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Missions Programme MaterialsA collec1on of theme ideas from Scripture Union Missions across Northern Ireland
2
Contents
How do I use this resource? Page 3
How to Prepare your Mission Programme Page 4
Sharing the Vision Page 5
One Week Programme Ideas Page 6
FBI Jesus Page 7
The Life of Jesus Page 9
Two Week Programme Ideas Page 11
What’s in the Bible? Page 12
Encounters with God Page 14
God Makes a Way Page 18
God is Awesome Page 20
3
How do I use this resource?
This pack provides a compilaTon of tried and tested programme materials from Scripture Union Missions across Northern Ireland. This is just a small collecTon of ideas which have been recommended for use. The informaTon here is made up of a theme synopsis and an overview of the programme teaching points and Bible references. All of these programmes are Biblically based and aim to provide children the opportunity to meet with God and make a decision to follow Him. You will find one week and two week programmes included although they are primarily a starTng point and can be used in whatever way works for your Mission. If you’d prefer to come up with an original programme, you can find some advice on how to go about it on page 4.
While all of these programme ideas have been taken from Missions, with some tweaking they can be easily adapted for a Camp situaTon.
4
How to Prepare Your Mission Programme
Whether you are starTng with a blank page and coming up with something brand new, or you are working from a plan already in place, the main aim is to come up with something for your mission which is Biblically based and which provides children the opportunity to meet with God and make a decision to follow him. The end result of your theme should be specific, well considered, and detailed but ge]ng there can seem a bit muddled. Here is some advice on how you may want to go about pu]ng your programme together.
Where to start:• it may seem like an impossible task but it’s doable• all themes really are the same (creaTon to resurrecTon!) so think about the big picture• you might be inspired by something or you may need to pick your brains for a while, there’s no correct way to go about it, just whatever works for you
• always bounce ideas off another person, don’t jump into the first idea you can think of without taking Tme to pray and think logically about it
• no mader name you give it, or characters you look at, you want to cover the ChrisTan basics -‐ that’s why you’re there, to share the Good News of Christ with children and young people
Refining the Big Idea:• use a big table, it’s easy to read and shows the progression of the programme as well as the big picture
• think about teaching points -‐ what do you want the children to leave knowing? Always be intenTonal about taking the opportunity to challenge them, this is not exclusively for the last Friday!
• make sure it is applicable for the whole audience (4-‐18 yr olds)• when you have your overall theme and some teaching points start thinking about which stories you want to use, find the passages and unpack the idea a lidle bit
• the theme sTll doesn’t have to be squeaky clean, allow some room for interpretaTon of the team, you don’t want to write their talks for them
5
Sharing the Vision
When your programme is ready, it is now Tme to share it with your team and to start thinking about how it will be communicated at your mission. Here are some ways you may want to consider doing this.
Team:Before the mission
•Share the theme with you team and encourage them to make it part of their devoTons and preparaTon
•Recommend some relevant reading material •Team weekend or day with an invited speaker to unpack the theme•SecTon meeTngs/team meeTngs/craj nights – always make it part of the Tme together•Accountability partners/groups•Set Bible studies for the team to complete before the mission
During the mission•Morning devoTons•Accountability partners/groups•Allow Tme for personal devoTons•Visibly display the theme
Young People:Before the mission
•Publicity material – postcards/facebook/twider -‐ get them used to the statements and theme
During the mission•Bookstall – does it reflect the theme?•Make the theme explicit – central to talks/services/Bible studies•Make the songs applicable to the learning statement•RepeTTon – say it, remember it•Visibly display theme•Make sure the theme is applicable
Ajer the mission•Literature/Social Media
6
One Week Programme Ideas
7
The Idea...
FBI JESUS
A one week programme inves1ga1ng the life and claims of Jesus ChristCreated, tried and tested at Portstewart CSSM 2006
At the start of Mark’s Gospel we are told who Jesus is...“this is the gospel (good news) about Jesus Christ, the Son of God”.
Mark goes on through his gospel to set up situaTons or cameos when we see Jesus at work and are forced to answer the quesTon -‐ who is this that can do this... heal the sick, calm storms, forgive sins, raise people from the dead?
Mark wants the reader to remember the opening verse so that when we are asked in Mark 6 “Who is this that the wind and waves obey?” we remember verse 1 and say “It is Jesus Christ the Son of God”.
Throughout this programme stories from the Bible are used which will end by asking a quesTon like “Who is this... that the prophets foretold... that can calm the storms?” It is hoped that the children and young people will be challenged to meet Jesus the Son of God.
8
Day
Learning
Statem
ent
Summary an
d Learning Points
Key Passages
1Prop
hesy and
Jesus’ Birth
Who
is th
is who
was th
e Son of God
yet w
as born in a
stable?
God
’s plan is introd
uced
as far back as Gen
esis 3. The eviden
ce builds througho
ut th
e Old
Testam
ent w
ith proph
ets many years be
fore th
e birth of Je
sus pred
ic1n
g remarkable things abo
ut
the ‘M
essiah’. Throu
gh looking at th
e prop
hecies and
their fulfillm
ent in the birth and early part of
Jesus’ life, children will hop
efully see th
at:
•Jesus is God
’s Son
•Jesus fu
lfilled prop
hecy
•God
had a plan for salva1
on (M
a^he
w 1:21)
•Sin sep
arates us from
God
(Gen
esis 3)
Gen
esis 3 (O
ne who
wou
ld crush th
e serpen
t’s head)
Isaiah 9:2-‐7; 7:4 (Spo
ken of years beforeh
and)
Micah 5:2
Luke 1:26-‐35 (Spo
ken of before His birth to
a virg
in m
othe
r)Luke 2:1-‐20 (The
birth of Jesus who
the angels said was th
e Saviou
r)Luke 2:25-‐35 (P
eople like SImeo
n had be
en wai1n
g for Jesus)
Ma^
hew 1:21
2Jesus -‐ T
he Pow
er
of God
in Ac1on
Who
is th
is who
has supe
rnatural
power yet cares fo
r me?
