do what he's supposed to do. Sometimes he does wrong things that he knows he's not supposed to do.

Sometimes early in the morning, when nobody's watching, he sneaks into the bathroom, grabs some toilet paper, shreds it into little pieces, and scatters them all down the hallway. Zeke knows that he's not supposed to do that, and when he gets caught he hangs his head or runs away. He knows that he'll be in trouble. But he does it again the next day anyway.

Zeke also likes to get yucky things out of the trash and drag them around the house, like old butter wrappers and dirty napkins. He knows he's not supposed to. He knows he'll get in trouble. He hides when he does it, so that the people won't find out. But he still does it.

Application: Sin

Zekiel is just a dog. When Zeke misbehaves, that's bad doggy behavior. But dogs aren't the only ones who ever misbehave, are they? Sometimes people misbehave too.

When people misbehave, we call it sin. Sin is the wrong things that we do, and it makes God very sad. Because we're people, and because we can know God, we're supposed to be able to do better than the animals. God made us to be like him. We're not supposed to sin. When we do sin, it keeps us from being with God. We're in big trouble.

When you do something that you know is wrong, even though you know you're not supposed to, you're choosing to sin, to disobey God. Even though most of the time you do the right thing... most of the time you don't hit your brother... most of the time you don't lie to your parents... but when you do, that's sin, and it's bad, and it keeps you from being with God.

In other words, it's because of our sin that we're at the pound, and God had to pay to get us out. Our sin is a big problem, and we need to ask for God's forgiveness.

Invitation: Repentance

Invite any children who want to turn away from their sin to stay after the lesson and discuss it further.

Redeeming a Dog

2010-06-09T08:50:00.001-04:00

Monday:	Redeeming a Dog
Bible Passages:	[Needed]
Objective:	God has paid to adopt us and bring us into his family.

Introduction: The Dog Pound

When dogs don't have a home, they get taken to the dog pound and locked up. The Humane Society keeps the dogs at the pound for a little while, hoping that someone will come and take them home. They feed them a little bit, but they don't play with them, and they don't hug them, and they don't give them treats, and they don't have time to be friends with every doggy that's there. They don't love them. It's not a very nice place for a doggy to live.

When Zeke was little, he ended up at the dog pound. He was sad, and he was afraid, and just a little bit hungry. He didn't like it at the pound. But somebody came and wanted to take Zeke home.

Story: Redemption

Did you know that to bring a dog home from the pound, you have to pay money? It costs a lot of money, more than fifty dollars. But somebody came and loved Zeke enough to pay the price. They willingly paid the money, so that Zeke could go home with them.

But Zeke had to choose to go. He had to let them put the leash on him, and he had to go with them. He was scared, but he didn't want to stay at the pound either.

Application: God has redeemed us.

Just like somebody paid to redeem Zeke from the dog pound, somebody paid to redeem us, too. Jesus paid the price so that we could some day go home with him. Just like Zeke had to choose to go on the leash and leave the pound, we have to choose to follow Jesus so that we can go with him.

Invitation: Salvation

Invite any children who want to be adopted by God to stay after the lesson and discuss it further.

Skit #5 for Following the Footsteps

2010-06-08T09:23:00.004-04:00

Skit: Following the Footsteps, Day 5

	[Johnny enters carrying an oversized magnifying glass, following footprint tracks, and humming the theme song from Inspector Gadget (or any other popular cartoon detective show you like).]
Heather:	[Enters.] What are you doing, Johnny?
Johnny:	Oh, I'm following these footprints to find out where they go.
Heather:	Can I help?
Johnny:	Sure. Here, you hold the magnifying glass. [Hand it to her.]
[The two of them follow the footprints for a few steps.]
Heather:	Hey, wait a second. You told me that following the footsteps means changing our behavior to live the way God wants us to live, by following the good examples he gave us in the Bible.
Johnny:	Yes, that's right. [point] Umm, I think they lead over this way.
Heather:	So, like, we can follow the footsteps of Caleb and Joshua by trusting God and doing what he says. Or we can follow the footsteps of the Israelites in the desert by putting our faith in Jesus to forgive our sins, just like they trusted God that looking at the snake on the stick would save them from the snakebite venom.
Johnny:	Exactly. Or you could follow in the footsteps of Hannah by praying to God. Hand me the magnifying glass.
Heather:	Yeah. [Hand him the glass.] So why are you following the footsteps that are on the ground? I thought we were following the footsteps of people in the Bible.
Johnny:	We are.
Heather:	You're confusing me! What gives? Did Moses walk in this church?
Johnny:	[shrug] Not as far as I know.
Heather:	I thought all those people in the Bible lived across the ocean.
Johnny:	They did.
Heather:	So why are we following their footsteps, then?
Johnny:	We're following their footsteps because they set a good example that God wants us to follow. We love God, so we do our best for him, and the footsteps in the Bible show us how.
Heather:	[exasperated] But what about these footsteps? Whose footsteps are these?
Johnny:	What, you mean these footprints on the floor?
Heather:	Yeah, isn't that what we've been talking about?
Johnny:	Oh, I was just following these for fun. [Exit, humming Inspector Gadget again.]

Footsteps Snacks

2010-06-07T11:28:00.001-04:00

Monday:	Grape Clusters & Pretzel Rods
Bible Lesson:	Two Obedient Men (Caleb & Joshua): We should trust and obey God.
Memory Verse:	1^stJohn 2:5

Snack: Grape Clusters & Pretzel Rods

Hand out a small cluster of grapes, and a pretzel rod or two, to each child, explaining how the grapes remind them of the lesson.

Lesson Tie-In:

The men who explored the land brought back an enormous cluster of grapes, evidence of the bounty of the land. (The pretzels are just to bulk out the snack.)

Tuesday:	Footsteps Cookies
Bible Lesson:	Do What It Says (Ezra reads from the book of the law.)
Memory Verse:	James 1:22

Snack: Footsteps Cookies

Give the kids footprint-shaped cutout cookies.

Lesson Tie-In:

The shape of the cookies will remind them of the theme for the week: that we should follow in the footsteps of the people from the Bible lessons. While they eat, talk about what it means to follow in someone's footsteps.

Wednesday:	Snakes on Sticks, and Graham Crackers
Bible Lesson:	Look and Live (the snake on the pole): We should look to Jesus, trusting God for our salvation.
Memory Verse:	John 3:14-15

Snack: Snakes on Sticks, & Graham Crackers

Skewer each "gummy snake" (use gummy worms and call them snakes) on a large toothpick. Give each child at least one of the "snakes" and some graham crackers.

Lesson Tie-In:

The snakes remind them of the Bible lesson: God told Moses to display a snake on a stick in the middle of the camp, so that people could look to it and be saved, just like we today look to Jesus for our salvation. The crackers are just to help fill them up.

Thursday:	Cookies
Bible Lesson:	Hannah's Prayer: When we have problems, we should pray to God.
Memory Verse:	James 5:16

Snack: Cookies

Hand out homemade cookies.

