Slides and Printables.zip

Slides and Printables

Program Videos.zip

Program Videos

7 Min Countdown

03 sec Countdown

2 Min Countdown

Big Story Video

H&R Big Do Slide

Welcome Video

Herman and Rusty Act 3

60 sec Countdown

8 Min Countdown

Herman and Rusty Act 1

5 Min Countdown

Herman and Rusty Title

Herman and Rusty Act 2

H&R BIG REVIEW Bumper

H&R 5 Min Countdown with Rules

Sophia and Ethel experiment with how to reach God with their prayers.

Large Group Full Program

Question of the Day: What sound can you not stand to hear? Which sound do you love?





Countdown / Rules

The **Host** and **Co-Host** enter, wearing lab coats. The **Co-Host** also has headphones on.



**Host**

Welcome to the Lab! 



**Co-Host**

No, I’m not your dad. We’re not even that far apart in age.



**Host**

No, I just welcomed the kids to the big day.



**Co-Host**

How much do I weigh? That’s a very personal question that I don’t want to answer in front of a room of people.





**Host** removes the headphones from the **Co-Host**.







**Host**

Why are you wearing those?



**Co-Host**

I’m trying to become a better listener. It hasn’t worked as well as I thought it would.



**Host**

I can’t imagine why, with these over your ears. Let’s test everyone’s listening skills with a game. We’re going to play some sounds and see if you can guess what it is before the time is up.



Play the video. The video will play a series of sound effects followed by a timer and then reveal the answer.



**Co-Host**

They’re pretty good listeners.



**Host**

They are, and as we’ll learn today, so is God. Let’s listen in on our friends in the lab.





Welcome

Worship

**Co-Host**

Hans von Striker is really acting like a supervillain right now. I can’t believe he’s trying to mute Herman’s lab.



**Host**

But the worst part is that Sophia and Ethel believe that their prayers are muted, too. 



**Co-Host**

Do you think that their prayers can’t reach God?



**Host**

Let’s see what our Big Point says. I need a volunteer to help us reveal it.





**Host** and **Co-Host** choose a kid to volunteer.







**Co-Host**

Help us count down from three, and then read the Big Point. 







**Host**

Let’s all say it together, God Listens When I Pray!



**Co-Host**

Do you ever wonder if God hears you when you pray? Some people think that God is just too far away to listen. 



**Host**

We can’t see God, and we read a lot about God being in Heaven in the Bible, so people assume that He’s way up high in the sky. Have you ever wondered how big our universe is?

Engage 2 Slides - lc-elem-l4-engage-2-slide-a.jpg

It would take 450 million years for the spacecraft we have today to reach the center of our galaxy, The Milky Way. That’s just one galaxy out of possibly 2 trillion galaxies in the universe.

Engage 2 Slides - lc-elem-l4-engage-2-slide-b.jpg

Maybe you’d like to hop in a spaceship like the Millennium Falcon and travel lightspeed. It would take Han Solo and Chewbacca 2.5 million years   to travel to our nearest neighboring galaxy, The Andromeda Galaxy, at lightspeed.



**Co-Host**

Maybe we could just project our sound that far, even if we couldn’t travel that far. Except you can’t hear sound in space. That’s because there’s no air for the sound to travel through. Hold up, in that case, how does God hear us?



**Host**

There’s good news. You don’t have to travel to God, and you don’t have to send your prayers out into space. God’s Spirit is with us all the time. When we become followers of Jesus, we have the Holy Spirit with us at all times.



**Co-Host**

When you pray, it’s really like talking to someone standing right beside you because God is with you.



**Host**

If God is with us all the time, then it makes sense that God hears every single prayer that we pray. Maybe Dr. Herman can help Ethel and Sophia understand that.





Engage 1

**Host** and **Co-Host** enter. This engage uses a stomp rocket toy, like the one used in the previous video. If you don’t have one, you can simply have kids toss balls through hoops.







**Host**

Do you think that their ideas for getting prayers to God are very good?



**Co-Host**

Nope, and they don’t even need them because our Big Point teaches us that 





**Co-Host**

**God Listens When I Pray!**



**Host**

Let’s turn to the Bible and learn more about that Big Point by looking at our Big Verse.







**Host** and **Co-Host** choose a kid to volunteer.





**Co-Host**

We’re gonna count down from three. Then it’s up to you to read the verse. 



**Co-Host**

1 John 5:15 (NIrV) says, “If we ask anything in keeping with what He wants, He hears us.” Sometimes we think God isn’t listening, but the real problem is that we’re not praying the kinds of things that match God’s big plan.



