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Ezekiel 2.1-5; Psalm 123; 2 Corinthians 12.2-10; Mark 6.1-13

Explore & respond

Ways of engaging different ages, spiritual styles and learning preferences

Adult & All Age

Respond to the Word

Ideas to suit different interests, ages and learning preferences.

The Children’s Sheet offers activities to do in worship & at home

A pairs game

Below is a template to make a Bible pairs game. Make several sets of cards, mix them up and give them to groups of people. Invite them to sort the cards and match the pairs of characters.

Explore partnership

Many mission organisations and development charities work on a partnership basis. Christian Aid, for example, directs its resources to work with local partners in places that need its help, so that local people, who understand local needs, can direct help most usefully. The organisations also particularly value the support of those who provide funding and they work really hard to keep funders informed. Provide a pile of literature from charities and mission organisations, and a list of web addresses, and invite people to find out more about partnership working.

Take nothing with you

Invite two volunteers to come to the front ready to leave the church. Make sure they bring with them everything they have brought – bags, content of pockets, etc. – and make them put it all into a tray or box, as you would when going through a security scanner. Tell them you are going to keep all their possessions. Invite them to say what it feels like to be sent out with nothing. Ask them what their plans are now going to be. Invite everyone else to offer them some advice.

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A simple worship activity

A simple worship activity suitable for all ages

Prepare some simple invitation cards inviting people to join Jesus in spreading the good news. Include instructions to bring a friend but nothing else.

Hand these out and invite people to hold them as someone says:

Thank you, Jesus,
for inviting us to join you in telling people
the good news of your love.
We give thanks that you are with us always
and offer us all we need.
Thank you, Jesus.
(Then invite everyone to hold hands with someone else.)
We give thanks that you send us out together.
Thank you, Jesus.(Invite everyone to raise hands high.)
Thank you, Jesus that you have shown us the way.
Thank you, Jesus. Amen.

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Drama: The line up

How prejudice can get in the way, and how not to recruit people for a task! (drama sketch for six parts)

Cast:  Human Resources Officer; 5 Applicants (wearing large badges numbered 1 to 5)
Props:  Sign – 'Queue here'; 4 large labels/placards on a small table ('Too Old', 'No Experience', 'Troublemaker', 'Nonentity')

Enter applicants who chat nervously to one another.
Enter HR Officer with a clip board. He /she has a military bearing.

Human resources officer
Quiet please! All here? Good! Form a line in number order facing me. (They loosely form a line-up like an identity parade in front of the audience.) Smarten up! That's better. (HRO walks up and down the row twice inspecting the applicants. He/she barks the questions that follow.)

Human resources officer
Number 1. Age?
Number 1
I'm 50.
Human resources officer (takes label and places it on 1)
Too old. You may go!
Number 1
But aren't you going to…?
Human resources officer
Just go. (Number 1 walks slowly off) Now Number 2. Your age?
Number 2
I'll be twenty next birthday.
Human resources officer (takes label and places it on 2)
No experience. Go.
Number 2
Hang on a minute haven't you looked at my CV?
Human resources officer
Do you want me to call security? Be off! (Number 2 flounces out)
Now Number 3…
Number 3
I am thirty and I have just the right kind of experience…
Human resources officer
I ask the questions. (takes label and slaps label on 3) Troublemaker!
Number 3
That's so unfair. All I did was…
Human resources officer
Security!
Number 3
Don't bother I'm going! Wouldn't want to work here if it were the last place on earth! (exits)
Human resources officer
Number 4?
Number 4 (unnerved, stutters)
Who me?
Human resources officer (hands 4 the last label)
Nonentity (pushes him/her off)
Human resources officer (looks at Number 5)
You're hired.
Number 5
But you've not asked me a single question?
Human resources officer
No need to. I'm a great judge of character.
Number 5
But I don't understand?
Human resources officer
No need. Your uncle is the managing director. Come on and have drink and celebrate – these in-depth interviews make me so thirsty! (exeunt)

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Drama: Be prepared

A drama sketch that can be quickly learned and performed that acts as an introduction to the focus on 'being prepared'

Cast
Female children's TV presenter circa 1960s. Twin set. Pearls. Patronising, singsong voice.
One person 'off-stage' to hand things to her.

Set
Table with lots of craft material on it: scissors, craft knives, paper, washing-up liquid bottle etc. Workspace left free in the middle.

