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Title: Primary Sabbath School Program, November 11,
2000

From: NAD Children's Ministries (author: Lisa Seeders)

Date: September 15, 2,000

Abstract: Activities to use in place of program helps
to teach the lesson, TROUBLE OVER SILVER GODS
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Lesson Aim: I want to put God first in my life.

Memory Verse: "Worship the Lord your God, and serve him
only."  Matt. 4:10, NIV


GETTING THEIR ATTENTION - GRAVEN IMAGES

Materials needed:
Sculpture foam OR Play-doh OR clay
Blunt table knives OR files and hammers for chiseling
Newspaper

WHAT THE TEACHER DOES: (To prepare ahead)
Spread out the newspaper on a flat table top surface.

WHAT THE STUDENTS DO:
Give each child some sculpture foam or play-doh or clay
and a chiseling instrument.  Ask them to form what they
think an idol would look like from the foam or clay.  
In our Bible story today there was a great uproar over
carved idols that looked like the goddess Diana.  What
is an idol and why did Paul and his friends almost get
seriously hurt because of one? 
GO STRAIGHT INTO THE BIBLE STORY.


GETTING INTO SCRIPTURE - BIBLE STORY DOMINO

Materials needed:
3 X 5 cards (8 cards per every two children)
Permanent marker

WHAT THE TEACHER DOES: (To prepare ahead)
Draw a line down the middle of each 3 X 5 card
splitting it into two equal sections like a domino. 
Think of one half of the card as A and one half as B. 
On each card print the following words, but do not
number the cards.  Make enough domino Bible cards so
that each pair of children have a complete set of 8
cards.
1.    Side A - Paul plans to deliver money to needy
Christians.
     Side B - Paul plans to visit the church in Corinth
2.   Side A - Demetrius sells fewer idols.
     Side B - Demetrius convinces other merchants that
Paul is the problem.
3.   Side A - Demetrius convinces others that the
goddess Diana will no longer have power over the
people.
     Side B - A mob gathers together.
4.   Side A - Gaius and Aristarchus are taken to the
town's theater.
     Side B - Christians persuade Paul to go into
hiding.
5.   Side A - The angry mob shout for two hours, "Great
is Diana of the Ephesians."
     Side B - A government official calms the mob down
and tells them to take the matter to court.
6.   Side A - The mob leaves and everyone goes home.
     Side B - Paul leaves Ephesus and goes on to
Corinth.
7.   Side A - Paul plans to go to Jerusalem, then
learns of a plot to kill him.
     Side B - Paul goes on to Philippi again.
8.   Side A - "Worship the Lord your God,
     Side B - "and serve him only."  Matt. 4:10

WHAT THE STUDENTS DO:
Divide the children into pairs.  If possible, put a
reader with a non-reader.  Have them sit on the floor
with plenty of space to make a trail with their domino
cards.  Give each pair of children a set of 8 domino
cards shuffled up in a stack face down.  They take
turns turning a card over.  The object of the activity
is to lay the cards down in the proper order so that
the story can be read from beginning to end from one
side of the domino trail to the other.  Be ready to
help any pair that need help with the reading.  DON'T
FORGET TO WORK ON THE TRAVELOGUE MAPS IF YOU ARE DOING
THAT ACTIVITY FROM PREVIOUS WEEKS.  A line should be
drawn from Ephesus to Corinth then back to Philippi.


GETTING INTO SCRIPTURE - GETTING RID OF DIANA

Materials needed:
Plastic bowling pin set 
    (If you don't want to invest in one, use plastic 16
    oz. Soda bottles.)
Small rubber ball 
    (If you don't buy the bowling pin set)
Bibles

WHAT THE TEACHER DOES: (To prepare ahead)
There are no advance preparations necessary.

WHAT THE STUDENTS DO:
Have the children look up the memory verse in their
Bibles and read and repeat it several times together. 
There are 10 words in the memory verse including the
text.  There are 10 bowling pins or soda bottles.  The
bowling pins or soda bottles represent the silver gods
or idols.  The object of the activity is to get rid of
them by knocking them all down with the ball.  Before a
child can set the "pins" up in the correct bowling
position, he/she must repeat each word of the memory
verse as they set them up.  Then they move back 10 - 12
feet and get three tries to see how many idols they can
knock out.  Make sure the children understand that
idols are not gotten rid of by our own efforts.  Only
when we worship the true God can we get rid of other
gods in our lives.  We are created to worship someone
or something.  If God is not first in our hearts and
lives something or someone else is bound to be.


ACTING ON SCRIPTURE - PUTTING GOD FIRST

Materials needed:
Colored construction paper
Scissors
Markers

WHAT THE TEACHER DOES: (To prepare ahead)
Draw large number 1's on different colors of
construction paper.  

WHAT THE STUDENTS DO:
Give each child a number 1 to cut out.  With markers
they print the words, "PUT GOD" somewhere on the number
1.  Talk about ways they can put God first.  (Read
their Bible and lesson quarterly before watching TV;
Plan special Sabbath activities before Saturday night
activities; Set aside Sabbath school money before spend
money etc.)