CONNECT WEEK
WHERE DO WE BELONG?
LEADER PREPARATION
Lesson Summary:
Note: These lessons are designed to be 30 minutes long. If your club time is shorter than this, we encourage you to be prayerful about parts of this lesson to put more or less emphasis on. If limited on time, we urge you to prioritize Tool Time and summarize Dig In, as Tool Time is what prepares you for sharing the Gospel. As always, let the Holy Spirit guide your leadership.
This month has been an amazing introduction to God’s plan for the world: to make our home in Him and in His perfect love. Today, we are going to look at God’s design for us to live in community with other believers. By connecting with a church, we can find support, encouragement, belonging, and opportunities to live out our purpose – sharing the Good News with the world.
Scripture References
Materials Needed
- None
Main Point
God created us to live in loving community with one another.
Team Roles
- Host: This Student Leader will lead the Start Up section of the lesson, helping create a fun environment, making everyone feel welcome and included.
- Speaker: This student leader will guide the group in growing deeper in their faith by reading and reflecting on passages of scripture. They will then connect the content to the group’s daily lives by asking practical questions and leading the conversation.
- Other Roles: Promo, Welcome, and Follow Up.
(7 minutes)
Welcome everyone and be sure to get the names of any new friends.
Icebreaker Game: Find Your People
Instruct students to remain silent during this game. Explain to the group that you will ask a question which will be followed by three possible answers numbered: one, two, and three. The group will then hold up the amount of fingers on their right hand that corresponds to the answer they most relate with and join up with everyone who agrees with them. Repeat this process until you have completed all five prompts. Feel free to add in your own if time allows!
- 1- Tacos, 2- Pizza, 3- Cheeseburger
- 1- Book, 2- Movie, 3- Stage Play
- 1- Red, 2- Green, 3- Blue
- 1- Cat, 2- Dog, 3- Goldfish
- 1- Apple, 2-Android, 3- Carrier Pigeon
DIG IN
(5 minutes)
Say: Finding a group of people who share our passions is life-giving! Even if you’re an introvert, knowing that there are people out there who agree with you and support your beliefs helps us feel seen and less alone. God created us to thrive in community with one another!
Ask: How would you describe church based on your own experience? (Take a few moments to allow students to share.)
Say: Let’s look at the story of how the Christian Church was established, found in the book of Acts.
Read Scripture:
They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. (Acts 2:42-47)
Ask: How does this description differ from your view of “church”? (Take a few moments for students to share.)
Say: This group of believers gave up everything they had to build a new home together. They came from all walks of life, poor and rich, local and far away, yet they found unity in their passion for sharing the Gospel. They shared a special bond through their devotion and dedication to Jesus. Quickly, the Church became a supportive community of selflessness and love.
TOOL TIME
(18 Minutes)
Say: So, the big question is SO WHAT? How does this affect my view of myself and my peers? (Let students think about this for just a moment.)
Say: Church is more than a weekly meeting; it’s a spiritual family called out of an old way of life into a new way of life. Though we were once strangers to each other, we’re now brothers and sisters, adopted by God and expressing what it means to belong to Jesus, walk with him, and share him with the world. The Bible tells us that,
Read Scripture:
We love because He first loved us. Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. And He has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister. (1 John 4:19-21)
Say: The Church should be the place where we go to hold each other up when we’re exhausted and hold each other accountable if we start to lose our way. It’s where we go to find mentors who offer us wisdom and guidance and where we join together in one unified voice of worship.
Ask: If you are a part of a church group, what have been some positive things you have experienced about being a part of a church community?
Don’t let negative experiences or worldly opinions rob you of all the amazing things that come from being part of a faith community! No one should ever have to live out their relationship with Jesus on their own. We need each other! As we close in prayer, ask God to show you how he can use your unique personality and experiences to serve and help others in the church.
God’s family is big, crazy, and full of opportunities to help you live out the calling that has been placed on your life. If you don’t have a church you regularly attend, we would love to connect you with one! Before we close our time in prayer, let us remember our main point for today: God created us to live in loving community with one another.
This means our life is to be lived out with other people. We are not meant to do this alone. Think about one person that you can invite to church this week, so that they can experience the church community you have!
Closing: End your time together with prayer.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Again, if you don’t have a church home, talk to any one of the student leaders or adults, and we would be happy to connect you with one! We will see you next week at Equip Week as we look to answer the question of brokenness.
Note: A great way to make sure students are getting connected is by having students invite their friends or other club members who may not have a church, to go to church with them. If you have extra time in club, ask a few volunteers to share where they go to church.
Here are a few important things to have them mention:
- Where they go?
- What their youth group or church is like (what is a typical night like at youth group?)
- What time/day? Upcoming special events?
- If the student is able: offer a ride to anyone who needs it.
*If there is someone who wants to visit a youth group but doesn’t have a ride, talk to your Campus Coach to find a solution! They are there to help you!
