January 2011 Cell Material

JNAUARY 2011

celloutlines | overview of theme

Happy New Year and Welcome to 2011!!

In 2009 we bought you the Year of Discipleship...

In 2010 we continued to DiG deeper...

Now, a new year = new theme!

2011 brings you...

LIVES In 2011 we want to take ourselves on the next step of the journey as disciples. As we move forward we want our ‘lives’ to reflect our God that ‘lives’.

Matt White explains…..

In Summer 2010 each member of the ALOVE UK team was given a small cardboard box. They were asked to write on this box or place into the box any thoughts, prayers or ideas that came to them or were given to them. Throughout the whole summer season the team drew, wrote, scrapbooked and collected anything which spoke to them. As they visited summer schools, TMS, DHQs and local corps the boxes went too.

I had the privilege of getting sent the boxes and had the job of pulling together some ideas for a theme in 2011. After chatting with the team, looking at all the info collected and spending time praying and asking God to reveal what it was he had in store for 2011… the theme that kept coming up was LIVES. THE WORD… or words The word LIVES can be pronounced two ways and as such gives us two ways of explaining the theme:

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LIVES (pronounced ‘Lyves’) This word is about who we are. Our identity, our lifestyle and our story. It’s also about our history and heritage. What The Salvation Army was, has been and is around the world. Biblically it’s a chance to look at the lives of the men and women of the Bible who inspire us and whose lives have much to teach us.

LIVES (pronounced ‘Livs’) This word is about where we are. It’s a chance to explore culture and start to explore what it truly means ‘to find and point out Jesus’ in the world. It’s also about how we live as disciples, missionaries and social activists.

And so 2011 is all about LIVES. It’s about one word, with two meanings, that will help us focus on three things: Who we are – Where God is working – What we could become We hope this year is a really good for one for you and your group. Keep letting us know what’s happening, and if you have any thoughts or ideas as to how we can make this year even better then let us know.

Matt White (ALOVE Mission Partner) continued over >>>

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celloutlines | overview of theme (continued...)

Over the next four weeks we are going to take the opportunity to introduce this year’s theme.

Week One: An introduction to the theme; a chance to look back over the last year; and forward to where we want to be this time next year!

Week Two: Lives in the Bible A look at the lives of the men and women in the Bible who inspire us and whose lives have much to teach us. This week you’ll being doing all the work (see the preparation notes in week one!).

Week Three: Lives in The Salvation Army A brief look at the history and heritage of The Salvation Army, beginning to explore what it means to be part of this movement today

Week Four: Lives in Culture Starting to think about our culture and what it would look like ‘to find and point out Jesus’ in the world.

It’s going to be an exciting year! We will take the opportunity to examine culture and how we, as Christians, engage with and in it; ‘going out into the world to find and point out Jesus’ in our homes, communities and churches.

We will explore our own Salvation Army culture through our history and the lessons it has to teach us; we have much to learn and gain from knowing about who we are and where we come from.

And as we explore our culture as a movement and the culture around us we will begin to discover more about our discipleship, more about mission and more about the God who is both in and above it all.

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Happy New Year from the ALOVE UK team!

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JNAUARY 2011

celloutlines | week one These Cell Outlines are written by ALOVE UK. They are available each week from our web site. For more information and other cell resources, visit www.salvationarmy.org.uk/alove/resources

You Will Need • Paper / pens • Copies of the January Cell Outlines Introduction for everyone • Flipchart paper • Question sheet for preparing Bible character for next week – a copy for everyone

Welcome Catch up with everyone’s Christmas… try asking everyone to state their: • most bizarre present • most meaningful moment • most sung Christmas song/carol • best TV moment • most delicious item of food eaten Or try the attached New Year quiz!

Ask who has made New Year resolutions and who wants to share what they are!

Word Read the Cell Introduction together, which introduces the ALOVE UK theme for the year. Take some time to discuss the theme using the following questions: • What do you think of the ALOVE UK 2011 theme? Do you understand it? How do you feel it could impact you/others/culture over the next year?

• Think back two years – can you describe the kind of person you were then?

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• Choose three words to describe how you have changed over the last two years.

• How do you feel the themes of ‘Discipleship’ and ‘DiG’ have impacted you over the last two years?

• How do you feel the heritage/history of The Salvation Army affects you personally?

• Name one biblical character that has inspired you in some way and state how?

• What would it look like for you to ‘go out into the world to find and point out Jesus’?

