FREE2PLAY Soul Action Youth Leader Resource Raise money for SOUL ACTION and help prevent people being TRAFFICKED PREPARING YOUR CHURCH FOR FREEDOM SUNDAY AND HELPING YOUR YOUNG PEOPLE ENGAGE WITH THE ISSUE OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING
Page 2 // FREE2PLAY FREE2PLAY \\ Page 3 SOUL ACTION: Tearfund and Soul Survivor working together WHAT IS SOUL ACTION? SOUL ACTION IS A PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN SOUL SURVIVOR (WWW. SOULSURVIVOR.COM/UK) AND TEARFUND (WWW.TEARFUND.ORG) THAT S ABOUT HELPING ALL OF US ENGAGE WITH ISSUES OF INJUSTICE AND POVERTY, FINDING WAYS TO GET INVOLVED AND RAISING MONEY FOR PROJECTS AROUND THE WORLD THAT SERVE THE LAST, THE LEAST AND THE LOST. www.soulaction.org info@soulaction.org Soul Action, Unit 2 Paramount Industrial Estate, Sandown Road, Watford, WD24 7XF. Soul Action operates under the charitable status of Soul Survivor. The Soul Survivor Charity No. is 1080720) FOR STARTERS THANKS FOR PICKING UP THIS RESOURCE AND GETTING INVOLVED IN THE SOUL ACTION FREE2PLAY CAMPAIGN! It is estimated there are 27 million slaves in our world people who have been bought and sold because of poverty. Free2Play is part of the Soul Action response to this heartbreaking fact, and this resource aims to: Help you educate and disciple your young people around the issues of trafficking and poverty Give you and your young people suggestions for how you can pray and take action against this injustice Help you raise money that will go to Soul Action projects with the aim of preventing trafficking. HOW TO USE THIS RESOURCE There are four week s worth of materials which you can do over consecutive weeks or spread over a number of months if you prefer. For each week there is a session you can do when you re all gathered together and some ideas for the young people to do on their own (or with friends) until your next session. You can either photocopy the ideas for young people or download copies of those pages from our website. We ve suggested a number of different ideas so that people can choose the ones they would like to do (we re not suggesting they try and do them all!) It might be helpful for you to text your youth group or post reminders on Facebook/Twitter to take actions and to reflect on the given Bible passages during the week. All of this material is designed to help your young people to engage with issues of justice and poverty, and specifically issues of trafficking. It builds towards Free2Play which is an opportunity to pledge money to Soul Action projects every time we enjoy our freedom and do the things we love. The money raised will go towards vital Soul Action projects helping free people from poverty and keep them out of slavery. We ve also included materials you can use to organise a Freedom Sunday service at your church. Freedom Sunday is an international event taking place on February 17th 2013 that raises awareness of modern day slavery and provides opportunities to combat it. Arrange for your young people to take over the adult Sunday service, sharing with the rest of the congregation about the journey they have been on in understanding God s heart for justice. (This can be done on February 17th or at any time that fits in with your programme.)* All images Ginny Lattul/Tearfund (except, p3 XLP and Ashanti Akim Community Organisation) *Put the 17th February in your diary to remember Freedom Sunday!*
Page 4 // FREE2PLAY FREE2PLAY \\ Page 5 Money raised will help bring FREEDOM THROUGH THESE PROJECTS We like to give to projects that don t get a lot of funding elsewhere we like to invest in obscurity. That doesn t mean the projects are obscure, just that the projects may be too small to approach bigger organisations for money but are doing amazing work and so we re keen to support them. Here are some examples of the projects we work with: CHO XLP MENTORING PROJECT Cambodia Hope Organization (CHO) do some fantastic work with street children and poor families who are at risk of or have already suffered from trafficking. They have a safe house, are able to offer schooling, vocational classes and training; and also work to rescue people who have been trafficked from Cambodia into Thailand. JUBILEE SCHOOL The school is run by a local community group trying to help their inhabitants to find ways out of poverty through better education. Money donated to Soul Action has been able to support 30 