Jesus du
ring His m
inistry on
earth displayed
sup
ernatural pow
er. He had po
wer over nature, death,
sin and illne
ss yet He s1ll wants to
have a rela1o
nship with
individu
als. Throu
gh con
tras1n
g the
supe
rnatural events of Je
sus’ life and
the warmth of H
is con
cern fo
r Zacchaeu
s and othe
r sinn
ers,
children shou
ld be en
couraged
to und
erstand that Je
sus is th
e Son of God
but also that He cares for
them
individu
ally and
wants to
have a rela1o
nship with
them
.
Luke 9:10-‐17 (Feeding of the
5000 de
mon
strates Jesus’
supe
rnatural pow
er yet His con
cern fo
r pe
ople’s everyday
human needs)
John
2:1-‐11 (W
ater tu
rned
into wine)
Luke 19:1-‐10 (Zacchaeus)
Luke 17:11-‐19 (Jesus heals th
e lepe
rs)
Mark 2:13-‐17 (Jesus eats with
tax collectors)
3Jesus -‐ T
he W
ord of
God
in Ac1on
Who
is th
is who
se
words have po
wer
yet spe
aks to m
e?
Througho
ut th
e gospels a common
them
e is th
at Je
sus’ words have po
wer. He has the po
wer
through His voice to
calm th
e storm, to raise pe
ople from
the de
ad and
more than th
at, H
e can
even
make church seem interes1ng by teaching in th
e local synagogue
with
autho
rity. The am
azing
truth ho
ped to be un
derstood
by the children is th
at th
rough reading the Bible, th
e very sam
e God
who
spe
aks in pow
er can spe
ak to
them
today. The
aim
is to
get children and youn
g pe
ople excite
d abou
t reading th
e Bible.
Luke 8 (C
alming of th
e storm, healing the de
mon
possessed
man, healing the bleeding wom
an and
raising Jairus’
daughter)
Mark 1:22
2 Timothy 3:16
4Jesus -‐ T
he Son
of
God
Who
is th
is who
died
for me yet
lives to
day?
God
dem
onstrates His love fo
r us th
rough send
ing His Son
to die on the cross. Throu
gh th
e expe
rien
ces of th
e eyew
itnesses the aim is to
con
vey that th
is was an actual event in history th
at
impacted
on the lives of som
e of th
e characters in th
e Easter narra1ve and can s1ll im
pact on lives
today. Referen
ce m
ade to th
e previous days abou
t God
’s plan, God
’s need for a pe
rfect sacrifice
and ho
w Je
sus lived
a perfect life cou
ld help to explain why Je
sus had to die. The story of th
e centurion po
ses the statem
ent, “Surely th
is m
an was th
e Son of God
”. It is ho
ped that th
e children
will be able to
make this statemen
t.
Mark 15
Ma^
hew 27:11-‐56
Luke 23
John
18-‐19
Isaiah 53
Romans 5
5Jesus -‐ T
he Com
ing
King
Who
is th
is who
will re
turn as King
of all?
The idea to
be conveyed
is th
at of the
Holy Spirit and ho
w th
e Jesus taught abo
ut all week, by the
Holy Spirit, is with
us in everything we do
. The children shou
ld be en
thused
abo
ut living th
e ‘Chris1a
n life’, abo
ut having the Holy Spirit as th
eir guide and ho
w He is m
oulding them
to be more
Christ-‐like in prepara1o
n for he
aven
. The children are to be given a life-‐changing opp
ortunity: if
they trust Jesus th
ey will never be the same, th
ey have God
with
them
and
the prom
ise of heaven.
Ma^
hew 28
Mark 16
Luke 24
Ma^
hew 24-‐25 (B
eing re
ady for Jesus’ re
turn)
Revela1o
n 20:11-‐21:8
Revela1o
n 21:22-‐27
Revela1o
n 22
John
16:5-‐16 (T
he work of th
e Holy Spirit)
Acts 1:8
FBI Jesus
9
The Idea...
THE LIFE OF JESUS
A one week programme using stories from Jesus’ life to find out who he is and why we should follow himCreated, tried and tested at Ballycastle CSSM 2012
Carried out over the course of five days, this programme explores the life of Jesus’ through the gospel of Luke. The story begins by looking at Jesus’ childhood and highlighTng that even though Jesus was completely human he was also specially set apart for God, sinless and perfect.
This concept is unpacked further throughout the week by discovering how Luke weaves together a short series of narraTves that illustrate Jesus’ powerful ministry, showing that nothing is impossible with God.
The passages move on to recount the events surrounding Jesus’ death and resurrecTon, to show an appreciaTon for the price he paid on the cross and how it brings compleTon of the ulTmate celebraTon; that in conquering death, these children can have access to God the father.
Having shaped the narraTve to this crucial point, the week ends with a personal challenge: What does this mean for you? Will you follow Jesus?
10
The Life of Jesus
Day
Learning
Statem
ent
Summary an
d Learning Points
Key Passages
1Jesus is no
ordinary boy
Let’s start back whe
n Jesus was just a boy. Tod
ay we want to make the children un
derstand
that Je
sus was born into th
is world and
grew up as a hum
an. H
owever, w
e want to teach
the children most impo
rtantly
that even as a boy Je
sus was SPECIAL. He was uniqu
e, sinless
and pe
rfect –
the teache
rs at the
temple were am
azed
by him. H
e was differen
t because he
was God
’s son
– God
was going to
use him
to do am
azing things.
Luke 2 v 41 -‐ 5
2Jesus as a boy
2Jesus is a
mira
cle worker
Today we want to share with
the children ho
w God
used his son Jesus. In th
is story we see
Jesus changing th
e life of a paralysed
man – by forgiving him and
healing him. Let’s explore
how God
used Jesus to perform
mira
cles th
at no othe
r man ever could. Let’s sho
w th
e children that th
rough Jesus, nothing is im
possible with
God
. Has God
worked a
transforming mira
cle in you
r life?
Luke 5 v 17 -‐ 2
6Jesus he
als a paralysed
man
3Jesus has taken
our place
Jesus was God
’s son
– a perfect, sinless hum
an. H
e was changing lives – yet God
had a
bigger plan for Jesus. He had come to th
e world to
save the world th
rough dying on
the
cross. Tod
ay, let’s share th
e Jesus’ death with
the children that th
ey m
ight und
erstand the
price that was paid for them
on the cross. It’s only be
cause of Je
sus’ death th
at we can
have our sins forgiven
– will we ask Jesus to ta
ke away our sin to
day?