• Find and discuss some Scripture passages that you feel underpin the 2011 theme e.g. Romans 12:1-2*; Matthew 5:13-16*; Matthew 28:18-20; Hebrews 12:1-2; Philippians 2:14-16*.; Matthew 16:24-26. Perhaps choose one as a memory verse to memorise for next week! (*These read well in The Message translation) • Practise correctly pronouncing the two versions of ‘Lives’ and make sure you know which part of the theme each refers to!

Worship Place two pieces of flipchart paper on the floor, one entitled ‘Looking Back’ and the other ‘Looking continued over >>>

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Forward’. Give everyone a pen and allow a few minutes for them to write on the paper. On ‘Looking Back’ they should think back over the last couple of years and write down things they wish to thank God for. On ‘Looking Forward’ they should write the things that they wish to see happen in their own lives, for someone else, or in the culture around them over the next year.

Use one of the following ways to pray together.

1. All stand in a group facing the same way, with the ‘Looking Back’ paper in front of you. All pray together, out loud, thanking God for what you can see written on the paper. Continue until everyone falls silent! Then all turn and face in the other direction, with the ‘Looking Forward’ paper in front of you. All pray together out loud again for what you can see written on the sheet. (You may find some music may help the group to pray more loudly!)

2. All sit round the ‘Looking Back’ paper and take it in turns to go round the circle and pray out loud for whatever you read on the paper (you don’t have to pray only for what you wrote down!). Then repeat this with the ‘Looking Forward’ paper in front of you.

Witness The ALOVE theme for this year is encouraging us to take all that we have learned about ourselves and about God over the past two years out into the culture in which we live. As you go about your daily activities this week keep your eyes open to see God at work in the world. Where can you see Jesus in your homes, community and church? Be ready to share your discoveries next week!

Ask people to come prepared next week to share about their most inspirational Bible character. See below and give out the following questions to help guide their preparation:

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celloutlines | week one (continued...)

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celloutlines | week two These Cell Outlines are written by ALOVE UK. They are available each week from our web site. For more information and other cell resources, visit www.salvationarmy.org.uk/alove/resources

lives in the bible You will need • Pens/paper • Flipchart paper • Material for creative drawing • Cards for the ‘Famous quotes’ quiz

Welcome Prepare two sets of cards, one with famous inspirational quotes on and one with the names of the famous people who have said them. (See examples attached at the end.) The game is for your group to match up the quote cards with the correct person.

If you think this is too difficult for your group, try the following webpage for some quizzes on Bible quotes. These are simple ‘fill in the blanks’ quizzes of well-known inspirational Bible verses.

Christian Bible Reference Site: www.twopaths.com/biblequizzes.html

Word Take some time for everyone to share about their biblical character. You can structure this section as you wish, in whatever way is most suitable for your group. It would be a good idea, though, to have someone writing down some notes on flipchart paper of what each person shares as a reminder that you can refer back to later. Be prepared with your own biblical character(s) in case no one in the group turns up with anything to share!

After everyone has shared, by way of summary, consider the following questions together:

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• What do the stories of these inspirational Bible characters tell us about:

who we are?

where God is working?

what we could become?

Worship Ask people to think about one way that someone else’s Bible character has inspired them today. Put on some reflective music and allow people some time to draw a picture, write a prayer or poem about how they have been inspired. Use these creative pieces in a time of prayer together.

Witness Feedback from last week: Last week group members were asked to consider during the week where they have seen God at work continued over >>>

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JNAUARY 2011

celloutlines | week two (continued...) in the world. Where have they seen Jesus in their homes, community and church? Take some time to discuss what people have discovered and then think about the following two things: • How can I ‘point out Jesus’ to those around me?

• How can I get involved in where God is already at work?

For next week Ask group members to come prepared next week to share about one project – local, national or international – where The Salvation Army is involved in mission or social action. How do you see God at work in these projects? If they have had a personal involvement in such a project, then so much the better!

Famous Inspirational Quotes!

‘The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.’

Franklin D Roosevelt ‘Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country.’

John F. Kennedy ‘We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.’

Albert Einstein ‘How can I go forward, when I don’t know which way I’m facing?’

John Lennon ‘You can fool some of the people all of the time and all of the people some of the time, but you can’t fool all of the people all of the time.’

Abraham Lincoln

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‘I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with sense, reason, and intellect has intended us to forgo their use.’

Galileo ‘I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord.’

John the Baptist ‘Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.’

Jesus ‘Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.’

Martin Luther King ‘All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players.’

Shakespeare ‘It is impossible to rightly govern a nation without God and the Bible.’

