Scripture: Genesis 12: 1-9
Memory Verse: “As for me and my household,
we will serve the Lord.” Joshua 24: 15b
NRSV
Concepts:
·
Like Abraham, we
should listen and obey when God leads us.
·
Blessing is a gift from God that brings goodness and well-being in
life. (Fretheim, pg. 425)
·
God promises to bless us.
·
We respond to
God’s blessing by worshipping God.
·
God chooses to
work through people to fulfill God’s mission.
·
We, like Abraham,
are on a journey of faith with God.
Objectives:
1.
Children will
view the video Abraham the Forefather.
2.
Children will
learn that by having faith and believing in God many blessings will come to us.
Procedure:
Welcome and Introductions:
1.
Greet the
children and introduce yourself. Wear
your nametag. Make sure the children are wearing nametags. If not, ask the
shepherd to supply a temporary badge. Remember you are interacting with a
different group of students each week that may not know you.
2.
Explain to the
children that the purpose of this workshop is to learn about how God blesses
those who believe in him and how we should respond to those blessings.
Scripture/Bible Story:
Read the Bible
story. Encourage the children to use their Bibles in looking up verses. You may want to ask the children to read or
you may want to read the scripture yourself.
If a child does not want to read that is perfectly fine. Be creative in giving suggestions for
retelling the story in weeks 3-5 when the children are more familiar with the
story. You may want to ask them what happened first, second, etc.
Application:
1. Show the video. It’s about 30 minutes long if it is
cued after the beginning credits. Note: STOP the video just before Abraham unsheathes
his knife to perform the circumcision (almost at the end of the tape).
2.
When the video is
over turn the lights on.
Ask the children if they
think they have faith as strong as Abrahams.
Also ask them if there are times that they doubt that God is present in
their lives – if there are responses affirming this, then try to draw
information out if the child(ren) as to when he/she felt God was not
present. Explain that God is always
present but sometimes we are too focused on other things in our lives or really
wanting stuff that we forget about God.
You may want to share a story in your life when you have had a hard time
having faith. Also, feel free to ask the
other adults present the same questions.
Reflection Time:
At 10:35 a.m. ask the
shepherds to pass out the journal pages and pencils/markers. Suggestion: You
may wish to give the children a sticker or some memento to paste on their
journal page as a reminder of the story or activity.
Remind them that the offering
from this rotation will go to the Peacemaking offering.
Suggested prompts
for journal writing: List some of the
ways that God has blessed you and your family.
Share some ways that you have obeyed God. For grades 1 and 2, you may want to tell them
to draw a picture of the ways that God has blessed them.
At 10:45 ask the students to
close their journals and sit quietly for prayer.
Prayer:
Prepare a closing prayer. Ask they
children if they have any concerns that they would like addressed in the
prayer.
Tidy and Dismissal: Ask children to help clean up popcorn before they leave Holywood. Wait until after class to pile up the beanbag
chairs. The kids tend to throw them. Wipe out popcorn machine thoroughly, do
not use water.
Teacher preparation in advance:
1.
Read the
scripture passages and attend the Faith Quest Leaders Bible Study.
2.
Prepare
a closing prayer.
3.
For
questions on this .
Supply List
·
Video
will be given to you at the Workshop Leaders’ Bible Study.
·
Journal
pages will also be provided at the Bible study or the first Sunday of the
rotation.
·
Stickers
if you want to put them on the journal pages.
References
Lori
Houck, Kirk Faith Quest
Bible Study Leader
In the Beginning, Abraham the Forefather, 1995, Nippon Television Network Corporation, CCC of
America, 6000 Campus Circle Dr., Suite 110, Irving, TX 75063, 800-935-2222, ISBN 1-56814-378-8.