may 2012
celloutlines | overview
Boundless Salvation Continuing with the theme of the early Salvation Army we will take a look at mission opportunities that people are pioneering today and challenge our young people to be missionaries to their generation.
For Leaders: Please adapt and adjust this material to suit your group. You know them best, so you will know which bits they are likely to engage with best. Things you may need this month: 1. A large map of your village / town / city 2. H2P4 My Community resource (available from ALOVE) 3. A way to watch YouTube and DVDs 4. Newspapers, including International News 5. Gingerbread people and decorations (smarties, icing etc) 6. Pens, paper and the usual gubbins
Introduction In 1893 William Booth penned the words of Boundless Salvation especially for the ‘Boundless Salvation Campaign’ held at Exeter Hall in London. The song describes how a wave of salvation, seemingly boundless rushed over the founder. In reality William Booth was watching that wave cross the globe. The Salvation Army, by the time he wrote the song, was already in at work 23 countries spreading all the continents and was expanding very quickly, not only in the countries it worked in, but also in the type of mission it was involved in.
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Mission is something we talk a lot about as Christians: Particularly within The Salvation Army where mission is a frequently use word. This month’s cell material is going to look at some of the mission that is happening around the United Kingdom. These stories can inspire us; they teach us and often they challenge us. As we look at three types of mission we will get closer and closer to finding out how we ourselves are called to mission. In the final week we will consider this more closely, how can we be missionaries to our generation?
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may 2012
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
Community Mission Welcome Play: “Do you Love Your Neighbour?” (Instructions at the end) 5 – 15mins Take a large map of the area you live (An OS Map is ideal if you have one, but alternatively printed out and sellotaped together, or drawn with chalk on the floor (if you have time) or projected onto paper is fine. Ask each member to come and draw around the area they consider their neighbourhood / community. Ask them to think about which local shop they go to, where they go to school or work, where they go out etc. Try and make sure each person uses a different colour. Leave the map visible for the rest of the evening.
Worship Watch: ‘Change the World’ by Dan Stevers (found at…www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXR_qQ3C6BU) Ask: This is quite a powerful video; but how many of us feel like we are living an ‘extraordinary life’? How many of us feel like we ‘change the world’? Discuss: Are you ever frustrated by news or situations that you wish you could change? What are they? (It may be helpful to have some recent national newspapers open at the International News pages, if you find there are not many suggestions then encourage your group to look through those pages) Discuss: Make a list of reasons why your group feels they cannot impact these situations. (Things like money, age, knowing what to do, training, time etc). Hold on to this list.
Word Read: Acts 1:8 and Acts 2: 41-47
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From these two readings we learn something important about our mission as Christians, and what Boundless Salvation is about. Ask: Where is it (Acts 1:8) that Jesus sends the apostles to first, which place is first on the list? Jerusalem Why? Jerusalem was the apostle’s neighbourhood. Look back at the map you draw on at the beginning. The areas you have drawn around are your Jerusalem. Jesus calls you to change these places first. What about changing the world? Apparently the average person is connected to anyone else in the world by just 8 relationships. So you are connected to Margaret Banda who lives in Malawi by 8 relationships. So your friend’s mum’s doctor knows a guy who used to live next door to the woman who worked with the other lady who’s nephew is friends with Margaret Banda: So if you have an influence on your friend, it can eventually have influence Margaret, and she can have an influence you. Now rip up the list you made of reasons you can’t change the world. Ask: What do you think is meant by ‘the Lord’s followers’? (It may be a different phrase in different translations: Possibly The Fellowship of Believers or just the Believers) The FIRST Church. Discuss: Does this sound like normal church? Discuss the first churches characteristics. This Church sounds quite incredible really: Each member had invested completely into it (v.45), they were a tight continued over >>>
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may 2012
celloutlines | week one (continued...) community (v.42) that welcomed in new people (v.47), they were happy and free (v.46) and everyone liked them (v.47). If this was the first Church, then every church should be based on this. This is quite a radical idea, but each group of Christians should emulate as many as these characteristics as possible. Imagine the impact on the world if every church embodied all of these characteristics? We are each responsible for ensuring our own does.
Witness ALOVE has produced resources to help you start the process of impacting your community: it starts with prayer. Get hold of the H2P4 My Community (Issue 5) resource and organise a prayer night / evening / morning to go through some of the ideas in it. It’s an active guide that will get you outside your building and into your community, but is quite do-able for a youth group (or a whole church, don’t be afraid to invite the oldies, but make sure you’re the ones who lead and organise it). Remember, it only STARTS with prayer; over the next 3 weeks we will look at how it carries on in new and exciting ways.
Helpful Quote: “You are not longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of His household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the chief cornerstone. In Him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in Him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by His Spirit.”
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Ephesians 2:19-22
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may 2012
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
Social Action Mission Social Justice: the idea of creating an egalitarian society or institution that is based on the principles of equality and solidarity, that understands and values human rights, and that recognizes the dignity of every human being.
