We said Pocket Poppit Prayers using small poppit fidget toys. These had 4 “dots” on and a small chain, and can be bought in bulk cheaply. Each member of the congregation was given one when we reached the prayer time in the service.

We used the A TSP format for prayers, asking people (in groups or as individuals) to think of four prayers for each category, pressing one poppit dots for each prayer.

If you are able, allow your congregation to take their poppit home. We have also produced an information sheet with a few different ways these Pocket Poppit Prayers can be used.

In the reading, God tells Joshua he will be with him always. Joshua trusted God, and showed it with his actions.

To demonstrate the idea of trust, we did a demonstration involving “trust falls.” Vanessa first asked one our younger children (age 4) if she trusted her. When the answer was “yes,” Vanessa invited her to jump and she would catch her. Next we made it a little tricker by asking her to jump off a stool and Vanessa would catch her. We repeated this again, with a taller stool.

Then we asked our volunteer to turn around, so her back was to Vanessa. Again, she was asked “do you trust me?” When the answer was “yes,” she was asked to fall backward for Vanessa to catch her. Again, we repeated this from the two stools.

Finally, using just the tallest stool, we put a blindfold on our volunteer and asked her to repeat the fall backwards.

After this exercise, Vanessa asked out volunteer how it felt. Did it feel scary? Was it hard to trust Vanessa? This then led into an introduction to the reading, explaining that God was asking Joshua to do something new and that Joshua had to trust God for it to be a success.

The talk talks about Joshua and the Israelites. It gives a bit of background to the situation in the reading, then invites us to consider how they might have been feeling as they prepared to enter the Promised Land.

It then talks about our own new beginnings, and how we might be feeling. It highlights the need to trust in God and reminds us that the promise God made to Joshua is true for us today too: “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord you God will be with you wherever you go.”

A full talk is available to download.

For the call to worship, use Psalm 121;1-2.

The main reading is Joshua 1:1-9, which tells how God spoke to Joshua at the start of his leadership, telling to “be strong and courageous” and lead the Israelites across the river to the Promised Land.

The responses for this service fall into two categories: reflect and remember.

Reflect:

1. Journal sheets give opportunity to consider fears, how to ask God for courage and make resolutions for a new beginning.
2. Playdough mats (laminated if possible) and playdough allow opportunity to make faces of nervous and brave faces, while talking about things that make us feel brave and nervous.

Remember:

1. Colour in placemats – these have the verse of Joshua 1:9 on so it can be read and talked about at home.
2. Colour in bookmarks or wallet-sized cards – these also have Joshua 1:9 on, and are designed to be used regularly, so the verse is read and recalled frequently.

For both the “remember” responses, the results ideally need laminating to make them hard wearing. Set up a lamination station (out the way of children) with laminators, pouches and scissors so they can be laminated before being taken home.