I was the type of kid who walked around with a fingerprinting kit.  Sticky tape, notebook and talcum powder.  It was obvious to me, after consuming every case solved by the Secret Seven, the Famous Five and Nancy Drew, that I could be called on to solve a mystery any minute. So, I was prepared.  I left a trail of talcum powder throughout the house and around the farm.  My notebook contained lifted finger prints (lengths of sticky tape bitten off the roll and stuck down) and notations about where they had been found.  I remember lifting a perfect print from the handle of a can opener.  I was exhilarated.  No idea whose it was.  Probably Mum’s.

So the day I went wandering down to the creek by the old dirt track and found a wallet laying in the middle of it, you can imagine my jubilation.  My very own mystery!  The Case of the Lost Wallet.  Whose was it? What had happened for it to fall out here?  When was it lost and why?  Well, I opened the wallet and a man’s license was inside so case solved.  Except I wasn’t ready to solve it.  I hid it in my room for two days.  I hugged the mystery to myself until I couldn’t hold it in any longer.  I showed Dad and he handed the wallet in at the police station.  Mum was very unimpressed with the ethics of my Mystery Club and so I went out of business.

Mysteries are still loved by kids today.  You only need to browse the book titles in the bookstore or library to see that.  And there’s plenty of mysteries to watch on TV, too.  So a mystery morning for your Kid’s Ministry is sure to be welcomed.  Here’s some lessons I’ve written.

The Roger & Wilco Series

Roger & Wilco Case 1: The Case of the Lost Sheep

Police Officer Roger and his Police Dog, Wilco are on the track of sheep rustlers.  Officer Roger is surprised when Wilco alerts to the children in the Kid’s Church.  The leader explains to Roger and Wilco that we are all like sheep and only narrowly misses being arrested for sheep stealing!

Visit:https://cooeekidsministry.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Roger-Wilco-Case-1.pdf

 Roger & Wilco Case 2: The Cases of the Lost Coin

Roger and Wilco receive a report of lost coins and are on the case.  They decide to ‘sweep’ the area of the Kid’s Church and learn how important every soul is to God.

Visit:https://cooeekidsministry.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Roger-Wilco-Case-2.pdf

Roger & Wilco Case 3: The Cases of the Lost Son

It’s a missing person’s case that brings Officer’s Roger and Wilco to the Kid’s Church.  Officer Roger is carrying a football sock that will give Wilco the scent.  Who does the football sock belong to?   And what is the other missing person’s case the leader is talking about?

Visit:https://cooeekidsministry.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Roger-Wilco-Case-3.pdf

Roger & Wilco Cases 4: Partnership with God

There’s no doubt Roger and Wilco make a formidable crime fighting team.  They are partners.  They visit the Kid’s Church as part of the ‘Kid’s Church with a Cop’ program and teach the children how they can partner with God.

Visit:https://cooeekidsministry.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Roger-Wilco-4-Partners.pdf

Roger & Wilco Case 5: Shady Characters

Officers Roger and Wilco are involved with a case involving a tree that could send Officer Wilco back to the Academy Puppy School.   They learn that Jesus has the power to change a life instantly and hear the evidence to prove it.

Visit:https://cooeekidsministry.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Roger-Wilco-Case-5.pdf

God Loves a Mystery!

A morning of mystery for your Kid’s Church.  Start with a Mystery Message Parcel.  Use ‘box letter’ writing to reveal the names of the prophets who prophesied about the coming Messiah, a mystery uncovered in the New Testament.  Follow the clues to find the Memory Verse.  Play a game of ‘Bible Who Am I?’ and ‘Hunt the Thimble’.  Children make a mystery box to take home.

Visit: https://cooeekidsministry.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/God-Loves-a-Mystery.pdf

Spy School Curriculum Framework

Children learn how to focus on any mission God gives them no matter how things look.  To choose God, to see His promises fulfilled and to walk in victory!

This curriculum helps you set up a ‘situation room’ in your Kid’s Church. It gives you the passwords for children to enter to hear stories about Joshua, Caleb, Achan and Rahab.  You’ll find Memory Verses, Games as well as Craft ideas.

Visit:https://cooeekidsministry.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Spy-School.pdf

I think it’s pretty obvious I still love a mystery!  But instead of hugging a mystery to myself I’m sharing it with Kid’s Church leaders and volunteers through Cooee Kid’s Ministry.  Happy sleuthing!

God bless you,

Deb Wassenberg