Luke 23 v 18 – 47
Jesus is crucifie
d
4Jesus is alive!
Jesus’ death was not th
e en
d of th
e road – God
was to
tally in con
trol of it. Tod
ay can we
imagine with
the children ho
w th
e disciples were feeling? V4 says “they did not kno
w what
to th
ink”. Even whe
n things seem out of con
trol – God
has it sorted. Let’s fo
cus on
how
God
’s plan for Jesus was th
at he wou
ld rise again. Je
sus wou
ld con
quer death, and
through
him we have access to God
the Father – do we realise what G
od has don
e for us?
Luke 24 v 1 – 12
Jesus rises again
5Will you
follow
Jesus?
Here we see Jesus appe
aring be
fore his disciples. W
hen they see his wou
nds and they
know
it is Him
. He tells his disciples th
at th
e Holy Spirit, as prom
ised
by the Father, w
ill live
with
in th
em. Let’s share with
the children today what it m
eans to
have the Holy Spirit living
with
in us. Je
sus also com
mande
d his followers us to
go and tell everyone
we know
the
good
new
s abou
t Him
! Whe
n we ask Jesus into our lives, we ne
ed to
live our lives in a new
way, ‘we are a ne
w creaT
on…’.
Luke 24 v 36 – 53
Jesus talking to his
followers
11
Two Week Programme Ideas
12
The Idea...
WHAT’S IN THE BIBLE?
A two week programme with focus on a complete Bible overview journeying through the main Bible themesCreated, tried and tested at Cranfield CSSM 2008
The main theme for the two-‐week programme will be to take a complete Bible overview, allowing for the opportunity to take a journey through the main Bible themes. The overarching theme will be to look at how God wants to have a relaTonship with the people He has created and how He goes about enabling this to happen.
As each daily theme is introduced in the context of the “big picture,” this will not mean trying to cover years of history, rather just simply showing how themes / events link together. In the whole group sessions, the main desire is to integrate Jesus and aim to both evangelise and disciple!
This programme was based on the desire to link the theme used in big whole group sessions into the programme during smaller secTon Tme. This provides the opportunity to extend the teaching and applicaTon of the main theme to deepen the knowledge and understanding of children in a se]ng and context appropriate to their age range.
13
What’s in th
e Bible? (1
)Day
Learning Statemen
t (an
d Focus for the Day)
Summary an
d Learning Points
Key Passages
1Crea1o
nGod
always existed and chose to create a pe
ople to
have a
rela1o
nship who
wou
ld hon
our him th
rough his pe
rfect
crea1o
n.(Aspects of G
od’s character)
God
made the world and
everything in it and
He made hu
mans in Hid im
age. The
first h
umans were Adam and
Eve. As creator of th
e world, G
od is th
eir ruler (or King) o
f it. How
ever, G
od blessed
Adam and
Eve & app
ointed
them
to be rulers over his crea1o
n.1)
World was created
so God
can have rela1o
nship with
us
2)We are created in God
’s im
age
3)This is m
ost clearly seen in Je
sus
Gen
esis 1 & 2
2The Fall
God
created
us in his im
age and wanted to have a
rela1o
nship with
us gave Adam and
Eve sim
ple rules to
follow but th
ey th
ought the
y knew
be^
er and
their
disobe
dien
ce had con
sequ
ences.
(Rela1
onships damaged
because of sin)
Adam & Eve cho
se to
reject Hod
their ruler and King. The
effe
cts of re
jec1ng God
were de
vasta1
ng. A
s a result,
humans no
longer re
late rightly to
God
, to each other or to crea1
on in which we’ve been placed
.1)
Rela1o
nship with
God
dam
aged
2)There are conseq
uences fo
r sin
3)in th
e same way God
walked in th
e garden
, Jesus walks in a re
la1o
nship with
us.
Gen
esis 3 -‐ 6
3The Co
venant
Because of th
eir sin Adam & Eve had to
leave Eden
, and
this
damages th
e close rela1o
nship they had with
God
. From
this 1me pe
ople cho
se to
make their ow
n de
cision
s and no
longer put God
first-‐the separa1o
n widen
s. God
s1ll w
ants
a rela1o
nship with
his peo
ple.
(Promises God
makes His peo
ple and ou
r respon
ses)
God
cho
se one
man, A
braham
and
made a special coven
ant (pled
ge / promise) God
promised
to m
ake a ‘nam
e’
for Abraham
and
promised
him
a spe
cial re
la1o
nship. God
wou
ld m
ake a great n
a1on
from
Abraham
’s
descen
dants and give th
em a land
of the
ir own. He did this so that in th
e en
d, th
e who
le world wou
ld be blessed
and hu
manity
’s re
jec1on
of G
od wou
ld not go on
forever.
1)God
’s promise / covenant
2)a chosen
peo
ple / plan
3)called to fo
llow / obe
dien
ce4)
making a way fo
r us to
have a rela1o
nship with
God
again
5)Jesus brings th
e ne
w coven
ant
Gen
esis 12-‐18
4The Law
God
keeps his promise and through Abraham
His peo
ple
grow
in num
ber -‐ the
children of Israel. The
y live in Egypt,
becoming slaves whe
n God
once again show
s his plan and
rescue
s them
. On the way He de
velops His re
la1o
nship
with
them
by giving th
em His rules fo
r living.
(God
’s law helps us in our re
la1o
nships with
him
& others)
On their way to
the Prom
ised
Land, Israel was given
instruc1on
s on
how
to live in th
eir ne
w land
. The
se
instruc1on
s told Israel abo
ut what it m
eant to
be in a spe
cial re
la1o
nship with
their God
. The
law to
ld th
em how
to live as God
’s saved
peo
ple -‐ h
ow to
live as the pe
ople th
rough who
m th
e who
le world wou
ld ul1mately be
blessed
1)God
gives his peo
ple a pa^ern for living
2)Re
la1o
nships stren
gthe
ned through rules-‐God
’s coven
ant w
ith us
3)Jesus teache
s us th
e ‘greatest com
mandm
ent’
Gen
esis 19-‐34
5The Exile
Thou
gh God
con
1nually provide
s for His peo
ple giving th
em
a land
to live in and
leaders to guide
them
, peo
ple s1ll think
they kno
w what is be
st fo
r their lives and
igno
re God
.(W
e ne
ed to
remain faith
ful to God
in all situa1
ons)
Througho
ut th
eir history, God
’s peo
ple disobe
yed the law and
neglected
their special rela1
onship with
God
. Even
their leaders forgot abo
ut God
. The
very pe
ople th
rough who
m God
plann
ed to
bring blessing into th
e world
were thinking ‘w
e know
be^
er God
-‐ we’ll do
things our way.’ So God
took th
em out of the
ir Promised
Land. He
sent th
em away to
the surrou
nding na1o
ns. W
hile th
ey were in exile, the
peo
ple were in anguish, because it
seem
ed th
at God
’s promises to
Abraham
were be
ing un
done
. Many de
scen
dants were wiped
out, and
those who
were lep were banished
from
the Prom
ised
Land.
