He'll Be Back
Group Activities

Sermon Title: "He'll Be Back"

Scripture Reading: John 14:23-29

HIDE AND SEEK:

Have the children spread out in a designated area and choose one child to be IT. The children will quickly hide and IT will begin finding the hiding children. Each time a child is found, the IT will bring them to his/her "hide out" and say - "I am coming back for you" and will continue to find all the players. When all the players have been found, the IT will bring them all OUT of the "hide out" and back to a circle called HOME. If time allows, let other children seek for the hiding children.

GOING AWAY - COMING BACK PLAY TIME:

All the children will stand on one line. The teacher will say GO AWAY and the children will quickly begin to run AWAY from the teacher until COME BACK is shouted and then the children will quickly turn around and COME BACK, until the teacher shouts -- GO AWAY and children will stop and turn around and GO AWAY! Continue to play until children seem worn out and ready to sit and listen to our Bible story today.

JESUS WILL RETURN CLOCK:

Provide the children with a paper plate to color and a long and a short clock hand, and a fastener brad to hook the hands into the middle of the plate. Have children write a colorful question mark at the place where each number would usually go on the clock. Children can write JESUS WILL RETURN on their clocks. Older children could be encouraged to draw a picture of a mansion, etc on the face of their clock as well.

HEAVENLY MOBILE:

The children will draw and cut out clouds from poster board and add wisps of cotton around the outer edges. They will then write words from today's lesson on each cloud. Hang the "clouds of heaven" from a decorated hanger (or a colored plastic hanger), as a Heavenly Mobile to hang around the classroom.

HEAVENLY BIBLE VERSE:

Each child will draw and cut out a large round or scalloped edged CLOUD. Add the wisps of cotton on the very edges.. Provide the children with squares and rectangles of many different colors of construction paper or other textures of papers for children to "build" a mansion on their large "heavenly cloud". When they are satisfied with their mansion "building", children can write today's Bible verse on the cloud to memorize. Every time they say the verse, give them a small sticker star to place on their cloud!

PRAYER BOOKLET:

Children can be given several cloud shaped pieces of paper to staple or tie together with a piece of yarn to make into a book. PRAYER can be written with colorful markers on the cover and each cloud page can have prayers or words from today's lesson to remind children to thank Jesus for letting us talk to Him and to the Holy Spirit for guiding and comforting us and to God the Father for not leaving us alone.

MANSION BUILDING:

Provide each child with a large piece of construction paper and many small squares, rectangles and triangles of colorful paper. Children can write words from today's lesson as well as words to describe heaven on each piece of the shapes. Then have children glue the shapes together on the construction paper to form a mansion and children can write JESUS WILL RETURN TO TAKE ME TO MY MANSION!

PRAYER WHEEL:

Children will need a long thin dowel or stick and a paper plate or circle made from card stock or poster board. Cut into the circle/plate about 3 inches deep and about every 2-3 inches apart. The children can put a word/words on each cut slit for a prayer to thank Jesus for various things that the children choose, such as for Jesus to talk to, or the Holy Spirit to comfort or guide, for the Bible to read until Jesus returns, and for our home in heaven, etc. Tape the stick to the prayer wheel with heavy postage tape or duct tape.

SING A SONG:

I've Got Peace Like a River; He's Got the Whole World in His Hands

SHARE A SNACK:

Graham crackers and chocolate or other colored frostings. Children can BUILD an edible "mansion" to enjoy together, with various colored frosting between the layers.

Song: "Peace Like a River"

Words and Music (pdf)

MP3 Piano Accompaniment - Right click and save to your computer.

Song: "He's Got the Whole Word in His Hands"

Words and Music (pdf)

MP3 Piano Accompaniment - Right click and save to your computer.