Brite Monthly – July 2023

This month’s biblical theme is:

Proverbs

All wisdom comes from God and the book of Proverbs teaches how God says life works best. God gives us wisdom for the situations we face every single day. This month kids will explore how to make wise choices regarding friendships, words, money, and work.

Blessed Are the Wise:  The book of Proverbs was written by Solomon after God answered his prayer and gave him great wisdom. Proverbs teaches us we should seek after wisdom like it is a hidden treasure. God’s wisdom protects us and helps us live life His way. Wisdom brings His blessings into our lives.

Wisdom in Friendships: The Bible has much to say about friendship. It is extremely important to be wise in who we spend our time with. It is wise to choose friends who are loyal, kind, and have good character. Jesus is the best friend we will ever have. He showed His true friendship by giving His life for us.

Wisdom in What We Say: Our words are powerful. They can hurt or harm, bringing life or death to others. God wants us to be wise in how we speak to others. We honor God with kind, gentle, honest, and careful words that bring life to those around us.

Wisdom in How We Use Money: Many Proverbs involve how we deal with money. God wants us to be generous towards Him and others. We should handle money responsibly, since we are managing God’s resources and we should never let money become too important in our lives.

Wisdom in Our Work: God is always at work and gives us wisdom in how we work as well. The Bible is clear that everything we do should be done for God’s glory. Laziness is not wise and doesn’t honor God. God calls us to work diligently and wisely.

This month’s Unit Title is: Ready for S’more

In this month’s videos, we continue the adventures of three kids at Camp Yellow Bird. Decorations for this unit can stay the same as last month, including tents, pretend campfires, canoes, sleeping bags, as well as other “campy” items. Check out our pinterest board for more ideas:

Check out our pinterest board for more ideas: https://www.pinterest.com/ britecurriculum/ready-for-smore/

This month’s Leader Training Topic is:

Putting First Things First

When we disciple others, we point them towards Jesus. We invite them to encounter a God who knows them intimately, loves them unconditionally, and desires to be in a forever relationship with them. Our ability to show others the way flows from our own experiences of getting to know who God is, receiving His love and grace, and investing in our relationship with Him. When we put first things first, prioritizing our relationship with God above all else, we have the opportunity to witness God’s incredible and transformative work in our lives. We then are able to love and serve others out of the overflow of all that we have received from our generous God.

There are many ways to intentionally cultivate a relationship with God. At the core, it simply comes down to spending time with Him. This month, we’ll discuss various ways to interact with God, to learn more about His character, to receive His love and grace, to open ourselves up to being formed more fully into His image, and to follow Him. As you intentionally make space to encounter God, allow your experiences with Him to inform the way that you lead and care for the kids you’ve been entrusted with.

Throughout the month, we’ll explore the following topics:

Week 1 Content – Prioritizing Prayer
Week 2 Content – Prioritizing Scripture
Week 3 Content – Prioritizing Spiritual Community
Week 4 Content – Prioritizing Worship
Week 4 Content – Prioritizing Serving

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.