ELEMENTARY ONE K-5 · projected onscreen). This includes the song title, writer credit(s), copyright notice, and your church’s CCLI license number. You can include this information

©2019 The reThink Group, Inc. All rights reserved. www.OrangeVBS.com

D A Y

F O C U S V B S

ONE K-5O P E N I N G

L A R G E G R O U P

E L E M E N T A R Y

TEAM USER AGREEMENTCEOReggie Joiner DIRECTOR OF MESSAGINGKristen Ivy EXECUTIVE DIRECTORAmy Fenton PROJECT MANAGERS:Dana AndersonSunny Williams WRITERSEmily MeredithKristy HechtSharon CareyJodi BlackwellBrandon O’DellDiane DawsonKellie SmithJacob YorkMike TiemannLogan BrunsonKevin LittonGreg PayneLaura MilnerMegan JohnsonJulie TiemannAshley PierceHolly CrawshawMolly Bell

EDITORSDana WilkersonElloa DavisDana AndersonKathy Hill CREATIVE TEAMMike ClearDan ScottElloa DavisSheeva OlyaieKathy HillBrittany ComptonMike Tiemann ART DIRECTIONSharon van Rossum ILLUSTRATORSJacob HuntBrian BascleMike Davis

GRAPHIC DESIGNERSKaci ArizaKelsey Swanson

The reThink Group, Inc., gladly grants permission to churches, schools, and other licensees to tailor Power Up materials to fit their unique leadership requirements, locale, format preferences, and physical environment needs. However, if you wish to edit the content substantially, including Bible stories, learning activities, scripts, and any other content in which biblical principles and concepts are presented, you are obligated to do so within the doctrinal guidelines expressed in our Statement of Faith.Scripture is taken from the NEW INTERNATIONAL READER’S VERSION®.

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world. Used by permission of Biblica.

These resources are intended to be printed for use by the purchasing entity only and may

not be electronically transferred or duplicated by any other non-purchasing entities. Any

unauthorized reproduction of this material or incorporation into a new work is a direct

violation of U.S. Copyright laws.

D A Y E L E M E N T A R Y

F O C U S V B S


L A R G E G R O U P

©2019 The reThink Group, Inc. All rights reserved. www.OrangeVBS.com 2

OPENING SESSION

OPENER/CLOSERW H AT Y O U N E E D :• Host• Six kid contestants for the game

(three boys and three girls)• Popsicle (or popsicle pool float)• Game show buzzer• Tall, bar-height table

M U S I C A N D S O U N D E F F E C T S ( S F X ) :• Upbeat music to use as kids enter and exit the room• Fun instrumental music for the game

L A R G E G R O U P V I S U A L S :• FOCUS Theme Loop Video• FOCUS Countdown Video• “Get in Focus” Slide• Day 1 Game Slides• Blank Bottom Line Slide• Day 1 Bottom Line Slide• Day 1 Key Question Slide• Blank Memory Verse Slide• Memory Verse Slide

W H AT Y O U D O :• Download and print today’s tech sheet for everyone

helping with Large Group.• Download the slides and videos and have them ready

to use. If you do not have CG capabilities, you have Orange’s permission to enlarge and print the slides on paper.

• Download music from a resource such as iTunes® and have it ready to play. Note: Legally a song belongs to the songwriter/composer who created it and the publisher who markets it. Performance rights organizations (PROs) license public performances (live or recorded) of their members’ music. Usually, but not always, PROs give general permission for performances in worship services. We recommend you obtain permission from the PRO representing the song or the publisher of the song you wish to play. PROs in the U.S. are ASCAP, BMI, and SESAC. For a list of PROs in your part of the world: www.iamusic.com. Look at the copyright on

the CD or sheet music to discover the PRO or publisher of the song. It is up to you to make sure your church has permission to perform or play a recording of a song.

• Place the table in the middle of the stage, and set the buzzer on top.

BIBLE STORYW H AT Y O U N E E D :• Storyteller• Bible• Table (from the Opener)• Telescope (if possible—see “What You Do”)• Microscope (if possible—see “What You Do”)

L A R G E G R O U P V I S U A L S :• FOCUS Drama Video, Day 1, Part 1• FOCUS Drama Video, Day 1, Part 2• Bible Story Video (optional—if you choose to use

it in place of the live Bible story script)• Blank Bottom Line Slide• Day 1 Bottom Line Slide• Bottom Line Slide (blurry)• Romans 1:20 Slides• Day 1 Bible Story Images

W H AT Y O U D O :• Download the slides and have them ready to use.