1)Peop
le in exile due
to th
eir disobe
dien
ce2)
Daniel lives faith
fully to
God
even in diffi
cult situa1
ons
3)Whe
n we try to do it on
our own -‐ w
e can’t!
4)Daniel prays as he
kno
ws he
needs God
’s help -‐ Jesus sho
ws us th
e same exam
ple in his life
Daniel 6
14
What’s in th
e Bible? (2
)Day
Learning Statemen
t (an
d Focus for the Day)
Summary an
d Learning Points
Key Passages
6Birth of Je
sus
God
has never fo
rgo^
en his peo
ple, and
many return
peacefully to
their land
but do no
t live the way God
intend
ed. H
ere en
ters Je
sus, God
’s beloved
son
sen
t to m
ake a way fo
r his pe
ople to
have that re
la1o
nship
once again.
(OT Prop
hecies fu
lfilled in Je
sus’ birth and
life -‐ Show
s us God
is in con
trol, H
is big plan)
God
kep
t his promise by sen
ding His son
Jesus into th
e world. Jesus is God
living amon
g the pe
opleHe created in order to
rene
w th
e broken
rela1o
nships and
help pe
ople learn to live as His peo
ple
1)Jesus is th
e prom
ised
Messiah
2)God
is working out His plan for having a re
la1o
nship with
the pe
ople he created
3)God
com
es to
live with
us
4)Whe
n Jesus is a child in th
e temple we see he
und
erstand who
he is and
his re
la1o
nship with
God
Luke 2
(par1cularly
41-‐52)
7Jesus’ Life
Jesus’ life and
teaching provide
s a ‘blue print’ fo
r Ch
ris1an living and
dem
onstrates the closen
ess of th
e rela1o
nship we can have with
God
again th
rough
Jesus.
(Following Jesus’ example in our lives
1)prayer
2)bible
3)service)
Jesus lived
the life of spe
cial re
la1o
nship with
God
that all Israel was sup
posed to live. Jesus never disob
eyed
God
! He told
peop
le th
at it was 1me for God
’s peo
ple to be reconciled to him
.1)
Jesus’ life provide
s us with
a ro
le m
odel / example for living
2)Feed
ing 5000 -‐ ne
ed fo
r spen
ding 1me with
God
, prayer, serving othe
rs3)
A re
la1o
nship with
God
means having po
si1ve rela1o
nships with
others
Mark 6:30-‐44
8Death and
Resurrec1on
Jesus’ death fu
lfills OT Prop
hesy and
is th
e pe
rfect
sacrifice neede
d to finally pay th
e price for sin -‐ o
ur
disobe
dien
t living is outside
of G
od’s plan for us.
His re
surrec1o
n de
mon
strates God
’s sa1
sfac1o
n with
Jesus’ sacrifice and po
ints to
the eternal life th
ose
who
enter into a re
la1o
nship with
God
can experience
(The
2 ways to live m
essage -‐ who
is King of my life?
what d
oes it cost m
e?)
Jesus willingly died
to ta
ke on himself the pu
nishmen
t due
to hum
anity
for their rejec1on
of G
od. In the cross of Je
sus, God
the King was God
the Saviou
r too. It was God
’s plan to dem
onstrate His love fo
r His peo
ple by th
is act of self-‐sacrifice. It is an
astonishing way to
establish His kingdom
. God
raised
Jesus from
death, sho
wing that th
e pe
nalty
for disobe
dien
ce had been
paid and
that th
e world cou
ld be reconciled to God
-‐ ne
w coven
ant.
1)the basic message of salva1o
n2)
cost of following Jesus -‐ ‘take up cross and follow m
e’
Mark 15-‐16
9Early Ch
urch
From
the arrival of the
Holy Spirit to empo
wer th
e disciples they are sen
t out to
take th
e good
new
s to all
and the church as God
’s family grows.
(Being part o
f the
chu
rch -‐ T
he bod
y of Christ)
Jesus returns to heaven and send
s the Holy Spirit to give his followers the po
wer neede
d to con
1nue
following him. The
church is establishe
d as m
any be
come followers of Je
sus -‐ p
eople en
ter into a new
rela1o
nship with
God
. 1)
even
ts of P
entecost
2)Followers be
come part of the
Early Chu
rch-‐ Chris1a
ns are all part of this church to
day
3)Peop
le can have a rela1o
nship together because of the
rela1o
nship we have with
God
Acts 1:1-‐11;
2:1-‐47
10Sent Out
Jesus will com
e again and will ta
ke all be
lievers to
live
with
God
together. U
n1l the
n ou
r lives on earth
shou
ld re
flect th
e exam
ple of Je
sus, te
lling others, and
living lives th
at point to
God
our creator, red
eemer
and friend
.(The
Goo
d New
s we have to
tell othe
rs-‐ways we can
tell othe
rs abo
ut th
e rela1o
nships we have with
God
)
Whe
n we en
ter a ne
w re
la1o
nship with
God
through Jesus we have amazing Goo
d New
s to share with
others. Je
sus’ last
command to His fo
llowers was to
tell othe
r this Goo
d New
s and the NT is filled with
examples of p
eople do
ing this alongside
God
’s promise to sup
port us as we do
this
1)Jesus’ com
mission
2)Saul / Paul’s example of beginning a new
rela1o
nship with
God
3)Paul ta
kes the Goo
d New
s to others
4)We are challenged
to change and then
to te
ll othe
rs
Acts 1:8;
9:1-‐31; 13-‐14
15
The Idea...
