Brite Monthly – January 2024

This month’s biblical theme is:

Beginning of Jesus’ Ministry

Jesus called people to follow Him. He assembled a group of twelve and many others followed as well. Some turned away, but Jesus taught how to be a resilient disciple. He taught His followers how to pray, the importance of God’s Word changing us, and how to put Him first. Jesus still calls each of us to be resilient disciples as well.

Jesus Calls the Disciples: Jesus called fishermen, a tax collector and others to form His closest group of disciples. Despite His hard teaching they didn’t turn away because they understood eternal life could be found in Him.

The Lord’s Prayer: When the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray, He gave them an example of a prayer that included praising God, seeking His will first, confessing sin and praying for needs.

Parable of the Sower: Jesus taught through a story about a farmer and his seeds, connecting it to people’s responses to the Word of God. He wants His disciples to be changed by the Bible.

The Rich Young Ruler: A young man approached Jesus, seeking insight on how to go to heaven. When Jesus challenged the rich man to give away everything He had, the man was sad and left. He wasn’t willing to put Jesus first, ahead of His possessions.

This month’s Unit Title is: Big Questions

What does it mean to really follow Jesus? This month our intro videos will explore big questions about being a resilient disciple with interviews with real kids. You can decorate using microphones, question marks, news reporter decor and more. Check out our pinterest board at https://pin.it/2cSg7Zo.

Check out our Pinterest board for more ideas! https://www.pinterest.com/britecurriculum/in-the-spotlight/

This month’s Leader Training Topic is:
Helping Kids to Cultivate Friendships

In a small group setting, belonging is often cultivated through knowing the individuals that are a part of the group and being known by them. It also requires a spirit of hospitality that entails welcoming others as they are and demonstrating kindness and care towards them. When someone feels like they belong in a group, they are more likely to share their thoughts and feelings, to listen intently to others, to take risks, to ask questions, and to be open to learning new things, There is a feeling of safety that accompanies a sense of belonging and allows group members to let down their guard to experience genuine connection.

In a kid’s world, belonging is often identified and experienced as friendship. Kids want to feel like they have friends in their small group, and these friendships help the group to feel like a safe, welcoming place. As a small group leader, you have an opportunity to help the kids in your group cultivate friendships with each other. This will likely come more easily/naturally for some kids in your group than others so your support and intentionally is important. This month, we’ll explore various ways that you can help the kids in your group build friendships and experience the gift of belonging in a faith community.

Throughout the month, we’ll explore the following topics:
  • Week 1 – Facilitate Connections
  • Week 2 – Be Intentional with Partner/Group Times
  • Week 3 – Gently Address Barriers to Friendship
  • Week 4 – Coming Together Around a Shared Goal
Teaching kids about the gospel:

The gospel is the good news. God wants everyone to know this good news and to not miss out on this invitation!

Here’s the gospel in four main words: God, Us, Jesus, Trust.

God

God is a loving God who is all-powerful and holy. He knows and sees everything, and rules over everything. God created all people in His image, and we are valuable to Him.

Us

But we have sinned, and our sin separates us from God. What is sin? Sin is anything we think, say, or do that disobeys God. The penalty for sin is death and separation from God forever.

Jesus

But because God loves us so much, He sent His one and only Son, Jesus, to pay the penalty for our sin. Jesus died in our place. But He did not stay dead—He rose again three days later. Because of Jesus, we no longer have to be separated from God and we are offered the free gift of eternal life!

Trust

God gives salvation, rescuing us from our sin, to everyone who places their trust in Jesus as their Savior. What is trust? It means that we rely on what Jesus did. You cannot be saved from sin by doing good things, but only through what Jesus did for you.