Fear, Inc.

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October 16th, 2016 .:. .:. Room 301

Pathways Kids Weekend Small Groups

This curriculum is for the 1st, 2nd and 3rd graders.

This Weeks Scope

Parting Waves
Bible Story: Parting Waves (Moses and the Red Sea) Exodus 13:1714:31
Bottom Line: You can do what you should even when things seem impossible.
Memory Verse: Be strong and brave. Do not be afraid. Do not lose hope. I am the LORD your God. I
will be with you everywhere you go. Joshua 1:9b, NIrV
Life App: Couragebeing brave enough to do what you should do, even when youre afraid.
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 for kids who are dealing with things that seem impossible, whether its learning
fractions at school or a parent who is terminally ill. Ask God to give those kids courage to move forward
in faith, knowing that He will be with them every step of the way.
Bible Story: Exodus 13:1714:31 Please use as a reference
When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country,
though that was shorter. For God said, If they face war, they might change their minds and return to
Egypt. So God led the people around by the desert road toward the Red Sea. The Israelites went up
out of Egypt ready for battle. Moses took the bones of Joseph with him because Joseph had made the
Israelites swear an oath. He had said, God will surely come to your aid, and then you must carry my
bones up with you from this place. After leaving Sukkoth they camped at Etham on the edge of the
desert. By day the LORD went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night
in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night. Neither the pillar of cloud by
day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people. Then the LORD said to Moses, Tell
the Israelites to turn back and encamp near Pi Hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea. They are to
encamp by the sea, directly opposite Baal Zephon. Pharaoh will think, The Israelites are wandering
around the land in confusion, hemmed in by the desert. And I will harden Pharaohs heart, and he will
pursue them. But I will gain glory for myself through Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will
know that I am the LORD. So the Israelites did this. When the king of Egypt was told that the people

had fled, Pharaoh and his officials changed their minds about them and said, What have we done? We
have let the Israelites go and have lost their services! So he had his chariot made ready and took his
army with him. He took six hundred of the best chariots, along with all the other chariots of Egypt, with
officers over all of them. The LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, so that he pursued the
Israelites, who were marching out boldly. The Egyptiansall Pharaohs horses and chariots, horsemen
and troopspursued the Israelites and overtook them as they camped by the sea near Pi Hahiroth,
opposite Baal Zephon. As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians,
marching after them. They were terrified and cried out to the LORD. They said to Moses, Was it
because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done
to us by bringing us out of Egypt? Didnt we say to you in Egypt, Leave us alone; let us serve the
Egyptians? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert! Moses
answered the people, Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring
you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The LORD will fight for you; you need
only to be still. Then the LORD said to Moses, Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to
move on. Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the
Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground. I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they
will go in after them. And I will gain glory through Pharaoh and all his army, through his chariots and his
horsemen. The Egyptians will know that I am the LORD when I gain glory through Pharaoh, his chariots
and his horsemen. Then the angel of God, who had been traveling in front of Israels army, withdrew
and went behind them. The pillar of cloud also moved from in front and stood behind them, coming
between the armies of Egypt and Israel. Throughout the night the cloud brought darkness to the one
side and light to the other side; so neither went near the other all night long. Then Moses stretched out
his hand over the sea, and all that night the LORD drove the sea back with a strong east wind and
turned it into dry land. The waters were divided, and the Israelites went through the sea on dry
ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left. The Egyptians pursued them, and all
Pharaohs horses and chariots and horsemen followed them into the sea. During the last watch of the
night the LORD looked down from the pillar of fire and cloud at the Egyptian army and threw it into
confusion. He jammed the wheels of their chariots so that they had difficulty driving. And the Egyptians
said, Lets get away from the Israelites! The LORD is fighting for them against Egypt. Then
the LORD said to Moses, Stretch out your hand over the sea so that the waters may flow back over the
Egyptians and their chariots and horsemen. Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at
daybreak the sea went back to its place. The Egyptians were fleeing toward it, and the LORD swept
them into the sea. The water flowed back and covered the chariots and horsementhe entire army of
Pharaoh that had followed the Israelites into the sea. Not one of them survived. But the Israelites went
through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left. That day
he LORD saved Israel from the hands of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians lying dead on the

shore. And when the Israelites saw the mighty hand of the LORD displayed against the Egyptians, the
people feared the LORD and put their trust in him and in Moses his servant.
What You Need: No supplies needed
What You Do:
Have the kids work in groups of two to play a game of imagination, telling a story about Spy
One and Spy Two.
In the game, one group will think of a trap that Spy One would set for Spy Two.
Then the next group would think of a way Spy Two would either avoid the trap or escape it when
he gets caught. For example:
o Group one might say, Spy One sets a trap door trap to drop Spy Two down onto sharp
spikes!
o The next group might say, Spy Two falls in the hole, but he is wearing super boots that keep
the spikes from hurting him and bounce him out of the hole.
o Another group might say, But then Spy One releases a hungry tiger to eat Spy Two!
o Then next group might say, But Spy Two pulls a raw steak out of his pocket and throws it
out for the tiger to chase while he escapes.
The game can continue as long as the kids can continue thinking of ideas. You can also keep it
going by giving a new starting point and letting kids take it from there.
What You Say:
You all have wonderful imaginations! Those were some clever traps and some clever escapes. Some
of those traps seemed impossible to escape, but we thought of ways that we could do it. You know,
there arent many traps that someone cant figure out a way to escape. With all of this creativity, youd
think wed never get discouraged by problems in our lives. But we often end up in situations we dont
think there is a way out of. When we are faced with things that seem impossible, we dont have to just
rely on our own creativity. If we did it would eventually run out. [Transition] Today we will learn about
an impossible situation that no human creativity could escape from.
Lead your group to the Large Group area.

