He'll Be There for You

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SUNDAY MORNINGS

June 10, 2018, Week 2 Grade: 1-2

He’ll Be There for You Bible: He’ll Be There for You (Gideon) • Judges 6–8 Bottom Line: God can use you no matter what. Memory Verse: “I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.” Psalm 27:13, NIV Life App: Confidence—Living like you believe what God says is true Basic Truth: I can trust God no matter what.

Social: Setting the Tone for the Experience (9:00, 10:15, 11:30) 9:00 & 11:30 The Right Tool for the Job • Small bowls; one for every three kids • Shredded gift bag filler (like raffia) • Cheerios, or other ring-shaped cereal • Plastic forks; one for each kid • Timer 10:15 Smallest? • No supplies needed Bible: Communicating God’s Truth in Engaging Ways (9:15, 10:30, 11:45) • Bible Presentation in Large Group Groups: Creating a Safe Place to Connect (9:40, 10:55, 12:10) 9:00 & 11:30 No Dice • Large craft sticks (the size of tongue depressors); one for each child • Dice; four for each small group • Bibles 10:15 Searching for Gideon’s Army • “Searching for Gideon’s Army Word Search” Activity Page; one for each kid • Pens or pencils Prayer (9:50, 11:05, 12:20) • No supplies needed Dismiss (10:00, 11:15, 12:30)

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SUNDAY MORNINGS

June 10, 2018, Week 2 Grade: 1-2

He’ll Be There for You Bible: He’ll Be There for You (Gideon) • Judges 6–8 Bottom Line: God can use you no matter what. Memory Verse: “I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.” Psalm 27:13, 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, 15 minutes) Welcome kids and spend time engaging in conversation and catching up. Get ready to experience today’s Bible Truth. Before kids arrive, take a few moments to pray for them. Pray for the kids who feel like they’re too young or too small to make a big difference. Pray that God would give them the confidence to stand up for what’s right or try something new, knowing that He can use them no matter what! 9:00 & 11:30 The Right Tool for the Job What You Need: Small bowls, shredded gift bag filler, Cheerios®, plastic forks, timer What You Do: • Divide your group into teams of three. • Give each team one bowl with Cheerios mixed in among the gift bag filler. Hand a fork to each person. • When the game starts, the teams must try to get the Cheerios out of their bowl without spilling any of the gift bag filler. • The best way to do that is to try to thread the Cheerios on the tines of their forks instead of scooping them up. • Decide how long to give the teams to accomplish their goal, and set a timer on a phone or watch. • When time is up, count the score: o 1 point for every Cheerio out of the bowl o -1 point for every strand of gift filler out of the bowl • Now that kids are prepared for the dexterity involved, you can let them put the filler and Cheerios back in their bowls and play again if time allows. What You Say: “It took some work, but you used those forks to do exactly what you needed them to do! It might have seemed like they were not exactly perfect for the job, but you could use them anyway. [Transition] Let’s go hear about how God used some surprising people who did not seem like an obvious choice.” Lead your group to the Large Group area.

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SUNDAY MORNINGS

June 10, 2018, Week 2 Grade: 1-2

10:15 Smallest? What You Need: No supplies needed What You Do: • Guide kids to get into teams of three. • Play a life-sized sorting game, cueing teams to line up by: o Shortest to longest hair o Smallest to largest shoe size o Smallest to largest hands o Shortest to longest shirt sleeves o Shortest to longest shorts, skirts, or pants • After you’ve done a few, line the groups up without telling them what your reason is for the way you sorted them. • Let the groups look around at their peers and see if they can figure it out. • Keep interest high by maintaining a quick pace and high energy. • If time remains, shuffle the groups and play again. What You Say: “You guys did a great job working together to get in order. Did you notice something that was alike in all the ways I asked you to line up? (Pause.) Yes! I always had the smallest or the shortest line up FIRST. [Transition] In Large Group, we’ll hear how God used someone who felt small to do something BIG. Let’s go learn more.” Lead your group to the Large Group area.