George Washington

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JNAUARY 2011

celloutlines | week three These Cell Outlines are written by ALOVE UK. They are available each week from our web site. For more information and other cell resources, visit www.salvationarmy.org.uk/alove/resources

lives in the salvation army You will need • Paper/pens • Resources for setting up three stations as described • Laptop or some way of showing the ALOVE promo video on YouTube • Background music would be good!

Welcome Play the group the speech by William Booth from The Salvation Army’s Heritage Centre website, resources section, entitled ‘While Women Weep’. If you can, play this without any introduction (and without letting the group see the first bit with William Booth’s name on it!) and see if the group can guess who it is that is talking! (NB the words are voiced by an actor.) http://www1.salvationarmy.org.uk/uki/www_uki_ihc.nsf/vw-dynamic-index/C6538B3ACBF3E1D580257 3140047F0CA?openDocument

Word, Worship and Witness!

If you have space in the room in which you are meeting, set up your own ‘heritage trail’! Create three stations entitled: ‘Who we are’; ‘Where God is working’ and ‘What we could become’. Be as creative as you can be in dressing these stations, eg, SA uniforms, photos of group members, emblems, pictures, SA music etc.

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Start in the middle of the room and read the following extract from the ALOVE 2011 Theme Introduction and the definition of the word ‘heritage’. (Perhaps print out the definition on small cards and give to each person to carry with them.)

LIVES (pronounced ‘Lyves’) This word is about who we are. Our identity, our lifestyle and our story. It’s also about our history and heritage. What The Salvation Army was, has been and is around the world…

Definition of ‘Heritage’ from the World English Dictionary 1. something inherited at birth, such as personal characteristics, status, and possessions 2. anything that has been transmitted from the past or handed down by tradition 3. the evidence of the past, such as historical sites, buildings, and the unspoilt natural environment, considered collectively as the inheritance of present-day society 4. something that is reserved for a particular person or group or the outcome of an action, way of life, etc: the sea was their heritage; the heritage of violence 5. law, any property, especially land, that by law has descended or may descend to an heir continued over >>>

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celloutlines | week three (continued...)

6. Bible: a. the Israelites regarded as belonging inalienably to God b. the land of Canaan regarded as God’s gift to the Israelites

Who we are Move to the first station and proceed with the following: Read the following description of The Salvation Army taken from the Wikipedia website (or you could create it into a PowerPoint presentation to watch on a laptop), then discuss the questions given below.

The Salvation Army was founded in 1865 in the United Kingdom by William and Catherine Booth and was first known as the East London Christian Mission. As of 2010 The Salvation Army operates in 122 countries and provides services in 175 different languages. Its claimed membership (as quoted from 2010 ‘Year Book’) includes 16,938 active and 9,190 retired officers, 1,122,326 soldiers, 189,176 adherents, 39,071 corps cadets, 378,009 junior soldiers, around 104,977 other employees and more than 4.5 million volunteers.

The uniform takes many forms internationally but is characterised by the ‘S’ insignia for ‘Salvation’ and carries the meaning ‘Saved to Serve’ or ‘Saved to Save’. William Booth described the organisation’s approach: ‘The three “S’s” best expressed the way in which the Army administered to the “down and outs”: first, soup; second, soap; and finally, salvation.’

The Salvation Army is one of the world’s largest providers of social aid. In the United Kingdom, The Salvation Army is the largest non-governmental provider of social services.

The Salvation Army is a non-governmental relief agency and is usually among the first to arrive with help after natural or man-made disasters. They have worked to alleviate suffering and help people rebuild their lives. After the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004, they arrived immediately at some of the worst disaster sites to help retrieve and bury the dead. The Salvation Army was one of the first relief agencies on the scene of the 9/11 attacks in New York. They also provided prayer support for families of missing people.

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How do you feel to be part of a movement of people that: • has been serving God and communities for nearly 150 years?

• is spread over 122 countries of the world?

• consists of over 23 million people ?

• is the largest non-governmental provider of social services / aid in the UK? • is a major relief agency serving after disasters all over the world?

What heritage do you see for yourself as an individual – and for young people as a whole – in The Salvation Army? (Refer back to the definition of heritage if it helps!)

Ask the group members to draw a family tree to represents their thoughts / answers to the above questions and then pin the drawings up at this station.

Stop and pray – thank God for your history and heritage in The Salvation Army.

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JNAUARY 2011

celloutlines | week three (continued...)

Where God is working Move to the second station and proceed with the following: Ask the group: Do you know the mission statement of The Salvation Army? Can you summarise the vision of The Salvation Army? Brainstorm some ideas on flipchart paper and then as a group try to write a couple of sentences to encompass all that The Salvation Army seeks to do and be.

