Free Children's Ministry Curriculum Written by Sheryl Coats
Bugs Bugs and More Bugs
Hillbilly Days
Wonderfair
The Wacky Worship Workshop
The Celebration Medical Centre
The Celebration City Courthouse
Growing in God's Garden
The Armour of God
The Wild Wild West
God's Strength
God's Miraculous Protection--Daniel the lion tamer God's Miraculous Strength--Samson the strongest man on earth God's Miraculous Provision-- Elijah and the widows never ending oil and flour...magically appearing out of thin air. God's Miraculous Healing Power--Elijah raises the widows son from the dead. Power unmatched by any other. God's Grace--the greatest miracle of all-- the death and resurrection of Jesus God's Grand Finale--the great disappearing act--Elijah taken to heaven
The set: set up the room like a circus. Make a big top out of crete paper on the ceiling. Hand balloons all over the room. Make a back drop of a ticket booth, animal train, circus acts, etc. Use your creativity to make the room as bright and lively as possible.
This week: Samson the strong man demonstrates Gods miraculous strength.
To teach the children that:
Rules give the children a framework to function within. They need to know what is expected of them and that you truly intend for them to obey. They may test you, but when they find that you don't cave in they will love you for it.
1. No illegal movement: wild animals need to be caged but boys and girls need to behave...stay in your seat and keep your hands and feet to yourself. 2. No interference: clowns are crazy but boys and girls can have fun without misbehaving...don't interrupt like the clowns or cause a commotion. 3. Go for the touch down: Lets have fun praising the Lord as we discover some of the magnificent miracles of God.
This is a wonderful time to casually teach the kids through modeling what prayer is all about. Demonstrate your love for Christ through your opening prayer and let the kids know that Jesus is your best friend!
Characters needed: ring master, strong man, two clowns, (the rest of the crew will be made up of puppets)
Clown skit: Have a large weight sitting in the middle of the floor. Have the ring master ask if the strong man is around to move it out of his way. The clowns can come running in and try to do it themselves. One tries first carrying on about her muscles. She can slip and fall (kids love to see clowns fall down) and stumble over the rock and really carry on. The next clown can say "move out of the way wimpy" and announce how strong they are and then try to lift the weight with the same result. They finally agree to try together and still can't budge it. At this point the strong man can come in and demonstrate his great muscular ability. The ring master can then remind the children that this amazing feat is nothing in comparison to the power of God.
Ring master can then introduce the Strong man (who is wearing large balloon muscles under his shirt). The strong man can demonstrate several tricks like lifting heavy objects or breaking bricks in half. He needs to brag about his great strength and how no one can match his strength. He can then challenge some of the audience to arm wrestle.
Ring Master: There you have it ladies and gentlemen! You have seen with your very own eyes the second most powerful man in the world. Only when you experience the power of God will you understand that this strong man is but a weakling.
Now the ring master can tell the story of Samson. Use fruit to tell the story. Use a pineapple for Samson (the stuff coming out the top can represent his hair...you will need a second pineapple for when his hair grows back). Delilah can be a pear...dress her with a necklace and hair. Use other fruit to represent other characters. Have Samson slide out of the ropes he is bound with etc. Then when he has his hair cut you can cut off the top stuff of the pineapple then you can make holes where his eyes get poked out. Send him off to jail where the kids can't see and have the other pineapple hidden there to bring out to the coliseum. If you use bananas for the pillars it will create a neat effect when he pushes the pillars down (smash the bananas) otherwise you can use wooden blocks and have the building come tumbling down. Explain to the children that Samson's strength came from God. God demonstrated his powerful miraculous strength through Samson. We need to be obedient to God in order to experience the miraculous power of God in our lives.
Clowns memory verse skit:" I can do everything through Christ who strengthens me." Phil. 4:13 (write the memory verse on a large poster board and cut it into a simple puzzle. Make one copy for each team.) The clowns come running in with their puzzles and accidentally spill them on the floor. They try to rebuild them and do it all wrong so that the verse sounds really funny. The kids can then coach the clowns in rebuilding the puzzles.
Bobo the clown
Ring master: I hear quite a commotion in the circus train. Who do you suppose is in there?
Bobo: (enters) Howdy doody! Say what's all the commotion about up here? Hey, someone let all those monkeys out of their cages!
Ring master: Those aren't monkeys, they are the boys and girls who have come to worship the Lord today.
Bobo: Well, silly me, of course they are. Are ya sure?
Ring master: of course I am sure. They have come to learn about the miraculous strength of God. Do you have something you want to teach us today Bobo?
Bobo: I sure do! I am going to teach these monkeys I mean kids to pick up an elephant!
Ring master: AN ELEPHANT?!?!?!
Bobo: Yup! I do believe that's what I said. wasn't it kids?
Ring master: Bobo, we all know you can't pick up an elephant.
Bobo:AHAAAAA!! So you don't believe me ehhh??
Ring master: No, I'm afraid not Bobo.
Bobo: Did I not hear you tell the boys and girls today that they could do everything through the strength of God?
Ring master: But Bobo...
Bobo: No buts about it, you did say everything right?
Ring master: Yes, I did say everything, but you don't understand. That verse means we can do everything that we need to do with Christ's help.
Bobo: Well, I need to pick up an elephant. It's a part of my act. I want to drop it on top of that mean old fire eating man who brags all the time.
Ring master: Bobo, If you were in danger and needed to lift an elephant I am sure that God could do a miracle, but he doesn't give us strength to be mean or to show off with.
Bobo: Ahhhhhaaa! I'll show you... (he exits and returns holding a small stuffed elephant) See here?? I picked up an elephant...naneeenannneee boooboooo I showed you.
Ring master: Why you tricked me bobo! You were teasing me all along weren't you?
Bobo: I knew I could teach the boys and girls about the miraculous strength of God with your help.
Ring master: Good work bobo. You taught us that God will give us the strength we NEED, but not necessarily the strength we want.
Bobo: HHHEeee heee heee. I am soo good aren't I?
Ring master: You are really something Bobo.
Bobo: Well, I need to go practice for my act. I will see you monkeys later.
Ring master: Good bye Bobo. See you next week.
The clowns come in with a hair dryer trying to get it to work without being plugged in. They can't understand why it won't work. They blame one another for breaking it. They can argue and cry and try everything imaginable to get the dryer to work except plugging it in. Then the ring master can finally get their attention and explain that the dryer doesn't have any power until it is plugged in. We need to be plugged into Jesus in order to benefit from his power.
Obtain two rolls of toilet paper. Call two volunteers forward. Wrap them in the entire roll of toilet paper (wrap them tightly and they won't be able to break out of the toilet paper). Ask them to try to break out and they won't be able to. Then with a spray bottle, spray one of them with water. When the paper gets wet the child will be able to break free without any problem. To tie this in spiritually explain that the devil tries to wrap us up in sin. Only the power of Jesus is enough to free us from sin.
Copyright 1998, Sheryl Coats
