Youth Fellowship Program Outline
Journey, Session II: Pack Your Bags
Southminster Presbyterian Church, Vestavia Hills, AL
Schedule:
4:45pm-5:00pm: Set Up (Adults—please try to arrive no later than 4:55pm)
5:00pm-5:20pm: Youth begin gathering; “Pack Your Bag”
5:20pm-5:40pm: “Lost at Sea” Survival Scenario Case Study
5:40pm-6:00pm: Bible Study on Jesus’ Traveling Instructions
6:00pm-6:15pm: “Re-Pack Your Bag”
6:15pm-6:30: Closing Prayer, Thank-You/Help US
6:30-7:00: Dinner!
7:00-7:15pm: Clean Up
Overview and Purpose of Tonight Session:
This year our “Faith Shaping” nights will focus on the theme of “Journey.” The intention will be to engage young people to both reflect on Jesus’ journey of faith and think about their journey as they seek to follow Christ.
Last time we talked about Faith Journey by introducing introduced the concept of starting points—knowing where we are helps us know how and where we want to go.
Now we turn to looking at what helps us make our journey—the essential things we take with us: what we want for the trip and what we’ll need when we arrive.
It’s almost a universal experience on a long car ride or plane trip, for a person to have a back pack or carry-on bag with them. The question we’ll propose tonight then is: what parallels might there exist among instructions from Jesus about traveling, spiritual practices that help us develop our faith, and an i-pod and set of headphones?
By the end of our time together participants will reflect on how we decide what is essential and what is not; will describe some “essentials” Jesus packed for his journey, will consider what faithful attitudes and practices are essential for their journey of faith following Christ.
Session Outline Detail:
5:00-5:20 As people arrive, they’ll receive a sheet with the following instructions:
Chances are you have been on a trip of some sort before. And so you know besides the big luggage, almost every trip also calls for a “backpack” (or some other bag) in which you can keep the essentials with you. The snacks. The i-pod and headphones. Cell phone charger. Towel. A book. A cap. Flashlight. Water Bottle. Sunglasses. Maybe (if it’s a church trip at least) even a …Bible?
Imagine for a minute that you are going on a trip you’ve always wanted to take. Maybe out west. Maybe hiking the Appalachian Trail. Maybe sailing in the Southern Hemisphere. Maybe visiting a whole new continent—Europe, Australia, whatever floats your boat.
In the backpack below, draw or write what things would go into your back pack for such a trip. What would be the essentials you would want to have close at hand, for the journey as well as the destination (especially if the airlines misplace your big luggage!)
At 5:10 or so, we’ll stop to share what we did. We’ll transition to the next part by saying something like:
This is our second session on the theme of Journey. Last time we talked about the location we were starting from and the hope about where we want to go. Tonight we begin talking about how we’ll get there by paying attention to what we take with us—by what is in our backpack.
Usually what’s in our back pack are the essentials, but sometimes it can be difficult to figure out what the essentials are. This next activity will help us think about essentials in a new way.
5:20-5:40 Lost at Sea:
We’ll break up into two groups—each person will receive a copy of this scenario:
You are adrift on a private yacht in the South Pacific. As a consequence of a fire of unknown origin, much of the yacht and its contents have been destroyed. The yacht had all navigational equipment destroyed while you and the crew were trying to bring the fire under control. Your best estimate is that you are approximately one thousand miles south/southwest of the nearest land.
Below is a list of fifteen items that are intact and undamaged after the fire. In addition to these articles, you have a serviceable rubber life raft with oars large enough to carry yourself, the crew, and all the items listed below. The total contents of all survivors’ pockets are a package of cigarettes, several books of matches, and five one-dollar bills.
Your task is to rank the 15 items below in terms of their importance to your survival, with 1 as most important and 15 as least important. You will do this as part of a group.
When in a group:
- View differences of opinion as a help rather than a hindrance in decision-making.
- When a disagreement does arise, try to reach a decision everyone can live with.
- Consider ranking the top 3 and bottom 3 before ranking the vast middle.
