Belong

December 9-15, 2012

Welcome Gather together & recite this weeks Core Competency of Hope - I can cope with the hardships of life & with death because of the hope I have in Jesus Christ. Our hope (& faith) shows up in obedience & that is the focus of our HG tonight. Opening Prayer Prayer itself is evidence of our faith & hope in the Lord. Gathering together as a HG is evidence of faith & hope in Him. Thank God for the gifts of faith & hopethis surety, this confidence that He gives us. Join hands & ask His blessings upon your HG meeting, inviting the God who exists & cares for you all to fill you with even greater faith & hope in Him.

Become
Family Time A) Looking forward to opening presents is part of the fun of Christmas! God has made us promises of things to come in the future...wonderful blessings that He has in store for His children! Last week in HG we read John 14:1-3. (If you didnt...READ IT!) Jesus is building an amazing home for us in heaven! What do you think your home in heaven is going to look like? (Let their imaginations run wild...have fun describing the beautiful place Jesus is preparing for His kids!) Looking forward to heaven is part of the fun of being a child of God! We dont know when, but we know that day will come because Jesus said so! B) God promised in the OT that He would send the Messiah (His Son) to the world. He kept His promise, didnt He? Lets divide into groups & learn Isaiah 9:6 together. For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, & the government will be upon His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Kids Time A) Blindfold & prizes needed. God told Abraham to leave his homeland & go to a place where He would show him...the promised land. Abraham didnt know where it was or when he would get there, but he obeyed God quickly. He did this because he trusted in God. Were going to play a game that requires trust. *One child at a time will be blindfolded & given simple instructions to lead them to a prize hidden somewhere in the room (or outside). Use this game to emphasize trusting & obeying even when you cannot see where you are going or where you will end up. Talk about how Abraham felt. B) Paper, markers, crayons needed. Have the kids draw a map of the journey that God took Abraham on to get to the promised land. Lets get creative & draw mountains, rivers, forests, animals, etc...whatever you want. NOTE: You can have a starting point (X), but you cant show the final destination...have the dotted line run off the page. This is sort of the way God led Abraham. It required faith & trust in God , didnt it? Adult Time A) Agree or disagree: Obedience is evidence that a person believes. How does obedient faith show up in your daily life? Give out paper & pens to every adult in your group. Lay out a typical day of the week...the events must reveal evidence of obedient faith. (Examples: I show up to work on time because I believe that God holds me accountable for my work. I drive the speed limit because I respect the authority that God has placed over me. I pray with my family for (fill in the blank)s because I believe God can save them.) Prayer Time God, give us obedient faith...the courage to obey You even when the outcome is uncertain. Help us to give generously to those in need, share the Gospel, keep our commitments to God & others. Let our obedience prove our faith.

Beyond
Community Calendar Did you make plans with you HG to serve at Mission Arlington on Wednesday, December 12. Volunteers needed in the Christmas Store from 9:00 am-7:00 pm. Contact: Christi Guion 817-307-1985, cguion@amerigroupcorp.com Church Calendar How many Oakcrest angels will your HG support this Christmas? Look for the Angel Tree in lobby & pick one or more up this Sunday. 550 children are counting on us! Return wrapped gifts to church by December 16. Contact: Fred Breese 817478-1816, fredb@innovative51.com for more information!