ENCOUNTERS WITH GOD
A two week programme: How a mee1ng with Jesus can be transforma1onalCreated, tried and tested at Portstewart CSSM 2010
Each of us in our own lives has experienced how a meeTng with Jesus can surround us with love, convict us of sin, redirect our life, transform our prioriTes and restore our relaTonship with God.
The desire is that young people at CSSM will have a meeTng with Jesus that is transformaTonal.
Throughout the two weeks, the programme looks at people who met Jesus-‐ to see how some people responded with total commitment to God’s plan, some responded with yet more quesTons and others trusted in Him. The hope is that the Kids will understand that these are not just encounters in history but Jesus wants them to encounter him today. Point the kids to Jesus who can transform them holisTcally and give them the hope of eternal encounter with him.
16
Encoun
ters with
God
(1)
Day
Learning Statemen
tSummary an
d Learning Points
Key Passages
1Mary:
Embracing God
’s Plan:
To highlight th
at th
e birth of Je
sus was part
of God
’s bigger plan of
salva1
on, evide
nt
througho
ut th
e Bible.
We are introd
uced
to M
ary as a you
ng girl living in Nazareth, engaged
to be married
to a local m
an called Joseph
. In this sen
se, her life was
following an expected and remarkable pa^ern. But a visit from
n angel changed
this com
pletely. The
angel to
ld M
ary that she
was to
be the
mothe
r of th
e Messiah, G
od’s promised
Saviour.
Her re
spon
se of u
nequ
ivocal obe
dien
ce is th
e on
e the Lord waits to
hear from
his fo
llowers today, “I am th
e Lord’s servant...may it be to m
e as you
have said.” She expressed he
r willingness to be the virgin m
othe
r of th
e Son of God
, and
rejoiced
at h
er part in God
’s plan.
This is th
e fulfillm
ent o
f OT prop
hecy and
have the op
portun
ity to
con
side
r the respon
se of M
ary the the ne
ws brou
ght b
y the angel.
Mary’s willingness to be part of G
od’s plan...
What d
oes God
’s salva1o
n plan m
ean for us to
day?
If we have given
our lives to Je
sus, how
do we follow him
more closely?
Luke 1: 26-‐56
Luke 2: 1-‐7
2The Paralysed Man:
Forgiven
ess / faith
in
ac1o
n
Here Jesus en
coun
ters som
eone
who
se friend
s wen
t out of the
ir way to
help him m
eet Jesus. Jesus’ first con
cern was to
forgive the man’s sins and
then
in order to
prove his pow
er and
autho
rity He wen
t on to heal the
man physically
Faith
-‐the
men
believe Je
sus cou
ld heal the
paralysed
man and
they acted
upo
n that faith
in a crea1
ve way -‐ using any means possible to get th
eir
friend
to him
.Forgiven
ess-‐ Je
sus de
mon
strates who
he is by his po
wer over sin and illne
ss.
How
ready are we to bring peo
ple to Je
sus?
Mark 2: 1-‐12
3Nicod
emus:
Seeking the answ
erNicod
emus was a m
an who
was deeply involved
in Je
wish religious life, the
“church: o
f his day. H
e was a leader and
a te
ache
r who
kne
w lots abo
ut
God
but had never encou
ntered
God
. In Nicod
emus we see a man who
was searching fo
r answ
ers -‐ h
e recognised
that God
was with
Jesus bu
t s1ll
wasn’t sure what it a
ll meant. Jesus clearly te
lls Nicod
emus what it m
eans to
follow him
, using th
e analogy of being born again. He says th
at no-‐
one can see the kingdo
m of h
eaven un
less he has be
en re
born. N
icod
emus’ kno
wledge abou
t God
and
posi1on
in th
e Jewish church is not eno
ugh
to bring him
into th
e kingdo
m.
We know
li^le abo
ut Nicod
emus but we do
kno
w th
at he lep his encou
nter with
Jesus a changed man. A
t a m
ee1n
g of th
e Jewish Co
uncil he
spoke against the
leaders who
sou
ght to cond
emn Jesus with
out o
bserving th
e principles of jus1ce. The
last encou
nter we have with
Nicod
emus is
whe
n he
wen
t to claim th
e bo
dy of Jesus aper his death.
What d
oes it mean to be rebo
rn?
What d
oes Jesus say abou
t light?
Why is it not eno
ugh just to
be involved
in chu
rch/ kno
w abo
ut God
in our heads?
What d
ifferen
ce did Nicod
emus’ encou
nter with
Jesus have on his life?
What d
ifferen
ce doe
s it / shou
ld it m
ake in our lives if we have had an en
coun
ter with
Jesus?
John
3:1-‐21;
John
7:50-‐52;
John
19:38-‐42
4Pilate:
Taking a stand
Pilate was an im
portant m
an, the
Rom
an governo
r of Ju
dea, with
all the po
wer of a m
odern day judge and jury to
con
vict, sen
tence and pardon
. He appe
ared
con
vinced
of Jesus’ inn
ocen
ce, declaring th
ree 1m
es th
at he foun
d no
basis fo
r a charge against him
. We are told th
at he tried to set
Jesus free.
But fi
nally he hand
ed him
over to be crucified
. The
Bible says that he was afraid, and
in th
e en
d Pilate’s judgem
ent w
as swayed
by the shou
ts of
the angry crow
d.Have we en
coun
tered Jesus and recognize that He can change our lives?
Furthe
r Passages: R
omans 12:2
Peer pressure -‐ H
ow is our re
spon
se to
Jesus coloured
by the au
tude
s of other peo
ple?
John
18:28 -‐ 19:16
17
Encoun
ters with
God
(2)
Day
Learning
Statem
ent
Summary an
d Learning Points
Key Passages
5Thief o
n the cross:
Forgiven
ess and
Hop
e
This is a very short e
ncou
nter with
Jesus bu
t it w
as extremely significant fo
r the thief o
n the cross. He realised
his sin, and
recognised
that th
e pe
rson
hanging on
the cross had no
1me to live a transformed
life but th
is was no barrier to salva1o
n. He received
the certainty of paradise.
Sin and ou
r ne
ed fo
r a saviou
r. Hop
e of Heaven.
Did th
e thief d
eserve fo
rgiven
ess? How
do you think the thief felt b
efore and ap
er m
ee1n
g Jesus?
Why becom
e a Ch
ris1an now
whe
n I cou
ld wait u
n1l the
last m
inute?
