252 Groups
252® Groups
Group Experiences for K-5th Grades
Scripture marked “NIrV” is taken from the NEW INTERNATIONAL READER'S VERSION®.
Copyright © 1996, 1998 Biblica. All rights reserved throughout the world.
Used by permission of Biblica.
Scripture marked “NIV” is taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®,
NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission.
All rights reserved worldwide.
Statement of Faith
ABOUT GOD
God is the one and only true God, yet He exists in three persons: God the
Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. God is the Creator, so
everything belongs to Him and is under His control. God is holy, so He is
righteous, majestic, and loving. God is all knowing and purposeful, so He’s
at work to bring about His will. No person, thing, or idea compares to God.
ABOUT THE SCRIPTURES
God reveals Himself to us through the Bible, and it is 100% accurate, reliable,
and authoritative.
ABOUT PEOPLE
People are made in God’s image and for His pleasure. But everybody falls
short of God’s intention, or ideal, for people. In other words, everyone has
sinned. As a result, we are all separated from Him, even though He wants
an intimate relationship with each of us.
ABOUT SALVATION
That’s why Jesus—God’s Son—came and lived on this earth, died, and
rose again. God offers His free gift of salvation to all who believe in Jesus
and accept Him as Savior—the only way to be forgiven and reconciled to
God. Anyone who accepts this gift is adopted as a son or daughter into
God’s family and will live with Him forever in heaven.
User Agreement
Orange gladly grants permission to churches, schools, and other licensees
to tailor 252 Basics® materials to fit their unique leadership requirements,
locale and format preferences, and physical environment needs. However,
if you wish to edit the content substantively, including Bible stories,
learning activities, scripts, and any other content in which biblical principles
and concepts are presented, you are obligated to do so within the doctrinal
guidelines we’ve expressed in our Statement of Faith. These resources
are intended to be downloaded and printed for use by the subscribing
entity only and may not be electronically transferred to or duplicated by
other non-subscribing entities. Any unauthorized reproduction of this
material or incorporation into a new work is a direct violation of US
copyright laws. ©2014 The reThink Group. All rights reserved. 252
Basics® and the 252 Basics® logo are trademarks of Orange and the
reThink Group.
©2014 The reThink Group, Inc. All rights reserved. • www.ThinkOrange.com
Adapted by Rosie Villodas- New Life Fellowship, October 2014.
November 2014, Week 5
Small Group, 4-5
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252 Groups
November 2014, Week 5
Small Group, 4-5
FOR LEADERS ONLY
GOD VIEW: the connection between GRATITUDE and
God's character, as shown through God's big story
This month, let’s think about how:
(1) God is at work in our lives even though we may not understand.
(2) Our response of gratitude shows that we trust God in all circumstances.
This week, we’re discovering:
We'll look at how the Apostle Paul closed out his letter to the Roman followers of Jesus. He thanked
people—a LOT of people—for helping him on his journeys. He knew that he couldn’t have made it
through his journeys without the people who assisted him along the way.
Our Bottom Line is: Take time to remember how others have helped you. We can easily take people
for granted, especially those who help us all of the time. We want kids to realize that taking time to
thank others for their help is an important part of showing gratitude.
Our memory verse is 1 Thessalonians 5:18, “Give thanks no matter what happens. God wants
you to thank him because you believe in Christ Jesus.” (NIrV) There are many times when we
don’t want to give thanks, but our hope in Jesus allows us to be thankful regardless of our
circumstances.
©2014 The reThink Group, Inc. All rights reserved. • www.ThinkOrange.com
Adapted by Rosie Villodas- New Life Fellowship, October 2014.
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252 Groups
November 2014, Week 5
Small Group, 4-5
Credit Where Credit Is Due
Bible Story: Credit Where Credit Is Due (Paul thanks people) • Romans 16:1-19
Bottom Line: Take time to remember how others have helped you.
Memory Verse: “Give thanks no matter what happens. God wants you to thank him because
you believe in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18, NIrV
Life App: Gratitude—letting others know you see how they’ve helped you.
Basic Truth: I should treat others the way I want to be treated.
Plug In: Focus the Energy (Small Groups, 10-15 minutes)
Focus the energy on today’s Bible story in a Small Group setting with an engaging discussion question
and an interactive opening activity.
Before kids arrive, pray for each regular attendee by name. Pray for those who might visit your group
for the first time. Take time to remember how others have helped you, and thank God for those times.
Ask God to guide you as you lead the kids to recognize those times in their own lives. Pray for the last
week of focusing on gratitude, that God would move kids and leaders toward living a life of gratitude, in
constant thanks for all that He does and all that He is.
1. Early Arriver Idea
What You Need: An offering container, 1-2 board games or card games
What You Do:
Invite kids to put their offerings in the offering container as they arrive. Play a game with the kids as you
wait to start the Plug In activity or wait to go to Large Group. As you play the game, engage the kids in
a conversation: Who was someone that did something awesome for you this past week? How did you
thank them?
2. Remember
What You Need: Several random items, a tray, a cloth covering the items on the tray, paper, pencils,
timer
What You Do:
Have the kids circle around the covered tray of items. Give each kid a piece of paper and a pencil.
Explain once you uncover the tray, they will have exactly 30 seconds to look at the items and try to
remember what they see on the tray. Set the timer for 30 seconds and remove the cloth covering the
tray. After 30 seconds is up, cover the tray. Give kids 1-2 minutes to jot down all the items they
remember seeing on the tray. Then uncover the items again and determine who remembered the
greatest number of items. Ask the winner to read off their list as you check the tray to see if the items
listed are among those on the tray.