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SUNDAY MORNINGS

June 10, 2018, Week 2 Grade: 1-2

He’ll Be There for You Bible: He’ll Be There for You (Gideon) • Judges 6–8 Bottom Line: God can use you no matter what. Memory Verse: “I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.” Psalm 27:13, 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, 25 minutes) GETTING READY 1. Opener/Closer What You Need: • •

Host Prop box containing a bowling set

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

Historyteller Three kid volunteers (see note under “What You Do”) Bible Small step stool Toy sword

3. Worship What You Need: •

Power Praise Team

Music and Sound Effects (SFX): • “Happy and You Know It” • “My Strength” • “Rescue Me”

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SUNDAY MORNINGS

June 10, 2018, Week 2 Grade: 1-2

He’ll Be There for You Bible: He’ll Be There for You (Gideon) • Judges 6–8 Bottom Line: God can use you no matter what. Memory Verse: “I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.” Psalm 27:13, 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, 25 minutes) Engage kids’ hearts through a dynamic and interactive Bible Truth, worship, and prayer experience in a Large Group setting. CG: 10 Second count down CG: AMPED Theme Slide Host enters. Opener HOST: “Hey, everybody! Welcome to our new first graders! I’m AMPED to see you here today. Don’t I sound like an extreme sports athlete when I say ‘amped’? Well, maybe not, but we’re playing our own version of extreme sports this summer, because we’re living FULLY ALIVE! We’re all in with everything we do, because we have confidence! CG: Confidence Slide “Confidence is living like you believe what God says is true. I love having confidence, because it means I can live life to the fullest—never giving up or backing down. No matter what obstacles I face, I can take them down because God is with me. Our game today is all about taking down obstacles. It’s called ‘Extreme Bowling’! Move over to the prop box and begin removing the bowling pins from the box and setting them up on the stage. “I am bringing up two girls and two boys for a friendly competition. I want the teams to be made up of one girl and one boy, each. The team who knocks down the most is the winner. But what makes it extreme? Well, I want to see how good you are at bowling when you’re dizzy! (Turn around in a circle.) Everyone, line up and let’s bowl! Before the kids bowl, turn them around in a circle a few times so they’re just a little bit dizzy. Optional SFX: “Eye on It” by TobyMac

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SUNDAY MORNINGS

June 10, 2018, Week 2 Grade: 1-2

Declare a winner and send kids back to their seats. While you’re talking below, throw the pins into the prop box and set it aside. “That was awesome, everyone! No gutter balls here! Mainly because we didn’t actually HAVE a gutter, but that’s beside the point.” Host exits as Historyteller enters. SETTING UP THE BIBLE TRUTH HISTORYTELLER: “Hey everyone! Are you ready for a super-AMPED Bible Truth today from the Bible? (Hold up Bible.) Awesome! Let’s get right into it! “A long, long time ago, before your parents were born, before your grandparents were born, and before Jonah was eaten by a whale, God had chosen the Israelites to be His people. He wanted them to obey Him and worship Him only. But sometimes the Israelites didn’t trust God, and they would disobey what He said. Because of their disobedience, the Israelites would end up slaves to someone more powerful and cry out to God for help. “When the people turned back to God, God would always come through for the Israelites, even when they didn’t deserve it. God would send someone to rescue the Israelites and put them back on the right path. “That’s where our Bible Truth begins today. The Israelites had an enemy known as the Midianites. The Israelites tried to hide from the Midianites, but the Midianites always found them. For seven years, the Midianites destroyed everything belonging to the Israelites, and the Israelites were starving. Finally, they called out to God for help.” GOD CALLS GIDEON HISTORYTELLER: “God chose Gideon to rescue His people. To tell the Bible Truth, I’ll need everyone’s help in a moment, but first I need one volunteer to pretend to be Gideon. Choose one kid volunteer (not wearing a dress) and bring him/her on stage. “This is Gideon. Gideon wasn’t anyone special. In fact, he was the least important son in the least important family in the least important tribe in all of Israel. Those things may not sound like they matter, but back then it was a big deal. No one would have thought to pick Gideon to save Israel. But God did! “All right, I need another volunteer. Choose another kid volunteer and bring him/her on stage. Get the step stool and instruct the kid to stand on it. “God sent an angel to deliver the message to Gideon. Gideon wasn’t confident in what God said, and he doubted God would choose him for such a big responsibility. The angel said this to Gideon. Walk to the angel volunteer and hold up his arms. Open

