252 Groups
July 2013, Week 4
Small Group, 2-3
Reaching the Summit
Bible Story: Reaching the Summit (Great Commandment) • Matthew 22:34-40
Bottom Line: God is doing something in you to change the world around you.
Memory Verse: “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill can’t be hidden.” Matthew 5:14,
NIrV
Life App: 3 Basics: Wisdom • Faith • Friendship
Basic Truth: I need to make the wise choice.
GET READY
Prepare ahead of time for 2nd–3rd grade Small Groups this week:
Plug In: Focus the Energy (Choose one or both of these activities.)
Would You Rather?
 No materials needed
Catch On: Make the Connection
Swat the Question (review the Bible story / great for active learners)
 Painter’s tape
 Blindfold (or you could trust them to keep their eyes closed)
 16-section grid (saved from Week 3)
 Print “Review Questions 2” Activity Page (from the Web site); cut cards apart and tape a
question into each space on the grid
 Print “Review Answers” Activity Page
 Flyswatter (optional)
Spotlight (memory verse activity / great for active learners)
 Bible
 Flashlight
 “Let Revolution Start” from the Living Inside Out CD (available at AmberSkyRecords.com)
 CD player or MP3 player
Prayer
 Large paper (butcher paper or poster board)
 Marker
 Painter’s tape
Additional Resources:
 Make copies on cardstock of this week’s GodTime and Parent CUE cards.
 Tell parents about our additional family resources: Studio252.tv, CUE Box, and the Parent
CUE App. To find out more about these great resources, go to http://www.Studio252.tv/leaders.
FOR LEADERS ONLY
GOD VIEW: the connection between WISDOM, FAITH, & FRIENDSHIP and
God’s character, as shown through God’s big story
©2013 The reThink Group, Inc. All rights reserved. • www.ThinkOrange.com
If you change the content of this document, please add to the copyright: Adapted by (your name/organization name/date).
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252 Groups
July 2013, Week 4
Small Group, 2-3
This month, let’s think about how:
(1) God reveals Himself through the person of Jesus Christ who lived the perfect life on our behalf.
(2) If we want to be more like Jesus we should strive to grow as He did in wisdom, faith, and
friendship.
(3) The Bible is the source of wisdom and informs how we can have faith as God uses us to change
the world around us.
This week, we’re discovering:
In this week’s biblical principle, Jesus teaches the Pharisees about the greatest commandment
(Matthew 22:34-40). Jesus commanded that we should love God with all our hearts and love others as
we love ourselves.
Our Bottom Line is: God is doing something in you to change the world around you. Often, one of
the best ways we can love God is by loving His people. Regardless of who the person is or what
they’ve done, God still loves them, and we can too.
The monthly memory verse is: “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill can’t be hidden.”
Matthew 5:14 NIrV When we choose to love God by loving others, we will help God’s love shine on all
people.
©2013 The reThink Group, Inc. All rights reserved. • www.ThinkOrange.com
If you change the content of this document, please add to the copyright: Adapted by (your name/organization name/date).
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252 Groups
July 2013, Week 4
Small Group, 2-3
Reaching the Summit
Bible Story: Reaching the Summit (Great Commandment) • Matthew 22:34-40
Bottom Line: God is doing something in you to change the world around you.
Memory Verse: “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill can’t be hidden.” Matthew 5:14,
NIrV
Life App: 3 Basics: Wisdom • Faith • Friendship
Basic Truth: I need to make the wise choice.
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. Ask God to help the kids choose to love others in different circumstances. Pray that
kids will see how they can help change the world around them. Ask God to give each kid an idea of
what he or she can do to show love to others.
2. Would You Rather?
What You Need: No materials needed
What You Do:
Sit in a circle and discuss these fun questions:
Would you rather …
 Only be able to whisper or only be able to shout?
 Be taller than this building or small enough to fit in my hand?
 Wind surf in shark infested waters or hang glide over a forest fire?
 Spend every minute of the rest of your life indoors or outdoors?
After the laughs have died down, turn the discussion to be a little more serious by discussing these
questions—and remind them to be honest! Don’t just say what they think is the “right” answer. Try to
really discuss these.
Would you rather …
 Be known as a great friend or great at sports?
 Be friends with the unpopular kid who treats you the way they want to be treated or with the
most popular kid in school who treats you like you are invisible?
 Get all A’s from a teacher who yells all the time or from a teacher who seems to really like you?
 Take out the trash when your mom isn’t expecting it or after she has asked 13 times and is
really mad at you?
What You Say:
“Some of those last questions were no-brainers! Seems like we all agree that we would rather surround
ourselves with people who treat us well. When we do, we are much more likely to treat others well, too.
Actually, Jesus said that loving others in this way was just as important as loving God. [Transition]
Let’s go to Large Group and find out how loving God and loving others has the potential to
change the world!”
