Starting

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Starting Running Christian Groups in Schools
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Asking the right Questions

• Why do we want to do this?
• What are we trying to achieve?
• Who is the group for?
• Who will be responsible for running it?

3
Possible reasons for a group

• For Christians to get together socially
• To provide bible teaching for Christians
• For non-Christians to come to to find out about
  Jesus
• To be salt and light in the school
• To train young christians to witness in their
  school
• For mutual support and prayer
• To pray for the school
• For you to befriend young people in the school
• To be a catalyst for change in the school

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Possible reasons for a group

• To convert people to Christianity
• To be a bridge between church and school
• To nurture and disciple young christians
• To serve the school community
• To help young people live out their faith in
  school
• To be a church

5
Church outside Church

• A chance to empower young people to be and do
  church creatively
• A chance to allow authentic Christianity to have
  its (subversive) effect within a community
• The tip of the iceberg

6
Asking the right Questions

• Who else goes into the school?
• Have you spoken to local workers/churches?
• Have you spoken to the Head?
• Have you spoken to other teachers?
• Have you spoken to Christian staff?
• Have you spoken to Christian students?

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Asking the right questions

• Where will it meet?
• What will we call it?
• Will staff be involved?
• What will we do?

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Resource

• www.scriptureunion.org.uk/re-source

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Programme possibilities

• Student run or adult run
• Social or structured
• Speakers subjects
• YFC Rock Solid 11-14s
• Club or group
• Outward or inward focus

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Ideas

• World Vision 24 Hour Famine
• Seeds of Hope Project
• Bands
• Running club for younger pupils
• Fairtrade
• Peer Mentoring
• Litter/gardening

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Taking Assemblies
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The Law

• The school day should begin with collective
  worship on the part of all pupils in attendance
  at school unless the school premises are such
  as to make it impractical to assemble for that
  purpose
• Wholly or mainly of a braodly Christian
  character reflecting the broad traditions of
  Christian belief
• Should aim to provide the opportunity for pupils
  to worship God, to consider spiritual and moral
  issues and to explore their own beliefs to
  encourage participation and response and to
  develop community spirit, promote a common ethos
  and shared values and reinforce positive
  attitudes.

13
Worship

• reflect something special or separate from
  ordinary school activities, concerned with
  reverence or adoration paid to a divine being or
  power

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Expectations

• Ease work load
• Keep to time
• Dress appropriately
• Be age appropriate
• Inclusive non-threatening
• Not to raise contentious issues
• Not to force people to pray
• Recognition of multi-faith context
• Express own beliefs but not undermine others
• Sensitive to diversity of human experience
• Not to be amazing!

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What can you say?

• I think
• It seems to me
• Christians believe
• As a Christian I believe
• The Bible says
• The church teaches
• I feel
• In my experience
• From my perspective
• In my opinion

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Clear, Snappy Message

• If they cant answer the question, What was
  assembly on today? in one short sentence, at
  some level we have not done our job
• Rest of assembly about making that one same point
  in a variety of ways

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2. Start with the Familiar

• How can you connect with their culture?
• Film storyline
• TV show
• Soap opera
• News item
• Song lyrics
• Everyday situation

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3. Fun-based opener

• True/false quizzes
• Dilemmas
• Interesting pictures
• Amazing facts
• Easy challenges
• Object lessons
• Drama?

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4. Ask a question

• Questions enable us to get people thinking
  beyond that which is immediate, they lift us out
  of the here and now for a moment and help us to
  see the bigger picture

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Questions eg.

• Have you ever felt that way?
• Have you ever wondered about that?
• What would you do in that situation?
• Whats the right thing to do?
• What do you believe about that?
• Why do things like that happen?
• Why do we get into situations like that?
• What kind of person are you?

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5. Tell a story or two

• Stories are popular as ever
• Powerful means for communicating a message
• Make it personal
• Use visuals (esp. if not confident storyteller)

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6. Reflection

• Words read to music
• Appropriate song
• Images to music
• Quiet opportunity to think/pray
• A mental task eg, think of 2 people who
• Prayer

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7. Application

• What does that have to do with everyday life?
• What does it mean for me today?
• How does it address the question you asked
  earlier?
• What can I do practically today to put your
  message into action?

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BUT

• Dont feel you need to put all of those into
  every assembly
• Dont feel you have to be creative and have
  imaginative visuals
• Dont be afraid to be personal
• Dont be afraid to use the Bible
• Dont feel you have to be amazing youre not
  expected to be