**Host**

We’ve collected a few of Ethel and Sophia’s leftover stomp rocket prayers. Let’s read the prayer, and then you decide if it’s something we should pray or not.



**Co-Host**

If it’s something we should pray, then we’ll stomp the rocket and let it fly. To make a fun game out of it, we’ve chosen two kids who will hold hula hoops and try to catch the rockets.





Read the prayers, and then ask the audience if it’s something that matches the kinds of things God wants. You may want to have the **Host** or **Co-Host** go into the audience to interview individual kids. You can reuse the rockets if you don’t have enough. Write the “prayers” on sheets of paper or notecards.



 -

 Pray the school bully gets sick and misses the rest of the school year.

 - Pray for friends who don’t know Jesus to hear God’s truth.

 - Pray for a million dollars so you can buy a big house, PlayStation, and pool.

 - Pray for your teacher to forget the test she promised to give you tomorrow.

 - Pray for someone who is sick.

 - Pray for wisdom to make wise choices at school.

 - Pray for God to help your parents, even when you disagree with them.

 - Pray for God to make you the most popular person at school.









**Host**

If you’re not sure if what you are praying matches with what God wants, there is a great place to look, the Bible. God doesn’t want us to pray anything that goes against His Word.



**Co-Host**

Instead of trying to force God to do what you want, spend some time chatting with God and ask what He wants you to pray about.



**Host**

Whenever you pray, remember that God is always nearby. He hears your prayers and your worship. Let’s stand up and sing to God right now.

Engage 2

Optional: Play Soft Instrumental Music 



The Bible says that we walk by faith. That means that we trust and believe what God says, even before we see it. One really great way to build up your faith is to thank God for something before it even happens. Jesus thanked His Heavenly Father for listening even before He finished the prayer. Let’s copy what Jesus did. I want you to bow your heads. Think of a prayer that you’ve prayed several times. Instead of praying that prayer again, I want you to thank God that He has already heard your prayer. Thank Him now for always listening when you pray. (pause) Soon we will take a moment to praise God with a song. Use the worship time to thank God for always listening when you chat with Him.



Big Story

**Co-Host**

Ethel and Sophia learned that they can trust that God is listening and that chatting with God doesn’t have to be hard.



**Host**

Jesus spent a lot of time in prayer with His Heavenly Father. That’s a great example for us. Jesus only prayed what God asked Him to, and He only did what His Father told Him. That’s why He was 100% certain of our Big Point,

**Host**

**God Listens When I Pray!**



**Co-Host**

That’s a story you can share with your family when you do this week’s Big Do. 

**Host**

Gather your family and have each person share a time when God answered a prayer.



**Co-Host**

I’m glad that we don’t have to find God in order to pray. He’s always there to listen…Which is the exact opposite of our next game. It’s blindfolded tag. We’ve chosen some kids to compete in a game of tag. If you get tagged, even with just one hand, you are out. Let’s see who wins.





Optional: Play game music. Blindfold the kids. Set up some cones or NERF inflatable obstacles to form a barrier and create a game area.









**Host**

I’m glad that connecting with God is not like that. Let’s turn and connect with our small groups and talk about prayer.



Engage 3

Gather the kids into small groups and discuss the following. 



 - Have you ever wondered if God hears your prayers? Why can we be sure that God can hear us? **The Bible tells us God listens to our prayers. The Bible always tells the truth**.

 - How can we know the kinds of prayers that God wants us to pray? **The better we know the Bible, the better we will know how God wants us to pray. God can bring things to mind that agree with what the Bible says**. 

 - What did Herman tell us to do with our families in the Big Do? **Gather your family and have each person share a time when God answered a prayer.**





Small Group

Choose two kids from the audience to come on stage and answer the question.

 - Our Big Point says God ______ When I Pray!

    - Sleeps

    - **Listens**



 - What did Has von Striker try to do to Herman’s lab?

    - Fix it up

    - **Mute it**



 - What was the name of the guy in our Big Story who got sick and died?

    - Peter

    - **Lazarus**



 - How long was Lazarus dead before Jesus arrived?

    - 1 Day

    - **4 Days**



 - Why did Jesus wait to visit Lazarus?

    - He was tired

    - **He was following God’s plan**



 - 1 John 5:15 (NIrV), “If we ask anything in keeping with what He _____, He hears us.”

    - **Wants**

    - Dislikes



 - Why can we be sure that God listens when we pray?



 - God hardly ever listened to Jesus.

    - True

    - **False**



 - What happened when Jesus called out to Lazarus?

