Before class, write out acts of service on small pieces of paper (one per

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1 upper elementary / November 13, 2011 An Honor to Serve for use as STEP 1. Focus: God is honored when we serve Him. Students discover that they can honor God by serving others. Note: Your Step 4 this week asks you to plan ahead for a small service project that your students can perform during class time. Depending on the project you choose, adjust time frames for all steps. An alternative activity is provided if you opt out of the service project activity. Materials: --Small pieces of paper with various ways to serve written on them --Basket or other container by Duane Montague Bible Basis: 1 Kings: 4 10 Before class, write out acts of service on small pieces of paper (one per paper). Make sure that there are some ways to serve that aren t very enjoyable as well as a few that don t seem too bad. Place the slips of paper in a basket. If I ask you to serve someone, what does that mean to you? (Accept all answers; generally answers will include doing something for someone, helping somebody, being someone s servant, etc.) Let s have some fun seeing what you do when you serve somebody. I m going to ask you to act out some actual ways that we can serve someone. In this basket are some ways you can serve someone. I want you to come up two at a time and choose one of the ways you can serve (no peeking!), and then act it out for the rest of us! Allow students time to draw out their example, and make plans on how they ll act it out. It should only take a minute for them to prepare. When they are ready, have them perform for the group. If you were the person doing the serving, how did you like it? (There are no right or wrong answers, but you should get several responses about how it wasn t much fun, how they didn t like it, how it s more fun to be served, etc.) If you were the one who acted out being served, how did you like it? (The answers here will vary, but usually anyone who gets served likes the way it makes them feel: special, honored, appreciated, etc.)

2 / November 13, 2011 / Step 1 2 Memory Verse Be sure to fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things he has done for you. 1 Samuel 12:24 When we serve others, we learn something about ourselves. Serving may not always be easy or fun, but it s a way we let another person know they are important that they are special. And here s what s cool: anybody can serve another person and show honor. It doesn t matter whether you re an adult or a kid nobody is too important to show honor to someone else. In today s Bible story, a king learns that he s not too important to honor God by serving Him. (Continue on to Steps 2 and 3 in your teacher s guide; your Step 4 appears below.)

3 upper elementary / November 13, 2011 An Honor to Serve for use as STEP 4. Materials: --Whatever materials are needed to perform your act of service (optional) --Index cards and pens/pencils if you opt to do alternate activity Focus: God is honored when we serve Him. Bible Basis: 1 Kings: 4 10 Optional: If possible, plan ahead for a service outing for your class. Arrange for them to help out in some way during class time. Upper elementary students will be old enough to help in a variety of ways. If weather permits, they could help bag leaves on church grounds (be sure to provide trash bags and rakes), or you might find an opportunity for them to prepare and serve a snack to toddlers in the nursery, or to read a story or play a game with them. If you opt out of the service project, use the alternate closing activity provided. Today we talked about how we can honor God through serving Him. Sometimes you may think that you re not important enough or big enough to really show honor the way we should, but anyone can serve someone else and showing honor and respect to others by serving them helps us show honor to God! What are some ways you can show honor to other people? (Answers will vary greatly. Kids can literally do hundreds of things to show honor to others by serving them: at home this would mean doing what needs to be done around the house without waiting to be told, offering to clean up or fold laundry, playing with a brother or sister, or even speaking respectfully to others. At church they can volunteer to play with little kids, to clean up, to do yard work, etc. There are so many ways kids can serve others!) Optional service outing: Today we re going to serve others right here at church. Explain your selected act of service to your students and have them prepare for whatever project you ve selected (they can prepare a snack for the nursery attendees, or get on their coats to go help outdoors, etc.). As your students work on their project, continue to dialogue with them. When we show honor to people, we show honor God as well. When we serve others, whether they are in our homes, our neighborhoods, schools, or churches, we show God that the people He made are important to us and this brings Him honor, too! After you have completed your service project, gather your students together and close in prayer asking God to show us additional ways we can serve others in

4 / November 13, 2011 / Step 4 2 Memory Verse Be sure to fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things he has done for you. 1 Samuel 12:24 the future so serving becomes part of everyday life. Alternate activity: Here s one act of service that might not be on the top of your list! Show the following video clip: Sometimes, serving others can be more difficult (or smelly!) than we think remember Jesus washed the hot, sweaty feet of His disciples! But it doesn t always look that way. We ve brainstormed all kinds of acts of service you can do. I want you to think about the suggestions we ve talked about. Hand out index cards and pens or pencils to each student. Have them write down one person they can serve this week along with an act of service. Ask them to keep this card handy as a reminder of their goal for this week. Encourage them to add to the card as they think of other acts of service they can perform for those around them. When we show others honor, we show God honor as well. When we serve other people, whether they are in our homes, our neighborhoods, schools, or churches, we show God that the people He made are important to us and this brings Him honor, too! Close in prayer. (David C Cook is not affiliated with and does not endorse any website listed on these pages.)

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