Roadside Assistance

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SUNDAY MORNINGS

July 16, 2017, Week 3 Grade: 1-2

Roadside Assistance Bible Truth: Roadside Assistance (Philip and the Ethiopian Official) • Acts 8:26-40 Bottom Line: God made you to follow Jesus. Memory Verse: “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Ephesians 2:10, NIV Life App: Uniqueness—discovering who God made you to be so you can make a difference. Basic Truth: I can trust God no matter what.

Social: Setting the Tone for the Experience (9:00, 10:15, 11:30) Tallest to Shortest • No supplies needed Bible: Communicating God’s Truth in Engaging Ways (9:15, 10:30, 11:45) • Bible Presentation in Large Group Prayer (9:50, 11:05, 12:20) • Handheld mirror Dismiss (10:00, 11:15, 12:30)

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SUNDAY MORNINGS

July 16, 2017, Week 3 Grade: 1-2

Roadside Assistance Bible Truth: Roadside Assistance (Philip and the Ethiopian Official) • Acts 8:26-40 Bottom Line: God made you to follow Jesus. Memory Verse: “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Ephesians 2:10, NIV Life App: Uniqueness—discovering who God made you to be so you can make a difference. Basic Truth: I can trust God no matter what.

Social: Providing Time for Fun Interaction (Prayer 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, pray for each regular attendee by name. Pray for those who might visit your group for the first time. Praise God for creating us to be in relationship with Him. Thank Him for sending Jesus to provide a way for that relationship to happen. Pray for the kids who might decide today to start a relationship with Jesus. Ask God to guide those conversations. Tallest or Shortest What You Need: No supplies needed What You Do: • Break the group into two teams and have the two teams line up and face each other. • Pick one kid to select the tallest and shortest person from the opposing team. • Then let the other team do the same. • Once the tallest and shortest kids have been chosen for each team, challenge the kids to line up tallest to shortest within their own teams without talking. • When kids are finished, check to see if they are lined up correctly. • Then, challenge all the kids to get into one line from tallest to shortest without talking. • When kids are finished, check to see if they are lined up correctly. What You Say: “Some of you are taller than others right now. And all of you are still growing! God made you uniquely you and he also made you to follow someone. [Transition] Let’s head to Large Group to find out who that person is.” Lead your group to the Large Group area.

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SUNDAY MORNINGS

July 16, 2017, Week 3 Grade: 1-2

Roadside Assistance Bible Truth: Roadside Assistance (Philip and the Ethiopian Official) • Acts 8:26-40 Bottom Line: God made you to follow Jesus. Memory Verse: “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Ephesians 2:10, NIV Life App: Uniqueness—discovering who God made you to be so you can make a difference. Basic Truth: I can trust God no matter what.

Bible: Communicating God’s Truth in Engaging Ways (Large Group, 35 minutes) GETTING READY 1. Opener/Closer What You Need: • • •

Host Smart phone (or GPS device) 1-minute countdown

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

Historyteller Bible Walking stick Pull-along wagon (large enough for two kids to sit in) Rope

3. Worship What You Need: •

Power Praise Team

Music and Sound Effects (SFX): • “Get Down” • “Generation for You” • “I Will Follow”

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SUNDAY MORNINGS

July 16, 2017, Week 3 Grade: 1-2

Roadside Assistance Bible Truth: Roadside Assistance (Philip and the Ethiopian Official) • Acts 8:26-40 Bottom Line: God made you to follow Jesus. Memory Verse: “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Ephesians 2:10, NIV Life App: Uniqueness—discovering who God made you to be so you can make a difference. Basic Truth: I can trust God no matter what.

