Leader Guide

Active Game

In the video, Thomas hid Chris and Gizmo from the Roman soldiers. Although this isn’t an actual Bible event, it was dangerous to be a follower of Christ after He rose from the dead. The religious leaders were willing to do whatever was necessary to stop people from spreading the news about Jesus’ resurrection. In this game, you will be followers of Christ who must stay one step ahead of the Roman soldiers and especially their leader, the Centurion.     

 

Have an older child or a Sixth-Grade helper play the Roman Centurion. That child will stand in the center of the room as you explain the game.

 

We are going to play a variation of a game called Four Corners. The goal is to avoid being found and arrested by the Roman Centurion. With eyes closed, the Centurion will slowly count aloud to 10. During the counting, you will quietly move to the sign of your choice. The signs at each corner of the room represent a safe place to hide with other believers to encourage one another and share the Good News of Jesus being alive!

It is important to move quickly but also quietly so the Centurion can’t hear you! When the counting is finished, the Centurion will keep his/her eyes closed and shout, “I think someone is hiding at sign number _____ (1, 2, 3, or 4). You never know which number the soldier will say! Everyone hiding by that sign must sit down in the middle of the room near the Centurion because you have been caught! The game continues until only one player remains. That player successfully escapes from the Roman soldiers! Let’s play two practice rounds to make sure everyone understands the game. If you’re caught in these first two rounds, you don’t need to sit down.

 

To shorten the game, once a corner is named, you may announce that it is closed so players may no longer flee there. This limits play to three turns per round, after which there will probably be a group of winners in the fourth corner. You can say that the believers successfully escaped the Roman soldiers and won! Children who were “caught” are then free to play in the next round.

 

Conclusion:

How did you decide where to go? Children respond.

Was it hard not to just follow the crowd? Children respond.

Was it difficult to remain quiet as you played? Children respond.   

 

This game was fun, but we should remember that today, some Christians in parts of the world suffer terrible hardships because of their faith in Jesus. They are not free to openly witness to others about Jesus. Let’s learn more about witnessing for Jesus in today’s teaching.