Lead your group to the Large Group area.
©2013 The reThink Group, Inc. All rights reserved. • www.ThinkOrange.com
If you change the content of this document, please add to the copyright: Adapted by (your name/organization name/date).
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252 Groups
July 2013, Week 4
Small Group, 2-3
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. Swat the Question (review the Bible story / great for active learners)
What You Need: Painter’s tape, blindfold, 16-section grid with “Review Questions 2” cards (Activity
Page), “Review Answers” Activity Page, flyswatter (optional)
What You Do:
Tape the grid on the wall (or put it on the floor). Line kids up perpendicular to the wall of questions.
Blindfold the first kids in line and hand him the flyswatter. Spin her in a circle three times, point her in
the direction of the question grid, and let her swat the grid. (If you don’t have a flyswatter, kids can just
use their hands to swat.) She must answer whichever question the swatter lands closest to. If she
cannot answer correctly, she is out of the game. (Allow those who are “out” to help blindfold, spin, or
rearrange questions on the wall.) If she answers correctly, she goes to the back of the line for a chance
to answer another question. Once a question has been answered correctly, remove it from the wall.
(You may leave up the questions marked with ** the entire game.) You might want to rearrange the
questions when the grid has large holes in it. The last person standing wins!
What You Say:
“Give a hand to [winner’s name]. He/she sure had his/her eyes wide open during the story this morning!
[Apply] Isn’t it cool how loving God and loving others changes the attitudes of those you meet?
Putting those two things first might just be how you change the world around you. Remember,
[Impress] God is doing something in you to change the world around you.”
3. Spotlight (memory verse activity / great for active learners)
What You Need: Bible, flashlight, CD or MP3 player, “Let Revolution Start”
What You Do:
Have the kids sit down in a tight circle, knee to knee. Open your Bible to Matthew 5:14. Ask a volunteer
to tell you what the memory verse is this month. Read the verse out loud. Read the verse a second
time with your group saying it along with you. Close the Bible and set it aside.
Get the kids ready to play “hot potato” with the flashlight. As long as the music is playing, they should
be passing. Whoever ends up with the flashlight points it at another person in the group (not in their
eyes). They are in the spotlight and do their best to say the whole verse, including the reference. Then
you start the music and passing again.
To make it a little more challenging and see that the kids pay attention, explain that they should try and
spotlight someone who hasn’t had a turn yet to say the verse. If they shine the light on someone that’s
already said the verse, the person holding the flashlight has to try and say the verse. If they are too
rough in passing the flashlight, throwing it or slamming it, they have to stand up and try to sing or rap
the verse before sitting back down.
What You Say:
“Just like our memory verse says, you are the light of the world. You are a city on a hill. [Apply] In
other words, as a follower of Jesus, you are in the spotlight! Others are looking to you to see
how you love God and love others. And when others see how you are changing the world
around you by the way you treat God and others, maybe they will want to love in the same way.
Remember that slowly but surely, [Impress] God is doing something in you to change the world
around you.”
©2013 The reThink Group, Inc. All rights reserved. • www.ThinkOrange.com
If you change the content of this document, please add to the copyright: Adapted by (your name/organization name/date).
4
252 Groups
July 2013, Week 4
Small Group, 2-3
Pray and Dismiss
What You Need: Large paper (butcher paper or poster board), marker, masking tape
What You Do:
Tape the paper to the wall where everyone can see it. Divide the paper into three vertical columns
labeled “name,” “God,” and “others.” Starting with your name, write each person’s name in your group
in the “name” column. Have your group sit in a semi-circle where they can see the paper and begin by
[Personalize] naming one way you can love God and one way you can love others this week,
and write them in the appropriate columns. Continue around the circle with everyone sharing in the
same way. As the kids share, write their answers next to their names.
What You Say:
“Look at all those great first steps to starting your climb! [Apply] When you put some of these ideas
into action, others will start looking to you to see how a follower of Jesus should act. They will
see that [Impress] God is doing something in you to change the world around you. Let’s ask God
to help us make the right kind of decisions as lights of the world and cities on a hill. Let’s pray for
wisdom as we start our climb.
“Dear God, thank You for these awesome words straight from Your Son, Jesus’, mouth. Help us to
always remember how important it is to love You and love others. And as we start our climb to be better
followers of You, show us ways we can do just that. Remind us each day that we are in the spotlight
and that You are doing something in us to change the world around us. In Jesus’ name, amen.”
Give each child a GodTime card. Pass out Parent CUE cards as adults arrive for pick-up.
©2013 The reThink Group, Inc. All rights reserved. • www.ThinkOrange.com
If you change the content of this document, please add to the copyright: Adapted by (your name/organization name/date).
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