If you do not have CG capabilities, you have Orange’s permission to enlarge and print the slides on paper.

• If at all possible, try to have an actual telescope and microscope on stage. You could still tell the story without them by saying, “What if we looked through a telescope?” and “What if we looked through a microscope?” But we suggest having the physical objects on stage for a wow factor, and so you’re not doing everything on screen.

G E T T I N G R E A D Y


F O C U S V B S


L A R G E G R O U P


WORSHIPW H AT Y O U N E E D :• Worship leader(s)

L A R G E G R O U P V I S U A L S :• “Only Focus” Dance Moves Music Video OR

Live Lyric Video• “I’ve Got Joy” Dance Moves Music Video OR

Live Lyric Video

W H AT Y O U D O :• Download all videos and have them ready to use.

Note: Make sure your church has obtained licensing rights to play or perform music. You can obtain a license to perform worship music from Christian Copyright Licensing International (www.ccli.com). It covers over 200,000 worship songs for congregational singing. You are responsible for including the copyright information on all songs reproduced under the Church Copyright License (including song lyrics projected onscreen). This includes the song title, writer credit(s), copyright notice, and your church’s CCLI license number. You can include this information on one of the lyric slides, or you can create a separate slide detailing this information, but the copyright information must appear at least once for each song you play or perform. For example: “Hallelujah” words and music by John Doe ©2000 Good Music Co. CCLI License # 0000

G E T T I N G R E A D Y , C O N T I N U E D


F O C U S V B S


L A R G E G R O U P

B I B L E S T O R Y

Seeing God in CreationRomans 1:20

M E M O R Y V E R S E

“Let us keep looking to Jesus. He is the one who started

this journey of faith. And he is the one who completes

the journey of faith.” Hebrews 12:2a (NIrV)

B O T T O M L I N E

FOCUS on what you can see.


Engage kids’ hearts through a dynamic and interactive Bible story, worship, and prayer experience in a Large Group setting.

SFX: Play high-energy music as kids enter.VIDEO: FOCUS Theme Loop

Host is on stage, welcoming the kids as they enter.

VIDEO: FOCUS CountdownVIDEO: FOCUS Theme Loop

OPENERH O S T: “Hi, everyone! Welcome to our FOCUS VBS. We are SO glad you’re here!

“I don’t know about you, but I LOVE to discover new things. I love to focus on things I don’t already know so I can find out more about them. I love to focus on new people so I can get to know them better, too. Some of you might be visiting [your environment’s name] for the first time this week, and we can’t wait to get to know YOU!

“There are lots of things we CAN see that can help us figure out what we CAN’T see.

“For example, if [kid’s name] gives me a high-five, . . .

High-five a kid you know who’s sitting near the front.

“. . . then I know she’s my friend.

“If I look outside and see a giant thundercloud starting to cover up the sun, . . .

Cower and reach out as you look up at the sky.

“. . . then I know it’s probably not the best time to jump in the pool or throw the football with my brother.

“If it’s a million degrees outside, . . .

Pull out the popsicle (or a popsicle pool float).

“. . . then I know I’d better eat my popsicle fast. If I don’t, what’ll happen? (Pause for response.) Right—it’ll melt into a puddle!


F O C U S V B S


L A R G E G R O U P


“Well, the way we think about God is kind of the same way. We might not be able to SEE God with our eyes. But we can discover more about Him when we take a closer look—when we put the FOCUS on Him and His amazing plan for our lives. There are things WE can do that can help us focus on God—and that’s what we’ll get to discover together all week long.

“I thought we could kick things off today with a fun game called . . . ‘Get in Focus’!

CG: “Get in Focus” SlideSFX: Fun instrumental music (play throughout the game)

“Let me get three guys and three girls up here to play.

Bring up three boys and three girls who have their hands raised. Try to get a variety of younger and older kids, from different parts of the room. Ask their names if you don’t already know them.

Have the boys stand on one side of the buzzer, and have the girls stand on the other side.

“Representing the girls, we have [girls’ names]. And representing the boys, we have [boys’ names].

“Here’s how we play the game. (To audience) Raise your hand if you think you know what’s in this picture.

CG: Game Slide #1a: glasses (blurry)

(If no one has guessed it yet) “How about now?

CG: Game Slide #1b: glasses (less blurry)

Call on a kid to answer.

“Right—it’s a pair of glasses. Glasses can definitely help you focus. When you put them on, it turns something blurry like this (point to screen) . . . into this.

CG: Game Slide #1c: glasses (in focus)

“Much better.

“Our friends up here on stage will be looking at a bunch of blurry pictures and trying to guess what they might be. (To contestants) Contestants, if you have a guess, hit the buzzer like this, . . .