Social Exclusion: a complex process of progressive social rupture, detaching groups and individuals from social relations and institutions and preventing them from full participation in the normal activities of the society in which they live
Welcome Play: The Sign Game (Instructions at the end) Ask: (Someone who has been in the middle for a while) How did it feel to be excluded, unsure of what was happening around you and unable to join in? Social Justice is something the church has been involved in for thousands of years. In fact, even before the church people of faith were intensely fighting for social justice; don’t believe me, read the Old Testament in original Hebrew and count how many times it uses the words tzedakah or mishpat: They are normally translated as right and just – but essentially add up to social justice. William Booth’s vision for social justice rightly focussed on the poor and marginalised, that is why The Salvation Army in the UK has a good reputation for working with those considered ‘Socially Excluded’.
Worship Watch / Sing: God of Justice (found at: www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TCh31xg4vA)
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Word Ask: What do you know about homelessness and what the Salvation Army does in response? A few years ago the Army undertook a large bit of research and created a report that shifted the thinking of many about homelessness and social exclusion. The report was called ‘The Seeds of Exclusion’ and is worth reading if you are interested. It highlighted that social exclusion was not a simple problem of people being unable to find accommodation. It highlighted the misconception that everyone suffering from social exclusion was an older male with an alcohol dependency. Example: Recently I visited Cardiff to look at three of The Salvation Army’s centres: Ty Gobaith, Crichton House and Northlands. These three centres are very different to each other, but work together incredibly effectively. Ty Gobaith is the largest and is much much more than a hostel. It runs an award winning programme for drug users called the Bridge Programme. One programme participant says: “The programme has definitely changed my life and turned it around, without it I don’t know where I would be right now, it gave me my confidence and health back”. Ty Gobaith also runs a Skills Development programme, asking participants what they would like to do: from catering to decoration participants can equip themselves with skills to re-engage with society: Ending their Social Exclusion. continued over >>>
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may 2012
celloutlines | week two (continued...) Crichton House is a Tenancy Support Centre. The staff their visit a large list of people, helping them with the tasks involved in keeping a roof over their head, which can be very complex when poverty, substance misuse, disabilities and legal issues are involved. The staff are dedicated and supportive, helping those that would struggle to maintain their situation. Often the people they support began their journey away from social exclusion at Ty Gobaith. Northlands is a centre for 16 – 25 year olds. Similar to Ty Gobaith it runs many courses to educate and equip participants to enter the work, to maintain tenancies and to put substance misuse behind them. Keep these three centres and their staff in your prayers. All three are at the cutting edge of services designed to curb social exclusion, pioneering the work that Jesus called the church to do. Read: Matthew 25: 35-45 Ask: Did you know about the work Salvation Army centres do before tonight? Discuss: Has it changed any of your ideas about homelessness? About The Salvation Army?
Witness Salvation Army centres rely on donations for a lot of their work. Why not find out which centre is nearest to you and see if there is anything they would like specifically. It may be something as simple as a new sofa or tv as these can become damaged quickly. As a group, or as a whole church, why not do some fund-raising to show your support for your local centre. Also, find out more about what the Army is doing. It may inspire you. Sending an encouraging email or card to the staff would also be a good way of establishing a supporting relationship between your church / group and what is happening at the centre.
Helpful Quote: “Agents of transformation are people willing to come alongside those with needs to educate and empower them. This will transform hearts, minds, lives and communities”
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Richard Starcher
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may 2012
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
Intercultural Mission Welcome We’re all different: Looking around your group that should be clear. Draw up a list of random categories / questions: eg. hair colour, primary school attended, favourite food. Come up with a list of about 30 and each person should write them down and answer them. Then each person has to find who they have the most in common with. Once everyone is in a pair talk a bit about how hard it was, and how few things people had in common. And yet here you all are, in one group!
Worship Watch / Sing: God of this City (by Chris Tomlin). There are many versions on youtube so try and find where the video uses a city near to where you are, or one you can easily sing along to. Why not use local newspapers, as the music plays, to create a collage of your community; people, buildings, words. Keep this visible through the evening.
Word Example: Stepney Salvation Army Part 6 (found out…www.youtube.com/watch?v=573VpYUqVTg or available on Link 41) Discuss: What stood out to you in the video? Surprised you? Discuss: What did you think about The Salvation Army in Stepney? Read: Luke 10: 25-37 Discuss: Is this story a familiar one? What do you already know about it?
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Discuss: What does this passage teach us about neighbours? What does it link to in the video about Stepney Salvation Army?
Witness In the Stepney video you saw an initiative the church does called Good Neighbours. One Sunday a month, instead of having a conventional service / meeting, the congregation visit someone in the local community who needs help. They do gardens, paint living rooms, pick up litter. By doing this they show just how serious they are, as a church, to show love to their neighbours. Hopefully you can see how this ties in with what we looked at last week and the week before. So, this week’s witness…why not start doing (or rather, being) Good Neighbours. Find out what needs to be done in your community: It could be cleaning graffiti, picking up litter, helping someone with their garden. Then, go and do it.
