More ideas for this Sunday and the church

If you wanted to go even deeper with the class you could develop the statement
"The church IS people who meet together to worship God" by talking about 
- baptism
- communion

It would be a good idea to remind the kids over and over again that our church wants to honor God by helping people
Love God
Live out God's Word
Love others.

You can use Ephesians 4:11, 12, 14 with the kids
Verses 11 and 12 show that Christ gave pastors and teachers to help people do the work of the ministry not merely to do all the work.

Verse 14 has a great visual image.

February 28th lesson; Love God, Live out the Word and Love Others.

In March, April and May, the adult Bible Teaching Hours are going to begin a study on who we are as a church.
March is going to focus on what each member of our church should be doing:  Praying, Growing, Giving and Shining.
April is going to focus on missions
May is going to focus on what we as church, a community of believers, are doing to honor God and make disciples.

We are going to kick off these classes in our children's ministry next Sunday.
Let me explain what the lesson is about and then give you some specific things you can do!

VISUAL BIG IDEA: 
The church IS NOT a building or a meeting time.
The church IS people who meet together to worship God.

LESSON BIG IDEA
Emmanuel Baptist Church want to honor God by helping people
Love God
Live out God's Word
Love others.

(This is the kid's version of our church's mission statement:  Glorify God by making Disciples who are submitted to His Lordship, grounded in His teaching and sincere in His Love)

BIG IDEA VERSES:
Luke 10:27 & Psalm 119:11

TEACHING IDEAS:
Love God.  How can we love God?

• Pray.  Take some in class to pray
• Thank God for who He is
• Pray for one another
• Pray for the ministries and missionaries of Emmanuel
• Get together with people to sing His praise
• Sing some songs or listen to some songs.   There are various DVDs in the children's wing to play.
• Learn about Him from His word. See the next main point.
• Help others.  See the last main point

Live out God's Word

• Take time to memorize this week's memory verse.  In order to live it out you must know it.
• Pick a favorite verse to study with the children.  Read it with them.  Tell them what it means.  Tell them why you like.

Love others.

• Take some time this week to have the kids get to know each other.  Use name games and other activities.
• Pick someone your class could make an encouragement card for.  
• Have each child come up with some specific people they could love a specific way!

Check back on Tuesday for some specific activities you can do with your class and what we want parents to do next week with their children at home.

Bible Review through...

BIG IDEA:  
God is the boss!  He is the best boss!
Adam & Eve choose to disobey this good boss!
God, the good boss, promised to fix this sin problem!
Everything in the Bible helps us see that God is a good boss!

Some additional ideas have been added in italics to this post.

Verse for 1st - 5th grade - Romans 8:1  "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." 

Verse for 2 year old - Kindergarten - Psalm 56:3  "When I am afraid I put my trust in you."

We are reviewing Genesis 1 - 50

Here are a couple review ideas.

Bible review through food:

• Creation:  Apple - the tree of knowledge.
  Be sure to address the fact that God gave Adam & Eve every fruit to eat of but gave them a specific, clear command about what they couldn't eat.
• Jacob/Esau:  Soup (or if Soup is scary soup crackers) - trading of the birthright
• Joseph:  Bread - the grain that was stored

Bible review through video:

• The Jesus Storybook Bible DVD Genesis stories.  Pick select stories to show.  This DVD should be in every classroom and there is an extra copy in the resource room.

Bible review by making a book:

• Depending on the age level you could have the children color pictures or draw pictures of different stories.

Bible review through stations:

• Various stations with play themes:
• animal toys - Creation
• Some kind of appropriate easy to play water activities - Flood
• Build blocks - Tower of Babel

Bible review by game:

• All of the Genesis pictures from the curriculum will be in your classroom.  You could  use these to play a game to put them in order, like Memory/Concentration.
• Fun Quiz Game on Genesis Bible stories.  Remember the goal is to remember and teach not win.

Bible review by focus on a specific item (similar to food example above):

• An example would be focusing on different animals
• Creation:  Elephant - Adam named the animals.  What are some crazy animals or animal names.
• Fall:  Snake - The serpent tempted Eve.  - How did he tempt Eve?
• Flood:  two of any kind of animal.  -  What did God provide to keep people safe?  How would you like to live on an ark?  Why was the ark built?
• Abraham/Isaac:  Ram - God is faithful to His promises and Abraham trusted him. - What does it mean to trust God?  
• Jacob/Esau:  some kind of furry animal.  -  Was it right for Jacob to deceive his father?
• You could add to this list or focus on something.

Genesis Review Questions for older:

• How does God talk to us today?
• How do we talk to God?
• What does "Genesis" mean? (Beginning)
• "What did God create on the ___ day?"
• What did God do on the seventh day?
• Who was the first man?
• Who was the woman?
• Who were the first three children?
• Where did Adam and Eve live in the beginning?
• What were Adam's jobs in the Garden?
• What was Eve's job?
• Tell why Adam and Eve had to leave the Garden?
• What kind of fruit did they eat? (Answer not found in the Bible)
• Who was the tempter?
• How was Adam punished for not obeying God?
• How was Eve punished for not obeying God?
• How was the serpent  punished for not obeying God?
• Which brother offered the better sacrifice?
• Which brother killed his brother?
• What was Cain's punishment for killing Abel?
• Through which son would Jesus be born? (Seth)
• What did God tell Noah to build?
• What was the ark made of?
• Who was saved on the ark?
• How many days and nights did it rain during the Great Flood?
• Where did the ark rest?
• What did God put in the sky as a promise He would never destroy the earth by water again?
• Why didn't God want the people to build a tower up to heaven?
• How did God make the people stop building the tower?
• What was the name of the tower?
• What was Abram's new name?
• What was Sarai's new name?
• Where did Lot choose to live?
• Why were Sodom and Gomorrah destroyed? (wickedness)
• Who was the Father of Many Nations?
• How old was Abraham when Isaac was born?
• When Abraham was about to offer Isaac on the altar and the angel of the LORD stopped him, what did Abraham offer instead?
• Who did Isaac marry?
• What were the names of Isaac and Rebekah's twins' names?
• How did Jacob suggest Esau sell his birthright?
• How did Jacob trick his father into blessing him instead of Esau?
• Name the twelve sons of Jacob.
• What was Jacob's daughter's name?
• Why were Joseph's brothers jealous of Joseph?
• What did Joseph's brothers put him in that had no water?
• Did Joseph's brothers kill Joseph?
• How did Joseph get to Egypt?
• Was Joseph ever in prison for doing something wrong? (trick question)
• How did Joseph get out of prison?
• What did Pharaoh's dreams of cows and corn mean?
• Who was responsible for the food in Egypt during the famine?
• Why did Joseph's brothers go to Egypt during the famine?
• Did Joseph realize that it was God's plan that he be taken to Egypt to save his people?
• Did Jacob ever know that Joseph was alive?

From God in the Curriculum handout given at the training time.

1. God Creates the Heavens and the Earth  
2. God Creates Man and Woman  
3. Man Rebels against God
4. Cain Rebels against God    
5. God Floods the Earth
6. God Preserves Noah
7. God Judges the Nations at Babel
8. God Makes a Promise to Abram
9. Abraham and Sarah Doubt God          
10. God Judges Sodom and Gomorrah  
11. God Sends Baby Isaac  
12. God Tests Abraham  
13. God Chooses Jacob over Esau  
14. Jacob Wrestles with God  
15. God Preserves Joseph  
16. God Delivers Joseph

for information on the specific passages that go with each of these stories, go to 

http://static.gracechurch.org/generationsofgrace/GoG%20Curriculum%20Schedule.pdf