Hit the buzzer.

“. . . and then I’ll call on you.

(To audience) “Audience, be sure to cheer for our contestants, but don’t shout out the answers, okay? We want them to be able to guess.

“All right—let’s play! (To contestants) Contestants, here’s your first image.


F O C U S V B S


L A R G E G R O U P


CG: Game Slide #2a: magnifying glass (blurry)

(If they can’t guess) “Let’s make it a little sharper.

CG: Game Slide #2b: magnifying glass (less blurry)

(When a kid answers correctly) “You got it! It’s a magnifying glass.

CG: Game Slide #2c: magnifying glass (in focus)

Continue through all the pictures. Each time, let the contestants first try to guess the image when it’s most blurry. If they can’t guess it, then show the less blurry version. When someone guesses correctly, show the in-focus version of the image.

If a kid buzzes in but doesn’t have the correct answer, say, “Nice try,” and move on quickly, asking if any other contestants have a guess.

Keep score for the boys and girls as you go. If the score is three to two after the fifth round, stop it there so you can be assured of having a winning team (without a tie).

CG: Game Slide #3a: binoculars (blurry)CG: Game Slide #3b: binoculars (less blurry)CG: Game Slide #3c: binoculars (in focus)

CG: Game Slide #4a: telescope (blurry)CG: Game Slide #4b: telescope (less blurry)CG: Game Slide #4c: telescope (in focus)

CG: Game Slide #5a: microscope (blurry)CG: Game Slide #5b: microscope (less blurry)CG: Game Slide #5c: microscope (in focus)

CG: Game Slide #6a: contact lenses (blurry)CG: Game Slide #6b: contact lenses (less blurry)CG: Game Slide #6c: contact lenses (in focus)

(To contestants) “Great job, everyone! (To audience) As you probably noticed, all of those objects were things that can help us focus.

“It was an exciting matchup for sure, but in the end, the [boys/girls] had the most points—so they’re the champions for today. How about a big hand for all of our awesome contestants?

VIDEO: FOCUS Theme Loop

Dismiss the contestants to their seats.“We’ll be playing games all week to see if the boys or girls can pull out the victory.


F O C U S V B S


L A R G E G R O U P


“But now it’s time for one of my most favorite things in the entire world . . . which just happens to be a great way that we can FOCUS on God. Everyone stand up, because it’s time for us to sing to God and tell Him how much we love Him!”

Worship Leaders enter. Host stays in the audience to sing with the kids.

WORSHIPVIDEO: “Only Focus” Dance Moves Music Video OR Live Lyric Video

W O R S H I P L E A D E R : “I love singing and praising with you! Let’s keep singing!

VIDEO: “I’ve Got Joy” Dance Moves Music Video OR Live Lyric Video

“That was so fun! I love to worship God with all of you. You can have a seat.

VIDEO: FOCUS Drama Video, Day 1, Part 1

Worship Leaders and Host exit.

STORYNOTE: If you choose to tell the Bible story live, use the script below. We have also provided a Bible story video, with the same content, that you can show here in place of the live Bible story script.

VIDEO: Bible Story (optional—if you choose to use it in place of the live Bible story script)

Storyteller enters during the FOCUS Drama Video. As the video plays, he/she sets up the telescope and sets up the microscope on the table (in place of the buzzer).

CG: Blank Bottom Line Slide

SETTING UP THE STORYS T O R Y T E L L E R : “Hi, everyone! There are lots of things we CAN see that can help us figure out what we CAN’T see. When we really FOCUS on something, we can find out things that we never even noticed before.

“That’s exactly how it is in our relationship with God. I mean, there are some basic things we know are true about God. We know that God made us, because we’re here—breathing in and out. But we can’t see God. So how can we FOCUS on Him? How can we get to know Him better? How can we be sure His way is the very best way to live? We can start by taking a closer look at what He has MADE.

(Hold up Bible.) “The apostle Paul wrote about that in his letter to the Romans. Paul wasn’t one of the original 12 disciples—or friends—of Jesus . . . but he had an amazing encounter with Jesus that changed his life forever. Paul ended up starting churches, and he traveled around to encourage people everywhere who believed that Jesus is God’s Son. He wrote letters to encourage people, too, and many of those letters ended up as books in the Bible. In fact, Paul wrote more books in the New Testament than anyone else!


F O C U S V B S


L A R G E G R O U P


“Look at these words Paul wrote in Romans, chapter 1.

CG: Romans 1:20 Slides

Open the Bible to Romans 1:20 (NIrV) and read.

