An Event for Christian Men

Transcription

1 An Event for Christian Men

2 The mission of CTA is to glorify God by providing purposeful products that lift up and encourage the body of Christ because we love him! Justice... Kindness... Humility... It s a Guy Thing An Event for Christian Men by Barry J. Keurulainen Copyright 2016 CTA, Inc Larkin Williams Rd. Fenton, MO Permission to make photocopies or reproduce by any other mechanical or electronic means is granted only to the original purchaser and is intended for use within a church or other Christian organization, but not for resale. Scripture quotations are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (ESV ), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. If this event planner proves to be helpful to you, we would like to hear from you. Your words will encourage us! If you have suggestions for us to consider as we create ministry helps like this in the future, please send those, too. You can reach us at: Editorial Manager, Department MCH6DR CTA, Inc. PO Box 1205 Fenton, MO or by at editor@ctainc.com. Please include the subject line: MCH6DR.

3 Planning Your Event Getting Started This event is designed to help men of all ages and stages in life grow in faith, mature in Christlike love for each other, and renew their passion for their various God-given callings. We ve done much of the planning for you, leaving you time to modify the details to fit your group s needs, questions, hopes, and concerns. While intended for groups of from 8 to 35 participants, these materials can be adapted for larger and smaller groups. Depending on how you schedule your time, it will take about a half day to present. See the scheduling options that follow. The activities focus on the theme Justice. Kindness. Humility.... It s a Guy Thing. Check out the free downloadable resources available (for example, invites, fliers, water bottle labels, name tags) and use them to tie your event together visually. When? Where? Plan this event for several hours on Friday evening, Saturday morning, or Sunday afternoon. Choose a time that will appeal to your intended audience. Since this event will take only a few hours, it s not necessary to leave your church campus, but a change in scenery may be helpful. Exchange your usual meeting room for the church fellowship hall. Move from your customary classroom to another one with a better view or one that s closer to the kitchen. Invite everyone to the pastor s basement or backyard deck. You get the idea change things up for the sake of a fresh perspective. Once you have a time and location, consider these details: Ask two or three prayer warriors who won t be attending to pray for the event leader(s) and participants before, during, and after the event. Assign a volunteer to take care of physical arrangements (for example, tables, chairs, chart paper) ahead of time so you are ready to begin when everyone has arrived. Note: Discussion will, in most cases, work best if participants sit at tables so they can see one another. If your group is relatively small (8 12 men), consider arranging rectangular tables in a horseshoe configuration. If the group is larger, you may want to form two or more groups of 5 7 men each. Round tables are ideal in that case. Order themed products that the guys who attend your event can take home as they leave. Plan to spread these items out on a table maybe near the food! Invite everyone to take what they will use personally or in sharing Christ with others. You can also order products based on this theme. 3

4 Order these by calling or going to and typing Justice. Kindness. Humility. in the search box. Ceramic Mug (MCH6CMB) Pen with Bookmark Gift Set (MCH6JST) ID Tag Tool (MCH6TL) Cellphone Wallet and Inspirational Card (MCH6WT) Whatever other products you order, be sure to include copies of the Justice. Kindness. Humility.... It s a Guy Thing book (MCH6SC) for everyone who will attend. This pocketsize devotion book will help continue the process of spiritual growth that contact with God s Word at the event stimulates. Encourage everyone to take one copy for themselves and an extra for a friend. Arrange for snacks and soft drinks or for a light meal, depending on your setting and schedule. Arrange for musical accompaniment if you plan to include it. 4

5 Possible Schedules Keep the schedule simple. By adjusting the suggested time frames below, you may shorten or lengthen the event to meet your goals and the needs of individual members of your group. Friday Evening 5:00 Getting to Know You 5:30 Supper (pizza, subs, BBQ, or?) 6:15 Session 1 6:45 Break 7:00 Activity 7:45 Session 2 8:15 Prayer time 8:30 Service project planning 9:00 Closing Devotion 9:15 Go in Peace Saturday Morning 8:45 Continental breakfast (for example, donuts) 9:00 Getting to Know You 9:30 Session 1 10:00 Break 10:15 Activity 11:00 Session 2 11:30 Prayer time 11:45 Service project planning 12:00 Closing Devotion 12:15 Go in Peace 5

