Scripture Marked Nirv Is Taken from the NEW INTERNATIONAL READER's VERSION

252 Groups November 2016, Week 1

Small Group, 2-3

252® Groups
Group Experiences for K-5th Grades

Scripture marked “NIrV” is taken from the NEW INTERNATIONAL READER'S VERSION®.

Used by permission of Biblica.

Scripture marked “NIV” is taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®,

Statement of Faith

ABOUT GOD

God is the one and only true God, yet He exists in three persons: God the
Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. God is the Creator, so
everything belongs to Him and is under His control. God is holy, so He is
righteous, majestic, and loving. God is all knowing and purposeful, so He’s
at work to bring about His will. No person, thing, or idea compares to God.

ABOUT THE SCRIPTURES

God reveals Himself to us through the Bible, and it is 100% accurate, reliable,
and authoritative.

ABOUT PEOPLE

People are made in God’s image and for His pleasure. But everybody falls
short of God’s intention, or ideal, for people. In other words, everyone has
sinned. As a result, we are all separated from Him, even though He wants
an intimate relationship with each of us.

ABOUT SALVATION

That’s why Jesus—God’s Son—came and lived on this earth, died, and
rose again. God offers His free gift of salvation to all who believe in Jesus
and accept Him as Savior—the only way to be forgiven and reconciled to
God. Anyone who accepts this gift is adopted as a son or daughter into
God’s family and will live with Him forever in heaven.

User Agreement

The Choice

Bible Story: The Choice (Samuel anoints David) • 1 Samuel 16:1-13

Bottom Line: Honor others by giving them a chance.

Memory Verse: “Love one another deeply. Honor others more than yourselves.” Romans 12:10, NIrV

Life App: Honor—letting someone know you see how valuable they really are.

Basic Truth: I should treat others the way I want to be treated.

GET READY

Prepare ahead of time for 2nd–3rd grade Small Groups this week:

Social: Providing Time for Fun Interaction (Choose one or both of these activities.)

Early Arriver

· An offering container

Where Is It?

· 8 large Styrofoam® or plastic cups

· A piece of candy, such as a Tootsie® Pop, Tootsie® Pop Drop, or Charms® Blow Pop® (see Prayer below)

· Securely tape the candy to the inside of one cup so that it’s well hidden

· (Optional) Upbeat game show-style music and a music player

Groups: Creating a Safe Place to Connect (Choose as many of these activities as you like.)

* If you don’t have time to do all these activities, be sure to do activity #2 if your resources allow. If not, do activity #3.

1. Spotlight on Honor (application activity / review the Bible story)

· 2 distinct (different) towels

· Child-friendly nativity stable

· Crown (a paper crown is fine)

· Sheep (paper, plastic, stuffed—any kind, except live, of course!)

· Construction paper; fold and cut into a paper people chain with 7 figures (see http://bit.ly/2aRbWmW, if needed for instructions)

· 1 copy of “Bible Story Paraphrase” Activity Page

* 2. Hidden Value (application activity)

Option 1

· Rainbow scratch art paper (available online and at some large box stores); 1 small sheet for each kid

· Wooden styluses (cuticle sticks work great!); 1 for each kid

Option 2

· Good quality geodes (can be found on Amazon.com; Gem Center USA $24.95/12); 1 geode for every 3 kids

· Old, thick socks without holes; 1 for every 3 kids

· If your environment isn’t carpeted, you’ll also need hand towels; 1 for every 3 kids

· Hammers; 1 for every adult leader present

3. Sticker Price (memory verse activity)

· Bibles

· Star stickers; 1 sheet for each kid

· Fun, upbeat music and music player

Prayer

· Candy or treats that have something “hidden” inside, such as Tootsie® Pops, Tootsie® Pop Drops, or Charms® Blow Pops®, Gushers® fruit snacks; 1 for each kid

Note: You can substitute other candies that are appropriate for your environment, if necessary.

Additional Resources:

· Make copies on cardstock or email this week’s GodTime and Parent Cue cards.

· 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 tohttp://www.Studio252.tv/leaders.

The Choice

Bible Story: The Choice (Samuel anoints David) • 1 Samuel 16:1-13

Bottom Line: Honor others by giving them a chance.

Memory Verse: “Love one another deeply. Honor others more than yourselves.” Romans 12:10, NIrV

Life App: Honor—letting someone know you see how valuable they really are.

Basic Truth: I should treat others the way I want to be treated.

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. Pray specifically for kids who are typically overlooked by others. Pray that they would be made to feel special and valued. Also pray for kids who are typically doing the “overlooking.” Ask God to show them other kids who need to feel valued. Pray that these kids would work to make others feel included and special.

1. Early Arriver Idea

What You Need: Offering container

What You Do:

· Invite kids to put their offerings in the container.

· Briefly unpack the concept of value/valuable, and then ask the following questions:

o What is the most valuable thing you have or have ever been given?

o Why is it valuable to you?

o Are the things that cost the most always the most valuable? Why or why not?

2. Where Is It?

What You Need: 8 cups (one with candy inside), music (optional)

What You Do:

· Lead kids to “step right up” and play a “shell game” times eight. Be sure to ham up your “carnival caller” persona as you direct the game.

