Rotation Model
Inspires Day Camp Outreach Ministry
Article and Outline of Good Friday Day Camp
from Kelly Williams, Timothy Lutheran Church, Marion, Ohio
Our church has done a Good Friday Day Camp for four years now. We do it as an outreach to the community since most schools do not have school that day. This year we took 225 elementary children and 60 teens. Our church is small; we typically worship 120 on a Sunday, so we simply have limited the children due to the size of our staff. We gave up having a Good Friday Service to do service the whole day. We take children 4 years old through 5th grade at one location and the sixth grade through high school go to the local YMCA with the youth director. The day for the elementary children has always been like a one-day bible school. I am excited about the rotation model and will start that type of Sunday school in the fall. Inspired by the Holy Spirit to help with the day camp, I decided to reinvent our day camp to be more like a rotation model.
We took the children on a journey through Holy Week. We opened
the day with a dramatic presentation that my worship leader wrote.
(script in the notes) She is very creative. She was searching
for Easter and instead of finding eggs, candy and a bunny; she
found the empty tomb.
We had six workshops set up: the Road to Jerusalem, the Temple,
the Upper Room, the Garden at Gethsemane, Golgatha, and the Empty
Tomb. She traveled the road to each of the workshops and talked
to each of the instructors briefly about what they had seen during
Holy Week. After the opening the classes lead by shepherds had
scheduled times to visit the workshops, have some class time,
recreation, make a nice woodcraft, and have an egg hunt. We have
them from 9am to 3pm so we also give them lunch. The overwhelming
response was positive. The workshop leaders liked having the
one lesson. The shepherds liked their role of helping the children
through the day with the major responsibility of teaching on
the workshop leaders. The children were never bored, and I think
some of them will remember more of the Easter Story than ever
before. The workshops were simple, but encouraged the children
to do more “hands-on” activities. The following pages
include the plans that we gave our staff for the general session,
the schedule for the day and the script we used.
General Notes
Day Camp will be run similar to the Rotational Model for Sunday
School.
We will have the following sites for the students to visit:
The Road to Jerusalem
The Temple
The Upper Room
The Garden
Golgatha
The Empty Tomb
Crafts
Recreation
Egg Hunt
Moon walk ( we rented a blow up moon walk for the day)
You could use a video station too. We chose not to because of
the time constraints.
Shepherds will be with a class throughout the whole day. They
will have a small amount of teaching to do but primarily help
the instructor of each workshop.
Workshop instructors will do the most teaching but will have
the same lesson all day just adjusted for age levels. They will
have the shepherd there to help with the number of students.
Discipline: All Staff are expected to be responsible for all
students. Instruct, guide and encourage the students.
Prayer: Meet at 8:30 am in the central gathering area for Morning
Prayer and dedication of the day. Feel free to pray throughout
the day.
Workshops ideas
Each of our workshop leaders took the general ideas and made their own lesson plan. They were encouraged to read some scripture retell their part of the story and have at least one activity for the students.
Road to Jerusalem
Parade( have one, why do we have them)
Palm leaves( make one)
Make a map or look at a map
Lesson: Praising God.
The Temple
Church a place to gather and learn
What is the bible?
How to use the bible.
Song the B-I-b-l-e
Finger-play church and steeple
Lessons: The church and the bible are where we learn about God
and his Son.
The Upper Room
Mock seder supper
Taste parsley, matzo bread
Communion, taste grape juice and bread
Lessons: Jesus commands us to spend time with God and remember
Him.
The Garden @ Gethsemane
Practice a prayer
Times to pray
Make a place mat with a prayer to take home
Lesson: Prayer is talking to God and we should do it daily.
Golgatha
Smell vinegar on a sponge
Hammer a nail
Hold ice cube to “ feel” Jesus suffering.
Feel a crown of thorns
Lesson: Jesus paid the ultimate sacrifice with his life.
Empty Tomb
Go into a tomb (tent or canopy)
Wrap in T.P. to symbolize burial clothes
Lesson: Jesus’ victory over death we can have if we only
ask Jesus into our hearts.
Practical notes on the whole
day:
First class time: (homeroom)
Attendance
Name tags
Gather coats use box from Gaylord
Names on booklets and bags
You may have a small simple activity or coloring sheet planned.