©2014 The reThink Group, Inc. All rights reserved. • www.ThinkOrange.com
Adapted by Rosie Villodas- New Life Fellowship, October 2014.
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252 Groups
November 2014, Week 5
Small Group, 4-5
What You Say:
“You did a great job remembering what was on the tray. We have a lot of things we need to remember,
don’t we? We need to remember to brush our teeth, [Recycle] treat others the way we want to be
treated, make our beds, turn off lights when we leave the room, and the list goes on. [Transition] Let’s
go to Large Group to hear something important God wants us to remember to do.”
Lead your group to the Large Group area.
©2014 The reThink Group, Inc. All rights reserved. • www.ThinkOrange.com
Adapted by Rosie Villodas- New Life Fellowship, October 2014.
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252 Groups
November 2014, Week 5
Small Group, 4-5
Catch On: Make the Connection (Small Groups, 25-30 minutes)
Make the connection of how today’s Bible story applies to real life experiences through interactive
activities and discussion questions.
* 1. And the Thanks Goes To… (application activity / review the Bible story)
What You Need: “Matching Thanks” Activity Page, pencils, Bibles
What You Do:
Give each kid a copy of the “Matching Thanks” Activity Page. One column contains the names of
people Paul appreciated and one column contains why Paul appreciated them. The kids will need to
match the person with how they helped Paul. There are references the kids can look up for help to
determine the answer. The answer key is listed below:
Who Paul Appreciated:
Phoebe
Tryphena, Tryphosa, Persis
Herodian
Apelles
Priscilla/Aquilla
Urbanus
Why Paul Appreciated Them:
She has been a great help to me (Rom. 16:1-2)
They worked very hard for the Lord (Rom. 16:12)
My relative (Rom. 16:11)
He was put to the test & remained faithful (Rom. 16:10)
They worked with me, putting their lives in danger for me (Rom. 16:3)
He works with me in serving Christ (Rom. 16:9)
What You Say:
“Look at all the ways people helped Paul and he took time to remember how they helped him. Paul
remembered people who worked hard for Jesus and worked hard to share with the world how much
Jesus loves them. Who have you seen sharing Jesus with the world? (Pause for answers.) Paul
remembered people who had a strong faith. Who do you know with a strong faith you find inspiring?
(Pause for answers.) Paul remembered his relatives, is there a relative in your family who could benefit
from a shout-out? [Impress] Take time to remember how others have helped you. [Make It
Personal] (Share a story of someone you remember who helped you, maybe it’s someone who
shared Jesus with you, or who inspires you with their strong faith, or a relative/friend who
shows you Jesus’ love.)
3. Memory Verse Flash (memory verse activity)
What You Need: “Memory Verse Flash” cards, blank paper to match the colors of the “Memory Verse
Flash” cards
What You Do:
Divide your group into two teams. Give each team a set of “Memory Verse Flash” cards. The kids will
play a game similar to the SIMON® Flash game played during Large Group but using the “Memory
Verse Flash” cards instead. You will show them a color pattern using the blank colored paper, and each
team will have to repeat the color pattern while making sure the verse is in the correct order. The first
team to get the memory verse in the correct color pattern wins. Play several times. For a challenge,
only show them the color pattern for 10 seconds.
What You Say:
“You did a great job remembering the color pattern and a great job remembering what our memory
verse is. Let’s say our memory verse together. (Say the verse.) [Apply] This verse reminds us to
©2014 The reThink Group, Inc. All rights reserved. • www.ThinkOrange.com
Adapted by Rosie Villodas- New Life Fellowship, October 2014.
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252 Groups
November 2014, Week 5
Small Group, 4-5
give thanks no matter what and most importantly to thank God because we have Jesus Christ in
our lives. But God doesn’t want our thanks to stop there. He wants you to [Impress] take time to
remember how others have helped you and to treat others the way we would want to be treated.”
If you lead older kids, consider asking these discussion questions:
 Why do you think there are times we don’t show gratitude to those who help us, especially those
people who help us all of the time (like parents, teachers, etc.)?
 How do you feel when someone thanks you for something you did for them?
 Sometimes, when we struggle for ways to show gratitude, we can think how we would like to be
treated. Think about the last few times that someone thanked you. What are ways people have
shown YOU they remembered how YOU helped them? (a small gift, saying thank you, making
you cookies or your favorite food, spending time with you)
 What are some ways we can show God we remember how He has helped us? (talk to Him and
spend time with Him, thank Him, learn about Him, make wise choices, treat others the way He
wants us to treat them, thank Him when we can see Him working in our lives)
Pray and Dismiss
What You Need: “Whistle” Activity Pages or sticky notes, tape, pencils
What You Do:
Explain to the kids you are going to take a “Time Out” and thank God for people who have helped you.
On the paper provided, have kids write how someone has helped them; they can use the example of
the person who will receive gratitude card they made. Kids can share stories about how they have been
helped. Instruct kids to attach their papers to the “T” in the “Time Out Zone.”
What You Say:
“Today we talked about some great ways people have helped you. [Apply] Sometimes we get so
busy or so wrapped up in what is happening in our lives we forget to notice how people have
helped us. This week [Impress] take time to remember how others have helped you. Let’s take a
time out right now and thank God right now for all the help He gives us.”
“God, You are AWESOME! And we know You are always there for us and we can trust You no matter
what. God, open our eyes so we see and remember how people are helping us every day. Amen!”
Give each child a GodTime card. Pass out Parent CUE cards as adults arrive to pick up.
©2014 The reThink Group, Inc. All rights reserved. • www.ThinkOrange.com
Adapted by Rosie Villodas- New Life Fellowship, October 2014.
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