Bible: Communicating God’s Truth in Engaging Ways (Large Group, 35 minutes) Engage kids’ hearts through a dynamic and interactive Bible Truth, worship, and prayer experience in a Large Group setting. SFX: Play high-energy music as kids enter. CG: Gadgets and Gizmos Theme Slide Host welcomes kids as they enter. Opener HOST: “Hey, everyone! Have you been having unique weeks this summer? Well, of course you have, because we’re all unique, which is pretty cool because that’s what we’re talking about all month long. But what exactly IS uniqueness? Well, this summer we’re talking about it like this. CG: Uniqueness Slide “Uniqueness is discovering who God made you to be so you can make a difference. Hey, speaking of unique, did you know there’s a gizmo that helps you get to whatever unique destination you desire? It’s true! “How many of your parents use a Global Positioning System, better known as a GPS? Ya know, like when they look at a map on a designated GPS device, a smart phone, or even a watch! (Pause for response.) Yeah! Well, I use my GPS all the time! I probably could not have arrived here this morning if I did not have my GPS instructing me to ‘turn left in 400 feet.’ We all follow something, and when I’m driving down the road, I follow my GPS. It never lets me down! “I sent your Prayer group Leader a GPS of sorts. I want to see just how well you can follow instructions. When I say so, I want everyone to group up around your Prayer group Leader. They’ll look at the instructions on their phone, and like Siri, they’ll tell you what to do next. Whichever group follows the most directions at the end of one minute wins! Everybody go ahead and get into your groups. Your Prayer groups should be sitting together, but if they aren’t, give them a moment to get into groups. “Leaders, go ahead and open the first set of directions. Everybody ready? You have one minute. On your marks, get set, go!

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SUNDAY MORNINGS

July 16, 2017, Week 3 Grade: 1-2

CG: 1-minute countdown “Time is up! Let’s see who followed the most directions. Ask groups to raise their hands if they completed more than five, then more than six, until only one group has their hand raised. If you have a tie, congratulate all the winners. “Following a GPS is a lot like following Jesus. Like a GPS, we can ignore the directions God gives us and not follow Him, trusting we know what is best. Now, that wouldn’t be a good idea, as we’ll end up in a place we don’t really want to be. But you can choose to go your own way and disobey God or you can choose to follow Jesus. Let’s hear more about his.” Host exits as Historyteller enters. SETTING UP THE BIBLE TRUTH HISTORYTELLER: “Hey, everyone! For the past two weeks we’ve been discovering people in the Bible who used the unique way that God made them to do some pretty incredible things for Him! And today is no different. Today, we head to the book of Acts, in the New Testament of the Bible. In Acts chapter 8, we find a man name Philip. And just wait until you hear about the adventure God had planned for him!” “The church was just getting started and people were trying really hard to stop people from teaching that Jesus is God’s Son. This got so bad that Philip had to run away from his home to stay safe. But even though he had to escape, he never stopped talking about Jesus. Wherever he went, Philip told people about Jesus and how they were made to follow Him. When Philip shared this truth with people, they believed that Jesus would forgive them of their sins and fix their relationship with God. Many people gave their lives to Jesus.” ANGEL APPEARS TO PHILIP HISTORYTELLER: “One day, an angel of the Lord appeared to Philip and told Philip to go down a desert road out of town. Philip didn’t know what was going to happen, but Philip knew what God wanted him to do, and he obeyed. He gathered up what he needed and went down the road. “Now, I’m going to need a volunteer to help us with the rest of the Bible Truth. Bring a volunteer up on stage. Retrieve the walking stick from backstage. (To volunteer) “You are going to play the role of Philip. The Bible says that Philip walked down the road, so you can hold this walking stick. Hand walking stick to the volunteer. “So Philip knew what road to walk down, but he wasn’t sure where exactly he was going or what to look for. While Philip was walking down the road, an important government official from Ethiopia passed by

