FELLOWSHIPS: POTPOURRI

WHO'S WHO

Berniece Camp

Plan a fellowship for Sunday School officers and teachers on a Wednesday night following prayer meeting as a new Sunday School year begins. Arrange chairs in small circles (6 to 8 people) with each circle numbered. Give a number to each guest who enters and ask him to sit in the circle corresponding with his number.

 Appoint a leader ahead of time for each circle and ask him to lead all in his group to get acquainted. Encourage groups to share information about themselves that might not be generally known-hobbies, favorite food, nicknames. (If everybody knows everybody assign topics of conversation to each group such as My Favorite Vacation, My Dream Home, or The Subject I Liked Least in School.)

Follow with group singing of rounds and fun songs with different circles of people singing as directed-starting a round, taking turns singing one line, making up words to familiar tunes and singing when the director points to them.

Ask all to reassemble in a large group facing the same direction, each moving his own hair. Ahead of time cut large pictures or ads from magazines, glue pictures of heads of faces of people present onto the pictures. Write captions that relate to leadership positions
in the Sunday School, and show them at the fellowship using an overhead projector. (Cartoon drawings may be used instead of pictures.) This feature may be introduced
as a Who's Who Album, announcing that "you may find yourself in Who's Who." For example, a picture of a man fishing (providentially hindered), someone taking a nap
(lesson preparation), someone eating (first things first), or one sitting in a rocking chair (newest church pews).

Close with a devotional thought based on Exodus 3: 11 when Moses said, "Who am I that I should ... " and challenge officers and teachers with giving their best to their tasks. Close with prayer.

Serve coffee and hot apple pie. *

SILENT EATING

Margaret Epperson

For deaf friends and interpreters a great fellowship is for all to go out and eat together at a local restaurant. However, there is one slight catch to the fellowship, all interpreters must pretend to be deaf and can only speak with their hands! Have you ever tried to tell the people who wait on you what you want just by pointing? There is a fine of ten cents for every spoken word. This money goes into a general fund for the Deaf Sunday School department for other fellowships. Some interpreters come prepared with many dimes, because sometimes you just have to speak a word or sentence. If you are in a Deaf Sunday School, try this fellowship. The closeness that you receive, by putting everyone at the same advantage or disadvantage, is not comparable to any other describable feeling. And from the interpreter's point of view (which I happen to be) your sign language vocabulary will advance greatly! *

DEERBURGER PICNIC

Margaret Epperson

In January, to promote attendance and to find new people in town, the Deaf Department of First Baptist Church, Irving, Texas, begins an attendance contest. All active members are divided equally into four teams and until Easter, these four teams work at obtaining the most points in the contest. (The point system is included at the end of this article, for the main emphasis is to be the fellowship not the contest.) The end of the contest results
with a picture taken on Easter Sunday and a Deerburger Picnic the following Saturday. The winning team is the guest at picnic in a local park. Everyone looks forward to visiting at the picnic and especially to looking at the Easter group pictures taken over the past twelve years. At the picnic, one losing team is in charge of the meal which includes cooking real deerburger meat (furnished by a local deaf or interpreter hunter) and all the trimmings
of a hamburger feast. A second losing team is in charge of recreation, for the celebration usually takes the whole day; and games of all types are played including softball,
horseshoes, volleyball, Frisbees, etc. The third losing team is in charge of reserving the picnic area of the park, getting eating utensils to the park, cleaning up afterward, and
general flunkies work. The Deerburger Picnic is a great time for Christian fellowship among deaf friends and interpreters, and also with many visitors invited to the picnic.

ATTENDANCE CONTEST PQINT SYSTEM

·       Active member present this day each 25 points

·       Members attend Worship Service each 25 points

·       Inactive member present first time each 50 points

(Inactive member being a member not present for the six months prior to January)

·       New Member of Sunday School Team receives one time each new member 100 points (The team a new member belongs to is determined by the member who is responsible for new member attending and joining.)