Lesson Tie-In:

Chocolate-chip cookies don't have much to do with the Bible lesson, but you can still talk about the lesson while the kids eat them. Yum, yum, yum.

Friday:	Cornbread & Apple Butter
Elementary Bible Lesson:	Footsteps of Service (Epaphroditus and the Shunnemite): We should serve God by serving others.
Memory Verse:	Philippians 2:4
Preschool Bible Lesson:	Elisha and the Shunnemite: Helping Others

Snack: Cornbread & Apple Butter

Serve cornbread (or other obviously homemade bread) and apple butter (or homemade jam). Don't buy them at the store: the fact that these items are home-made is part of the lesson tie-in.

Lesson Tie-In:

Epaphroditus brought Paul food (among other things) from the church, to help Paul while he was in Prison for telling people about Jesus. Epaphroditus served God by helping Paul. The Shunnamite also helped Elisha by feeding him, because he was a man of God. Homemade bread is a kind of food they might have had and might have given them.

Skit #4 for Following the Footsteps

2010-06-07T06:26:00.002-04:00

Skit: Following the Footsteps, Day 4

Heather:	Man, this following in the footsteps is getting pretty hard. First I found out I don't just have to step in some footprints, and then I found out I don't even just have to do exactly what somebody else did. I actually have to think. It's too hard. I'm not sure if I want to do this anymore.
Johnny:	[Enters] Hey, Heather, are you ready to learn some more footsteps to follow?
Heather:	I'm not sure I want to. Following the footsteps can be hard. Can't I just do something easy? Can't you just follow the footsteps for me?
Johnny:	Well, I'm going to try to follow the footsteps too.
Heather:	Why bother? It's so hard.
Johnny:	Yeah, it's hard, but nothing worth doing is easy. God gave us the Bible so we could have good footsteps to follow. I think it's better to follow them as best we can, instead of just trying to guess. Remember how you said in the winter you walked in your dad's footprints, so you wouldn't get snow in your boots?
Heather:	Yeah. Walking in dad's steps was better than making my own path.
Johnny:	Well, it's like that. If we didn't have the Bible, we wouldn't even know what we're supposed to do. We'd have to make our own path, by guesswork. Following in the footsteps makes it easier to live for God. We can do better than we would if we didn't have any examples to follow.
Heather:	Oh. I guess so.
Johnny:	Come on, come to Bible school tonight, and we'll learn about some more footsteps.
Heather:	Okay. I do want to follow God. I guess I'd better find some more footsteps.
Johnny:	Yep.
Heather:	Okay, I'm ready now. Let's go!

Skit #3 for Following the Footsteps

2010-06-05T12:14:00.003-04:00

Skit: Following the Footsteps, Day 3


Heather:	[Enter] Okay, I'm all set now. I'm going to follow in the footsteps... [walk slowly toward stage while speaking...] the footsteps of Ezra... I want to do the same things Ezra did... Ezra had a platform to stand on, and read the Bible. Now let me see... What can I do that's like that? I could say my memory verse from last night, but what about the platform? I know, I'll use the stage! Here I go! I'm going to follow in Ezra's footsteps.
[Heather gets up on the stage and starts saying the verse. Johnny interrupts about halfway through.]
Johnny:	[Enter] Hey, Heather, what are you doing up there?
Heather:	I'm following in Ezra's footsteps. See? I'm using this stage as a platform, and I'm saying my memory verse, which is from the Bible.
Johnny:	Well, learning your memory verse is a good way to follow in Ezra's footsteps, but why are you up on the stage?
Heather:	What, isn't it good enough? Isn't the stage like Ezra's platform?
Johnny:	What do you need a platform for?
Heather:	Well, Ezra used a platform. I'm following in his footsteps.
Johnny:	Ezra used a platform because otherwise all the people wouldn't have been able to hear, and they wouldn't have known what God's word said. They didn't all have their own copies of the Bible. These people [gesture toward audience] have their own copies of the Bible. So I don't think the platform is the most important thing about Ezra's footsteps.
Heather:	Well, then, how am I supposed to follow in the footsteps?
Johnny:	What did the people do once Ezra had read the Bible to them?
Heather:	Well, they did what it said... Oh, I get it. If I'm going to follow in the footsteps, I have to do what the person did. To follow in the footsteps of Ezra, I have to do what the Bible says.
Johnny:	Right.
Heather:	Okay, so how do I know what to do?
Johnny:	Keep coming to Bible school, and to church, and study your Bible at home. You'll learn all kinds of things that you can be doing. Then you can really follow in the footsteps.
Heather:	Wow! And I won't even need a platform!

Skit #2 for Following the Footsteps

2010-06-03T07:34:00.002-04:00

Skit: Following the Footsteps, Day 2

	[Heather enters]
Heather:	Alright, I'm all set to follow the footsteps, just as soon as I figure out where they go. Now let's see... yesterday we talked about Caleb and Joshua leaving footsteps. Now, where did they go again? Let me think...
Johnny:	[Enters] Hey, Heather, how's it going?
Heather:	Didn't Caleb and Joshua go into the promised land?
Johnny:	Well, yes...
Heather:	Okay, I'm all set. So, which way is that from here anyway? Is the promised land [pointing] this way?
Johnny:	Umm, why do you need to know?
Heather:	Because, I'm gonna follow the footsteps Caleb and Joshua left for us. I don't need to see their footprints, because we studied in last night's Bible lesson about where they went. I know they went to the promised land, so I figure their footsteps must lead there. So as soon as I figure out which way that is, I'll go follow...
Johnny:	I don't think you understood. We weren't talking about going to a place where they went. When we talked about following the footsteps of Caleb and Joshua, we were talking about emulating how they lived, and what they did.
Heather:	Well, how will that tell me which way to go? How am I supposed to get to wherever it is I'm supposed to be going, if I don't know which way they went? Can't we just program it into my GPS?
Johnny:	Heather, you're not listening. We don't need to go where they went. What we need to do is act the way they acted, the way God wants us to act. We're supposed to be learning to follow their example. That's why God gave it to us in the Bible, so we can learn how to act.
Heather:	So you mean I don't need my hiking boots and my GPS? Whew, that's a relief. I bet the promised land is a long way from here anyway. It would probably take me all day to walk there.
Johnny:	Actually, I think it's across the ocean, so you couldn't walk there from here anyhow.
Heather:	Across the ocean? That would really take me a long time! I'd miss Bible school for sure!
Johnny:	Oh, you don't want to miss Bible school tonight. We're going to learn about somebody else whose footsteps we can follow.
Heather:	Okay, I'm ready!