students at the school creating a better life for them and for their families. XLP provide one-on-one support to young people and their families who live in challenging circumstances to help them improve their life-skills, relate better to their peers and community, avoid educational failure, and choose not to become involved with gangs. The key passage we want to focus on over this course is Isaiah 58. We ll study it during week one but we ve also recorded four different video versions of people reading it to help your young people focus on and engage with its message. You can watch one a week or you might like to get someone in your youth group to read the passage aloud in an expressive way. For each week we ve also recorded short video teaching sessions to work alongside the materials we ve included here and in each week s notes we explain what the teaching covers. (These teaching sessions will be available online from 1st November.) This resource has been written in connection with Rhythms a Tearfund project that s about taking actions to change the way you live so that together we can change the world. Find out more and download the app at: Find out more about Freedom Sunday at: Find out more about Soul Action supported projects at www.soulaction.org/projects
Page 6 // FREE2PLAY FREE2PLAY \\ Page 7 BUY A At Soul Survivor 2011 we sold over 7,000 FREEDOM BANDS At Soul Survivor 2011 we sold over 7,000 Freedom Bands. These bands were made by 32 young people connected to CHO (Cambodian Hope Organization) in Cambodia through one of their sewing schools which teaches them the skills to make and mend fabric items. set up for people at risk of being trafficked or who have been rescued from a trafficking situation. Education is absolutely crucial to help people like Mariya out of poverty but schooling must be paid for and work is hard to come by. IT S HARD TO VISUALISE 27 MILLION PEOPLE WHO LIVE AS SLAVES, LET ALONE IMAGINE WHAT WE CAN DO TO HELP. The young people can then go onto work, providing them with a wage and stopping them from having to leave their families to look for work in Thailand. It also helps the young people see that they can do something positive for their families, have their own responsibilities and help them work together. One girl who was involved, Mariya, is 16 and she was orphaned at a young age, leaving her in the care of her grandmother. As her grandmother grew older she was unable to take care of Mariya so she went to Safe Haven - a safe house that CHO has Thanks to the money you spent on wristbands, Mariya was able to earn a wage which she has put towards her studies. An education will really help give Mariya a positive future and she and the other young people who made the wristbands are very grateful for everyone who purchased a wristband and gave them this income. IT JUST SHOWS WHAT A DIFFERENCE OUR ACTIONS CAN MAKE!
Page 8 // FREE2PLAY FREE2PLAY \\ Page 9 GROUP ACTVITY INTRODUCTION THIS SESSION WILL INTRODUCE THE THEMES OF THE WHOLE RESOURCE, LOOKING AT GOD S HEART FOR JUSTICE AND HIS DESIRE THAT WE ALL GET INVOLVED IN RIDDING THE WORLD OF POVERTY AND TRAFFICKING. ICE BREAKER Have the whole group stand in a circle. Each person joins hands with each other across the group (holding a different person s hands in each of theirs) until you are all tangled up. Without breaking the chain, work together to untangle yourselves. BIBLE Isaiah 58: 5-12 and/or watch the first Isaiah 58 vid. WATCH Watch the first teaching video. This short talk will discuss the link between worship and justice, and how connecting with God s heart of justice is vital to our relationship with him and in our ability to bring his Kingdom to earth. THINK Ask your group some or all of the following questions: What is worship about to you? Do you find it easier to worship God through songs or actions? How do you respond to the fact that God asks you to break the chains of injustice? And to share your food with the hungry? How can we understand the reality of poverty and the fact there are individuals just like us who are suffering, rather than faceless statistics? How can we stop ourselves from becoming numb to the pain and suffering in our world? WORSHIP Use songs that illustrate the connection between worshiping and loving God and acting against injustice such as Tim Hughes God of Justice and David Gate s Led to the Lost. Or listen to Compassion Art tracks such as