SMALL GROUP - Rock Bridge

Play well. Finish strong.

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FOURS M A L L G R O U P

K-5S TA R T E R

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T O D A Y ’ S B I B L E S T O R Y

Golden SlumbersParable of the Bags of Gold

Matthew 25:14-30 (NIV)

T O D A Y ’ S B O T T O M L I N E

Make the most of whatyou’ve been given.

MONTHLY MEMORY VERSE

Suppose you can be trustedwith something very little.

Then you can also be trustedwith something very large.

Luke 16:10a, NIrV

M O N T H LY L I F E A P P

Responsibility—Showing youcan be trusted with what is

expected of you

B A S I C T R U T H

I need to make the wise choice.

SMALL GROUP

SOCIAL: Providing time for fun interactionEarly ArriverOpening Activity

LARGE GROUP

STORY: Communicating God’s truth in engaging ways WORSHIP: Inviting people to respond to God Welcome/OpenerWorshipBible StoryBottom LinePrayerCloser

SMALL GROUP

GROUPS: Creating a safe place to connectBible Story Review: Game of TalentsApplication Activity: Coin WarsMemory Verse Activity: Verse CrossingPrayer Activity: Pray and Dismiss

HOME: Prompting action beyond the experience GodTime Devotional for KidsStudio252.tvParent Cue App

25M I N

35M I N

15M I N

T O D A Y ’ S S U G G E S T E D S C H E D U L E


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Luke 16:10a, NIrV



expected of you

B A S I C T R U T H


PROVIDING TIME FOR FUN INTERACTION15 MINUTES

PRELUDE SOCIAL STORY WORSHIP GROUPS HOME

Before kids arrive, take a few moments to pray for them. Pray for kids to start to understand the concept of making the most of what they’ve been given. Ask God to help kids realize what talents, skills, and abilities they have and how He wants them to use those gifts.

1 . E A R LY A R R I V E RW H AT Y O U N E E D : Hand sanitizer, board game

W H AT Y O U D O : • Greet kids as they arrive by waving hello with whatever you have on hand—

clipboard, name tag, shoe, etc.• Direct kids to use a pump of hand sanitizer.• Set up this week’s game and play together with your group—remember to

allow for kids who are just arriving to get in on the fun.• Chat as you play, asking if anyone has special talents or ever knew someone

who could do something amazing. (Be prepared for all kinds of answers.)• Just before you stop playing, invite the group to vote on the game you’ll

play next week.• Ask: Which of the four games you’ve played together this month do you

want to bring back and play next week?ú Make note of the game they choose and be sure to have it ready to play

next week!

M A D E T O P L A Yan activity that encourages learning through following guidelines and/or

working as a group


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Luke 16:10a, NIrV



expected of you

B A S I C T R U T H


PROVIDING TIME FOR FUN INTERACTION15 MINUTES


2 . O P E N I N G A C T I V I T YW H AT Y O U N E E D : Ball or bean bag

W H AT Y O U D O :• Gather the group in a circle and hold the ball.• Tell the kids that you’re going to create a story together.• Hold the ball or bean bag. Start the story with “Once

upon a time” and fill in the rest of the first sentence. (For example, “Once upon a time, a pickle went on a journey with an armadillo.”)

• Then pass the ball to the kid on your right.• The kid who has the ball adds one sentence to the story. They have to say

something UNUSUAL that happens next.• Then instruct the kid to pass the ball to their right.• The next kid takes the ball and picks up where the story left off. But the kid

has to come up with something ASTONISHING that happened next.• The next kid has to come up with another unusual thing to happen in the

story, and so on.• Play a few times, coming up with unbelievable adventures together.

W H AT Y O U S AY:“We went from once upon a time to a giant adventure! You used the imaginations God gave you, and the story grew into something amazing! [Transition] Let’s go hear how God wants us to grow everything He’s given us into something amazing!”

Lead your group to the Large Group area.