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SUNDAY MORNINGS

June 10, 2018, Week 2 Grade: 1-2

the Bible to Judges 6:14 and read. “You are strong. Go and save Israel from the power of Midian. I am sending you” (NIrV). “But Gideon STILL wasn’t confident. Even though an angel appeared to him, he wasn’t sure God could use him. He asked God for a sign. He brought the angel an offering—or a gift. The angel told Gideon to put the gift on a large rock, and when he did, fire came out of the rock and burned up the gift! Suddenly the angel disappeared, and Gideon was confident that what God had said was true. “Let’s hear it for our angel!” Dismiss the angel volunteer to his seat. GOD SHRINKS THE ARMY Hand the toy sword to “Gideon.” HISTORYTELLER: “Gideon sent word out to all of Israel that God was on their side. He called for soldiers to rise up to fight against their enemy, the Midianites. “Even though Gideon wasn’t considered important, lots of warriors answered his call to fight—lots! There were 32,000 of them, to be exact. The odds were looking good for Israel now! With numbers like this, I’m sure the army was confident they could take on the Midianites. “Now I need everyone’s help. While we don’t have 32,000 people here today, let’s pretend that you represent all the men who volunteered to fight for Israel. Everybody stand up! Pause as the audience stands. “This is a good-looking army. On the count of three, I want everyone to shout and give Gideon your best three-second battle cry. Ready? Three, two, one, go! (Roar with the kids.) “Wow! If I were the Midianites and saw this army, I’d be shaking in my sandals! But God didn’t want the people to be confident in themselves; He wanted them to be confident in Him. God wanted the people to trust Him and believe what He said to be true. God told Gideon that the army was too big, and if any of the soldiers were afraid, they should go home. It turned out that 22,000 soldiers were too scared, so they went home. Instruct 75 percent of the room to sit down; or ask everyone but the third graders to sit down, depending on the makeup of your group. “Whoa. That left only 10,000 warriors to fight. Still enough to win a battle, but even with 10,000 soldiers, God said the army was too big! God told Gideon to make the army even smaller. He asked Gideon to take the 10,000 men down to the river to get a drink. Those who scooped the water with their hands and lapped it up like dogs would stay. The ones who got down on their knees to drink the water would be sent home.

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SUNDAY MORNINGS

June 10, 2018, Week 2 Grade: 1-2

“Some of them cupped the water in their hands and lapped it like dogs—like this. Act like you’re cupping water with your hands and lapping it up like a dog. “Can you try it? Allow the kids to try it. “Great job! The soldiers who did that were allowed to stay. But the ones who got down on their knees to drink were sent home. That only left 300 men to stand and fight against the entire Midianite army! Go into the audience and tap the heads of four or five of the kids who are still standing. “Suddenly, Gideon’s army was looking very small. If I didn’t just tap your head, you can sit down.” (Kids sit down.) THE BATTLE HISTORYTELLER: (Point to the few kids still standing) “Gideon and his small army set up camp above a valley. (To those standing) Gideon’s army, you must be tired. For now, go ahead and have a seat. (Pause while they sit.) “Gideon could see the huge Midianite army from their camp. He could see just how small the Israelite army was compared to them. He started to doubt God again. God told Gideon to go down to the enemy’s camp. Gideon [Basic Truth] made the wise choice by obeying God, and he snuck down to the enemy camp with his servant. “Okay, I need one more volunteer. Choose one kid volunteer (not wearing a dress) and bring him/her on stage. (To volunteers on stage) “All right, Gideon and his servant. Let’s pretend the enemy is on the other side of the stage. You have to be really sneaky and get as close as you can to the enemy without getting caught. Let’s see how sneaky you can be as you sneak to the other side of the stage together. Make the “Shhhhh” sign as the two kids sneak across the stage. Coach them if needed. (To volunteers on stage) “That was some good sneaking! Just outside the enemy camp, Gideon and his servant overheard one Midianite soldier tell another about a dream he had that night. A giant loaf of bread came through the Midianite camp, crushing all the tents and running everyone over. That sounds like a funny dream, but it was a message from God. God was telling Gideon that the Israelites would win the battle against their enemy! “Gideon was confident in what God had said. He and his servant ran back to the Israelites.

