Goin' Fishin'

Monday:	Goin' Fishin'
Bible Lesson:	The Fish with the Coin: Jesus is God
Memory Verse:	Matthew 16:16
Missions Concepts:	Missionaries go where the people are, but they need consent to come.
Missions Examples:	India (no missionary visas)
Bible Passages:	[needed]

Introduction: Fishing

[Start with the skit, Unprepared Fishermen I]

In the skit, what were the two things that Bob and Sally learned they need to do in order to catch fish? [Accept answers.] That's right. They needed fishing licenses, and they needed to go where the fish are.

Did you know being a missionary is a lot like being a fisherman? Missionaries are fishing for Christ.

First Point: Where the People Are

Just like Bob needed to leave the swimming pool and go to a place where fish would be, like a stream or a lake, missionaries need to go to a place where there are people. They can't go be missionaries in the middle of the woods, or an empty cave, or the middle of a lake. If they're going to tell people about Jesus, they need to go where there are people. There are lots of different places where there are people. Some people can be missionaries right where they are at home, telling people about Jesus in their neighborhood, or at school, or at the mall, ... but there are other places too, and some missionaries go to a place far away from home, because they know that there are people there in that place who need to hear about Jesus.

Second Point: Permission to Go

The fisherman's license gives him permission to fish. Just like a fisherman needs permission, a missionary needs permission too. Now, in this country, we don't need special permission from the government, because we already have freedom of speech. But sometimes, even though there's no law against telling people about Jesus, we still need permission in another way. If I'm going to bring children to Bible school, I have to have their parents' permission. I can't just go take kids from the playground, tie them up, and bring them here. I have to have permission. Missionaries also need permission from their church. If their church doesn't agree with them going, who will provide their prayer and financial support for the missions work? Missionaries have to be sent by a church. And if you're going to be a missionary in a foreign country, you have to get permission to go to that country. You need a visa stamp from the country you're going to on your passport, or they won't let you into their country without a visa. So you have to have permission to come.

Example: India

One country we'd like to send missionaries to is India, but India doesn't give visas to missionaries just so they can come and tell people about Jesus. If you want to go to India, you have to have another reason, a reason that is approved by the government of India, or they won't let you come. In May, Tom and Janelle Ricker, and Ike and Nancy Graham, went to India. They were sent by our churches, but they could only go for a short time, because they only had a tourist visa, which doesn't last very long. You get a tourist visa if you're going on vacation in a foreign country, but you can't stay for a whole year. So our missionaries that went to India are back here now, in the United States.

Application: Parental Permission

Just like fishermen need a license, and foreign missionaries need permission to go into the country, if we bring our friends to Bible School, we need their parents' permission to bring them.

Invitation: Missions

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

Unprepared Fishermen V

Skit: Unprepared Fishermen V

	[Bob and Sally are sitting by the lake, fishing.]
Bob:	Hey, I think I've got another one!
Sally:	Are you going to reel it in this time?
	[Bob pulls up on his line and starts to reel in the fish.]
Bob:	Yeah, yeah, here it comes. Hey, he's a big one!
	[Pause]
Bob:	So, now what?
Sally:	What do you mean, now what?
Bob:	've got the fish on my hook, right here, what do I do now?
Sally:	Take it off the hook, and put it in the bucket with the other fish we caught.
Bob:	Oh, yeah.
	[Bob puts the fish in the bucket.]

Unprepared Fishermen IV

Skit: Unprepared Fishermen IV

	[Bob and Sally are sitting by the lake, fishing.]
Bob:	Hey, I think I've finally got one! I think that bait does work!
	[Bob just sits there, watching the fish on the end of the line, in the water, for a minute.]
Sally:	Aren't you going to reel it in?
Bob:	Oh, I think the fish got away. Hey, where's the bait? I had bait on that hook.
Sally:	I think the fish took your bait and left. You didn't reel it in. Next time, when a fish bites on your hook, try pulling up on your line and reeling it in.

Unprepared Fishermen III

Skit: Unprepared Fishermen III

	[Bob and Sally are sitting by the lake, fishing.]
Sally:	Oh, I think I've got another one. This rod is working out great!
	[She pulls up her line, removes a fish from the end, and places it in her fish bucket. Bob appears envious.]
Bob:	Another? How many is that for you? I still haven't caught a thing!
Sally:	Oh, I think that's fourteen now. You haven't caught any? What are you using for bait?
Bob:	Bait? I'm using this nice rod and reel, and this line, with a hook on the end. What do I need bait for?
Sally:	If you were a fish, would you just bite on a hook, for no reason, just so you could be caught?
Bob:	I don't know. I've haven't been a fish lately. I guess I never thought about it.
Sally:	Why don't you try putting some of this bait [gestures to bait bucket] on your hook, and then see if the fish are biting.
	[Bob adds a worm to his hook and drops it in...]
Bob:	Hey, I think I've finally got one! I think that bait does work!

