Hangin Tough

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April 17th, 2016 .:. .:. Room 301

Pathways Kids Weekend Small Groups

This curriculum is for the 9, 10, 11 and 12 year olds.

This Weeks Scope

Pain Then Gain

Bible Story: Pain Then Gain (Fix your eyes on Jesus) Hebrews 12:2-3
Bottom Line: When life gets hard, remember what Jesus did for you.
Memory Verse: But those who trust the LORD will receive new strength. They will fly as high as eagles.
They will run and not get tired. They will walk and not grow weak. Isaiah 40:31, NIrV
Life App: Perseverancerefusing to give up when life gets hard.
Basic Truth: I can trust God no matter what.

Welcome Time
Welcome kids and spend time engaging in conversation and catching up. Get ready to experience
todays 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 the kids who havent begun a relationship with Jesus yet. Ask God
to begin moving in these kids hearts and for today to be another step closer to relationship with Him.
Pray for the kids who have begun a relationship with Jesus. Pray that they would be able to draw
comfort and encouragement from the knowledge that Christ loves them enough to DIE for them.
What You Need: Individually wrapped candy
What You Do:
Set out the candy.
Invite the kids to have as many pieces of candy as they want. The only rule is that they cannot
use their hands (or anyone elses) to unwrap the candy.
Before heading to Large Group, let them have a couple pieces and use their hands to unwrap
them.
What You Say:
Its not easy opening a piece of candy when you cant use your hands. Were you tempted to just eat it
wrapper and all? Getting the wrapper off the candy without using your hands was almost impossible.
Thankfully, impossible situations are never a problem for God. He always knows what to do and has the
power to do it. [Transition] Lets go to Large Group and learn about something God did that no
one else could do.
Lead your group to the Large Group area.

Activity #1
What You Need: Old crayons (or other small items), Bible, paper; 2 per Small Group, timer
What You Do:
Scatter the crayons on the floor around your meeting area.
Place a piece of paper at both ends of the room.
Review todays Bible story by asking a volunteer to read Hebrews 12:2-3 out loud.
If you lead mostly older kids, consider asking these discussion questions:
In what ways is Jesus the ultimate example of one who persevered?
Theres nothing fun about dying on a cross, so why and how did Jesus have joy when He
endured death on a cross?
According to Hebrews 12:3, what should we do when we feel like giving up?
Jesus persevered all the way to death in order to rescue us from our sin. How should that
impact the way we react to bad situations?
Can you think of an example in your own life when you have been in a bad situation? How did
you react? Sometimes we blow it!
If you didnt react in the way you wish you would have, what can you do to remind yourself next
time of Jesus reaction to the cross? How would that affect your reaction? Do you think the way
you react could help you persevere? How so?
After the discussion questions:
Form two teams and have them stand at opposite ends of the room by one of the pieces of
paper.
Ask all the kids to remove their shoes and set them aside.
Challenge the teams to an Ultimate Crayon Rescue. Point out that there are crayons of all
sizes and colors scattered around the room. The crayons need to be picked up and brought to
the pieces of paper.
Explain that the goal of the rescue is to get as many of the crayons as they can to their teams
pieces of paper in three minutes. The only way to transport the crayons is to pick them up with
their toes and carry them back. (Hint: Kids dont have to walk back. They can crawl, crab walk,
shuffle, etc. They can use any way they choose to get themselves and the crayons back to their
teams paper plate.)
The team that rescues the most crayons is the winner.
What You Say:
Carrying a crayon in your toes took some determination and perseverance. If you had given up, thered
be a room full of crayons that still needed to be picked up. Great job! Arent you glad Jesus didnt quit
halfway to the cross? He persevered and endured the agony and pain of a cruel death, which He didnt
deserve. And He did it for you and me. The writer of Hebrews says that to run the race of life with
perseverance, we should focus our attention on Jesus. He is the ultimate example of someone who
endured death itself to accomplish the rescue mission God set out for Him. [Bottom Line] When life
gets hard, remember what Jesus did for you. Not only did He die on the cross to save you, He
NEVER abandons you. You can count on Him this weeknot just in everyday annoyances, but in any
impossible situation youre facing.

Activity #2
4/5/6 Challenge
What You Need: Bibles, paper; 1 piece for each kid, markers
What You Do:
Ask students to get into smaller groups of 3 or 4.
Encourage them to look up Hebrews 12:2-3 in a Bible
What seem to be the key or most important words?
See if they can tell you what an eye chart looks like. Most have had an eye exam with the nurse
at school or at the eye doctor. You can also show them an image of an eye chart on your phone
or device to refresh their memory.
Encourage them to use the most important words and ideas in these two verses to create an
eye chart.
Give them about five minutes to work on this in teams, and then share and compare the results.
What words did more than one group pick out? Did they show it differently by making those
letters bigger?
Close by discussing how Jesus was like a PIONEER of faith. What do you normally think of
when you see this word? How can you be a pioneer of faith in your world this week?

Prayer
Opposites

Time

What You Need: Paper, pens

What You Do:
Remind kids that Jesus is the perfect example of perseverance. He refused to give up on us.
God wanted an eternal relationship with usone that lasts foreverand Jesus was willing to
help make that happen. Gods Son left heaven and endured the cross on our behalf in order to
create a way for us to live forever in heaven.
Hand out paper and pens.
Ask the kids to write a prayer to God expressing how they feel about what Jesus did for them.
When finished, have everyone fold their letters and join together in a circle.
[Make It Personal] (Write your own prayer of praise along with the kids. Close by reading
aloud the prayer you wrote and inviting others to share their prayers as well.)
What You Say:
Providing a way for us to know God meant Jesus had to leave heaven and endure the cross. Im so
glad He loved us enough to persevere through such a cruel and painful experience. Even though none
of us deserve it, Jesus thought we were worth dying for! [Bottom Line] When life gets hard,
remember what Jesus did for you. He not only provided the way for us to be saved, He also
continues to stand beside us through all the good and bad days.
4/5/6 Challenge
What You Say:
There are some things we cant seelike wind or gravitybut we can see the results, like when the
wind knocks down tree limbs or gravity causes a book to fall off the shelf. This weekat home and at
school, wherever you arepray for God to show you where Hes working in the world around you. Ask
him to give you fresh eyes, to help you to remember to look around for clues that show Hes up to
something good. Or to show you places where things are broken and wrong, where you can step in and
help someone elses faith grow just by being there or trying to help come up with a solution. When we
see where God is at work, it helps us feel more confident that Hell be there for us or work through
someone to be there for us when were in need.