Skit #1 for Following the Foosteps

2010-06-02T11:07:00.004-04:00

Skit: Following the Footsteps, Day 1

	[Heather enters, bent over and looking at the floor.]
Heather:	I can't find any footsteps here. [Look under a pew.] Boys and girls, did any of you see any footsteps? [Looks behind the piano, etc.] I came here to follow the footsteps, but I don't see any! What am I going to do? Oh, now what? Woe is me, ...
	[Johnny enters]
Johnny:	What are you doing, Heather?
Heather:	Well, I was going to follow the footsteps, but I can't find any!
Johnny:	You can't find any? But we're going to learn about them tonight!
Heather:	You mean, I have to learn how to find them? I thought this was going to be easy. Footsteps, you know, [point to ground] you see them, and then you [making exaggerated stepping motions] step in the same places.
Johnny:	I don't think that's what they mean by following the footsteps.
Heather:	Sure it is! When it snowed last winter, I followed in my dad's footsteps, so I wouldn't get any snow in my boots. It's like that.
Johnny:	Well, these footsteps that we're talking about at Bible school are from people who lived thousands of years ago.
Heather:	Thousands of years? Wouldn't the snow have melted by now? Wouldn't the footsteps be gone?
Johnny:	Well, yes, but it's a figure of speech. Their physical footprints are gone, but we can still follow in their footsteps by following their good example. Following in the footsteps means behaving like they behaved, doing the kinds of things they did.
Heather:	I don't get it. How can I follow footsteps I can't see?
Johnny:	Don't worry. Just wait until the Bible teacher comes, and we're going to learn all about the footsteps that we can follow.

Prayer Can

2010-04-14T09:39:00.000-04:00

Thursday:	Prayer Can
Elementary Lesson:	Hannah's Prayer: When we have problems, we should pray to God.
Memory Verse:	from James 5:16
Preschool Lesson:	TBA

Age Groups:

elementary
preschool
teens

Supplies Needed:

plastic frozen juice cans (or Crystal Light cans, or any other plastic cans)
paper, with the word Pray in big bubble letters photocopied on it, the appropriate height from the bottom of the paper, so that it will be centered vertically on the can. The length of the paper should also be trimmed if necessary so that it doesn't wrap too far around and cover up the word.
ribbon, glitter, etc.

Instructions:

First, let them color the word "prayer" and, if there's time, the background of the paper.

Next, spread glue on the outside of the can, or roll the can in glue, stand it upright, and wrap the paper around the can, with the bottom edge of the paper against the table. Spread the paper as smoothly as possible, limiting wrinkles to a minimum.

Finally, if there is time, they can glue ribbon around the top and bottom edges, add glitter, or decorate the can in some additional manner.

Sukkot Shelters

2010-04-13T08:14:00.003-04:00

Tuesday:	Sukkot Shelters
Elementary Lesson:	Do What It Says (Ezra reading from the book of the law): We should study God's word and obey it.
Memory Verse:	James 1:22
Preschool Lesson:	TBA

Age Groups:

elementary
preschool
teens

Supplies Needed:

empty check boxes (one box or lid per child, they don't need both)
twigs
squares of corrugated cardboard

Instructions:

Each child gets one cardboard base (which represents the ground), and one check box or lid. (If you have enough of the boxes that you don't have to use the colored lids, that might be even better)

On the long side of the box (or lid), find the midpoint, and make a short there from the opening to the edge of the closed back. (The closed back is the top of the lid or bottom of the box). Do the same on the other long edge. Now fold the box (or lid) along the middle, to approximately a ninety-degree angle. Crease the fold, then glue the flaps together and hold or pinch them, so that that the box stays in this folded shape until the glue dries.

Now glue the box to the cardboard, open side down, with the peaked roof (crease) up, resembling a tent. Spread additional glue on the box surface and place twigs thereupon, so that it looks like the whole thing is made out of sticks. (Remind them that the Israelites did not have boxes to glue their sticks to: they had to build the entire shelter out of the sticks, big enough to live in for a week.)

Footprint Placemat

2010-04-12T09:50:00.003-04:00

Monday:	Footsteps Placemat
Elementary Lesson:	Two Obedient Men (Caleb & Joshua): We should trust and obey God.
Memory Verse:	1^st John 2:5
Preschool Lesson:	TBA

Age Groups:

elementary
preschool
teens

Supplies Needed:

heavy paper (preferably 11x17)
writing and coloring utensils
clear Contact paper

Instructions:

Each child gets one sheet of the paper. Show them how to center their foot on the paper so that the whole foot is on the paper. Have them get with a partner and trace one another's feet (or you can have them trace their own, especially in the older age groups; for preschool, an adult can help). Allow the older children to add toenails and other details.

Once the shape is traced, let them color in the foot shape. The older age groups should write the day's memory verse on the placemat, either around the edge or in the footprint. (Lines may need to be drawn for the younger children to write on.) If they like, and have space and time, they can also emblazon the Follow the Footsteps slogan on the placemat.

Help them laminate their placemats with the clear Contact paper. (It may be enough to laminate the front side and folder over the edges.)

Gather and Sort the Balls

2010-04-10T15:20:00.002-04:00

Friday:	Gather & Sort the Balls
Preschool Bible Lesson:	TBA

Age Groups:

preschool

Equipment Needed:

plastic balls
wading pool
buckets, in the same colors as the balls
weight to hold down the buckets (e.g., gravel or bags of sand)

Preparation:

Put about three inches of water in the bottom of the wading pool. Weight four buckets (red, green, yellow, and blue) enough to hold them down, and set them in the pool. Scatter 30-50 plastic balls (in the same colors) all over the yard.

Instructions:

Have the children find one ball at a time, bring it, and try to throw it into the correct bucket, without stepping into the pool. If they miss, have them go get another ball and try again. If they make it, clap and cheer, and send them for another ball. Yay!

Footsteps of Service Game

2010-04-10T14:15:00.005-04:00

Friday:	Footsteps of Service
Elementary Bible Lesson:	Footsteps of Service: we should serve God by serving others.
Memory Verse:	Philippians 2:4

Age Groups:

elementary
teens

Equipment Needed:

clothesline
clothespins
3x5 cards with service activities written on them, in two categories
buckets (labeled)
chairs
blindfolds
extra shoes (decoys)

Preparation:

Hang the service cards on a line with clothespins, near where the kids will be. Set up two sets of buckets or containers for them to sort the cards into, with the labels facing the kids. These can be arbitrarily far apart, depending on how far you want to make the kids run. Set up the chairs in a circle, with one chair for each pair of kids, with the chairs facing inward. Place some decoy shoes in the middle. Place a blindfold on each chair.

Instructions:

Explain that the goal of this game is to get service cards for your team, and sort them into the correct bucket. Show each team their pair of buckets, and explain the sorting criteria. (There are two options here: you can either have them sort activities that are services from activities that are not services; or you can have them sort services that involve donating your time from services that involve donating money and goods.)

Then tell them how to get the cards: each team will be split up into pairs, and from each pair one person will sit on a chair, and the partner will be blindfolded and stand in front of their partner inside the circle. The seated partner will remove one shoe and toss it into the middle of the circle. The leader then scrambles the shoes.

When the whistle is blown, the blindfolded partners must attempt to locate the seated partners' shoes and replace them on their feet. (Tying is not required, unless you want to make things hard for the teens.) The seated partner can give instructions and suggestions to help the blindfolded partner locate the shoe, but the seated partner must remain in the chair at all times and may not use their hands to help. (Blindfolded people are not permitted to throw any shoes outside the circle.)