Unprepared Fishermen II

Skit: Unprepared Fishermen II

	[Bob and Sally walk in. Bob is carrying the same fishing rod he had yesterday, and a tackle box. (Inside the tackle box is a small retractable fishing rod, not revealed, but no lures or bait.) Sally has a bucket of bait.]
Sally:	I'm so excited, I'm finally ready to fish! I have my fishing license, and bait, and I finally got you to the lake where there are fish! This is my favorite spot. It's nice and shady, and there are usually lots of fish.
	[Bob starts preparing his rod. Sally grabs something out of the bait bucket and dunks it in the water, with her hand.]
Bob:	Sally, what are you doing?
Sally:	Isn't it obvious? I'm fishing!
Bob:	Where's your fishing rod?
Sally:	A fishing rod? What do I need that for? I have bait!
Bob:	So how are you planning to real in the fish when they start biting?
	[Sally suddenly looks alarmed and jerks her hand away from the water.]
Sally:	Biting! Fish bite? Doesn't that hurt?
Bob:	Well, you're not supposed to put your fingers in the water for the fish to bite. You're supposed to use a fishing rod, with a line, and a hook. You dip the line in the water, and you hold onto the rod, like this [demonstrates]. When the fish bites the hook on the end of the line, you reel it in.
Sally:	Oh. I don't have a rod!
Bob:	Wait, I think I have a spare rod in my tackle box.
	[Bob rummages around in the box for a moment , pulls out the retractable rod, extends it, and hands it to Sally.]
Sally:	Oh, great! Thanks!

Unprepared Fishermen I

Skit: Unprepared Fishermen I

	[Fisherman Bob is sitting beside a small portable swimming pool with a rod and reel, dangling his line into the water, whistling tunelessly. Sally, walking by, carrying a bucket of bait (but no rod or reel), stops to talk to Bob.]
Sally:	Hey, Bob, are you getting ready to go fishing?
Bob:	Getting ready? What are you talking about? I've been fishing here in this pool for three and a half hours.
Sally:	That's a pretty small pool. Say, isn't that a swimming pool?
Bob:	Yeah, why?
Sally:	I don't think there are any fish in that pool. Looks like just water to me.
Bob:	What's that got to do with anything? I've got my rod and reel right here, see, and my fishing line, and...
Sally:	But Bob, there are no fish in that pool. Don't you want to catch fish?
Bob:	Of course I want to catch fish! I wouldn't be fishing if I didn't want to catch any fish.
Sally:	Bob, if you want to catch fish, you have to go where there are fish. Like a lake, or a river, or the ocean...
Bob:	But I like this pool. And I've got everything I need right here. I've got my rod and reel, my fishing line, and I've got my fishing license right here in my wallet.
Sally:	A fishing license? What's that?
Bob:	You can't fish without a license! It's illegal.
Sally:	Wait, I was headed to the lake to do some fishing, but I've never had a license!
Bob:	Well, if you're going to fish, you should get a fishing license first.
Sally:	Okay, I'll tell you what. If you take me to get a license, I'll take you to the lake, and then we can really catch some fish!
	[Bob stands up and they leave together.]

Fish Gack

Ingredients:

1½ cups of water, divided (faucet-hot)

1 bottle Elmer's school glue (4 floz)

1¼ tsp borax

5 TBSP cornstarch

food coloring (optional)

We're still working out exactly what ratios of the ingredients for this recipe get the best result, but the instructions that follow should work well enough. Update: We've now perfected the recipe.

Put the cornstarch in a bowl. Add about some of the water, a little at a time, stirring slowly, until you get a thick shear-thickening non-Newtonian fluid. (This takes about half as much water as cornstarch. Incidentally, this stuff is pretty interesting all by itself. If you've not encountered it before, take a few minutes to amuse yourself before proceeding.) If you desire coloring, stir it into the cornstarch mixture now.

Set the cornstarch mixture aside. In another bowl, mix a small bottle (4 floz) of Elmer's glue into a roughly equal amount, or a little less, of the faucet-hot water. Stir until smooth. Then, still stirring, gradually sprinkle in the borax. This will transform the glue into a lumpy foam. Continue stirring until further stirring does not increase the amount of foam (about a minute).

In a blender, combine the excess water, the foam mixture, and the cornstarch mixture. Blend briefly; you should get something with approximately the texture of scrambled eggs initially, but it will flow together after a moment. Remove it from the blender. (It may stick to the sides a little) and place it in a bowl. Knead it until it has a smooth and consistent texture. The result is white in color, similar to the glue, unless you used coloring.

The consistency of this stuff is adjustable. If it's too thick, put it in a bowl of water, and it will thin out as it absorbs the water, forming longer strands and thinner sheets and becoming slimier to the touch. If it's too runny, remove it from the water and work it with your hands, it it will firm up into a moldable lump, almost like putty.

For a firmer, stiffer foam product, use these amounts (instead of the ones above):

½ cup of water, divided

1 bottle Elmer's school glue (4 floz)

1½ tsp borax

3 TBSP cornstarch

food coloring (optional)

For a stickier slime, use only 1 tsp of borax, and increase the water until you get the consistency you want.

Polished Aluminum Scene

Monday:	Polished Aluminum Scene
Bible Lesson:	The Fish and the Coin: Jesus is God
Memory Verse:	Matthew 16:16

Age Groups:

• teens

Note: We've not actually tested this one for practicality yet, so caveat lector.

Supplies Needed:

• cardboard
• string, yarn, or fishing line
• tape (transparent or masking tape will work)
• aluminum foil
• shoe polish

Instructions:

Draw or trace a line drawing of a scene from the lesson onto the cardboard. Tape down string or yarn along the lines.

Place a piece of aluminum foil overtop and rub it so that it gets creases corresponding to the lines.

Remove the foil and brush it with shoe polish. The polish will accumulate around the creases, creating dark lines on the otherwise smooth foil.

Example Publicity Poster: Fishing for Christ

I finished up our publicity poster for Galion, so I thought I'd post it just as an example. (The images you see here are taken from the Open Clip Art Library.) We also did a half-page greyscale ("black and white") version to hand out as fliers.