“Ever since the world was created it has been possible to see the qualities of God that are not seen. I’m talking about his eternal power and about the fact that he is God. Those things can be seen in what he has made. So people have no excuse for what they do.”

THINGS WE *CAN* SEES T O R Y T E L L E R : “Paul was basically saying: do you want to know how big and powerful God is? Look around! You can see how amazing God is when you see the things He has made.

Put your hand above your eyes, like you’re looking into the distance.

“How about when you wake up early in the morning and you see a beautiful sunrise?

CG: Bible Story Image #1: Sunrise

“When you see the sky turn different colors and you feel the warmth of the sun shine on your face, it’s amazing. It’s magnificent. It’s incredible! When you experience something like that, it reminds you that God is the One who creates each new day.

“God created the oceans . . .

CG: Bible Story Image #2: Ocean

“. . . and the mountains.

CG: Bible Story Image #3: Mountains

“He created animals—like baby bunnies, . . .

CG: Bible Story Image #4: Bunnies

“. . . whale sharks, . . .

CG: Bible Story Image #5: Whale shark

“. . . and tarantulas.

CG: Bible Story Image #6: Tarantula

“And, of course, God made people.

CG: Bible Story Image #7: People


F O C U S V B S


L A R G E G R O U P


“God made me, and He made you. He made your family and your friends. God created all the people in the world that you know . . . and all the people in the world that you HAVEN’T yet gotten to know.

“And that’s not all. Not only did God create you—He also LOVES you! He loves every single person He has made, including you and me.”

BIGGER THAN WE CAN SEES T O R Y T E L L E R : “When we look around, there’s a lot we can see that reminds us of who God is. But what if we take an even bigger view?

CG: Bible Story Image #8: Stars (blurry)

Walk over to the telescope and look into it.

“Oh—sorry. Let me get this into focus.

Adjust the focus on the telescope.

CG: Bible Story Image #9: Stars (in focus)

“That’s better.

Step away from the telescope and look at the audience.

“With the very best telescopes and equipment, we can see all the way into SPACE! We can get a small glimpse of the vast, majestic universe God created.

“We can see the beauty of a massive cloud of gas and dust called a nebula . . .

CG: Bible Story Image #10: Nebula

“. . . or stare into the depths of a mysterious black hole.

CG: Bible Story Image #11: Black hole

“When we start to explore the far reaches of space, it can make us feel really small. But then we remember that the same God who made us and loves us created ALL of it. He is SO big and SO powerful that He designed the entire universe—and we’ve only just begun to understand even a tiny part of it!”

SMALLER THAN WE CAN SEES T O R Y T E L L E R : “God’s creation is bigger than we can ever imagine. But it’s even SMALLER than we can imagine, too. You see, God cares about the details.

“Check THIS out.

Move over to the microscope and look into it.


F O C U S V B S


L A R G E G R O U P


CG: Bible Story Image #12: Tongue (blurry)

“Oops—forgot to focus. Hold on.

Adjust the focus on the microscope.

CG: Bible Story Image #13: Tongue (in focus)

“Can you guess what this is? (Pause for response.) The human tongue! Crazy, right? Have you ever thought about how amazing it is that God created your tongue with THOUSANDS of taste buds? What if you couldn’t taste anything, and eating was just something you had to do? Isn’t it cool that God gave you a tongue so you can actually enjoy the taste of ice cream and cookie cake and broccoli? (Pause for response.) Oh, that’s a no on the broccoli?

“What about this one?

CG: Bible Story Image #14: Tooth

“Any idea what that is? (Pause for response.) It’s a tooth! Look how detailed it is. What would you do without your teeth? Actually, a lot of you can probably relate to that. Raise your hand if you’ve ever lost a tooth. (Pause for response.) Raise your hand if you’ve got a loose one right now. (Pause for response.) Awesome. It’s pretty cool that God gives us not just one but TWO sets of teeth. That way we have a set to practice with first . . . and then we get a brand-new set that fits our jaws as we get older. Take care of your teeth, kids!

“All right—one more.

CG: Bible Story Image #15: Hair

“Any guesses on this one? (Pause for response.) It’s a close-up view of human hair. Fun fact: Jesus once said that God counts every hair on your head (Luke 12:7 NIrV). In other words, God knows exactly how many hairs are on your head. He made you completely unique. He knows EVERYTHING about you! He cares about all the details of your life.

“God knows what you need. He knows what makes you happy and what makes you sad. He knows exactly what you’re going through right now, even if no one else does. And through it all, He loves you more than you’ll ever know.”