M A D E T O C R E A T Ean activity that explores ideas through

the process of drawing, building, designing, and problem-solving


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Luke 16:10a, NIrV



expected of you

B A S I C T R U T H


CREATING A SAFE PLACE TO CONNECT25 MINUTES


M A D E T O I M A G I N Ean activity that promotes empathy and facilitates concrete application through

role-play and reenactment

1 . G A M E O F TA L E N T S[ TA L K A B O U T G O D | B I B L E S T O RY R E V I E W ]W H AT Y O U N E E D : Various game boards, game pieces, hand sanitizer, and Bible; (Optional) phone or video recorder

W H AT Y O U D O :• Gather the group and read today’s Bible story from

Matthew 25:14-30.• Leave the Bible open in case kids need to refer to it later.• Divide the group into three teams.• Set out all the game pieces and boards.• Let kids quickly sanitize their hands since they’ll share supplies and touch the

same items.• Direct each team to come up with a way to retell the Bible story using the

boards and pieces as props, action figures, puns, whatever they want.• Give teams a few minutes to work on their retellings and practice them through.• Then, let each team tell their Bible story to the whole group.• This would be a great opportunity to video then share with their parents

or on your ministry’s social media account. Note: Be sure to have parentalpermission for kids in the video if sharing on social media.

W H AT Y O U S AY:“Wow! I have definitely never heard that Bible story told this way before! (Compliment each team on their specific use of the materials—you were so creative with the game boards; I really enjoyed the different voices you used for the characters; etc.) You really showed an awesome way to make the most of what you’ve been given!

“When the servants were given the bags of gold in our Bible story, they were actually given responsibility. The master expected them to do something with what he’d given them. He was very disappointed in the servant who just hid his bag of gold in the ground.

“What would you do if a parent or teacher suddenly gave you a hundred dollars? (Invite answers.) What about a thousand? (Invite answers.) None of you said you’d just hide it under your bed for the rest of your lives!

“What if you won a super-fast gaming computer in a contest? What if you won three of them? What would you do? (Invite discussion.) You wouldn’t just keep them in their boxes in your basement forever.

“None of that is likely to happen, but God has given all of us so much in our lives: stuff we own, talents and skills, and even time itself. The gifts you have may not be exactly the things you dream of—just like these props were not exactly the perfect props to tell a Bible story. But God wants you to make the most of what you’ve been given. That means finding a way to use what you have to do what you need to do.”


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Luke 16:10a, NIrV



expected of you

B A S I C T R U T H



M A D E T O P L A Yan activity that encourages learning through following guidelines and/or

working as a group


* 2 . C O I N WA R S[ L I V E F O R G O D | A P P L I C AT I O N A C T I V I T Y ]W H AT Y O U N E E D : Various coins and timer or timer app

W H AT Y O U D O :• Divide your group into four teams.• Give each group a large pile of assorted coins.

• Select one team to go first.• Call out any amount of money that can be made with coins: 25 cents, 50

cents, 10 cents, one dollar, etc.• Instruct the first team to use their coins to make that amount.• The other teams have to show the same amount, but they can’t use the same

arrangement of coins as the first team.ú Example: For 50 cents—the first team sets out two quarters, so the other

teams can’t set out two quarters. But the second team can set out aquarter, two dimes, and a nickel. The third team can set out five dimes.The fourth team can set out ten nickels, etc.

• If a team can’t set out the amount in a different way, the first team gets a point.• Play as many rounds as time allows, rotating which team goes first so that

everyone has a chance.ú For older kids, make an additional rule that for each round, only the first

team can use quarters. The same rule applies that subsequent teamscannot repeat a configuration that has already been arranged.

• Be prepared to give hints to help younger kids who might not have a lot ofexperience with money or any kids who have never used coins before.

• Collect all the coins at the end of the game.• Have kids sanitize their hands.

W H AT Y O U S AY:“There are a lot of ways to make 50 cents, but each way is worth the same amount. We all have many different talents to share, but they are all valuable because God gave them to us for a reason. The key isn’t counting the number of talents or money or whatever you’ve got, it’s using it the right way to make the most of what you’ve been given.

“You may meet or be friends with people who have things you wish you had—people with giant houses or fancy cars, athletes with incredible ability, or students so smart they go to college at 15. But your talents—what you have to share with the world as far as time, money, and ability—are worth just as much as theirs.

“If you sing to a baby to calm them, you’re using what God gave you just as much as if you’d given a million dollars to the church. If you help a teammate learn a skill that you’re good at, that’s worth as much to God as if you made the winning basket in the big game. God doesn’t expect you to be an amazing athlete or American Idol singer. He expects you to use whatever you have to make the most of what you’ve been given.”


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( * 2 . C O I N WA R S , C O N T I N U E D )Optional Discussion Questions for Older KidsIf you lead 4th, 5th, or 6th graders, consider asking these discussion questions: • What are some talents or abilities you have?• What can you do if you feel like you have nothing to share—no special talent, no time, no stuff or money? (If you

know your kids pretty well, use this opportunity to invest in them by sharing what you see in them. Talk about anytraits they could lean into and develop as they grow into who God made them to be.)

