Base

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SUNDAY MORNINGS

July 29, 2018, Week 5 Grade: 5

Something to Believe In Bible: Something to Believe In (Nothing Can Separate Us from God’s Love) • Romans 8:38-39 Key Question: How would you live if you believed what God says is true? Bottom Line: Live like you believe what God says is true. Memory Verse: “Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:6, NIV Life App: Confidence—Living like you believe what God says is true Basic Truth: I can trust God no matter what.

Social: Providing Time for Fun Interaction (9:00, 10:15, 11:30) 9:00 & 11:30 Just For Fun • Pennies; one per kid 10:15 Get Your Head in the Game • A bag of Skittles, 10+ oz.; one per Small Group • Straws; one per kid • Plastic cups; two per Small Group • Mobile device or timer; one per Small Group Bible: Communicating God’s Truth in Engaging Ways (9:10, 10:25, 11:40) • Bible Presentation in Large Group Groups: Creating a Safe Place to Connect (9:40, 10:55, 12:10) 9:00 & 11:30 Take a Snapshot • “Truth” and “Not Truth” Activity Pages; one set per Small Group • Two flyswatters • “Game Cards”; one set per Small Group • Bibles • Markers 10:15 Verse to Take with You • Duct tape • Bibles • Permanent markers • Scissors Prayer: Making it Personal (9:55, 11:10, 12:25) • No supplies needed Dismiss (10:00, 11:15, 12:30)

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SUNDAY MORNINGS

July 29, 2018, Week 5 Grade: 5

Something to Believe In Bible: Something to Believe In (Nothing Can Separate Us from God’s Love) • Romans 8:38-39 Key Question: How would you live if you believed what God says is true? Bottom Line: Live like you believe what God says is true. Memory Verse: “Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:6, NIV Life App: Confidence—Living like you believe what God says is true Basic Truth: I can trust God no matter what.

Social: Providing Time for Fun Interaction (Small Groups, 10 minutes) Welcome kids and spend time engaging in conversation and catching up. Get ready to experience today’s Bible Truth. Before kids arrive, pray that they would be able to fully grasp today’s concept of God’s never-ending love. Pray that He would give you wisdom and patience so that you can display the same kind of love and favor to your students as a tangible example of the way that we can never be separated from His love. 9:00 & 11:30 Just for Fun What You Need: Pennies What You Do: Challenge #1 • Ask kids to put their hands together so that their fingertips and palms are touching. • Ask kids to lower the rest of their fingers while keeping their ring fingers straight so that their hands are clasped together. • Place a penny between the kids’ ring fingers. • While they keep their hands clasped, ask kids to separate their ring fingers and drop the penny. • Ask: Can you do it? If not, why? (As kids try to drop the pennies, their pinky fingers will want to straighten to drop the penny.) Challenge #2 • Tell kids to place a hand on the table. • Instruct them to bend their middle finger inward so both knuckles are on the table. • With their middle finger bent, challenge kids to try separating from the table, one at a time, their thumb, their index finger, their ring finger and their pinky finger. • Can they do it? What finger just won’t leave the table? (Kids most likely won’t be able to lift their ring fingers.) For a visual, go to: http://bit.ly/2peoYze Lead your group to the Large Group area.

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SUNDAY MORNINGS

July 29, 2018, Week 5 Grade: 5

10:15 Get Your Head in the Game What You Need: Straws, Skittles, cups, mobile device or timer What You Do: • Divide the group into two teams. • Give each kid a straw and each team a cup. • Ask each team to pick a Skittles color. • Dump a bag of Skittles on the floor. • Give teams one minute to separate the Skittles corresponding to the color they selected. o Teams must use a straw to pick up the Skittles by sucking on the end of the straw, placing the other end on the Skittle, and lifting the Skittle by creating suction. o Skittles must be put in the team’s cup to count. o Kids cannot touch the Skittles with their hands. • Declare the team with the most Skittles in their cup as the winner. • If time allows, you can repeat the activity using different colored Skittles to be separated. What You Say: “You did a great job separating the Skittles! There are a lot of examples in this world of things you can separate. Oil and water. Egg yolks and eggs whites. If you had a lot of time you could even separate grains of sand. [Transition] But there is something you can never be separate. Let’s head to Large Group to hear what it is.” Lead your group to the Large Group area.

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SUNDAY MORNINGS

July 29, 2018, Week 5 Grade: 5

Something to Believe In Bible: Something to Believe In (Nothing Can Separate Us from God’s Love) • Romans 8:38-39 Key Question: How would you live if you believed what God says is true? Bottom Line: Live like you believe what God says is true. Memory Verse: “Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:6, NIV Life App: Confidence—Living like you believe what God says is true Basic Truth: I can trust God no matter what.

