Spiritual Reflections

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discovery
Spiritual Reflections
Introduction to materials
Spiritual reflection. This has a range of
activities for helping the group reflect on Gods
heart for the vulnerable and needy and also their
role as a church in reaching out and being
alongside the poor.
Spiritual Reflections
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List of activities and what they can be used for
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• Name of activity Bartimaeus reflection
• Purpose To raise awareness of the role of the
  church in meeting the needs of the poor
• Time required 30 mins
• Materials required
• Powerpoint presentation
• Poster set of Bartimaeus
• Essential steps
• Tell the story of blind Bartimaeus through the
  posters (Mark 1046-52). Highlight the changes in
  the crowds reaction to Bartimaeus as well as the
  isolation that Bartimaeus must have felt.
• Leave the pictures up and give the group time to
  look at them and reflect on what they have heard
  and seen.
• Ask the group the following questions
• - What were the different reactions of the
  crowd through the story?
• - How do churches shun those who are
  isolated and marginalised?
• - How can our worship include reaching out
  to the isolated and marginalised?

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• Name of activity Nehemiah Bible studies
• Purpose Biblical example of community in action
• Time required 30 mins each
• Materials required
• Powerpoint pictures
• Poster set of the Nehemiah story
• Essential steps
• Tell the story of Nehemiah through the poster
  set. Leave the pictures up for the group to
  reflect on what they have heard and seen.
• Encourage the group to give their reaction to the
  story and use the following questions (or the
  questions in the fuller pack)
• - What caused Nehemiah to undertake this
  work of building the wall of Jerusalem and what
  can we learn from this?
• - What challenges did Nehemiah face in
  building the wall and what challenges might we
  face in our work with the community?
• - What made it successful and what
  principles can we use from this for our own work?
• - How did Nehemiah celebrate the building of
  the wall and in what ways can we celebrate and
  affirm our achievements?

Spiritual Reflections
See supporting pack for the Complete set of images
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Name of activity Feeding the 5000
reflection Purpose To raise awareness of what
God can do through us. Time required 30
mins Materials required Bibles Essential
steps 1. Read John ch 6 vs 1-13 the feeding
of the 5000 2. In groups discuss the following
questions - How do you think the disciples felt
when Jesus asked them where they could get food
for everyone? - Do you ever feel like that when
you look around your community? - What did Jesus
do with the small boys offering and what was the
result? - What can Jesus do with the little we
can offer our communities?
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• Name of activity The Church as a type of bus
• Purpose To reflect on how our church relates to
  the community
• Time required 30 mins
• Materials required
• Poster set of 6 buses
• Masking tape
• Post-its
• Essential steps
• Put the posters of each type of bus around the
  room.
• Invite the group to look at all the different
  types and decide which type of bus most
  represents their church.
• Ask the group to write on post-its why a certain
  bus for them represents their church.
• Move round the room reviewing everybodys
  response and discuss the strengths and weaknesses
  identified by the group.
• Make a list of the strengths and weaknesses and
  use this to think about what God might be calling
  the church to do in the future.

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• Name of activity Shrek reflection
• Purpose To raise awareness of our
  responsibility to respond to community needs.
• Time required 30 mins
• Materials required
• DVD or video of Shrek 2
• Bible
• Cut out paper people (about 20) for the group to
• write on
• Essential steps
• Show the sequence of Shrek and Fiona arriving for
  the first time at her parents house.
• Discuss in pairs who in our community, church and
  school are isolated or vulnerable. Write on the
  paper the names of the different people groups
  who might be vulnerable in our community.
• Lay these paper people on the floor so everyone
  can see and reflect as a group on the common
  themes of who and what needs they have.
• Read Isaiah 5213 5312 / Luke 5 12-16

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• Name of activity Making connections - Legion
• Purpose To raise awareness of our responsibility
  to respond to community needs
• Time required 30 mins
• Materials required
• Bible
• Poster set of Legion
• Essential steps
• Show the poster and read Luke 8 26-39. Get the
  group to reflect on what they have seen and
  heard.
• What boundaries did Jesus cross in order to meet
  the needs of Legion?
• What boundaries might we have to cross in order
  to meet the needs of those who are vulnerable or
  isolated?
• Make a list of the challenges we face in meeting
  the needs of the vulnerable. In what ways can we
  work together to overcome them?