Your Items:
- Sextant navigational (instrument to measure one’s latitude)
- Small transistor radio
- Shaving mirror
- Shark repellent
- 5 gallon can of water
- 20 sq.ft. of opaque plastic
- Mosquito netting
- 1 case of rations
- Maps of the area
- Seat cushion (flotation device)
- 2 gallon can of oil/gas mixture
- 1 quart of 160 proof rum
- 15 ft. of nylon rope
- 2 boxes of chocolate bars
- Fishing kit
After 10 minutes we’ll come back together, share rankings and find out the “correct” answers and debrief a bit. The point to make is that figuring out essentials is tied closely to figuring out priorities—and that oftentimes the simple is much more useful than the glamourous.
5:40-5:55: Bible Study on Mark 6:6b-13
As a large group we’ll read Mark 6:6b-13 and discuss the following questions:
Text background: These are instructions Jesus gives near the beginning of his ministry to his closest disciples as well as other followers as they prepare to go out and share the gospel with others.
Read Mark 6:6b-13 twice
Discuss the following questions:
- What does Jesus tell the disciples to take on their journey?
- What surprises or stands out to you about that?
- What purposes did the things Jesus said to take have?
- What sorts of things would you think a disciple of Jesus needs for the journey today?
5:55-6:15: Re-Pack Your Bag
We’ll share our responses to the text.
We’ll then make a back-back for Jesus—imagining from his instructions what he might have taken with him on the journey.
Next we’ll revisit our back packs from the beginning. Each person will be asked to consider what else they need in their backpack for the journey of faith. They can add those words or drawings to the back pack they already made. (A list of examples is provided) As a closing for this time, everyone will share one essential they added and then tape their back pack to the wall.
6:15-6:30: Closing Prayer:
Someone will say: As we continue this journey together we’ll have another time of prayer where we share Thank-Yous/Help-Us . After sharing prayer requests, we’ll go around with everyone saying out loud or silently a prayer of thanks and a prayer for God’s help.
Journey:
Pack Your Bags
Imagine for a minute that you are going on a trip you’ve always wanted to take. Maybe out west. Maybe hiking the Appalachian Trail. Maybe sailing in the Southern Hemisphere. Maybe visiting a whole new continent—Europe, Australia, whatever floats your boat.
In the back pack below, draw or write what things would go into your back pack for such a trip. What would be the essentials you’d want to have close at hand, for the journey as well as the destination (especially if the airlines misplace your big luggage!) Cut the bag out after you are finished!
Journey:
Some Possible Essentials
The Bible: For to read and be comforted and challenged by words God spoke long ago and still speaks today; words that have meaning for us because they tell us about who God is; who we are; how God acts; and what God expects of us.
Prayer: Talking with and listening for God gives us new ways of looking at the world by giving props to God, reminding us of the things God has done for us, and helping us see how we still need God’s help.
Worship: Gathering with a community of folks to offer praise to God, to be nurtured for the journey of faith by songs, prayers, readings, and sacraments (communion and baptism).
Daily Devotion: Try out d365.org—it’s a free app on Apple devices! You can also find it on-line. This daily devotional combines a number of practices on this list.
Service to others: Fulfilling God’s command to care for the least of these and to put others before ourselves; opportunities to see God in ways that are surprising and inspiring
Inviting the Outsider: Sharing God’s love with others by including someone new, inviting them to sit with and spend time with you; can also be having courage to continue to try and engage with those whom you feel leave you out at times—risking again to get to know them on a deeper level.
Unplugged Time: Time spent away from media—no tv, i-pod, internet, cell phone, (calling or texting); purpose is to get away from outside things for a while and focus on what is going on inside you and around you—the joys and trials you need God’s help with.
Journaling: Simply writing your thoughts about the day down. Include questions, random thoughts, prayers, anything you want that helps remind you of how you saw God during the day.
Creative Expression: Singing, dancing, drawing, building, doing anything that allows you to make something new. Can remind you of the creative power God gave us and an act of worship.
Self-denial: The practice of refusing something you really want. Can range from not having to buy the newest whatever, to fasting, to giving yourself an extended time-out from normal parts of your routine. This self-denial can help you realize new truths about yourself and make you more conscious of your dependence on God rather than on material things.
Forgiveness: Receiving and offering mercy for wrongs done. Involves forgiving others and even self. In some cases, it might mean going up to someone and saying something like: “I did ____and I am sorry for that hurting you” or “What you did really hurt me, but I have forgiven you—let’s start over.” Might also mean letting go of grudges or things that annoy you that others have done.