Inside you’ll find a Getting Ready for the Story devotional, Large Group Opening, and Children’s Bulletins for readers and pre-readers.

DirectorGuide

Sampler

CONTENTSGetting Ready for the Story . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Large Group Opening . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Worship Bulletin: Pre-Reader . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Worship Bulletin: Reader . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

The video is the best part!

Welcome to the Director Guide Sampler!This sampler provides you with all the content you’ll need for the Sarah and Abraham lesson .

Great! A table! When do we eat?

Actually you’re looking at an abbreviated Table of Contents for the Director Guide Sampler. Were this an actual Director Guide, you’d see dates and page numbers for all the content of the quarter.

Behold, Monty! The power center of the Director Guide: the Table of Contents!

It’s pretty good.

Getting Ready for the Story

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This week’s story is Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18; 17:1-7, 15-16; 18:1-5; 21:1-7.The theme is Covenant.

WHAT ARE SOME DOORS INTO THIS STORY? After you read the Bible text for this week’s story, try one or more of these ways to dig into the story and prepare yourself to share it with kids .

WaitingSarah and Abraham waited such a long time for God’s promises to be fulfilled! But they weren’t always patient “waiters .” They told God and one another that they were fed up with the delay . Take ten minutes to write about one or more of these questions and prompts:

What am I waiting for?What do I wish I could tell God?If I could teach God about efficiency . . .Something I’ve learned while waiting is . . .

DoubtKeeping the faith in the midst of disappointments and dashed hopes is a big part of the Abraham and Sarah story . They must have faced times of immense doubt as they tried to hold on to God’s promise, yet still longed for a family . What do you do to get through times of doubt? Come up with the name of a friend you could speak with honestly about this question . Make a plan this week to connect with that person .

StrangersSarah and Abraham showed hospitality to complete strangers . Spend a day or all week going out of your way to be kind to the people you encounter in your everyday life, like clerks, parents, teachers, and kids . Dare to smile at some strangers this week and see what happens to them and to you . Imagine each person you encounter to be God’s messenger . What might happen if you continued this practice beyond a week?

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PRAYER

REMEMBER TO PREP

WHAT ARE SOME KID THEMES?Read about these ways to view the story and today’s theme through a kid lens to help inspire you as you prepare for Sunday school .

Names and Nicknames (PreK–Grade 2)Parents of young children often call their little ones by a pet name or nickname . Names signify deeper levels of meaning . In the story Abram and Sarai received new names—Abraham and Sarah—as a sign they were growing into God’s loving plans for them . God loved Abram and Sarai like parents love their little ones!

Breaking Things (Grades 3–6)Will God finally keep the promise made to Sarah and Abraham? Upper elementary kids have lived long enough to be familiar with promises kept and broken. They know the sting of unfulfilled expectations and the burden of keeping one’s own promises . Encourage kids this age to explore the role of promises in their lives and focus on the way God keeps promises .

It’s a Mystery (All Kids)Most kids enjoy a good mystery story and will pick up on the mysterious nature of the three visitors who dropped in on Abraham and Sarah . Who were these strangers, and what did they want? Look for clues in the story, and tie the plot to earlier and later Bible stories .

This poignant story elicits the feelings of expectation and helplessness we experience when there’s nothing to do but wait and see how things turn out . As vulnerable and uncomfortable as the experience of waiting can make us feel, this human condition ties us to God’s people around us who are also waiting for answers and promises . Pray for others who wait, such as people facing fertility issues, soldiers who want to return home, people waiting for a medical diagnosis, and high school seniors wondering if they will get into college .

Read through your leader guide, check your supplies, and make sure you have enough leaflets for the kids in your class .

Large Group Opening

SUPPLY CHECKLIST

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¨ Whirl Kids Story Bible Sampler

¨ Whirl Kids Study Bible Sampler

¨ Large piece of dark cloth

¨ Three stars (two larger, one smaller)

¨ Flashlight or laser pointer

This week’s story is Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18; 17:1-7, 15-16; 18:1-5; 21:1-7.The theme is Covenant.