Come to the Water and Friend of the Poor. (See www. compassionart.tv/created/album for more info and to download chord charts/song sheets.) PRAY Pray that God would share his heart of compassion for the world with you and show you how you can act to live out the words of Isaiah 58. ACT Loose the cords of injustice. SET THE OPPRESSED FREE As a group, discuss how you could take practical actions to better connect with God s heart for justice and those living in poverty. Look through the list of personal actions (on the following page and available to download via the website). Talk about whether everyone would be willing to take part in a Slum Survivor event (see the Fundraising pages), and experience for themselves what it might be like to live in slum like conditions for a few days. All video clips can be downloaded from www.soulaction.org
Page 10 // FREE2PLAY FREE2PLAY \\ Page 11 PERSONAL ACTVITY This week we ve considered how we can connect with God s heart for justice. Challenge yourself to complete a number of these suggestions to help you see the suffering in the world around you and to start to think about how you might be able to do something to bring positive change. Here are some ways you could get a glimpse of what it s like to go without some of the comforts we take for granted but that so many live without: Sleep on the floor Wash out of a bucket for a day Fast for a meal or a day and experience hunger Fast from using electricity for a day Find out more about doing a Slum Survivor WAYS TO FIND OUT ABOUT LOCAL, NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL ISSUES OF POVERTY AND INJUSTICE: Join with a few friends and do a prayer walk of your local area. Do you think you can spot poverty in your area or is it hidden? What might poverty look like in your community? What could you do as a response? What could your youth group do? Read a newspaper and cut out any articles that relate to poverty and injustice in the UK. At 7pm watch the BBC 4 World News Today programme or find out more on the Soul Action and Tearfund websites or at village.rhythms.org MORE ABOUT SLAVERY Visit the Not for Sale website to find out about people who are modern day slaves (people who have been trafficked) www.notforsalecampaign. org or visit the Soul Action website www.soulaction.org REFLECT Spend some times this week reflecting on these Bible verses. I HATE, I DESPISE YOUR RELIGIOUS FESTIVALS; YOUR ASSEMBLIES ARE A STENCH TO ME. EVEN THOUGH YOU BRING ME BURNT OFFERINGS AND GRAIN OFFERINGS, I WILL NOT ACCEPT THEM. THOUGH YOU BRING CHOICE FELLOWSHIP OFFERINGS, I WILL HAVE NO REGARD FOR THEM. AWAY WITH THE NOISE OF YOUR SONGS! I WILL NOT LISTEN TO THE MUSIC OF YOUR HARPS. BUT LET JUSTICE ROLL ON LIKE A RIVER, RIGHTEOUSNESS LIKE A NEVER-FAILING STREAM! WANT TO DO MORE? WWW. SOULACTION. ORG Head over to rhythms.org and check out the Connection section for loads more inspiration.
Page 12 // FREE2PLAY FREE2PLAY \\ Page 13 INTRODUCTION IN THIS SESSION WE WILL BE LOOKING AT THE IMPORTANCE OF TELLING OTHER PEOPLE ABOUT THE THINGS WE FIND OUT ABOUT INJUSTICE IN OUR WORLD, AND HOW WE CAN BE A VOICE FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE BEING OPPRESSED AND TREATED UNJUSTLY. WEEK TWO ICE BREAKER Split your group into teams of three. One person in each team is blindfolded and needs to be guided around obstacles to pick up a small object or prize. Another person in the team should be positioned so they can see the blindfolded person but this person is not allowed to talk. They must communicate without using words to the third person who can speak but must be positioned so they can t see the blindfolded person. The team who navigates their person to the prize in the shortest time, wins. WATCH Isaiah 58 video READ SPEAK UP FOR THOSE WHO CANNOT SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES, FOR THE RIGHTS OF ALL WHO ARE DESTITUTE. SPEAK UP AND JUDGE FAIRLY; DEFEND THE RIGHTS OF THE POOR AND NEEDY. WATCH Watch the Week Two teaching video. This week s content is about people who don t have a voice in our world and how God asks those of us who do, to make a stand on their behalf. It introduces some of the situations where people may not have a voice and some of the ways we can speak up for them. GROUP ACTVITY THINK What sort of things would make you want to speak out? Do you find it easy or difficult to speak up on behalf of others? What does it mean