    - Nothing

    - **Lazarus came back to life**



  - What challenge did Herman give us as this week’s Big Do? **Share a time when God answered a prayer**

Big Review

Large Group Abbreviated

**Host**

Why are you wearing those?

**Co-Host**

I’m trying to become a better listener. It hasn’t worked as well as I thought it would.

**Host**

I can’t imagine why, with these over your ears. 

**Co-Host**

I guess I won't wear them. I want to be a good listener.

**Host**

Good idea. As we’ll learn today, God is a great listener! Let’s listen in on our friends in the lab.

**Host**

Let’s all say it together, God Listens When I Pray!

**Co-Host**

Do you ever wonder if God hears you when you pray? Some people think that God is just too far away to listen.

**Host**

We can’t see God, and we read a lot about God being in Heaven in the Bible, so people assume that He’s way up high in the sky, in space.

**Co-Host**

You can’t hear sound in space. That’s because there’s no air for the sound to travel through. Hold up, in that case, how does God hear us?

**Host**

There’s good news. You don’t have to travel to God, and you don’t have to send your prayers out into space. God’s Spirit is with us all the time. When we become followers of Jesus, we have the Holy Spirit with us at all times.

**Co-Host**

When you pray, it’s really like talking to someone standing right beside you because God is with you.

**Host**

If God is with us all the time, then it makes sense that God hears every single prayer that we pray. Maybe Dr. Herman can help Ethel and Sophia understand that.

**Co-Host**

1 John 5:15 (NIrV) says, “If we ask anything in keeping with what He wants, He hears us.” Sometimes we think God isn’t listening, but the real problem is that we’re not praying the kinds of things that match God’s big plan.



**Host**

If you’re not sure if what you are praying matches with what God wants, there is a great place to look, the Bible. God doesn’t want us to pray anything that goes against His Word.

**Co-Host**

Instead of trying to force God to do what you want, spend some time chatting with God and ask what He wants you to pray about.

**Host**

Whenever you pray, remember that God is always nearby. He hears your prayers and your worship.

**Host**

Gather your family and have each person share a time when God answered a prayer.

**Co-Host**

I’m glad that we don’t have to find God in order to pray. He’s always there to listen…

**Host**

Let’s turn and connect with our small groups and talk about prayer.

Midweek / Classroom

Hey guys, welcome to the Lab! Have you ever had a conversation with someone, and you knew they weren’t listening? Maybe they weren’t looking in your eyes, or maybe they were on a device while you tried to tell them a story! That can be really frustrating. Thankfully God is never distracted or busy when we talk to Him. He is always listening. Let’s stand up and worship Him. 

You guys did a great job worshipping God! It’s now time to break up into your small groups. Go ahead and turn to your Small Group Leaders now. (Split into groups)

Use these two minutes to introduce yourself and go over the rules you have for your group. This will set the expectation and show the kids clear boundaries, setting your group up for success. The ball can be used as a tool to signify whose turn it is to respond. 





It’s time for Lab Wars! During Lab Wars we battle it out, team against team, until one group stands victorious. For tonight’s battle, the whole group gets to participate! We are going to play “Telephone” in our small groups. Each team will have one minute. Your Small Group Leader will whisper the phrase to the person next to them. Each person will repeat this process until it comes back to the small group leader. When your group is done. Send up the last person to share what he or she heard! Whoever gets it right wins points for their team. 

Optional: Play Game Music.



Play the game. If time allows, play 2-3 rounds.



Telephone Phrases:

The best chips are chocolate chips

Please pass the mashed potatoes

Freddy’s favorite food is fettuccine

 



Congratulations to the winning team! “Telephone” can be tricky. You have to listen carefully, and words usually get mixed up along the way. Aren’t you thankful that prayer isn’t like that? God always listens to and understands us. Your words and feelings won’t ever be misunderstood when you’re chatting with God. Let’s check in with our friends at the Lab to see what they are up to this week.

Lab Wars

Hans von Striker is really acting like a supervillain right now. I can’t believe he’s trying to mute Herman’s lab. But the worst part is that Sophia and Ethel believe that their prayers are muted, too. Do you think their prayers won’t be able to reach God? (Pause) You’re right. God hears their prayers. Check out our Big Point. I need a small group to help me count down to reveal what it is! 



Let’s all say it together, **God Listens When I Pray!** Some people think that God is just too far away to listen. We can’t see God, and we read a lot about God being in Heaven in the Bible, so some people assume that He’s way up high in the sky and can’t hear them when they’re chatting with Him. Think about how loud you would have to talk for your voice to reach all the way to the sky! Let’s do a fun experiment in our small groups to find out more about how sound works. 

