FrogSpot Logo FrogSpot.com | Mentoring Moments | Kid's Ministry | FrogSpot News | Kids' Blog | Sermons    --     About Us | Contact Us

Easter Dog Show–skit

Hey Kids,

Here’s a skit that the 2nd and 3rd Graders in Logos are doing for Easter this year. It’s a story that will be read by a narrator while the kids act it out. Acting instructions are in parentheses, like this ( Instructions).

The Easter Dog Show

By Steve Severance © March 2008

Image by, Christian SherrattExcitement was in the air in the small town of Edgemont. They had a new hero—a champion speller. Timothy Atkins had just clinched the first place title at the national Spelling Bee in Washington D.C., and since he was a native son, the town was understandably proud!

(Two kids with a big banner come to announce the celebration while others “nail” invitations to the pillars)

The town leaders were organizing a city-wide celebration in Timothy’s honor. While some spread out a huge banner over Main Street, others posted invitations on every lamp post and every store window in town. The invitations read, “Come one, come all to a special celebration to honor the accomplishments of Timothy Atkins who won the National Spelling Bee in Washington.” Then they announced the time and location, which was the largest meeting room in the entire city! It seemed as if the whole town was abuzz with the exciting news and everyone pitched in to prepare for the big celebration.

The excitement was also very strong in the Atkins home. And if you were to peek into their window on the day of the celebration you’d see that other preparations were being made.

“Don’t forget to comb your hair, son. Let’s get that tie straightened a little; you want to look you best in the pictures!” Timothy pulled his tie into place as he and mother headed out the door and got into their car. Timothy bounced a little in excitement as he put on his seat belt.

(Mother and Tim pretend to drive over to where the celebration is. All the other kids are facing backwards with their heads down.)

When they arrived, the parking lot was so full that Mother had to drop Timothy off and go in search of a place to park.

(Tim makes door opening motion and the kids turn around and begin milling around silently talk and looking at each other’s dogs but ignores Timothy. Tim looks confused, tries to talk to some people but is still ignored.)

As he opened the door he was taken by surprise. It seemed that everyone in town had come out to celebrate his accomplishment.

But as he walked in he was met with another surprise—everyone ignored him. When he tried to greet his friends they hardly even acknowledged his presence and continued to look at their dogs! It was the strangest thing. No one greeted him, no one spoke of the spelling champ—in fact it seemed to Timothy as if everyone had forgotten why this celebration was happening in the first place.

Image by duchesssaHe breathed a sigh of relief when the mayor strolled to the microphone to make an announcement. Surely Mayor Woods would get things on track. “Ladies and Gentlemen, may I have your attention please,” the mayor began. He clapped his hands a few times to get everyone’s attention. “As you all know, we have gathered here today to celebrate a kid from our town, um, what’s his name?” he paused for a moment. “Oh well, I guess it doesn’t really matter does it? Anyway we’re here to celebrate some kid who won, er, something. I don’t quite recall what it was. Oh well, congratulations, whoever you are about whatever you did. Now let’s get onto the main event. If everyone will bring their dogs to the front the judging will begin.”

(All the kids line up their dogs and the mayor begins to look closely at each animal.)

“Is that all?” Timothy thought, “They set up this whole celebration to honor my hard work with spelling and my championship and they can’t even remember my name?” Timothy felt miserable so he sat down by the door with his head in his hands to wait for his mother to come. The thought that they were more interested in dogs than him hurt like he’d had a knife stabbed into his heart.

Image by, Christian SherrattFinally he saw his mother walk in. “Let’s go!” he said as he pulled her out the door as fast as he could. They hurried out to the car where Timothy slammed the door and hunkered down in his seat.

“What’s going on?” Mother asked.

“It’s awful, just awful,” Timothy wailed. “No one even noticed I was there, the mayor forgot who I was and what I’d done, and no one else remembered well enough to remind him! All they cared about were their dogs! They ‘re having a dog show, Mom, a dog show when they’re supposed to be celebrating my spelling bee championship!”

“I’m so sorry,” mother began, “I bet it hurts terribly to be left out and ignored at your own celebration. I think Jesus knows just how you feel.”

“Really? Why?”

(Kids make “human pictures” of Jesus on the cross, Jesus being buried, Women at the tomb, and Jesus rising, as mother Mentions them. “Human Picture” actors should stand with their backs to the audience and head down until it’s time for their picture then they spin around to face the audience, make their picture and freeze till the skit is over.)