to you to speak up for people? Who in our world can t speak up for themselves? (Prompt the group to think about: people who are trafficked, people who are persecuted, people who aren t given a fair-wage for their produce, children who are living in slums etc.) How can we be their voice? How comfortable do you feel talking to friends and family about issues of injustice? What holds you back? ACTIVITY As a whole group or as small teams make short videos about issues that are important to you. It might be really simply stating a shocking fact (like the fact that there are currently 27 million slaves in the world) or it might be a more detailed explanation of an important issue. You could also challenge yourselves to present the key points in just 30 seconds. Start thinking about Freedom Sunday and how you want to tell your church about the issue of trafficking and injustice in our world. PRAY Pray that God would give you the passion and boldness to speak up for those who are suffering. All video clips can be downloaded from www.soulaction.org
Page 14 // FREE2PLAY FREE2PLAY \\ Page 15 PERSONAL ACTVITY WEEK TWO This week we ve looked at the importance of being a voice for the voiceless. There are lots of ways you can stand up for other people; have a look through this list and come up with your own ideas too... DO ONE OF THESE Retweet something that Soul Action tweets this week (@SoulActionUK) or share a link to the website on Facebook. Find an issue or campaign that you re passionate about and tell five people about it. Explain why you re passionate and ask if they would be interested in getting involved themselves. Work on being able to present the really key facts in just 30 seconds. Commit to buying fair-trade food, drink and clothing to communicate that everyone deserves a living wage. Get your school or church to switch to green energy supplier and raise awareness of the damage that carbon emissions are doing to our environment (visit the Tearfund website to find out more: www.tearfund.org). Post a video on Youtube about an issue of poverty or injustice that s hit home to you. Share it with your friends and family and send us the link (info@ soulaction.org or @SoulActionUK on Twitter). Speak to your school about having a non-uniform day to raise money for the work of Soul Action, helping some of the world s poorest communities. You might want to combine it with other activities like presenting about an issue in an assembly or holding a cake sale to raise funds. Sign a petition. There are lots of online petitions which give you the opportunity to add your voice to those of others who are standing up for a particular issue. Find the latest campaigns at www.tearfund.org). REFLECT Spend some time this week meditating on these verses: THE SPIRIT OF THE SOVEREIGN LORD IS ON ME, BECAUSE THE LORD HAS ANOINTED ME TO PROCLAIM GOOD NEWS TO THE POOR. HE HAS SENT ME TO BIND UP THE BROKEN-HEARTED, TO PROCLAIM FREEDOM FOR THE CAPTIVES AND RELEASE FROM DARKNESS FOR THE PRISONERS, TO PROCLAIM THE YEAR OF THE LORD S FAVOUR AND THE DAY OF VENGEANCE OF OUR GOD, TO COMFORT ALL WHO MOURN, AND PROVIDE FOR THOSE WHO GRIEVE IN ZION TO BESTOW ON THEM A CROWN OF BEAUTY INSTEAD OF ASHES, THE OIL OF JOY INSTEAD OF MOURNING, AND A GARMENT OF PRAISE INSTEAD OF A SPIRIT OF DESPAIR. THEY WILL BE CALLED OAKS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, A PLANTING OF THE LORD FOR THE DISPLAY OF HIS SPLENDOUR. WANT TO DO MORE? Visit rhythms.org and click on the Advocacy section to get some more ideas.
Page 16 // FREE2PLAY FREE2PLAY \\ Page 17 INTRODUCTION THIS SESSION FOCUSES ON WHERE WE FIND TRUE CONTENTMENT AND HOW WE CAN FAST FROM SOMETHING WE LOVE IN ORDER TO FOCUS ON GOD AND RAISE MONEY FOR OTHERS WHO DON T ENJOY THE SAME FREEDOMS WE DO. WEEK THREE ICE BREAKER Play a game of Would you rather? where you give each person two options to choose from. Make some funny e.g. Would you rather be chased by 10 duck-sized horses, or one horse-size duck?! and some serious, Would you rather live for a day without food or without water? WATCH Isaiah 58 video from www.soulaction.org READ 1 Timothy 6:6-12 Proclaim FREEDOM FOR THE CAPTIVES. WATCH This week s short teaching video introduces the idea that we need to find contentment in God and be thankful for all that we have, as that is when we will find true freedom. It highlights the importance of fasting as a way of devoting ourselves to