Grades 1–6: Worshiping God — Session 4: The Antioch Church Helped (June 28)

Grades 1-3

Introductory Activity – Church Ministry Search

Materials: church newsletters, bulletins, brochures, calendars; tablet to view church Web site; other information about church ministries; paper, pencils

Guide kids to look through the provided materials. They can list the different things that your church does. They may want to list other things that they know that may not be listed in the materials. Encourage kids to think about why the church may do each of the different things. Tell kids that God uses the church (the people) to meet the needs of fellow Christians and the needs of non-Christians. Challenge kids to think about ways your church helps meet needs as they work and study during this session.

Live It Out

Game – Thumb Ball

Materials: beach ball or other ball with colored sections

Guide kids to stand in a circle. Toss the ball back and forth across the circle. Call: “Stop.” Tell the child holding the ball to look at his thumb. If his thumb is on a colored section, ask a review question. If his thumb is on a white section, lead him to say the Bible verse. (Adjust the thumb placement to match your ball.) After the question is answered or the verse repeated, start tossing again. Say the Life Point. Lead your kids to talk about ways your church helps fellow Christians, both in your community and around the world.

Craft – Food Bag Reminders

Materials: lunch sized paper bags, empty food boxes, clean food labels, markers, scissors, paper, glue

Give each child a bag and lead him to print the words of the Life Point on his bag. Tell kids they can create reminders about the Bible story, Life Point, and verse as they choose. Suggest they cut pieces of the food boxes and labels and print words of the verse on these pieces; then they could drop the pieces into their bags. Or they could print facts about the story on paper or food boxes and drop in the bags. Or they could use the food boxes and labels to decorate the bags around the words of the Life Point. Or they may create other ways to make reminders. Talk about ways your church helps fellow Christians.

Grades 4-6

Introductory Activity – Encouraging Notes

Materials: self-stick notes, pencils

Lead kids to write encouraging notes. They should each choose someone in the room and write a note to that person. Then they can take the note and stick it to the person’s shirt. Encourage kids to choose those that have not yet received a note. After a few minutes, tell kids that they encouraged others at church today. Tell them they will hear about a church that encouraged another church by helping them have what they needed.

Live It Out

Game – Odd Man Out

No materials needed.

Tell all kids to stand back to back. Ask the “odd man out” to stand in the middle of the back-to-back pairs. (If you have an even-numbered group of kids, ask an adult to play and stand in the middle of the pairs.) Call: “Switch!” All partners must move to stand back to back with a new partner. The odd man also moves to stand with a partner. Ask a review question. The new “odd man out” can either answer the question or ask a friend for help in answering the question. Call for kids to switch again and ask another question. Continue to play the game as you review the Bible story. Say the Life Point. Play the game again, asking the odd man to say the Life Point instead of answer a question.

Craft – Decorated Verse

Materials: heavyweight paper, colored pens and pencils, small stickers, highlighting markers, colored tape, scissors

Lead kids to find the verse in the Bible. Talk about how churches serve fellow Christians. Tell kids they can create a decorated version of this verse. Lead them to print the verse in “fancy” letters or script. They can use the materials to create lines and decorative flourishes around the verse. Tell them that all the church serves one another. Talk about ways that preteens could serve people in your church.