Welcome!
We’re so excited that you stopped over to see what’s happening in kids ministry! Each week we’ll have all information and links you need to stay up-to-date right here in one convenient place.
We have options for you to work through the lesson with your family or set your kids up to watch one of our virtual lessons.
What we’re studying this month
EPIC: A 4-WEEK SERIES ON THE WILDERNESS
SERIES OVERVIEW:
When we think about the Israelites in the wilderness, we often think of it as a time of disappointment, suffering, and promises deferred. What we often forget is that God was there even in the wilderness, reminding the Israelites of God’s goodness and faithfulness. No matter their present circumstances, the people experienced that God was with them, and moved people like Joshua, Caleb, and Rahab to take incredible leaps of faith! Through the amazing accounts of Israel’s journey during that time, your kids will also come to realize that they can: spend time with God anywhere, trust God, take risks for God, and remember what God has done for us.
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the Bible Challenge
ANYONE WHO CAN SAY THIS MONTHS MEMORY VERSE WITHOUT LOOKING GETS TO CHOOSE A PRIZE FROM THE PRIZE BIN
Anyone who turns in SERMON NOTES will get ONE starburst
Anyone who turns in COLORING PAGE will get ONE starburst (age 6 and under only)
Anyone who completes the study questions gets ONE starburst and ONE SMALL prize
How to Study at Home
Get your Child a snack
Read the Bible Story to your child and/or
Click on the link to the YouTube Playlist for that week and watch the videos.
Review Memory work and Pray with your kids when they are done
If you have time or the desire - choose one of the follow-up activities to help the kids engage with the lesson
Weekly Lesson Plan -
BIG IDEA: I can trust God.
THE BIBLE: Joshua and Caleb in the Promised Land:
Numbers 13:2-14:9; (Matthew 6:25-34)
INSTRUCTIONS: Look up the story in your Bible and encourage kids to do the same. Read it!
Welcome back! This is our second week of Epic, where we are learning about the epic adventures of God’s people in the wilderness. Let’s play a game to get started.
People don’t see the world the same way. We all see the world through a specific point of view or lens.
God’s people had come to the edge of the land God promised them, which was called Canaan or the Promised Land. Moses picked twelve people, one from each tribe of Israel, to go and spy out the land. “What is the land like? What are the people like? How do they live? Bring back some of the fruit of the land,” Moses told them.
So, the twelve spies went into Canaan to see what the land was like. They gathered up fruit – grapes, pomegranates, and figs – and carried them back to their own people. They stood before Moses and all the people and gave their report.
“The land is indeed full of fruit," the spies reported. "It flows with milk and honey." That means the land was full of all kinds of good things! "But," the spies continued, "the people are powerful and the cities are strong and large.” Caleb and Joshua spoke up, “We should go and take over the land. We can do it!” But the other spies argued, “No! The people are too powerful! We would surely lose."
Caleb and Joshua trusted God. They knew God had promised they would live in this wonderful land and they continued to try to convince the people to trust God and go where they had been sent.
QUESTION | Things That Worry or Scare Us
Most of the spies were afraid to move into the Promised Land because they were afraid of the people there.
Have you been afraid of something or someone?
Sometimes, we get worried around people who are different from us.
Have you ever been worried around someone just because they were different?
OBJECT LESSON | Two Lenses
INSTRUCTIONS: Prepare two magnifying glasses, one labeled "worry" and the other labeled "trust."Earlier we talked about how people look at things through different lenses. That just means that everyone sees things differently. Like in today's story!
(Hold up the "worry" lens) The ten spies looked at the Promised Land through the magnifying glass of "worry," so all they could see was how hard and scary entering the land might be.
(Hold up the "trust" lens) But Caleb and Joshua looked at the Promised Land through the magnifying glass of "trust," so all they saw was how God would take care of them!
Which magnifying glass do you want to use more in your life? Why?
MEMORY WORK
1 Samuel 12:24 - NIRV - But be sure to have respect for the Lord. Serve him faithfully. Do it with all your heart. Think about the great things he has done for you.
PRAYER
Toddler Tips: A toddler needs may have trouble understanding the concept of prayer because they cannot see God. Echo Prayer is a good strategy to encourage and teach kids how to talk to God. The teacher or parent speaks aloud a short segment of the prayer, and the children echo back the same sentence or phrase.
Dear God, it is too easy for us to look at the world through the magnifying glass of worry instead of the magnifying glass of trust. Help us to remember we can trust You when we worry about these things: Thank You for being with us always.
