JOURNEY WALKING: Take children on a JOURNEY WALK and tell children to be aware and watch for items that they could put into a suitcase. The teacher will have many things for a "journey", hidden along the walk for children to find and place in the suitcase that the teacher is carrying as she leads the class along. To make the journey more exciting -- start SLOW and keep moving and walking faster and faster and children will have to HURRY to find things for their journey's suitcase and then RUN back to class for the story!

BIBLE VERSE RELAY: Let children line up and take turns RUNNING to the teacher's suitcase and getting one word slip of paper from the Bible verse today. After all the children have had a turn to get a slip of paper, let children put the words in order to form the Bible verse. Let children tape the words on a large picture drawing of a suitcase on a poster board and hang on the classroom wall.

LACED SUITCASE: Give children construction paper to cut in half and decorate as a suitcase with a paper handle and tape the two halves together on 3 sides. Let children put pictures or slips of paper that the teacher provides to go into their suitcase. These papers can have words from our lesson or parts of the Bible verse and names of other children who need to hear about having FAITH in Jesus Christ or who need to come to Sunday School.

2 X 2 HUNT: Let children go out in groups of two to find enough letters around a designated room to spell G-O-O-D N-E-W-S and when they have completed finding the letters, they'll bring them back and quickly tape to a piece of construction paper. When they have completed the 2 x 2 hunt -- teams will shout... JESUS IS THE GOOD NEWS!!!

GOOD NEWS CLAY: Give children as individuals or as groups, some modeling clay to make long snake like clay letters to form GOOD NEWS! Let children share ways of sharing the GOOD NEWS about Jesus to other children. Let children tell each other or ask each other questions about the GOOD NEWS really IS!

GOOD NEWS BOOKS: Give children construction paper to cut into pieces and make small booklets with stars, stickers and words about the GOOD NEWS. Show happy faces, the Cross, hearts, etc and encourage children to TELL THE STORY ABOUT JESUS to other friends and neighbors!

SING A SONG: GOOD NEWS, GOOD NEWS, CHRIST DIED FOR ME. (CEF)

SNACK TIME: Have a small suitcase by the door of the classroom that children can open and get a small snack out of as they leave the room today!

Song:  "I Love to Tell the Story"