B.I.G. Theme: Jesus’ Friends Go and Tell

B.I.G. Idea: We believe that we can tell others about Jesus.

Bible Verse: Have faith in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved! (Acts 16:31, CEV)

August 1: Philip and the Ethiopian (Acts 8:26-39)

August 8: Peter and Cornelius (Acts 10:1-48)

August 15: Priscilla and Aquila (Acts 18:1-4, 18-19)

August 22: Paul and Silas in Prison (Acts 16:16-40)

August 29: For God So Loved the World (John 3:16)

GameCenter

To play this game, you will need: a rope about 25 to 30 feet long and a blindfold for each person who is playing.

Tie the ends of the rope together to make a circle. Have everyone grasp the rope and make a circle. Have all the players put on their blindfolds. One at a time, call out the name of a shape, such as rectangle, square, oval, or triangle. Or make it a bigger challenge by having them create the word Jesus in cursive. Ask the players to create each shape while blindfolded. When they have made the shape, have everyone take off the blindfolds to see how they have done.

SnackCenter

This easy fruit salad is a favorite in Ethiopia. You will need: 1 ripe mango, 1 small ripe papaya, 1 navel orange, 1½ cups seedless grapes, and 1 banana.

Using a plastic knife, peel the mango, papaya, and orange. Cut the mango, papaya, orange, grapes, and banana into small pieces. Place the fruit pieces into a bowl and stir to mix.

DramaCenter

In the Bible story of Priscilla and Aquila, Priscilla and Aquila gave Apollos directions to help him learn more about Jesus (Acts 18:1-4, 18-19). We can help others learn how to do things too.

Try this with your friends to see how well you give directions. Select an activity that you would like your friend to act out. Assume that your friend has never done this activity before, so give directions for every step of the process. Choose activities such as how to put on your socks or how to ride a bike. When you’re finished, let that person choose someone else and suggest another activity.

Make a Difference

Suggest this art project to your friends, and everyone will probably want to participate. This art project is a way to thank your church’s missionaries. You will need: watercolor paints, paper, smocks, and a paintbrush.

Using watercolor paints, create a picture that reminds you of something that has to do with serving God. Write a title or explanation on the back of the painting.

Send the painting to a missionary. Attach a letter telling the missionary, “We’re praying for you.” Can you think of the missionary stories you’re hearing this month in Live B.I.G.? (Philip and the Ethiopian, Peter and Cornelius, Priscilla and Aquila, Paul and Silas)

CraftCenter

One of your Live B.I.G. stories this month is about an Ethiopian who learned about Jesus from Philip (Acts 8:26-39). You can make scrolls that are similar to the scroll that Philip explained to the Ethiopian. You will need: a roll of wrapping paper (preferably brown or another solid color), two 8-inch dowel rods, glue, pencils or charcoal pencils, and string.

Cut the wrapping paper into a strip about 18 inches long and 8 inches wide. Write the following Bible verse on the plain side of the wrapping paper: “Have faith in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved!” (Acts 16:31, CEV). Decorate the scroll or illustrate the verse. Glue a dowel rod to each end of the sheet of paper. Roll up the scroll and tie it with a length of twine.

July’s B.I.G. Theme: Jesus Teaches Us With Stories
July’s B.I.G. Idea: We believe that Jesus helps us know about God and understand how God wants us to live.
July’s Bible Verse: Let anyone with ears to hear listen! (Luke 8:8)

“Make a Difference” Center
Have you ever wanted to help someone get a new home? You can, with Habitat for Humanity^®. Even though no one under sixteen is allowed on the building site, you can still help by volunteering at events or in the office. Habitat for Humanity^® even encourages you to come up with your own ideas for ways you can help.

Have your parent help you find out more about Habitat for Humanity^® at habitat.org.

Some people in our community do not have safe places to live. Habitat for Humanity^® helps us care for others. Remember that Jesus told a story about a house that would last a long time because it was built on rock (Luke 6:46-49).

GameCenter
This game is best played outdoors.

Place a rock or a Frisbee^® in the center of the playing area. Use rope to make a line eight feet from the rock. (If indoors, tape may be used to mark the line.) Everyone needs three stones. Write each person’s name or initials on each stone.

Have everyone stand behind the line. One at a time, everyone should toss his or her stones at the rock target. After everyone has tossed his or her stones, see whose are closest to the target. (Check where the stones landed, regardless of any bouncing off the target or other stones.) Reward five points to each of the five closest stones. Play several rounds and tally up points. Move the line two feet back and play several more rounds.

Remember that Jesus told a story about a house that was built on rock (Luke 6:46-49).

