Brite Monthly – October
This month’s biblical theme is
Promised Land & Judges
The stories of Joshua, Judges, and Ruth tell us how God kept His promises for the Israelite nation as a whole, but also how He was faithful in the lives of individuals who followed Him. Through many challenges, God proved over and over again that He was trustworthy.
The Twelve Scouts: Joshua and Caleb that they could take the amazing land God had promised them. The other Israelites, however, feared the people of the land and the things they saw. The Israelites faced a major challenge and had to decide whether they would trust God or not.
Joshua Divides the Land: Hundreds of years after God promised Abraham that His people would be given the land, the day had finally come. Joshua divided the land among the tribes of Israel. God showed, once again, that He always does what He says.
Gideon: The Israelites continued in a pattern of disobedience and then crying out to God for rescue. God, in His faithfulness, raised up judges to deliver them. One judge was Gideon who God used in very unlikely ways to rescue His people.
Naomi: The book of Ruth tells the story of one family during this time period. Naomi suffers unimaginable loss, but God is with her during her grief and bitterness. This story reminds us that God loves and cares for each of His people personally and individually.
Ruth and Boaz: The rest of the book of Ruth tells of God’s faithfulness to one small family as He prepared them for the future He had for them. His plan for them also was the path for the Savior of the whole world to come into the world.
This month’s Unit Title is:
The Israelites faced many challenges, both as a nation and as individuals. With every challenge they faced a decision of whether or not they would trust God. The videos this month feature a family competing to be on a reality game show, “Ultimate Challenge.” This month’s unit is full of challenges and obstacles. Some fun and creative ways to decorate to match the theme include bright splashes of color, sports or game items, and game show decor.
This month’s Leader Training Topic is: 
Partnering with Parents
Parents play a central role in a child’s faith formation. Due to the nature of the relationship and the sheer amount of time spent together, parents have an incredible opportunity to help their kids as they grow in their relationship with God. We don’t minister to them in a vacuum; rather, we have the opportunity to partner with their parents to model God’s heart of care and to encourage kids to grow in knowing and loving Jesus. By partnering with parents, we are able to multiply our impact. This month, we’ll explore a variety of intentional ways to cultivate a partnership with a child’s parents. For the sake of the tips this month, we’ll use the word “parents” for simplicity but acknowledge that this encompasses a group far greater than biological parents. It can include foster parents, stepparents, grandparents, or any guardian who provides the primary care for a child.
Throughout the month, we’ll explore the following topics:
- Week 1: Setting the Stage for Connection
- Week 2: Finding Time to Connect
- Week 3: Encouraging Kids to Share their Learning and Questions
- Week 4: Addressing Behaviors Together
- Week 5: Providing Support to a Struggling Family
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!
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.