Luke 23:26-‐43
6Thom
as / Road to
Emmaus:
Resurrec1o
n Re
ac1o
ns
Here Jesus meets tw
o diffe
rent sets of peo
ple. As the disciples journe
yed to Emmaus He was not re
cognised
by them
, un1
l he broke bread with
them
and
then
they saw
the risen Jesus. Som
e1mes we en
coun
ter Jesus and fail to re
cognise Him
but he can break in to
our lives in new
ways. Thankfully, the
reality
of God
’s presence do
es not change althou
gh our awaren
ess of it m
ay.
Thom
as’ encou
nter with
Jesus he
lped
him
overcom
e the qu
es1o
ns he had abou
t Jesus and
the resurrec1o
n. Je
sus did no
t reject T
homas because of d
oubt
but instead, embraces his uncertainty, answers his qu
es1o
ns head on
and
provide
s the eviden
ce th
at Tho
mas needs to
believe.
Resurrec1o
n respon
se to
the risen Jesus-‐do
wncast p
eople turned
to re
joicing pe
ople and
dou
bters turned
to believers
What is faith
? What a
re th
e do
ubts / Que
s1on
s pe
ople have today?
Other verses: Jo
hn 1:10
Do you think you wou
ld have be
en like Tho
mas or the othe
r disciples? How
do you think the disciples felt whe
n they re
cognised
Jesus?
Luke 24:13-‐35
John
20:24-‐29
7Peter:
Second
Chance
Sund
ay
Peter was amon
g Jesus’ first d
isciples and
lived with
him
during his ministry. He even
boasted
that he wou
ld die with
Jesus. Later th
at sam
e night, how
ever
he disow
ned him.
But this wasn’t the
end
of the
story fo
r Peter. His encou
nter with
the risen Jesus brings him
back into re
la1o
nship with
Him
. Despite Peter failing Je
sus he
was called the rock on which He wou
ld build his chu
rch. Je
sus s1ll saw his poten
1al despite his failures and used
Peter to
exten
d his Kingdo
m. Peter was
given a second
chance.
How
do you think Peter felt in th
e days aper he de
nied
Jesus? How
do you think he
felt whe
n Jesus restored
and
com
mission
ed him
?What d
oes it mean to fo
llow Je
sus?
Other verses: Psalm
86:5
Ma^
hew 26: 31-‐35
Ma^
hew 26: 69-‐75
Ma^
hew 16:18
John
21:15-‐25
John
18:15-‐18,
25-‐27
8Paul: C
onversion
and
Transforma1
on
Before his encou
nter with
Jesus, Saul persecuted the followers of Je
sus. How
ever, aper his encou
nter, his life was transformed
. He be
came a man who
gave
his life to te
aching others abou
t Jesus and
encou
raging th
e followers of Je
sus. W
e too can lead transformed
lives ap
er an en
coun
ter with
Jesus. Our
expe
rien
ce of m
ee1n
g Jesus may not be as drama1
c as being blinde
d on
the Dam
ascus road but th
e transforma1
on will be no
less significant.
Conversion
experience: Saul’s character before and ap
er th
e road to
Dam
ascus expe
rien
ceOther verses: 2 Corinthians 5:17; Philippians 3:7-‐11
God
used Paul’s uniqu
e pe
rson
ality
and
past e
xperience to spread the good
new
s
Acts 9:1-‐22
9Disciples see Je
sus
ascend
into heaven
The disciples had very close encou
nters with
Jesus bu
t now
he leaves th
em as he
ascen
ded into heaven. The
y didn
’t feel aband
oned
as they kne
w th
at Je
sus
wou
ld keep his prom
ise to be with
them
through the Holy Spirit. Je
sus’ physical presence lep th
e disciples whe
n he
returned
to Heaven (Acts 1:9), but th
e Holy Spirit was sen
t to comfort and
empo
wer th
em. G
od sen
t the
Holy Spirit so th
at He could be
with
and
with
in his fo
llowers ap
er Christ returne
d to
heaven
. Tod
ay, w
e can meet Jesus, here and no
w th
rough the Holy Spirit and all w
ho fo
llow Christ w
ill one
day encou
nter Je
sus face to
face whe
n we meet
Him
in heaven. In Revela1
on 7 we read of the
mul1tud
e that no on
e could coun
t from every na1
on, tribe
, peo
ple and language. This is an am
azing picture of
all the
peo
ple in history who
have en
coun
tered Jesus and who
se lives and pu
rposes had been transformed
, united in one
perfect, final encou
nter th
at will
last fo
rever.
Disciples -‐ What w
ere the disciples thinking as Jesus lep? Did th
ey feel aband
oned
?Ascen
sion
and
Holy Spirit; M
ul1tud
e in Heaven
Luke 24:50-‐53
John
14: 15-‐21
Acts 1: 1-‐9
Acts 2: 1-‐13
Revela1o
n 7
18
The Idea...
GOD MAKES A WAYA two week programme finding out how God made a way for Daniel and that God makes a way for us through JesusCreated, tried and tested at Portballintrae CSSM 2011
In week one the programme takes the children on a journey with Daniel and his friends as they get used to a whole new way of life. God helped them when things were difficult and made a way for them to be safe. God made a way for them to serve him and tell all the people around them about him.
In week two, the children learn all about Jesus and the ways in which we should try to be like him. God gave his Son Jesus to die for us so that we didn’t have to. He took the punishment that we should have taken. God made a way for us to be free from sin and be able to enter his Kingdom. The children should be in no doubt that Jesus is the only way!
The second half of the programme also encourages the children to think of their situaTon with God as a heart issue, not just a head issue. While it is helpful that we are able to increase the children’s knowledge about Jesus, we don’t want them only to know about him, we want them to leave knowing Jesus personally.
19
God
Makes a W
ayDay
Learning Statemen
tSummary an
d Learning Points
Key Passages
1Our God
is re
alThe food
test
Start b
y introd
ucing Daniel and
his friend
s and looking at th
eir move to Babylon
.Daniel w
asn’t h
appy with
the food
King Neb
uchadn
ezzar was giving him because it had been off
ered
to fake god
s. H
e wanted everyone
to see th
at th
ese gods had no po
wer, instead his God
gave him stren
gth and proved
that he was re
al.
