Church Memory Verse Challenge

Church Memory Challenge

If you are a Sunday School teacher or your church has Awana... have a active memory verse challenge. This is active and open for life. For Adults and Young people. All ages.

*Use a spreadsheet to keep on computer to hold every Bible verse believers would memorize, and on top have every students name. 

*Families have a memory verse of the week or of the day, and other people memorize as they go. This gives encouragement to all...

*Every week at start of class ask everyone to say their chosen memory verse for the week, one at a time. The ones most eager and most active have them go first. 

>Everyone hears a different verse

>Everyone is reminded to and challenged to start memorizing.

>After the full memorized verses are given, encourage those who memorized a verse partially to give it a go too. This encourages them to finish memorizing it. 

>>Make a positive game out of the partial verse as encouragement. Say, raise your hand if you know the reference location of this verse. And let someone say it. Then say, who knows the rest of this verse? And let them say it. 

*Use the class wall chart (52 weeks) 

>Can laminate it so you can use a wipe off marker of names to restart annually.

*After everyone has completed their verse put a star or star sticker on the sheet, on that week. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

*You can add visitors names to encourage them and remove it after 3 weeks if they stop showing up. 

*You can take a picture of the chart every Sunday after stickers are added so no bad child or teen erases stuff and destroys the work or crushes the hearts of students who did a good job. You can save that pic in a Church Verses folder and delete the old one every other week. 

*Back it up on cloud (like Google drive) in case your phone dies or is lost. 

If you have concern about the time this might eat up for class study time, 1.Have your class begin 15 min earlier than other classes, or 2. have VerseTime at end of class (if there is 10 minutes prior to worship service between classes, and time for everyone to use bathroom and get settled in the sanctuary before service starts, and parents understand your class ends later). 

At the end of the year

>In class or in Worship service...

* give out recognition based on:

  - who memorized every week

  - who next was most consistent memorizing

  - who memorized a certian number of em

  - most improved memorizer (from prev yr)

  - encouragement award (to encourage for next year)

  - award mentally disabled folk who did their best

 

This means you are recognizing everyone in church who is pursuing hiding Scripture in their heart, loving God, growing in faith, etc. You can praise God and glorify Him workung in the hearts and lives of this flock. 

If your church has funds (or congregants donate to the cause) you can hand out rewards, value based on what was accomplished. Not worldly gifts! But things to bless believers.(1) 

God be with you 😊✝️

Footnotes:

(1) Rewards ideas:

*Paid subscription for annual or one month to a Memory app of their choice. Have a list of choices (if some of these are pricey), can pay to renew their currently used app. 

Can present a laminated oversized sheet on stage for a visual. Write the accomplishment on it. Wipe off and reuse for next year. Gives family a photo opp and godly memory. Also encourages. 

*Memory verse flash cards set (paid one above, choice of version) [can give em one or both sets avail). This can be used in addition to their app version, on bathroom mirror or at work on desk. 

*Tools for helping memorize, such as a a special Bible for memory verses, a journal for writing verses in, whipe board for verses, jumbo index cards, a bible marker set, a bible highlighter, colorful pen set, a quality fine tip pen, certian stickers, and other ideas. 

*Related kid items from oriental trading company. 

*Similar ideas. 

*Optionally the church can let the awardee pick something by winner category. Note: (make the church chosen items all avail to all winners in that category, or its unfair if only 8 items are there and someone gets the good item just cuz their name is first). So have several items on a table, let them get a pic with it. Have it put back on table, have it written down by a logger and given after church or mailed to them by online ordering. Ensure the congregants & kids clearly understand how they will "get" the award (in advance), so theres no meltdowns. By mail later... brings extra excitement too 😊.

You could also have each Sunday School teacher speak in advance to the ones in their class who would be getting rewards, and simply have the person pick out the item they want, then later on rewards day, have that item on stage with their name label on it (on the back of the packaging, so it doesnt mess up the photo op). The church secretary should be in charge of ordering and labeling all the prizes and organizedly handing them out on that awards day. That way they can take a photo with the reward. 🙂

> if they win a Bible or a Journal, after the celebration service have them [line up] meet the pastor in the foyer, or in his office (with his wife there), and let him write something short in the front of every book for each person and include a Bible verse (reference). He may opt to [in advance] hand write (on a sturdy nice sheet card) a nice personalized note, and hand it to or personally slide it into the front of their book 😊, at the brief meet up. Telling them they can read it after the potluck 😉🙂...

You can make this a celebration event with a potluck afterwards 😊😊😊. Why not. ☺

Use a shared access to the spreadsheet file with the church teachers & leaders, they can look at the data whenever, but also for the annual recognition usage, the awards person can sort the document to find the winners by category, and sort by name and can print out the document on large paper at the printers to show to the congregation. They can show by category on digital lcd screen or/& as each name is announced too. Its just by showing that long huge sheet that it really shows visually the church wide accomplishment 😀. 

Have photos taken individually and by group "by accomplishment", then at the end also a photo of winners by "classroom". Each group Pics should always have shorter people in front (and younger kids in lower front). Everyone awarded can get a copy of both, and the parents a copy too. Then you can post the classroom pic above the sheet for the year as a reminder and encouragement. 

If the church does a email newsletter (for image privacy) it can be included in the Jan 1st edition. 😀

This kind of challenge also can show the Pastor and elders WHO are the ones in the Church who are most likely trustworthy growing believers (who put a high value on Scripture) and are likely truly walking in the faith, vs lukewarm pew sitters. 

Related:

Outreach and Evangelism Challenge

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Btw, this recognition isnt about self boasting. It is about giving glory to God, and with it it is about showing a believers growth progress, the progress God is accomplishing in the congregation. 🙂✝️