Activity #1
What You Need: To: Israelites Email Activity Pages, crayons or markers
What You Do:
Remind the kids that in the Bible story, the Israelites had just seen God do amazing things to get
them to be able to leave Egypt, but now they were afraid of the same Egyptians that God had
already defeated once. They forgot who God was!
Tell the kids that you want them to imagine that you could send some emails to the Israelites to
remind them of what God can do. That way they could remember to trust Him.
Hand out the Activity Pages and crayons or markers.
Show kids each line of the email header. Let them write their names and todays date in the
blanks.
Help kids get started on their ideas by telling them they can draw pictures of great moments
from the Bible up to that point, such as any images from the creation of the world, Noah,
Abraham, Isaac, Joseph, or from the plagues.
Tell kids that most emails have a signature, reminding you whom the email is from and maybe
leaving the person receiving it with a last thought.
If your kids can write, let them write todays Bottom Line or this months memory verse.
If not, they can draw some hearts and smiley faces or any other positive emoji-type symbols.
What You Say:
God has done some amazing things in the Bible for people and for us. When we remember who God
is, we dont have to worry about things seeming impossible. God is a God who takes care of impossible
situations all the time. That doesnt mean every problem we have will be solved with a miracle and it
doesnt mean that every bully who bothers us will have plagues sent after him by God! (Actually, that
probably wont happen to the bullies at your school.) But it does mean that we arent going through any
hard time that God isnt there along with us. [Make It Personal] (Talk about something God did that
you remember and helps you trust God today.) [Bottom Line] You can do what you should even
when things seem impossible.

Activity #2
What You Need: Masking tape, blocks, beanbags
What You Do:
Create a small tic-tac-toe board (3x3 grid) on the floor using masking tape.
Divide the group into two teams
Give the members of one team the blocks and give members of the other team beanbags
Teams take turns answering questions pertaining to the Bible story.
o If they get the question correct, a member of the team occupies a space in the grid by
placing his teams block or beanbag in a space of his choosing.
o If they answer incorrectly, the opposing team gets an opportunity to answer the question
and to occupy a space on the grid.
The first team to place three props in a horizontal, vertical, or diagonal row wins.
Play as many games as you have questions for. If time allows and youre out of questions, make
up your own. You could have kids list some impossible things that God has accomplished.
Questions:
- As the Israelites were fleeing from Egypt, how did they know God was traveling with them and
guiding them during the day? (a pillar of clouds guided them)
- As the Israelites were fleeing from Egypt, how did they know God was traveling with them and
guiding them during the night? (a pillar of fire)
- God instructed the Israelites to camp by what body of water? (the Red Sea)
- Who chased the Israelites? (Pharaoh and the Egyptian army)
- When the Israelites were trapped along the shore of the Red Sea, with the Egyptian army
bearing down on them, things seemed impossible. What did God tell Moses to do? (raise his
staff over the Red Sea)
- It seems impossible to save the Israelites by simply raising a staff over the Red Sea, but Moses
did what he should and listened to God. What happened to the water when Moses obeyed God
and showed courage? (the Red Sea parted)
- How did the Israelites show courage? (they did what they should even though they were afraid
and they walked on dry ground across the Red Sea)
- What happened to the Egyptians when they crossed the Red Sea? (the water crashed down on
them and destroyed them all)
- What is the Bottom Line for today? [Bottom Line] (You can do what you should even when
things seem impossible)
What You Say:
The Red Sea story is such a crazy story! Imagine what it would have been like to be an Israelite
walking across the bottom of an ocean between two HUGE walls of water. I would have been VERY
scared to do that! It would have been very hard for me to take that first step. I would be thinking, This is
NOT happening! What if the walls of water come crashing down on me? And yet God asked the
Israelites to trust Him and to show courage and to take the first step. You probably wont be asked to
cross the Red Sea, but there will be times when things seem impossible and you will need courage to
take the first step. Maybe you had a fight with your friend and you think it is impossible to be friends
again. Or you had a major wipe out on your skateboard and you think it is impossible that you will ever
skateboard again. You can have courage if you remember [Bottom Line] you can do what you
should even when things seem impossible.

Prayer
Opposites

Time

What You Need: No supplies needed

What You Do:
Lead the kids in thanking God for the impossible things He has already accomplished.
After each phrase, ask the kids to say, Thank you, God, for making the impossible possible.
Pray in a pattern similar to this:
o Thank You, God, for creating the earth out of nothing.
o Then pause for the kids to say their part.
o Then say, Thank You, God, for creating the beautiful stars.
o Then pause again.
Continue, thanking God for a few other things before you wrap up.
What You Say:
We can trust God to do the impossible in the future because He has done the impossible already. That
is why, when we face a situation that seems impossible, we can approach it with confidence, not
because we know we can do it, but because we know God will be with us. Remember our Bottom Line:
[Bottom Line] You can do what you should even when things seem impossible.