When kids leave, ask them what it means to be in God’s family.

Connect Time (15 minutes): Five minutes after the service begins, split kids into groups and begin their activity. Large Group (30 minutes): Begin 20 minutes after the service starts. Model what it looks like to be engaged in large group. Small Group (15 minutes): Keep kids in small groups until parents arrive. If you all have extra time at the end, you can review the video and songs together.

You’ll have lots of different personality types in your room–some will be extroverted, and some will be introverted! So don’t approach every kid the same way. Some will feel comfortable talking and playing right away, and some might just need a little quiet time, or space to adjust at first.

Ruth got to be part of God’s story because of her friend Naomi. And we can invite our friends to be part of God’s story too!

God invites us into his family.Ruth

RuthSeptember 9-10, 2017

GOAL: Connect Time is all about engaging kids in an activity that allows them to connect with each other right away while simultaneously piquing their curiosity for Large Group and preparing their minds for what they’re going to hear.

DUCK, DUCK...GREY DUCK!● Split kids into small groups (this can also be played in one large group if you’re class

size is small).● This game is played like “Duck, Duck, Goose” but with some twists thrown in. Here

are the rules:○ Have kids sit in a circle, facing inward.○ Choose one kid to be the the picker. He/she walks around the circle, tapping

each player’s head. But instead of just saying “duck”, they have to give the duck a color. So the picker would say “red duck”, “blue duck”, “yellow duck”, etc.

○ When the picker finally says “grey duck”, the chase begins! If the picker can get around the whole circle and back to the empty spot first, the gray duck becomes the picker. If they don’t get there in time, they have to be the picker again.

○ If you want some extra challenges as the game progresses, try these:■ As each kid is tapped on the head, no matter what color duck, they

have to stand up and do 3 jumping jacks, then sit back down.■ Have two pickers going at a time! As one picker is going around the

circle, pick another kid to be the second picker, and go in the opposite direction.

Before you go to Large Group, you can ask kids how their week went. You can also remind kids of the expectations for Large Group behavior: (1) be kind, (2) listen when somebody speaks, and (3) follow the leader’s instructions.

Today, focus on is how everyone is free to be part of God’s family, no matter who they are or where they’re from. Not only that, but WE can help people know Jesus too!

Preview today’s video here:

Gods’ Story / Ruth:https://vimeo.com/187668770

*Click to play intro music.● Welcome: Hi everybody! Welcome to Kids’ Club. We’re so

glad to have you here! I hope you had fun playing that colorful version of Duck, Duck, Goose!

● Say: You never know when you’re gonna have to get up and move in that game, right? Sometimes you’re sitting still and waiting….and waiting….and then all of a sudden, you’ve been picked! And it’s a race around the circle!

● Say: What if you have to move in real life, and you’re not really sure about the place you’re moving to? How would you feel? Or maybe that’s happened to you before? (Let a few kids respond.)

● Say: Sometimes it’s frustrating to feel like you don’t have a place. Of course, in a game, it’s supposed to be that way. But in real life? Sometimes we just feel like we don’t belong.

● Say: We’re going to watch a quick video clip to imagine how this feels. This is from a movie called Inside Out, where emotions are characters. As you watch, try to figure out what the all-blue character, Sadness, is struggling with.

● Video: First Day of School ● Say: So what was she struggling with? What was she

feeling? (Let kids respond.) Yep, she felt like she wasn’t needed or wanted, like she didn’t have a purpose.

WELCOME AND INTRO

Main Goal: Review Connect Time and introduce today’s story.

RUTH FOLLOWED GOD BECAUSE OF NAOMI

Main Goal: Remind kids that Ruth followed God because of Naomi, and give them space to identify the person who first told them about God.

WE CAN INVITE OUR FRIENDS TO FOLLOW JESUS

Main Goal: Identify specific ways that we can help OUR friends follow Jesus.

● Say: We can all feel that way sometimes. We live in an imperfect world, and there’s a lot of brokenness. But fortunately, we have a God who wants to give a place and family to belong to.

● Say: Today, we’re going to talk about a woman named Ruth, and how she was looking for a place to belong to, and a family to be a part of.

● Say: She was from a place called Moab. But she had a good friend named Naomi, who was from a place called Israel. That means that Naomi was part of God’s family, but Ruth was not.

● Say: These two women were great friends, but one day, Naomi decided it was time for her to go back to Israel. Ruth said she wanted to go with her! She wanted to stay with Naomi and be part of God’s family too.

● Say: We’re going to watch a video about what happened when Ruth decided she wanted to follow God like Naomi. As you watch, see how Ruth got to be part of God’s family.

● Video: God’s Story / Ruth● Ask: So not only Ruth did get to be part of God’s story, but

one day, her great grandson was King David! And eventually, Jesus was born into her family line! Ruth’s story is exciting, because it shows us that EVERYONE is free to become part of God’s family.

● Ask: So who invited Ruth to follow God? (Let kids respond: Naomi) That’s right, her friend Naomi. And Ruth really, really wanted to join her. Let’s see what she said.

● Slide: Ruth 1:16 But Ruth replied, “Don’t ask me to leave you and turn back. Wherever you go, I will go; wherever you live, I will live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God.”