“A long time ago people got together and said, ‘Let’s set up a special day every year to celebrate what Jesus did on the cross for us.’ They called the holiday Easter. It’s a day when we should remember how Jesus died on the cross to take our punishment for sin so that we wouldn’t have to. It’s a time to remember that he was buried in the tomb even before they were able to give Him a proper burial because the Sabbath had come. But when some women came to the tomb that next Sunday morning to finish the burial they were surprised to find the stone rolled away because Jesus had risen from the dead. And, Timothy, because He has conquered death we too can have eternal life if we trust in Him. But these days when people celebrate Easter they forget all about that story and about Jesus and celebrate bunnies and Easter Eggs. How do you think that makes Jesus feel?”

Timothy thought about that for a long minute. He didn’t answer out loud for no answer was needed. But silently he began to pray, “I want you, Jesus, much more than bunnies and eggs. Help me never to forget what you did for me. Amen.”

(Freeze and lights down.)

By Steve Severance © March 2008. Feel free to use this skit in your church ministry but please email me and let me know you did! Also, please include the copyright info.

Valentine Area Youth Rally

What do you get when you take 220 people, rousing music, bubblegum, and an inspiring talk and put it all in the high school auditorium on a Wednesday night? Why, the Valentine Area Youth Rally, “Meth: They Call It Ice”, of course! The Second Wind Band kicked the evening off in high gear with a rousing song service. Youth Pastor Mike Maroney then led some victims—oh, I mean volunteers— in an interesting bubblegum game. After some more music we heard, “Let me tell you what meth did to my family.” Immediately Dr. Mary Holley had the full attention of the youth. “Meth killed my brother!” She went on to explain how meth works and how it deceives you into thinking that you can control it while the whole time it’s enslaving you. She also emphasized Jesus’ power over addiction and appealed to kids to accept Him, instead of harmful substances, to fill the empty place in their lives, only Jesus can give you victory. As the talk drew to an end, 10% of the audience responded to her call to accept Jesus! 

All this happened on Wednesday, November 7, all the area churches were encouraged to combine their youth groups for this special presentation. We expected 100 people to come but had about 220 folks packed the house. Dr. Mary Holley is from MAMA (Mothers Against Methamphetamine). Thanks to all the churches that combined their youth groups for this groundbreaking event sponsored by the Valentine Area Ministerial Association! This event was coordinated by Pastors Steve Severance, Seventh-day Adventist with the help of pastors Bruce Beebout, Second Wind; and Mike Maroney, Assembly of God and the NCNCAPP board.

Here are some composite photos of this event:

From Kid’s Ministry
From Kid’s Ministry

MOPSEY’S MISTAKE

Hey kids,

Here’s a little story I found in an old book that I think you might enjoy.

Uncle Steve :-)

______

MOPSEY’S MISTAKE

Uncle Jack came in one cold evening, looking for all the world like a bear, Louie thought, in his big overcoat. He caught Louie up and gave her a real bear-hug, too.”Hello, Mopsey! where’s Popsey?” he asked.

Popsey was Louie’s baby sister, two years old, and her name wasn’t Popsey any more than Louie’s name was Mopsey, but Uncle Jack was all the time calling folks funny names, Louie thought.

“Her’s gone to bed,” she said.

Then Uncle Jack put his hand in his pocket and made a great rustling with paper for a minute before he pulled out two red-and-white sugar-sticks and gave them to Louie. “It’s too bad that Popsey’s asleep,” said he. But I’m afraid Louie was rather glad of it.

Dis is for Ou“Aren’t you going to save one stick for Grace?” asked mama. Popsey’s real name was Grace.

“No,” said Louie, speaking low. “I don’t believe sugar-sticks are good for little girls. ‘Sides, I want it myself.”

Just as she swallowed the last bit there came a little call from her bedroom: “Mama?”

“Hello!” said Uncle Jack, “Popsey’s awake!”

And in a minute, out she came in mama’s arms, rosy, and smiling, and dimpled.

Then there was another great rustling in Uncle Jack’s pocket, and pretty soon—

“This is for Popsey!” said Uncle Jack.

She took her two sugar-sticks in her dimpled hands and looked at them a second—dear little Popsey!—and then she held out the larger one to Louie.