Bible: Communicating God’s Truth in Engaging Ways (Large Group, 30 minutes) GETTING READY 1. Opener/Closer What You Need: •

• • • •

Host dressed like a climber o Sunglasses o Rolled up jeans o Taped up fingers Tech Leader Pack of Gatorade Energy Chews One bucket for each Small Group River stones for each Small Group

2. Bible Truth What You Need: • • • • • • • • •

Communicator Bible Nine volunteers Table Table cloth Big bag of M&Ms Bag of Traditional Chex Mix Lemonade 16 clear, large cups

3. Worship What You Need: •

Power Praise Team

Music and Sound Effects (SFX): • “Rock This Planet” • “Can’t Stop Singing” • “Forever Reign”

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SUNDAY MORNINGS

July 29, 2018, Week 5 Grade: 5

Something to Believe In Bible: Something to Believe In (Nothing Can Separate Us from God’s Love) • Romans 8:38-39 Key Question: How would you live if you believed what God says is true? Bottom Line: Live like you believe what God says is true. Memory Verse: “Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:6, NIV Life App: Confidence—Living like you believe what God says is true Basic Truth: I can trust God no matter what.

Bible: Communicating God’s Truth in Engaging Ways (Large Group, 30 minutes) Engage kids’ hearts through a dynamic and interactive Bible Truth, worship, and prayer experience in a Large Group setting. CG: 10-second countdown CG: AMPED Theme Slide Host enters. Welcome Host has lots of energy as he or she welcomes everyone to The Hideout. Host is relatable and inviting. Host wears his or her favorite summer climbing gear – sunglasses, taped up fingers, jeans rolled up, pack of Gatorade Energy Chews, and tank top. Host discusses recent events: National Ice Cream Month, Independence Day, Wimbledon Championships, Tour de France, summer vacation, movie opening (Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation, Teen Titans Go To The Movies, etc.), a viral video on YouTube, etc. Host tells them how excited he or she is that they’re there and briefly runs through what they can expect. This is especially helpful for first-time guests to make them feel like they know what’s happening. Host transitions to Worship. Opener HOST: “What is UP, party people? Are you stoked? Are you AMPED? Are you ready to live life to the extreme?! I know I am! I say we start with some Praise and Worship. Please help me welcome the Power praise team!” Power Praise Team enters. WORSHIP SFX: “Rock This Planet” SFX: “Can’t stop Singing” SFX: “Forever Reign”

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SUNDAY MORNINGS

July 29, 2018, Week 5 Grade: 5

Power Praise team exits as Host retakes the stage. Host transitions to the opening game. Opener HOST: “It’s always a good day when you can sing praises to God.” “So, this morning I woke up, made myself a hearty bowl of oatmeal-n-Red Bull, chewed a dozen packets of Gatorade Energy Chews, and went for a brisk, fifteen-mile sprint around my living room, all because I was SO EXCITED to come here today to share my latest extreme sports discovery with you: FREE CLIMBING. Maybe you all are familiar with rock climbing in its purest form—you latch yourself into a harness and use a rope to slowly but surely make your way up some sort of mountain face . . . BOOOORING. In FREE climbing, you don’t have the harness or the rope. It’s just you versus the rock. Man versus cliff! Mano a cliff-o! Take a look for yourself!” CG: Free Climbing Video “Talk about AMPED! That right there is the extreme life! And the best part is . . . I’m going to be freeclimbing today. Right here in The Base! I already talked with [Tech’s Name], and [he/she] is going to be bringing the rocks for me to climb—all I had to do was bring my gear! [shows pack of Gatorade Energy Chews] I think they should be here any minute now . . . Tech Leader enters. TECH LEADER: "Hey, [Name of Host]! Are you ready to free climb?” HOST: “Man, I was BORN ready. Just look at my fingers!” TECH LEADER: “Glad to hear it! I do want to remind you that we have certain safety standards here in The Base, so I had to take the appropriate measures to make sure everyone—including you—was safe during this stunt, so I went ahead and—" HOST: “Yeah, yeah, yeah, safety first and all that jazz—BRING ON THE ROCKS, BABY!” TECH LEADER: “Okay . . . here ya go!” Tech Leader pulls out a bucket full of river stones from behind his/her back and hands it to Host. HOST: “ . . . are you kidding me? Are you seriously kidding me right now?” TECH LEADER: “Well, logistically we couldn’t bring a mountain back here anyway . . .” HOST: “So you want me to climb a BUCKET OF ROCKS? Can’t you see how absurd that is? Look!” Host sets box on the ground and stands on the rocks. HOST: “There! I did it! Free climbing! Woo! I climbed up all these rocks!”