·       Visitor each 25 points

·       Bible brought and lesson studied each 100 points

·       Bonus points for having most points this Sunday 25 points

(The total of all points except bonus are added for each team, one at a time, and the bonus points are then added to the score of the team having more points that day.) *

WORD-FEST FELLOWSHIP
Mabel King Beeker

Plans for a fun time that emphasizes knowledge of words.

INVITATION

Act them, build them, eat them, join them, spell them! What? Words, of course!

Word-Fest Fellowship (date, time, place)

DECORATIONS

Hang or display outline or fancy letters of the alphabet at the entrance and around the room.

TEAM WORDS

Divide the guests into groups of ten to twenty persons. Welcome each one with a shoulder tag bearing a letter of the Greek alphabet: alpha for group 1, beta for group 2, gamma for group 3, delta for 4, epsilon for 5, zeta for 6, through omega for the last group.

WORKING WORDS
Begin-with-the-end-wordathon-Provide a watch or clock with a second hand for the timekeeper -. Enlist a judge and five to ten contestants from each group.

Directions: At a signal the first person in group alpha calls out a five-letter word. The next person in that group must say a word that begins with the last letter of the first word, the
third person's word must begin with the last letter of the previous word, and so on down the alpha line. Then group beta will try to beat alpha's time, gamma will try to do better, and so on. Award a piece of candy decorated with a letter to each member of the fastest group.

Backward back-word spelldown-Request each group to choose five contestants. Explain that a contestant from each group, in turn, is to spell a "back-word" backward; for example, "backache" would be spelled e,h,c,a,k,c,a, b. Here are suggestions: backbite, backboard, backbone, backdrop, backfield, backfire, background, backhand, backlog, backpack, backrest, backsaw, backseat, backside, backslap, backslide, backspin, backstage,
backstitch, backstop, backstroke, backswing, backtrack, backup, backward, backwash, backwater, backwoods, backyard. For each word spelled correctly backwards, award the
group a "backpack" made of a stick of chewing gum. Back-word who's who-Now that all the guests have heard all of the "back-words," reorganize the groups so that there will be about ten to a group by pinning a "back-word" on each person's back.

Instruct each person to look on the back of another player and then "give him an informal definition of the word on his back." For example, if the word were backstitch, the informer might say, "It seems as if you have to go backward in order to go forward with this word."
When a player guesses his word, he is to turn his paper over so that no one else will see his word until you call, "Back-word forward." At that signal, all are to pin their words on their chests and hunt for others with the same word to form groups.

Building words-Divide a chalkboard or large sheets of newsprint into columns-a column for each group. At the top of each column print a three-letter word which can be the basis for other words; for example, from the one can make then, them, bathe, lathe, theme, theory, and other words. Include such words as bat, ban, bar, can, ran, man, and. Instruct each group member to run to his group's column in relay style and add his word as suggested.

After a few minutes, call, "Backward backtrack," and ask the judges to check on the words.

If there are too many groups to use chalkboards, give each group a pencil and a sheet of paper on which you have printed one of the words or call out one word at a time and allow one minute for writing additional words based on that word before calling the next word.

Find out which team wrote the most words and which wrote the most unusual words. Award taffy "backlogs" to help them "build more words."

What's that word? -After gathering all the guests send one player out of the room. Ask the other players to select a word which they will act out for him to guess. On the chalkboard draw a crossword puzzle square for each letter of the word. If he cannot guess the word from their actions, let him call out letters of the alphabet until he names a letter that appears in the word. He may continue calling letters until he has enough to guess the word and print it in the squares. Let other players continue.

Bible spelling bee-Prepare a list of important words in the Bible: creation, rainbow, sacrifice, hymn, psalm, prophet, king, Lord, Messiah, heaven, earth, faith, grace, salvation, eternal, Savior, baptism, forgiveness, church, peace, Christ, love, Father, word, joy, worship, pastor,
deacon, angel, saint, star, light, song, repentance, thanksgiving, gospel, God. Call for ten volunteers and divide them into two groups: alpha and omega (the first and the last). If anyone misspells a word, call for audience participation; but give two judges pencils and lists of the words so that they may check those spelled correctly. Players take turns at spelling the words as you read them. If there is time, let other guests quote Bible verses
containing the words.