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• Name of activity Making connections The woman
  who touched the cloak of Jesus
• Purpose To raise awareness of our responsibility
  to respond to the needs of others
• Time required 30 mins
• Materials required
• Poster set of woman touching cloak
• Essential steps
• Show the poster and read Luke 8 40-48. Get the
  group to reflect on what they have seen and
  heard. In telling the story highlight the 12 year
  isolation of the woman, Jesus being pressed by
  the crowd on his way to Jairuss daughter, and
  the creation of space by Jesus to allow the woman
  to tell her story.
• Why was Jesus so insistent on discovering the
  identity of the person who touched him?
• What does this story tell us about making time in
  busy daily lives for the needs of others?
• Why is it important to allow vulnerable,
  marginalised people to tell their stories?

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See attached handouts or Supporting images
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• Name of activity Prayer cards
• Purpose To raise awareness in the church of
  community needs that can be prayed for
• Time required 30 mins
• Materials required
• Flip chart, marker pens, masking tape
• Essential steps
• Brainstorm common community needs.
• Cluster them into common themes eg crime,
  education, the elderly and youth.
• Take each theme and write some prayers
  specifically for that area which include names of
  those involved in trying to make things better.
• Invite members of the congregation to form pairs
  or triplets and commit to pray for these themes
  over the next few months.
• The prayers can then be typed up on coloured
  paper and laminated and distributed on a week by
  week or month by month basis to the small groups
  in the church who are committed to pray for these
  areas.

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• Name of activity Broken crockery in the shape of
  a cross
• Purpose To provide an opportunity to commit
  ourselves to work for the vulnerable.
• Time required 30 mins
• Materials required
• Bucket full of broken crockery
• Bible
• Music quiet, reflective
• Essential steps
• Everyone takes one piece of broken crockery.
• Read Isaiah 58 vs 6-12 while holding the
  crockery.
• The leader of the reflection invites the group to
  think about the brokenness in the community that
  surrounds the church and invites a few
  individuals to name some examples.
• All the members of the group lay down all the
  different pieces of crockery in the shape of a
  cross on the floor. Use the rest of the crockery
  in the bucket to fill out the shape of the cross
  until it is all used up. This is best done to
  music.
• When the cross is complete the group gather round
  it and pray for the community.

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Name of activity Candles on the map Purpose To
help a group reflect on the needs of their
community and to pray for it. (This activity
works best following the mapping exercise where
the community have drawn a map and discussed
which areas have most need.) Time required 15
mins Materials required Tea lights map of the
community either drawn by the group or a large
local map. Essential steps 1. Draw map and
highlight key areas of need and opportunity. 2.
Place the tea lights on either areas of need as
identified on the map or on places of worship
within the community. 3. Invite the participants
to reflect on what they see and what does it make
them think of. 4. Either select some written
prayers to read or invite the group to pray for
their community. Hot tip Switch off the
lights, play music, read a Stuart Henderson
poem.
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• Name of activity Billy Elliot Film (either show
  the whole film or the sequence when the father
  finds out Billy wants to be a ballet dancer)
• Purpose To help the group look at what it means
  to break the mould and pursue their vision or
  dream.
• Time required 1 ½ to 2 ½ hours
• Materials required Film Video/DVD player,
  attached list of questions
• Essential steps
• Introduce the film and set the scene.
• If time is short, select key points of the story.
• Discuss the following list of questions
• What cultural challenges did Billy face in
  pursuing his vision?
• What enabled him to stick to his vision and see
  it through?
• What enabled the father to support Billy?
• What cultural barriers do we face in the
  initiatives we want to do in our community?
• What will keep us going in pursuit of the vision?
• How can we help the community be part of the
  vision?

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• Name of activity Paper chain figures
• Purpose To help a group or church reflect on
  individuals or groups of people who they know are
  in need in their community.
• Time required 30 mins
• Materials required Paper cut into figures
  marker pens
• Essential steps
• Pre-cut enough figures for each member of the
  group.
• Either use a video clip or appropriate reading on
  the needs of the poor, or one of the poster sets
  such as Bartimaeus or the woman who touched
  Jesus cloak.
• Invite the group to reflect on individuals or
  groups who are in need in the community and write
  their needs on a paper figure.
• Invite the group to lay the figures in the shape
  of a cross on the floor in the middle of the
  room.
• Invite one or two people to pray for the
  community.
• Hot tip When people walk up to place the figures
  there could be music playing and/ or tea lights
  set in the shape of the cross where the figures
  are placed. (Dont burn the paper!)

Spiritual Reflections