· Set the cups upside down on a smooth, flat surface. Be certain the kids don’t see which cup has the candy!

· Tell kids (carnival caller-style, of course!) that hidden beneath one of the cups is something of value.

· Switch the position of the cups (with flourish) and give a volunteer one guess to find the cup with the “prize.” Lift the cup for the child.

· Repeat until time is up or until a child selects the “winning” cup.

· If you choose, give each child a piece of candy before going to Large Group.

Note: If a child happens to quickly uncover the prize, simply reset the game and play again.

What You Say:

“From the outside, each of these cups looked the same. But one had a hidden value that we couldn’t see. [Transition] In Large Group, we’ll hear about a person who had a hidden value that God saw. Let’s go learn more.”

Lead your group to the Large Group area.

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. Spotlight on Honor (application activity / review the Bible story)

What You Need: Towels, nativity stable, crown, paper chain people, sheep, “Bible Story Paraphrase” Activity Page

What You Do:

· Guide the kids to sit in a circle.

· Show the props and explain how each corresponds to a key word from the Bible story:

o Towel 1: Samuel – put the towel over your head like a headdress

o Towel 2: Jesse – put the towel over your shoulders like a shawl

o Stable: Bethlehem – pick up the stable and sing (or say), “O little town of Bethlehem”

o Crown: king – place the crown on your head

o Paper chain people: son(s) – hold up the paper chain

o Sheep: David – pick up the sheep and say, “Baa!”

· Also explain that there’s one word in the story that doesn’t have a prop, and that word is God.

· Distribute the props. If you have fewer than six kids, give one or more kids two props each. If you have more than six kids, pair kids up to share props. They can help cue each other when it’s their turn to do their action.

· Read the Bible Story Paraphrase from the Activity Page. Pause slightly after each key word and guide kids to use the props accordingly.

· Lead everyone to say, “Yahweh!” [YAH-weigh] when they hear “God.”

· At the “rotate” cues, lead kids to pass the props once to the left, three times to the right, or any other variation that keeps them on their toes.

· Collect the props and lead kids in the discussion below.

Adaptation: If you can only provide enough props for one group, do this activity with the entire room together. With all of the kids gathered, show them the actions that go with the corresponding props. Rotate through and hold up each prop one at a time and let kids learn the actions. Then choose a group to go first. Hand out the props and then read the first section of the story. Each time you come to a “rotate,” it’s another group’s turn to have the props and do the actions. If it’s too disruptive to keep changing groups, you could have all of the room’s SGLs do the acting out with the props. The kids will get a kick out of seeing their leaders be silly.

What You Say:

“When Samuel went to Bethlehem and invited Jesse and his sons to the special sacrifice, where was David? (In the fields taking care of the sheep.) Yes! Even David’s own father didn’t think he was worthy or important enough to come to the sacrifice. Instead, he gave David the job of watching the sheep!

“But even though David seemed the least likely brother to become king, God used Samuel to honor him, because God knew how truly valuable David was. So God honored David by giving him a chance.

“We can [Bottom Line] honor others by giving them a chance, too. [Make It Personal] (Share a way you will choose to honor someone this week.) What are some ways you can [Bottom Line] honor others by giving them a chance? (I can choose someone early for a team who usually gets chosen last; I can eat lunch with someone who doesn’t have many friends; I can invite someone to join in a game, etc.) So remember: [Bottom Line] Honor others by giving them a chance.”

* 2. Hidden Value (application activity)

OPTION 1

What You Need: Rainbow scratch paper, styluses

What You Do:

· Encourage kids to think of someone they can honor this week.

· Give each child a piece of scratch paper and a stylus.

· Invite kids to use the styluses to scratch through the black surface on the paper, revealing a rainbow of colors beneath. Challenge them to draw the person they thought of or write that person’s name and decorate the paper.

· Use the conversation below to unpack the amazing truth that “The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outside of a person. But the Lord looks at what is in the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7b, NIrV)

· Encourage kids to place their drawings somewhere at home that will remind them to follow through with honoring the person they thought of.

What You Say:

“God doesn’t look at the things people look at. People look at the outside of a person, but God looks at what’s in their heart. He knows that what’s inside a person matters a lot more than what’s on the outside. What are some qualities that are inside people that are important to God? (faith, honesty, kindness, respectfulness, patience, compassion, thankfulness, etc.)

“God sees the value of what’s inside us, and He wants us to show the people around us that they’re valuable, too. So here’s the important thing to remember: [Bottom Line] Honor others by giving them a chance. Because when you show honor by giving others a chance, you show them what God is like, and that’s an awesome thing!”

OPTION 2

What You Need: Geodes; 1 for every 3 kids, socks; 1 for every 3 kids, hammers, towels

What You Do:

· Guide kids to get into groups of three.

· Announce (pomp and circumstance permitted!) that you have a very special gift for them, and then give each group a geode. If the kids aren’t familiar with geodes, they may react with confusion, disappointment, or even derision. If so, you’ve got them right where you want them!

· Take advantage and play along: “What’s wrong? A rock isn’t a very special gift? I thought that a small, plain, slightly bumpy rock would be an INCREDIBLE gift. Hmm.”