• What is one area in your life where you can make the most of what you’ve been given?


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Luke 16:10a, NIrV



expected of you

B A S I C T R U T H




M A D E T O M O V Ean activity that increases the oxygenin the brain and taps into the energy

in the body

3 . V E R S E C R O S S I N G[ H E A R F R O M G O D | M E M O R Y V E R S E A C T I V I T Y ]W H AT Y O U N E E D : “Memory Verse Cards” Activity Page, paper in two different colors, scissors, hula hoops, and Bibles

W H AT Y O U D O :• Divide your group into two teams and assign each team a color of “Memory

Verse Cards.”• Set the six hula hoops on the floor in a zig zag path across your small group

area.• Place the two stacks of “Memory Verse Cards” on one side of your small

group area.• Tell kids that they will get their color of cards from the other side of the

room, bring them back, and put them in verse order.• Explain the rules.ú Kids may only step in the hula hoops.ú Each hula hoop can only have two kids in it at once, no matter which

team they’re on.ú All hula hoops are open to both teams at the same time.ú Players may only carry one card at a time.ú Players don’t have to wait until the kid in front of them is all the way

across. Once there’s room in the closest hula hoop, they can go.NOTE: If your kids are wearing masks, prompt them to adjust them since they’ll be in close proximity to each other.• Once you’ve explained these rules, give out special talents to a few of the

players.ú One player on each team can “fly”—they only have to step in the first

and last hula hoop. They can walk on the floor from the first hoop to thelast hoop as long as they flap their arms and that hoop is available.

ú One player on each team has an “extra hand.” That means they can carrytwo cards at a time.

• Give teams a minute or so to come up with a strategy to get all of theircards across.

• Then start the game.• Make sure kids play fairly and no one gets knocked out of a hula hoop.• When one team gets all of their cards back to their side and put in order,

they win!

W H AT Y O U S AY:“Some of you had a special chance to make the most of what you’ve been given. But for those of you without a special ability, how did you feel crossing the space the ‘normal’ way? (Invite answers.) You may not have felt super-special, but this challenge could not have been done without you. Even with all the ‘talented’ players doing all they could, there is NO WAY the verse could


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( 3 . V E R S E C R O S S I N G , C O N T I N U E D )have been put together without you. There were just too many cards to transport and too few hula hoops! The team needed all its players to use what they had to complete the challenge.

“That’s a lot like the challenges we see in life. How does your family use everyone’s abilities to keep your home running? (Invite discussion—kids have chores, parents do the big stuff, maybe someone is a good cook or doesn’t mind doing dishes, the person who likes to run takes the dog out, etc.)

[Make It Personal] (Share a time when you needed everyone in your family, work group, sports team, or ministry to accomplish a goal. Highlight what individuals did to contribute to the success of the group.)

“If everyone decides to make the most of what you’ve been given, your whole family, team, or community benefits!”


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Luke 16:10a, NIrV



expected of you

B A S I C T R U T H



M A D E T O R E F L E C Tan activity that creates space

for personal processingand application


4 . P R AY A N D D I S M I S S[ P R AY T O G O D | P R AY E R A C T I V I T Y ] W H AT Y O U N E E D : Coins from “Coin Wars” Activity and one hula hoop from “Verse Crossing” Activity

W H AT Y O U D O : • Set one hula hoop in the middle of your prayer area.

• Instruct the group to stand together around the hula hoop.• Give each kid a coin—it doesn’t matter what type.• As you give each kid a coin, tell them, “[Kid’s name], this week make the

most of what you’ve been given.”• Once everyone has a coin, ask them to think about how they can use what

they have—time, ability, stuff, money—to show love to God or others thisweek. Encourage them to think of a specific situation.

• Then, go around the circle. If kids feel comfortable, encourage them to sharewhat they will do this week to make the most of what you’ve been givenand gently toss their coin into the hula hoop.

• Once everyone is finished, sit around the hula hoop.• Close in prayer.

W H AT Y O U S AY:“Dear God, we are thankful for everything You’ve given us—our possessions, homes, families; talents, skills; time, and health. Please help us use all of those things for Your glory to help others know You and Your love. Amen.”

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SMALL GROUP - Rock Bridge