As soon as each pair of kids has finished putting the shoe back on, the blindfold may be removed, and they may choose a service card from the line and proceed to decide which bucket it goes in, run to that bucket, and drop it in. While running, they must both hold on to the card the whole time. When they finish, they return to the circle and switch places, and put on the blindfold. Once the first person is back and has the blindfold on, the whistle is blown and everyone who doesn't have a card yet must stop, so that you can go to the next round. (Those who have a card can finish sorting it.) Once everyone has the blindfolds on, the new seated partners take off a shoe and the next round starts. When time is nearly up, check the sorted buckets, and discard any that are sorted incorrectly. The team with the most correctly-sorted cards wins.

Pile-Up Game

2010-04-09T19:32:00.001-04:00

Thursday:	Pile-Up Game
Elementary Bible Lesson:	Hannah's Prayer: When we have problems, we should pray to God.
Memory Verse:	James 5:16

Age Groups:

elementary
teens

Equipment Needed:

chairs

Preparation:

Place one chair for each participant in a circle facing outward.

Instructions:

Have each person sit on a chair. Start reading instruction lines (below), one at a time, giving them time to follow the instructions. (Note that if the person beneath you moves, you don't necessarily move with them, unless the instruction applies to you too. If someone is much larger than the person beneath, they may have to squat and hold their own weight to avoid squishing someone.)

If things get too out of hand, have everyone sit in an otherwise empty seat again and start over. If you run out of instruction lines, you can start repeating them, or just make some up.

Example Instruction Lines:

If your dad brought you to VBS, move 2 chairs to the right.
If you had cereal for breakfast, move 2 chairs to the right.
If you went swimming this week, move 2 chairs to the right.
If your favorite Bible School activity is the memory verse, move 3 chairs to the left.
If you are in second grade, move 2 chairs to the right.
If you came to VBS last year, move 1 chair to the left.
If your favorite color is yellow, move 3 chairs to the right.
If you live close enough to walk here, move 2 chairs to the right.
Move one chair to the right for each day you've been to Bible School so far this week.
If you came with a friend, move 2 chairs to the right.
If you brushed your teeth today, move 2 chairs to the left.
If your favorite Bible School activity is the game, move 2 chairs to the right.
If you think you're going to bring a friend tomorrow, move 1 chair to the left.
If you read your Bible today, move 1 chair to the right.
If you have a case or cover for your Bible, move 2 chairs to the left.
If your birthday is in March, move 3 chairs to the right.
If you learned your Bible verse and said it tonight at the registration table, move 2 chairs to the left.
If you have a pet at home, move 1 chair to the right.
If you are wearing shorts, move 1 chair to the left.
If you are in third grade, move 3 chairs to the left.
If your favorite Bible School activity is crafts, move 1 chairs to the left.
If you wore your seatbelt on the way here, move 3 chairs to the left.
If your name starts with a G, move 3 chairs to the right.
Move one chair to the left for each sibling you have that's here tonight.
If you ate your vegetables for dinner, move 2 chairs to the left.
If you have a younger sister, move 1 chair to the left.
If you like chocolate chip cookies, move 3 chairs to the left.
If you brought a visitor tonight, move 1 chair to the right.
If your name has an A in it, move 2 chairs to the left.
If you are in first grade, move 1 chair to the right.
If this is your first night here, move 1 chair to the left.
If you arrived in a car, move 3 chairs to the left.
If you have blond hair, move 3 chairs to the left.
If your favorite Bible School activity is Missions, move 3 chairs to the right.
If you are wearing flip-flops or sandals, move 1 chair to the right.
If you are wearing green, move 1 chair to the right.
If you are having fun at VBS, move 3 chairs to the right.
If you have an older brother, move 2 chairs to the right.
If you have a pony tail, move 3 chairs to the left.
If you learned something new in today's Bible lesson, move 1 chair to the left.
If you had pizza today, move 3 chairs to the left.
If you came to VBS in a van, move 1 chair to the left.
If your favorite Bible School activity is the singing, move 1 chair to the right.

Crabwalking in the Footsteps

2010-04-09T10:09:00.003-04:00

Wednesday:	Crabwalking in the Footsteps
Elementary Bible Lesson:	Look & Live (the snake on the stick): We should look to Jesus, trusting God for our salvation.
Memory Verse:	John 3:14-15
Preschool Bible Lesson:	TBA

Age Groups:

elementary
preschool
teens

Equipment Needed:

footprint markers for the trails
objects to balance

Preparation:

Set up the footprints in a trail, winding across the yard. Depending on the age group, the trail can have twist and crisscross and loop and so on to a greater or lesser extent. Each team's trail should be a different color of footprints, so that they can tell which is which. (For preschool, you may just want one trail.)

Instructions:

Divide them into teams, and line each team up at the starting area. The first team member must crabwalk (see below) along the trail of footprints, following the trail to the finish line. For added difficulty, older agegroups may be required to balance an object (such as a shoe, a ball, or a bowl of ice water) on their stomach the whole time. When the first team member reaches the finish area, the leader releases the next team member to follow.

Crabwalk:

The crabwalk is achieved by going on all fours, with your stomach aimed up and your back down. You must crabwalk head-first, without allowing any body parts (except the hands and feet and possibly hair) to drag on the ground. (You can let preschool children just crawl instead of crabwalking, in which case you might want to put a few extra twists and turns in their trail.)

Through the Hoop

2010-04-09T07:52:00.002-04:00

Tuesday:	Through the Hoop
Preschool Bible Lesson:	TBA

Age Groups:

preschool

Equipment Needed:

hula hoops
plastic balls

Overview:

This is basically a toned-down version of the Soak the Paper game the older kids are playing, in case your preschool kids aren't so fond of getting wet and/or don't have sufficient aim or throwing power to break through paper.

Instructions:

For the preschool, don't cover the hoop with paper. Just hold up a hoop as a target. Each child gets a hollow plastic ball to try to throw through the hoop. Yay!

Soak the Paper

2010-04-08T07:04:00.002-04:00

Tuesday:	Soak the Paper
Elementary Bible Lesson:	Do What It Says (Ezra Reads from the Book of the Law): We should study God's word and obey it.
Memory Verse:	James 1:22

Age Groups:

elementary
teens

Equipment Needed:

hula hoops
roll paper
buckets
sponges

Preparation:

Cover each hula hoop with a large strip of roll paper, such as bulletin board paper. Fasten the edges of the paper in place around the hoop (either to the hoop itself, or around and to the back of the paper) with tape, staples, or whatever. Set up the buckets of water and sponges near where the group will stand.

Instructions:

Have an adult volunteer hold up the hula hoops as targets a fixed distance from the group. (Start a pretty good distance away, so that the kids can barely throw the wet sponges that far.) Divide the group into teams and hold up one hoop for each team.

Each team member gets the same number of sponges (probably one) per round. The object is to wet and break the paper that is stretched across the hoop, by throwing wet sponges against it. When every team member has thrown their sponge, have the targets move a little closer, give everyone their sponges back, and go another round. Whichever team breaks their paper first wins the game.

