Abraham Assembly (Changes)

This assembly is based on the story of Abraham being called by God to leave his homeland and journey to a distant land (Genesis 12) and fits with the SEALS theme of ‘changes’.

5 mins	Game-get 10 yellow ball pool balls, 5 red and 5 blue and share them out as follows into 3 baskets spaced out across the front of the hall: Left basket: 5 yellow balls, middle basket 5 red and 5 blue balls, right basket 5 yellow balls. Get two volunteers to stand by the left hand and right hand baskets. Shout ‘go’ and get the volunteers to run backwards and forwards between their basket and the middle basket, changing their balls one by one until the left basket has 5 red balls and the right basket has 5 blue balls and all the yellow balls are in the middle basket. The first to change all of the balls in their basket is the winner. This introduces the idea of ‘change.’
5 mins	Talk about God calling Abraham to leave everything behind to journey to an unknown place (mirroring what would happen after the summer when Y6 move to secondary school). Invite a child up to the front to become ‘Abraham’ and give them a rucksack and a map as if they are going on a journey. Then take the map away and gave them a blindfold to wear and lead them around following only the direction of your voice. This is hard because they really have to trust! Then talk about Abraham having to trust God when everything he knew was changing and how we have people we can trust to help us when things around us are changing. Share with the children who some of your trusted people are
5 mins	Object lesson- check out the original idea here on this blog of object lessons using natural laws. Stand about 10 feet away from ‘Abraham’ and aim an inflated but untied balloon at him. Let go and the balloon will go a little bit crazy in the air as it deflates. This is like us when we get stressed about things and don’t let others help us. Next, blow up another balloon (still without tying the end) and sellotape it to a piece of straw with a long string running through it (see picture). Get ‘Abraham’ to hold on to one end of the string and you hold the untied balloon/ straw at the other end. Let go and the balloon will fly straight to its destination at the end of the string (Abraham)! This shows us how, if we trust God or those around us to help when things are changing and we are worried then, like the string, they will help to keep us on track!
2 mins	Light a candle and ask the children to think of all those people in their lives who they can trust to help them when changes are happening- the people who will keep them going in a straight line. Say a brief thank you prayer for those people.