God, freeing ourselves from the love of earthly things, and re-committing ourselves to his ways and his plans. THINK What do you consider to be the absolute essentials in life? Why might wanting to get rich be a temptation? Why might seeking money cause you to wander from your faith? Have you ever longed for something but then when you ve bought or received it, been disappointed? What makes you feel content? How do you pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness? Why is contentment sometimes a struggle? What benefits does fasting have? GROUP ACTVITY ACTIVITY As a group make a list of all the things you are thankful for big and small. Next grab a large piece of paper and brainstorm ideas of things that you could give up under the following categories: 1. Stuff that would give you more time to spend with God (i.e. giving up Facebook or watching TV) 2. Stuff that costs money (you could collect the money the group saves from their fasting and give it to Soul Action to help fight injustice and poverty) 3. Stuff that costs you personally (e.g. giving someone your time) 4. Stuff that s not good for you (drinking caffeine, reading magazines, watching TV programmes that promote unhealthy images or morals) DISCUSS & REFLECT How might giving up these things impact your relationship with God? How might they benefit other people? How might they help the fight against injustice? Take a moment of quiet for each person to reflect on what they can give up and to commit it to the Lord. PRAY Thank God for the amazing things he has given you. Ask God to help you as you each make a sacrifice over the coming days and weeks, that you might find true contentment in him. All video clips can be downloaded from www.soulaction.org
Page 18 // FREE2PLAY FREE2PLAY \\ Page 19 PERSONAL ACTVITY This week we have looked at how true contentment comes from God, and some of the benefits of fasting. CHOOSE A FAST Commit to fasting at least one of the things discussed in your youth group. You may even want to try giving up one thing from each category. As you fast, try and keep a journal or make notes of how you feel: Do you miss the thing you re fasting? How has going without it helped open your eyes to the needs of those around you? Has it impacted anyone other than you? WEEK THREE OTHER IDEAS You might also want to try some of these ideas: Don t use make-up or hair gel for a week Give up buying new clothes/things for yourself for a month/six months/or even a year. Make do with what you have or buy items in charity shops instead. Don t buy anymore more music for a period or choose one song that you will listen to exclusively for a day or week Find ways to remember to thank God such as saying grace before you eat anything, or using a prayer of thankfulness to say before you go to sleep every night. Try to be more mindful of thanking others too. Giving something away maybe your lunch or an item that would benefit someone else You can find lots more ideas for ways to practice contentment at village.rhythms.org REFLECT PERSONAL ACTVITY Take some time to think about these verses from Matthew 6: 25-34 THEREFORE I TELL YOU, DO NOT WORRY ABOUT YOUR LIFE, WHAT YOU WILL EAT OR DRINK; OR ABOUT YOUR BODY, WHAT YOU WILL WEAR. IS NOT LIFE MORE THAN FOOD, AND THE BODY MORE THAN CLOTHES? LOOK AT THE BIRDS OF THE AIR; THEY DO NOT SOW OR REAP OR STORE AWAY IN BARNS, AND YET YOUR HEAVENLY FATHER FEEDS THEM. ARE YOU NOT MUCH MORE VALUABLE THAN THEY? CAN ANY ONE OF YOU BY WORRYING ADD A SINGLE HOUR TO YOUR LIFE? AND WHY DO YOU WORRY ABOUT CLOTHES? SEE HOW THE FLOWERS OF THE FIELD GROW. THEY DO NOT LABOUR OR SPIN. YET I TELL YOU THAT NOT EVEN SOLOMON IN ALL HIS SPLENDOUR WAS DRESSED LIKE ONE OF THESE. IF THAT IS HOW GOD CLOTHES THE GRASS OF THE FIELD, WHICH IS HERE TODAY AND TOMORROW IS THROWN INTO THE FIRE, WILL HE NOT MUCH MORE CLOTHE YOU YOU OF LITTLE FAITH? SO DO NOT WORRY, SAYING, WHAT SHALL WE EAT? OR WHAT SHALL WE DRINK? OR WHAT SHALL WE WEAR? FOR THE PAGANS RUN AFTER ALL THESE THINGS, AND YOUR HEAVENLY FATHER KNOWS THAT YOU NEED THEM. BUT SEEK FIRST HIS KINGDOM AND HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS, AND ALL THESE THINGS WILL BE GIVEN TO YOU AS WELL. THEREFORE DO NOT WORRY ABOUT TOMORROW, FOR TOMORROW WILL WORRY ABOUT ITSELF. EACH DAY HAS ENOUGH TROUBLE OF ITS OWN. FOLLOW US @SOULACTIONUK WANT TO DO MORE? Go to rhythms.org and follow the Contentment link for inspiration.