● Say: The whole reason Ruth was able to follow God, was because her friend did! Think about that for a second. All of us heard about Jesus from somebody, even if you’re hearing about him from me for the first time right now!

● Say: Close your eyes, (Let kids respond.) and think of the first person who told you about Jesus (Pause). Who was it? Does anyone want to share? (Let 2-3 kids share. After each one, ask, “How did they tell you?”)

● Say: That’s awesome! I learned about Jesus from someone too. (Share a personal, brief story about who first invited you to follow Jesus.)

● Say: Most of us heard about Jesus somewhere, because God loves it when people share his love. He wants us to invite our friends to follow him

● Ask: So what do you guys think? How can we invite our friends to follow Jesus? Any ideas? (Let kids respond. If helpful, refer to the ways they said that they first heard about Jesus.)

● Say: Those are great ideas! And there are lots of different ways. (Depending on what kids said, suggest ideas like: pray for our friends, show them Jesus’ love, or even invite them to come to Kids’ Club with you.)

● Say: In fact, inviting a friend to Kids’ Club can be a REALLY fun way to share Jesus with our friends. And it’s pretty easy to do: just ask!

● Say: Since God wants ALL of us to be free to follow him with our whole hearts, he wants us to share his story with others. Everybody close your eyes (Let kids respond.) Think of one friend who might not know Jesus. (Pause.) Think about how you could invite that person to come to Kids’ Club next week. (Pause.) When you have a friend’s name in your mind, put your hand over your heart. (Pause.)

● Pray: Dear God, thank you for all the friends that we just thought of. Thank you that every single person is free to follow you. Please help us to love you with our whole hearts and to tell our friends about your love. In Jesus’ name, amen.

● Worship: Now, let’s worship Jesus together and tell him how much we love him. These songs are about how we want how great God is and how he loves everyone!

● Music Video: Wake● Music Video: Brave Ones

WE CAN INVITE OTHERS TO FOLLOW JESUS (Cont.)

RESPOND AND WORSHIP

Main Goal: Give kids space to talk to God about what they heard, listen to him and worship him.

Goal: Kids will (1) understand that Ruth followed God because of her friend Naomi, (2) recognize that Ruth was free to become part of God’s family, and (3) identify one friend they want to follow Jesus.

Why? God wants everyone to be part of his family, and it’s our job to tell our friends about his love.

Tip: Not all kids learn in the same way, so encourage them to write, or draw, or express themselves in another way if that works better (like acting something out!).

APPLY THE STORY1. Who were Ruth and Naomi? (Friends; Ruth was from Moab and not part of God’s

family; Naomi was from Israel and followed God.)a. Who are your closest friends?b. Have you ever had a friend move away? How did it feel? How do you think

Ruth felt when Naomi told her she was leaving?c. Why did Ruth want to go with Naomi? (She wanted Naomi’s people to be her

people and Naomi’s God to be her God!)2. What does it mean to be part of God’s family?

a. Why was Ruth able to be a part of God’s family? (Naomi invited her, because God wants everyone to know and follow him.)

b. What are the differences between our families, and God’s family?c. Who’s one friend you want to be part of God’s family, who isn’t yet? How

could you invite them?

MAKE IT PERSONAL● Give each kid a God’s family template and set out markers and pens.

○ On the left side, have them write a short poem that describes their own family, people they live with, or people they spend the most time with (Make sure to list all those options, because not every kid will have a typical family situation.)

○ To help encourage ideas, ask:■ What do you do with them?■ What do you love about them? ■ What do you not love about them?

(Continued on next page.)

○ On the right side, write a poem about what they think would describe God’s family:

○ To help encourage ideas, ask:■ What do you think it’s like being in God’s family?■ How is it different from a regular family?■ What about when we get to heaven, and we get to be a part of God’s

family forever? What will that be like?○ Once kids are finishing up, turn the paper over, and list all the people who

they want to be a part of God’s family, and who they could personally invite to come to Kids’ Club or Crossroads!

○ *If kids struggle with coming up with a poem, they also just could list things, or draw a picture of them.

Extra time? Play the Connect Time game again!

Tell me about Ruth. How was Ruth able to be part of God’s story?

3rd-5thSeptember 9/10, 2017

Connect TimeItem Usage Details Provided by

No Supplies Needed

Small GroupItem Usage Details Provided by

Markers1 set per group,

reusedsite

Pens1 set per kid,

reusedUse Crossroads pens site

God’s Family template 1 per kid 8.5x11 paper, color, Page 9 site

Large GroupItem Usage Details Provided by

Adventure Bible1 per large group,

reusedsite

1. Song slide: for when kids enter the room (All that You Need instrumental; mp3 only; can be downloaded on website)

2. Video: Inside Out / First Day of School (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=riNDhwFOHzM)

3. Video: Gods’ Story / Ruth (https://vimeo.com/187668770)4. Slide: Ruth 1:16 But Ruth replied, “Don’t ask me to leave you and turn back. Wherever

you go, I will go; wherever you live, I will live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God.”

5. Music Video: Wake (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qFGrIDHdJI) 6. Music Video: Brave Ones (https://vimeo.com/199998672)

3rd-5th