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SUNDAY MORNINGS

July 29, 2018, Week 5 Grade: 5

TECH LEADER: [clapping] “Hey, you did do it! What a great job [Name of Host] did, right guys? YES! Didn’t think you could do it! Now I’m AMPED!” Tech Leader leads kids in applause then exits. HOST: “Oh man, this was just . . . I mean I should have expected something like this but . . . ugh. Let’s just put these rocks to good use play a game. Let’s have everyone split into his or her Small Group.” Host breaks kids into small groups and gives each Small Group a bucket of rocks. “Since [Name of Tech Leader] thought small, I think it’s appropriate that we think small, too. This game is called Mini Mountains, and the rules are simple: as a small group, you will have sixty seconds to build the tallest freestanding rock tower that you can. Once time is called, get your paws off those rocks—the stack has to stand ENTIRELY on its own. Everyone good to go? Then let’s get stacking in three . . . two . . . one . . . STACK!” SFX: High-energy game music Host starts the timer. Small Groups work together to stack their river rocks. Once time expires, host determines the tallest tower and makes a big hullabaloo about the winner. Small Groups can have multiple towers going at once, but only their tallest tower counts. “That was awesome! An incredible effort by all! I wish some of these towers were one hundred times their size so I could free-climb all over ‘em! Toss those rocks back in their buckets and bring ‘em up here! I’m going to lug these rocks off this stage and search my phone to find the nearest location of the bigger version of these mini mountains.” Host exits as Communicator enters. INTRODUCTION COMMUNICATOR: “Hey, everybody! It’s so good to see all of you here today. I love being around people I love. I’ve always been this way—even as a kid. In fact, I used to throw a fit if I couldn’t be in the same room as my mom. I am [insert accurate mileage] miles away from her now, which makes me a little sad just thinking about it. I love my mom. What about all of you? Anyone else love being close to the people you love? (Pause for response.)” “When we are far away from the people we love, we can simply hop on a bike or in a car and go visit them. We can make a call or send a text or even video chat so we feel better about the distance. I realize that I am over-simplifying this solution, but you get the idea. With the right mode of transportation or technology, you can visit or connect with anybody you love.” “But what happens when we feel distant from God? A phone call or a car ride usually can’t fix that problem. I remember a time when I felt just that—far from God.”

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SUNDAY MORNINGS

July 29, 2018, Week 5 Grade: 5

Communicator shares an age-appropriate story about a time he/she felt distant or far from God. “When I was young, I found a stray kitten in my mom’s garden. He was a scrawny little thing who was just starting to walk on wobbly legs. The kitten was separated from his mom, and I spent hours trying to find its mother or any other kittens for that matter. With no luck, I named him Tater after the potato plant I found him under and took him to show my parents. While he was cute, he didn’t look very healthy. My parents picked up a bottle and milk formula to feed the kitten. I did my best to nurse little Tater back into tip-top shape, but I went away for the weekend to visit my grandparents. When I came back . . . Tater had passed away. I was so sad. Tater was so little and so innocent—he never hurt anybody in his short, feline life. It was unfair! I felt like I failed. I felt alone. Nobody could really comfort me. I even felt far from God when that happened. In that moment, it felt like God was a million miles away. But when bad things happen in your life, the last person you want to feel distant from is God.” TENSION COMMUNICATOR: “Regardless, there are times in all of our lives when bad things happen. It’s easy to feel alone and isolated from everyone, including God. Maybe your mom and your dad are separating. You asked God for comfort, but it felt like God didn’t answer. Or you got in a fight with your best friend, and you felt like you’d been left along with no one around to turn to. Maybe you didn’t make the swim team and you felt like a failure . . . like you let everyone down. Now you feel isolated.” “When you’re struggling with the big events in your life, you may wonder if God even cares. It’s times like these when you can turn to the Bible for guidance.” TRUTH COMMUNICATOR: “Let’s do that right now and head to the book of Romans. You can find it in the New Testament. The book of Romans wasn’t always a book; in fact, it started as a letter written by Paul to the Jesus followers in Rome whom he’d never met. Many of these believers were new to their faith and working to better understand who Jesus is. Paul wrote this letter to answer some of the questions they may have had about their faith and how they could live for Jesus. Paul says some pretty cool stuff about whether or not we, as Christians, can really be separated from God . . . particularly His love. But before we dive into the passage, I need your help. Could I get three volunteers from the audience to help?” Communicator selects three volunteers and brings them to the stage. Stands them behind the table with six clear cups and a bag of M&Ms sitting on the table. “On the table, I have a bag of M&Ms and six clear cups. This is a normal bag of M&Ms—all of the colors are mixed together. However, I want our three volunteers to separate the entire bag into separate cups. All the orange candy should be placed in a single cup. All the blue M&Ms should be place in a different cup and so on. Make sense? (Pause for response.) Awesome! Let’s see how fast you can accomplish this task. Ready? Go!” Allow time to split up the M&Ms. Communicator praises all three volunteers and thanks them for their help. Optional: communicator can use his phone timer to see how fast they can do it.