Then read the following mission and vision statements of The Salvation Army in the UK and Ireland and compare how close you got! (Perhaps print these statements on large pieces of paper but keep them hidden at the station until the point where you need to reveal them.)

Mission Statement Called to be disciples of Jesus Christ, The Salvation Army United Kingdom Territory with the Republic of Ireland exists to save souls, grow saints, and serve suffering humanity Vision Statement As disciples of Jesus Christ, we will be a Spirit-filled, radical growing movement with a burning desire to lead people into a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, actively serve the community, and fight for social justice Ask group members to share about one local, national or international project (as requested last week) where The Salvation Army is involved in mission or social action. Allow time for discussion that includes these questions: • How do you see God at work in these projects?

• How do these projects outwork the mission / vision statements as above?

• What passion/vision does each individual have to be involved in a project (run by the SA or otherwise) that outworks some part of the SA mission / vision statements?

Stop and pray – commit yourself to being part of the vision/mission.

What we could become

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Move to the third station and proceed with the following: Watch the following video; read the quotes; then discuss the questions given below.

Watch the ALOVE promo video, made in 2008 but still very relevant today! http://www.youtube.com/aloveuk?gl=GB&hl=en-GB#p/u/4/BYjKP7HhCLE ALOVE UK is The Salvation Army for a new generation – an expression of The Salvation Army for young people and young adults. ALOVE’s mission statement is ‘Calling a generation to dynamic faith, radical lifestyle, adventurous mission and a fight for justice’. The four essentials of ALOVE are worship, discipleship, missions, and social action.

ALOVE is for young people and young adults. They are the new generation of The Salvation Army for a new generation. It’s down to them to reinvent the Movement within their culture; to be Williams and Catherines for the 21st century.

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• What does ‘The Salvation Army for a new generation’ mean and what does it / could it / should it look like? Dream as big as you like!

• Discuss some creative ways that you – as an individual and as a group – can work together with ALOVE UK in 2011 in ensuring that The Salvation Army for a new generation is living out dynamic faith, radical lifestyle, adventurous mission and a fight for justice.

Email your ideas to ALOVE or post on the Facebook page (ALOVE UK - http://www.facebook. com/#!/pages/Alove-UK/120184218036083) • Just for fun have a go at designing a new clothing range for ALOVE: The Salvation Army for a New Generation – incorporating as many aspects of your heritage in the SA into your design, eg, emblems, colours etc. Send into ALOVE UK – you never know, your design could become the next hoodie / T-shirt printed by ALOVE! Stop and pray – YOU ARE THE SALVATION ARMY FOR A NEW GENERATION…for YOUR generation!!

Be loud and proud!

For next week Find or create a picture that shows Jesus in your home, community or today’s culture. Be prepared to share your picture next week and explain what you see!

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celloutlines | week four These Cell Outlines are written by ALOVE UK. They are available each week from our web site. For more information and other cell resources, visit www.salvationarmy.org.uk/alove/resources

lives in culture You will need • Magazines / newspapers, coloured pens, spray paints, scissors, glue etc to make a collage • Copies of the ‘I see no evidence of God’ – attached below • Copies of the ‘subcultures’ quiz

Welcome Ask the group to have a go at the attached quiz, matching up different subcultures with their descriptions.

Word, Worship and Witness!

Read the following extract from the ALOVE 2011 Theme Introduction

LIVES (pronounced ‘Livs’) This word is about where we are. It’s a chance to explore culture and start to explore what it truly means ‘to find and point out Jesus’ in the world. It’s also about how we live as disciples, missionaries and social activists.

Who we are Get hold of a load of magazines/newspapers, coloured pens, spray paints, scissors and glue and get creative. Make a large collage representing the best and worst of today’s youth culture, using pictures, words, colour, shapes etc!

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Also, read the following Bible Passage taken from The Message translation.

So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognise what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. (Romans 12:1-3) As you are making the collage (or afterwards) discuss the following questions: • What aspects can you identify in youth culture or youth attitudes today that are the same as those in the generation above you? What would you identify as different?

• What aspects can you identify in the Salvation Army youth culture or youth attitudes today that are the same as those in the generation above you? What would you identify as different?

• Are these differences good or bad or neither?

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• What things would you say that you, as an individual, are involved in that are – very typical of youth culture?

– very untypical of youth culture?

• Are there any areas that you feel you have become so well-adjusted to in today’s culture that you ‘fit in without even thinking about it’?