You can play another game if time and the supply of prepared hoops allows. If the hoops run out before time runs out, allow the play to devolve into a wet-sponge free-for-all (if it's warm enough out).

Footsteps Memory

2010-04-07T21:18:00.003-04:00

Substitute Indoor Game:	Footsteps Memory

Age Groups:

elementary
preschool

Equipment Needed:

Sets of game cards, in matching pairs, featuring images and concepts from the week's lessons on the obverse, and identical footprint emblems on the back.

Overview:

Wikipedia has an article describing the basic game, but we're going to play it with cards that feature things from the week's Bible lessons. I'm including some small thumbnails of the card pages below. To get a version that is suitable for printing, see SVG Documents.

Preparation:

Make enough sets of the cards so that small groups of 2-4 children can share each set. Print them on card stock, with the identical footprint backs on one side and the lesson concepts and images on the other. Each set should consist of two copies of each card, so that they can be matched up. Use a paper cutter to separate the individual cards from one another on each sheet. (If you laminate the cards, you can continue to use them for a long time after Bible School is over, reminding the children of the lessons from VBS.)

For the preschool age group, remove the cards that feature words, leaving only the pictures.

Instructions:

Divide up the kids into small groups and give them the decks of footsteps memory cards (one deck per group). Instruct the kids to shuffle the cards and, without looking at the backs, lay them out in rows with the footprint up. (For preschool, remove the cards with words on them, and help them shuffle and lay out the remaining ones.) Then they take turns each turning over two cards, trying to get a match. If the two cards match, they get to keep those two cards in their pile and take another turn. If they do not get a match, they turn the cards back over and it's the next person's turn. The goal is to get the most matched cards in your pile. If time remains, shuffle and play again.

Philippians 2:4

2010-04-07T07:47:00.002-04:00

Friday:	Philippians 2:4
Bible Lesson:	Footsteps of Service: We should serve God by serving others.
Memory Verse:	Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interest of others. Philippians 2:4

Explanation: Looking to Someone's Interests

Let's say you and your little brother are home alone while mom's at the grocery. There is enough ham for one sandwich, and you and your brother are both hungry. Somebody has to wait for mom to get home with more food. If you're looking to your own interests, what are you going to do? Swipe the ham, make the sandwich, and take a big bite. You're bigger and faster than your little brother. Problem solved, right?

But if you're looking out for the interest of your brother, you make the sandwich, put on the ketchup that he likes, and tell him that you'll wait for mom. You might even get him a glass of milk. Mom left you to look out for your little brother while she's gone: so it's your responsibility to look out for his interests. That means you're taking care of what he needs.

[Show the verse and read it aloud.]

So this verse says that you can look out for yourself, but you should also look out for others. In the church, we're supposed to take care of each other, and not just selfishly get everything we can for ourselves.

We should be memorizing verses on our own, but we can help others to learn them too. We can pray for ourselves, but we should pray for others as well. When they ask for song requests, we can ask for songs we like, but we should sing the songs other people like too.

Game: Hot Potato

Read the verse through a couple of times, as a group, then introduce an object that you call a potato. Explain that each person must say the next word of the verse, before they can pass on the hot potato. Run through the verse one time for practice, passing the potato around, then introduce the timer.

The goal for each child is to avoid having the potato when the timer goes off, but you have to say the next word of the verse before you can pass the potato on to the next person. (At the end of the verse, say the reference, and then the next person starts at the beginning again.) Use short times on the timer and run through the verse as many times this way as possible. (If the group is too large, split it up with a potato for each group; you can still have just one timer.) Leave the card with the verse displayed until you think the kids know the verse, then try removing it. If someone has trouble with a word, you can help them after a few seconds.

Announcement: Verse Points

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

Following in the Foosteps progress

2010-04-07T07:06:00.004-04:00

I know updates were a little thin on the ground through February and March, but we are still chugging along. The last of the elementary memory verse lessons will be posted this morning, and most of the games will also be forthcoming shortly. In addition, planning for crafts is well underway, though we haven't quite finalized them all yet. Meanwhile, here's draft 1 for the logo, which is tentative and subject to change at this point. (At minimum, I need to adjust the kerning. But it is possible we will decide to make larger changes.)

James 5:16

2010-04-06T19:38:00.002-04:00

Thursday:	James 5:16
Bible Lesson:	Hannah's Prayer: When we have problems, we should pray to God.
Memory Verse:	The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. from James 5:16

Introduction: [Needed]

[Show the poster and read through the verse once.]

Explanation: Effective

I don't know about you, but I sure want my prayers to be powerful. Let's talk about what it means to be effective. When something is effective, it works. It creates the desired effect. It does its job. If the lawn mower is effective, the grass gets cut. So if a prayer is powerful and effective, it's strong and does its job, it gets the message through: God hears it.

Explanation: Righteous

But the verse doesn't tell us that everyone's prayers are powerful and effective, just the prayers of a righteous person. So a person who doesn't believe in God, who says, "God, if you're really there, do this for me", does God listen to those prayers? Sometimes, maybe. But they're not powerful and effective prayers.

So we want to be righteous, so that we can have powerful and effective prayers. Being righteous means living according to what is right. Doing the things God wants you to do. Choosing not to sin. If we are believers in Jesus Christ, he makes us righteous. We can't be righteous by ourselves. We need God.

Explanation: Summary

So if you want your prayers to be powerful and effective, you need to choose to let Jesus forgive your sins and make you righteous.

Game: Simon

The teacher says one word (the first word of the verse), and the whole group repeats it in unison. If they get it right, the teacher repeats it again, adding one more word, and the group repeats that, in unison. Add another word each time through the verse until you have the whole verse or the children collectively miss a word. If they miss, you start over with one word again. Each time, the teacher says the words first, and the group repeats.

Announcement: Verse Points

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

Preschool Game: Floating Stuff

2010-04-06T08:46:00.002-04:00

Monday:	Floating Stuff
Preschool Bible Lesson:	TBA

Age Groups:

preschool

Equipment Needed:

wading pool
plastic balls
other floating toys
towels

Preparation:

Put just a couple of inches of water in the pool, just enough for stuff to float.

Instruction:

Give the kids the plastic balls and other floating toys (e.g., toy boats, rubber duckies) and let them sit around the outside of the edge of the pool and play with the floating stuff. Be sure to have a few towels on hand in case of accidental water exposure.

Wet Sponge Dodgeball

2010-04-06T07:36:00.004-04:00

Monday:	Wet Sponge Dodgeball
Elementary Bible Lesson:	Two Obedient Men (Caleb & Joshua): We should trust and obey God.
Memory Verse:	1^st John 2:5

Age Groups:

elementary
teens

Equipment Needed:

sponges
buckets
rope

Note:

Note: if it's cold at the beginning of the week, play the fourth night's game (Pile-Up) instead for now, and come back to this one later in the week when it's warmer.

Preparation:

Use a rope or something to mark a midpoint of the playing area. Put the pool (or buckets) full of water and sponges across the rope, so it can be reached from both sides.