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SUNDAY MORNINGS

July 29, 2018, Week 5 Grade: 5

“Awesome job! That was achieved quickly! I guess the separating M&Ms isn’t that difficult of a task. You can take a seat! I need three more volunteers for another project.” Communicator selects three volunteers and brings them to the stage. Stands them behind the table with four clear cups and a bag of Traditional Chex Mix sitting on the table. “Now, allow me to introduce you to my good friend . . . Mr. Chex Mix. It’s a perfect blend of savory, salty goodness. But sometimes I don’t like all the different types of food to be mixed up. Similarly to before, I need the three of you to separate the different elements into different cups. Pretzels, cereal, nuts, and bagel chips should all be separated into different cups. Make sense? (Pause for response.) Great! Let’s make this happen as quickly as you can! Ready? Go!” Allow time to split up the Chex Mix. Communicator praises all three volunteers and thanks them for their help. Optional: communicator can use his phone timer to see how fast they can do it. “Nicely done! Again, another job that wasn’t too complicated and still delicious. Thanks for your help. You can take a seat. I need three more volunteers for a final job.” Communicator selects three volunteers and brings them to the stage. Stands them behind the table with three clear cups full of lemonade and three empty clear cups. “Ok, I think by now you know the drill—I need something separated. It’s been pretty simple so far. What I have here for all of you is your very own cup of lemonade. All I need you to do is separate the sugar from the juice. Place all the sugar in the empty clear cups in front of you. Make sense? (Pause for response.) Sweet! Ready? Go!” Communicator gives the volunteers the chance to struggle through the task. “Well, how’d you do? No can do, huh? What gives? (Pause for response.) Are you saying it’s impossible to separate the sugar from the lemon juice once it’s mixed in as lemonade? Interesting! Let’s give it up for our volunteers and efforts! You can take a seat. Thanks again to all of you.” Communicator dismisses volunteers. “In case you missed it, the M&Ms and Chex Mix could be separated easily. However, separating the sugar from the lemon juice was not possible on this stage. Now, you might be wondering, ‘Why is this guy talking about food and lemonade, I’m getting HUNGRY?!’ But stay with me for a minute.” “Check out what Paul wrote (Open Bible and read Romans 8:38-39), ‘I am absolutely sure that not even death or life can separate us from God’s love. Not even angels or demons, the present or the future, or any powers can separate us. Not even the highest places or the lowest, or anything else in all creation

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SUNDAY MORNINGS

July 29, 2018, Week 5 Grade: 5

can separate us. Nothing at all can ever separate us from God’s love. That’s because of what Christ Jesus our Lord has done, (NIrV).’” This is crystal clear. Absolutely nothing can separate us from the love of God. Paul states one of the most comforting promises in all of the Bible. God’s love is NOT like a bag of M&Ms where green and blue candies can be split up. It’s NOTHING like Chex Mix where pretzels and peanuts can be divided into groups. The love God freely gives is more like the lemon juice and sugar in this lemonade. It cannot be separated. No matter where you go or what you do, you can’t lose God’s love. You can’t escape it, shake it, or lose it. Ever. Nothing can separate you from God’s love.” APPLICATION COMMUNICATOR: “Paul offered the church in Rome a ton of truth and guidance in his letter. However, this morning, think about this fact: you can’t be separated from God’s love. If you want to have confidence that you’ll make it through whatever life sends your way, you live like you believe what God says is true. In order for this to happen, it is important to study and think about Scripture. When something doesn’t make sense, ask your Small Group Leader, [Name of Children’s Pastor], or your parents for help. When we know God’s Word, we will know the truth about God, about how to live, about making wise choices, and so much more.” “Knowing God’s Word will even help us in times when we feel all alone. When Tater passed away, I felt like God was a million miles away. But God’s Word tells me that He was right there with me the whole time. The same is true for you on your very worst days. Whether you face illness, bullying, a bad hair day, a hard test, an angry friend, or anything else, it is impossible to separate you from God’s love. Even when you FEEL alone and abandoned, like God doesn’t love you anymore, remember that Paul tells us the feeling is untrue. The times you feel furthest from God are the times you should remember the most that God loves you and cares SO much! And on your very BEST day, Jesus is right there with you, too, loving you and celebrating your great day.”