Helpful Quote: “You must be the change you want to see in the world” Ghandi
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may 2012
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
Your Mission…should you choose to accept it Welcome Create a gingerbread version of yourself. These can be pre-bought or if you have time with your group make these together. Put each gingerbread person onto a sheet of paper and ask the group to write what makes them them around the edge. Go around the group and ask them to explain. There will probably be a variety of superficial and deeper thoughts, encourage the group to be honest. Reassure them. Keep the gingerbread people in sight of the group.
Word Isaiah had seen a lot in his life. He had seen Israel in catastrophe, disaster after disaster. All because they were a mess as a community and were losing sight of what God had taught them about themselves as humans, and as a people. As a book it is full of imagery and complicated symbolism, however, it is also one of the most quoted Old Testament books. Read: Isaiah 6: 8 – 13 Just to catch you up with where the story is, things are really bad in Israel; critical. Discuss: In verse 8, Isaiah volunteers to go, where do you think he is going? (to speak on behalf of God to Israel, his community) Discuss: What is he going to do? (Deliver a difficult but important message) Discuss: Going to our community, our school or even our group of friends, with a message about God is can be really difficult. What would you feel in Isaiah’s position? Would you have volunteered?
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Discuss: God’s call! What do you think when you hear this? (These may be positive or negative, allow the group to be honest. If I’m honest, as soon as I hear it in a meeting switch off because what seemed to follow when I was younger was a guilt trip about going to training college. If your group is quiet suggest things like: Missionary to a developing world, Officership etc? Try and get a mix of positive and negative reactions) The reality is that God does call us. But calling goes beyond what job you’re going to do. Each of us is called to be a disciple, to follow Jesus. What God really wants is for us to be a disciple with integrity, to live out what being a Christian means in the world. So, nurses, teachers, librarians, shop assistants, mechanics, decorators, Officers, youth workers, bus drivers – whatever it is: Do it as a Christian, as a disciple with integrity. We are all called to be missionaries to our generations, to our communities. Hopefully as we have looked this month at how mission starts on our doorstep, in our community: How mission is about social action, about making the church look like the first church in Acts: How mission changes, new mission techniques and tools help us reach out in new ways to meet people. Hopefully as we have looked at the Army’s examples of pioneering mission you will have been challenged, encouraged, excited and inspired: But most of all, I hope you have begun to hear God’s call, to whatever it is you are going to do to change the world.
Worship Sing: ‘With All I am’ (Hillsong, found at:.. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZYPfYe77PA) (You will need the map from 2 weeks ago) Before the group starts cut out little figures, like gingerbread men continued over >>>
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(alternatively tear these out as part of the worship). As the song plays, as a response to the whole month’s material, stick your figures to your community as a sign of your commitment to mission there.
Witness Create a pledge card (example / template below) and as a group fill these out. Make your commitments to mission public, that way you will be accountable for them and will be more likely to follow through with them. Talk to your church leaders about how you can be involved in the churches mission. Don’t be afraid to either, a good church leader will be excited to hear your ideas. Keep following Jesus!
Helpful Quote: “What I believe is not what I say I believe; what I believe is what I do” Donald Miller
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may 2012
celloutlines | week four (continued...)
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may 2012
Books for anyone interested: Irresistible Revolution Shane Claiborne In His Image Andy Matheson The Poverty and Justice Bible The Bible Society Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger Ronald J. Sider More than Eyes Can See Rhidian Brook Community in Mission Phil Needham
Game Instructions: Do you love your neighbour? • Sit the group in a circle. • Stand one member of the group in the centre of the circle, and ask one person in the group “Do you love your neighbour.” • The person you ask can give either of two possible responses: 1) “Yes, I love my neighbour” and then the 2 people on his/her right and left must switch seats. OR 2) They can say “Yes, I love everyone who...” has brown hair, is wearing blue, has been water skiing, name starts with K...etc • Everyone who meets the characteristic has to get up and change seats to a new seat. • While people are changing seats the person in the centre of the circle tries to grab one of the empty chairs. • Whoever is left without a seat repeats the process of asking someone in the circle “Do You Love Your Neighbour?”
The Sign Game • Stand in a circle. Each person must choose an action that is theirs. So person A might rub their stomach, person B may tap their foot, player C may scratch their nose etc. (The more subtle, the easier, but also less fun as its less challenging)
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• Once everyone has chosen and demonstrated their action, pick one person to stand in the middle. • The point of the game is to pass the sign without getting caught. So is player B (in the circle) starts by tapping their foot and then scratches their nose to pass to player C who scratches their nose first, then passes the action to player A by rubbing their stomach etc. • The person in the middle must point to where the action is before it is passed. As soon as player C has rubbed their stomach, the action has been passed to player A. • If / When the player in the middle points to the action before it is passed then the person caught replaces them in the middle • If a player in the circle does the action of the person in the middle they go into the middle.
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may 2012 celloutlines
Pledge Card
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