Get Their Attention! (3 minutes) Materials: Detective Notes

INTRODUCE yourself and the kids by SAYING:

GO around your group and listen for kid’s names and responses to what they hear. After each kid has had a turn, SAY:

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Bible Story (7 minutes) Materials: Detective Notes, Drawing Utensils, Bible Story Cards

GIVE each child their own sheet of Detective Notes and complete the top section.

ASK kids to close their eyes & bow their heads. Pray for the group by SAYING:

Hey! My name is ________, and I’m so glad all of you are here today for our series, “Mystery Manor”! We’re going to be like detectives, searching for clues that will help us understand the answers to questions we have about God.

Let’s go around our group. Tell us your name and then listen and tell us one thing you hear in the room, and you can’t say what someone else already said!

Did you realize that when we spend time listening, we hear things we may have never heard before? Have you ever wondered if you could hear from God if you listened? Today we are going to find out the answer to this mystery question:

How Can I Hear from God?

If we are going to discover the answer to this question, we’ve got to work like detectives and take some Detective Notes (show). These notes lead us to the Bible, the best book for finding truth!

1. What was Cornelius doing when the angel spoke to him? (Praying)

2. What kind of news did Peter tell Cornelius’ family and friends? (Good news about Jesus)

3. True or false: Both Cornelius AND Peter spent time with God by praying. (True)

4. What is a way you can spend time with God? (Pray, read Bibles, come to church, etc.)

5. When you spend time with God, will you hear what God wants you to do? (Yes) Have you ever read a story from the Bible and learned something that God wants you to do? (Allow kids to share)

That’s what we Need to Know today:

I Hear From God When I Spend Time With Him!

Heavenly Father, thank you for always listening to me when I pray. Help me spend time with you so I can hear from you. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Question:

How Can I Hear from God?

Need to Know:

I Hear From God When I Spend Time With Him!

Bible Story:

Cornelius & Peter

Acts 10 Materials: / Detective Notes

/ Drawing Utensils

/ Bible Story Cards

/ Who Said It Card

/ Hand Sanitizer

/ Memory Verse Cards

/ Filler Guide

4-5-6 Small Group Week 4

ASK for someone to READ Bible Story Cards. After the story, ASK:

Application Activity (6 minutes) Materials: Who Said It Card, Hand Sanitizer, Candy, Detective Notes, Drawing Utensils

1. Split group into two teams (or more for larger groups).

2. Read aloud the first quote from the Who Said It Card to the first team. Allow them one guess of who said it or where it came from. Award them a point if they answer correctly. If they do not know the answer, the other team may guess to earn a point.

3. Ask the next quote to the second team, awarding a point if guessed correctly. Continue alternating teams until all quotes have been read.

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Wrap It Up (4 minutes) Materials: Memory Verse Cards, Filler Guide

REVIEW the series Memory Verse with the motions (motions are optional), and then again as you LAY the Memory Verse Cards in the middle of the group.

/ Have kids take turns removing one Memory Verse Card at a time. Each time a card is removed, say the verse as a group, and see if everyone can remember the missing word.

FINISH up by SAYING:

ASK the Review Questions on the left. USE Filler Guide to keep kids engaged in small group.

Spending time watching a movie or listening to someone allows you to recognize their voice and remember what they say. The same thing happens when we spend time with God. So let’s collect some evidence that will help us solve today’s mystery question: “How Can I Hear From God?” Take out your Detective Notes, and write down three ways you can spend time with God. (Ex: Read Bible, pray, go to church, sing songs to God, etc.) All the evidence needed to answer, “How Can I Hear from God?” is found when we spend time with God by reading our Bible, listening as we pray and learning here at church. We hear from God when we spend time with him, and that’s what we need to know today! Say it with me!

I Hear From God When I Spend Time With Him!

You did a great job today as detectives. You answered the question, “How Can I Hear from God?”, and now you can have faith that you will hear from God when you spend time with Him!

Application Activity Summary:

Kids will hear a quote and guess who said it or where it came from to show that the more time spent listening to someone, the easier it is to recognize their voice – the same as with God. Kids will record on their detective notes three ways to spend time with God: Read, Listen & Learn.

Need to Know:

I Hear From God When I Spend Time With Him!