LANDING COMMUNICATOR: “This is great news to hear today. As you head to Small Groups, think about this question.” CG: Key Question Slide “How would you live if you believed what God says is true? How would you act or talk or play sports or make friends or whatever else if you believed what God says is true? How would you face difficult moments knowing that what God says is true? Let’s pray and tell God how thankful we are that what He says is true.” Communicator leads group in a prayer related to what they just heard then dismisses them to small group. SFX: Play high-energy music as the kids exit.

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SUNDAY MORNINGS

July 29, 2018, Week 5 Grade: 5

Something to Believe In Bible: Something to Believe In (Nothing Can Separate Us from God’s Love) • Romans 8:38-39 Key Question: How would you live if you believed what God says is true? Bottom Line: Live like you believe what God says is true. Memory Verse: “Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:6, NIV Life App: Confidence—Living like you believe what God says is true Basic Truth: I can trust God no matter what.

Groups: Creating a Safe Place to Connect (Small Groups, 15 minutes) Create a safe place to connect and learn how the Bible Truth applies to real life experiences, through interactive activities and discussion questions. 9:00 & 11:30 Take a Snapshot What You Need: “Truth” and “Not Truth” Activity Pages, two different color flyswatters, “Game Cards” Activity Pages, Bible, markers What You Do: • Divide the group into 2 teams. • Give one member on each team a flyswatter • Place the “Truth” and “Not Truth” pages on a flat surface. • Shuffle the “Game Cards.” • Select a card from the pile and read it to the group. • The first team member to “swat” the correct answer to the statement gets a point. (Ask kids to pick a different person to be the “fly swatter” for each round. • Tell kids to be ready to go to the Bible to find a reference to support the answers. • As a group, edit the “Not Truth” cards so that they become a “Truth” statement. • Declare a winner. • Ask: o Looking at these truths, which ones helps you have confidence? Why?

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SUNDAY MORNINGS

July 29, 2018, Week 5 Grade: 5

10:15 Verse to Take with You What You Need: Duct tape, scissors, Bibles, markers What You Do: • Pass out Bibles. • Ask kids to look up Romans 8:38-39. • Ask kids to paraphrase what those verses mean, in their own words. • Give each kid a piece of duct tape, about 6-8 inches long. • Ask them to fold the tape in half, sticky sides together, and press the sides together. • Challenge them to separate the duct tape from itself. It should be VERY difficult, if not impossible, to separate the duct tape once it adheres to itself. o If anyone is able to separate the tape, point out that it’s not 100% separated, since there should be some adhesive that has transferred to the other side. • Ask if anyone can tell you what the duct tape has to do with Romans 8:38-39. o If necessary, explain that the duct tape is a visual for Romans 8:38-39. Just like you can’t separate the tape, nothing can separate you from God’s love. • Tell kids to write the verse reference Romans 8:38-39 on their duct tape. o If they want, they can write the entire verse on the tape. • Encourage them to keep the duct tape as a reminder that nothing can ever separate them from God’s love. Perhaps they could even use it as a bookmark.

All Service Times

Pray and Dismiss (5 minutes) What You Need: No supplies needed What You Do: • Review what your group has learned this summer about confidence. • Below is a list of Bible stories and key questions to help prompt the conversation: o Jesus is the Cornerstone * Why does Jesus matter? o Gideon * How could God use you? o Samson * What happens when you trust yourself more than God? o Elijah and the Prophets of Baal * How would you live if you believed God could do the impossible? o Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego * What does it mean to trust God? o Philip and Nathaniel * Who encourages you to trust God? o Peter Walks on Water * What distracts you from focusing on Jesus? o Peter and John Before the Sanhedrin * How can you face challenges knowing Jesus is with you? o Nothing Can Separate Us from God’s Love * How would you live if you believed what God says is true? • Pair kids up. • Encourage kids to discuss what they learned this summer. What was encouraging? Was there a Bible Truth they hadn’t heard before? What did they learn about having confidence and living like they believe what God says is true? • Encourage kids to pray for each other asking God for help to live with confidence.

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