Links from September 2013 issue

NEWS

On the edge

www.newmarketyfc.co.uk

AMG 1

Scenarios

1. All your team mates are annoyed by the decisions of the captain, which caused you to lose – they want you to take over as captain instead of him. Do you: a) Step right up and lead the revolution – you know you can do a better job. b) Tell them to be quiet, respect his position and focus on working better together as a team – that’s how you will win in the long run. c) Agree that he is not a good captain but that it’s not our place to make that call; let your performance do the talking – you’ll get the recognition you deserve in the end. d) Rally everyone to get behind the captain; work harder, do what he says and encourage him as much as possible – the real captain in him will soon come out.

2. Your Maths teacher shouted at you for not doing your homework yet you know that he lost it. You have grounds to take the matter to the Head but you know the teacher is a bit doddery and is retiring in three weeks anyway. Do you: a) Make an official complaint – it doesn’t matter if he’s old; if a teacher makes a mistake they should be made to pay as high a penalty as possible. b) Let it go – he’s an old fool but he’s given years of hard work for people like you. c) Don’t report it but try and get your own back by playing pranks and making his last three weeks absolutely miserable. d) Be the bigger man/woman. Spend the next three weeks being super nice to him and give him a leaving gift. Deep down he must know he made a mistake and this kindness will leave a big impression on him as he retires.

3. Your church leader is not very good at understanding young people and the services are boring. Do you: a) Moan about it to everyone who asks but just put up with how bad it is. b) Go to a ‘better’ church on Sundays that is more suited to young people – you’re still friends with people at the church and that’s the main thing. c) Arrange for a few of you to go and have a talk with the church leader so you can discuss your gripes – he can’t help it to change if he doesn’t know, right? d) Send him an email saying what you like about the church and offer to babysit for free. It must be a hard, lonely job being the church’s leader.

Notes for adapting

For younger groups…

Spend less time on the spider diagram if they struggle with this and the harder concepts – emphasise being courageous to do what is right even if others pressurize you otherwise

For older groups…

Emphasis the competitiveness of the activities! How does peer pressure affect your influence about tough decisions / respect for authority?

For unchurched young people…

Spend longer talking through the bible story if they don’t know it – or if that’s not going to work emphasise the common sense behind the point we are trying to get across (that the story demonstrates)

For those wanting to go deeper…

Ask them to pray in their pairs about these things for a few minutes. Provide a bin or a shredder for them to symbolically dispense with things you have discussed today such as …previous ways of living; facets of their reputation; elements of their behaviour / the way they model their life …things they want to leave behind in order to better stand up as a man/woman of God like David did.

AMG 2

For more examples of leadership routines, check out: http://johnwright.me/blog/15-daily-routines-of-famous-people/

AMG 3

Notes for adapting

For younger groups… Invite them to role-play the conversation between Nathan and David.

For older groups… Spend more time looking at other passages in the New Testament that encourage us to look out for each other, correcting one another where necessary.

For unchurched young people… Spend more time introducing them to the person of David, his achievements and his character.

For those wanting to go deeper… Read Psalm 51 and see how David responded to the challenge that Nathan set before him.

AMG 4

Scenarios

• A lot of money is missing from the youth group accounts. The treasurer explains that he’s lent it to his girlfriend, who is a bit short this month. He’s sure she’ll repay it quite soon.

• Whenever there’s a competition in the group, the teenage children of the youth leader seem to win. He implies it’s because they’re more spiritual, creative and intelligent than most of the others.

• Some younger leaders are frustrated because decisions and plans are announced to the group which they knew nothing about, and weren’t ever discussed at leaders’ meetings. But three of the senior leaders, who have always been close friends, meet for supper every Saturday evenings, and the plans seem to be hatched then.

• One married female leader seems to spend a lot of time with one of the older boys. She says he shows remarkable spiritual potential and she wants to help it develop.

• A camping trip which had been planned for ages has suddenly been cancelled without explanation. The group suspect it’s because the leader’s demanding wife wants to go to London that weekend instead.

Notes for adapting

For younger groups…

Choose the scenarios with care. ‘Youth group scandal’ and the Amnon story may be a little challenging.

For older groups…

Spend longer with ‘First things first’, especially applying it to the growing complexity of their social lives in late teenage years.

For unchurched young people…

Don’t overload with biblical material; maybe just one story in ‘Bible Failures’ will speak powerfully enough.

For those who want to go deeper…

Stress that all the situations in ‘Youth group scandal’ are entirely fictional!

RTU Food

www.christianaidcollective.org/resources

Traditional Brazilian black bean stew contains a variety of meat cuts, usually pork and beef. To keep things simple, and to encourage a low-meat diet for the sake of the planet, we recommend this vegetarian take on the traditional recipe!

Serves 4-5, scale up as required.

You will need:

• Fairtrade olive oil

• 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into rough cubes

• 2-3 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped

• 1 large onion, peeled and chopped

• chilli flakes (optional!)

• 2 tins black beans

• 1 tin chopped tomatoes

• salt and black pepper

• fresh coriander

• rice to serve