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SUNDAY MORNINGS

June 10, 2018, Week 2 Grade: 1-2

Coach the two volunteers to head back to the other side of the stage. Thank the servant volunteer for her help and send her back to her seat. “Gideon woke up the Israelite army and told them this. Walk to “Gideon” and hold up his arm that’s holding the sword. Open the Bible to Judges 7:15 and read. “Get up! The Lord has handed the Midianites over to you (NIrV). ”Each of the Israelites grabbed a trumpet and a jar with a torch in it. They surrounded the Midianite army, and when Gideon gave the signal, the Israelite warriors blew their horns, broke their jars, and yelled: A sword for the Lord and for Gideon! (Judges 7:20 NIrV). “All right, if you’re one of the few warriors left, I need you to listen close. Just like in the Bible Truth, when Gideon gives the signal, I want you to stand up and yell, ‘A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!’ Of course, in reality, Gideon and his men blew their trumpets and broke their jars to give the signal to the others. But let’s have some fun and see what kind of signal we can come up with for today. (To “Gideon”) Gideon, what do you want your signal to be? Help the volunteer come up with a signal by suggesting some ideas, like touching their nose or the classic, “Cacaw! Ca-caw!” (To audience) “All right, everybody. The signal is (demonstrate the signal), and then the remaining warriors will stand up and yell, ‘A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!’ (Crouch down.) Warriors, are you ready? (To “Gideon”) We’re ready for your signal, Gideon. If the volunteer forgets the signal, whisper it in his ear. After the signal, jump up and yell along with the “warriors”: “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!” “Nice job! You all can sit back down. (To “Gideon”) Gideon, thanks for your help. You can have a seat, too.

Dismiss the “Gideon” volunteer to his seat. WRAPPING UP THE BIBLE TRUTH HISTORYTELLER: “When the Midianites heard the Israelites and saw all the flames, they were terrified! They started to panic and fight against themselves. They ran away from the battle. “Without lifting a weapon, the Israelite army had won against their enemy! God had come through, just like He said He would! The Israelites knew God had given them victory, and they gave God the credit. With Gideon as their leader, Israel finally had peace for the next 40 years.

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SUNDAY MORNINGS

June 10, 2018, Week 2 Grade: 1-2

“Gideon’s life shows us something really important. CG: Bottom Line Slide [Bottom Line] “God can use you no matter what. God used Gideon even though he felt like the least important person in all of Israel. No one would have picked Gideon to do anything special—especially rescue God’s people. But God picked Gideon to do something amazing! “What was true for Gideon is also true for you: [Bottom Line] God can use you no matter what. “Let’s pray.” Pray HISTORYTELLER: “God, thank You for Gideon’s life. Thank You for choosing him to save Your people. He didn’t feel like he was important enough to do it, but You did! Help us to remember that You can use each one of us, too, no matter what. Help us to trust You and to know that You can use us to do anything You’ve called us to do. We love You, and we ask these things in Jesus’ name, amen.” “If you have an offering with you today, raise your hand and we will bring the bucket over to you.” “Now, up on your feet and please welcome our Power Praise team!” Power Praise team enters as Historyteller exits. Worship SFX: “Happy Day” SFX: “My Strength” SFX: “Rescue Me” Host enters as Power Praise Team exits. Closer HOST: “Have you ever felt like Gideon—like you weren’t good enough to do something? Maybe you didn’t have enough confidence to try out for a sport or a play. Or maybe you were afraid to stand up for a friend who was being picked on. Or maybe you were scared to pray in front of people. “Whenever you feel that way, think about Gideon’s. His life story can give you confidence. It can remind you of what God can do through you. God can use you because HE thinks you’re important. He can use you to make a difference. “He can use you to make a difference for Him at your school. He can use you to make a difference in your family and with your friends. He can use you to tell others about Jesus and how He died to save us. You can be confident of that. Do you remember our memory verse?” CG: Memory Verse Slide

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SUNDAY MORNINGS

June 10, 2018, Week 2 Grade: 1-2

“I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.” Psalm 27:13, NIV.” “When you choose to let God use you to make a difference, you are showing the goodness of the Lord to the world, today.” “Here’s one thing we need to remember today. CG: Bottom Line Slide [Bottom Line] “God can use you no matter what. Be confident and remember that God is with you just like He was with Gideon. [Basic Truth] You can trust Him no matter what. Let’s head to Small Group and talk some more about different ways God that could use you!” Dismiss children to their Small Groups. CG: Small Group Slide