Page 20 // FREE2PLAY FREE2PLAY \\ Page 21 INTRODUCTION THIS SESSION LOOKS AT THE FREEDOM WE HAVE BEEN GIVEN AND HOW WE CAN USE THAT FREEDOM TO IMPACT THE WORLD. WEEK FOUR ICE BREAKER Divide your group into pairs. Ask each pair to sit on the floor with their partner, backs together, feet out in front and arms linked. Their task is to stand up together. Once everyone has done this, two pairs join together and the group of four try to repeat the task. After they succeed, add another two and try again. Keep adding people until your whole group is trying to stand together. READ 2 Corinthians 9: 6-11 WATCH Watch the last teaching video which introduces the idea of Free2Play and how we can use our skills and our freedom to raise money to help others. (The idea behind Free2Play is to pledge money to go towards Soul Action projects every time you do something you love. So you could pledge 50p for every time you go on Facebook, 1 for every time your football team scores, 2 every time you get to the next level on your PS3 etc.) THINK What do you enjoy? What do you feel you re good at? What gifts has God given you? How can you use that to glorify God? Or to bless others? Do you see those activities you love as spiritual things or is it only prayer/bible reading/going to church that is spiritual? How can you use the things you re good at to change an injustice? (E.g. could you write or a song or a blog about injustice, run a 10k and raise money, hold a 24-hour football match or host a tea-party to raise awareness and money?) GROUP ACTVITY ACTIVITY Together start planning what you could do as part of the Free2Play fundraising campaign. Think about ideas for individuals but also ideas you could do together as a group. Look at the fundraising ideas on the following pages for some more inspiration. Encourage the group to sign up on the Soul Action website to tell us what activity they are taking part in and how much they hope to raise. PRAY Thank God for the freedom that you enjoy. Praise him that he created you to enjoy the gifts he has given you and that this provides you with an opportunity to help others. Pray for one of the Soul Action projects that you will be raising money for to connect with how your fundraising will impact people s lives. WATCH SIGN UP AT SOULACTION.ORG Finish by watching the last Isaiah 58 video. All video clips can be downloaded from www.soulaction.org
Page 22 // FREE2PLAY FREE2PLAY \\ Page 23 FREE2PLAY Each person commits to giving Soul Action a certain amount of money every time they do the thing they love (whether that be starting a new book, downloading a new album, playing football, learning to play a new song they love, going to the cinema etc). As a group you could commit that every time you get together to do something social you will put money into box which after six months or a year can be donated to Soul Action. Or encourage your group to tithe at least 10% of what they are given/ earn and give that money to Soul Action. FUNDRAISING EVENTS Organise a family fun day Organise a cinema or games night at your church either for the youth or for all ages Put on a Total Wipeout/It s a Knockout style games afternoon in the park Hold a cake sale after church on a Sunday Wash cars in your town centre on a Saturday, asking for donations towards Soul Action Organise a clothes swap so everyone gets the chance to de-clutter their wardrobe, recycle things they don t wear, get new clothes and raise money! Apply for one of our marathon places (email info@soulaction.com) SIGN UP AT SOULACTION.ORG
Page 24 // FREE2PLAY FREE2PLAY \\ Page 25 PUT 19TH MAY in your diary for a FAST FOR FREEDOM DAY 100 DAYS OF FREEDOM You could extend the fundraising period and have a 100 days of Freedom campaign, taking part in lots of different activities within that time period. Get sponsored as a group and walk or run 100 miles for freedom (so 50 of you would do 2 miles, 10 of you would do 10 miles, or 4 of you would do 25 miles to make it to 100). If you ve got a large group (or you re feeling ambitious!) you might want to make it 1000 miles. Get sponsored to see how far you can get away from your church. All set off together and keep going for as long as you can. Just make sure you can arrange lifts to pick you up when you re tired! Hold a Fast For Freedom on 19th May 2013 where you go without food for a day and give the money that you would have spent on food to Soul Action. Or consider giving up something else for the 100 day period (such as chocolate, going to the cinema or buying new music) and donate the money you ve saved to Soul Action. SLUM SURVIVOR A billion people around the world live in slums. We ll never know how it feels to have so little, to be constantly hungry, to have only a temporary home, not to receive an education and to have little hope for our future. But we can spend a weekend trying to recreate a little something of what life is like in a slum, raising awareness of the poverty that people live in, as well as raising vital funds for Soul Action projects that help people get out of poverty. Get your whole youth group involved and download our guides to putting on a Slum Survivor event. It s also a great opportunity to speak to your local press who may cover the story and raise more awareness within the community. Everything you need to run a Slum Survivor event is on the Soul Action website. See www.soulaction.org for more info on how to run a Slum Survivor...