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SUNDAY MORNINGS

July 16, 2017, Week 3 Grade: 1-2

in his chariot. Philip could hear that the official was reading from a book in the Old Testament in the Bible written by the prophet Isaiah. “So how about we get another volunteer up here to pay the role of the important official? Bring another volunteer up on stage. (To second volunteer) “Thanks for your help! So, as an important official, you wouldn’t be in just any chariot—you’d be in a GRAND chariot. Let’s pretend this is a grand chariot. Pull the wagon on stage and invite the volunteer to sit. “Hmmm . . . something is missing . . . of course! A chariot can’t very well move itself. We need at least one horse to pull you! How about we get a Small Group Leader to play the horse? Sound good? Yeah, I think so too! Bring an adult volunteer up on stage. Hand him the handle to the wagon and tie one end of the rope around his waist. (To volunteer in wagon) “Mr. Important Official, have you ever driven a chariot before? (Pause for response.) Well, it’s rather easy. When you want the horse to go, you say, ‘Giddyup,’ and give the rope a gentle flick. (Demonstrate.) When you want the horse to stop, you say, ‘Whoa!’ and gently pull back on the rope, like this. (Demonstrate.) Let’s give it a try. ‘Drive’ your chariot once around the stage. Hand the free end of the rope to the kid in the wagon Encourage and assist the kid and SGL in going around the stage as instructed. PHILIP MEETS AN OFFICIAL HISTORYTELLER: “Perfect! Like I said, Philip was walking down the road when he heard the official reading from a scroll in his chariot and recognized that it was Scripture written by the prophet Isaiah. “The Holy Spirit told Philip to run next to the chariot, and that’s exactly what Philip did. As the chariot went along the road, Philip ran along side it. Go ahead, official, get your chariot moving. As the wagon moves along, invite “Philip” to come jog alongside the kid in the wagon. As long as it’s not distracting to the Bible Truth, encourage them to keep traveling in circles around the stage as you continue the Bible Truth. “As he jogged alongside the chariot, Philip asked the official if he knew what he was reading. The official told Philip that he didn’t understand, because no one had ever explained it to him. The official invited Philip into the chariot to teach him about what he was reading. Come this way, official. Stop the wagon center stage. “Hmmm, our chariot looks rather full. But I think we can make it work.

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SUNDAY MORNINGS

July 16, 2017, Week 3 Grade: 1-2

Help both kids get situated in the wagon. “There we go. Giddyup!” Encourage the adult leader to pull the two kids around the stage again. PHILIP HELPS THE OFFICIAL HISTORYTELLER: “Sitting in the chariot together, Philip taught the official what the Scripture passage was about. The prophet had written that a Man would come who would be the Savior of all people. He would live a perfect life and then pay the punishment for everyone’s sin, even though He himself didn’t deserve the punishment. And He would do this willingly without a fight. “The official wasn’t sure who the prophet was talking about. So Philip told the official that the prophet was talking about Jesus years and years and years before Jesus was even born. Philip went on to tell the official everything he knew about Jesus and about everything Jesus had done for the official. “As they were riding along in the chariot, they came to a lake. The official stopped the chariot. Pause for the adult leader to stop pulling the volunteers. “Then Philip and the official got out of the chariot. Pause for the kids to get out of the wagon and invite them to come stand by you. “When they got down into the water, the official asked Philip to baptize him. How amazing is that? Philip shared the message of Jesus with the official and the official realized that he was made to follow Jesus. He believed in Jesus on the spot! “But the Bible Truth wasn’t over. As soon as Philip and the official came up out of the water, the Bible says that the Spirit of the Lord took Philip away. Suddenly, Philip was in a totally different place! He wasn’t in the lake next to the desert road, but he was in a different town! God had transported Philip somewhere else to tell more people about Jesus. Let’s hear it for Philip. Collect the walking stick and dismiss the Philip volunteer. “The official didn’t see Philip again, but he climbed back in his chariot . . . Pause for the kid to get back into the wagon. “. . . and went along his way, rejoicing because of what Jesus had done for him. Giddyup! Allow the adult volunteer to pull the wagon for a brief moment. “Give a round of applause for our volunteers!”