Daniel 1:1-‐21
2Our God
gives us good
things
Neb
uchadn
ezzar’s dream
God
gave Daniel the
skills to
work for him and
glorify him
. Ask God
for good
things and
he will equ
ip us for everything.
“I can do all things through him who
gives m
e strength” Ph
ilipp
ians 4:13
Daniel 2
3Our God
is worth m
ore than
anything
Neb
uchadn
ezzar’s gold
statue
and
the fie
ry fu
rnace
Daniel’s th
ree friend
s did no
t kno
w th
at God
wou
ld save them
, but th
ey were prep
ared
to die ra
ther th
an bow
dow
n to
anothe
r god. G
od is worthy and we shou
ld stand
up for him. Don
’t let a
nything else becom
e more im
portant.
“Trust in th
e Lord you
r God
with
all your heart and
do no
t lean on
you
r ow
n un
derstand
ing” Proverbs 3:5
Daniel 3
4Our God
is pow
erful
The wri1n
g on
the wall
God
is love but God
can also get very angry. In this story he show
s ho
w angry he was with
Belshazzar’s be
haviou
r. God
hates sin and wants us to change. H
e has the po
wer to
change us and
make us new
so do
n’t d
elay!
“Seek the Lord while he may be foun
d, call on him while he is near” Isaiah 55:6
Daniel 5
5Our God
saves
Daniel in the lions’ den
God
saves th
ose who
trust in him. He makes a way fo
r them
to be safe -‐ he
gave Jesus and Jesus can save us from
sin
and de
ath, just like Daniel w
as saved
from
the lions.
Daniel 6
6Jesus loves
Jesus be
friend
s Zacchaeu
sThrough the story of Zacchaeus, children shou
ld learn that God
loves them
no ma^
er what! Jesus m
ade a way fo
r Zacchaeu
s even
thou
gh he was a despised tax collector, he can make a way fo
r us re
gardless of o
ur past.
Luke 19:1-‐10
7Jesus forgives
Jesus he
als paraly1c m
anJesus is con
cerned
with
our heart, he he
aled
the paraly1c m
an who
was lowered
through the roof, not just physically, he
forgave his sins to
o. Jesus can fo
rgive ou
r sins now
, what is ou
r respon
se to
this?
Mark 2:1-‐12
8Jesus trusted his Father
Jesus in th
e Garde
n of
Gethsem
ane
Jesus went to the garden
of G
ethsem
ane to prayer to his Fathe
r. He prayed
‘not my will but you
rs be do
ne’. Aper th
is
he was betrayed by one
of h
is disciples. Things m
ay not go ou
r way but we can be
sure that we can trust o
ur Fathe
r to
work ou
t all things fo
r the good
of tho
se who
love him
.
Ma^
hew 26:36-‐46;
Luke 22:39-‐46
9Jesus took my place
Jesus’s de
ath on
the cross
Through the familiar re
coun
t of Jesus’ death on the cross children shou
ld be reminde
d that Je
sus’ death m
eans he has
made a way fo
r us to
be free.
Ma^
hew 27:33-‐44;
Mark 15:22-‐32; Luke
23:26-‐49; Joh
n 19:17-‐24
10Jesus is alive
Jesus’ re
surrec1o
n Jesus rose again and
sits in heaven. H
e is alive, working and
watching to help us, he can he
ar us whe
n we pray. Is God
real to
us?
Ma^
hew 28:1-‐8;
Mark 16:1-‐8; Luke
24:1-‐12; Jo
hn 20:1-‐8
20
The Idea...
GOD IS AWESOME
A two week programme to engage with and respond to the character of God and JesusCreated, tried and tested at Portballintrae CSSM 2012
Who is God? And what's He like?
In the Bible, we are told about God and about his Son, Jesus. We also read that the Holy Spirit is with us now. So there are three different parts of God to find out about!
The God is Awesome programme allows kids to learn about the kind of God we have and the ways that he rules over the world and cares for each one of them. It gives opportunity for children to learn that God is our Provider, our Helper, our Creator and lots more as well as encouraging them to think about why we can trust him because of who he is.
Week two is all about Jesus and the things that he said about himself to help people understand who he was -‐ things like, "I am the bread of life," and "I am the door," -‐ this lets us see why Jesus is so important as our Saviour -‐ the only person who could take away our sins and allow us to be close to God.
This theme celebrates who God is and challenges children to respond to this Awesome God!
21
God
is Awesom
e! (1
)
Day
Learning Statemen
tSummary an
d Learning Points
Key Passages
1God
is Three in One
...so I will worship Him
Crea1o
n story
God
is Three in One
. God
the Father is in Heaven and is in con
trol of the
who
le universe. Je
sus Ch
rist is his son
who
died for us so that we could be
forgiven
and
accep
ted as God
’s Children. The
Holy Spirit is with
us no
w and
guides us as to
how
we shou
ld live. W
e can trust G
od because he is in con
trol. W
e can always have God
present
with
us be
cause of th
e Spirit.
God
is crea1
ve. H
e is an am
azing ar1st a
nd he made the who
le beau1
ful w
orld. H
e created everything and
controls it perfectly. W
e can trust h
im with
our lives be
cause we know
he is in con
trol of e
verything and can be
crea1ve with
us in won
derful
Gen
esis 1-‐2:4
2God
is our Provide
r...so I will be safe with
Him
Noah
God
provide
s everything we ne
ed. Every goo
d thing we have com
es from
him
. God
provide
d for Noah and his
family and
kep
t the
m safe. Som
e1mes we worry so much abou
t everyday prob
lems, yet God
tells us no
t to worry.
He has given us everything we ne
ed and
more, and
just like Noah, we shou
ld trust h
im to
keep his prom
ises and
provide for us. The
most impo
rtant g
ip God
gave us was Je
sus Ch
rist – he provided
a way fo
r us to
be forgiven
and
free from
sin. W
e have to
accep
t him
into our lives, th
en share him
with
others who
don
’t kno
w him
.
Gen
esis
6:9-‐8:22;
9:12-‐17
3God
is our Hop
e...so I will trust H
imIsaac is promised
and
bo
rn
Abraham
and
Sarah were bo
th old and
had no children. Yet God
had promised
Abraham
that he wou
ld have many
descen
dants -‐ and
so Abraham
put his hop
e in God
even whe
n it didn
’t seem to
make sense. The
y had to trust
God
even thou
gh what h
e had prom
ised
didn’t seem hum
anly possible. God
is always ou
r ho
pe, even whe
n everything else changes he
will re
main the same. W
e can pu
t our trust in him and
he will never let u
s do
wn.