Memory Verse:

But without faith (cover eyes)

No one (shake head)

Can please God. (point up)

We must believe (hand over heart)

That God is real (nod head)

And that He rewards everyone

(hands out in front) Who searches for Him.

(point up) Hebrews 11:6

Review Questions:

1. In Large Group, what was written in Pif-Paf’s journal? (What he learned by spending time with God)

2. Pif-Paf knew how to hear from God. How can you hear from God? (By spending time with Him!)

4-5 Small Group Week 4

4. SAY:

DETECTIVE NOTES

I Hear From GodWhen I Spend

Time With Him!

EVIDENCE:

toNEEDknow

Memory Verse

Hebrews 1 1 :6“But without fa i th no one

can please God . We must bel ievethat God is real and that he rewards

everyone who searches for him.”

?????QUESTION“HOW CAN I HEAR FROM GOD?”

Three ways I can spend t ime with God .

toclue SOLVE

1 .

2 .

3 .

Fi l l in the blanks using the chart below to f ind out how we can answer the mystery quest ion using God’s Word !

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 1 1 12 13

A B C D E F G H I J K L M

14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26

N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

⸏⸏⸏⸏ 101 3 20 19

MYSTERY

Wk 4- 4 -5

Cornelius & Peter Acts 10

Page 2 of 10

Mystery Manor Week 4

K-5 Bible Story Cards

There was once a man named Cornelius. He and his whole family loved God.

They gave to people who needed things and they spent time

with God by praying regularly.

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Mystery Manor Week 4

K-5 Bible Story Cards

One day, while Cornelius was talking to God, an angel spoke to him!

The angel told Cornelius that God had heard his prayers

and that he needed to invite a man named Peter to come over to his house.

So Cornelius told two of his servants and a soldier what the

angel said and sent them to find Peter.

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Mystery Manor Week 4

K-5 Bible Story Cards

While Cornelius’ men were on their way, Peter was on his roof praying and spending time with God.

As Peter prayed, an angel spoke to him, too! Peter realized that the angel was telling him to go to the house of a man

named Cornelius.

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Mystery Manor Week 4

K-5 Bible Story Cards

So when Cornelius’ men showed up at Peter’s house, he went with them. When Peter arrived, he saw that Cornelius had invited his whole family and all of his friends over, too!

Peter told everyone who was there the good news that

God wanted them to hear – the good news about Jesus!

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Mystery Manor Week 4

K-5 Bible Story Cards

When Cornelius and Peter spent time with God, they heard exactly what God wanted them to do. And when

Cornelius’ family and friends spent time with God by listening to Peter tell the good news, they heard about

God’s love, too. After hearing this good news, Cornelius’ family and friends chose to believe in Jesus!

We can spend time reading and praying and asking God to speak to us, knowing that He will! You and I hear from

God when we spend time with Him!

Who Said It? (4-5)

1. Reach for the sky! (Woody – Toy Story)

2. Cuz you’re gonna hear me roar! (Katy Perry)

3. Do you wanna build a snowman? (Anna - Frozen)

4. I’m ready! I’m ready! (Spongebob)

5. Everything is awesome! (Song from Lego Movie)

6. Size matters not. Look at me, judge me by my size, do you? (Yoda – Star Wars)

7. P. Sherman, 42 Wallaby Way, Sydney (Dory – Finding Nemo)

8. Hey, where’s Perry? (Phineas from Phineas & Ferb)

9. I’m just chilling with my guac from my chip hat. (Gru – Despicable Me 2)

10. So Mr. Kipling is a mommy?!? (Ravi - Jessie)

11. Cowabunga dude! (Michelangelo - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles)

12. That’s what makes you beautiful. (One Direction)

Who Said It? (4-5)

1. Reach for the sky! (Woody – Toy Story)

2. Cuz you’re gonna hear me roar! (Katy Perry)

3. Do you wanna build a snowman? (Anna - Frozen)

4. I’m ready! I’m ready! (Spongebob)

5. Everything is awesome! (Song from Lego Movie)

6. Size matters not. Look at me, judge me by my size, do you? (Yoda – Star Wars)

7. P. Sherman, 42 Wallaby Way, Sydney (Dory – Finding Nemo)

8. Hey, where’s Perry? (Phineas from Phineas & Ferb)

9. I’m just chilling with my guac from my chip hat. (Gru – Despicable Me 2)

10. So Mr. Kipling is a mommy?!? (Ravi - Jessie)

11. Cowabunga dude! (Michelangelo - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles)

12. That’s what makes you beautiful. (One Direction)

Mystery Manor Filler Guide (ES)

Week 1: / K-3: Allow kids to “investigate” things using the magnifying glass. / 2-5: Play a game similar to the Application Activity.

o Allow kids to pair up and use their finger to draw one letter of a word at a time on their partner’s back.

o The partner will try to figure out what word is being spelled!