WELCOME (3 minutes)As kids arrive, welcome them and have them sit with their groups around a large piece of dark cloth with three stars in the center .

When everyone is seated, ask kids to stand up if they have ever tried counting the stars at night . Invite a few kids to share stories about how many stars they counted . Then point out the stars in the center of the cloth . This week we are going to meet Sarah and Abraham, a couple who waited a long time for God’s promise to become reality.

HEAR (4 minutes)Have you ever made a promise? Ask kids to talk in small groups for 30 seconds about the promises they have made . Then invite a couple of kids to share some of those promises with the whole group . Has anyone ever promised you something? After small groups talk for another 30 seconds, ask a few kids to share some of those promises .

God makes promises too! Those promises are called covenants. Today’s story is from Genesis, the first book in the Bible. God has been making promises from the very beginning and is still with us—keeping them! One of the first promises God made was to a couple of really old adventurers, Abraham and Sarah. They trusted in God’s promises even when it was really hard to trust in them. Point out the three stars in the middle of the cloth . When you hear their story, you’ll learn how this third star is connected to God’s promise.

RESPOND (4 minutes)Take some “God’s Promise Pictures” today! Invite leaders with smartphones to take a picture of each small group and then text or email them to you . Encourage creativity in the poses—waving, thumbs up, huge smiles, goofy faces, posed like a family, etc . With permission, post the photos on your church’s website, create a presentation that can be projected in worship, or print and display them on a bulletin board or as a poster in a common area of the building . The title of the display could be “We’re All Part of God’s Promise to Abraham and Sarah!”

BEFORE KIDS ARRIVE

¨ Place the dark cloth on the floor with three stars on it .

¨ Enlist the help of a few people with smartphones to take pictures during Respond .

6 Whirl Classroom Director Guide . wearesparkhouse .org . © 2016 sparkhouse . All rights reserved . May be reproduced for local use only provided each copy carries this notice .

MUSIC RECOMMENDATIONSUse one or both of the songs on the Whirl Classroom Song CD Sampler to lead kids in music, or sing new words to a familiar melody .

SONG 1: ABRAHAM’S FAMILY

Use this fun new song to help kids learn the names of Abraham, Sarah, and their descendants while reinforcing that we are each part of Abraham’s family too!

SONG 2: GOD IS SO GOOD

Teach kids the traditional melody and lyrics of this song set to a brand-new arrangement . They will never be too old to use it as an affirmation of God’s presence in their lives.

SONG 3: TWINKLE, TWINKLE, LITTLE STAR

Sing this classic tune and add this verse about God’s promise to Abraham and Sarah .

Abraham and Sarah, dear,Trusted God and had no fear .Even though they were so oldBaby Isaac they did hold .Abraham and Sarah, dear,Trusted God and had no fear .

LAUNCH (1 minute)Turn off the lights and blink a flashlight or laser pointer on the ceiling to represent stars. Then pray this echo prayer, having kids repeat each phrase after you .

God of promises,We give you thanks for all your promises, including the ones that seem impossible.We are so glad to be part of your familyand your promise to Abraham and Sarah.Amen!

Send kids to their classrooms .

7

Whirl Classroom Director Guide. wearesparkhouse.org. © 2016 sparkhouse. All rights reserved. May be reproduced for local use only provided each copy carries this notice.

Fold hereFold here

TO

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ple.

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Tod

ay our church fam

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r . . .

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any stars as you can in the sky

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braham

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s.

12

3

4

5

9

Whirl Classroom Director Guide. wearesparkhouse.org. © 2016 sparkhouse. All rights reserved. May be reproduced for local use only provided each copy carries this notice.

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Where are we? I think we’re in the Director Guide, Otto.

I’m not sure we should be here. Don’t we need a permission slip to be in the Director Guide? What if we get in trouble?

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wearesparkhouse .org I still don’t see any tables . . .

Yeah, I think that went really well.

We can only hope, Ada. We can only hope.

This Director Guide was pretty fun.

Wait, no one asked for my permission slip.