6 During Your Event The pages that follow, describe the activities listed in the sample schedules above. They explain any necessary materials and preparation and cue leaders in on what needs to happen to keep the event moving along. Adapt the suggestions to fit your group. Getting to Know You 30 minutes Choose one of the two options below. If your group is small, you may have time to do both. Whichever activity you use, ask a volunteer or one of the obvious extroverts from your group to go first. Or have someone from event leadership do so. Option A: Who Is It? Have each participant write an interesting and little-known fact about himself and place it in a box or hat anonymously. (For example, I once spent two weeks camping in Alaska or I actually like quiche! or It took me four tries to get my first driver s license. ) The leader (or someone with skill as a Master of Ceremonies) draws and reads these slips at random. Then the group tries to guess who wrote it. Option B: If You Could... Ahead of time, write questions like those below on individual slips of paper and place them in a box or hat. Ask each person present to draw a question and answer it aloud. Feel free to create your own questions, too, but take care not to make the questions too personal or potentially embarrassing. If you could go back in time, what moment in history would you choose to visit? Why? If you could spend a day with anyone in the Bible (other than Jesus), who would it be? Why? What is your favorite time of day? Why? If you could star in one movie, which would you pick? Explain. What is the strangest food you ve ever eaten? 6

7 What was the first car you ever drove? If you could buy your dream car, what would it be? If you could be named MVP in one sport, which would you choose to play? Why? If you could do any job (other than the one you have now), what would it be? Why? If you could do one thing currently on your bucket list, what would it be? Why? Session 1 Leadership Is... About 30 minutes What You ll Need Copies of the handout for Session 1 Pens Bibles, at least one per group, or encourage participants to use their favorite Bible version on their smart phones. What You ll Do Form groups of four to six men per group. Be on the lookout for participants who seem unconnected to others. Introduce them to someone they may not know and with whom they share personal, professional, or ministry commonalities. Do what you can to help everyone fit into an appropriate group. Explain that the groups will have about 30 minutes to complete this activity. Ask that each group choose a discussion facilitator. This person will guide the group through the questions, keeping track of the time. Other group members carry responsibility for listening carefully to one another s comments and adding thoughtful, helpful responses themselves. When about five minutes of the session remains, announce this for the benefit of all the groups. When time has fully expired, call for everyone s attention; ask for insights, comments, or questions; and respond appropriately. 7

8 Activity Options 45 minutes Option 1: Prayer Walk Walk together through the church building and around the property. Or walk through the neighborhood, praying for the people and needs that arise in your mind and heart. Plan to walk and pray silently. Or form partnerships, pausing and praying aloud, one on one. If you need further details, type how to do a neighborhood prayer walk into an Internet search engine. Option 2: Time for Construction Provide a variety of appropriate supplies and tools. For paper projects, this might include things like cardboard, box cutters, rubber bands, and tape. For sturdier projects, supply materials and equipment like wood, hammers, PCV pipe, saws, and screwdrivers. Form teams of 2 6 members each, asking each team to construct something mentioned in the Bible. Rather than providing more specific suggestions, simply encourage group members to use their imagination and creativity to have fun. When five or so minutes remain, ask each group to share what they built and why they chose to build it. Consider having everyone study each construction and guess what it is before each group s builders reveal the right answers. Session 2: Infl uence within Our Inner Circle 30 minutes What You ll Need Copies of the handout for Session 2 Pens Bibles, at least one per group, or encourage participants to use their favorite Bible version on their smart phones. What You ll Do As before, ask participants to form groups, four to six men per group. You may want to use the same groups as before or ask that they form new groups. Again, do what you can to help everyone fit into an appropriate group. This activity should take about 30 minutes. Ask that each group designate a facilitator to guide the group through the questions, keeping track of the time. When everyone is settled, call the whole group s attention to #1 on the discussion guide for this session. Read it. Then read John 17 aloud to the group. Because listeners will be taking notes, read more slowly than you otherwise might and be sure to speak loudly enough so that everyone hears clearly. When you ve finished reading, let the small groups work on the questions, noting that they will need to set aside minutes at the end for prayer. 8