EATING WORDS

Serve fruit punch and squares of cake or cupcakes topped with the word cake made with frosting, candy letters, small pieces of fruit, or even letters from alphabet soup which have been soaked in boiling water just long enough to soften them.

GOD'S WORD FOR TODAY

Distribute typed copies of Scripture verses which refer to "the word of God" and call on people to read them. Include Ephesians 6: 17; Isaiah 40:8; Luke 4:4; Hebrews 4: 12; Luke 11: 28; Psalm 119: 11; Romans 10: 17; Psalm 119: 105. Close with a prayer of thanks for God's word. *

WORDS FROM GOD'S WORD PUZZLE

Mabel King Beeker

DIRECTIONS

Decide on the word that fits the definition and the space; find it in the indicated verse or verses (King James Version).

Horizontal

1.       everlasting (1 John 5: 13; John 5:39)
4..      God's part in salvation (Eph. 2:8)

7.       an opening in a fence, a wall, and heaven (Matt. 7:13-14; Gen. 28:17)

11.     man's part in salvation (Eph. 2:8-9)

12.     the authoritative name for God and Christ (Isa.42:5,8; Acts 2:36; Jer. 16:21;

          Luke 6:46; Phil. 2:11; Rev. 1:8)

13.     a body (group) of Christians (Matt. 16: 18; Acts 2:47; 14:23,27; Eph. 5:25)

17.     work for God (Heb. 6: 10)

20.     heavenly food (Rev. 2:17; John 6:31)

22.      Christ the Lord (John 4:42; Luke 2:11)

23.      a solemn promise (ps. 76:11)

24.      to glorify (ps. 107:8)

25.      thus in creation (Gen. 1:7,9,11,30)

27      God’s fatherly concern (1 John 4:9)

28.     a poem set to music (Ps. 40:3)

29.     the opposite of yes (Rom. 3:9-10)
32.     the nearest ones (Mark 1:38)

34.     the name of God (Ex. 6:3; Ps. 83: 18)

37.      the plural of thou (1 Thess. 5: 18)

38.      in the same way (Luke 6:31)

40.     to recall from death (1 Cor. 6:14)

41..    the opposite of night (Gen. 1:14)

42.     holy people, chosen and called by God Himself (Rom. 1:7; 1 Cor. 1:2) (sing)

45.     illumination (Rev. 21:23; Matt. 5: 16)

46.     To produce musical tones by means of the voice (Ps, 104:33; 1 Cor. 14:15)

49.     to turn from sin (Luke 13:3; Matt. 4: 17; Acts 3: 19)

50.     gratitude (1 Cor. 15:57; John 6:11)

Vertical

2.       one of Paul's sons "after the common faith" (abbr.) (Titus 1:4)

3.       exist eternally (Ex. 3: 14; John 8:58)

5.       the color of Christ's blood and man's sin (Isa. 1: 18)

6.       the possessive of we (Gen. 1:26)

8.       the symbol of God's power (Heb. 4:16)

9.       the first person of the Trinity (Matt. 28: 19; John 14:26; 1 John 5:7)

10.     God's pardon (Acts 26: 18)

12.     the beloved physician (abbr.) (Col. 4:14)

14.     God's dwelling place (Rev. 21:2; 1 Kings 8:43)

15.     songs of praise to God (Eph. 5:19)

16.     tranquility or calm (Phil. 4:7)

17.     spiritual existence transcending physical death (John 6:40)

18.     the Messiah (Luke 2:11)

19.     reverence inspired by God (Ps. 33:8)

21.     God's inspired Word (2 Tim. 3:16)

22.     deliverance from the power and effects of sin (Acts 4:12)

26.     unity (Gen. 2:24; Eph. 4:4-6)

30.     the expressed or manifested mind and will of God (John 1:14)

31.     the Creator of all things (Gen. 1: 1)

33.     to honor or reverence as a divine being (1 Chron. 16:29)

34.     gladness (Luke 15: 10)

35.     headdress of honor (2 Tim. 4:8)