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SUNDAY MORNINGS

June 10, 2018, Week 2 Grade: 1-2

He’ll Be There for You Bible: He’ll Be There for You (Gideon) • Judges 6–8 Bottom Line: God can use you no matter what. Memory Verse: “I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.” Psalm 27:13, 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 (10 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 No Dice What You Need: Large craft sticks, four dice, Bibles What You Do: • Select a volunteer to read Psalm 27:13 to review this month’s memory verse. • Give each kid a craft stick. • Divide the group into two teams and have them line up, shoulder to shoulder. • Each team will need four dice and a Bible. • The first kid in each line will be the “Balancer” and the second kid in each line will be the “Caller.” • Hand the Bible to the Caller and the dice to the Balancer. • When you say, “Go,” the Balancer will place his craft stick in his mouth and carefully balance four dice—one on top of the other—on the end of his craft stick. • Once the dice are stacked, the Caller must recite the memory verse. • When finished, pass the dice to the Caller, who will then become the Balancer. • The next person in line becomes the new Caller and will hold the Bible and say the verse. • Continue down the line of kids. • Once the dice reach the end of the line, the original first kid becomes the Caller. • As soon as that kid finishes reciting the verse (while the last kid in line balances the dice), the entire team should sit down. • The first team to sit down is the winning team! What You Say: “That was fun! Were you more confident about calling out the verse or balancing the dice? (Pause for responses.) I love this verse because it reminds me that God IS good and that we can have confidence in Him. We can know for sure that what God says is true. Even if we don’t feel confident, we can ask God to help us and remind us that He is with us. Because [Bottom Line] God can use you no matter what.”

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SUNDAY MORNINGS

June 10, 2018, Week 2 Grade: 1-2

10:15 Searching for Gideon’s Army What You Need: “Searching for Gideon’s Army Word Search” Activity Pages; pens or pencils What You Do: • Pass out the word searches and pencils. If necessary, pair stronger readers with beginners. • Give them time to find the words from the word bank. • As they work, let each kid take a turn telling the group how one of the words fits into today’s Bible Truth. • When kids are finished finding all the words from the word bank, challenge them to write all of the uncircled/left out letters at the bottom of the page (the ones that aren’t X’s and Q’s) and unscramble them into a sentence. • Again, you may need to have older kids take the lead on this part. • When everyone has had a chance to finish their page and reveal the secret message, set the pages aside and circle up. What You Say: “This seemed like a normal word search until you got to the secret message. Those letters outside of the words you circled were leftovers—not really useful for anything. But when you arranged them you discovered the secret message that Gideon learned this week in our Bible Truth: [Bottom Line] God can use you no matter what. Gideon wasn’t a great hero, and his army wasn’t made up of supermen who won the day with their strength and strategy. Gideon was a normal guy who led a bunch of other normal guys to do something amazing that God had planned. God is big enough that He doesn’t need hulking giants or indestructible iron suits to work with. God is so big that He can use absolutely anyone to do anything. “You might think that God can’t use you because you’re a kid or because you don’t have a bank account or drivers’ license yet. Or maybe you think that God would rather use an adult or teenager to show His love in your community. But that’s not true! God can use you at the exact age and height and reading level and karate belt color you are right now. He has big plans to show the world who He is and how He loves, and you’re all part of that! How do you think God could use you to show His love in your school? (Allow for answers.) What about in your dance classes or sports teams? (Allow for answers.) Sometimes you can see how God could use you by looking at the people around you. Who do you know who needs some encouragement? Who do you know that no one else really notices, who is looking for some help? (Allow for answers.) As you discover more about God’s plan for your community, you’ll see that [Bottom Line] God can use you no matter what. Be on the lookout for people in your life that you can reach out to with God’s love.”

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SUNDAY MORNINGS

June 10, 2018, Week 2 Grade: 1-2

All Service Times

Pray and Dismiss (10 minutes) [Pray to God | Prayer Activity] Made to Reflect: an activity that creates space for personal understanding and application

What You Need: No supplies needed What You Do: • Encourage the kids to gather up in a tight huddle, shoulder to shoulder. • ASK: o Is there something that you need God to help you with? o Do you ever feel like Gideon and wonder how God could use you? • Explain that you will give them a few moments to pray silently about that on their own, and then close the group in prayer. What You Say: “Heavenly Father, sometimes it is hard to do the right thing or the hard thing when we aren’t confident. But we trust You. Help us to remember that just like You were with Gideon, You are with us too. Help us to have confidence and remember that You can use us no matter what. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.” As adults arrive to pick up, encourage the kids to retell the events of Gideon to their parents.

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