SnackCenter
Fresh fruit is one of the best things about summer. Make a treat that includes all your favorite fruits. You will want to include a small watermelon, cantaloupe, or honeydew melon. Have an adult cut the melon in half and scoop out the fruit in one half. Have an adult help you cut up all the fruit.

Arrange the fruit in the melon half. Not only is it ready to eat, but it looks good too.

MusicCenter
Make castanets to help you remember this month’s Bible verse, “Let anyone with ears to hear listen!” (Luke 8:8). You will need: large buttons or bottle caps, a low-temperature glue gun (adult use only), posterboard, and markers.

Cut the posterboard into 2-by-5 pieces. You will need two strips. Have an adult glue a button at each end of each strip, on the same side. Decorate the strips with markers.

To play the castanets, simply fold each strip in half, with the buttons on the inside. Hold between the thumb and fingers, and click together.

Work out a beat on your castanets that you can click while saying the Bible verse. Share it with your friends.

GiftCenter
Decorate rulers to give to your friends. You will need: wooden rulers, and a permanent marker or paint pen.

Write “It is fun to grow with God!” on the back of each wooden ruler with a permanent marker or paint pen. Decorate your ruler with flowers, birds, and bees.

Make a ruler for yourself too. Take your ruler outside. Use your ruler to measure things that are growing. How tall is the flower? How wide is the leaf? How long is the blade of grass? Measure a newly potted plant, and mark the height by drawing a mark on the ruler. Once a week, measure the plant to see how much it has grown.

Read Jesus’ story about the sower and the seeds (Luke 8:4-15).

                                                                        

B.I.G. Theme: Wanted: Heroes for God
B.I.G. Idea: We believe that God will help us have the courage to do hard things.
Bible Verse: Be strong, and let your heart take courage (Psalm 31:24).

June 6: David and Goliath (1 Samuel 17)
June 13: Joshua and the Battle of Jericho (Joshua 6:1-16, 20, 27)
June 20: The Fiery Furnace (Daniel 3)
June 27: Esther (Book of Esther)

Safety Tips

Since Live B.I.G. is focusing on fire safety for part of the month, pay attention to these tips on how to safely get out of a burning building.

• Stay low. Smoke rises, so the safest place to be is near the ground.

• Touch a door before you open it. If there is fire on the other side of the door, the door will be hot. Even if the door feels cool, open it carefully until you know what is on the other side.

• Leave your personal belongings behind. Don’t spend time gathering up items you want to keep. You’re much more important than anything you own.

• Once you’re out, stay out. Don’t go back inside. Talk to your family about designating a meeting place, maybe across the street or under a nearby tree.

Fiery Furnace

You will need: a white paper plate, markers or crayons, red plastic food wrap or cellophane, and masking tape.

Use markers or crayons to draw a picture of Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, and the angel on the paper plate (see the story of the fiery furnace in Daniel 3).

Cover your plate with red plastic food wrap or red cellophane. Tape the edges of the plastic wrap or cellophane to the plate. You’ve just created a model of the fiery furnace. Show your paper plate to your family and friends this week, and tell them the story of the four friends in the fiery furnace.

Make Jewelry to Share

With this easy activity, you can make necklaces and bracelets to give to people who are having a bad day.

All you have to do is string beads onto lengths of yarn or cord. Choose your colors and your type of beads.

Oranges and Eggs

Have you ever cooked over a campfire? If you do this activity, get an adult to help you.

You will need: kindling, matches, logs, a card table, thick-skinned oranges, a plastic knife, eggs, serrated spoons, aluminum foil, long-handled tongs, small plates, forks, napkins, a bucket of water, and a garbage bag for trash.

Let the adult start the fire and watch over it the entire time. While the campfire is burning down to coals, use a plastic knife to cut each orange in half. Scrape out the pulp and set aside. Tear off pieces of foil large enough to completely wrap each orange half. Break an egg into each orange half.

Wrap each orange half in foil. Let an adult carefully place the foil packets on the campfire. Cook the packets for about ten minutes.

Let an adult use the tongs to pull the packets out of the fire.

Giant Wall

Let your friends help you build a wall and then knock it down. You will need: paper grocery bags, newspaper, tape, clean pint-sized milk cartons, scissors, and brown wrapping paper.

Open half of the grocery bags. Scrunch up sheets of newspaper and stuff them into the grocery bags. Take the remaining bags, turn them upside down, and slide them over the filled bags, creating large paper “blocks.” Tape the edges of the bags so the blocks maintain their shape. Cut the triangular ends off pint-sized milk cartons. Invert one carton, and push it down over another. Cover with brown wrapping paper. Build a wall with the giant blocks.

After setting up the blocks, march around the wall (see Joshua and the battle of Jericho in Joshua 6:1-16, 20, and 27). Will the stomping of your marching feet cause the blocks to tumble? If not, what will?