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SUNDAY MORNINGS

July 16, 2017, Week 3 Grade: 1-2

Dismiss the volunteers from the stage. WRAPPING UP THE BIBLE TRUTH HISTORYTELLER: “Like the Ethiopian official, God created us to know and follow Jesus too! But every day we disobey God and sin against Him. Because of our sin, we can’t have a relationship with God. But God loves us so much that He sent Jesus, His perfect Son. And Jesus took the punishment that we should have had in order that we could be close to God. Jesus paid the price that we couldn’t pay and when we accept Jesus as our Savior, we are forgiven of our sins and our relationship with God is fixed. It’s like our Bottom Line for today. CG: Bottom Line Slide [Bottom Line] “God made you to follow Jesus. That’s right! God wants to have a forever friendship with you, and that relationship is possible because of Jesus! Let’s pray and thank God for sending Jesus for us.” Pray HISTORYTELLER: “God, thank You for sending Your Son, Jesus, to pay for our sins. Thank You for accepting His sacrifice so that we can have a friendship with You. And thank You for giving us teachers who can help us to better understand Your love. We love You and we pray these things in Jesus’ name, amen.” “Raise your hand if you an offering today and we’ll bring the bucket over to you.” “Now up on your feet and help me welcome the Power Praise team!” Historyteller exits as Power Praise enters. Worship POWER PRAISE: “I’m excited you’re here and that we get to sing together. Get on your feet. This is the last week, this month, which we will sing our new song called ‘Rock This Planet.’ Let’s sing it again. C’mon, let’s go! SFX: “Rock This Planet” “Oh yeah. That was rocking. Keep that energy up. CG: “Look at Me” “When I look around this room, I see God’s creativity in action because He uniquely created each one of YOU. God’s creation is so amazing. Let’s praise Him for how we are made to be close to Him. Everybody sing this out.” SFX: “Close” “Thanks again for having us. We will see you all next week.”

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SUNDAY MORNINGS

July 16, 2017, Week 3 Grade: 1-2

Host enters as Power Praise exits. Closer HOST: “Wow! Because Philip followed Jesus, God used him in an amazing way and made a big difference in the official’s life. How cool would it be if God transported you from one place to another so that you could tell more people about Him? Like Philip, God wants to use you in a unique way to make a difference. But first, we have to choose to follow Jesus. Let’s look at today’s Bottom Line one more time. CG: Bottom Line Slide [Bottom Line] “God made you to follow Jesus. When we put directions into our GPS apps, we trust that it is going to lead us to the right destination. Jesus ALWAYS leads us to the right place, and that’s to a forever friendship with God. Because of Jesus, we have forgiveness from our sins, we can know God, and we can do good works for God. Let’s take another look at our memory verse. CG: Memory Verse Slide “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do, Ephesians 2:10. That’s why God made us! It’s time for Prayer group, where you’ll have chance to talk more about what it means to follow Jesus. Have a great time together, and we’ll see you next time!” Dismiss children to their Prayer Groups. CG: Prayer Group Slide

Pray and Dismiss (10 minutes) What You Need: Handheld mirror What You Do: • Have the kids pass the mirror around the circle and say the words: “I was made to follow Jesus.” • Let the kids spend a few minutes praying that God will help them follow Jesus this week. • Pray as a group to close out your small group time. What You Say: [Bottom Line] “God made you to follow Jesus. He sent Jesus to show us who He is and how we can follow Him. Let’s pray and ask God to help us do that this week. “Heavenly Father, thank You for sending Jesus to us to show us how to live. Thank You for the unique way You’ve created each of us. Help us to see how we can follow Jesus every day. We love You. In Jesus’ name, amen.” As adults arrive to pick up, ask the kids to tell them that [Bottom Line] God made you to follow Jesus.week that [Bottom Line] God made you to follow Jesus. Thank You for creating each one of us the way you did. Amen.”

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