Opening
This will be a dramatic, presentation of Holy Week. The students
will be given a brief description of our six workshops. They
will hear briefly the whole story and then get details in each
of the workshops about Jesus and His last days.
Second class time:
Finish any craft items not done
Work on booklet
Answer questions
Do the “moonwalk” (This is a rented inflatable jumper
like one found at a carnival.)
Invite to church
Third class time:
This follows the Egg Hunt because we were sure the egg hunt would
not take 20 minutes.
Use this time to use the restroom
Do the moonwalk
Answer questions
Invite to church
Finish booklets
Finish coloring invitations or any other project started at a
workshop
Picture / Closing
The group picture will be at the end of the day at 2:30.
The closing will be a few songs lead by Kelly Culler and invitation
to join us on Sunday.
Clean up
All staff please plan on staying after to help clean up the more
hands make the work goes quickly.
Instructions to leaders shepherds and helpers:
Workshop leaders:
Dress the part
Wear a watch
Be prompt in starting and finishing.
Relate your area to overall Easter story from the opening.
Read scripture relating to your area
Conduct your lesson
Make sure students take any items with them that they are to
take home.
Shepherds:
Before GFDC: Read the Easter Story from one or all of the gospels.
(Matthew chapters 21-28; Mark chapters 11-16; Luke chapter 19
verse 28- chapter 23;
John chapter 12 verse 12- chapter 20)
Wear TLC T-shirt
Wear a watch
We will have balloons on your tables again. Stay at that area
and have your helper go back and forth to the registration table
to gather your students.
Be prompt in moving your students.
Help the workshop, craft, recreation leaders, you should know
your students. Be sure to count your students often the coliseum
is a big place. We don’t want you to have to leave the 99
to get the one.
Don’t allow students to go to the restroom alone.
Listen to the workshop leaders so you can answer questions of
your students or just chat with them about the day to reinforce
the concepts taught.
If you need a break or have a problem: Kelly Culler, Kathy Denman,
and Kelly Williams will be circulating to make sure all is going
well.
We should have enough helpers to relieve you, and for the helper
to do restroom trips with small groups of students.
We will have a supply table for crayons, markers, scissors, glue
and pencils. Please borrow these items and return them promptly
to keep them circulating.
Lunch will be in your area.
Helpers
Be active with the Shepherd and Workshop leaders.
Do restroom trips with students.
Talk to the students.
Count the students often.
Script for the opening drama
Good Friday Day Camp-2001
"Following In His Footsteps"
"Kelly"-In her "Easter finest," following the trail for Easter "goodies."
Woman at the parade-Vicki
Woman at the temple-Candy
Women at the Passover Meal-Linda
Women at the Garden-Nancy
Soldier at the Cross-Marc
Woman at the empty tomb-Denika
Each character should be dressed in appropriate style.
Each person will appear along the road and help Kelly to find
her way not to Easter goodies, but the good thing about Easter,
Jesus!
(Music-Easter Parade or Here Come Peter Cottontail)
K-(noticing the crowd) Well, hello everyone! Isn't this exciting?
Easter! Oh, I love it. How do I look?(preens) Do you think I’m
all ready? It took me weeks to find this outfit. I spent all
morning getting ready. (straightens her outfit again )
Here I go off to find my Easter goodies.
(Begins to "walk" along the road. Meets Woman on the Road to Jerusalem, stops to chat.)
K-(trying to show her outfit off to it's best advantage) Hello are you looking for the parade?
V-(A little puzzled) The parade? I've already seen it.
K-(worried) You have? Oh no, I thought I was going to be here in plenty of time.
V-I'm so sorry you missed it. It was wonderful. People yelling and cheering, throwing their coats on the road.
K-(now she's puzzled) Why would anyone throw their coat on the road? (Dusting herself off.) It would get dirty.
V-People often lay their coats down for a King.
Pg. 2
K-King? I'm looking for the Easter parade.
V-Why that's what this was, I suppose. The very first Easter parade. Honoring Jesus as King.
K- (Disappointed) What about the Easter bunny?
V-(laughs gently) I don't know about him. But I do know about Jesus and all the wonderful things he has done.
K-Like what?
V-(Excited) Healing sick people. Making blind people see. He even raised a man from the dead. Everyone in Israel had been waiting for the Messiah, the King. So we put our coats on the road and cut palm branches. When Jesus rode by on the donkey we shouted. (beings to re-enact the scene) Hosanna to the Son of David! Hosanna in the Highest!
