252 GroupsJune 2016, Week 3

Small Group, K-1

Navigator

Bible Story: Navigator (Barnabas sticks up for Paul)•Acts 9:26-31

Bottom Line:The story of Jesus changes how I see others.

Memory Verse:“Faith is being sure of what we hope for. It is being sure of what we do not see.”Hebrews 11:1, NIrV

Life App:Faith—believing what Jesus did can change me.

Basic Truth: I should treat others the way I want to be treated.

Social: Providing Time for Fun Interaction(Small Groups, 15 minutes)

Welcome kids and spend time engaging in conversation and catching up. Get ready to experience today’s story.

Before kids arrive, pray for each regular attendee by name. Pray for those who might visit your group for the first time. Pray for the kids who are struggling in their relationships and interactions with others. Ask God to use today’s story and discussions to move in these kids’ hearts so they would begin to see others the way Jesus sees them.

1. Early Arriver Idea

What You Need:Offering container

What You Do:

  • Collect kids’ offerings as they arrive.
  • Ask kids to share their five favorite things in the following categories: five favorite foods, five favorite things to do after school, five favorite things about summertime.
  • If time allows, ask them what their five least favorite things are in these categories.
  • Optional: If time allows, ask kids to help cut out the “Glasses” Activity Pages you will use later on.

2. Character Change

What You Need:Picture books

What You Do:

  • Read two or three of the provided books to the kids(Note: If you have a group of first graders, select a kid to read aloud to the group.)
  • After reading each book, ask kids the following questions:
  • Can you name the main characters?
  • What is one thing that happened to those characters in the story? (Let each kid who volunteers give you one plot point.)
  • How did the characters change?

What You Say:

“Those stories were crazy! I love how a story can introduce you to a character and the things that happen to them. You get to watch how they change and adapt and grow. [Transition]In Large Group today, we’re going to hear about a whole group of people that changed their minds about something. Let’s go!”

Lead your group to the Large Group area.

Groups: Creating a Safe Place to Connect (Small Groups, 25 minutes)

Create a safe place to connect and learn howthe Bible story applies to real life experiences, through interactive activities and discussion questions.

1. Draw the Story(application activity / review the Bible story)

What You Need: “Draw the Story” Activity Pages; 1 for each kid, white board, dry erase marker, paper towels, markers/crayons

What You Do:

  • Pass out the “Draw the Story” Activity Page to each of the kids.
  • Use the white board to draw the following stick figure portraits of the events from the story.
  • Saul heads to Jerusalem: Draw a stick figure on a road heading toward a road sign that reads “Jerusalem” and an arrow pointing to the right.
  • Believers reject Saul: Draw several stick figures in a group with another stick figure off to the side. Draw an “X” over the stick figure off to the side.
  • Barnabas meets Saul: Draw two stick figures. Write a “B” over one (for Barnabas) and a “S” over the other (for Saul). Draw a thought bubble from Barnabas’ mouth that says, “Hi!”
  • Believers accept Saul: Draw several stick figures holding hands.
  • Kids should copy each drawing in order on their pages—one picture in each box.
  • Erase the white board between each picture to draw the next one.
  • Once all the drawings are complete, quickly review what happened in today’s Bible story. Talk about how the people in Jerusalem changed their opinion of Saul after Barnabas defended him.

What You Say:

“The believers in Jerusalem were afraid of Saul. They’d heard about how he arrested Christians and they were afraid he would do the same if they let him into their circle of friends. But Barnabas had heard about Saul’s change of heart and was willing to accept him. The story of Jesus had changed Saul and Barnabas knew that. He was willing to give Saul a chance. Because[Bottom Line] the story of Jesus changes how I see others.

[Make It Personal] (Share a story about a time when you formed an opinion of someone but when you really got to know that person, you realized that your opinion was wrong.)

“The believers in Jerusalem almost missed a chance to get to know Saul because of what they’d heard about his past. When we meet people, it’s important to treat them with love and respect and get to know them first. Because[Bottom Line] the story of Jesus changes how I see others.”

* 2. Googly Eye Glasses(application activity)

What You Need: “Glasses” Activity Pages, googly eyes, markers, glue, scissors

What You Do:

  • Hand out a “Glasses” Activity Page to each kid to cut out. You will probably have to help them cut out the lenses.
  • Once glasses are cut out, let kids decorate their glasses with markers and googly eyes.
  • When finished, let kids try on their glasses and model them for the rest of the group.

What You Say:

“Your glasses are SO cool! Great job, everyone! You know, the believers in Jerusalem didn’t have a special pair of cool glasses to wear to help them see other differently. But I’m glad they listened to Barnabas and were willing to get to know Saul. [Bottom Line] The story of Jesus changes how I see others.We should also let the story of Jesus change how we see others too, with or without our cool glasses.”

3. Verse Stack(memory verse activity)

What You Need:MemoryVerse cups from previous weeks

What You Do:

  • Look up and review Hebrews 11:1 together as a group.
  • Show the children how to stack the cups to form a pyramid. Challenge them to stack them in verse order from the bottom left to the top.
  • Note: If you’re using the recommended 20 cups, they will not form a perfect pyramid. Let the kids try to stack them on their own. If they need help, suggest they start with 6 cups on the bottom first. They should end up with two cups on the top.

What You Say:

“Great job, everyone! Faith is about trusting in the things you can’t see. God is in control and we can place our hope in Him, even when we’re unsure about how things will turn out. The believers in Jerusalem weren’t sure what to believe about Saul at first. But [Bottom Line] the story of Jesus changes how we see others. We need to ask God to help us see others the way he does! Let’s say our memory verse together one more time. ‘Faith is being sure of what we hope for. It is being sure of what we do not see,’Hebrews 11:1.”(NIrV)

Pray and Dismiss

What You Need: Glasses from activity #2: “Googly Eye Glasses”

What You Do:

  • Tell the kids to think of one person they have trouble getting along with. Give them a minute to think about why that is.
  • Ask the kids to put on their glasses while they pray.
  • As you pray, tell the kids to ask God to help them see the person on their mind the way He does—a person made and loved by Him.

What You Say:

“God, we believe that the story of Jesus has the power to change us. It has the power to change people like Saul. The story of Jesus even has the power to change the people we have a hard time getting along with. Help us to see others the way you do because [Bottom Line] the story of Jesus changes how I see others.In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.”

Give each child a GodTime card. Pass out Parent Cue cards as adults arrive to pick up. Ask kids to show their parents their crazy glasses as a reminder that [Bottom Line] the story of Jesus changes how I see others.

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