Bible Exploration - Workshop: Game Center

 

Month: February        Bible Story:   Faith and Forgiveness

 

Year (B):      1      Scripture:  Mark 2:5 - Paralyzed man lowered through roof

 

Bible Memory Verse:  Mark 2:5 "When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, 'Son, your sins are forgiven."

 

Workshop

Concept

Teacher

1.      Temple/Art Center

 

Jesus forgives our sins

 

2. Video Center

 

Those in need of healing should seek Jesus

 

3        Games Center

 

Forgiveness of sins can release us from life's burdens

 

4. Drama Center

 

The faith of friends can help us find healing

 

 

LEARNING OUTCOMES: 

~          Find the story of the paralytic in the Bible;

~          Tell the story, and include the major events;

~          Describe how it might feel to have a disability and be more aware of others who are disabled

~          Talk about what it's like to try to do every day tasks when part of your body is "paralyzed"

 

MATERIALS:

¨        Memory verse to hand out

¨        Bananas

¨        Large men's shirts - women's skirts

¨        Large ball

 

PLAN:

¨        Welcome children

¨        Give mentors time to take roll and take up offering

¨        Go over memory verse

¨        Tell the story and have children do activities as included on attachments:

 

ADAPTATIONS:

                        Children:                                                          Older children:

For younger children be careful of the language              Older children understand

you use.  Be sure to tell the story -- explain what           concepts and theory.  Make

paralyzed means.  Stay true to story - use language      it more involved for them.

they can understand.

 

Bible Games

Older children

 

1.      Bring bananas - have the children eat them with one arm "paralyzed" -- tied behind their backs.  Talk with them about what it's like to not be able to use part of their body. 

2.      After the children have had their banana, gather them together and tell the story.  show them where it is in the Bible, but don't read it to them; tell the story from memory. 

3.      Have a shirt for the boys and a skirt (large) for the girls.  Have several cards with disabilities written on them - let each child draw a card they must then have this disability and try to put on the shirt or skirt.

 

Possible disabilities -

¨        paralyzed (use the wheel chair in the furnace room)

¨        broken leg (we have crutches they can use)

¨        paralyzed arm (we have a cast they can use)

¨        blind (use a blindfold)

¨        deaf (use earplugs)  - put these in before you give instructions above - about the shirt or skirt.

¨        You may add other situations

IF THERE ARE MORE CHILDREN THAN THESE - USE THEM AGAIN OR MAKE TWO BLIND CHILDREN OR TWO WITH PARALYZED ARMS ETC.

 

4.      Place a large ball in the room where it is easily visible.  Ask a volunteer to retrieve it:  blindfolded; in a wheelchair; etc.

5.      Older children:  Make "tent" nametags by folding a piece of construction paper in half lengthwise so it will stand up.  Have the children write on one side of their tent one or two descriptive words about themselves - things others can see, like hair color, glasses, freckles, etc.  and don't let anyone else see what he or she writes.  Collect the tents, and have the children sit in a circle on the floor.  Place the tents in the middle of the circle face down, and let the children take turns picking up a tent, reading it, and placing it in front of the person they think it belongs to.  Do not find out if they are correct. 

Have the children pick up the cards only if it is the correct description; if not, leave the cards face up on the floor, and have a volunteer try to move the cards to the correct locations.  If that person cannot do it on one try, let others take turns until all the cards are in the right places.

Now, give each child another piece of paper and have them write down something they really like to do, or know a lot about, but that others may not know about them.  Repeat the game.

6.      Let each child get a Bible, and help them friend Mark 2:1-12.  Ask them to think carefully about the story you just told, and ask them "What's invisible in this story?"  What is in the story, but cannot be seen?  (the man's sin, the friends' faith, Jesus being God's son, Jesus' power to heal & forgive sin, etc.)  Then ask them "What's visible in the story?"  (The man's paralysis, his friends lowering him through he roof, the crowd expressing amazement, the man's ability to walk etc.)

 

 

 

Tell the children that one of the invisible qualities about people, something we cannot always tell by looking at them, is whether they are willing to help another person.  Ask the children "How do you know if someone is helping type person?"  Write their answers on a flipchart or large piece of paper. 

Next, ask them who in the story cared enough about another person to help?  Add this to the list on the paper, and ask the children to look in their Bibles for the answer to the question, "What does Jesus understand about these people?"  (vs. 5  It's people of faith who help others.")

Ask the children, "How can you tell that the man's friends had faith?"  List the answers on the paper.

7.      Lastly, have each child write down on a piece of paper something they are willing to do in the next week to help someone else. 

8.      Help the children memorize the key verse by reading it to them from your Bible, and having them repeat it back to you several times.  Each time you read, emphasize a different key word (their, faith, he, friends, your, sins, forgiven, you.)  How does the different emphasis change the meaning of the words?

 

 

 

Bible Games

Younger Children

 

1.      Tell the story with motions in the style of "Going on a Bear Hunt."  "We're carrying our sick friend to Jesus!"  (Carry a pretend stretcher with the person behind you)  "We can't get in!  We'll have to go up on the roof."  (Pretend climbing stairs) "We'll have to make a hole in the roof?"  (Put the stretcher down, dig hole in roof."  "Let's lower our sick friend to Jesus."  (Lower the stretcher)  "Let's watch what happens." (Look through the hole)  "Jesus make him well!"  (Clap hands, hug each other, etc.)  This can be even more fun if you repeat lines because you forgot something and had to go back for it.  Taking the friend to the house can also mean going through the streets, around corners, over bridges, quickly past barking dogs, etc.  use whatever comes to mind.

2.      Tell the children that one of the invisible qualities about people, something we cannot always tell by looking at them, is whether they are willing to help another person.  Ask the children "How do you know if someone is a helping type person?"  Write their answers on paper.

Next, ask them who in the story cared enough about another person to help?  Add this to the list on paper.  Ask the children, "How can you tell the man's friends had faith?"   List the answers on the paper.

3.      Lastly, have each child say something they are willing to do in the next week to help someone else. 

4.      Help the children memorize the key verse by reading it to them from your Bible, and having them repeat it back to you several times.  Each time you read, emphasize a different key word (their, faith, he, friends, your, sins, forgiven, you.)  How does the different emphasis change the meaning of the words?

~          You may also use 1, 3, and 4 - use the story telling as described in this portion for younger children.