People in God’s World: Good Friends

People in God’s World: Good Friends
“A friend loves at all times.” Proverbs 17:17
Call to Worship
(Sung to “The Bear Went over the Mountain”)
Let’s worship God, let’s worship God, let’s worship God,
With joyful hearts, with joyful hearts, with joyful hearts,
Let’s worship God with joyful hearts!

Joys and Concerns
Have the children share a few joys and concerns they have and follow with a prayer thanking God for our joys and asking God to be with us in our concerns.

Sharing
Ask: What is something nice a friend has done for you? (Mary invited me to her birthday party.)
Listening
Begin by giving the children a thumbs up sign.
Say: Thumbs up to all of you! You are my friends, and I am so glad that you are here! Friendship is a wonderful part of God’s world. Here is a verse from the Bible that talks about friendship. “A friend loves at all times.” Proverbs 17:17. God wants us to be a good friend to others. As you listen to this story, make a thumbs up sign when you hear someone being a good friend. When you hear someone being a bad friend, make a thumbs down sign.
The kids were crowded onto the playground. Brandon was in a hurry to get down the slide so he pushed Liam. (Thumbs down) Sarah was mad that Brooke was using the sand sieve. She threw a handful of sand in Brooke’s face. (Thumbs down) Underneath the pine trees Lizzie invited Laura to help her build a pine needle fort. (Thumbs up) At the top of the jungle gym, Matt sang “Happy Birthday” to Martha, who was now seven. (Thumbs up)
At the bottom of the jungle gym, Jeb tripped Katherine as she was coming down the ladder. (Thumbs down) Meredith told Cliff that she thought his new shoes looked cool. (Thumbs up) Just for fun, Adam threw a rock really hard at Tyrone. (Thumbs down) Ricky was on crutches since he had broken his leg. When the whistle blew that recess was over, Ammar waited for Ricky and walked into school with him. (Thumbs up)
Exploring
We’re going to make friendship sticks! To make friendship sticks you will need large craft sticks, stickers, markers, tape, and ribbon.
Explain to the children that is some Native American tribes, it was the custom to present a friendship stick as a sign of friendship and peace. Tell the children that they are going to make a friendship stick to present to a special friend.
Have each child write their name down one side and their friends name on the other side. Have them decorate the sticks with stickers and markers. Help the children tie on and tape ribbon to the bottom of the stick. Explain to them that they will give their stick to the person they wrote on their friendship stick.
Benediction
Say: Loving God, let us show our love for you. Help us to show our love for other people, for our families, for our teachers and for our friends. Thank you for being our guide. Amen.

More Exploring
Children will love ringing the Friendship Gong in honor of their friends. A pot lid and a large metal spoon make an excellent gong. Invite the children to come forward one at a time and say “I’m ringing the Friendship Gong for my friend (friend’s name).” If time permits, go another round or two.