• How do you place your everyday life – lived out in our culture – before God as an offering? How can you keep your attention fixed on God whilst living ‘your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walkingaround life.’?

Stop and pray – thank God for the energy, creativity, passion, choices and fun of youth culture today, and apologise for the excesses and idols.

Where God is working Read the following quote describing the ALOVE essential of mission and Philippians 2:14-16 (given below in The Message).

God is out there longing for people to come home and will go to just about any end to be reconciled to them. For ALOVE, mission is helping others see this longing through our thoughts, words and actions. It’s showing people just how much God already cares for them and is just waiting for reconciliation. It’s helping other people see what God is already doing in the world and discovering him in their own lives.

Go out into the world uncorrupted, a breath of fresh air in this squalid and polluted society.

Provide people with a glimpse of good living and of the living God. Carry the light-giving Message into the night...

Give everyone a copy of the picture ‘I see no evidence of God’ – attached below – and allow time for people to discuss it.

Then ask everyone to share the picture they have brought with them (as requested last week) and discuss.

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Use all or some of the following questions in your discussion: • What do you understand by the phrase ‘go out into the world to find and point out Jesus’?

• In what ways do you /can you ‘provide people with a glimpse of good living and of the living God’?

• What would it look like for you to do the above – ‘to be a breath of fresh air’: – at school/college/work?

– in your leisure activities?

– with your family?

– in your local community?

– at church?

• Can you identify a person, or group of people, who would be receptive to ‘discovering God in their own lives’, and if so, how could you point out Jesus to them?

Stop and pray – ask God for open eyes to see him at work in the world around you. continued over >>>

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What we could become Look back at the large collage that you made of the best and worst of youth culture. Think about where a ‘disciple’, ‘missionary’ and ‘social activist’ would be at work in youth culture as you see it represented on your picture. You can scribble on your collage D, M or SA as you discuss.

Write a job description for each of these roles as you see them being outworked in our 21st-century culture.

Pick one or two elements of these job descriptions to form a New Year resolution for yourself this year: eg, something or someone you aspire to become, a personality trait you wish to develop, an activity you desire to get involved in.

Stop and pray – offer up your New Year resolutions to God. Commit to your ‘lives’ becoming a reflection of our God who ‘lives’ in 2011!

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continued over >>>

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The painting shows that there is evidence of God in absolutely everything and that all we need to do to see it, is to open our eyes.

Inayah, age 15

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www.schoolswork.co.uk

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Subcultures Past and Present Match up the descriptions with the following names (answers below!)

Hippies, Skinheads, New Agers, Mods, Ravers, Rockers, Hip Hoppers, Punks, Goths.

Members of this subculture that started in the late 1960s are characterised by very short cropped hair, combat boots, braces and a dislike of the ruling classes.

This subculture is characterised by secrecy and mobility. Its members are into techno music and synthetic drugs and hold (spontaneous) all-night dance parties in places like abandoned warehouses.

Members of this subculture lead a particular kind of lifestyle marked by several of the following: long hair (particularly in men); clothes having bright colours or certain unusual styles; performing music casually; communal living; using recreational drugs, but not usually hard drugs.

Members of this subculture lived for the present, and had a mean, ‘bad boy’ image. They enjoyed rock ‘n roll and their style consisted of jeans, boots and leather jackets with studs. They were anti-authority, hated fashion, hung out in greasy cafes and rode Triumph or Norton motorcycles.

Members of this subculture were into the anti-establishment musical movement of the late 1970s. Also important was the associated culture, the fashion, revolving around Mohican haircuts, body piercing (often with safety pins) and conversion of items such as bin liners into clothing.

The girls had a boyish image, with darkened eyes and short hair. The boys dressed in suits, neat narrow trousers and pointed shoes. They owned Italian scooters made by Vespa and Lambretta, and listened to a variety of music: American and British, anything ‘pop’ that wasn’t rock ’n roll.

Members of this subculture are characterised by black clothes, black hair dye, death, darkness, depression, heavy makeup, silver jewellery and horror.

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This subculture began amongst urban (primarily, but not entirely, African-American) youth in the United States, but has since spread around the world. Its four main elements are: MC-ing (rapping), DJ-ing (mixing, cutting and scratching), graffiti and breakdancing.

This subculture is a broad movement characterised by alternative approaches to traditional Western culture. It is particularly concerned with spiritual exploration, holistic medicine and mysticism. http://www.learnenglish.org.uk/drag_n_drop_games/files/subcultures.html Answers: Skinheads Ravers Hippies Rockers Punks Mods Goths Hip Hoppers New Agers

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