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July 17 (Upper Elementary)

We are in week 3 of Up in the Air, learning about all the big things God was able to do through Elisha and can do through us, too! If there is anyone who makes good promises, it is God! God always does what God promises!
Big Idea: I can count on God’s promises.
Bible Story: Elisha and the Shunammite’s son: II Kings 4:8-37; Genesis 18:1-10
Memory Verse: “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.” Colossians 3:2 (NIV)
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WATCH THE STORY VIDEO
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Order of Service

Sample Service Time: 9am
8:45 Play & Check-in (Classrooms)
9:05 Icebreaker (Classrooms)
9:10 Transition to Auditorium
9:15 Large Group (Auditorium)
9:40 Transition to Classrooms
9:45 Small Group Time (Classrooms)
10:10 Check-out (Classrooms)

Icebreaker

In the Middle
Stand in a large circle and call out a prompt. The students that match the prompt will take a step or a hop into the middle of the circle. You can also play this game virtually by having students stand up or raise their hand. You can use prompts such as, step in the middle if you:
have brown hair
have a pet
like the color blue
are wearing tennis shoes
have a brother
Once the students are in the middle, you can ask them further questions, such as what kind of pet they have, what their brother’s name is, etc.

Large Group

10 minutes into service, gather the kids in your group and head to the Auditorium for Large Group. There will be a designated place for your age group to sit, so make sure you follow the signs! This is where kids will have a worship experience and hear the Bible story. Once Large Group ends, your group will be dismissed to head back to your room.

Connect

Gather into your small groups and play a fun game of thumbs up, thumbs down to see how your kid’s week is going. You can start by asking them what their favorite part of their week was, what was their most memorable activity from the week, what they look forward to etc.

Unpack

What promise from God did Elisha tell the Shunammite woman and her husband?
What happened to this promise they received?
How did God use Elisha again to help the woman and her family?
Read Genesis 18:10. What promise did God have for Abraham and Sarah?
What is a promise?
Have you ever made a promise before?
Did you keep it?
What is a promise that God has made to you?

Remember

“Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.” Colossians 3:2 (NIV)
ACTIVITY #4: PASS THE PUFFER
Direct the kids to sit in a circle and read the memory verse out loud.
Hand one kid the puffer ball.
Direct the kids to pass the puffer ball around the circle while saying the memory verse.
Explain that the kid holding the puffer ball when the group finishes the verse gets to try to say the memory verse by themselves (with your help if needed).
Continue until all the kids have had a turn to say the memory verse on their own.

Explore

ACTIVITY | Rainbow Relay Race
INSTRUCTIONS: Create three or four teams. Give each team as many colored papers as there are team members. Mark a starting and finish line. The objective of the game is for the entire team to get to the finish line, but they can only walk on one of the colored pieces of paper.
The first player has the stack of paper and puts down each paper of their team color.
The last player in line must always pick up the last paper they step on and pass it up so the team doesn’t run out of paper to step on.
Here’s an idea of how it might be played. We had to count on each other’s help to get to the finish line in this game. We never ran out of paper because the player in the back always passed up a new one so we can keep going forward.
God always follows through! This rainbow-patterned path is a great reminder that I can count on God’s promises.

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