Spotlight

Nov 6th, 2016 .:. .:. Room 301

Pathways Kids Weekend Small Groups

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

This Weeks Scope

The Choice
Bible Story: The Choice (Samuel anoints David) 1 Samuel 16:1-13
Bottom Line: Honor others by giving them a chance.
Memory Verse: Love one another deeply. Honor others more than yourselves. Romans 12:10, NIrV
Life App: Honorletting someone know you see how valuable they really are.
Basic Truth: I should treat others the way I want to be treated.

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 kids who are typically overlooked by others. Pray that they would
be made to feel special and valued. Also pray for kids who are typically doing the overlooking. Ask
God to show them other kids who need to feel valued. Pray that these kids would work to make others
feel included and special.
What You Need: paper, markers
What You Do:
Set out the paper and markers.
Tell kids to draw what they consider to be the perfect king. If you have a mixed-gender group,
you could have the boys draw a king and the girls draw a queen.
Explain that they can also write words around the outside that describe a perfect king. (How
would this person act? What would he wear? What decisions would he make? What would he
look like physically?)
As they work, ask questions about what they are drawing and writing.
What You Say:
Those are some great qualities for a perfect king. [Transition] Lets go to Large Group, where well
hear all about how someone chose the perfect king for Gods people. I think the story might
surprise you!
Lead your group to the Large Group area.

Activity #1
What You Need: wadded-up Review Questions Activity Page, tub
What You Do:
Set out the tub.
Explain that the review questions are on wadded-up papers in the tub.
Each kid will get five seconds to try to find one before the next kid gets a turn. When a kid finds
a question, he reads it aloud to the group.
Have the kids huddle around the tub, and choose someone to go first.
Tell the other kids that when you say, GO, they should start counting to five. If the kid whos
digging doesnt find a question before time is up, they start counting again, and the kid to the left
takes a turn.
Continue until all eight questions have been found, read, and answered. (Correct answers are
on the list below.)
When they find the smaller page with the application question (What kind of person do you need
to honor by giving them a chance?), encourage several kids to answer. Explain that they
shouldnt give specific names, but be general about it with an answer such as: I should honor
the kid whos a little different and gets picked on a lot, by standing up for her and being her
friend.
Answers:
1. Who is the king of Israel at the beginning of the story? (Saul)
2. Who did God choose to anoint the new king? (Samuel)
3. Who is the father of the sons Samuel was to choose from? (Jesse)
4. Who was the first son Samuel thought he was to choose? (Eliab)
5. What did God say NOT to look at when choosing a king? (How handsome or tall he is; his
outward appearance)
6. What did God say He looks at when choosing a king? (The heart)
7. Why wasnt David with his brothers? (He was out tending the sheep)
8. What kind of person do you need to honor by giving them a chance? (Someone who typically
gets overlooked, picked last, etc.; someone you personally havent given a chance to in the
past)
What You Say:
Look at the question papers. Youll notice that one is smaller than the others, and it was likely harder to
find. But the question on that paper was actually the most important. All of the questions are important,
because theyre about Gods Word, but this one question is one that helps us live out the Life App and
incorporate some of Gods character into our lives. Its one thing to read the Bible and know what it
says, but its another thing to live by what it says. And this week were learning that we need to
[Bottom Line] honor others by giving them a chance just like God gave David a chance, and just
like someone else once gave me a chance.
[Make It Personal] (Tell kids about a time someone honored you by putting you first. How did
that make you feel? How did it make a difference in your life?)

Activity #2
What You Need: Paper, markers or colored pencils
What You Do:
Give each kid a piece of paper, and set out the markers.
Ask kids the following questions, reminding them to be sensitive to those around them and not
to share names:
o Have you ever been rejected or left out? How did it feel?
o Have you ever done that to someone else?
o How does it feel knowing that youre dismissing someone as if they dont matter when
you dont give them a chance?
Tell kids to think of someone they have been dismissing and need to give a chance to. Instruct
them to either draw a picture of that person or to write down a few characteristics of that person.
(Again, remind them not to share names or give away specific information about the people they
choose; especially if your group tends to have the same friends at school or in extracurricular
activities.)
Then tell kids to wad up their papers as a way to symbolize that the other person has been
rejected or ignored.
Then have kids open their papers back up to show that theyre going to give that person a
chance.
Ask them to write down one thing they will do this week to give the person a chance.
What You Say:
We all know what its like when someone doesnt give us a chance. And weve all been the person who
doesnt give someone a chance. Maybe we ignore them on purpose. Maybe we make fun of them
without really even knowing them. Or perhaps theres someone who simply hasnt been on our radar
because nobody has really noticed them and theyve just stayed in the background. Whatever the case,
lets [Bottom Line] honor others by giving them a chance. I know its easy to say youre going to do
something when youre here and then forget about it during the week. But I really want you to do the
thing you wrote down on your paper and give that person a chance. It could completely change their life
and it could change yours too!

Prayer
Opposites

Time

Pray and Dismiss

What You Need: Paper, pen
What You Do:
Ask kids what they would like to pray about this week. Ask questions to guide them to think
about what to pray in response to what they learned today.
o What did we learn about honoring other people this week?
o Who did we learn we should honor?
o How can we pray about that to God?
o Who do we want His help to try to honor this week?
Write down kids responses to your questions and incorporate them into your prayer.
What You Say:
God, please help us to [Bottom Line] honor others by giving them a chance. We ask that You
would [insert kids responses to your questions]. Thank You for loving us enough to give each of us a
chance. Amen.