9 Prayer Time 15 minutes Think of this time on the schedule as a kind of buffer zone, allowing the prayer activity from the end of Session 2 to expand into it. Have snacks or soft drinks set up in another area for them so that those who are still praying are not interrupted. A Time for Service 30 minutes Before you leave, talk together about a specific way in which you as a group can lead by serving. How could you meet a significant need for an individual or family? What might you do to make a difference in your community? What one-time act of Christian love might you as men of influence take on? Talk about these questions as a group. Then decide on a time, a place, and a plan to tackle the project you adopt. Closing Worship and Prayer Time 15 minutes Read the Ministry Message Justice. Kindness. Humility. found in the Resource & Idea Center at www. CTAinc.com, or adapt the content for your group and present it. If possible, include one or two worship songs or hymns before or after the devotion. If a pastoral leader is present and is willing to speak a blessing over the group before you leave, by all means take advantage of this! Remind everyone to grab an item or two from the table where you have displayed the Justice. Kindness. Humility. mementos. As participants leave, make sure everyone has a copy of the book Justice. Kindness. Humility.... It s a Guy Thing (MCH6SC). By sending this home with each participant, you will encourage the men who attend to pray for one another and for themselves day by day. As they spend time in God s Word and in prayer, their love for Jesus and for their Christian brothers and sisters will deepen, as will their commitment to grow in service. Consider sending a second copy with everyone, too, asking that they share it with a friend, brother, son, or neighbor. 9

10 Participant Handout Session 1 Leadership Is... About 30 minutes 1. (5 minutes) How would you fill in that blank? What is leadership? What are the characteristics of a leader? In the space below, jot down a few ideas. Then share them with your group as you feel comfortable. What do the answers everyone has shared have in common? On what leadership characteristics, attitudes, and actions would all of you agree? 2. (15 minutes) The Old Testament prophet Micah captures the Lord s vision of leadership. He writes: He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? Micah 6:8 The description sounds so wonderful! None of us would intentionally be unjust, unkind, or arrogant! Still, we are all these things at times, aren t we?! The only Man ever to live a fully just, completely kind, and totally humble life was our Lord Jesus. How did Jesus do justice? How did he show that he loves kindness? What are examples of Jesus walking humbly with his heavenly Father? Jesus did all this for us! Then he died to pay the debt we owed for all of our injustice, cruelty, and arrogance. In Jesus, we are free from all guilt! He lives his life in us, spurring us on to acts of justice, kindness, and humility. What does it mean for us today to do justice? to love kindness? to walk humbly with our Lord? (continued) 10

11 3. (10 minutes) Someone has defined leadership this way: Leadership is influence. To understand this idea more fully, work together in your group to answer the six questions below in the order given: Name the five wealthiest people in the world. Name the teams that have won the last five Super Bowls. Name five winners from last year s Academy Awards. Name five teachers who influenced you in a positive way. Name five friends who have helped you along the way through life. Name five people who inspire and motivate you right now. Wrapping Up: Leadership is simply influence! And leadership of this kind makes a difference! Ask Jesus to grow in you a passion for justice, a commitment to kindness, and a truly humble heart CTA, Inc. Permission to make photocopies or reproduce by any other mechanical or electronic means is granted only to the original purchaser and is intended for use within a church or other Christian organization, and not for resale. Scripture quotations are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (ESV ), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved 11

12 Participant Handout Session 2: Infl uence within Our Inner Circle 1. (5 minutes) Listen as someone reads John 17 out loud. As you listen, note whom Jesus prays for in this chapter and what he asks God to do for them. Put your notes below. Then compare notes with the guys in your small group. 2. (10 minutes) In John 17, Jesus demonstrates for us a fresh and new way to lead by praying! He prays for the vision that is uppermost in his mind the glory of the Father (verses 1 4). He prays for the mission he has come to earth to accomplish, the mission he will complete in the next 60 or so hours, including Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday (verses 4 6). Our Lord also lifts up in prayer those in his inner circle right then (verses 6 19), and he prays for future believers (verses 20 24). Take a second look at John 17: What did Jesus ask the Father to do for YOU? What specifically in your life and relationships shows that God is answering that prayer still today? 3. (15 minutes) Who belongs to your own inner circle? In whose life are you a person of influence? List their names here. Then list specific things you could (or already do) pray for them. Borrow some of the blessings Jesus included in his prayers for you. Now spend some time in prayer for those in your inner circle. Use the list you have just developed. Choose a partner from your small group and pray together. Or move to a quiet spot and pray on your own. Wrapping Up: If leadership is influence, then we lead best from our knees CTA, Inc. Permission to make photocopies or reproduce by any other mechanical or electronic means is granted only to the original purchaser and is intended for use within a church or other Christian organization, and not for resale. 12