Kairos Course 11-14Session3: Meeting people where they are
Main Aim: To refresh our understanding of how much God values us and to explore how do we live out and show that love to others.
Leaders Notes:Allow for opportunities to discuss how members of the group feel about how God loves them, their sense of self-worth, and how they feel about/struggle with telling others; the difficulties of evangelism.
(The survey about friends’ and families’ views of God will have had to be created and given out to the group as preparatory work at the end of the last session.)
Introduction:
Opener: What are we thinking about?
Game 5minsChoice 1/3Passing it on
Chose one member of your group (person A) to sit on a chair with their back to the group, give them a piece of paper on which are a picture or some simple shapes. Person A has to explain to the rest of the group, without the group looking at what they are doing or being shown the picture, what the picture/shapes are like. In one large group or in smaller groups, get everyone else to try & draw what person A is explaining. Compare all the pictures. Then have person A turn round & face the group and give them a different picture. Without showing it to the group the group, but this time they can give advice on what is being drawn, though without leaving their chair. Compare all the pictures. Then give person A another picture. This time person A may not speak, but can draw the image that they want everyone else to copy. Use a flip chart for this so that everyone can see. Talk with the group how they felt about that activity. (Purpose: it is much easier to show people something than explain it.)
Video 7minsChoice 2/3Helping others out
Show the clip from the film ‘Forest Gump’ of him teaching a young Elvis to do his hip wiggle dance, towards the beginning of the film. How would you describe what Forest did? What impact did it have? Did Forest realise the effect he would have? In what ways can we influence people around us? How might we influence people with out realising it?
Going deeper: Taking a closer look
Discuss 5minsCoreCan I have a word?
Pass round copies of a picture sheet, containing images of people from different backgrounds, ages, countries, occupations. Then get the group to say who they would talk to in each of the following situations. From whom would they ask directions; who would they not ask? Why? Who would or wouldn’t they, ask to borrow money from if they needed to call home in a emergency? If they were doing a survey about what people thought about God, which three people would they ask? Why? Do they know someone who they find hard/easy to talk to? Who would/wouldn’t they talk to about a problem? How do they find talking to other people about God/their faith? Which people are easier/harder to talk to God about?
Activity 5minsOptional1/2 Gospel cartoons
Hand out a number of different Gospel cartoon sheets to your group. If they know a bit about the Bible and God, get them to jot down what they can think of about God & Jesus’ life. To help them, they can flick through a gospel, (Mark is the shortest), and re-use the Bible quotes from Session 1 on ‘what God is like’.
Activity 5minsOptional 2/2 Survey Findings
Ask the group to feed back on what people said when they were asked to complete their mini survey.
Did they find it easy to do? Did everyone do it? Who did they choose to ask? What does people/’ response tell us about attitudes to God? What can we do to help people learn about what God is really like?
Going deeper: Taking a look at God’s word
Discuss10minsCoreYou’re going to talk to him!!
Read through this Bible passage, Luke 19:1-10, with your group. Either split into small groups or work as one group. What was happened in these verses? What were the different reactions to what happened? Why did Zacchaeus climb the tree? How far would you go to make sure that you met Jesus? How did Jesus treat Zacchaeus? Tax collectors were hated people, because they worked for the Romans and stole people’s money. What kinds of people are thought to be like that today - someone that people would call ‘sinners’ & not want to be with? What example can we learn from this passage? What does this passage tell us about how we should treat others?
(Purpose: Jesus didn’t just tell Zacchaeus about God; he spent time with him, no matter what others thought.)
Talk3-5minsCoreLighting Road to Salvation
Show the group a map of your area. Ask them to find where you are and where they live. Ask them what 3 things dothey need to know if they are going to go on a journey; their starting point, their destination and the route that they are going to take. The same is true with a friendship with God. We need to be aware of the situation we are in, the way out of it, and where God wants us to go. We need to help people understand this & show them the route. Read Matthew 5:14&15. We need to be lights for those around us, showing them what God is like through what we do.
Reflecting: God & us
Activity 10minsChoice 1/2 Map of our lives
Give everyone a piece of paper. Ask them to draw a map of a road, this is their life. Put on it the things that are going to happen, heading towards. Things that are happening at the moment people who are part of their lives, on the road side. Draw anything that is causing them problems, blocking their route. And ask them to include God on their route in some way that shows where God is in their life. As they draw these things remind them to chat to God about what put down.
Activity 5minsChoice 2/2 Helping hand
Get the group to draw an outline around their hands onto a piece of paper. Then ask them to write on their fingers & thumb, on the paper, people who they will meet during the week, friends and family, people at school. They do not have to be people they like, but people that they will be with.
Ask them to pray about things that they could do this week to show these people that God thinks they are very important. What could they do to help these people learn more about what God is like? Get them to write or draw these things on the palm of their hand on the paper. Ask someone to pray that God will help the whole group to do the things they have put on their hands.
Conclusion 5minsCoreGet the group to say in 10 words something new they have learnt or realized this session, and add it to the summing up display.
List of things needed:
Tick the first box for what you will be using and the second when you have it
Pens & paper 3 different pictures
Forest Gump videoCopies of picture sheet
Gospel Cartoon Local Map