Small Group Discussions Saturday After Lunch Divide into Groups by the color on their nametags Each group will have a skein of yarn. Have the group form a circle. Have one person grab the end of the yarn, say their name and pass the yarn across the group to someone else. They will then say their name and pass it to someone across the group from them. Avoid passing it to someone next to you. When the last person has received the yarn, it should look like a web. Have everyone sit down in place and lay the web on the ground. Say: The theme for this retreat is Living in Community. Point out the newsprint post-it sheet that says community. Say: Say out loud a word or phrase they think of when they think of community. One of the leaders should write each word or phrase on the sheet. Continue until folks run out of ideas or the sheet is full. Distribute the scripture passage sheets and a pen or pencil to each person. Say: Our scripture passage for the retreat is Colossians 3:12-17. It is a list of things people should do to live as Christians in community. As the reader reads the passage, underline words that describe how we should act as Christians. The leader reads the passage and then invites the group members to share what they underlined. Discuss the meanings of the following words mentioned in the passage, v. 12, and an example of a situation involving the word: Compassion: Kindness: Humility: Gentleness: Patience: sympathetic pity and concern for the sufferings or misfortunes of others. the quality of being friendly, generous, and considerate. a modest or low view of one's own importance; humbleness. the quality of being kind, tender, or mild-mannered. the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting angry or upset.
Love: an intense feeling of deep affection. Have everyone look back at the web. Say: As you look at the web, you may notice that each of us is interconnected to everyone else. That is what community is all about. Are there any other ways the web reminds you of community? Allow for responses. Say: But one thing is missing from our community. (One of the PYC leaders can place the Jesus card in the center of the web). Say: Verse 12 tells us that we are God s choice, holy and loved. In verse 15, the passage tells us Christ must control our hearts and in verse 16 that the word of Christ must live in you richly. Then verse 17 sums it all up Whatever you do, whether in speech or action, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus As a Christian community we need to learn to live with Christ as the center and to treat one another the same way God treats us as holy and loved. As we worship and meet again in small groups, we ll talk more about what it means to Live in Community. Let us pray Dear God, thank you for creating us in a way that makes us want to be friends with one another, coming together out of a love for Christ. Help us to treat one another as you treat us with love and caring and teach us how to show that same love and caring to people outside our group, as well. Amen.
Sunday Morning Distribute paper and a pen or pencil to each person. As the whole group is gathered, one of the PYC members will introduce the Ted Talk, Want to Change the World, Start by Being Brave Enough to Care. Artist and poet Cleo Wade recites a moving poem about being an advocate for love and acceptance in a time when both seem in short supply. Woven between stories of people at the beginning and end of their lives, she shares some truths about growing up (and speaking up) and reflects on the wisdom of a life well-lived, leaving us with a simple yet enduring takeaway: be good to yourself, be good to others, be good to the earth. "The world will say to you, 'Be a better person,'" Wade says. "Do not be afraid to say, 'Yes.'" Say: As you watch the video try to jot down anything Cleo Wade suggests that you think might be important for Living in Community. Show the video Break into the same three groups we formed yesterday by the color on our nametags. Be sure everyone takes their notes with them. When in the small groups have the group members share what they heard Cleo say about changing the world by caring. Create a list on the newsprint post-it(s). Go around the group and have each person share one thing until everyone has exhausted their list. Say: Everyone imagine that you were going to do just what Cleo Wade did and write down one thing you would like to tell a child or an adult about how to be a positive force in this world. You can share something Cleo mentioned or something you made up. Divide into pairs and share what you came up with. Read the scripture passage, Colossians 3:12-17 Then distribute the handout Changing the World as the Body of Christ. Say: Cleo said in her talk, The world will say to you, "We need peace." Find your peace within, hold it sacred, bring it with you everywhere you go. Peace cannot be shared or created with others if we cannot first generate it within. Verse 15 says, The peace of Christ must control your hearts a peace into which you were called in one body. How are the two statements similar or different?
What do they say to us about peace? What does this mean for us as a community of faith? Follow this same process for each of the other two statements from Cleo followed by a scripture verse from our passage until you have discussed all three. As a group move out to the pole barn and have everyone line up on a line. Once they are all on the line, tell them their task is to line up according to height without talking or stepping off the line. If anyone falls off the line, the group has to start again. (Note: The leader should not tell the group which end is the short or tall end the group will have to figure that out.) After they have successfully completed the task, ask: What ways of moving around one another proved the most successful? What challenges did you face by not knowing which end was the tall end and short end? What did you do to establish that? What problems did you face not being able to speak to one another? How did you overcome that obstacle? What did you learn from this activity that could help you better Live in Community? Return to your indoor meeting space. Say: Based on all the things we ve discussed, our group needs to prepare something that reflects what we need to do to live in community. Options: 1. Write a new verse to They ll know we are Christians by Our Love. 2. Draw a graffiti mural on newsprint post-its. 3. Take 10 photos that we can show as a slide show. 4. A creative option of your choosing. When your group is done return to the main meeting area to share what you ve done with the other two groups. After sharing the projects, one of our co-chaplains can do a closing prayer.
Changing the World as the Body of Christ PEACE Cleo: Verse 15: The world will say to you, "We need peace." Find your peace within, hold it sacred, bring it with you everywhere you go. Peace cannot be shared or created with others if we cannot first generate it within. The peace of Christ must control your hearts a peace into which you were called in one body. FORGIVENESS Cleo: Verse 13: Learn to forgive others. Start by truly learning how to forgive yourself. We are all more than our mistakes. We are all more than who we were yesterday.we are all deserving of our dignity. See yourself in others. Be tolerant with each other and, if someone has a complaint against anyone, forgive each other. As the Lord forgave you, so also forgive each other. LOVE Cleo: The world will say to you, "There is so much hate." Devote yourself to love. Love yourself so much that you can love others without barriers and without judgment. Verse 14: And over all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. How are the two statements similar or different? What do they say to us about peace? forgiveness? love? What does this mean for us as a community of faith?