MERGE
We recognize that todays tweens can be complex. They are too old to be with "little kids." Yet, they are not ready for HSM (student ministry). This is the basis of MERGE. During the 9:00 service each Sunday, we offer a unique environment for 4th and 5th graders.
Each week during MERGE, we teach the kids to
Make Wise Choices
Treat Others The Way They Want To Be Treated
Trust God No Matter What and that
They Were Created With For Purpose.
We begin with a time to just hangout and connect. Then, we have a rocking band that leads a time of worship. After worship we break out into small groups. The small groups are broken down by age and gender.
Check back frequently for what we are studying. You can also download a guide each week that will help you talk to your tween.
You can also follow us on FB! Just look for the Harvestland group.
What we are studying:
What in the World Are You Doing?
Can you hear your mother's voice saying that? Go ahead: let those words
run
through your mind a few times, trying out those different parental
voices. With
a touch of exasperation: What
in the world are you doing? Perhaps in her last-straw,
you-have-gotten-on-my-very-last-nerve voice: WHAT
in the world are you DOING?! Or even in amusement: What in the
world are you doing?
Inflection, emphasis, tone of voice, they all communicate meaning as
much as
the words themselves. Here's what we mean by those words: What. In the
world.
Are you. Doing
What =
A word used to ask for more
information, often about the purpose of something or the nature of
somebody.
In the world
= Can refer to
planet Earth; the earth, including all its
inhabitants and the things in it; society as a whole; or particular
areas of
human activity.
Are you
= Meaning an
individual you're conversing with or people in
general.
Doing
= This agile
little word can refer to things that one does every
day, as in "Everyday doings." It can suggest actions that require
more out of us than the everyday stuff, like "That will take a great
deal
of doing." It can also mean a position of accountability: "This is
your doing, your responsibility."
Put it all together and you get: Tell
me more about our nature and purpose here and what we're meant to do and
be.
Sounds like a big hairy philosophical question, doesn't it?
What about
our nature and purpose? God said we are made in His likeness and that we
are to
"fill the earth and bring it under [our] control" (Genesis 1:28,
NIrV). But what does that mean exactly? Is the earth ours, to do with
however
we please? Or is it God's, even though He's made us accountable for it?
Genesis
1 has some answers (which we will examine in week 1), so the question of
the
day will be: What in the world are you doing to take care of
what God made?
But there's more than one kind of "natural resource." Because God
created each of us in His image, we have certain qualities like His and
certain
abilities like His. Therefore, each of us has talents, abilities, and
possessions that God has entrusted to us and that He wants put to good
use.
Jesus even told a parable about that (Matthew 25:14, the Bible lesson
for week
2). So what
in the world are you doing to use what God gave you?
Words, like talents, abilities, and possessions, can be used wisely or
unwisely. They can be leveraged to build or to tear down. Ephesians 4:29
(the
lesson for week 3) says, "Don't let any evil talk come out of your
mouths.
Say only what will help to build others up and meet their needs. Then
what you
say will help those who listen" (NIrV). What in the world are you doing
to encourage others with your words?
Jesus said, "'You are the light of the world'" (Matthew 5:14, NIrV).
That's what God means for us to be: lights atop a dark hillside that
draw
people in, to God. In week 4 we'll explore what that looks like in a
kid's
world. What
in the world are you doing to show others God's goodness?
So, what... in the world... are you... doing? We'll explore those and
related
ideas in a special edition of 252 Basics.
June 5-6
Groundwork
Virtue: Responsibility-showing you can be trusted with what is expected of you.
Memory Verse: "Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much." Luke 16:10a, NIV
Bible Story: Groundwork (in the beginning) • Genesis 1:27-28
Bottom Line: What in the world are you doing to take care of what God made?
June 12-13
Natural Resources
Virtue: Responsibility-showing you can be trusted with what is expected of you.
Memory Verse: "Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much." Luke 16:10a, NIV
Bible Story: Natural Resources (the parable of the talents) • Matthew 25:14-29
Bottom Line: What in the world are you doing to use what God gave you?
June 20-21
Pep Talk
Virtue: Responsibility-showing you can be trusted with what is expected of you.
Memory Verse: "Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much." Luke 16:10a, NIV
Bible Story: Pep Talk (words matter) • Ephesians 4:29
Bottom Line: What in the world are you doing to encourage others with your words?
June 26-27
Light Bright
Virtue: Responsibility-showing you can be trusted with what is expected of you.
Memory Verse: "Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much." Luke 16:10a, NIV
Bible Story: Light Bright (Jesus says to be light) • Matthew 5:14-16
Bottom Line: What in the world are you doing to show others God's goodness?