Props
On stage
A large piece of cardboard approximately 2' 6" square
Pencil and ruler

At the side of stage
Thick card approximately 2' square.
Thick card of approximately 2' square painted grey
Jam jar or similar of grey paint with brush.

Script

Presenter: Hello, Aunty Sue here again and today, girls and boys, I am going to show you how to make a beautiful old church. Won't that be lovely? And it's made entirely from bits and pieces that we all have just lying around the house so it won't take too many pennies from your pocket money. Isn't that lovely?

Looks around her and picks up a large piece of card.

First of all we need somewhere to put our church don't we? A big piece of card like this will do. This will form a base to keep it sturdy and allow your mummy to pick it up from the floor when she's running around with the Hoover.

Now an old church is usually made of stone but we can't build one of stone can we? So we are going to make it from card and we'll put some pebbles around the bottom to give the effect of stone. Won't that be lovely?

You'll need to make the church in two bits. The main part of the church and then the steeple. Then we'll put the two halves together.

To make the church you must get some thick card approximately 2 feet square.

Looks around for some card and obviously can't find it.

Oh dear. We appear to have mislaid the card. Would someone mind getting it for me?

Person in casual dress runs on with card and hands it to her.

Thank you. That's lovely. Now we have our card, children, we need to paint it grey to give the basic effect of stone. So you will need some grey paint. You will have to mix it but we have some here ready.

Looks for paint that isn't there.

(In louder, strained voice) We have some grey paint here already.

Pause.

(In singsong voice) Haven't we? Oh yes, here it comes now.

Person hands her jam jar or similar of grey paint.

(No singsong in voice. Very clipped) Thank you.

Starts to paint the card with the grey paint. Singsong returns.

Now, children, we paint this on quite thinly because later we are going to draw on lines to give the effect of the stones and windows. Won't that look lovely? Of course, I haven't got time to wait for this to dry, have I? So for our church I'm going to use a piece I painted earlier.

Looks for grey painted card.

(Out of the side of her mouth. Getting angry) So where's the grey card?

Pause for 'reply'.

I don't know where the card is. I've never seen the card.

Pause for 'reply'.

Yes, I know I say that I've done it earlier but I don't actually do it. I have far better things to do than paint some scrappy bit of card a mucky grey colour. I'm a TV personality, not a painter and decorator.

Person hands her a painted bit of card.

At last.

(Singsong voice returns) Now what you have to do, children, is cut this piece of card in two. Draw a line roughly one third of the way across from one edge to the other.

She does this with pencil and ruler.

And then cut it into two. Just like I did earlier with this one.

Looks for 2 card pieces. Waves her hands about.

(Very angry) So where are the two smaller pieces? Are you all incapable of getting pieces of card? It's hardly difficult is it? Whose job was it to get all of this ready today? I want them fired. Now! I can't work like this. I'm a professional, I need a quality team around me not you, you ill-prepared useless lumps of playdough!

Pulls herself together in exaggerated fashion. Sing-song voice returns.

Well, children. It looks as if we're going to run out of time to make our little church today. We have got some silly ninnies working for us haven't we? But I will be back next week with some more ideas of things you can do in your spare time and stop you from getting under mammy's feet. Won't that be lovely?

Bye bye de bye children. Bye bye.

Exits with a wave.

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Using today's psalm

Psalm 123

Last week’s psalm described times in the course of a life where God seemed to have withdrawn, and today’s takes up the same theme, encouraging us to keep watching through every evil for the mercy of God to appear. ‘We’ve had enough,’ it says, ‘and we know you will come to save us. We’re looking out for you. Hurry up!’ 

The question is, when people today find themselves in a desperate situation, do they cry to God, or do they simply complain generally? When we see distress, how often do we let ourselves be used by God as agents of mercy? 

Singing together

How to use the psalms in worship.

 

Response line: Our eyes look to the Lord our God, until he shows us his mercy.

Our eyes look to   Look up and index and middle finger of right hand move from eyes upwards.
the Lord [our God],  
Two index fingers point upwards.
until he shows us his mercy.  
Make ‘m’s with three fingers of each hand facing body and move in the rhythm of the word mercy. 

 

Hymns and songs based on Psalm 123 include: ‘Up to you I lift my eyes’ (PRA), ‘We turn our eyes to you’ (TP), and John Bell’s ‘As the eyes of a Servant’ (in We walk his way, Wild Goose).

