252 Groups
May 2016, Week 4 Small Group, 2-3
If I Were a Rich Fool May 22 Bible Story: If I Were a Rich Fool (The rich fool: Bigger barns) • Luke 12:13-21 Bottom Line: When you focus on stuff, you can miss what matters. Memory Verse: “I have learned the secret of being content no matter what happens. I am content whether I am well fed or hungry. I am content whether I have more than enough or not enough.” Philippians 4:12b, NIrV Life App: Contentment—deciding to be happy with what you’ve got. Basic Truth: I can trust God no matter what.
Social: Providing Time for Fun Interaction Early Arriver No supplies needed Awesome! Print the “Awesome!” Activity Page; 1 for each Small Group Choose one experiment from the “Awesome!” Activity Page; gather the necessary supplies
Groups: Creating a Safe Place to Connect 1. Whose Line Is It? (application activity / review the Bible story) Bibles A variety of random props, such as: o Stuffed animals o Moustaches on sticks o Party hats o Disguise glasses o Costume hats o Boas and scarves * 2. Reverse Old Maid (application activity) Print two copies of both “Cards” Activity Pages on cardstock o Cut cards apart and discard one of the cards with the boy and girl’s face. o Shuffle and secure with a rubber band. o Make one set for every four or five kids. Prayer No supplies needed Additional Resources: Make copies on cardstock of this week’s GodTime card. Tell parents about our additional family resources: Studio252.tv, CUE Box, and the Parent Cue app. To find out more about these great resources, go to http://www.Studio252.tv/leaders.
©2016 The reThink Group, Inc. All rights reserved. • www.ThinkOrange.com If you change the content of this document, please add to the copyright: Adapted by (your name/organization name/date).
1
252 Groups
May 2016, Week 4 Small Group, 2-3
©2016 The reThink Group, Inc. All rights reserved. • www.ThinkOrange.com If you change the content of this document, please add to the copyright: Adapted by (your name/organization name/date).
2
252 Groups
May 2016, Week 4 Small Group, 2-3
If I Were a Rich Fool Bible Story: If I Were a Rich Fool (The rich fool: Bigger barns) • Luke 12:13-21 Bottom Line: When you focus on stuff, you can miss what matters. Memory Verse: “I have learned the secret of being content no matter what happens. I am content whether I am well fed or hungry. I am content whether I have more than enough or not enough.” Philippians 4:12b, NIrV Life App: Contentment—deciding to be happy with what you’ve got. 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 story. Before kids arrive, pray for each regular attendee by name. Pray for those who might visit your group for the first time. Most kids this age are somewhat materialistic or possessive of things they have. Pray for them to learn how to avoid prioritizing what they have over WHO they have (their relationships with friends and family). For most kids, this might be a change of habit. Ask God to give kids the discipline to change their focus.
1. Early Arriver Idea What You Need: No supplies needed What You Do: Ask: “If you were stranded on a desert island, what three things would you want to have with you? If you could have only two things, what would they be? If you could have only ONE thing, what would it be?” 2. Awesome! What You Need: “Awesome!” Activity Page; supplies for the chosen experiment What You Do: Guide kids to gather around you and briefly explain the process of the experiment. Engage the kids’ critical thinking by inviting them to predict both what will happen and why. Lead the group in the experiment. What You Say: “Wow! That was incredible! It expanded so much that the container couldn’t even hold it! [Transition] In our Bible story today, we’ll hear a story Jesus told about a man who had more than what his containers could hold, too. Let’s go into Large Group and learn more.” Lead your group to the Large Group area.
©2016 The reThink Group, Inc. All rights reserved. • www.ThinkOrange.com If you change the content of this document, please add to the copyright: Adapted by (your name/organization name/date).
3
252 Groups
May 2016, Week 4 Small Group, 2-3
Groups: Creating a Safe Place to Connect (Small Groups, 25 minutes) Create a safe place to connect and learn how the Bible story applies to real life experiences, through interactive activities and discussion questions. 1. Whose Line Is It? (application activity / review the Bible story) What You Need: Bibles, a variety of random props What You Do: Guide kids to get into teams of three or four. Give each team a Bible. Help them open the Bibles to Luke 12 and find verses 16-21. Have the kids take turns reading the story within their teams. Give each team one type of prop. Instruct the teams to work together to dramatize a version of the Bible story using the props you gave them. Invite teams to perform their mini plays for the group if they wish. What You Say: “What is a parable? (Pause for responses.) Yes, it’s a story that teaches a lesson. What do you think Jesus wanted the man to learn from the parable He told? (Pause for responses.) What can WE learn from Jesus’ parable? (Pause for responses.) “Jesus said, ‘Life is not made up of how much a person has.’ (Luke 12:15, NIrV) So be careful not to focus on your stuff. Instead, focus on what REALLY matters, like loving God with all your heart and loving others like you love yourself. Because [Bottom Line] when you focus on stuff, you can miss what matters.”
* 2. Reverse Old Maid (application activity) What You Need: “Cards” from the Activity Pages; 1 set for every 4-5 kids What You Do: Guide kids to get into groups of four or five and sit in a circle. Give each group a set of cards. Invite one kid to deal all the cards. (Some kids may have one more card than others. That’s okay.) Lead kids in a card game similar to “Old Maid.” Tell kids that the “Old Maid” in this game is the boy and girl card. To play: o Guide kids to fan their cards and hold them so that no one can see them. o The youngest child takes a card from the child on his right (without seeing what it is). o He then offers his “hand” to the child on his left, who also takes one card. o Play continues around the circle. o When a child gets a pair, he sets it on the floor in front of him. o Play continues until one child is left holding the boy and girl card. o Note: Kids will think the person who gets the boy and girl card is the loser. Shhh! Let them think that’s the case!
©2016 The reThink Group, Inc. All rights reserved. • www.ThinkOrange.com If you change the content of this document, please add to the copyright: Adapted by (your name/organization name/date).
4
252 Groups
May 2016, Week 4 Small Group, 2-3
What You Say: “In the game of ‘Old Maid,’ the person who ends up with the old maid card at the end loses the game. But guess what? In our game, the person with the boy and girl card is the WINNER! Why? Because people are more important than things! “Can it be easy to let stuff become more important than people? You bet! Have you ever fought with your brother and sister over who got to pick the movie or the game? Have you ever gotten angry at a friend because they messed with something that belonged to you? If you’ve done those things, you’ve let stuff be more important than people. [Make It Personal] (Tell about a time when you let stuff become more important than someone you love. Share how it affected the other person and your relationship with them. Also tell what you did to make amends.) “So remember: [Bottom Line] when you focus on stuff, you can miss what matters. And what really matters? (Pause.) Yes! What really matters is loving God and loving people!”
Pray and Dismiss What You Need: No supplies needed What You Do: Guide kids to gather close around you. Remind kids that [Bottom Line] when you focus on stuff, you can miss what matters. And what matters is to love God and to love others. Pray for each child by name, expressing your love for them in specific ways. Close by asking God to help your group to focus on what truly matters this week. (loving God and loving others).
Give each child a GodTime card as adults arrive to pick up. Guide kids to tell their parents the Bottom Line: [Bottom Line] When you focus on stuff, you can miss what matters. Lead kids to then say what really matters (loving God and loving others).
©2016 The reThink Group, Inc. All rights reserved. • www.ThinkOrange.com If you change the content of this document, please add to the copyright: Adapted by (your name/organization name/date).
5