POlNerful Gospel Presentations! :) Ministry Direction... "ACCORDING TO THE PUBLICATION COMMUNICATION Co BRIEFINGS, PERCENT MESSAGE c>:$ 2 ..D <1) ~ ~ WITHIN 20 40 WEEK THEY LOSE 90 ~ THOM AND JOANI PERCENT." SCHULTZ, WHY NOBODY LEARNS MUCH OF ANYTHING AT CHURCH: AND HOW TO FIX IT. ~ ~ How can you make your presentations so powerful that children will remember and apply the Biblical principles that you are presenting? ~ In Children's Church: Turning Your Circus into a Service, Dick Gruber shares the following about making gospel presentations to kids: Z ~ rJJ ~ Z . ~ ~ rJJ '" Z ~ ~ 0 ~ ~ :t u . . . MINUTES. THEY FORGET 60 PERCENT AFTER A HALF DAY. AND AFTER A ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ rJJ PEOPLE FORGET OF A SPEAKER'S A gospel presentation is not a dynamic illustration or a creative visual. It is a message from God transmitted by you to each child. Such a message cannot come entirely from a curriculum. A curriculum might give you the Scripture text or an idea for the visualpresentation. But you must pray and meditate daily to find what God would say specifically to the childrenand how He would have you to present His message. There should always be three portions to the gospel presentation: a Scripture verse, Bible story, and illustrated sermon. The message is more important than the method. Look to God for the message, then determinewhat methods will best present God's . message. Role play, drama, mime, chalk talks, gospel illusions, object lessons, storytelling,costumedcharacters,video clips are just some of the methods that can be used to effectively share the Gospel message. Involvethe childrenin your presentation.A child who participates will be more apt to rememberand apply that lesson throughout the week. Invite childrento act on God's message to them. The invitation may be an altar invitationgiving childrenthe opportunityto receive salvation, sanctificationor seekthe baptism of the Holy Spirit, help with a problem,or askingGodto supply a need. Or the invitation might be a challenge. Challengethe childrento obey the message they have heard. For example, ifthe gospel presentation was on witnessing, challenge the childrento share the "good news" with a ftiend or familymember duringthe week. Ideas You Can Use! IVIUI~II)()~IE Materials Needed: Paper cups, small toys, change, nails or screws, plant in cup of soil, pitcher of water. Presentation: Can anyone tell me why this paper cup was made? What is its purpose? Yes, it was made to drink out of. That is its purpose. Everything that has been created has a purpose, a reason for being made. Paper cups are used in many other ways too. Sometimes kids like to keep their favorite things in paper cups. You might keep bottle caps or marbles or special rocks in a paper cup. Some people collect their loose coins in a paper cup. Others keep small things like nails or screws or buttons in a paper cup. A paper cup can even be used as a tiny garden. You can put soil in the cup and plant seeds in the soil and soon you will have a cup full of plants. But was the paper cup made to hold bottle caps or coins or nails? Was it made to be a miniature garden? No. It was made to provide a cool drink to someone who is thirsty. (Pour water into a paper cup and take a drink.) each very find does The paper cup reminds me of of you. You too were made for a special purpose. (Let the children and read Matthew 22:37.) What this verse tell us about our purpose, our reason for existing. Yes, each of you were made to love God and to serve Him. The paper cup has no choice in how it will be used, but you can choose. Will your life be spent doing what you want to do? Will you spend your life doing what others want you to do? Or, will you choose to love God and serve Him? God wants to fill your life with His love so that you can share it with others. (Pour water into another cup and give a drink to one of the children.) Will you fulfill God's purpose? It's your choice. 11)()lrIE~lrIIA\IL Materials needed: 12 inch balloon, balloonfor each child, black permanent markers. Presentation: The other day I went to the store and bought this balloon. The package said that this was a 12 inch balloon.Butwhen I opened the package and took out the balloon, I was very disappointed. This isn't a 12 inch balloon. Why it isn't even a 4 inch balloon. I thinkI've been cheated.What do you think? (Let children respond.) What? Oh, you mean that in order for this to becomea 12-inchballoon, I have to do something? I have to blow the balloon up? Let's see if you are right. (Blow the balloon up completely.) I wasn't cheated after all! This is a 12inchballoon. You know, each of us is like this balloon. We have POTENTIAL.Wehave the ability to be all Godhas plannedfor us to be. But we must work with God to reach our potential. (Ask each child to get with a partner then give each one a balloon. Ask the pairs to think of ways they can work with God to become all He has plannedforthemto be. When they have thought of two ways, they are to blow the balloons.) Bring the group back together. Ask them to share some of their ideas. Conclude by asking each child to toss his balloon up in the air. While the balloon is in the air the child is to pray asking God to help him reach his potential. 'CIIlI()II'IJE Preparation: Create three paths. Make one path with coins. At the end of the path place a sign that reads, "Wrong Way." Make another path with bright beads or colorful candy pieces. At the end of that path, place a sign that reads, "Dead End." Make another path with dried brown beans. At the end of that path, place a bag of treats (enough for each child in your group). If space permits, make the paths complex. If not, the paths can simply wind around the front of your meeting room. However, make sure the end of each path cannot be seen until reached. Divide the children into three groups. Show them the beginning of each path. Ask each group to choose a path and follow it to the end then return with whatever they find at the end. Presentation: Discuss the following: What made you choose this path? How did you feel when you got to the end of the path? If you could choose again, what path wouldyou choose?Why? In the Bible, (Matthew 7:13, 14) Jesus reminds us that there are two paths we can choose to follow during our lives. (Read these verses to the children in an easy-to-understand translation of the Bible, such as the NIV.) What are the two paths? What doesthe broad path lead to? What does the narrow path lead to? Why do you think many people follow the broad path? Which paths that you followed were like the broad path? Why? Which path was like the narrow path? Why? How can we choose to follow the narrowpath? Yes,thenarrowpath is the path that we followwhen we choose to live for Jesus. The group who chose to follow the plain path received a reward at the end. I'm going to give each member of their group one of the rewards. (Pass out a treat to each group member.) But there are still rewards left to share with each of you. (Pass out remaining treats to other groups.) You were all blessed because some people made the right choice. When we choose to follow Jesus how are others blessed? Conclude by reviewing the two paths. Invite the children to choose to follow Jesus. Resource Review .......................................... ........................................................................................ "" "' """ ""' """""""'""" "" "" ""...... . . .. . """""""""" .. """"" mEll ... Pfj) "" "" """"""""""' . ll.M1( (1 Jf ""' '" ... O r}J:l '£> e x ~~llijll:l~i1~.~~IIII~i~ fM~g~l~t§;:§'9@mmthij~::§9ij~M -;:IJ.#:::@g7M~:"9Q;4~:1:j4~~~i:~g§~i. ~~::~:;~:@::::::\::::::::::::/::::::::::::Y::.::::::::::::::::::::::::.