Page 26 // FREE2PLAY FREE2PLAY \\ Page 27 The main activity this week is to decide what your Free2Play activity is and how much you will pledge for each time you exercise your freedom and take part in that activity. Sign up on the Soul Action website to let us know what you ll be doing - then get going! Start enjoying your favourite things, knowing you are raising money to help others who don t enjoy the same freedoms as you. OTHER WAYS TO BE GENEROUS Think about ways you could be generous with your time, your money and your belongings. De-clutter your room and give away old possessions Be generous with your kindness and encourage someone every day by telling them what you love and admire about them Loan things that belong to you to others If someone tells you they like something you own - give it to them! Surprise someone with a fair-trade gift Take someone out for coffee or buy them a bag of chips WEEK FOUR PERSONAL ACTVITY Think about ways you could be generous to your community: Join with others and give away chocolate or small gifts/treats in your town centre or to people in your school Offer to wash your neighbour s car or do some odd jobs for them around the house for free Pick up litter in a communal area It was for FREEDOM THAT CHRIST SET US FREE REFLECT PERSONAL ACTVITY Read 2 Corinthians 9: 6-15 and think about the fact that God gives us riches so that we can be generous and share them with others. REMEMBER THIS: WHOEVER SOWS SPARINGLY WILL ALSO REAP SPARINGLY, AND WHOEVER SOWS GENEROUSLY WILL ALSO REAP GENEROUSLY. EACH OF YOU SHOULD GIVE WHAT YOU HAVE DECIDED IN YOUR HEART TO GIVE, NOT RELUCTANTLY OR UNDER COMPULSION, FOR GOD LOVES A CHEERFUL GIVER. AND GOD IS ABLE TO BLESS YOU ABUNDANTLY, SO THAT IN ALL THINGS AT ALL TIMES, HAVING ALL THAT YOU NEED, YOU WILL ABOUND IN EVERY GOOD WORK. AS IT IS WRITTEN: THEY HAVE FREELY SCATTERED THEIR GIFTS TO THE POOR; THEIR RIGHTEOUSNESS ENDURES FOREVER. NOW HE WHO SUPPLIES SEED TO THE SOWER AND BREAD FOR FOOD WILL ALSO SUPPLY AND INCREASE YOUR STORE OF SEED AND WILL ENLARGE THE HARVEST OF YOUR RIGHTEOUSNESS. YOU WILL BE ENRICHED IN EVERY WAY SO THAT YOU CAN BE GENEROUS ON EVERY OCCASION, AND THROUGH US YOUR GENEROSITY WILL RESULT IN THANKSGIVING TO GOD. THIS SERVICE THAT YOU PERFORM IS NOT ONLY SUPPLYING THE NEEDS OF THE LORD S PEOPLE BUT IS ALSO OVERFLOWING IN MANY EXPRESSIONS OF THANKS TO GOD. BECAUSE OF THE SERVICE BY WHICH YOU HAVE PROVED YOURSELVES, OTHERS WILL PRAISE GOD FOR THE OBEDIENCE THAT ACCOMPANIES YOUR CONFESSION OF THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST, AND FOR YOUR GENEROSITY IN SHARING WITH THEM AND WITH EVERYONE ELSE. AND IN THEIR PRAYERS FOR YOU THEIR HEARTS WILL GO OUT TO YOU, BECAUSE OF THE SURPASSING GRACE GOD HAS GIVEN YOU. THANKS BE TO GOD FOR HIS INDESCRIBABLE GIFT! WANT TO DO MORE?? Get inspired at rhythms.org just click on Generosity for plenty of great ideas.