K-Wow!
V-The Pharisees and Saducees didn't like all the noise. They tried to tell everyone to be quite. But we couldn't help it. (Takes a palm branch) Here, (gives it to Kelly) This is for you. (As Kelly begins to look at the branch, Vicki leaves.)
K-(examines branch, a little puzzled) Thanks so much. (notices she has left, looks around) Waves palm in the air. (Tucks it in to her basket. Continues walking along the "road.")
K-I've never heard of a parade like that before. Jesus must be something special. Maybe he's heard of the Easter bunny. (stops and looks up as if seeing a big building) My what a large place. (Candy approaches as Kelly talks) I wonder what place this is?
C-(seeming in a hurry, bumps into Kelly) Excuse me.
K-That's okay. (tries to get Candy's attention as she keeps walking) Excuse me.
C-(slows and turns around) Yes?
Pg. 3
K-Can you help me? I was looking for Easter but I haven't found it. Is it in this building?
C-(seems a little amazed by that statement) Easter isn't in any buildng.
K-(surprised) It isn't? I thought Easter happened in a church. Is this a church?
C-We can celebrate Easter in a building. But Easter is about a person and what he did for us.
K-Who?
C-Why Jesus!
K-Oh him again. I just met someone else who was talking about him. They had a parade for him she said.
C-That's right there was. It went right past here too, right past the temple.
K-(gestures toward "building") This is a temple? What's that?
C-(excited) Oh a temple is a wonderful place. You can celebrate at a temple. Meet other people who love God at a temple. You can learn at a temple. That's where I was going when you stopped me. I love to go to the temple and learn about God.
K-I go to a building to learn about God. It's called a church.
C-It sounds like they're very similar.
K-Did Jesus go to the temple?
C-Why yes he did. That's where I met him for the first time. He was teaching.
K-Jesus was a teacher?
C-Yes. He taught us how much God loved each and everyone person. And that we should love each other too. He taught us many other things too.
K-Like what?
Pg. 4
C-I would love to tell you, but better than that. Why don't you come with me to the temple? You can hear for yourself there.
K-(hesitates) Maybe I'll stop by later. But I really want to find Easter.
C-I hope to see you there. (waves and leaves)
K-(continues to walk) Jesus was a king and a teacher. That's pretty interesting. I wonder if he did anything else?
(Linda enters with a large basket, filled with produce; parsley, other things for her Passover meal.)
K-(To Linda as she walks by) Looks like you're going to have
a big party.
Is it an Easter party?
L-(stops and puts her basket down) It's called Passover. Easter and Passover happen at the same time.
K-They do? So do you have the Easter bunny at your (hesitates) Passover?
L-(laughs) No bunny at ours. Matzo, Parsley, other herbs.
K-(makes a face) That doesn't sound very good.
L-It helps us to remember.
K-Remember what?
L-What God did for us. He rescued the Israelites from Egypt. From a life of slavery. He told us to eat these things to remember what he did. (excitedly) This year I'm adding something else to my Passover meal.
K-What?
L-Something to help me remember Jesus.
K-Do you know Jesus too?
L-Yes I do. He ate Passover at my house.
K-Really?
Pg. 5
L-It was the last Passover he ate. When he was there, he told us to eat bread and to drink wine. And to remember what he did for us each time we ate it. So I'm adding that to my Passover too.
K-What's that all got to do with Easter?
L- Easter helps us remember Jesus and all the things he did. Just like Passover helps us remember.
K-I didn't know that. I thought Easter was about dressing up and getting candy.
L-Not the Easter I know. I need to go, but I have a friend coming right behind me. She can tell you about another part of Easter. If you keep walking this way(points) you'll run into her soon. Bye!
K-(distractedly)Bye! Why is it that every time I try to find out about Easter. People keep talking about Jesus. (looks at her watch) Boy, I've been walking along time and I still haven't found any Easter candy or presents or anything that I thought was Easter. (sees another woman in the distance) I bet that's her friend. Let's see if she can help me.
(Nancy, with a hoe and other gardening tools, and Kelly cross)
K-Hi! (hestitates) Can you help me?
N-Do you need some gardening advice? (leans on her hoe)
K-No, no advice about gardens. I need some help with Easter.
