CONNECT WEEK
CONNECTING STUDENTS TO THEIR LOCAL CHURCH AND THEIR COMMUNITY
WELCOME
Foundation Scripture
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” ~Matthew 28:19-20
SAY: “Welcome to First Priority! Last week, we heard from a guest speaker who shared their story and how God has impacted their life. This month, we have been talking about Evangelism and we want to continue to talk about how we can continue to stay connected as a believer.
Let’s pray…”
OPENING PRAYER
DIG IN
SAY: “One of the goals of First Priority is to connect students to Jesus. This is the center of everything that we do in the Club and should be the center of everything that we do in our life.
READ: John 14:6, “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
SAY: “Through the Gospel, we want everyone to come to know and be connected to Christ. Once we are connected to Jesus, we want them to connect to the local church or group of believers where they can grow and be poured into by alot of different people.”
READ: 1 Corinthians 12:27, “Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.”
SAY: “Once we become believers, the Bible tells us to get into a community with other believers. It is difficult for someone to go through their Christian life on their own. There are amazing things the Bible tells us about being a part of a community with fellow believers.
The first is that we are called to help carry each other’s burdens. So many times, Christians put themselves on an island and they get stuck in these difficult times and have no one to help them walk through it. When in community
with other believers from the church, we can walk through this burden with them by speaking truth into our lives and not letting us walk through this alone.”
READ: Galatians 6:2, “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”
Have a student volunteer to read the scriptures. This helps keep students engaged and connected.
As always, Connect Week is about getting students connected to Christ, other believers and Club. After Invite Week, you may have some new students. It is important to make sure these new students understand the flow and general intention of Connect Week. You may have a few that want to get connected!
SAY: “Secondly, when we are surrounded by other believers, they can help keep us accountable to be doers of the Lord. This is important because when we break it down, we are simply talking about being obedient to what God commands us in His Word. In the Church, we can serve others and obey God’s command to serve. There are so many places in the local church to serve with other believers pursuing the same goal.
The last thing we want is for you to get connected to the Club. Now, whether or not you are connected to this Club doesn’t affect your salvation, or inherently hinder your relationship with Christ. But we want you to be the students who change this entire campus with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Everyone in this room has the capability to tell their friends about Jesus and possibly help change their lives forever. There are so many students on this campus who need Jesus, and by getting connected to the club, you can come and work together to figure out a way to reach all these students for Jesus!”
There may be a few students who are interested in getting more connected in this Club. This week is a great opportunity to host a quick info meeting about becoming a Student Leader following the Connect Week lesson. You can invite students to stay after and have a Student Leader or Club Coach talk about the different opportunities to lead. If there isn’t time for a meeting, mention the leadership opportunities to students and have them fill out an index card with their information so you can follow up with them!
TOOL TIME
SAY:
“As we wrap up today’s lesson, let’s have a discussion about getting connected.
ASK:
- What have students found out about the importance of community in their own life?
- What are ways to connect more people to Jesus on the campus?
- How can we help encourage others who are not connected to other believers to get connected?
All of these are great ideas! Getting connected is important for the growth of our faith whether you are a new believer or you have been a believer your whole life! Getting connected to Christ as a believer, getting connected to the club to learn more about your faith, and getting connected to a community of believers are all important things we encourage each of you guys to do at First Priority.”
As you know by now, Connect Week is all about getting students connected to God, connected to Club, and connected to a community of believers. Sometimes getting connected can be a scary thing, especially for new believers. It is important that as a Student Leader, you are inviting and welcoming all students in different ways so that they can feel connected. If your church has a youth group, or an event coming up, talk to your Club about it and invite them to come with you! (it’s even better if you invite them individually). As summer approaches, try to intentionally invite or connect with the students in your Club. Just because it’s summer, doesn’t mean you can’t still hang out with friends from First Priority!
Say: “It was so good to meet with you all again today. If you have any questions about getting connected to the church, or maybe you are interested in being more connected to the Club, please come find any of the leaders. We would love to talk with you! We hope to see you all again next week! Let’s end today’s Club in prayer…”
CLOSING PRAYER
If students are interested in being a part of Club Leadership, but aren’t really sure what they want to do or if they are even ready to commit… Invite them to try out several roles for a couple weeks. As we near the last bit of school before summer break, this is a great time to get more students involved in leadership so they can try it out/train and be ready to jump all in the next school year! You can invite students to “shadow” leaders as a way for them to try something new. (Shadowing may be difficult for leadership roles like the Speaker or Host, but shadowing is a great opportunity for the Promo team, the Welcome team and the Follow-up team!