Page 28 // FREE2PLAY FREE2PLAY \\ Page 29 Freedom Sunday is taking place internationally on 17th February 2013 but you can hold yours whenever you like. The idea is for your youth group to take over the church s usual Sunday service in order to: WE VE PUT LOADS OF RESOURCES ON OUR WEBSITE THAT YOU MIGHT LIKE TO USE AND YOU MIGHT LIKE TO INCLUDE SOME OR ALL OF THE FOLLOWING ELEMENTS IN YOUR SERVICE. WORSHIP Include songs that link worship and justice such as Tim Hughes s God of Justice. BIBLE PASSAGES Isaiah 58: 5-12 Prov 31:8-9 Galatians 5:1 1 Tim 6:6-12 2 Cor 9: 6-15 VIDEOS The Isaiah 58 videos from the Soul Action website (www.soulaction.org) One or two of the Soul Action teaching videos from the website Any videos your group have produced during the Free2Play course TESTIMONIES Get individuals to share short stories about how God has spoken to them or used them to reach out to others through the Free2Play course. TALK FREEDOM SUNDAY SUNDAY 17TH FEBRUARY 2013 You can download talk notes from our website that cover some of the main teaching themes covered in this course. PRAYER ACTIVITY Provide each person in the congregation with a piece of gummed paper (or paper strips with double sided tape at the ends). Ask them to write prayers on the papers for those who have been trafficked and had their freedom taken away from them. Loop all the papers together forming a long link chain. Have members of the youth group pray over the chain and then symbolically break the chain calling on the Lord to break the chains of injustice and to use his people to do the same. Find out more about Freedom Sunday at www.freedomsunday.org
Page 30 // FREE2PLAY FREE2PLAY \\ Page 31 WHAT NEXT? We d love to hear about your journey with Free2Play and you can get in touch in the following ways: Email: info@soulaction.com Via Twitter @SoulActionUK Check out the Soul Action blog wordpress. soulaction to read our musings and if you d like to contribute to the blog yourself and tell others about your journey, just drop us an email. Keep an eye on www.soulaction.org to find out about the latest campaigns and resources. FOLLOW US @SOULACTIONUK Come and say hi to us next summer at the Soul Action stand in the Soul Survivor ToolShed (www.soulsurvivor.com/uk) Check out the Tearfund Rhythms app and online community rhythms.org WHAT TO DO WITH THE MONEY YOU VE RAISED When all money and forms are collected, add up the total funds raised and record the amount in a letter outlining what you did and the total raised. Send this letter with a cheque or money order for the total funds raised to: Unit 2 Paramount Industrial Estate, Sandown Road, Watford, Hertfordshire, WD24 7XF Please make cheques payable to Soul Action. An easy way for your group to collect sponsorship is through www.justgiving.com. Just go to www.justgiving.com/soulaction and click the raise money link. You ll be able to create your own page (for free), add details about yourself and the fundraising events you re planning and then email all the details to your friends. People are able to go on your created page and sponsor you online and the money is automatically collected and sent to Soul Action once you ve finished your challenge. You even get a running total showing how much you ve raised to spur you on!
Blog: WORDPRESS. SOULACTION. ORG Twitter: @SOULACTIONUK THE KIND OF FAST I M LOOKING FOR WILL BREAK THE CHAINS THAT BIND, IT UNTIES THE CORDS OF INJUSTICE, AND CRIES OUT FREEDOM FOR ALL HUMAN KIND. SHARE ALL YOU HAVE WITH THOSE WHOASK, GIVE SHELTER TO THOSE WITH NO HOME, SEE THE NAKED CLOTHED, THE BROKEN HEALED AND WELCOME THOSE WHO WEEP ALONE. AS YOU DO THESE THINGS, AS YOUR FOCUS SHIFTS FROM YOURSELF TO THE WORLD AROUND, THE CRACKS INSIDE THAT HURT SO MUCH, ARE HEALED SOLID AND SOUND. YOUR LIGHT WILL SHINE, YOUR JOY ABOUND AND GOD HIMSELF WILL GUIDE. HE WILL HEAR YOUR PRAYERS, YOUR CRIES FOR HELP AND FILL EVERY PART OF YOUR LIFE. Inspired by Isaiah 58v6-9 SOUL ACTION: Tearfund and Soul Survivor working together www.soulaction.org info@soulaction.org Soul Action, Unit 2 Paramount Industrial Estate, Sandown Road, Watford, WD24 7XF. Soul Action operates under the charitable status of Soul Survivor. The Soul Survivor Charity No. is 1080720) *www.soulsurvivor.com/uk and www.tearfund.org