Instructions:

Divide the kids into two teams, and explain the rules and boundaries. Basically, the goal is to hit every member of the other team with a web sponge, before everyone on your team gets hit. You can't cross the line, but you can approach the line to get sponges and/or to dip them in the water for better throwing. If you get hit by a wet sponge, you have to go stand on the sidelines (until the next game). When one entire team is out, if there's time left, put everyone back in and repeat.

John 3:14-15

2010-02-03T07:45:00.003-05:00

Wednesday:	John 3:14-15
Bible Lesson:	Look and Live: The Bronze Snake and the Son of Man: We should look to Jesus, trusting God for our salvation.
Memory Verse:	Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. John 3:14-15

Introduction: Snake on a Stick

In our lesson today we learned that when the Israelites were bitten by snakes, God provided a way for them to live. They were saved if they looked at the snake that Moses lifted up on a pole.

Explanation: John 3:14-15

That was a symbol of how the Son of Man, Jesus, had to be lifted up on a cross, so that we could be saved from our sins if we trust in him.

[Show the verse and read it aloud.]

When we let Jesus pay for our sins, we can be saved. Looking at a cross is not any kind of magic: it's the belief in Jesus, who paid the penalty for our sin, that allows us to be saved.

In the book of John (which is in the New Testament), Jesus was talking to a man who named Nicodemus came to ask him questions. Jesus was telling him about salvation. This is what he said: [Quote the verse.]

Game: Portion Motions

Divide the verse into four main parts:

Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert
so the Son of Man must be lifted up
that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life
John 3:14-15

Have the children march in place while saying the first part of the verse. Repeat it enough times that they sort of know it.

Now have them jump up and down repeatedly while saying the next part of the verse. Repeat it enough times that they sort of know it. Go back and put the two together: have them march in place saying the first part, then jump up and down saying the second part.

Now say the third part of the verse while turning in circles. Repeat it until they sort of know it. Add the reference, having them sit down as they say it. Then have them stand up again so you can practice these two parts again.

Now put it all together, and practice the whole way through: march in place through the first part, jump up and down through the second part, spin through the third part, and sit down saying the reference. Repeat the whole thing as long as there's time left.

Announcement: Verse Points

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

James 1:22

2010-02-02T08:25:00.001-05:00

Tuesday:	James 1:22
Bible Lesson:	Do What It Says: We should study God's word and obey it. (Nehemiah, Ezra, and the Feast of Booths)
Memory Verse:	Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. James 1:22

Introduction:

[needed]

Explanation: James 1:22

[Show the verse and read it aloud.]

The word merely means something like only. So when it says Do not merely listen to the word, it means you don't just listen, you also do what it says. You listen, and then you obey.

Then it says, Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. To deceive someone is to trick or fool them. So if you're deceiving yourself, you're tricking or fooling yourself. This verse tells us that if we only listen to the word and we don't obey it, we're fooling ourselves. We think we're listening to the word, but if we don't obey, are were really listening?

If your mom tells you to clean up your room, you hear the words, but did you listen to her, if you didn't actually clean your room? It's the same thing with God's word. We don't want to deceive ourselves. We want to do what God says.

Game: Chipmunk Voices

Announce that you will be having a contest between groups to see which group can say the verse better. Practice reading the verse off the posterboard together (in normal voices) two or three times first, to get everyone familiar with the wording.

Divide the children into approximately equal groups, as many as you have leaders for (preferably at least three). Give the groups no more than two minutes to practice within their group, saying the verse in chimpunk voices. After the two minutes, call everyone back together. Have each group in turn stand in front and say the verse in their chipmunk voices. If there's enough time left, say you aren't sure which group was best and have them all do it again. Give everyone a big round of applause.

Announcement: Verse Points

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

1 John 2:5

2010-02-01T08:42:00.003-05:00

Monday:	1^st John 2:5
Bible Lesson:	Caleb & Joshua: We should trust and obey God.
Memory Verse:	But if anyone obeys his word, God's love is truly made complete in him. 1^st John 2:5

Preparation: Workday

Cut out about fifty footprints. Write one word on each footprint, making sure to use all the words from the verse, as well as a number of additional decoy words. (Do this part at one of your VBS workdays.)

Preparation: Setup

Lay the footprints out, with the verse words in the correct arrangement for stepping and the decoy words intermixed among them, side by side with them, so that the children will have to select the correct footprint to step on for each word.

Introduction: Caleb & Joshua

Earlier, we learned about Caleb and Joshua, and how they trusted and obeyed God.

[Hold up the posterboard with the verse on it. Read it through once.]

Ten of the spies didn't trust and obey God. God told them something to do, and they disobeyed, because they didn't have faith. Caleb and Joshua saw the same thing that the other ten men saw, but they trusted that God would take care of them and give them what he had promised. When they did this, they showed that they loved God, and God blessed them by allowing them to enter the promised land.

Explanation: 1^st John 2:5

Everyone who loves God and wants to live for him should be acting this verse out in their lives. God doesn't give us the option to pick and choose which parts of the Bible we will obey. We have to obey all of it. And then God's live will be complete in us.

I don't know about you, but I want to be the best Christian that I can be. One way that I do that is by obeying God's word.

Game: Footsteps

Allow one child at a time to walk through the footsteps as the entire group says the verse through slowly. Pace the saying of the verse so that the child has a chance to figure out where to step. (For younger children, an older child can assist by pointing out where they should step next.)

Continue allowing additional children to go through until your time is up.

Announcement: Verse Points

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

The Beginning of the Church

2010-01-12T06:41:00.002-05:00

Friday:	The Beginning of the Church
Story Passages:	Acts 1:1-11, Acts 2:22-24, 29-41
Other Passages:	Matthew 28:16-20, Mark 16:14-20, Luke 24:36-49, John 10:16, John 21:15-19
Objective:	The church was begun in order to witness for God in all parts of the earth.
Memory Verse:	Acts 2:32, God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact.

Introduction: Where did the Church Come From?

Has there always been a church? If you had been in the Garden of Eden, with Adam and Eve, was there a church there? What about if you were on the ark, with Noah and his family? Was there a church then? Did Abraham go to church? Abraham worshiped God, but he didn't have a church. Where did the church come from?

Story: The Beginning of the Church

After Jesus was raised from the dead, and had been walking around for a few weeks, Jesus told his disciples, Don't leave Jerusalem yet, wait for the Holy Spirit. The disciples asked if Jesus was going to be king right now, in Israel. Jesus said, God the Father decides when that will be. You don't need to know that right now. But when the Holy Spirit comes, you will receive power, and you will be my witnesses all over the world. Soon after that, Jesus went up into the sky, toward heaven, and a cloud hid him from them. Two angels came and told the disciples that he would come back in the same way some day.

A few weeks later, the disciples were sitting in a house in Jerusalem, together, doing just what Jesus had told them to do, waiting for the Holy Spirit. Just as Jesus had promised, he came. They said it looked like tongues of fire, and the power that they were promised came too! A crowd of believing Jews from all over the world were staying in the city of Jerusalem that day, because it was a holiday. They all heard the noise, and came to the house where the disciples were. And the disciples spoke to them, and they all understood in their own languages what was being said about Jesus. After this day, all of those people from all over the world were able to go home and start churches of believers, because they all heard the good news about Jesus from the disciples in Jerusalem that day. The disciples really were witnesses for all over the world, before they even left Jerusalem.