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Children & Young People

Respond to the Word

A range of activities for children (C) and young people (YP) based on Mark 6.1-13

Respond

A puzzle (YP 10 mins)

A riddle conversation

Give the young people the following puzzle to work out. A farmer has to take a cabbage, a goat and a wolf across a river, but his boat will carry only himself plus, either the goat, wolf or cabbage. If left alone, the wolf will eat the goat and the goat will eat the cabbage. How can he do it? Give them time to work it out.

  • How do you feel when you are faced with a difficult task?
  • If we choose to be disciples, we are sent in the same way as the disciples in the passage.
  • What does Jesus send us out to do? It’s not an easy task. How do we feel in the face of it?

Answer to the respond puzzle: He takes the goat first, then returns alone. He then takes the wolf over and brings the goat back. He takes the cabbage over and returns alone for the goat.

Watch

Impossible tasks (C 10 mins)

How do we respond when faced with difficult tasks?

You will need: the clip from Over The Hedge DVD (47:50-50:40).

  • Watch the clip. RJ tells the animals the plan for getting into the house to get the food. The garden they have to cross is lled with traps. It seems like an impossible job.
  • Ask the group: How do the animals react to the task they face? and How do we react when we face difcult tasks? Jesus knew that the job he was sending the disciples out to do would be difficult sometimes, but he sent them in pairs so that they wouldn’t face it alone.

Play

A pairs game (C+YP 10 mins)

A game of two by two

You will need: a print-out of Bible pairs cards.

  • Use the template to create a set of small cards. If you have a large group, multiply the cards.
  • Spread out the cards, face down on a table.
  • Invite people to take turns to select one card and then nd its partner, e.g. Mary and Joseph. Each card has a symbol to ease matching. If they find a pair, they keep them. If their selections don’t match, the cards are placed back on the table, face down and the next person has a turn.
  • You could add new pairs, asking the group for ideas.

Try

Facing failure (C+YP 10 mins)

How do we react when we fail?

You will need: string or rope; paper; instructions for knot tying, and origami; jigsaws; needles and thread.

  • Set up a range of tasks that are possible for your group, but which might challenge them. For example, tie a knot, do a jigsaw, thread a needle, make an origami model. You could set up more than one knot to tie or more than one origami model, if you need more tasks.
  • Send each person to one activity to start with. Tell them that they need to finish one task before moving on to the next, and they need to do them all. After a few minutes, tell them that, if they really can’t do the task, they can leave it and move on.
  • Jesus told his disciples that, if they weren't welcome, as he wasn't in his home town, they should move on. It's ok if sometimes we fail – even Jesus failed sometimes.

Play

Working together (C+YP 10 mins)

Work in pairs to win a three-legged race

You will need: scarves or ties.

  • Have a three-legged race, using scarves to tie people’s legs together at the ankles. Make sure that the area you are using is safe, and monitor the activity carefully to make sure no one gets hurt!
  • Explain that a three-legged race is impossible on your own because you don't have enough legs! But to complete it successfully you have to work together and support each other.
  • You might draw out some of the following points. You both have to be travelling in the same direction and aiming for the same thing. Jesus sent the disciples out in pairs, so that they could work together and support each other. On their own, the task he sent them to do would have seemed quite daunting. By working together, they were able to work miracles.

Make

Welcome (C+YP 20 mins)

Make welcome mats

You will need: thick cotton fabric, or carpet off-cuts in light, plain colours; fabric paints.

  • Cut squares from thick cotton fabric, or use carpet off-cuts, to make door mats, one per person.
  • Using fabric paints, the youngsters can decorate their mats to welcome people into their home.
  • Explain that in Gospel times people would be welcomed into someone’s home with a bowl of water to wash the dust off their feet. Ask the group to consider what might be a modern-day ritual of welcome. Can they introduce this to the content of your future sessions?

Pray

Partnership prayers (C+YP 10 mins)

Pray for each other in pairs

  • Divide the group into pairs, and give them a couple of minutes to talk to one another about what they will be doing in the coming week. Is there anything they are worried about? Then give them a few minutes to pray for each other.
  • Encourage everyone to remember to pray for their partner over the coming week, so supporting their fellow disciples.

 

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Template: Bible cards

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