WRAPPING UP THE STORYS T O R Y T E L L E R : (Hold up Bible.) “Remember what Paul said in the verse we looked at earlier? He said that we can see how good God is when we see what God has made.

Put your hand over your eyes like you’re looking into the distance.

“We can look at the world around us and see the amazing things God created—like nature, animals, and the people we love.


F O C U S V B S


L A R G E G R O U P


Look into the telescope.

“We can look at the vastness of the universe and remember that our big, powerful God is in control of ALL of it.

Look into the microscope.

“We can look at the smallest details of God’s creation and remember that He cares about EVERYTHING that’s going on in our lives.

“If you want to learn more about God—if you want to grow in your relationship with Him—stop and take a closer look.

CG: Day 1 Bottom Line Slide

“FOCUS on what you can see.

CG: Bottom Line Slide (blurry)

“When your world seems blurry—when something happens that makes you feel frustrated or confused—remember:



“God created you for a purpose. He created you in His image! When you choose to FOCUS on Him, you can point others to Him—just like a beautiful sunrise or a nebula or a crazy close-up image from a microscope.

“When you do that, people will see your faith. They’ll see the way you believe in God, even when life doesn’t make sense. They’ll see how THEY can believe in God, too—how they can trust in a God they CAN’T see because of what they CAN see.

“Let’s pray and ask God to help us FOCUS on Him.”


PRAYS T O R Y T E L L E R : “God, it’s so good to know that we can always trust You. Sometimes things happen that we don’t expect, and that can make us feel discouraged, confused, or disappointed. In those times, please help us to put our FOCUS on You. Help us to look at the amazing world You’ve created and remember how great You are. Help us to remember how much You care about each one of us. Help us to point other people to You as we choose to trust You. We love You, and we ask these things in Jesus’ name, amen.

“Now let’s check back in with our friends from Closer Look.”

VIDEO: FOCUS Drama Video, Day 1, Part 2


F O C U S V B S


L A R G E G R O U P


Storyteller exits. Worship Leaders enter as video ends.

THEME SONGW O R S H I P L E A D E R : “Our song ‘Only Focus’ is a great reminder that we can always put our FOCUS on God and choose to trust Him. Let’s sing it again!”

VIDEO: “Only Focus” Dance Moves Music Video OR Live Lyric Video

Host enters as Worship Leaders exit.


CLOSERH O S T: “Wow. I don’t think I’ll ever look at my tongue or my teeth the same way again. Does anybody have any floss? (Pause for response.) No? Well, I’ll have to take care of that later.

“One thing I know for SURE is that when I see what God has made, it helps me trust God more. Why? Because I can see that He cares about the tiniest details. He’s big enough to make our massive universe AND give us a beautiful planet to live on—a planet that has oxygen to breathe, water to drink, and isn’t burning hot or freezing cold. If the earth were any closer to the sun—or farther away—we couldn’t even live here. We’re in the PERFECT spot. And none of us made that happen. God did.

“God thought up eagles and fireflies and duck-billed platypuses. Or is it platypi? He made strawberries and snow and deserts and beaches. He made redwood trees and Venus fly traps. He made EVERYTHING we can see. And when we look at all of THAT—when we put our FOCUS on everything God has made—it helps us remember that [Basic Truth] we can trust God no matter what.

“Remember:



“It’ll help you FOCUS on God—the One who made it all—the One who loves you and is always right there with you.

“Here’s a fun question for you to think about.

CG: Day 1 Key Question Slide

“What’s your favorite thing that God created?

“Don’t answer yet. Just think about it. You’ll get a chance to talk about it with your friends later. I’m just saying, though, when I pet a golden retriever puppy dog, it’s very easy to remember that God loves me!

CG: Blank Memory Verse Slide


F O C U S V B S


L A R G E G R O U P


“Our memory verse for this week is Hebrews 12:2. Do you think we can memorize it this week? Read it with me.”

CG: Memory Verse Slide

K I D S A N D H O S T: “Let us keep looking to Jesus. He is the one who started this journey of faith. And he is the one who completes the journey of faith, Hebrews 12:2” (NIrV).

H O S T: “That is so good. Even when life is tough or confusing, we can keep our FOCUS on Jesus and remember all He did for us.

“Now it’s time for you to had to Small Group and take a closer look at everything we’ve talked about today. Have fun!”

Dismiss kids to their small groups.

SFX: Play high-energy music as the kids exit.VIDEO: FOCUS Theme Loop

Documents

ELEMENTARY ONE K-5 · projected onscreen). This includes the song title, writer credit(s), copyright notice, and your church’s CCLI license number. You can include this information