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GETTING SERIOUS
Start the session really seriously – just be straight faced and encourage the group to sit down with no talking. Then, ask them to all put their phones or any mobile devices on the floor in front of them. Then walk around, taking the phones, putting them in a box or bag. Tell them, that their phones have been confiscated.
THE HIDING PLACE
Split up the group into two teams. Give team one a couple of Bibles of differing sizes. Then send team two out of the room. Team one (with the Bibles) have five minutes to hide the Bibles in a designated area. Team two (the finders) then have to search the room and search for the Bibles. If the finders locate all the Bibles within two minutes then they get a reward, if not the other team (who hid the Bibles), win and get the reward. Explain that in North Korea Christianity is completely outlawed. It’s thought there are 400,000 Christians in underground churches across North Korea, but no one really knows. Christians are classified as hostile and face arrest, detention, torture or even public execution. There is a vigorous elimination programme in existence to convert, imprison, banish or execute individuals who have converted to Christianity. Koreans who have converted after defecting to China and are later repatriated are in particular danger. Spies have reportedly been sent to China to expose networks and Christians helping defectors there have been killed. Christians are likely to remain targets of this regime.
WATCH AND DISCUSS
Watch the Hae Woo video from the links section of the Youthwork website. This video tells the story of Hae Woo who begins a church in the darkness of a North Korean labour camp. After you’ve watched the video discuss these questions:• The story of Hae Woo’s life puts our faith in perspective. For some, following Jesus costs everything. What does our faith cost us?• Hae Woo’s faith came at a massive cost. Are there any things in your life that get in the way of a relationship with Jesus? Are there things God might be asking you to give up, even if it comes at a cost?• The chap in the film reflects on the question: ‘If Jesus walked the Earth today, would you follow him?’ It’s a big question. Spend a while discussing your thoughts and responses to that question – it might not be as straightforward as you first think!
BIBLE THOUGHTS
Get the group to read through the two passages above. Then ask the following questions:• Both of these passages indicate that followers of Jesus can expect to face persecution. How do they say we should respond to persecution? How do we respond when things aren’t going well for us?• The passage is one of the most famous bits of Jesus’ teaching. If you were to think of someone who was ‘blessed’ by God, who would they be? Would they be immensely talented, wealthy, popular or famous? What are the characteristics of the people who Jesus says are blessed. How do our lives reflect these characteristics?• The passage in Matthew mentions persecution before the bit about cities, candles and lights. Do you think there is a point to how the stories have been ordered? What was the writer of the Gospel trying to say?
SING IN SILENCE
Split your group into two teams. Team one must nominate a person who has to secretly think of a wellknown song. They then have one minute to act out that song – no singing, words or miming is aloud. Members from their team can shout out song titles until they get the right song. If the answer isn’t found after one minute then team two can have a single guess. If the active team guess correctly then they get one point, if they don’t know and the non-active team guesses the song correctly with their one chance they get two points. Repeat the process with team two, and take it in turns until every team member from both teams has had a chance to act out a song (or you get bored / run out of time). The winning team is the one with the most points. Being a Christian in North Korea means you have to become extremely good at hiding in plain sight. Christians pray in silence, sing in silence and meet in small numbers in secret places. Bibles are hidden. Verses have to be remembered. They have to be as unseen as possible otherwise their lives will be on the line.
PRAY
Pray to close. Focus on praying for:• Radical Christians in North Korea like Hae Woo from the video. Pray for protection, strength, courage, boldness and favour.• The secret churches meet in caves, forests, the toilets of labour camps and anywhere else. Ask God to send his Spirit to empower the Church in North Korea and for a massive change to come for the country itself.• About everything you’ve learnt and ask that the stories of the persecuted would inspire you to give all you have to following Jesus. Ask for God’s help in living wholeheartedly for him.
EXTRA ACTIVITY
Do a Blackout with your group! Blackout is a 21st Century fast for the persecuted Church, run by Open Doors. They are asking youth groups to get sponsored and black out from social media, video games, TV, smart phones and even talking for a whole weekend in order to raise money for Christians who live in places where faith costs the most. Head to www.opendoorsyouth.org and download the Blackout Youth Leader Guide and a whole load of free promotional stuff to help you organise an event. The dates are 28-30th March, so get it in the diary!