Transition: Waiting for the Spirit

Why do you suppose Jesus told them to wait for the Holy Spirit? Jesus knew that when the holiday of Pentecost came, all those people would be there from all over the world. Jesus told them to wait in Jerusalem, because he wanted them to tell all of those people about Jesus. He wanted the people from all those different countries to all have churches, so they could worship God, learn about Jesus, and be witnesses to their own people. Jesus knew that the best missionaries of all are the people who live there.

The Point: Witnesses in the Church

How do you suppose churches came to [your town]? Somebody came here, who knew about Jesus, and when they came, guess what? They told people about Jesus, right here where they lived. The people who believed got together to pray, to study the Bible, and to worship God, and they invited friends, and pretty soon there was a church. What's a church? Is it a building? (No.) A church might have a building, but what is a church? A church is a group of people, people who believe in Jesus, and tell other people about Him. Are you part of a church? Do you believe in Jesus? Do you tell other people about him?

Invitation: Church Membership

[Invite the children to stay after the lesson and discuss how to belong to the church.]

The Beginning of the Promise

2010-01-11T06:30:00.002-05:00

Thursday:	The Beginning of the Promise
Story Passage:	Genesis 15
Other Passages:	Romans 4:3-16, Genesis 3:15, 9:8-17, 12:2-3, 15:1-21, 17:15-22, 28:10-15; Isaiah 9:1-7, Isaiah 53; Malachi 3:1, 3:16-4:6
Objective:	We should have faith like Abraham.
Memory Verse:	Hebrews 11:6, Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

Introduction: Abraham

Has anyone here heard of Abraham before? Who was Abraham? Abraham lived in the Bible times. It talks about him in the book of Genesis. God called Abraham to leave his home land and go to the place God would show him. Abraham took off walking, and he didn't know the place where he was going. God took him through several different places before he finally got where he was going. Did you ever get in the car and go all sorts of places and not know where you would end up? Abraham wasn't worried, though, because he trusted God, just like you probably trusted your parents when they took you places in the car. Abraham finally came to the land we now call Israel, and God promised Abraham that his children, his offspring, would live in that land, that it would be theirs.

Story: The Promise

One evening, Abraham was whining. He said, My wife and I don't have any children, and when we die, all of our stuff will go to our servant, Eliezer. But God said, Eliezer is not your heir. You will have a child. Abraham and Sarah were old, and old people don't usually have kids. But God showed Abraham the stars in the sky, and said, Count them, if you can. That's how your offspring will be. Now, there are a lot of stars, but Abraham believed God. Would you believe God, if he told you that you would have that many children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren? Abraham believed. Abraham did have a son – two sons, in fact, but the son God promised him was named Isaac.

God had already promised Abraham that all the peoples on the earth would be blessed through him. Now he had promised him children, and later he promised Abraham more things. God also promised Abraham's grandson, Jacob, that all the peoples on the earth would be blessed through him and his offspring. What was God talking about?

Transition: The Woman's Seed

Who remembers what we talked about on Tuesday? What did Adam and Eve do? Were they supposed to eat from that tree? When they did, God told them some things. One of the things he told them was about their offspring. He said to the serpent, The woman's offspring will crush your head. Now, hundreds of years later, he's telling Abraham and his grandson Jacob that their offspring will bless the whole world. God was talking about the same person. Who do you suppose he was talking about, who would crush Satan and bless the whole world?

Application: Faith

God was talking about Jesus. Jesus was descended from Jacob, from Abraham, and from Eve. How did Jesus bless the whole world? By dying? Yes, by dying. How did Jesus' dying bless the world? He gave the whole world the chance to have their sins paid. He gave us the gift of life, eternal life, a chance to live forever in heaven with God, if we have faith in what Jesus has done for us. Abraham had faith in what God was going to do for him. God said what he would do, and Abraham believed it, and it was counted as righteousness. We have to have faith in what God already did for us, and it will be counted as righteousness for us. Then we can live with God forever in heaven.

Invitation: Salvation

[Invite the children to stay after the lesson and discuss it further.]

The Beginning of Salvation

2010-01-09T06:15:00.003-05:00

Wednesday:	The Beginning of Salvation
Story Passage:	Genesis 6-9 (especially 6:13, 6:22, 7:18-8:1, 8:21-22)
Other Passages:	Matthew 24:36-42, 1^st Peter 3:18-22, Genesis 3:15, Romans 6:23, Hebrews 9:26-28, 2^nd Corinthians 5:20-6:2
Objective:	Sin brings a penalty. Jesus paid our penalty so that we can be saved.
Memory Verse:	1^st Corinthians 15:22, For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.

Introduction: Review

Who remembers what we talked about yesterday? We talked about how Adam sinned, and now all people are sinful, and how you can't live forever, unless someone pays for that sin. What is sin? Sin is anything you do or think that displeases God. In the Bible, there's a true story about a man named Noah, who lived a long time ago.

Story: The Flood

God gave Noah a special job to do, because all the people were sinning so much. God was tired of their sin, fed up, and he decided to judge the world, and start over again with Noah and his family. The Bible says that Noah was a righteous man; he loved God very much, but his neighbors didn't!

God told Noah, build an ark – a box. He told him how big to make it, and what to make it out of. The ark was going to be a boat, because God was going to send a flood. The ark had to be really big, so it took Noah and his three sons a long time to make it. Now they didn't live by a lake, and it hadn't ever rained, so Noah looked kind of funny to his neighbors, building that great big box in his yard, out of wood. He would tell his neighbors why he was building it, but do you think they listened? They didn't care about God. When the time came to get on the ark, do you suppose any of them got on with him? Only his wife, and his sons, and their wives. Nobody else believed that a flood was really coming.

God sent all the animals, at least two of every kind (seven of some kinds), and they all got on the Ark, with Noah and his family. Then God shut the door, and it rained. And rained. And rained. Do you remember on Monday, when we learned that there was water up above the sky? Is it there today? No. There are little bits of water in the sky, called clouds, but it's not very much. Before the flood, there was a lot of water, an ocean of water, up above the sky, and now it all came raining down, for forty days. Remember how we said the land was all in one big piece. Now it broke up, and water that had been under the ground came up, in fountains, and helped the rainwater to cover the land. Even the highest mountains were flooded, and nobody that was outside the ark could live, except fish.

Transition: The Ark as a Type of Christ

The Ark saved Noah, and his family, and the animals that were with them, from the flood. The flood was God's judgment against the world, for sin, but the Ark, which God told Noah how to build, was the way that they could be saved from that judgment, and live. It's a good thing Noah believed God, and did what he said, because if he hadn't, we wouldn't be here!