“Dis for ‘ou,” she cooed, “and dis for me!”

Poor Louie! She hung her head and blushed. Somehow she didn’t want to look at Uncle Jack or mama. Can you guess why?

“Dis for ‘ou!” repeated Popsey, cheerfully, pushing the long sugar-stick into her hand.

“Take it, Louie,” said mama.

And Louie took it. But a little afterward mama overheard her tell Popsey:—

“I won’t never be such a greedy thing any more, Popsey, dear. And I’s always going to divide with you, all the time after this, long’s I live!”

_______________________________________________________________

Taken from the book, “The King’s Daughter and Other Stories for Girls”

The Prodigal Son in the Key of F

Hey kids,

A friend of mine found this on the internet. I thought you might like as little different version of this Bible story.

Enjoy!

Uncle Steve

The Prodigal Son forced his father to fork over his farthings.Feeling footloose and frisky, a featherbrained fellow forced his father to fork over his farthings. Fast he flew to foreign fields and frittered his family’s fortune, feasting fabulously with floozies and faithless friends. Flooded with flattery, he financed a full-fledged fling of “funny foam” and fast food.

Fleeced by his fellows in folly, facing famine and feeling faintly fuzzy, he found himself a feed-flinger in a filthy foreign farmyard. Feeling frail and fairly famished, he fain would have filled his frame with foraged food from the fodder fragments.

“Fooey,” he figured, “my father’s flunkies fare far fancier,” the frazzled fugitive fumed feverishly, facing the facts. Finally, frustrated from failure and filled with foreboding (but following his feelings) he fled fairly fast from the filthy foreign farmyard.

The Prodigal SonFar away, the father focused on the fretful familiar form in the field and flew to him and fondly flung his forearms around the fatigued fugitive. Falling at his father’s feet, the fugitive floundered forlornly, “Father, I have flunked and fruitlessly forfeited family favor.” Read the rest of this entry »

Fall/Winter Schedule 2007

We have a couple of great events planned for this fall and winter. Hope you can join one or more of them.

  • October 3, 2007: LOGOS Parent meeting/Registration. 6:30 pm, at United Methodist Church in Valentine, NE. LOGOS is a interdenominational mid-week kid’s ministry for grades k-12. For more contact me or just come to the parent meeting.
  • October 17, 2007, LOGOS begins. Times and locations vary by age so contact (Uncle) Pastor Steve to find out when and where you’re grade level is meeting.
  • November 7, 2007: Valentine Area Youth Rally (for grades 6-12). 7:00 PM Valentine Rural High-school auditorium, Valentine, NE. The guest speaker will be Dr. Mary Holley of Mothers Against Meth (MAMA). Her talk is: “Crystal Meth: They Call It Ice”. She’ll be joined by the Second Wind Band.
  • December 1-2, 2007: Rural Adventist Youth Rally, (ages 10-15) at the North Platte Seventh-day Adventist Church, North Platte, NE. Begins at 3:30 pm on Sabbath (Saturday) and lasts till 5:00 pm on Sunday. This will be an over-night-er at the church so bring a sleeping bag and change of clothes. Also bring $2.50 for admission to the indoor rec. center and pool.
  • December 9, 2007 6:30 pm: 3rd annual Cookie Decorating (all ages of kids) at Uncle Steve and Heather’s house, Valentine, NE. We’ll decorate cookies for the residents of the Pineview Nursing Home. They will be delivered on the 11th during the monthly birthday party hosted by my home church in Valentine. This is always one of the Highlights of the Christmas season for our church and community kids. I know you’ll have a blast!
  • December 19, 2007: LOGOS Christmas Program. At the United Methodist Church, 7:00 PM. This program is put together by the kids in LOGOS (grades k-12) for the parents and community members to enjoy. Normally the High-school kids do most of the program but this year my elementary kids have taken the leading parts. They are really excited! I know it will be great.
  • December 13, 20, 2007: I’ll be preaching first person sermons, in a dramatic fashion during the regular 11:00 am and 3:00 pm worship hours at the Seventh-day Adventist churches in Valentine and Springview Respectively. On the 13th I will portray Joseph, Jesus’ Earthly Father (Title: The Answer). On the 20th I will be one of the wisemen (Title: Following the Star).

To find out more about any of these events or to get directions just contact us and ask!

I’m looking forward to seeing you!

–Uncle Steve