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OVERVIEW

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Thanks for serving as the Director of Heroes Unmasked—a unique fall fest event for families. You’re a hero! As Director, you’re going to make this event happen for your attendees—and you’ll have a lot of fun, too.

Kids and families who visit Heroes Unmasked will play a variety of carnival-type games that will help them explore some famous heroes of the Bible. Best of all, they’ll see how those heroes trusted God and experienced his love. And they’ll experience God’s love, too! Be ready for people of all ages to get to know Jesus, the greatest hero, in a fresh way thanks to your team.

You and your Leadership Team will make sure everything’s ready to go. You’ll serve with three key Directors who’ll oversee games, setup, outreach and hospitality, and all the activities that have kids and families laughing, talking, and exploring.

Ready to be a hero? Let the fun begin!

OVERVIEWWelcome to Heroes Unmasked! W

ELCOME

Preschoolers can join in with the bigger kids in their stations if you or families prefer, but Little Heroes Hangout has experiences specifically designed for kids 3 to 5 years old.

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Heroes Unmasked at a Glance

Here’s a quick look at what people will experience at Heroes Unmasked. After checking in at the registration area, people can move through the games in any order.The Registration Station

At the Registration Station, your Outreach Team will collect the contact information you need and then take photos of each family or group posing behind a heroes board. The photos provide a reason to collect information; you’ll email or deliver the photos to your participants later (for great follow-up!). The Registration Station is also where you’ll give parents a great outreach comic book. And it’s the place you’ll tell families when they can catch performances at the “Secret of the Empty Cave” Bible Experience and “Forever Friends” Puppet Theatre.

Daniel’s Mane ShowdownKids launch Twisty Launchers at helium balloons that look like lions. They’ll learn about Daniel, the Bible hero who survived a night in a lions’ den.

David’s Bopple ToppleKids bowl Rock Balls toward angry Philistines, trying to knock down the giant. They’ll learn about David, the Bible hero who took down a giant with just a rock, a slingshot, and God’s power.

Elijah’s Flaming AltarKids throw Flaming Comets into altar targets. They’ll learn about Elijah, the Bible hero who stood alone in a fiery showdown where God’s power reigned supreme.

Moses’ Red Sea Putt-PuttKids mini-golf through the Red Sea and learn how Bible hero Moses used God’s power to part the sea so the Israelites could escape a looming army of Egyptians.

Noah’s Operation RescueKids sort through Silly Spheres to round up animals for Noah’s ark. They’ll learn that Noah was a Bible hero who weathered the storm and saved God’s creation.

Queen Esther’s Crown the QueenKids try to drop a crown on Queen Esther to crown this Bible hero, who saved her people from death!

“Secret of the Empty Cave” Bible ExperienceFamilies explore Jesus’ empty tomb and put clues together to discover how the greatest hero of all beat death!

Hero Cookie CafeParticipants decorate cookies and create their very own superhero masks.

Little Heroes Hangout

Preschoolers will have their own simplified version of the games. They’ll aim a Rock Ball at a cornhole giant, light buckets on fire with Flaming Comets, bowl through the Red Sea, round up animals for Noah’s ark, shoo lion balloons away with foam balls, and learn about Jesus’ love from fun puppets.

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Step by Step

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WHere’s a step-by-step look at what you’ll do as Director.

Step 1: Identify the goodies in your

Starter Kit.

• Director Guide gives you everything you need to know to make your event a success. (You’re reading it now!)

• Setup Guide makes setup and decorating easy.

• Games Guide shows exactly what happens and what’s needed at each booth.

• Outreach Guide describes how to spread the word about this fun event, welcome families who come, and follow up after.

• Heroes Unmasked Graphics & Other Goodies CD overflows with high-quality forms, clip art, and editable publicity materials for attention-grabbing ways to invite your entire community. Everything on this disc is reproducible.

• Digital Access Code leads you to digital versions of the Games, Setup, and Outreach Guides. You’re just a click and download away from sharing details and information with your team and congregation.

Your kit also includes various samples of these exciting outreach tools and game items:

Fall Fest Bag—Kids and families can keep their take-aways all in one place with these handy treat bags.

Create-a-Mask punchouts—At the Hero Cookie Cafe, kids can decorate their very own superhero masks.

Twisty Launcher—At Daniel’s Mane Showdown, kids will fight lions with these fun launchers. Each child can take home a Twisty Launcher.

Rock Ball—At David’s Bopple Topple, families will take down giants by bowling Rocks Balls to knock them over. They’ll love taking these fun bouncing rocks home!

Flaming Comet—At Elijah’s Flaming Altar, kids will ignite cups with the sparkling flames of this fun ball! Then they can each take one home to remember Elijah’s heroic story.

Twisty Launcher

Rock Ball

Flaming Comet

Mask

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Silly Spheres—At Noah’s Operation Rescue, kids will sift through these gooey beads to collect “animals” for the ark. Order a full-size pack so you have enough for your event.