N-Oh Easter. I can help you there too.
K-That's good. I was looking for the Easter parade, and the Easter bunny and Easter candy. But I keep finding Jesus instead.
N-That's because Easter is about Jesus.
K-I didn't know that.
N-No wonder you're confused about Easter. Do you know what happened to Jesus.
Pg. 6
K-Well someone told me he was in a parade, another person told me he did a lot of teaching, he even healed people. And that he ate a special meal called Passover and told us to remember him.
N-You know a lot. But you're missing a few important details. Jesus wasn't only a great teacher. He was God.
K-Wow! No wonder he had a parade.
N-(laughs) You're right. God loved us so he sent his son Jesus into the world to let us know that. Jesus loves us and wants to always be with him. I met him one night when he was praying in my garden.
K-(excited) Oh, oh I know some prayers. "God is great,
God is good, let us thank him for our food." "Now I
lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep."
See?
N-Those are very nice. Jesus was praying to his father, God. He came to my garden a lot to pray. On a special Thursday night he came. He was very sad. He prayed that God would help him make it though the special task that he had given him. Then he prayed for each and everyone of us. (indicates crowd)
K-How'd he do that? He doesn't even know me?
N-But you're wrong. Jesus knows us all. He knew we'd be here. He prayed that we would get to know his father. And that we would pray to him too.
K-Like the prayers I say.
N-Yes. I have to go to work on the garden now. But I want you to keep walking this way. (indicates road) There are lots of people who know about Jesus and Easter. I think if you talk to some of them you'll have this whole thing sorted out. (picks up gardening tools and leaves)
K-(sits a moment) Easter isn't at all what I expected. I hope someone can help me sort it all out. (gets up pick up her palm branch and looks at it, quietly says) Hosanna. (walks on)
(Sees a soldier marching in the distance, is a little afraid)
M-(stops at attention) Who goes there?
Pg. 7
K-It's just me. I'm looking for Easter.
M-(gruffly) Before you can find Easter you have to find Good Friday.
K-Good Friday. (hopelessly) How am I ever going to find that.
M-You just did.
K-Where?
M-Here. This is Good Friday.
K-It is. What's that?
M-It's the day Jesus died.
K-(upset) Died? Oh no, why do you call it good if he died?
M-Because his dying was good for us. It's the best thing that ever happened to me.
K-It is?
M-I was there when he was crucified. Nailed to a cross. I'm ashamed to say it. But I helped. (pulls out a large nail, very emotional) I thought he was just another criminal. But as I stood below his cross and heard what he said and watched him. I knew there was something different about him. The sign above him said, "King of the Jews."
K-That's what someone else said, that he was king.
M-But he's not like an earthly king. He forgave the criminal next to him. He showed love to the people making fun of him. When he died the whole sky turned black and there was a terrible earthquake. I said, "Surely this man was the Son of God." Three days later I knew it was true.
K-How?
M-Because he didn't stay dead, he rose from the grave.
K-Oh my gosh. I can't believe it.
Pg. 8
M-It's true. Now you know why it's Good Friday.
K-And so Easter happened on Good Friday.
M-No, Easter happened 3 days later when he rose. The place where he was buried is right down the road. Go down there. It's empty now of course. That's where you'll find Easter. (starts to march away)
K-Easter is nothing like I expected. (hurries down the road) I can't wait to find it. But an empty tomb isn't what I expected. (glances at her basket) I was expecting a full basket instead.
(sees Denika sitting on a bench)
K-I'm looking for Easter.
D-(smiles) You've found it.
K-(leans over as if peering in the tomb says very satisfied) Yep, it's empty.
D-Welcome to Easter!
K-It's not what I thought it was when I started out this morning.
D-What did you think it was.
K- I thought it was about dressing up, and candy and the Easter
bunnny.
D-Now what do you think.
K-Now I know that's it's about Jesus. Jesus loving us, and teaching us, and praying for us. Jesus being our king. But most of all it's about Jesus dying for us.
D-And being raised from the dead so that we can live with him forever!
K-Easter is even better than I thought it was.
D-Pretty Easter clothes and candy and bunnies may be nice.
Pg. 9
K-But the very best thing about Easter is Jesus! (turns to audience)
I hope you can find him today as you follow in His footsteps.
(exits)