Cross Necklace

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.

Elisha and the Shunammite

Friday:	Elisha and the Shunammite
Story Passage:	2nd Kings 4:8-13
Other Passages:	[NEEDED]
Objective:	God is pleased when we help other people
Visuals	Available (updated 2016)

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.