Theme: The Olympics Title: Running The Race Target Group: Mainly Church Background Age: 11-14 Aims: To encourage the group to stick with their faith To help the group to see the need to follow Jesus To think about walking away from sin Equipment: Print-outs: Four counters, a dice; playing cards; prizes; four cans, four tin openers, three blindfolds, three pairs of heavy gloves; four Bibles Print-out 1: Run The Race Board; Print-out 2: Run The Race Questions Bible Base: Hebrews 12:1 3; 1 Corinthians 9:24 25, Hebrews 10:35 36, 1 Peter 1:3 6 Run The Race Game (17 mins) Print out a large copy of Print-out 1: Run The Race Board and a copy of Print-out 2: Run The Race Questions. According to the number of students devise an elimination strategy to get a winner, a runner-up and a third place. You could have the first two players to cross the line go through to the next round. Throw the dice to see who goes first. Players pick a lane. In turn they move their counters round the board. If they land on a coloured square they are asked a question. Some questions are sport questions and some are Bible based questions. If they get the answer right they continue the game as normal. If they get the answer wrong they miss a go. Play the game until you have a gold, a silver, and a bronze medallists, and give them a small prize each. King Of Hearts (3 mins) Split the group into four teams. Explain that each player will get a turn at the game but that each team will send one player at a time. Choose five playing cards, one of which must be the king of hearts. Lay them face down on the table. Tell the group that they have to follow the king of hearts with their eyes. Then mix the cards on the table and ask the group to pick which card is the king of hearts. If the player guesses correctly their team scores a point, the team at the end of the game with the most points is the winner. Scripture Union 2008 and Paul North Page 1
Tin Can Challenge (5 mins) Keeping the group in the same four teams, ask each team to choose a representative. Give each team representative a can of beans, or something similar, and a can opener. Explain that they are not to be touched until you say go. Explain that the aim of the game is to be the first to open the can of beans. Before the game begins give three of the representatives a pair of heavy gloves and a blindfold and ask them to put them on. Then say go and watch the race. Bible Bit (5 mins) Give each of the four teams a Bible and one of the following passages: Hebrews 12:1 3 1 Corinthians 9:24 25 Hebrews 10:35 36 1 Peter 1:3 6 Ask them to answer the following question: in what way, if any, does this passage compare Christianity to a race and what does it say about the prize that is received? Talkie Bit (5 mins) You might like to lead a brief talk bringing out the following points: The Olympics are a great sporting spectacle. They occur every four years and bring together the world s best athletes. One of the highlights is the athletics (link to Run The Race Game). Athletes have to train very hard to compete at the top level Athletes have to learn to never give up. The apostle Paul, writing in Hebrews and Corinthians, compares the life of a Christian to the life of an athlete. He explains that the Christian faith is sometimes hard work and you need to keep going. He also talks about the training needed. Most importantly Paul talks about the need to throw off sin, as it slows us down (link to Tin Can Challenge). Equally vital is the need to keep focussed on Jesus (link to King Of Hearts). Following Jesus is not always easy, but we can be assured that there is a great prize at the end. (In Run The Race Game the winners got their prizes). Paul tells us that the prizes for following Jesus are even greater. In Athens 2004 winners were given a laurel crown but this did not last. The prize of eternal life lasts forever. Scripture Union 2008 and Paul North Page 2
As you watch the Olympics let it remind you to throw off your sin and keep following Jesus. Reflection (1 mins) Ask the group to listen while you read a brief meditation: Think about what it means to win gold, or to come last. Think about what it means to be forgiven for your sin, or what it means to still carry it. Think about what Jesus has done to make winning possible, and the gold guaranteed. Say thank you. Scripture Union 2008 and Paul North Page 3
Print-out 1: Run The Race Board Scripture Union 2008 and Paul North Page 4
Print-out 2: Run The Race Questions False Start Which British athlete won double a Olympic gold in 2004 at 800m and 1500m? Kelly Holmes Who won the men s 4x100 gold at the 2004 Olympics? In which Olympic sport can you be disqualified for blocking? Who is heading up the London 2012 Olympics? Great Britain Triathlon Lord Sebastian (Seb) Coe Out of Lane On which date will the 2008 Olympics begin? On which date will the 2008 Olympics end? 8 th August 24 th August Where is the International Olympic Committee based? Lausanne in Switzerland To the nearest hundred how many events were there in Athens 2004? 300 (301 events) Injury Whose daughter did Jesus heal? Jairus Whose mother-in-law was made well by Jesus? Peter The man on the mat was healed by Jesus, but how did the man get to Jesus? Via the roof What did Jesus do for the man born blind? Gave him his sight Drugs test In Ephesians we read do not get drunk on wine instead be filled with... what? the Holy Spirit Which Bible character got drunk and was naked? Noah When was the first modern Olympics? 1896 How many different sports (not events) will there be in Beijing? 28 Scripture Union 2008 and Paul North Page 5