PREPARE WEEK
PREPARING STUDENTS TO LEAD
WELCOME
Foundation Scripture
“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” -2 Timothy 3:16-17
SAY: “Welcome to First Priority! This week is Prepare Week where we will focus on how we can reach our school and community with the Good News of Jesus.
Before we get started, let’s pray…”
OPENING PRAYER
DIG IN
SAY: “This month, we have focused on the Bible – Is it trustworthy? What does it say? How is it different? This week, we want to look at the “meta-narrative” or the “big picture” of the Bible and how that relates to each of our stories.
Meta-narrative is just a big word for “big picture.”There is a larger story at play in the Bible all the way from the first book which is Genesis to the last book called Revelation. That big picture is:
Creation. Fall. Redemption. Completion.
In Genesis, we see God’s original creation of the world and of humanity, but we also see the “fall of man” or the first sin by Adam and Eve. What was the fall? How did it change everything?”
SAY: “If left up to that original fall, we would be separated from God forever. But according to 1 John 4:9-10 it says “This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” God sent His Son into the world to be our savior and bring us back in connection with God!
SAY: “Did you know, that we ALL are sent to share the good news and the Gospel? When we accept Jesus Christ into our lives we are called to the mission of spreading the Gospel and the good news to all those around us!”
TOOL TIME
SAY: “For the next few minutes, we want you to take some time to think through and write out your story. (read these reflection questions)
- What is your story?
- How did you come to know Jesus as your Savior or have you done that yet?
- What questions do you have?
- How does understanding the larger story of Scripture help you understand and live according to God’s Word?”
Have a student leader pass out something with the FOUR emblems, or use the EPIC slides and have it on the screen.
Here is a link to a guide on understanding The FOUR. It’s best to familiarize yourself with this tool before teaching it to others.
SAY: “If this is your first time writing out your story (or even thinking about it), I encourage you to use The Four we talked about last week as a guide. Walk through each icon and what it means in your life. You may even want to turn to a friend or a leader and talk through your story out loud.
There is one important thing to remember. Our stories are NOT a one-size fits all. Each person in this room is going to have a story that may look a little or a LOT different than yours, and that is perfect. Just as we have our own fingerprints, we all have our own story, so if your story looks or sounds different than your friends, you are probably on the right track!
TRANSITION INTO MY FAITH STORY SHEET.
We also want to give you another resource to help write out your story. As the Student Leader passes around the My Faith Story Guide, I want to quickly walk you through how to use this sheet.”
(Click here for the My Faith Story Sheet)
Have a student leader ready to begin passing out My Faith Story sheets as you explain the sheet.
Jump to My Faith Story explanation sheet….
This is a great time to allow the students to write or practice their stories. You may want to provide sheets of paper or bring copies of “The Four” that they can refer to while they are writing their stories. If you want to have them practice this out loud or one-on-one with a friend, we suggest you split up Student Leaders and Club Coaches, allowing them to help coach other students through this process who may not be as familiar.
SAY: “Stories are SO powerful but the most incredible part of the Bible is that the story includes US. It is real. We would love for any of you who may want to share your story next week to come talk to a Student Leader or the Club Coach before you leave today. We will have plenty of other opportunities for you to share your story this year, too!
Next week is INVITE Week – which means we want to invite as many people to First Priority as possible! We have invite cards for you to take and pass out to your friends, classmates and peers to invite them to club next week. Think about how many students we can reach if each one of you invited just one of your friends! We encourage and challenge each of you to take and hand out at least one invite card this week and lets fill this room!
Here are our announcements…”
CLOSING PRAYER
Have a Student Leader ready to pass out invite cards at the end of meeting or at the door as they leave. Announce See You at The Pole on SEPT 27th!