Have the kids help prepare the experiment by following the steps below:

Place the plastic wrap over the bowl

Allow a child to secure it with a rubber band. Ensure that it is extremely taut. 

Place the bowl over the tray.

Pour a small handful of the colored sugar crystals on the plastic wrap.



Now comes the fun part. Allow the kids to take turns talking close to the crystals. Have them try different decibels, some whispering and some shouting. Watch as the sugar crystals respond to their voices! 



When there is about one minute left, put the experiment aside and ask the following question:









Do you think our prayers have to be loud enough to reach God?  

That was a fun experiment! Sound is a pretty cool thing. Our voices create vibrations in the air that hit our eardrums and cause us to hear! So, does that mean that we have to scream at the top of our lungs in order for God to hear us? No! When we become followers of Jesus, we have the Holy Spirit with us at all times. When you pray, it’s really like talking to someone standing right beside you because God is with you. No matter how loudly we talk or if we pray quietly in our hearts, our Big Point is true, 





**God Listens When I Pray!** Let’s see if Herman can convince Ethel and Sophia of this.

Do you think that their ideas for getting prayers to God are very good? Nope, and they don’t even need them because our Big Point teaches us that 

**God Listens When I Pray!** Let’s turn to the Bible and learn more about that Big Point by looking at our Big Verse. I need a small group to help me countdown to reveal what it is. 

1 John 5:15 (NIrV) says, “If we ask anything in keeping with what He wants, He hears us.” Sometimes we think God isn’t listening, but the real problem is that we’re not praying the kinds of things that match what God wants and what is in His heart. Let’s do an activity in our small groups to reveal more about what this means. 



Lay out the matching cards in the center of your group in a grid formation. Allow the kids to take turns picking two cards. If they find a match, have them read the prompt on the card. Then have them go again. Ask the following questions:





 - Have you ever wondered if God heard your prayer?



 - Do you think you have ever prayed something that didn’t match God’s heart?





That was a fun game! I hope it clarifies why God wants us to pray what matches His heart. If you’re not sure if what you are praying matches what God wants, there is a great place to look, the Bible. We shouldn’t pray anything that goes against God’s Word. Remember, 



**God Listens When I Pray!** Jesus teaches us a lot about prayer in this week’s Big Story. Let’s check it out. 



Optional Play Soft Instrumental Music. Leader enters.

I love that Jesus prayed aloud for everyone to hear, thanking God that He listens when we pray. If Jesus said God listens, we can know it’s the Truth. Whenever you pray, remember that God is always nearby to hear your prayer. Let’s turn to our small groups and talk more about this.

The goal in this segment is to create a place where kids can openly share and to bring accountability as they become more like Jesus. Do this by truly listening, responding with love, and showing them what it looks like to be a friend and follower of Jesus. The ball can be used as a tool to signify whose turn it is to respond. 







 - Have you ever prayed something and it didn’t happen? Tell me about it.

 

 - Do you think God wasn’t listening? 



 - How can we know the kinds of prayers that God wants us to pray? **We can ask God to remind us of things to pray. We can read the Bible to know God’s big plan.**



Let’s take a moment to pray. I want you to ask God, what is something He wants you to pray. Then pause and wait. If a thought comes to you, pray that! Let’s do that now. 

Give them a moment to pray. Then pray over your group.



Sometimes God’s answers are different than what we expect. Or maybe He answers at a different time than we had hoped. That does not mean God didn’t hear or that He forgot. It means that God has a better plan, and He’s working out exactly what’s best for everyone. God wants to chat with you, and you can be sure that He hears your prayers. Don’t ever quit believing that, 





**God Listens When I Pray!** Let’s see if Ethel and Sophia will realize that God always hears them.

Ethel and Sophia learned that chatting with God doesn’t have to be hard and they can trust that God is listening. Jesus spent a lot of time in prayer with His Heavenly Father. That’s why He was 100% certain of our Big Point, 

**God Listens When I Pray!** That’s a story you can share with your family when you do this week’s Big Do. 

Gather your family and have each person share a time when God answered a prayer. Let’s turn to our small groups to finish up tonight’s service. 



Use this time to hand out any positive reinforcement tools (i.e. Candy, stickers, prize coupons, etc.) Tell your group how much you enjoyed spending time with them this week. Finally, end your time together with a prayer and maybe even a group cheer.





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Large Group Full Program Instructions

Large Group Full Program Instructions