Royal Crown—At Queen Esther’s Crown the Queen, kids will aim to crown Queen Esther! Then they can wear their very own crowns home.

Glow Cross—At the “Secret of the Empty Cave” Experience, kids will be wowed by the miracle of Jesus’ resurrection as they each receive a Glow Cross that will help them shine his light.

Jesus: The Greatest Superhero Comic Book—This interactive comic book is a unique outreach tool that will help kids get to know the greatest hero of all.

Bible Hero Cards (set of 7)—These fun collector cards add a sense of whimsy...and give guests a guide to finding and reading about heroes in their Bibles. Be sure each family has one set to take home for Bible learning long after your event.

Follow-Up Foto Frame™ — Use these handy frames to send pictures to families who attend your event.

There are other decorating items available at group.com. These are mentioned on the Master Supply List and in the Setup Guide, and they’re on the order form included in your kit.

Step 2: Choose your Directors.

You’ll choose three key people for your Leadership Team: an Outreach Director, a Setup Director, and a Games Director—and perhaps more if any of these three roles are shared. The chart on page 18 describes each Director’s responsibilities. Take care to invite those who you know will follow through on their commitments and who can manage people and tasks. Give each Director the appropriate Director Guide included in this kit, or use the Digital Access Code to download a copy to email to each Director.

Step 3: Plan, prepare, and support.

As Director, you have important things to accomplish from now through your event:

• Create a budget. Your team needs to know how much they can spend to decorate, spread the word, and purchase supplies. You’re in charge of the budget, so talk with your church leaders about money that’s available from your church’s outreach budget and/or children’s and family ministries budget.

Need to keep track of supplies and costs for each station? A handy Master Supply List is available on the Graphics & Other Goodies CD to help you and your team stay organized. Check off items as you go!

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Royal Crown

Silly Spheres

Bible Hero Cards

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• Keep your Directors on task. Regularly check the Director’s Planning Timeline, found on the Graphics & Other Goodies CD, to see what needs to be accomplished and by whom, and communicate often with your Directors.

• Support in recruitment and publicity. Each Director is responsible for staffing his or her area, but you’ll offer support and take the lead for telling your church and community about Heroes Unmasked.

• Pray. Regularly pray for the families God will draw to this event, the volunteers who’ll serve, and your Directors. Pray also for your church. As God brings new families to you through Heroes Unmasked, are people ready to welcome them? Ask God to prepare the hearts of all those involved in this important outreach.

Step 4: Train your volunteers.

• First, train your Directors. Have a meeting with your three key Directors. We’ve included eight recruiting steps on page 20. Share these ideas with your Directors, and they’ll be equipped to get the best volunteers for the event.

• Then train everyone. Gather all volunteers for a short meeting where you’ll quickly go over the entire scope of the event and answer questions.

Step 5: Attend the event!

Everything you’ve done to organize, train, and motivate has led to the moment wide-eyed children and their parents walk through the doors, so enjoy!

• Before the event—Meet with your Directors one hour before the event to review details. Encourage all team members to be ready at their booths 30 minutes early to make sure everything’s ready to go. Then, just before the doors open, share a brief message to remind everyone about the ultimate purpose of Heroes Unmasked: giving families amazing experiences that grow friendship with God! You’ll find a Six-Minute Pep Talk later in this guide. Use it as written or adapt it—it’s up to you!

• During the event—Keep an eye on what’s working well, what could use tweaking, and how team members are doing with their assigned tasks. Welcome attendees and engage them in conversation. And have fun!

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• After the event—Lead the whole team in a cheer to celebrate a job well done! While your Setup and Games Directors organize and store supplies, provide guidance about what to save. Use evaluation forms included on the Graphics & Other Goodies CD to get feedback from your team, and make notes for your next event.

Step 6: Follow through on the follow-up.

• Follow up with your volunteers. You couldn’t have done it without your team, so let them know! Saying “thank you” goes a long way toward motivating volunteers to help in the future. In one of the following ways, remind your Directors and volunteers of what a great time they had at Heroes Unmasked and their impact on the event.

• Say it with pictures. Snap a shot of each volunteer serving in his or her role, and email it to the person with a quick note of appreciation, or print a copy and present it in person or drop it in the mail. You could event tuck it into a Follow-Up Foto Frame!

• Say it on Sunday. The Sunday following Heroes Unmasked, arrange with your pastor to recognize and thank volunteers. Do this directly after presenting a media presentation of your event highlights.

• Say it from the heart. Truly, you couldn’t have done it without your team of helpful, caring, motivated, family-loving volunteers. Thank them personally and sincerely—especially your three main Directors.

• Follow up with outreach. Check in with your Outreach Director and his or her team to ensure that kids receive Follow-Up Foto Frames with their pictures to ensure they’ll never forget Heroes Unmasked!