Cooperation – 1st-5th Grade Big Idea for November

Net Work

"It had taken fifty-two days. When all our enemies heard the news and all the surrounding nations saw it, our enemies totally lost their nerve. They knew that God was behind this work" (Nehemiah 6:15, THE MESSAGE).

Doing the undoable takes more than me.

"But Moses' hands got tired. So they got a stone and set it under him. He sat on it and Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on each side. So his hands remained steady until the sun went down. Joshua defeated Amalek and its army in battle" (Exodus 17:12-13, THE MESSAGE).

Look for ways to help somebody succeed.

"When they couldn't find a way in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof, removed some tiles, and let him down in the middle of everyone, right in front of Jesus" (Luke 5:19, THE MESSAGE).

Friends who trust God work together to change lives.

"The Israelites completed all the work, just as God had commanded. Moses saw that they had done all the work and done it exactly as God had commanded" (Exodus 39:42-43, THE MESSAGE).

Work together to get God's work done.

A government worker turned builder and a pitiful collection of refugees. A couple of "right-hand men" ... and a pitiful collection of refugees. Some guys who just wanted to help a friend. And, a pitiful collection of refugees. These are the people we're going to be talking about in November as we focus on cooperation: Nehemiah, Aaron and Hur, some friends of a paralyzed man, and a ragtag bunch called the Israelites. They were your average Joes, really, beset by everyday kinds of problems, but they all tackled some God-given task that other people might have considered a little crazy, they did everything they could think of to make it a success, they leaned on God throughout the process and trusted Him with the results, and they did it together. As a result, they were able to do more than they could've done on their own.

Which is what we have in mind by suggesting the ministry project that we have for November and December: raising funds to purchase mosquito nets for children living in mosquito-infested areas of the world. Wouldn't it be great if we could all work together to help end malaria? What a way for kids to see God at work, making the undoable possible, and letting them take part! But, whatever "net work" you choose and whatever "network" you're a part of, the important thing is to do what God's given you to do and to let kids have a hand in it. 

 

By Melanie Williams. © 2009 The reThink Group * www.rethinkgroup.org * All rights reserved. Used by permission.