All-age Service Plan: Praising in the Prison!

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Prayer / Worship Activity : Option 1

5 MINS

Present a selection of objects, eg a clock, a pillow, some keys, a trophy, some cutlery, a loaf of bread. Ask the congregation to choose one object and think about ways it reminds us of God – for example, the clock could remind us that God’s timing is perfect. Encourage people to pray out loud, thanking God for those truths.

Prayer / Worship Activity : Option 2

10 MINS

Place maps of different nations around the room with some brief information and prayer points about the Church in those countries. You can use links from your own church or use information from opendoorsuk.org Give people time to walk around ‘the world’, praying for different nations.

Story : Acts 16:16-40

10 MINS

Make a large ‘prison’ in the room. You can use tables and chairs or, if you are feeling ambitious, you could use large pieces of card cut in the shape of prison bars. Turn the lights off and make it as dark as you can. Begin telling the story using only torches to illuminate the room. On the floor of your prison, throw in some toy mice and spiders for added effect! Invite people to come and sit inside while you tell the story.

Choose a group of people to be the ‘earthquake shakers’ and give them some small drums or other noisy instruments. When the earthquake happens in the story, encourage them to create as much noise as possible. If you don’t have access to any instruments,
everyone loudly stamping their feet is pretty effective! Once all that is prepared, read out the story of Paul and Silas from childrenswork.co.uk

Reflective : response to story - Option 1

10 MINS

Hand out some strips of paper and ask the congregation to think about which character in the story they would be, and why. They can then draw or write this on their paper. When everyone has finished, stick them all together to make a large paper chain and hang it across your ‘prison’.

Reflective : response to story - Option 2

10 MINS

Play some soft, slow music in the background. Ask the congregation to spend a few minutes thinking about anything in their lives, or the lives of others, that might feel like a prison. Invite them to then come and sit inside the ‘prison’. Once people have moved around and settled, lead this call and response prayer. (The leader reads the lines in bold, the response is in italics.)

Thank you God for the hope you give us.