The Point: Substitutionary Atonement

Yesterday, we talked about sin, and how all of us sin, and somebody has to pay for it. The only way we can live, is if somebody will save us from God's judgment, by paying for the sin. God always makes a way for us to live. The ark was the way God made for Noah and his family, and anybody else who would get on it, to live through the flood. Jesus, who paid for our sin on the cross, is the way God has made for us, so that we can live with him, in heaven, forever.

Invitation: Salvation

Now I suppose that after it started raining, some of Noah's neighbors might have decided that they wanted on the ark after all, but it was too late; God had already shut the door. There will come a day when it's too late for you to accept Jesus. Don't wait until it's too late. The Bible says that now is the time of salvation.

[Invite the children to stay after the lesson and discuss it further.]

The Beginning of Sin

2010-01-08T06:47:00.001-05:00

Tuesday:	The Beginning of Sin
Story Passage:	Genesis 3
Other Passages:	Romans 3:9-26, Hebrews 9:23-28, Revelation 12:9, Isaiah 64:6
Objective:	We are sinful and require salvation.
Memory Verse:	Romans 3:22, This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.

Introduction: Rules

When you go to school, does your teacher have rules? What rules do you have? [Accept some examples from the children.] Can you follow all of those rules all the time every day? Do you ever talk without raising your hand? Have you ever forgotten your homework? When you miss one of the rules, and don't follow it, what happens? You're not perfect. You messed up. We all do it, sometimes. Now, your teacher doesn't always notice, and if your teacher does notice, you might not get into very much trouble, depending on what rule you broke, and whether the teacher thinks you did it on purpose. But the rule is there, and you still broke it.

Story: The Fall into Sin

When God placed the man and the woman in the Garden of Eden, how many rules did he give them? He just gave them one: don't eat from the tree that is in the middle of the garden. It was called the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, and he told Adam, If you eat from that tree, you will die.

So what do you suppose Adam and Eve did? They had a little help. There was a serpent. The serpent was very crafty. (It wasn't a regular snake, like we have today. The Bible says that this serpent was really Satan.) Now he knew just what to do, to get Adam to misbehave. He went straight to Eve. Satan figured that if Eve gave Adam the fruit, he'd eat it. So he went to Eve, and he tricked her.

Did God really say, that if you eat from any of the trees in the garden, you'll die?, he asked her. Was that what God said? Eve knew the answer: We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say not to eat fruit from this tree, or we'll die. Then the serpent lied to Eve: You will not die.

So Eve looked at the fruit, and it looked good. The serpent told her, that if she ate the fruit, she would be like God, knowing good and evil. Was that true? Sort of. It's true that when Adam and Eve ate the fruit, they knew good and evil. They already knew good; now, they knew evil as well, because they'd just done evil. Were they like God? Not really.

So the serpent lied, and Eve ate the fruit, and she gave it to Adam, and he ate it too. That was the first sin, and the Bible tells us that now all of us are sinful, because the sin comes down to us from Adam. There's a penalty for that sin. God threw Adam and Eve out of the garden, and took away the Tree of Life, so they could not live forever, because they disobeyed. So they died. Before they died, they had children, and that's why we're here.

The Point: We Need Salvation

How do you live forever? Do people today live forever, usually? No. We all die. We all die, because we all sin, because Adam and Eve sinned. To live forever, we'd have to pay for that sin, or someone would have to pay for us. Can you pay for your own sin, by being good? The Bible says that you could never be good enough, that all our righteous acts are like filthy rags to God, because we're sinful. If we can't be good enough to pay our own penalty for our own sin, how can it be paid? Someone else has to pay it for us. Who could do that? Can your mom and dad pay your penalty for you? No! They aren't good enough, either. They can't pay their own penalty, just like you can't. Only Jesus could pay your penalty.

Invitation: Salvation

Jesus died to pay for your sin. If you want Jesus to pay for your sin, all you have to do is ask. [Invite the children to stay after the lesson and discuss it further.]

The Beginning of Creation

2010-01-07T05:21:00.002-05:00

Monday:	The Beginning of Creation
Story Passages:	Genesis 1, Acts 17:16-33
Other Passages:	Ephesians 2:8-10, Colossians 1:15-16, Romans 1:16-21, Romans 8:18-25
Objective:	God created the world and deserves our worship.
Memory Verse:	Acts 17:24, The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands.

Introduction: Where did it come from?

Out in the back yard, there's a big tree. Was it always that big? How did it get to be that big? How long has it been there? What did it come from, before it was a big tree? It was a little tree, once, but what about before that? [A seed.] Where did the seed come from? [Another tree.] Well, where did that tree come from? Where did all the seeds, and all the trees, come from originally? [God created them.] The world hasn't always been here. There was a beginning. Let's go back to the beginning, and explore where things came from...

Story: Paul in Athens

The apostle Paul was waiting in Athens for his two friends, Timothy and Silas, to come meet him. While he was there waiting, he got into a discussion with some of the people of the city, about religion. Paul was telling them about Jesus, and how he died for them and raised from the dead, but these people didn't know Jesus. They didn't know God at all! They had a lot of idols (false gods), but they did not know the true God, the creator.

Paul said he would tell them about the God they did not know. They were interested in this, because they had an altar set up just for a god they might not know. So Paul told them about the God who created the world and everything in it, the heaven and the earth. He said that this God does not live in temples built by human hands, and is not served by human hands, because he doesn't need anything, because God is the one who gives everyone life, breath, and everything else. Then he told them that God had sent Jesus and raised him from the dead, to prove that he is the God who will judge everyone. When the men heard this, some of them laughed, but others believed, including a man named Dionysius and a woman named Damaris.

Transition: Creation

Paul told them that God created the world. How did he know that? Where did he find that out? How did God create the world?

The book of Genesis tells us all about it. Paul had studied the Old Testament (the part of the Bible that was already written back then), including Genesis, so he knew about creation. The Bible says that in the beginning, when nothing was around, not even light or darkness, God created the heavens and the earth. They were pretty plain at first, but in six days God created all the details: light and darkness, the water and the sky, plants, the sun, moon, and stars, birds and fish, animals, and finally people. Then God rested on the seventh day, because his work of creation was done. When the world was first made, all the land was in one place. There weren't different continents like now, and the water was in two places: up above the sky, and down below in one big ocean. There were four rivers that flowed out of a special Garden, called Eden, where God put the man and the woman he had created. All the animals that have ever lived were born from animals that God created in those first six days, and all the people are from Adam and Eve, the first man and woman.

Some people haven't read the Bible, and they try to decide how the world got here, and they come up with all kinds of ideas about that, some sillier than others. Aren't you glad that we know what God says? And God is the only one who was there, so he's the only one who really knows. Everybody else is just guessing, or making stuff up.

Application: Worship the Creator

Since God made the whole world, don't you think that he deserves your respect? We honor God and worship him, because he's God, and because he made us, and made the world, and gave us everything. The Bible tells us, in Ephesians 2, that he made us so that we could worship him, by doing the things he has planned for us to do. Isn't it great to have such a great God we can worship?

Invitation: Commitment to God

Wouldn't you like to promise God that you will worship him, and do the things the he has planned for you to do? [Invite the children to stay after the lesson and discuss it further.]