Basic Background:

Space Academy is based on the book of Daniel. Each day the children will see how much Daniel loves God and wants to do the right thing to show this. They will see how God works through Daniel to do amazing miracles, such that the despotic kings of Babylon have to admit that Daniel's God is the greatest.

Aims:

• Show how great the supreme God is
• Help the children see what Daniel did to show his love for God
• Invite the children to believe and trust in God as Daniel and his friends did
• Be lots of fun as the children share together around the Bible in a friendly and welcoming atmosphere

Themes for the week

Sunday Before: Taken away  

Key passage: Daniel 1:1-7

Key storylines: The people of Israel are taken from their homes to the very different country of Babylon , where no one knows of, or believes in, God.

Daniel and his three friends are chosen for special training.

Key aims: To introduce the bible story of Daniel.

To explore the background to Daniel and his friends' move to Babylon , why God allowed this to happen and to consider if God was still with them.

To intrigue children about what will happen to Daniel and his friends.

Day 1: Forbidden Food – Monday  

Key passage: Daniel 1:8-21  

Key storylines: Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego stand firm for God and choose to follow his ways.

God influences the Babylonian officials to support them and gives the four young men the ability to learn and become wise.  

Key aims: To discover that Daniel and his friends had a choice to make – and that God did not let them down.

To realise that God helps us when we think about what he wants us to do, and when we do our best to live his way.

To welcome all the children, start building relationships and have fun together.

Day 2: The Difficult Dream – Tuesday  

Key passage: Daniel 2:1-6;12-19;31-49  

Key storylines: King Nebuchadnezzar has a dream and is ready to kill all his advisers if they cannot tell him both the dream and its meaning.

God gives Daniel the secret of the dream, in answer to prayer.

Daniel tells the king the dream and its interpretation and he, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego are promoted to high positions in the government of Babylon .  

Key aims: To hear how God gave Daniel the ability to do something that no one else could do and discover why king Nebuchadnezzar declared that God is ‘above all other gods and kings'.

To learn that God helps and protects his friends.

To continue to build relationships with the children and welcome those who are new to the club today.

Further aims: To explore the meaning of the king's dream, in the light of what we know about Jesus.

Day 3: Stunning Statue – Wednesday  

Key passage: Daniel 3

Key storylines: Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego risk their lives by refusing to bow and worship a statue.

King Nebuchadnezzar threatens them with being burned in a flaming furnace but they still refuse.

They are thrown into the fire but are not harmed – and a fourth person is seen in the fire with them.

They come out of the furnace and the king acknowledges the power of God and promotes them, again!  

Key aims: To show that Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego stood firm for what they believed and God honoured their faith.

To demonstrate God's awesome power and discover that worshipping God is the most important thing in the world.

To continue to build relationships with the children and welcome those who are new to the club today.

Further aims: To explore the meaning of the story further, in the light of what we know about Jesus.

Day 4: The Heavenly Hand – Thursday  

Key passage: Daniel 5

Key storylines: King Belshazzar mocks God by using the treasures from the Temple , for his own banquet.

A hand appears and writes a message on the wall: the king is terrified and no one at the banquet knows what the words mean.

Daniel explains the message – and it comes true that night when the country is taken over by another powerful nation and Darius becomes king. 

Key aims: To hear how Belshazzar found out that God is real and powerful and how it matters how people treat him.

To be challenged about our own attitudes to, and relationship with God.

To continue to build relationships with the children and be ready to discuss things with them that arise from the stories and activities in Space Academy.

Day 5: In The Pit – Friday  

Key passage: Daniel 6

Key storylines: Daniel's enemies persuade King Darius to make a law that says people must only pray to him for the next 30 days.

Daniel prays to God, as he always does, and his enemies tell the king.

The king has no choice but to obey his own law and has Daniel put into a pit of lions. God keeps him safe.

In the morning, Darius is relieved and has Daniel brought out of the pit; he calls on everyone to worship God.  

Key aims: To find out what happened when Daniel risked his life by praying to God – and how God answered his prayers and the prayers of the king.

To realise that God answered Daniel's faithful prayers and the prayer of the non-believing king and to work out what that means for us today.

To experience a dramatic final day of the holiday club programme together and to encourage the children to return for the closing Sunday Service and other future events.

Sunday Service: Back to Earth  

Key passage: Daniel 1-6 (as a round up for the whole adventure)

Key storylines: God is with his people, wherever they are.

Daniel and his friends stood firm for God and lived God's way, no matter what the circumstances: we can learn from their example and boldness and quiet courage.

God did not let them down: we can learn from their example of faith and trust.