Week 2: / Play “Pictionary” using the white board and dry erase marker.

o Draw a picture (tree, dog, car, flower, etc.) and allow kids to guess what it is. o Allow kids to have a turn drawing.

/ Play “Hangman” using the white board and dry erase marker.

Week 3: / Play “Add ‘Em Up!”

o Say a number larger than six.

o Allow kids to take turns rolling the die, adding the number rolled each time. (Ex: if the first child rolls a two and the second child rolls a five, the total is seven.)

o The first child to reach the number you said wins!

/ Talk with the group about different things they can read in their Bibles this week!

Week 4: / See if kids can come up with other popular quotes from their favorite TV shows, movies,

and songs. Allow the rest of the group to guess who said that quote! / Play “I Spy” with items around the room.

Week 5: / Play “Bingo” again, allowing kids to get bingo in different ways.

o Four corners

o The letter “X”

o Fully covered

/ Play the Memory Verse Game again, trying to go as fast as you can!

Week 6: / Play the Application Activity again, making the targets harder to hit. / Play “Hot Potato” with the beanbag

Week 7: / Review each bead on the Faith Bead Necklace, allowing kids to tell you what each

bead stands for. / Review the Memory Verse (on back) with the group, so they can win a prize next week!

Week 8: / Play “Secret Detective”.

o Have all kids close their eyes. o Choose one child by tapping him/her on the shoulder. o Allow kids to open their eyes. Give one child three guesses of who you picked!

/ Play “Use the Clues”. o Give three kids a “character description.” (Teacher, firefighter, movie star, etc.) o They will give “clues” to the rest of the group (“You would see me at school,”

“You would call me in an emergency,” “You might want my autograph,” etc.). o See if the group can guess who each person is!

Detective Notes: Kids can draw and color a picture on the back of their detective notes each week!

Quick Games: If you have time at the end of the Small Group Lesson, here are some quick games you can play to keep kids engaged in small group through check out. / Mystery Memory Game

o Place several items from your small group bin in front of the kids. o Give them 45 seconds to look at the supplies, then take them all away. o See if kids can remember all the supplies!

/ Secret Mission o Whisper a different secret mission to each child. (Ex: make an animal noise,

use the word “Barney” in a sentence, use only words that start with “D”, etc.) o See if each child can complete their secret mission while continuing a

conversation with the group. (Use “Get to Know You Questions” below.) / Telephone / Ninja

o Kids stand in a circle with hands together. On the count of three, kids will get into their “ninja pose.”

o Start with one child. He can swipe his arm toward another player, and then freeze. The other player may dodge the attack, but then must freeze.

o If the attacker’s hand touches the defender, the defender must take one hand out.

o Continue going around the circle. Once a player has both hands out, he/she is out. The winner is the last one standing!

/ Follow the Leader o Use small motions (facial expressions, arm movements, etc.) to conserve

space!

Get to Know You Questions: Ask these questions to get to know your kids during any free time you may have. / If you were a detective, would you use fancy gadgets to solve your mysteries? What

is one gadget you could invent that would help you? / What is your favorite story to read in the Bible? / If you were solving a mystery, who is one person you would want to help you? / What kind of games do you like to play with your friends? / If you could have one meal with all your favorite foods, what would you eat? / What is something that you would like to learn how to do?

Two Questions: At the end of each day, we want kids to be able to answer the following questions—feel free to ask your group these at any time: / Did you have fun? (Yes) / What did you learn? (Today’s Need to Know)

Series Memory Verse (Motions are optional for 4-5):

“But without faith (cover eyes) No one (shake head)

Can please God. (point up) We must believe (hand over heart)

That God is real (nod head) And that He rewards everyone (hands out in front)

Who searches for Him.” (point up) Hebrews 11:6