Gen
esis 15:1-‐6;
18:1-‐15; 21: 1-‐7
4God
is Goo
d...so I will obe
y Him
Abraham
and
Isaac
Perhaps the most b
asic but im
portant o
f all the characteris1cs of G
od is th
at he is goo
d above all else. He is fair
and just. H
e can be
trusted and he
really enjoys it whe
n we are good
. God
doe
s no
t like sin and wants us to be rid
of it. G
od is goo
d and he
can m
ake us goo
d. Abraham
trusted God
and
was obe
dien
t, and
God
was faith
ful in his
good
ness to
Abraham
. God
will always be
faith
ful in show
ing his good
ness to
us too.
Gen
esis 22:1-‐18
5God
is our Stren
gth
and Re
fuge
...so I am
not afraid
Joseph
(dream
s, pit,
slave)
Joseph
relied on
the po
wer and
stren
gth of God
to be in con
trol and
interven
e in diffi
cult circum
stances. W
hen we
follow God
, he makes us strong. H
ow? By giving us him
self – he
is so strong. W
hen we have God
in our lives, we
have th
e strength we ne
ed to
face anything. Jo
seph
faced many difficult situa1
ons yet G
od was in con
trol and
had
a plan fo
r good
. We do
not need to be afraid.
Gen
esis 37
6God
is our Helpe
r...so I will never be
alon
eJoseph
(prison, dream
interpre1n
g, prime
minister)
God
helpe
d Joseph
whe
n he
wen
t throu
gh som
e really to
ugh 1m
es -‐ He ne
ver lep Jo
seph
alone
, and
in th
e en
d Joseph
was able to see God
’s faith
fulness through it all. God
promises never to
leave us alone
eith
er, and
so He
has given us th
e Holy Spirit to help us everyday. The
Holy Spirit he
lps us to
live th
e way God
wants us to and
to te
ll othe
rs abo
ut him
. Whe
n we are part of G
od’s family we will never be alon
e.
Gen
esis 39-‐41
22
God
is Awesom
e! (2
)Day
Learning Statemen
tSummary an
d Learning Points
Key Passages
7Jesus is th
e Light o
f the
World
...so I will go whe
re He
leads me
Birth of Je
sus
Jesus came to earth as ou
r light. H
e was born in th
e darkne
ss of n
ight into a dark world, and
yet light
surrou
nded
his birth -‐ stars, angels. Light illuminates and
sho
ws the way. Som
e1mes a light sho
ws
everything, and
som
e1mes, like a torch, it just sho
ws a li^
le way ahe
ad – we ne
ed to
trust Jesus to
show
us the way to
go in our lives. And
whe
n we have him
dwelling in us – then
we can share that
Kingdo
m light w
ith everyon
e we meet.
Ma^
hew
1:18-‐2:12
(or othe
r gospels)
8Jesus is th
e Doo
r...so I can en
ter God
’s
Kingdo
mZacchaeu
s
Zacchaeu
s met Je
sus -‐ the
doo
r into God
’s Kingdom
. The
doo
r is always the way in…. Jesus is th
e way
that we en
ter into th
e Kingdo
m of G
od -‐ the on
ly way. W
hen we en
ter we be
come God
’s children,
part of h
is family. Zacchaeus was transformed
aper m
ee1n
g Jesus. W
hen we meet Jesus we are
transformed
too, and
our iden
1ty is th
en fo
und in him
and
not in our own eff
orts to
be something.
Being in th
e Kingdo
m is th
e be
st place to
be!
Luke 19: 1-‐10
9Jesus is th
e Bread of Life
...so I will always have
enou
ghJesus feed
s the 5000
Food
is som
ething we ne
ed everyday to sustain us. Je
sus called himself the bread of life to
sho
w
how we ne
ed him
everyday in order to
live life to
the full. Jesus cares abo
ut our prac1cal needs, and
he
sho
wed
that by feed
ing the
5000. H
e is always en
ough fo
r us, and
we shou
ld trust in his provision, kno
wing that we have
everything we ne
ed in him
.
John
6:1-‐15
10Jesus is th
e Goo
d Shep
herd
...so I will fo
llow Him
Parable of th
e lost she
ep
Jesus talked
abo
ut him
self be
ing a shep
herd so the pe
ople wou
ld und
erstand ho
w m
uch he
cared
for them
. A she
pherd always takes care of h
is she
ep, loo
king aper each individu
al one
. She
ep are
helpless with
out som
eone
to care for them
-‐ so are we. W
e ne
ed Je
sus to look aper us and show
us
the way to
go. W
ith him
in charge we can follow with
out fear, know
ing he
will lead us in a way th
at
is goo
d for us.
Luke 15:1-‐7
(also refer to
Psalm 23)
11Jesus is th
e Way, the
Truth,
and the Life
...so I can be
forgiven
Jesus’ death and
resurrec1o
n
Jesus died
so that we could have a way to
God
. His life and
death sho
wed
peo
ple the truth -‐ that w
e all need to be forgiven
and
join God
’s family. Even thou
gh I sin everyday God
wants to
forgive me,
and Jesus made that possible by dying on the cross. If I be
lieve th
at Je
sus is th
e way, the
truth, and
the life, th
en I will be forgiven
and
enter God
’s Kingdom
. Because Je
sus is alive, I can have life -‐ life to
the full.
Luke
22:39-‐24:12
(or othe
r gospels)
12Jesus is th
e Re
surrec1o
n and the Life
...so I can live with
Him
forever
Ascen
sion
Aper Je
sus’ re
surrec1o
n he
met lots of h
is fo
llowers so th
ey wou
ld believe th
at he rose from
the
dead -‐ that he was alive. Soo
n it was 1me for him to
return to
heaven and be
with
his father again. If
we are part of G
od’s family we will go to heaven and live with
Jesus forever. What a
n am
azing
thou
ght...and
what a
n aw
esom
e God
who
provide
d the way fo
r us to
live with
him
forever!
Mark 16:9-‐20
Ma^
hew
28:16-‐20
